User:Kimdino/Newbridge Yachts 2

Newbridge Yachts was a British yachtbuilder that designed and manufactured several designs of small family sailing cruisers during the latter part of the 20th century. The company was notable for offering the option of a junk-rig on many of its designs, this type of sail was easier to manage by a single person than the standard bermudan rig used by most modern yachts.

History

Newbridge Yachts started up in the early 1970s as a builder of the Robert Tucker designed Corribee. They then added the Virgo to their range. In the early 1980s they dropped the Corribee and introduced a range of more 'modern' designs, including the Navigator, Venturer and Pioneer, all sharing the distinctive style of a dark-painted band around the coachroof, although the hulls were not all by the same designers. Newbridge Yachts was liquidated in 1987 but the company was later brought back to life as N.B. Yachts when the company moved its production facility from Bridport in Dorset UK to Chard in the county of Somerset UK. Production of the boats carried on for three more years before the company finally ceased trading in January 1990.

Yacht Designs

Corribee / Coromandel

The first Corribee was designed by Robert Tucker in 1964 . Around 10 wooden Corribees were clinker built before Newbridge stepped in to provide a a fibreglass version. The Coromandel was a junk-rigged version of the Corribee.

Eclipse

An Eclipse undergoing winter maintenance. Note the slight 'bulb' on the bottom of the keel, a feature typical of many racing yachts.

The Eclipse was a 22ft 3in. L.O.A. 4-berth yacht designed by Ian Proctor in the late 1960s for higher performance sailing than other Newbridge types.

Though still suitable for taking the family for a weekend cruise various compromises were made to achieve the performance increase. A more streamlined topside was used with reduced headroom. Though an inboard engine could be fitted this was not common in order to save weight. The result was a boat that is still very competitive in its class in modern club racing.

Two keel options were offered, a fixed fin keel designed for racing within the Junior Offshore Group rules or a lifting keel which enabled the boat to be used as a trailer-sailer. Many were also built with a built-in spinnaker chute to facilitate fast spinnaker hoisting and lowering.

Navigator

The Navigator was designed by Robert Tucker and first built in 1980. It is a 5.8m (19ft) L.O.A and was built of GRP. They were designed to be an affordable cruiser that had good stable sailing capability, good interior head room and would sleep four people in relative comfort for 'weekend' cruising. The Navigator was available with a choice of bermudan or junk rig. Navigator owners soon got to love their new boats and formed the first owners association. Many Navigators were built, soon to be followed by a similar, but larger model - the Venturer.

Pioneer

The Pioneer was designed by Bill Dixon (well known for Moody designs) in 1985/86 as the largest of the range, and was built in two versions, the Pioneer Pilot having an added pilothouse moulding to give an interior steering position. It was 25' 10" L.O.A. Most boats sold were bilge-keelers, but fin-keel and centreboard versions were also built. About 80 were built in total.

Spinner

This was a 28ft (8.4m) design by Mike Henderson to fit the 1/2 ton rating.

Virgo Voyager

Designed by Roy Lunney in 1972.

Further information

• Newbridge Navigator and Venturer Association
• Eclipse Owners Association website
• Corribee Information
• Virgo Voyager website