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PRIORITISE PARKSTONE

Nick Glass talks about his return to sailing, and joining the Merlin racing scene - 2003
After thirty years I have returned to sailing – and think I am 18 again! Something, I hear you say, of a mid life crisis. I guess you are not far short of the mark – or finishing line! I hope those of you that are similarly aged will empathise with me – those of you who are nearer 18 than 50 will probably either stop reading this and think ‘sad, pathetic old …..’ to quote Will Carling and move on to look at a few more pictures.

Well it all happened when a good friend returned from a rural life in mid France after 12 years of hard labour with two feisty herds of Limousin cattle – big, scary muscular beef cows for the uninitiated. He returned with his Fireball on the back of one of the lorries complete with all the sparrow and swallow faeces on its cover having laid idle (the Fireball I mean) for the best part of its time there. The Fireball had seen infrequent sojourns to the local reservoir – mostly in trapezeless winds – and famously went to North Spain when our two families had a joint holiday for a week. There is a whole story about Ribadesella, Spanish males and the broken centreboard – but I digress.

Said friend’s return heralded Guinness fuelled late evening talk of joining Parkstone YC and racing again – something neither of us had done for a number of years. Aim was pursued, we joined, sailed in a few races, me in my shortie wetsuit (not a pretty sight) – partner in his jeans! That’s something that has changed in 30 years – all the gear people wear. I really was someone in my wetsuit in the early 70s – old trousers and jumpers were more de rigour on the Solent! However we won some races – by default as the only Fireball entry. At this point you need to know that the Fireballs and Merlins have the same start gun on a Saturday. One windless and sultry June Saturday afternoon squeezed into Black Pepper, our favorite ironing board that did a good impression of a dinghy, helm was heard to say:
“Just look at those lines. I’ve always fancied one of those – haven’t you?”
“Well yes – well no – sort of – what are you talking about?” My initial thought was he had finally flipped when eyeing up the X boat and its contents – a crew even older than us smoking something that passed for tobacco. I want to relive my youth, I thought, not announce old age!
“No, you idiot – the Merlin” – and so began another chapter of our lives which started with a messy divorce from the Fireballs and a new love affair with the Merlin fleet – and am I in love? Yes! – a whole new focus in life that quells the stresses of teenage offspring and exam preparation as well as the day job. Sailing a Merlin takes all my concentration (which is not saying much I hear helm say) and must be the only time when work doesn’t pass through my head in the space of a couple of hours.

The competition in the Merlin fleet at Parkstone YC is fantastic. There is always a group of boats out with races every Saturday for the majority of the year, and evening races on a Wednesday in the summer. We are beginning to hold our own most weeks but what has been most gratifying has been the help and coaching we have received from colleagues in the class. We have had help, mostly in the bar of course, with how to set up riggings, harbour tides, the technicalities of each of our boats and for me just general ‘sailsmanship’. I can now control a spinnaker – dangerous talk!

We took part in Poole Week last summer – even winning a trophy (I think the committee felt sorry for us – you know that prize they give at school for the best trier - nice but not very good!). Annual leave has already been booked and the families will be subjected to another week of the two dads sailing. Children are now teaming up to enter as well. Two, possibly three, are to crew for other Merlins. If last year is anything to go by we will have a great week. Last year my fourteen year old teamed up with another Merlin and we watched from behind as he capsized in front of us! Saved our blushes of being beaten by him.

The following day he did it again – but this time reacted like a scolded rat and didn’t as much as get his feet wet! His is the age that we, as a class, should surely try to capture the hearts and minds of to convert to Merlins rather than other classes. Merlins are great boats to sail and race and we are thinking hard how we can encourage the youth to become Merlin sailors. It would seem much more sense to convert them than to rely on the odd (very odd!) forty to fifty something seeing the light. We need to think creatively about what we can do to make sure more youngsters, once they have finished Cadets etc. move towards the Merlin fleet. Any ideas on a postcard please.

There cannot be many better places in the UK for sailing than Poole Harbour – with its complex tides, its microclimate, the comings and goings of all types of craft (including dodging Barfleur of Brittany Ferries). Parkstone YC has really good facilities, has been very welcoming and would want to extend that welcome to anyone who wants to join the Merlins during Poole Week (August 16th –22nd 2003) or to our weekend Open Meeting on 18th-19th October 2003. Why not come and join us for one or both of those meetings? – and make a judgement about whether I should join the X boat guys or if I have a few more years crewing a Merlin left in me!