Robin Kilroy & Roger Angel
Artist And Naval War Hero / Skilled Joiner And Entrepreneur
The Junk Yacht Boleh is the story of two men: artist and naval war hero Commander Robin Kilroy, DSC, who designed and built her over 70 years ago in Singapore before sailing her back to the UK in 1950; and Roger Angel, skilled joiner and entrepreneur, who found her an insurance write-off in 1978 and painstakingly brought her back to life in a Rye harbour mud berth.
Robin's Boleh
Boleh’s unusual design was influenced by the dhows, junks and other sailing craft Commander Kilroy saw during his service with the Fleet Air Arm between the wars. He created a sea-kindly, broad beamed vessel of just over 40ft, heavily constructed of Malayan ‘chengai’ (a hardwood one and a half times as heavy as oak) and designed to be at her best in ocean trade winds.
The sliding gunter rig, with wishbone booms based on those used in Chinese Junks, and unstayed quadruped mast allow for easy reefing and short handed sailing, while providing excellent accommodation space below decks. Amongst other novel features Robin’s original design included an early version of inboard/outboard propulsion and wishbone booms to shape the sails.
Watch the film about Boleh’s history and design made in 2018 by Bob Aylott of My Classic Boat with the help of Robin’s nephew and former Boleh Skipper, George Middleton.
![](https://www.bolehproject.com/wp-content/uploads/Robin-Kilroy.jpg)
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Roger's Boleh
The story of Roger’s ownership of Boleh has been recorded in a booklet ‘Arising from the Ashes’ written by his friend Dave Sully. Introducing the booklet, Dave mentions that it was mainly based on memory, most documents having been lost. He was, however, intimately involved in Roger’s restoration of the fire ravaged Boleh and their subsequent adventures which he relates with style and humour. Supported by his wife, Wendy, Roger went on to own Boleh for 30 years before passing her on to Robin Kilroy’s family.
![](https://www.bolehproject.com/wp-content/uploads/roger-angel.jpg)
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Boleh Through The Times..
Check out our timeline below to see the events that have taken place in Boleh’s life from construction through to the present day. . . . .
Please continue reading below for more information about Boleh and Robin . . . .
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Boleh by Robin Kilroy
See what Robin wrote about his brainchild and the 16,000 mile voyage to Salcombe, Devon from Singapore.
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Robin’s Technical Drawings
View Robin’s original technical drawings from Boleh’s design. It will give you a feel for what life on board Boleh would have been like when she set sail for Devon in 1950. More design material is available in the Archive
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Robin's Lecture Portfolio
When Robin Kilroy had completed his journey he gave a series of lectures around the country about building Boleh, the voyage and the places and wildlife he encountered.
And here you can learn more about what happened to Boleh during Rogers ownership, and subsequently when Boleh came into the care of the Boleh Trust.
![](https://www.bolehproject.com/wp-content/uploads/Roger-Angel-Button.jpg)
Roger Angel
Roger Angel saved Boleh. His friend, Dave Sully, compiled a booklet of Roger’s ownership which gives you a clear and often amusing insight into Roger’s Journey with Boleh.
![](https://www.bolehproject.com/wp-content/uploads/Jason-scaled.jpg)
Restoration in Portsmouth
In 2008 Boleh arrived on a low-loader from Majorca for restoration in Portsmouth. The Boleh Trust was formed and, with generous Heritage funding, this historic vessel was restored by apprentices to her 1950’s design.
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Learning
Heritage funding enabled the Boleh Trust to establish an Apprentice School linked to Highbury College and to involve local Charter Academy students. Two Southampton University undergraduates also chose Boleh’s unique design for their Masters thesis.
Boleh's recommissioning by HRH The Princess Royal
You can learn more about Boleh’s recommissioning by HRH Princess Royal – Just click here or on her standard below.
The Boleh Archive
If you want to learn even more about Boleh’s history, take a look at the Boleh Archive assembled with the help of Hampshire Museum Services. This contains digitized images, documents, and other historical material, including Robin’s 2 Scrapbooks recording the design and build of Boleh as it happened.