Well done to David Henshall and crew Jon for winning the recent CVRDA event at Bough Beach in MR 3025.  Nice one ;-)

The boat breakers finally managed a whole race without breaking something :-) 
It was fun but those gusts were hairy. David's sea sailing experience paid off as they coped with the conditions far better than the rest of us who just sailed to survive!
Bough Beech is a great venue though, very handy for London and I hope to see more old Merlins next year

Well I certainly for one hope to be there in 908 after all it is only 30min drive for me!!!!

Richard,

I should have given you a word of thanks too: The full width traveller works a dream! After breaking something else in race 1, we went out for a test sail and found that the conditions were getting worse not better. Had a moment of inspiration and remembered the track (yes, I know it was right in front of me but I had other things on the mind at the time) - I simply dumped the traveller down to just short of full distance and found the boat far more controlled in what were becoming some nasty gusts.

Only problem, supercrew Jon is now complaining that he has nothing to haul himself around on, nor a backrest for the downwind legs! Just no pleasing some people! But a big thanks all the same!!

But - it works!

D

I never realised before how often I had used the hoop as a step to get on the deck.  Just needed to modify the crewing technique a bit.  But a great sail, that blew some cobwebs away..