Messages

 
Ooooh, goody, Adnams.
Today I ate my lunch sitting in the sun on a bench overlooking the beach outside B'sea clubhouse so with a minute or two to spare I chucked a couple of buckets of muddy seawater into 443 and hope she will take up a bit. It trickled out all over the shot.  I will do the same after sailing tomorrow night and hope for the best.  We had rain earlier today but i am afraid this unseasonal warm sunny weather is due to return to this the driest part of the country.  It bodes well for a warm breezy saturday and a warm calm Sunday. Aldeburgh visitors should remember their sun cream, hats and bathing suits.  Kite flying from the beach could be interesting on saturday.
J

Looks as though 443 will emerge from shed and meander up the coast. Will pitch yurt on forshore and communicate with Oden in the evening or maybe hit the bar.  Is it Adnams or Watneys Red Barrel here? She will have to travel with a few gallons of best Brightlingsea muddy water  sloshing around in her to caulk the lands. Its been a dry couple of years in her tin shed.
My local crew sounds very keen and is not afraid of the wet stuff so expect energetic roll tacking!  Last time I tried that in 443 she rolled through 360 deg in the wink of an eye.  But at least her centreplate stayed put!  However, I think the Alde might only allow 270deg so it could be mucky sails for me!
I look forward to seeing you all either in or on the water.

Deep Purple  =  Smoke on The Water - Da Da Daaaaa Da Da De Daa
Clearly the printer had something else on his mind when printing the calendar

Santo

I believe she was built for Richard Marshall of Ranelagh SC.  He had a Merlin Rocket built in 1955 (I currently own her) of the same name. He was a member of the RYA Dinghy Committee. I am told he had a bit of a temper and could frighten the cadets at his club.  I am afraid I have no further information regarding the life or whereabout of this boat.

443/1719 are in favour! Just round the corner and could sail over for the start then home again!  Saves having to wend a way through the parked yots.

I believe she was built for Richard Marshall of Ranelagh SC.  He was RYA Dinght Committee member. He later had a Merlin of same name which I own.

1719 is making the effort to get round from Brightlingsea but needs a crew.  Any ideas please? I will try and get hold of the sailing secretary on the blower.  I have been given a suit of modern sails (well for me they are) but havn't got round to sticking some numbers on so I hope you don't mind just seeing an N.  She might be the only varnished clinker boat there so I think I might be spotted over the line!

I see the vendor is chucking a free meal.  I wonder if he has posted the menu yet?

Take care in Mersea week!  12's are thought to be handicap bandits so WM YC or Dabchicks might introduce a lower handicap to help the favoured classes!  They will want a winkle brig or two or oppies or a mirror up there on the leader board.  I hope the 12's get going at WM or Brighlingsea and give the one designs a run for their money.  Merlins are back at Brightlingsea (9 or 10 within the club) so it can be done.

I have just had another look at the photo and this boat is bar a few fittings details identicle to 443. I cannot think that it was not impossible to just buy plans and either build or ask a boatbuilder to build one and then rig it to suit how you wanted to use it. I am sure many in the 1930's looked at this design with the knowledge they were being built to a full racing spec for £50 and thought I'll have one as a knockabout and then not bother registering or having it measured as they had no intention of racing.
If someone measures her and it meets the criterior then I suppose she will get the next sail number available!  Should be interesting to see what the handicappers do with it.  If the banking bonuses are hoanded out again shortly then he might just get something near his price for what looks to be a one off.

Howard, sorry to report, both 12's out of commission.  1719 on tressels waiting for reattachment of c/b case after dramatic gear failure and collision with concrete and 443 is locked in a barn the owner of which is on a boat somewhere between Turkey and Cyprus with the key on his keyring!  (It was meant to be left under a brick.)  Therefore I may be sailing something a little larger though in spirit I will be with you!  I suppose I could saw a foot off each end and reef the main but then a certain Mr A might be a bit annoyed.

This looks like a Woottens one to me and as I have got one of these the price looks right!  Seriously, its hard to say what they are worth.  I paid only a few pounds for mine and spent back breaking months stripping, cleaning her down and varnishing and I still need new sails and the timber mast re-rigging.  I guess that someone with a riverside frontage to the Thames wishing to grace his collection of slipper launches with a sailing boat might pay that sort of money.  As for the Seagull, well I wouldn't even though I have one lurking in my garage.

Cygnet sailing 2008

Cygnet at Cookham early 1950's