News

Back in April I pledged to give 10% of the profits of my joinery business to provide humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine. Although it has been a challenging year for all of us I have been able to make a donation to Swansea-based charity Mission Ukraine, who provide just this sort of relief work on the ground.

I was able to provide enough to buy a 3-5kW generator, which will help provide emergency power after so much of the country’s infrastructure has been destroyed in the ongoing attacks.

I would encourage anyone who can to support this cause through the Just Giving page. You can read more about their work in this presentation.

The second order for a transom board and Mast Thwart for a Mk 2 Longboat are heading for Bahrain. Henry has an abandoned Longboat out in the ‘sand state’ needing a lot of love and tender care. At JLJ we are going to help him with that process.

This first consignment is being personally collected by Henry just after Christmas and taken back in his baggage allocation! The second order will include the centre plate case top board and one of our Lugger / Longboat Biminis, this later in the winter on Henry’s next visit back to the UK.

The JLJ Bimini will be on the website very shortly. This fitted sun shield is not so much needed in the north of the UK, but those who have chartered our Luggers in the South Ionian Sea will testify that these are as essential as the outboard engine.

There are to date eight other Drascombes in the Ionian area, a few already with orders for these Biminis which I will deliver this April when I drive out to start the 2023 Dragon Drascombe charter season.

This package went to Tom in the South of France by DHL in early December. It was processed through the DDP system, (delivery duty paid) so no surprise import tax or VAT when it arrived, having all been done by ourselves before it left.

For the purpose of transportation and keeping the length under 3m this keel band is made with a halving joint 200 mm forward of the rudder housing, take a look on the website for this info.

Tom is going to keep me updated in February when he gets his Mk3 Lugger out of the water and ready to fit his new keel band.

From this coming October, Dragon Design at its workshop in Tredegar will be offering a full in-house boat refurbishing and fitting service: fitting of keel bands, Gunwale rails, glass fibre damage repairs and boat spraying repairs etc. any work connected to your Drascombe boat.

For example: a task which is beyond some enthusiasts is replacing the Iroko keel band. This task, on a booked-in time period of 2 days at our workshop, can be completed for a fixed cost including all parts, materials and labour.

MK1 Lugger keel band £445
MK2 and 3 Lugger keel band £420

Just let us know what you need and we’ll give you a quotation.

More information and sample prices coming soon.

Lugger Kingfisher is being rebuilt by our clients Pamela and brother Geoff. Last weekend they just borrowed a spray booth, as you do, and very successfully resprayed the inner cockpit themselves.

What a beautiful job, nicely complemented by the joinery now being fitted. We look forward to more pictures to come!

It had originally been my intention of offering members of the Drascombe Association a discount on orders of 7%, whilst  recognising our prices are far lower than of other suppliers of similar products.

However, and I’m sure Drascombe owners will agree with my approach, my company Dragon Design will donate 10% of its profits from its marine joinery business to aid the plight of Ukrainian refugees who are displaced at this time due to the invasion of their country by Russia.

As those will note who follow my Dragon Drascombe, Lugger sailing holidays website, it has a link each September in donating to the Target Ovarian Cancer appeal via the Great North Run, of which my son in law Andy Stringer is a participant; following her Cancer surgery in 2019/20 my daughter Steph completed the course last year.

So we are proud throughout our varying businesses to give something back to those in need. Please support us and you will be supporting others.