12' O'Day Widgeon Sailing Dinghy (1964) - VANGO, VA1VAN

Widgeon 12 (O’Day), 1964 fiberglass Centerboard Dinghy, Centerboard. This was my first sailboat which I learned to sail in the Bay of Fundy, Cobequid Bay, along the muddy Noel Bay shoreline. (Home of the worlds highest 50 foot tides).
The centerboard keel was a key ingredient in its use, since it had to sit in the muddy ocean bottom at low tide. It sailed well in wave swells up to 1 meter high.
I ended up calling 911 for coast guard rescue on one occasion when the winds were blowing me out of my normally calm bay into the bigger waves over 1 Meter. The problem was that sand had jammed the dropdown daggerboard so it could not be lowered, and I only had a small electric trawling motor at that time.
The shoreline of the Bay of Fundy is fun to explore in a small boat because of the beautiful red sandstone cliffs. The one shown in the photos is at the mouth of the Bay. The nearby Burntcoat lighthouse is home to the worlds highest tides (50 feet). The low tide photo there can be sailed through at high tide.