Report by Pete Walker
Nine boats enjoyed the Merlin Rocket class Vintage event at UTSC on Saturday 6th September 2025. Crews were welcomed by sunshine and a moderate south easterly breeze. The wind was coming from the direction of the Bounty pub beyond the Marina, downriver of the club. The race officer set a first beat from the club line towards a first mark situated in the marina. The wind was thankfully unusually steady in this stretch of the river. A traditional windward / leeward course was set.
In Race 1 Andy Harris and Sarah Warren had a good battle with Stuart Jenkins and Nicola Scaddan. Both boats moved quickly clear of the field, who were scrapping it out behind. Both lead boats used their spinnakers to good effect on the long leg up to the medium mark. The race finished with Andy in Crescendo first and Stuart in Flinkidink Second, and the Walkers taking third.
After lunch the breeze strengthened making launching quite tricky with an awkward onshore breeze. The fleet got off to a clean start towards the marina again. This race followed a similar pattern with Crescendo fighting with Flinkidink. The vintage merlins were now frequently planing and sometimes struggling to stay upright with kites up as the downwind leg had tightened. In race 2 the Race Officer decided to entertain those sitting on deck chairs on the Upper Thames lawn with a tricky dog leg outside the club involving a series of gybes in the windy part of the river. The gybe on the club side by the Fury Boat House was particularly tight with the mark close to the bank, leaving no room for error. The 2nd race finished in the same order as the first race.
In Race 3 the bank spectators were clearly enjoying the entertainment of Merlins racing on the testing course with the tight dog leg. Only 5 boats decided to compete in the increasingly gusty conditions. Andy Harris got a good start again and rounded the leeward mark, just beyond Spade Oak, first. The Walkers enjoyed a puff from behind to get an overlap on Flinkidink to round the leeward mark in 2nd. With the gusty breeze building there was plenty of adrenalin and potential for capsizes, meaning the rescue boats needed to be on standby. Gains could be made upwind, on the way back down river, by picking up the lifts to minimise tacking. Crescendo cruised to victory with a clean sweep of 3 out of 3 wins. The Walkers just managed to stay ahead of Flinkidink, despite scooping quite a bit of river water at the gybe mark by the Fury boat house leading to some frenzied bailing and some anxious moments. Flinkidink seemed to be catching on each downwind leg as the Walkers decided the spinnaker was too risky to fly following several earlier tangles. At the end the Walkers just managed to stay in front to secure 2nd place. Finkidink finished 3rd after a tough battle with the Steeles in Pandemonium.
The competitors, bruised, battered and tried were very grateful to the race officer, Simon Eddison, for setting interesting and challenging courses. The Rescue boats did a great job looking after the fleet, as did the bar and catering. The event sponsor, Craftinsure, provided the usual generous prizes.
