MERLIN ROCKET FORUM

Topic : 1018 maiden sail!!!!

well, 1018 went for her maiden sail this weekend, sailing at Harlow Blackwater in the Woo Led Hat series races 7 and 8. Found out that the port self bailer leaks faster than both hailers can drain together! well, that didnt stop us, that and some adjustments made to the running rigging whilst underway and we wernt doing half as bad until..... coming hard onto the wind round a mark, I gave the order to thighten the downhaul and down came the mainsail! turned out to be a faulty bowline. So we limped back to the club, tipped the boat over and retrieved the main halyard, made a few more adjustments and went out for the start of the next race, about a minute late but nothing major, went around the course and landed up 3rd on corrected. Wish we had a spinny but not too bad for her first outing!!! 

Have some pics of her on the water, I think they start at about 133 in the album.. enjoy!

Shane

http://merlinrocket1018.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8QZNG7lmybMQi

Posted: 14/03/2006 10:37:06
By: MR 1018
Shane,

Well done!

You have done a great job, she looks marvellous. Loveley to see another old boat hit the water again.


Someone out there must have a spare FOC spinny for Shane?


Posted: 14/03/2006 10:45:29
By: Richard Battey
Lovely job - and a great record of the restoration.  Hope to meet up with you at vintage events through the year.


Posted: 14/03/2006 10:51:22
By: Garry R
Batt sails bargain department has a selection of old spinnakers from £20 - £40


Posted: 14/03/2006 10:53:41
By: Garry R
we do have a spinny, cant remember what shape it is in but we are waiting to collect the poles which Mags has given us and then it is a matter of fitting them out thats all. but spinny or no spinny, we wanted to go sailing!!!!


Posted: 14/03/2006 10:59:07
By: MR 1018
Shane, looks great. Looked like a good days sailing too!
Look forward to seeing Fuming when you finish her too!


Posted: 14/03/2006 11:22:10
By: Jeremy3550
Can confirm that 1018 is pretty quick spinny or no spinny as she beat us (yes I know that that is not hard all you HBSC sailors) Mind you if we had not had the altercation with the fireball and the resultant turns who knows! Seriously, well done lads and keep it up


Posted: 14/03/2006 16:37:44
By: floppy toppy
Speaking of maiden voyages......back in the mid 80's I purchased and restored (well sort of) MR1635.  First time out the jib halyard/forestay gave way, the mast came down and the foot punctured the front buoyancy bag.  It was a race day at Harlow (Blackwater) Sailig Club but my wife and I were not racing....but we had to be rescued!  I think my wife has stepped into a Merlin only twice since....and both times under protest.  I have great memories of 1635...a very pretty boat and a great way to learn to sail...and all for 150 quid!  I wonder if she is still sailing?  I gave her away in 1989 when I moved to the USA and purchased 3133..


Posted: 14/03/2006 23:56:50
By: Nick USA
Nick did you decide to keep 3133 in the end as you were looking for a new one a little while ago were you not?


Posted: 15/03/2006 08:59:30
By: Jeremy3550
Please send me your address and phone No. and I will add
you to the Vintage mailing list


Posted: 16/03/2006 17:39:12
By: Mervyn Allen
Yes - still have 3133 and hope to get her back on the water this weekend for the first sail of the season.  I am still interested in a replacement boat but while in the UK over Christmas I contacted two shipping companies and neither seemed particularly interested in getting involved.  3133 was shipped in 1989 in a 40' container along with our household contents so it was problem free.  Purchasing a boat blind from 4000 miles away is a little intimidating.  The 'for sale' web page contains very few photos and the boat descriptions frequently contain no more than a handful of words.
By the way - the June 2006 edition of Wooden Boat Magazine will contain a 400 word artice and a few photos (thanks Pat Blake) on Merlin Rockets, Kate in particular. Of more interest is the fact that Tom Jackson of Wooden Boat Magazine is planning a major feature on the MR towards the end of the year. This will be written by a contract writer in the UK and I have passed on contact information of the MROA stalwarts in the likely case that help is needed. This should result in some excellent publicity for the class, WBM being a very high end publication. The last major article was the one written about Spud Rowsell in 1984.


Posted: 18/03/2006 01:30:44
By: Nick USA

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