The Spring magazine was despatched Friday, so all being well you should receive your copies Monday/Tuesday. Enjoy the read.

Best wishes


Mag Editor

Arrived yesterday - more colour photos, better looking, good articles - fantastic job!

Well done the editor, a great advert for the class

Well, well, well.... What a handsome looking boat and crew on the front cover!!!

Despite this, fantastic mag once again.  Well done Richard for pulling it together so professionally and all the photo people for the great pictures.

Just what you need on a cold snowy February evening when the hot days of summer and sea breeze seem such a long way off.

Steamer anyone???

Quite agree, another bumper issue. Article or restoring the old boat of great interest, although depressed that he managed all that work in 10 weeks! I've been at it for 18 months :(

Well it was 10 weeks very hard work helped by being a single man so no worries about having bits and pieces lying around in the house!!  Also working until 11pm every night and putting in 14hour days at the weekend. Now re-ribbing No 111 - but that's another story altogether.

This show how good the MR class is at being a class a lesson many other classes should learn especially its active irrevend forums and the way people rush toi help people. Pat on the back chapeses and chaps.

I was quite engrossed in your article Garry - I did wonder how you managed to do it so fast - I would have got more pleasure from stringing it out longer! Top work though.

Well done Richard - magazine looks professional. I like the new font, and colour photos everywhere is very swanky.

An excellent issue and great pictures.

Only one slight but - could you avoid splitting columns of text across the small pictures - makes me boggle eyed trying to read across the picture and pick up the line.

Could I suggest that the MR's follow the example of most classes and make the PDF copies available on line?

Which classes do that then?

Most? well I guess it's the International Classes but I think Hornets do it? Icould be wrong, but it's a good idea non the less "inclusive".

If we do this then it should be in an area which only MR class members can access otherwise what is the point of joining????

I agree with that except one can't race unless one joins! Perhaps membership should be a condition of granting a certificate or at least validating it! The excellent magazine is one of the classes best adverts along with this very active and well managed web site - a model for other Britiah Classes.

can't see a downloadable mag on the hornet site, and you have to register your details to use the forum!

I reckon you guys should keep doing things the way you do.
I've used the site/forum for nearly two years now and I'm joining (this week) mainly because I want to race in open meetings and do the training weekend.  A downloadable version of the mag would only devalue the printed copy which, whilst not being my main reason for joining, will certainly be something I enjoy receiving and will treasure.
The open forum, free boat adverts and fully accessible website really go a long way to show goodwill and the "class" spirit which makes the Merlin scene something to be a part of.  Having a members area will make the site all the more like all the other places on the internet.

I agree totally with Jon 3389.  I too have only just joined - I do live in Scotland and am unlikely to race on a regular basis down south and for the Vintage Wing you don't HAVE to be a member.  If we had a register or pay type of site I would not have been able to glean as much info about restoration as I did and I have to say how refreshing and open the forum is on all matters - a really helpful and friendly bunch.  I also agree that having the magazine on line would be a mistake. There are bits and pieces from the magazine which do appear at a later date on the web page but you get it in the Mag first.

Mags, Richard and I have been working on getting some old articles from issues over the years onto the web. This is something we will probably continue, maybe putting the on the web 6 months or so after they come out. That way people will still join up, but new members will have access to them also.

There not difficult to reach a realistic and sensible compromise well done!