The Windmill is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of plywood or fiberglass in the form of a double hull with a foam core, resulting in an unsinkable boat. It has a fractionalsloop rig with aluminum spars. The boat and is sailed only with a jib and mainsail, no spinnaker and no trapeze. The hull has a rounded plumb stem, a conventional transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable daggerboard. It displaces 198 lb (90 kg),[1][3]
The boat has a draft of 4.17 ft (1.27 m) with the daggerboard extended and 6 in (15 cm) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer or car roof rack.[1]
For sailing the design is equipped with jib and mainsail windows for visibility. It also has an internal 2:1 mechanical advantageouthaul, a 4:1 boom vang controlled by the boat's skipper and a 4:1 Cunningham. The boat has adjustable jib fairleads and a mainsheet traveler, plus an Elvstrom bailer.[3]
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 90.2 and is normally raced with a crew of two sailors.[3]
Operational history
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "the Windmill is a high-performance sloop that can be built from plans or from a kit, or purchased complete. She is very light and planes quickly. Class rules are strict, and neither spinnakers nor trapezes are allowed. With a double hull and closed-cell foam, the boat is unsinkable. This type of construction also results in a very rigid boat."[3]
The boat is supported by an active class club, the Windmill Class Association.[8]
