had not the problems at Dinghy Mag intervened, I've already got a nice piece on women in dinghy sailing all racked out and ready to go.
David,
Do you have anything about a truly incredible lady, Ella Maillart, who at the age of twenty-one represented Switzerland at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games sailing in the Monotype Class? She just failed to reach the finals but earned a special mention in the Games Official Report. She was also captain of the Swiss Women's ice hockey team and a member of the Swiss ski team. But this is just scratching the surface of her life as you will find if you google 'Ella Maillart'!
Steve
Steve Crook
Int. 12' Dinghy - NED486/SUI-4 - Einepyk
Other girls or ladies if you prefer were:
Mrs Richardson (before and just after WW2-"Queen of the Dinghies" and Annette Wiggins (1950's-60's both Int 14's both regular winners as helmswomen.
Two other formidable yachtswomen were Lady (Beryl) Mayhew from Norfolk a Colman by birth and a lady whos name I forget at Itchenor both had 100th Birthday Regattas.
Mrs Richardson once stopped a train leaving when she was late by just demanding it should not leave so she could catch it.
I can think of several formidable lady Helms from Itchenor, and many more formidable women members as well. Most could start a race without the benefit of a gun, but few I think would go so far as stopping a train without one.
Flavia Nunes was often out in front in the XOD, and is certainly getting on in years but was keen to tell me about her sailing dinghy days with the likes of Jack Holt, who lived latterly in West Wittering.
Mimie Currey, daughter of Charles Currey is I think still active in bigger yachts and won the Firefly Nationals in the '70's, I think a first in its time. In her day she was regarded as pretty unbeatable. She sailed F307 (Tip Top) and later F3007, "Tip top too."
What about Wendy Fitzpatrick? Apart from being the Assistant Editor at Yachts and Yachting for many years she won the first Open Laser nationals in the UK but did not take part in Ladies events because they carried on sailing in strong winds so didn't suit 'real girls' but only those built like men! The first laser nationals included many invited helms including Keith Musto.
Talking of Mimie Currey, this just appeared in the Firefly on line newsletter
Can any of our readers help locate Mimie Curreys Firefly. It was sold to Sevenoaks and not been seen since. Any clues please contact Alistair Currey infoatcaptaincurrey.com
The issue is..... where and with whom do you start!
Working on the simple basis of age, my intention is to record Bobbie Currey first. She's already agree to be interviewed 'on camera' - what I will also do is to take a scanner with me as they've lots of documents and pictures that could be recorded. I'm going to need a truck, not a Smart Car. I'll have camera, lights, audio equipement, tripods, Laptop, scanner and enough leads and power connectors to make a real 'birds nest'
BUT, once again, the $64,000 of all the names that have been highlighted (and each one is a real 'wow, she'd have a story to tell') is that however worthwhile all this may be, none of it (as yet) generates any revenue. With all the names that I've got 'in the frame' the recording could soon be a full time occupation, for it is just not possible to turn up on someone's doorstep and start filing. I'm working along the lines of 2 days research for each interview - which will in itself take about half a day. Two and half days per 'shot' - then add in the editing....... poor old Ben Ainslie will be sailing a bath chair before I get around to him!!
It is difficult to see how any of this can be made to make money, except on the odd occasion when an article gets printed. Are there any organizations who are willing to put money up for this kind of thing? Smithsonian Institute?! I guess mostly it will have to rely on contributions of historical data from many indiviuals, but someone still has to put it all together. I guess another way is website advertizing, if the site can get enough hits to make it worth anyone's while. Y&Y seems to survive on this, at the expense of "infomercials".
the site is also in English, if you click on the Union Jack flag.
must be damn annoying that, if you are one of the 95% of english speakers who are not from Britain...but there you go.
cheers
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
Talking of Mimie Currey, this just appeared in the Firefly on line newsletter
Can any of our readers help locate Mimie Curreys Firefly. It was sold to Sevenoaks and not been seen since.
It's a bit off topic I suppose but I knew I'd seen something....
This is from the December firefly newsletter, and seems to suggest F3007 TipTopToo is alive and kicking. Presumably Sevenoaks got F307??
Chipstead
SC
News!
The last Sunday afternoon in October saw the final heat of no less then twenty three of our Points Series which had started way back in early April. Eleven Fireflies took part at some time or another, and by the end of the summer, Neil Banks racing with his daughter, Jennifer had run out clear winners sailing their Rondar, F3600. Despite the large number of races, the results for second and third were only a couple of points apart with the nod finally going to Tony Meyrick and Alison Ashton, sailing F3007. To those of us who have enjoyed the Firefly scene for a while, this boat will be well known! And into third place sailed Fred Holmes racing with Jane Orme or David Blower, with F3128.
Anyway, the good news is that the big daddy of the Archives, the British National Sailing Archive, is now formally launched so our little bit of it... the dinghies, is now 'official'.
