Bonita a yacht built by Crossfields of Arnside in 1888 set off on a Round Britain Voyage on Monday 1st May.
Bonita is one off 22 boats taking part in the event. The voyage is being organised by the OGA, the national association for gaff rig sailing, one of the country’s leading classic boat organisations to celebrate their 60th Anniversary. It should take just under 100 days to navigate round Britain. The event started from Ramsgate in Kent on Monday 1st May. Bonita was the first boat to leave,
Bonita was built in 1888 for Edwin Wrigley, the owner of Holme Island off Grange-over-Sands. She is currently owned by Mike Beckett, the President of the OGA. Bonita was brought by Allan Beckett his father in 1938 and has remained in the family ever since. Allan was involved in the design of the Mulberry Harbours used in Normandy Landings in 1944. It will be the second time that Bonita has sailed round Britain. She completed the voyage in 2013. In 2016 Bonita sailed from Kent to the Baltic.
You can follow Bonita’s progress on the OGA website https://www.oga.org.uk/oga60/hidden_pages/rbc60_1.html,
The Owner’s blogspot https://bonitayawl.blogspot.com
Sailing-By Website https://www.sailing-by.org.uk