We saw this welcome sight Thursday morning: the first sailboat of the year, catching light wind in Great Cove. She appears to be one of the WoodenBoat School’s small shellbacks with two WBS staffers aboard.
The boat is part of the School’s fleet of small craft, which is being readied now for the beginning of sailing classes in June.
The shellbacks are small recreation boats designed by famed Brooklin naval architect Joel White and built at the School. They’re 11’ 2” long with a beam (widest part) of 4’ 5”, according to WBS data. They have standing lug rigging, which can be put up easily and, in sudden bad weather, taken down quickly. The rigging also conveniently allows the sail to stay on the same side of the mast when tacking to port or starboard. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 12, 2022.) See also the image in the first Comment space.