Whitefriars event March 28th

[chris]

Looks like you had a good turn out and some fun!
Sorry we missed it all.
Do we need to rethink the tradition that Roger is the destroyer of boats? My Albacore is back intact (as far as I can see anyway) but I gather a certain merlin suffered again and Roger was not even it that boat this year. What other common factor could there possibly be I wonder....

[Rupert]

You wouldn't be suggesting that a certain magic roundabout character might be the common factor, would you?

[roger]

Didnt see anyone called Florence there!!

[alan williams]

No but Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose was there.
Cheers Al

[Garry R]

Looking at the results perhaps it was Brian the Snail!!!!!!

[admin]

No but Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose was there.
Cheers Al

Right turn?

[davidh]

As I am still smarting from some slurs on my otherwise unblemished character (I'd cut and past the comments that have come in to me from certain East Coast members but not before the 9pm watershed) I think that I'd better stick my 5p worth in.

Quote of the day comes from an helm who was sailed a beautiful - but borrowed 15ft hot moulded Uffa Fox designed boat.... I wouldn't want to 'name and shame' but may have given the odd clue here and there.

Anyway, after Race 2, the same helm says to me, when referring to a certain start line incident.... " It was Rupert, he hailed me! If he hadn't, I'd have crossed him easily"

I was working on some pictures today and just ran my Whitefriars shots through the wall projector... so I could really see what was going on.

It is true that the camera does not lie..... now that would have been an interesting restoration job, restoring the Topic sized hole in the restored 15ft shiny boat.

Hohohohoho.... I will indeed 'publish and be damned'!

D

[roger]

Guilty as charged I guess.

Anyway wasnt the last race a persuit??

[chris]

Ah! now the truth is emerging. Reminds me of another time I lent a boat to a certain person for the Merlin inlands, vintage section. A flying start indeed, a good 20 yards ahead of the rest of us ....'cos he used a different mark for the far end of the line!!
But he has just admitted he capsized in all the excitement!

Point of information David, I know Uffa Fox designed the swordfish and the Albacore is derived from that but I was under the impression Uffa Fox didn't actually design the Applecore, tell me if I'm wrong.

[davidh]

It was for you Roger...chasing the rest of the fleet! But you did really well to catch up as you did - though what you have done is highlight the inequality of the handicap system! Sailing poor old smokey bear of 88 (the same as a classic 14!) when an Albacore is 114 - (or was it 94?) is enough to bring tears to an epoxy eye..........

For all those doubters who question the existence of Handicap Bandits - just watch an applecore go upwind in medium conditions/flat water. They must be nearly as big a bandit as the Seafire.....

Chris: re the Albacore design. It is something of a rare beast that - a case of both yes and no! If one takes the hull lines of both the Swordfish and the Albacore and compare them then the family resemblence is obvious. The sailors at Locks SC (between Hayling Island and Portsmouth, at the entrance to Langstone Harbour) were sailing their Swordish dinghies but in the Solent conditions the shortfall in the boats design was clearly apparent. So, they took the Fix Swordfish design and amended it. The fact that they named it the Albacore, which in Fairey 'aviation name' terms was seen as the carrier aircraft to follow from the famous Swordfish speaks volumes. So, in the end, it is a lot of Uffa Fox with a splash of local flavour.

Incidentally, I met a man who knows a man who thinks that Applecore 1 still exists in a garage in Southsea....

D

[davidh]

Rupert..........

did they get any pics of the Merlin sailing and if so, can I see them? I've got pictures of Diabalo and Half Cut (Nick and Sandy - a nice one, I'll pass them on)

Cheers

D

[Rupert]

Sorry David, I only gave them the camera in the afternoon, well after you had torn your boat apart...

[Pat]

I've got pictures of Diabalo and Half Cut

Thanks David, looking forward to seeing those shots. It was privilege to sail alongside such a lovely Merlin.

Your kite looked pretty good (and large) to us too down that reach!

[davidh]

Pat,

okay - can you send me the one you took from the transom of Smokey Bear and I'll send you the one of half cut.

When compared with the size of Jon, ANY spinnaker looks big!! But although bigger than the one you may have on 2121, it is still a size below what they sail with now!

The spinnaker on Diabolo looked nice though with the short pole the reaches were harder work

D

[Pat]

Rupert's report and results are now loaded - see front page. Photos later - when I can find my "recipe" for loading them!