Baltic Wharf Frostbite 25th November 2006 (2007 Traveller series)
19 classic and vintage boats braved the weather forecast to compete at the CVRDA meeting on the docks in Bristol on Saturday 25th November.
Boats ranged from old Mirrors, Solos and Finns to 1940’s vintage Merlins and 2 very unusual singlehanded sliding seat craft. International Canoe K41, complete with hard chine hull and soft sail looked very different to a modern Canoe, and Unit No7, on her 1st outing following restoration was the picture of 1960’s design experimentation. Both sailed beautifully and looked wonderful in the close confines of the docks.
The 1st race to the top of the harbour and back saw the oldest boat in the fleet, Merlin 6, with Cotton sails, win easily on handicap. The next race was a closer affair, with the OK beating a Solo and a Finn to 1st place. The 3rd raced caused all the drama. Suddenly, the sky went dark, the hail started and a massive squall caused all but 3 boats to either capsize or seek sanctuary on the bank. The OK and the Solo finished the course, but sadly for them, the race officer was called away to help with the recovery of stranded craft, and quite rightly abandoned the race.
Many thanks must go to Baltic Wharf for running such a good event, and especially to the rescue boat crews, who worked hard to ensure all sailors and boats returned safely to the shore.
There were many pictures taken and thanks to Stu Budden and Chris Queree for this gallery of images