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Festival of Sails 2026

Mirror dinghy - a 50-year history celebrated

by Emma Slater, RYA/Sail-World on 30 Oct 2013
Mirror sailing SW
With over 70,000 Mirror dinghies built and sailed in dozens of countries, including Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States, the Mirror sailing dinghy must be one of the most popular, most affordable boats of all time.

In the 2013 Royal Yachting Association(RYA) Dinghy Show, dinghy historian and journalist David Henshall was interviewed about the famous dinghy's 50 year history.


Talking after his main stage appearance at the 2013 show David explains where it all began for the Mirror dinghy, takes a look back over the past 50 years and how the Mirror has remained one of the most popular dinghies throughout the years.

He explains how the boats have changed over the years from the DIY kits of the early days to the dinghies of today and reveals the story behind the Mirror dinghy and its links to the Mirror Newspaper, as well as a few fun and useful factoids!

This latest video interview is the seventh in a series of nine interviews conducted at the 2013 RYA Dinghy Show focusing on one of the main stage talks or coaching area sessions with the presenters answering questions relating to their talks.

Watch the full video here:

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