Kabeyun adds expedition sailboat, perfect for boys summer camp

The view across the lake from the Kabeyun waterfront is beautiful and oft-photographed, usually featuring five classic Towne sailboats bobbing at their moorings. Soon, a new boat will join this vista – a Drascombe Gig. The Gig brings new opportunities for both the sailing and Trips departments, thanks to an extraordinarily generous gift from a family long devoted to our boys summer camp.

Every year, our sailors look for chances to collaborate with the trips instructors and take extended, overnight expeditions out on the lake. Camping at various sites along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee is a chance to explore the waters beyond the sight of the dock flagpole. Sailing trips allow campers to test their skills on the wide expanse of “The Broads,” to navigate through unfamiliar and complex areas, and to simply have the experience of packing their gear and setting out on the open water for an adventure.

Until now, Kabeyun has not had the good fortune of a boat designed for those sorts of forays. While the Townes are stable and can handle a number of sailors with equipment, they are not large enough to handle Kabeyun’s standard trip group of six campers and two staff, hence two boats would sail in tandem. If the wind and weather were uncooperative, the options were limited to drifting and hoping for improved conditions, paddling inefficiently from the bow, or calling for a tow from one of camp’s motorboats.

Happily, the Gig’s design addresses these issues. At 25 feet, the Gig has a 12-passenger capacity, though eight with food and equipment will be Kabeyun’s trip standard. It has three rowing stations, so the crew can collaborate to sustain forward progress in windless conditions. It comes equipped with running lights, so the last miles don’t have to be covered as a race against the sun. The Gig is an ideal craft for our purposes, enhancing our ability to reach the more remote areas of the lake and providing a meaningful challenge for advanced sailors to master.

The Gig was built in Great Britain this spring and is now on its way to camp. Drascombe has been building sailboats for over fifty years, and the Gig is the largest of their various designs – perfect for boys summer camps like Kabeyun.

Learn more:
Kabeyun campers can choose from among 25 trips per week. You can read more about it here.
To read more about Drascombe boats, click here.

Note: this post was updated with a picture of Kabeyun's actual Gig, under sail the day of its arrival!