The Heron is an exciting sailing dinghy for crew of two designed by Jack Holt who also designed the Mirror, GP14, Star and others. The simple gunter rig (mast, gaff and boom) along with the elegant lines, modest size, good handling, robust construction and low cost have made Holt's 1950's Yachting World design one of the most popular dinghy classes ever with world-wide numbers in excess of 10,000 boats.

Herons are highly regarded as an ideal first boat for taking up dinghy sailing. Herons are stable and easy to sail but also cater for the expert sailor with high level competition in boats of the one type.

The Heron is a 'One Design' dinghy class,however there is a wide range of options written into the rules. These include :

wooden framed, plywood epoxy, GRP, FRP
or composite hulls
Gunter or Bermudan rig
wood or metal spars
Jib or Genoa
built-in or inflated bag buoyancy
alternative rudder blade shapes and sizes
many possible cockpit layouts
a wide choice of fittings

The Heron is an adopted class at sailing clubs up and down the country. The Heron Dinghy Class Association organises a full programme of regattas and open meetings throughout the sailing season.

Click here to discuss the Heron dinghy in the Go Sail forums.