An artist at the Stornoway Festival said the Jeanie II reminded her of a tern. I suddenly realised what a graceful wee bird the tern is: very quick and manoeuvrable – a delight to watch in flight. So I decided on the name Arctic Tern for the revised JII design. This, the newest in the range of double enders, began as a 95% scaled-down Ness Yawl. Although originally drawn up with the same four-strake planking layout, it was decided to redraw the lines as a round-bilge hull with six strakes a side. This gives the boat an appearance closer to the traditional Shetland yoals. Four the more racing-oriented sailors, patterns are now available launch for a 5′ -1″ – 1.55m beam version – the same been as the JII but flatter and less flighty.
There is now a longer version – the “Sooty Tern” at 19′ 8″ (6m) with a raised shearline and increased sail area. The two extra sheets of drawings are available as a supplement to the Arctic Tern plans.
- 
Length 18′ 2″ – 5.52m 
- 
Beam 5′ 5″ – 1.64m 
- 
Draft – 
- 
Weight (kg) 110 
- 
Sail Area 102 sq ft – 9.48 sq m 
- 
Time to build (estimate) 250-300 hours 
