2004 Annual Dinner & Prizegiving Sat Nov 6th
at The New Inn Hotel, Market Square, Lechlade, Glos.
and
Frostbite Regatta
Sun Nov 7th
Bowmoor Sailing Club, Near Lechlade, Glos.
Sixteen lovely old Classic & Vintage boats converged on Bowmoor SC for the last CVRDA event of the year. To qualify the boat must be at least 25 years old and from a class established before 1965. Boats from as far away as Plymouth, Melton Mowbray, Clywedog (mid Wales) and Hayling Ferry arrived to be greeted by a gentle breeze which thankfully held on all day.
The oldest boat present was Chris Barlow’s Merlin Rocket ISKA no 6, and he also brought along his other two slightly newer Merlins Sprite Full 507 and Half Cut 2121. There were also three Mirrors on the water for a while, until Kathryn Whelan put her foot through the floor of her Mirror 12055, which ended her days sailing before the start of the first race!
Racing was very close with Bowmoor sailors Russell Smith in his Kestrel and David and Keith Rollinson in a 40 year old Pegasus swopping places at the front until the Pegasus went for the wrong finish line gifting a win to the Kestrel. Alan Price in OK 1211 claimed 3rd place, with Chris and Lois Barlow in Iska finishing 4th.
The old 1965 PY numbers are used but adjusted by the CVRDA for age of boat and state of tune/sails etc. For example Iska, complete with cotton sails races off 101, while the newer Merlins sail off 91.
The last race saw a battle between Roger Devereux and Rupert Whelan in Hornet 140 and the Rollinson brothers, but the Hornet gradually pulled out a 3 minute lead, enough to win on handicap with the Pegasus 2nd again and the Kestrel snatching 3rd which was enough for Russell Smith to win overall from the Rollinson brothers and Roger and Rupert in 3rd.
Most of these lovely old wooden boats will now be taken away for their annual dose of TLC until the next CVRDA event on May7/8th at Shearwater SC in 2005.