Introductions

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Ed
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Re: Introductions

Post by Ed »

OK, OK,

I am Ed Bremner and I'm an obsessive classic boat nut too!

When I was little we lived a few houses down from UTSC in Bourne End, but I never sailed there much and although my father did own a 14 for a while, he kept his head down after t-boning and sinking the commodore and anyway, I was kinda young.

A little later, my father got a Jollyboat and sailed that out of RTYC dinghy section (when they had one) in Hamble....but again, I only went out a couple of times.

When I was 5 or 6 my father built a house in Skiathos and my sailing really began.

First, in the Jollyboat J4 and then later a Yeoman - both boats numbered under 10. He also bought 4 Minisails (the flat-decked ones) to rent out from the local taverna. With a few ex-pat mates he started a regular regatta each August (that is now called the John Bremner Memorial Regatta). A weird selection we must of been: A Jollyboat, Wayfarer, Unicorn, 4 minisails and later a Yeoman and Laser. But they were fun events and were a big part of what I had in mind when I first started putting CVRDA regattas together.

Didn't sail much after teens. First I was doing quite a bit of rowing and then I got very heavily into windsurfing. But when I got to a point where I wouldn't bother unless the forecast was for F6 or above, I reckoned it was time to get back into dinghies again.

Totally by chance, I picked up an Exchange & Mart (remember them) and found a Jollyboat for sale, not only that, it was J3 and absolutely identical to the boat we had had in Skiathos - J4. I bought it (of course) and got back into sailing dinghies again.

After sailing the Jollyboat at South Cerney for a couple of years, I moved down to Bristol and joined Baltic Wharf SC. Here I started to meet the crowd that would become the CVRDA....Rupert, Bob C, Andrew Thornhill, John Gardiner were all sailing out of Bristol Avon SC and Rupert used to put on a classic dinghy event on the Avon for Andrew Thornhill, which also brought along Chris Barlow, so it was really starting to bring the classic boats together around Bristol.

We met at the few classic events, but also at the back end of many local fleets around Bristol at Chew, Cleveden, Portishead, B Corinthian, BASC, etc

Then, we had the Fairey Marine 50th regatta at Hamble, then the 1996 Bristol Festival of the Sea, then the Uffa Fox Centenary in Cowes....

It was here, at the East Cowes SC that Andy Hayes, myself, 'Bella & Rob' and Andrew Eastwood discussed the fact that we didn't have any classic events for the following year. I stepped forwards and volunteered to put on an event at Roadford lake (after visiting the year before for really fun event for the Wafs).

The whole concept of the CVRDA was really taken on board by Roadford Lake in those days and the whole thing just took off. Alan Williams joined the throng and I met Neil Witt and he helped me develop our website by adding the first 'SNITZ' forum.

After a couple of years, we took the step of making the whole thing officially an association, but not only this....an association to encourage classic sailing....that was run and organised and communicated totally and only online. Possibly, I think, the first Sailing club or association that I know to do this.

So for boats, in those days I stored my Jollyboat in a ruin in the very centre of Bristol....and with it a Merlin mk VIII, so I bought that. I needed a new mast, went to buy one....ended up buying the Boat: Rozzer a Mk IX Merlin.

After that, a nice old Firefly. The boat that has given me by far the most race success of any boat I have ever had and although I don't sail her much....I still love her to bits.

Then I got into ICs, mainly because a boat-builder chum gave me an IC shell....and as I needed to know how to sail one before building the new one, I got one....then the old one - Conquest K41

Over that time, other boats have come and gone... I particularly love my 1970s Phelps Sculling boat and Michael Brigg and I have discussed trying to put on a classic sculling event (any other takers)

I moved down to Cornwall a few years ago.....and money is much tighter than it used to be, which along with new family, the distance and the price of petrol...makes it much harder to come to as many CVRDA events as I used to.....which I really miss....but hey ho....at least the forum gives me a way to keep in touch with all my fellow classic boat nuts.

What few boat-building skills I have.....I have learnt from wonderful friends working on the boats around Bristol, who for the odd pint at the Nova Scotia - were always ready and willing to share their skills and time in helping me.

I do hope that I will be able to get to some more events soon and put a few faces to the new friends that I have made recently on the forum. It is so very different these days!

Anyway, that's me.

Oh, if you hadn't guessed, I was one of the original members of the CVRDA and have had most of the committee posts at one time or another. I am also on the admin team for the forum.

There you go.....I think I will sit down now.

eib
Ed Bremner
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Jollyboat J3
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MR 638 - Please come and take it away
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Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
Obscured by clouds
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Re: Introductions

Post by Obscured by clouds »

Sami. I don't have a garden. If I did I suspect I'd have it full of boats like you, so no, I don't think it obsessive at all :lol:
Tony



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Rupert
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Re: Introductions

Post by Rupert »

What Ed doesn't say is that he is President for life of the cvrda, whether he wants to be or not, and without him none of us would be posting nonsense on this forum, or racing classic boats against other classic boats without being t-boned by Lasers!
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PeterV
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Re: Introductions

Post by PeterV »

Peter Vinton, (not Vincent, he's the RS secretary and runs a boat business in Somerset).
Boat mad from very young, saved up pocket money with my 2 brothers for 2 years and bought our first boat, a Brandy Hole One Design (no, you haven't heard of it). Followed by a Swift catamaran then I bought a Finn at 16 and my brothers an OK (K25) and a GP14. With the Finn I started getting serious and, as I couldn't afford a new Taylor I completely rebuilt a Fairey Finn (K155, where are you now?). After school I sailed the Atlantic on a schooner, then did yacht delivery around Europe then joined the navy and became a submarine engineer. The Navy put paid to serious Finn sailing so I did offshore sailing and racing for several years then started Laser racing again in between submarine patrols. After leaving the Navy I sailed at Saltford where Bob Corfield persuaded me to buy a Mercury and I had several happy years at Bristol Avon which included the early Vintage events with Andrew Thornhill's fleet. The Mercury eventually rotted out so I bought a Lark, then another. Together with a Laser and a Contender they were keeping me happliy occupied until I couldn't resist buying another Fairey Finn, and I rediscovered the best boat I've ever sailed, and started sailing with the CVRDA. The growth of the Classic Finn fleet, under the guidance of Brooksey and others has enabled me to relive my youth, trying to get a Fairey Finn to go faster than a Taylor 30 years later! A modern Laser means I can make sure I haven't lost it and an old Enterprise means I can sail CVRDA events with my wife.
Last edited by PeterV on Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JB9
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Re: Introductions

Post by JB9 »

I am Trevor, owner of Jollyboat 9 and my son has International Moth 3848 (and a 29er). I am Hon Sec at BBSC, a L2 race coach and a sailing addict with a preference for wood. Relatively late to sailing but have owned a GP14 (sold to a friend and still sailing at the club), Wayfarer, two Albacores, Unit, Wildfire, Merlin, 505, 470, Steaker and YWDB. This is the second time I have owned J9 having decided it was too powerful to sail with my son some years ago I was able to buy it back some 4 years later. I have always wanted an Osprey and would like to try a Finn.

I enjoy yacht racing too but somehow sailing J9 in a blow touching 15+ knots is more fun.
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Nessa
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Re: Introductions

Post by Nessa »

oh dear.....Sami, I suspect you and I are alike in soooo many ways....

I started sailing when my boyfriend stuck me in a topper at 17 and left me to get on with it while he went racing. Reader, I married him. Later on we sailed laser 2s and a fireball together with average results. I then saw an advert in Y&Y looking for a tall skinny person to crew for Cathy Foster, supposedly a dead cert for the 1988 games in Pusan, in the 470, the new olympic class for women. I didn't get the job.....nor did she. But I did discover I wasn't bad at this trapezing thing and spent an awful lot of time and money racing 470s all over Europe.

The cost - physical, pyschological, financial etc all came to a head in the early 90s when I got divorced, lost my business (remember the last big recession?) and proceeded to spend huge amounts of time locked in various psych units around Wiltshire..... which is why I will no longer live there.

Once a nutter, always a nutter. Unsurprisingly I am now signed off for life, so I provide my own 'therapy' by scraping away at cheap boats, some of which I know to be beyond redemption, sometimes finishing them them and getting bored with them, sometimes not....

I now do loads of coaching and instructing, and have embarked upon the long arduous road to coach assessor training. I also put a lot of time into sailability, because I know what it's like to be shut in, with only a weekly outing to look forward to, and I have great faith in the freedon of the water.

Boats I own now: Contender 2359 a beautiful Gosling composite which I bought last year and haven't sailed yet due to a long standing wrist injury. Megabyte 104, whihc is hopefully the boat to get me back on the water after said wrist injury! ToY 76, magnum 6 moth, kestrel mk 1, l*ser (sorry, it's soon to be for sale) cherub 2330, phantom k88 (my first 'restoration') I14 869 'Agamemnon', roland europe, from sami, currently being restored for da yoof. Her indoors has a byte c2.

Boats I have owned: 470s, fireball, numerous contenders, marauders, lark, laser 2, topper, bonito, minisail, numerous europes, ok, mogo! laser2, laser 2000, plus others I can't remember...

Favourite boats: 470, contender, fireball

Least favourite: I doubt I could be persuaded into another Bonito.

Best buy: Agamemnon.
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solentgal
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Re: Introductions

Post by solentgal »

Oh Nessa........and there's me saying to Lynne "I'm not that bad with boats... Nessa's as keen as me, and she seemed sane when I met her!" :lol: .......it seems we do share a lot more in common than I realised then, although the folk in white coats only let me visit on the odd day, :?
Luckily Lynne's very easy going and used to my funny little ways...her son is Aspergers, so she is very patient. Hopefully she'll be back here properly soon to be the voice of reason.....but in the meantime I seem to have acquired a couple more boats....oops!
Road trip tomoz!
Sami.
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Re: Introductions

Post by clibb »

Nick here, currently owner of Int.14 839 -Janine, a McCutcheon built Shdi design. Owned several CVRDA type Finns before, including K60, a beautiful Fairey boat, probably the only boat I sincerely regret selling. Have organised a number of CVRDA events at Frensham Pond, which were very well attended by visitiors, but sadly did not achieve the intended aim, which was to involve owners of older boats at Frensham. Have been sailing for 45 years or so, mainly in Merlins, Larks, Solos, OK, Phantoms, etc, etc, both at home and abroad. All thoroughly enjoyable. Have been RYA Training Principal at Frensham Pond for the last three years, so unavailable for CVRDA events. That's finished now so hope to do some more, particularly the Bough Beech Nationals.

All the best, to all.
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Re: Introductions

Post by Rupert »

Hi Nick,

The FPSC cvrda events were fantastic, even if I never did work out either the starting lights or the courses!

Any chance of a return in 2013?
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neil
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Re: Introductions

Post by neil »

Rupert wrote:Hi Nick,

The FPSC cvrda events were fantastic, even if I never did work out either the starting lights or the courses!

Any chance of a return in 2013?
Great camping and fish pie as well ;)
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angus
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Re: Introductions

Post by angus »

There seems to be a little bit of the obsesive running through us all, as a dyslexic school kid I was asked what BAT spelt, I replied I didn't know but if it had an O in it it would be boat.
I started messing about in boats before I can remember althoguh didn't do muchsailing then and I have long periods away from it, then about 10 years ago I bought an old mirror to sail with my kids then an older (but in much better nick) National 12 and until recently my older son and i travelled around the country going to 12 travellers, we usually came last. But then as we were just starting to get some success he decided he had had enough.
I don't have a garage or workshop so work on boats is rather difficult, I am currently doing up N2153 a sparklet design which won the Burton Cup about 1965 but it is at a farm about 40 miles away so progress is slow.
I also have a more modern 12 Agent Orange A Freak Out design which is great fun to sail but is up for sale because I sruggle a bit with out a good crew. A Harrier +. A Skol Mk 2 in much need of some love and attention and I have just bought a Europe which along with Agent Orange doesn't qualify for CVRDA events.
I am looking forward to the Keider event and will do my best to have my Moth ready for that.
I didn't mention I live just south of Perth
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Re: Introductions

Post by Max McCarthy »

I did work on a boat in a tent! It worked out well in the end, but it did make a bit of a mess on the tent! I do have a garage but my mum didn't like me working in it, so the garden and tent it was!
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davidh
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Re: Introductions

Post by davidh »

I'm not sure if it was Arnie Schwartenegger (as the Terminator) or General McArthur who said best "I'll be back". Whoever said it, I've now copied it as there are now real signs that I will be back.... sailing by eastertime (ish) and on two wheels again by late spring.

Now that may or may not be good news.... for what exactly is it that will be coming back?

Well, as a small boy I grew up in a house by the sea, on the banks of Southampton Water. Dad was working at Faireys at Hamble, so I gravitated towards sailing - they rest of the family were all powerboat orientated.

Racing for me started in a Heron out of Hamble River, before getting my own boat, an old british moth, K296, which I sailed at netley cliff sc (the old Civil Service club). The Moth was a dog, slow - and not really suited to the rough and tumble of southampton water. So, I spent more time crewing boats...Pegasus, Perigrine....five O, Albacore, GP, you name it, I sailed it! I also spent a lot of time in cats, from the horrible Rivercat, YWcats, Jumpaheads, Swift.... but soon found that a good cat is still no match for a poor dinghy! By now I was sailing Merlins, but the real effort went into Fireballs as Netley by then had a good fleet and some okay sailors.

This was the heyday of the inter club 'swsa' - southampton water sailing association - when we all went around the various clubs, competing in events that sometimes has 70+ boats. However, I'd found that whilst sailing was fun, winning was better, winning in a big fleet better still, winning 'out on the circuit' best of all. So, I ended up crewing in a Shearwater - this was when the boat was the 'cat with a kite' with a big following and Travellers Trophy scene (this was pre- Dart days). Success in the Shearwater was one thing, success in ones own boat something else, so the next move was into Contenders... wow, this really is one of teh worlds great dinghies. Sailing in Contenders brought me into contact with Dave Pitman from Banks and Rondars and after I'd totally destroyed a brand new Contender at the 1977 Europeans at Garda, the chance came to crew for Pitman as part of a new 505 campaign.

This was brilliant as success followed success - plus the opportunity to sail just about any boat you wanted. Hornets, 14s, Tornados... these were wonderful years of 'have trapeze harness - will travel' that saw me crewing not just Pitman but so many of the great names in sailing.

Sadly, the pressures of continued sailing being predicated on success saw us both ending up tearing our lives and each otrher apart....so I went back to Merlins, Dave went on to big boats and one of the winning sailing partnerships came to a premature end.

I knew that after so much time spent sailing I needed to repair the career so worked at it, ending up working as a globetrotting trouble shooter in the international call centre market (so all those phantom calls you used to get...... hmmnn, let's change the subject). I never stopped sailing though, had a great time back in Merlins, in five Os, Contenders (those three boats are a recurring them) still I suddenly found myself retired at the grand old age of 49! Needing something to do with my time, I was lucky to reinvent a new career as a sailing journalist and dinghy historian, from there I ended up finding the CVRDA and the rest, as they say, is 'history' .

In addition to the writing has be added race management, this year will again see me reaching for the black flag (it's like the dodery old Corporal in dad's army.."they don't like it up 'em!!!) - last year I PRO'd for the Hornets, a wonderful mix of work and nostalgia!!

They used to say that success at the snooker table was evidence of a 'mis-spent youth'.
Well, I mis-spent not only my youth, but the years of 'prime', then middle age and had not things last year have brought the whole thing to a grinding halt, I was shaping up to mis spend old age too!. Mis-spent maybe, but my life has been marked by not only the 'highs'...but more than that, by the wonderful people that I've met throughout what is now 45 years spent in competition.

So there it is... that mis-spent life, most of which has been spent in a wet suit. But would I change any of it..... nah.... for it is the friendships that I've made through that time that have given me so much.... and that has to include all the friendships that have been made in more recent times - it is what sailing was all about, sadly, it seems to be loosing that appeal these days!!

happy new year to you all

Dougal
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Max McCarthy
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Re: Introductions

Post by Max McCarthy »

Wow, you've had an exciting life so far!
AC 298 TimeWarp
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Farr 3.7 (slowly progressing build)
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davidh
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Re: Introductions

Post by davidh »

max,

it is the most fun you can have when you spend 45 years encased neck to ankle in neoprene!

D
David H
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