Introductions

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Max McCarthy
Posts: 550
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:42 am
Location: West Midlands, UK
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Re: Introductions

Post by Max McCarthy »

Rupert wrote:Where do you sail, Max?
Funnily enough I sail at Bartley Sailing Club (Birmingham, Bartley Green) in autumn spring and winter, and in the summer I go to ST Catherines Sailing Club in Jersey (channel islands) hence the fact I went to an international reggatta in France (about 20 miles away) called the trophee des isles ( between Jersey, Guernsey and ST Malo sailing clubs).
AC 298 TimeWarp
Cherub 2627 - Sgt Murphy (nee Last Amber Dragon)
Farr 3.7 (slowly progressing build)
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Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Introductions

Post by Rupert »

What a fantastic place to sail. So we need some Autumn and Winter events for you to come to, when you are centrally based!
Rupert
Max McCarthy
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Re: Introductions

Post by Max McCarthy »

Yes! I only spend the prime of summer in Jersey, so anytime between now and middle of June I am available, although the only thing is I need to buy a trailer for around £70 from anywhere within around 20 miles of where I live to out it on, as it is much easier then using a roof rack.
AC 298 TimeWarp
Cherub 2627 - Sgt Murphy (nee Last Amber Dragon)
Farr 3.7 (slowly progressing build)
National 12 3337
MartinH
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:55 pm
Location: West Wilts

Re: Introductions

Post by MartinH »

Hi , I'm Martin, and tend to lurk around the fringes of the CVRDA (and the forums) rather than being a regular. I live in West Wiltshire and am yet another member of Shearwater, which is where I first found out about the Association. Having learnt to sail in Optimists with the Scouts I started sailing old boats because I couldn't afford anything newer. My first boat was a strange, small, gunter rigged, heavy, GRP boat that seemed old in the mid 70s. Since then there have been a couple of Ents, a Laser, a Mirror and the Graduate. Unfortunately I am not very practically minded so my boats tend to look scruffy and in need of a little TLC.

When we started a family sailing fell by the wayside for several years until my daughter, Catherine, discovered Swallows and Amazons and decided she wanted to learn to sail. All I had was the L***r at the back of the garage so she and our son learnt at West Wilts and I gradually got back into sailing enough to become an Instructor. The Mirror and then the Grad were bought for the children, and Catherine can still sail it better than I can!
Martin
Grad 2146 FOR SALE
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Steve
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:16 pm
Location: Bern, Switzerland
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Re: Introductions

Post by Steve »

...and I'm Steve. I visit the forum frequently but rarely post anything.

I started sailing Cadets in the mid sixties, then moved on to National 12s at Northampton and Burghfield Sailing Clubs. Work then took me abroad and I virtually stopped sailing until I arrived in Switzerland about ten years ago and acquired a 1962 wooden Vaurien which required much TLC.

It was John Leather's 1989 article in Classic Boat magazine that first got me interested in the International 12' Dinghy Class but it was ten years later that I first saw one 'in the flesh' and a few more years until I finally bought one. I've now owned Einepyk (a Friesian word meaning 'Duckling') for three years during which time we have sailed in events in France, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland. Einepyk was built in the Netherlands in 1943.

The very first race for Int 12s was sailed at West Kirby SC in October 1913, and we are now planning an event there during the summer of 2013 to celebrate our centenary.
Hopefully I will be able to participate in a CVRDA regatta whilst in England for this event as I'd love to meet some of those people whose posts I read so regularly!
Steve Crook
Int. 12' Dinghy - NED486/SUI-4 - Einepyk
alan williams
Posts: 1650
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:44 pm
Location: Devon

Re: Introductions

Post by alan williams »

Hi My names Alan (Big Al), and I'm a CVRDA addict.
Attended the first CVRDA event sailing a Plymouth Dolphin with a crew of 8 and 10 year olds won are division. Started sailing at Burnham on Crouch when 4 years old now 59.
CVRDA rep, for Catamarans and Lost Classes.
Now live and work in Plymouth and have done since 75. Ex National Champion.
Crewed as a "yooth" for a runner up in the Hornet World Championships won numerous Open meetings. Crewed for a top Osprey Helm same again. Started helming Hornets at 15 crewed by 14 year old 7 stone girl friend with mixed success but we had lots of fun.
Did the Off Shore Racing thing, crewed square riggers.
Owned or been a partner in the following Dinghies and Cats.
First boat Foil
Cadet (2)
Enterprise
Hornet (5)
Fireball
Int. Moth (2)
Solo
Finn ( 4) Still own 2 an old (for CVRDA) and a Modern Finn
Shearwater
Shark (B or C class depending on which rig is used) still own
Nacra 5.2 Stolen
Tornado
Korsar partly owned
Int, Fourteen partly owned (1)
Plymouth Dolphin (2) one now burnt to rotten to repair, other retirement project in garage drying out nicely.
Favourite boat singlehander Finn, Catamaran Shearwater, two person Hornet. Best boat owned Piece of Cake Hornet 2063 which I'm actively seeking as wish to buy her back. Also looking for Int.14 732 Audacity.
Sailed loads of other different types of racing dinghy ranging from Mirrors to 505 and FD in my life, and some very strange ones as well.
I am normally found hanging out at Roadford.
Cheers Al
Michael Brigg
Posts: 1663
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:11 pm
Location: Gosport, UK

Re: Introductions

Post by Michael Brigg »

Hi, I'll put in my oars worth.

I sailed as a boy at Rickmansworth, Troy Lake, but that was really paddling around fishing for Sticklebacks and minnows in the River Chess next door. I really got the bug from a Norfolk Broads sailing holidayin 1968, my cousins and brothers taking little lug sailed tenders out alone into an apparent wilderness, unknowing that our parents observed our sails over the reed tops, just one bend of the river behind us!

Later my family moved to the South coast and and I have a love affair since with Chichester Harbour and the Solent. My brothers and I stared our first project with £75 from Dad to buy a 1/2 wrecked firefly in Bosham Boat Park. We sailed F2281, F1590, F2169 and F3184 from Itchenor from 1972-1980's and I have kept my current Firefly F3184,(Flycatcher) a Mark2 (the prettiest mark in my opinion)

Parenthood and work have intervened........

I found this site when looking for information trying to identify my vintage,(circa 1930) family hierloom clinker 14 footer ("Blue Moon") in 1997. Since that time the forum has given me the courage to stick my neck out for a boat I always wanted, (and there are always others...) a 1960 all wood International Canoe, K102, "Torment." IC's were the Dog's B******s when I saw them sailing a World championship of Hayling Island in the 1970's.

I'm little closer to finding the identity of "Blue Moon" but I know there will be a warm welcome to her when I finally get her on the water.

My name is who I say I am. I enjoy the relative absence of anonymity on this forum which keeps the chat polite, often droll, and at times amusingly and remarkably inoffensively liable to drift.

What I have got from this site is some great encouragement to pursue my interest where I might otherwise given up and followed a less fulfilling path of trying to keep up with better sailors than I, sailing better boats that have newer sails.

Not that that is a bad thing... it is good that they have a passion they are prepared to invest in. Its just that If I lose a race, or come last, I still want to be happy with the boat that I am sailing in.

Take my firefly: When Firefly fleet sizes dwindled at my club, their position on the start sequence was taken by a plastic boat that didnt appeal to me and left without a fleet to sail with I have resolved to find a club that acepts my cranky old fashioned/undeveloped original. I enjoyed sailng the boat like this as a boy, and I want to continue in the same manner.

The CVRDA gives me this and the forum makes the prospect of lonely stripping in the garage something to look forward to.

I also enjoy Rowing/sculling, a sport that has some similarities in the charge to lose all the old arts of wood in favour of plastic and carbon. Rowing will only wake up to the tragic loss of its heritage craft when they are all gone. I have 3 sculls, (A 1975 Carl Douglas, a 1960 Ray Sims, (which once won the Doggets Coat & Badge race) and a prototype aluminium scull, build by Len Neville (Aluminium specialist) in his back garage from "leftover" bits of aerospace airframe he bought home from the Manufacture of Concord.) I also have a laser for mucking about in, and a Fibreglass Salters Double Skiff.

And for the children, A mirror, upside down in the garden, an Avon redcrest inflatable, and a Haslar "Peanut" dinghy.

Surprisingly, I am still married!! :wink:
Michael Brigg
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neil
Site Admin
Posts: 1641
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2004 10:33 pm
Location: Plymouth

Re: Introductions

Post by neil »

Is there a link between these two statements? ;)
Michael Brigg wrote: ....lonely stripping in the garage
Michael Brigg wrote: Surprisingly, I am still married!! :wink:
IC: K26
Harrier +: 2

Zenith's rebuild - www.pegasus18.com/zenith
solentgal
Posts: 466
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:01 pm
Location: twixt Chichester & Pompey

Re: Introductions

Post by solentgal »

Hi Everyone,....
Not sure about this, ...as will become apparent.....especially in a mainly male cyber-environment, but here goes........(sorry guys)

I’m Sami (Samantha) and live with my (very patient) partner Lynne near my home town of Emsworth, in Hampshire. I’ve met a few of you in the flesh, which has been great....but for those I have yet to meet I think it’s fair to say that some folk find me a bit odd, depending on whether I’m having a good or bad day!..... I have a complicated medical condition, which means I can be very obsessive, do irrational things, and get very stressed and upset at times, ....and I know that I see the world a bit differently to most folk. However, the good news is that I’m aware of it, and it’s pretty much under control on a day to day basis....but it does result in a high turnover of boats, depending on how I'm coping, as they are my life-long obsession...and I don’t use that term lightly. I thought long and hard before writing the above, as it’s not easy to tell people, but I felt I needed to, as I have picked up on some vibes from a couple of people on here in the past regarding my manic boating ownership/activity, which is, er, ...well unpredictable, to say the least, I suppose.

Why am I obsessive with boats? Well, I blame it on my Dad.........I’ve messed with/sailed boats all my life, mainly in Chichester harbour ...........all because Dad introduced me to boats at the (very impressionable) age of 4! A 27ft clinker whaler seems enormous and very exciting to a 4 year old, and learning to row (sort of) in a 15ft battered, tarred and tingle covered clinker boat (the “tender”!), and then playing pirates with my brother in her in the summer just prior to a sad farewell one bonfire night, is bound to capture a child’s imagination!

Later, after teaching me to helm in our “Stormalong” (local class) my Dad built us an 8ft stitch and glue dinghy (mostly in the living room!) from a scaled down American 10ft “Greafin” design (couldn’t buy 10ft sheets of ply!), and, with Dad (a very capable DIYer) teaching me as we went, (brother not really interested!) we seemed to spend more time working on boats than sailing them for the next few years! But I rowed and sailed that little dinghy for years....we lost the proper rig (left on the beach one day!) but I jury rigged her and had the freedom of Chi harbour, sailing solo all day whenever I could from 12 years old, pushing the boat over 300 yards of mud in bare feet in a sort of weird running/skating action to get out at low tide if I needed to......yes, a true obsession!

I’ve owned more boats than I can remember, ranging from dinghies to small(ish) cruisers, but many of them have just passed through my hands I’m sad to say, for reason stated above.
My favourite class is the Int. Moth (as many will have realised) due to the freedom of design, with the Europe class a close second (it’s soooo pretty)........this means my current Int. Europa Moth fits the bill perfectly. I bought it to re-live memories of the first boat I bought with my own hard earned cash (£25), which was identical to my current one as far as I can remember, although the first one had a lovely wooden Collar mast and a tan sail (I’m still looking for a cheapish wooden mast for K2539!).
I’ve also owned other Moths; a Mistral in the 70s, a beautiful Scow Moth back in the early 80s, a Magnum 8 (had trouble getting that going) and recently, a Skol 1 (now owned by Max).
Other classes sailed (and mostly owned), of varying ages, include a Heron, Wayfarers, 420s, Fleetwinds, Mirrors, La*ers, Toppers, a National 12 (70s design), Fairey Duckling, Gull mk1, an 11+, A Hawke surfcat, Flying Saucer, Sunfish, Swallow, Otter, Minisprint (GRP), Scorpion (as crew) A North Nofolk 16 (in Chi harbour in the 60s, not ours though!) Pacer, Skipper,... and the Stormalong! There are many other weird and wonderful designs to add to that list, mostly unidentified/non-class dinghies though, and quite a few small yachts.

I’ve never been much of a racer.... too stressful at competitive levels, although fun....raced a few seasons in the late 70s/early 80s in a Europe (Rondar) and a 420 and the new fangled La*er thingy......but sailing for me has always been a true way of finding peace, and communing with nature when the harbour is quiet. However I do enjoy blasting around with the physical challenge of getting the best out of a boat in a decent breeze. (I’ve also just discovered I can still windsurf ok after a 25 year break! :D )

Anyway we know for sure we’ll be continuing sailing on the south coast now, as I had a phone call from Lynne this morning saying she’s being made redundant at Christmas,.........so our proposed move to Bristol that has been on and off for various reasons is now definitely OFF...an unbelievable development after a summer of uncertainty trying to move to her "new" job! At least we know where we’ll be now anyway, and we can focus on the projects in the garage :)

Phew!
Sami.
roger
Posts: 3031
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:08 pm
Location: Frome Somerset UK

Re: Introductions

Post by roger »

Sami,

what a lovely post. Be assured you are among friends here. I am so often tempted to buy boats but my better half normally disuades me. mind you I think Nessa could rival you for boat collecting.
Looking forward to meeting you soon
Roger
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
Pat
Posts: 2555
Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: West Wiltshire (Wessex)

Re: Introductions

Post by Pat »

I think the lasses must have more boats each than most of the blokes on this site!
I'll own to ten, or a dozen if you count the Zodiac inflatables. OK, I share them with Sandy but I'm the one who walks into the pub and says "You know that spare tiller extension we bought at the boat jumble? Well I've just bought a boat on ebay to go with it."
Enjoy it Sami and good luck to Lynne in finding a new job.
(Half Cut and What a Lark Removals Ltd)
Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Introductions

Post by Rupert »

We currently have 9 boats, but that is spread round 4 of us - can't compete with Sami, Nessa or Pat!

Sami, great to hear a little bit about you - I hope we will meet at a sailing event soon - maybe Moths at Whitefriars. In fact, I hope to meet many of you over the coming year - you all make collecting old bits of wood and grp seem so normal!
Rupert
solentgal
Posts: 466
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:01 pm
Location: twixt Chichester & Pompey

Re: Introductions

Post by solentgal »

Thank you so much everyone.......I do love reading/chatting on here.......it sort of makes my obsession seem more normal somehow! Having said that I'm going to try and keep the fleet to a sensible number....an all time low of 3 at present, but may need to seek a "just add water" boat (finance permitting) to ensure being afloat on the first sunny day of the season next year 8)
I'm looking forward to meeting up too, ....I've just come in from the garage having stripped a bit more paint, ......gradually getting there,... if I could only get them into the living room.... :D
Sami.
Max McCarthy
Posts: 550
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:42 am
Location: West Midlands, UK
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Re: Introductions

Post by Max McCarthy »

Hi sami,
That was a fantastic story of your boating life, I haven't once found you manic or obsessive on this forum at all (I just admire your wide knowledge, and collection of boats!), rest assured it would be a pleasure to meet you in real life, to discover more about the boats I have always liked.
AC 298 TimeWarp
Cherub 2627 - Sgt Murphy (nee Last Amber Dragon)
Farr 3.7 (slowly progressing build)
National 12 3337
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Ed
Site Admin
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Location: Plymouth
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Re: Introductions

Post by Ed »

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed woman is queen... :wink:

I think you will find we are all pretty obsessive here....its rather the glue that holds it all together.

reminder to self: Must write introduction...

eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA


Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
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