Jester

Perhaps the most celebrated Folkboat so far, Jester, a folkboat heavily adapted by World War II hero Blondie Hasler. Jester had a carvel-planked Folkboat hull with an unusual deck arrangement with no cockpit or companionway and a single-masted junk rig.

Jester was the test-bed for many of Hasler's ideas such as the development of windvane self-steering gear. Jester could also be steered from below decks via a whipstaff. All sail handling could be performed from a central hatch without going on deck.



Blondie Hasler sailed Jester in the 1960 and 1964 single-handed transatlantic races and in every following single-handed transatlantic race with her second owner, Michael Richey.

During the 1988 race, Jester was abandoned at sea after damage during a storm. A duplicate of the original Jester was built with cold-molded construction to continue the tradition of her participation.

There is now also the Jester Challenge, a self-supported single handed race in yachts around Jester's size and displacement. Information on the 2008 Challenge can be found on their website.