Hi Derek
Will you be based in Chichester or Langston?
I have moored my Dockrell in Chichester for the last 20 years, I know of three other Dockrell 22's in Chichester harbour.
As for performance, mine is very stable, but fairly slow. There are reasons; I have added two bilge plates so that it dries out upright as I am on a half tide mooring. I am also about 4"-5" down on the waterline, not too sure why, but I do seem to carry a lot of junk there is so much stowage space it tends to get filled up!
Under motor it goes ok, I have a 8 hp Mariner 2 stroke, I rarely use more than a third throttle. Last Saturday I came back from Ryde to Chichester against force 4 easterly but with the tide. (You do need to work the tides). The log showed about 3 knots, with the GPS showing 4.5 knots over ground. But large waves did stop the boat on occasions. I tried Tacking into it but made no headway at all.
I usually sail single-handed these days. And the Dockrell is very easy to sail.
When do you get your new boat? It is getting near the end of the season for me; I like to get mine home before the October Gales strike.
Don't get too worried about my comments on sailing performance, I can only comment on my own boat, and I have spoken with other owners who feel there boats are very fast.
If you need any more info e-mail me at
graham@tupper.co.uk
Graham