Swallow's Skipper during the AGM weekend, Mark Jacobson, writes:

Being a wooden clinker built boat, you might think that Swallow would be heavy. This she is not. Either on her launching trolley or on the water she is light, and very quickly responds to a gust of wind. With her long keel, going about has to be taken slowly, as on the Nancy Blackett: unlike Nancy she will often be caught in stays as there is not the weight to keep her moving through the turn. Roll-tacking to leeward is of slight help, but on the River Orwell we found that when the tide is against the lee bow this will stop the turn unless a great deal of speed can be maintained through the turn. To help bring the speed up it helps to turn in a gust or else to come off the wind a bit first. Just use half tiller, not fully across as in a modern dinghy.

The balanced lug sail gives a lot of drive, especially as at present there are no reefing points. The rig is simple but so different from the usual type seen these days. The biggest danger is in dropping the sail while there is someone sitting in the bow – that gaff does wallop when it comes down! One way to avoid this is for the person up front to put a hand to the end of the gaff so as to guide it down safely.

Being a dinghy, there is no motor as on Nancy, but does it move when the oars are plied! For more gentle rowing, a single oar can be put over the stern and the boat sculled instead.

Sailing Swallow is fun: do give it a go if she is in your vicinity.