Modern dinghy regatta in the Bahamas

Follie is a cat-rigged sailing dinghy of a type widely used in the Bahamas for a variety of pursuits, from pleasure sailing to fishing conch and sponges. This type of boat enjoys an excellent reputation for seaworthiness - the basic design has endured for more than 150 years.

She's heavily constructed of native pine planking, and has bronze drifts (rods pounded through the stern to link the planking) that are characteristically Bahamian. While Follie's hull is traditional, she also shows more modern influences from outside the Bahamas - the full deck, for example, was probably added after she was built.

Museum volunteers are repairing Follie's planking, giving her a new deck and toe rail, fixing the clamps and floor, and refinishing her. With Follie, we are capturing information about a boat that has not been well documented. We need to preserve it for future generations before it is gone.