Good to see Ellen doing so well.  As a class we really should be better at publicising the success of former merlin sailors (however brief their association).  Maybe we should invite her along to Hayling Island?

As an aside though - How fast would one of our current hot shots get round the world ?

They say that the crwam as well as the scum always floats to the top.

She would probably expect the price of a brand new Winder to put in an appearance.  Where did the rest of us go wrong?

It's £50K a pop todays price inflation!

Quite agree about past Merlin Rocketeers - almost anyone you think of, who has gone on to greater things has had a spell in MR's - Round the World - Americas Cup. Olympics - we should have a list on the web page -sadly dont think I will feature.

Dont forget that if you are sailing near here we have a great B & B !! check the web page. ( another amateur attempt)

Come on then...lets try getting the list rolling...
Past and present Merlin Sailors who have gone on/ acheived better things! 
Alan Warren
Ozzie Stewart
Pat and Jilly Blake
errr... help please!

Lawrie Smith
Mike McNamara....

What about sailor who have acheived great things and now choose to sail Merlins?

It really bugs me that whenever you lot talk about people doing so well in sailing you always mention the helm or the eldest person in the boat. Obviously the crew works hard to, its team effort. Also why do you never praise the young sailers when they do well for there ablity, you need to give them praise and motivation for them too feel good about them selfs so then they sail more, and get even better positions than they already have achieved, from practice, i think they do so well for there ages but you lot never comment. ITS JUST SO ANNOYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think we should also hear it for those that have kept the class alive

Maybe we don't praise the young because they cannot spell or write coherant English.
Crews should always be praised though largely (not always) they do not pay the bills, in days gone by Adrian Legg was an honorable exception as a crew owner. As was Tony Fox, who pre-owned Pat Blakes first Merlin Rocket 684 Crew Cut.

'Maybe we don't praise the young because they cannot spell or write coherant English'

1) Lame joke

2) Spelling has nothing to do with it. You dont need to spell to sail. I reckon it is because none of you grown ups can take the pain of youngsters beating you...you find it an embarrassment.

To continue the list:

Rodney Patterson
Chris Davies (his crew!)


ermm....

And more...

Jon Turner (Int 14 World champ helm, Merlin national champ helm and crew!)
Phil Morrison
Spud Rowsell

Laurie Smith has I believe just bought a merlin down in Lymington.

Richard Parslow

Fireball World Champ Crew

Scorpion Nat Champ helm

and of Course Matt Mee

- Doing rather well on the GP14s

I was up till dawn doing this! not a definitive list needs updating but its as a far as my address book goes.
National Merlin Rocket Class Honours List
Champions, Winners, Class Stallwarts and Characters.
This list is very far from complete, add, your additions, especially the young, and maybe we could have a party.

Jack Holt			Dcd					
Ken Mollart
Leslie Brain
Mike Astley
David Peachey
Beecher Moore			Dcd
Bruce Banks			Dcd
Robin Stevenson		        Dcd
Harry Harris			Dcd
John Harris			Racing Merlins at Thamesis
Robert Harris			Gliding
Alan Vines			Dcd
Sue Harris (Vines)		Firefly at Thamesis
Andrew Harris		
Sarah Warren (Harris)	
John Stokes			Boatswain at Ranelagh retired Archtect
Margaret Stokes
Colin Stokes			Cartoonist/Architect Thamesis
Margaret Stokes
Ian Proctor			Dcd
Peter Cook			Essex, President of Yachting Journalists
Peter Cook
Keith Steel
Bob Dale
Harry Haines
Chris Haworth
Geoffrey Saffery-Cooper	Dcd
Brian Saffery-Cooper		Rtd Isle of Wight and West Indies Racing Daring and Cruising.
Robin Judah			Bermuda, International Yachting Judge
Mike Pruett
John Oakley			Retired, Hamble - Cruises
Bob Dummett
Tony Fox			Dcd
John Faulkner
Brian Ellis			Australia?
Peter Clayton
Ross Wilcock
John Ibbertson
Brian Appleton
Richard Stevens
Roger Pratt
Ken Ellis			RYA 
Laurie Smith
Bob Hoare			Still sails at Parkestone
Simon Blake			Son of Pat & Jilly
Adrian Legg			Dcd
Brian Southcott			ISAF Administrator, races occasionally
Robin Fowler			IOW races XOD
David Oddie			Hamble races XOD
A D Brook			IOW
Rodney Pattison		Races a Trimaran and guests elsewhere.
Keith Musto			Semi rtd, very ill, but races Melges 24
Tim Hockin
Patrick King
Tom Nisbet
Peter Dove			Insurance races big boats
Rex King			Dcd
Spud Rowsell			Still builds boats Races Salcombe Yawls
Phill Morrison			Still designs
Johnathan Turner
Graham Pike
Mike Mcnamara			Norfolk Racing Cruisers, Squibs and Wayfarers
Ian Brown			Architect
Mike Jackson			ISAF 
Frank Warren			Dcd
Alan Warren			Racing Merlins on the circuit.
Martin Warren			Dcd
William Warren			Racing Merlins organising Championships
Barry Dunning			Coaching and racing Etchells 22
Ned (David.) Sparrow
David Hunt			
David Child			Denmark & UK - Races Dragons and Knarr
Rebekah Child (Bray)		Denmark - Training Horses
David Tucker
Phil King
Mike Calvert
Richrd Whitworth
Will Rainey
Jimmy Ledwith
Pat Dyas			Dcd Raced Dragons nearly up to his death.
Mike Ledwith
Don Cooke
Clem Ramus			Dcd
James Ramus			Apple Farmer, Master of Bloodhounds
David Robinson			Sail Making		
Chris Davies			Teaching
Nick Truman			Races Broads One Design, occasional Dragon build boats
Richard Debenham		Crews Dragons and builds and repairs boats
David Leech			Races Broads One Design
Graham Leech
Chris Andrews			Ill in home
Tony Ruffell			Rtd Rustington
George Slack			Dcd
Pat Blake			Photographer still races Merlins on the Circuit
Marie Blake			Dcd
Jilly Blake (Henderson)		Crews on the circuit
Helen Turner			Mother of 6
David Potter			Retired cruising
Richard Winter
Doug Brixton
Eric Williams			Races XOD and Dragon - shipping
Francis Williams
Peter Danby			Yachting Photographer IOW
Dick Batt			Sail Maker and retired Womble!
Richard Estaugh
Paul Seddon
David Hannant			Races Squib
Derek Sheffer
Jeff Worsdale
Derek King			Australia
Billy Allen
Paul Nevard			Bembridge?
Berry Ritchie			Races Merlin Rocket on Thames
Tony (AHJ) Davis
Arthur Barron			Dcd Rules and Races
Tony Lane			Rtd Truro Cruises
Peter Frampton			Australia
Les Ward			Dcd
Daphne Ward			Dcd
Robert Lee-Warner		Cruises Bristol Channel
W Graham-Donald		Dcd
Will Hartje			Phoenix Arizona USA crews 505
Guy Gurney			Races a Star and photographs East Coast USA
Stuart Gurney			Architect and B&B Owner races single hander
Dennis Ellis			Rtd IOW
Jim Park			Doyen of Wembley and former keeper of records
Frank Dwyer			Rtd props up bar at various pubs in Whitstable
Richard Davies			Races Whitstable
Harry Haines

Stuart Blithell and Lucy Burn - both in the Olympic Saquad now AND both young Merlin Sailors

Just to start a Northern list...
Paddy Atkinson, 
Bob kyle
Ian Tinker
Stuart Nixon
Ian Dawson
Paul Dawson
Malcolm Molyneux
Derek Hanrahan
Roger "Wally" Pinder
Dave Griffiths
Maxie Dunn
AC Ball
Roger and Debbie Taylor
Pippa and Jenny Taylor
Maureen
Andrew Ball
John Thorogood
Peter Roberts
Guy Winder
c'mon, there's loads more.......

What a list you guys have a history second to none Nationally and I suspect that not many classes Globally could come up with that type of background except maybe the Star boat.

Didnt see our sailmakes !!
Dick Batt
Mike MacNamara
even Phil Morrison

Who are these people?

Oh come on! Almost every decent class has had these people pass through it, Finn, Fireball, Enterprise, Heron, Dragon. Hell cat etc., on and on, its people like the "Warren"'s, "Harris"'s and "Blake"'s who make a class.

Hell cat.....??

History & drink!

> not many classes could match that Internationally...
Speaking mainly antipodeanly how about
Bruce Farr
Russ Bowler
Julian Bethwaite
Iain Murray
Andrew Buckland
Steve Marten
Andy Paterson
[with good humoured friendly rivalry type grin and heart on sleeve:-)]

Andy Paterson? He didn't seem to impressed when my Merlin was alongside his multiple championship winning Cherub. Generous consencious was that he couldn't get his head round all that old fashioned varnish or his reflection in it. He did like all the carbon bits though but then he supplied some of them. Or is there another AP ?

Brett Dingwall, Fireball and Flying Fifteen
Did anyone say Ian Holt ?

Some modern classics

Frank Rowsell
Andy Shorrocks
Jon Andrews (NZL)
Richard Harris
Phil Plumtree

Plus crews

It would be good to think someone was compiling the honours list!

some of these lists include people that I havnt heard of - not to say they havn't doen something special in the world of yottin'

I note that I have even been given credit, but have done nothing more than win a couple of races at Salcome, and a 2nd in the round the island race. Of course we only need to look through the handbooks to see who has sailed im MR's

If we had a hall of fame page on the web it should only include the really important like  Al Warren, Jack Holt, Ian Proctor, Lawrie Smith, Phil Morrison - not under achievers like me.

(what did Maxi Dunn ever do apart from turn up at Roy Dewsnaps place in Bolton and proceed to cook a mountain of full english at 6 AM - which would have been very nice had we not just gone to bed following a night out with Atkinson P and others - sorry Maxi if you have just won the Americas Cup or something!!)

dont forget we run a B & B here if you are yottin in the area check the link - special rates for M/Rocketeers! just add 50%

Stuart,
It was characters as well as overachievers Ned for instance apart from being first at the Windward Mark on a blowy day at Whitsable in 1963 wasn't exactly Elvestrom was he? But like others Dennis Ellis and Jim Park Likewise not exacctly top racers, for instance they contributed so much to that amorphous animal The Merlin Rocket Class. There are other ways to fame.

Ok so which one of you 5 is sailor!

Que?

Cest Moi...

holde kefte

Just to say Tom's won the 12s (again!)  6 firsts and a second and a 3rd to discard.  Merlin champs obviously sharpen him up!  See you at the Endeavour William, Robbo, Stu and Matt!

AWESOMME!! We are good arnen`t we? Well Done Tom and the Endeavour is ours this year. Cheers AAALLLLEEEEZZZZ!!!!!

Mike Macnamara Is ver very big in the albacore world, Im sure that not many of you care about that really!

Some of us care about Mike a lot, one of the "Good Guys" he also recently won the Hornet Worlds and is the dominant factor competatively in the Wayfarer Class, a born teacher, master sailmaker and one of the best so AG at any rate cares!

Mike Mac won the Hornet europeans at Sandwich at the beginning of august with six first and a first place discard.

I thought it was Worlds well to some Europe is the world! Anyway another McNamara Corinthian success.

.

What about pete scott's achievments in the comet trio class? twice national champion no less made even harder by having novice crew phil king!!

Daphne Ward, one time ice dance champion, is definitely not deceased. She may be 100 but she's apparently still sprightly and I believe living in Suffolk. Daphne crewed me for a winter season in 'Grey Goose' no.1047 at Ranelagh around 1960/61. She must have been 50 then but the harder it blew the more she liked it.

Sadly Chris Andrews and Tony Davis have left us. And I'm afraid one or two others on Welsh Harpist's list

What about the current champs Glen and Oli.

What about Peter Flanagan ?

what about Jim Hunt, probably the best all round sailor!

Who is Peter Flanagan?

Peter Flanagan was the Association Chairman in 1969/70. I think he won a championship race in the 50s and continued to sail his Rowsell/Omega NSM 1 at Cookham into his 70s. At the Association's 60th birthday party in 2006 Peter was awarded an Honorary Life Membership of the Association in recognition of his many years of service to the class.

Roger Gilbert

Still leading!

1st and 3rd....
http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/?article=148518

Terry Curtis has won the OK Nationals again

Now Roger Gilbert has won the POW Cup too, - nothing left to live for?

4 RG
Americas Cup next?

Dave Dobrijevic seems to do quite well without a rudder...

Re RG I'd guess a 49er.

He's been there are done that

And again and again.

Stu came 2nd in the 470s at Weymouth last week.

Sophie Mackley - current N12 Nationals and Burton winning crew

Robin Judah, top MR sailor in the 50s and 60s sailed for Great Britain in his Dragon at the Acapulco Olympics in 1968. I crewed for Robin in a Firefly when we won the RAF championship at the Welsh Harp in 1955.

Tom Brown - raced an MR with Peggy Brown at BCYC and many meetings.  Moved to Portugal 27 years ago and still sailing a Laser... April 2012

Andy Harris destroyed the 'very experienced' fleet of N18 sailors to win the N18 inland world championships. Bravo!