Free-sailing yawls

Our free sailing fleet are replicas of a 1920's Southwold Beach Yawl Black Joke.

Black Joke was built by John Craigie for Judith Cooper who sailed her to victory in the Southwold Beach Yawl championships in the 1920's

Judith sailed Black Joke with us for many years and left it to the club on her death. Since then members have built 17 modern replicas of this handsome vessel. The fleet meets regularly through the summer where Black Joke regularly beats her younger sisters.

Every autumn the fleet meets to compete for the Cooper Cup in memory of Judith.

Black Joke cruising majestically down the pond