Messages

Clare - would you be interested being up front in an AC?

N3339 is crewless for Grafham weekend.

Kean

Whats the best route when trailing and coming from m4 west?  Hope to be there - at least the boat is packed up ready to go.

[The ultimate is the last and final item in a series. The related words penultimate and antepenultimate refer to the second-to-last and the third-to-last item in a series, respectively.]

I know this is picky but Thorpe Bay is not the penultimate event in the series (unless Grafham or Northampton have been cancelled)! Probbaly Zoe was just too tired from all the hiking out  

The ultimate is the last and final item in a series. The related words penultimate and antepenultimate refer to the second-to-last and the third-to-last item in a series, respectively.

I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.
I must remember to take my mast down before driving home under low bridges.

Isn't the fact the 2nd hand boats go quickly showing that there is maybe too much of a price premium for the new boats?  The 12s are clearly built well and are competitive for many years.  (I know the Merlins are even more expensive - maybe the demographics are just different as they still sell more boats).  A 2nd hand good DB is nearer the cost of a newish 200 / 400.

THG

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/National-12-Sailing-boat-dinghy-Immaculate-condition_W0QQitemZ160157726948QQihZ006QQcategoryZ98955QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Looks very well cared for.

Phil - sorry won't be able to make it.  Just too much on here - had to deceide between Henley and training - Thorpe Bay too far too.

Hope it goes well.

THG

The 23rd December should be dropped - many schools finish on the Friday before so not too long for Xmas preparations.

Need to get a final OK, but provided I could leave boat there it would be worth trip down M4.

THG

Congrats Rick - maybe some N12 sailors will be seen hanging off the wire soon - you all make it look so easy  :-/  

Mike S makes some good points - we should post that to the BW survey thread.  Are we getting enough respondents from non BW attendees to influence any change?

This boat is N2778 - the original 'Soggy Moggy', a Cheshire Cat design from 1974, originally built by Impact Boats. This boat has 'history' in that she won the Burton Cup in 1976 along with numerous other trophies around the mid 1970s in the hands of John Royce.

I found this boat 3 years ago in a garage in Norfolk - she was in a poor state and has needed a lot of TLC - the restoration is unfinished, so there is still some work to do. Someone had painted some form of epoxy over the top of the varnish in many places, the foredeck was a complete mess and there were several 'dings' to the exterior hull.

I have stripped all of the varnish/epoxy bodges off the interior, and revarnished - 3 coats of International 'Gold'. Redecked the foredeck and part of the sidedecking with marine ply - 2 coats of varnish. The interior is therefore sound although some of the staining caused by water damage will never come out and God knows I tried. New ash gunwhales forward of the shrouds - planed but not sanded. I have also stripped all the exterior paint off and repaired all the damage - a new panel (about 6" square) scarfed into the stem area and numerous fills. All cracks cleaned out and repaired. The exterior hull needs sanding and painting.

I have most of the original fittings - those worth saving anyway, although I chucked the rudder stock - there is a rudder blade and centreboard - also repaired. Mast is the original Needlespar - looks OK but needs a good clean/inspection. No boom supplied but I have an old ally boom that was donated, which should do the job. Sails look ok.

Talk to Mr Turner / Mr Cooke at Aaarvark as they changed the DB on Crazy Diamond from a true DB to sort of hybrid and provided the room he was looking for.

THG

Sorry can't make it this weekend either but please send the full results to John Murrell too for the SW series results.

Thanks,

THG

Simon agree that we need more help for Club level sailors but I would say that if you attend any event where you sail against different 12s sailors you always learn somthing new!  Generally you'll find a few people at a similar level that you can start to have close racing against (the more we have the better this will be).  I like the idea that other classes have of gold / silver / bronze fleet so no matter what boat you have you can aim to move up the divisions so to speak.  At the events you can see how others set up their boats and no doubt you'll get some free advice on what to do to improve.  The problem I find is remembering how to do that every time!  Can be a pain getting boats from Clubs and travelling but once there the 12s are definetly friendly - even meeting up at service stations can be entertaining.

We do need to listen more to what club sailors want to encourage more attendance.  I know its not easy balancing family / sailing and I haven't done as many events as I planned and it can be easy to get out of the habit - I just realised the last time I sailed was July 11th!!  I'm certainly not in the top of the fleet but I know that the travelling and sailing has improved my results (at times).

THG

John - a good suggestion and could try to support that too.

Would Burghfield offer a winter membership or the possibility to leave the boats there in the boat park?  Would save the hassle of packing up so many times.

THG