Just to say a huge thanks to Hamish and Callum for organising such a fab weekend at Dalgety Bay.  For those of you who missed it, where were you??!!It's a beautiful place, with fantastic sailing water, a really nice club house, and the sun was shining.  We were treated to great Scottish hospitality, which mixed with the Merlins who know how to have a good time and the cedilah (how do you spell that word!!!) on Saturday night meant that a wicked time was had by all.  What more could we have asked for?  Considering most of the members at DBSC didn't know what a Merlin Rocket was before we arrived, they made us very welcome; and those who camped in the grounds of the club had a view to die for.

It was a fantastic weekend, with a whole range of boats from 970 through to 3665 (17 of us in total) and it was really good to meet so many new people who are so enthusiastic and committed about their Merlins. It was great to be able to put faces to names of the Scottish lads and lasses and hats off to people like Paul and Liam from Morecombe who had to have a towbar fitted to Paul's wife's "shopping shed" (his words, not mine!!) and who had varnish drying as they pulled the boat along the motorway, so determined were they to get there; and also Sandy and Pat for coming all the way from Shearwater in Wiltshire to join in the fun.

Well done Hamish and Callum - you really did us all proud!

Must say i am very jealous! Sitting at my desk reading what people are saying i really wish i had a job which allows me this sort of time off so i could have come!

Maybe i can come next year?

It was great to put names and faces to the forum posting pseudonyms!!  Thanks to everyone who came, plus a big thanks to Hamish and Calum for organising the whole thing.  I thought that the little model Merlin prizes were really great - something different certainly.  For the guys who went out on Sunday - you are a lot braver than I am!!  Hope you all got home safely.  Spread the word for next year - it's not really that far!!

I would like to thank everyone who made the trip. It was great to see so many Merlins in one spot, and I think I can say that this was the biggest gathering of Merlins in Scotland for at least 20years. It was a real honour to organise this event and to get to meet many of the people I have read about, and race against them.
I personally had a superb time and am more than willing to set up another northeren trip for next year.
Heartfelt congratulations to all the prize winners,competitors and to Dalgety Bay Sailing club for a smashing weekend.
Once again thanks to one and all, and I look forward to racing with you in the near future.
Results and pictures will be available shortly, and I know that there will be a volume of pictures avaialble on the fotoboat website under Alan Hendersons name.
A final thanks to the regatta sponsors
Winder Boats
Tunnocks
Harken
and
Magnus Smith, without his help none of this would have been possible.

Hamish and Calum

Big thanks from us too, know how dificult it is to set these things up but you didnt disappoint

just a great weekend , everybody really friendly and helpful

got to be a silver tiller next year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will also add my thanks to Hamish and Callum - Sunday was a truly awesome experience - hope someone got photos of those of us "brave" (mad) enough to race in the wind and waves!  Thanks also to Roger (my helm) for a great learning experience - at least we did not fall in - was worried other boats might round Roger, mistaking his hair for the mark!  Let’s hope for at least 25 boats next year!

just to echo other people's comments - I woke up at 9.30am this morning and swore that I'd had a dream of mega Scottish hospitality, men in dresses, mad dancing, beer in abundance, beautiful scenery, good company and downwind runs to die for in 28 knots (wind over tide). The watching the '39 Steps' would  never be the same again!

Obviously just a wild dream....and then I noticed the hospital-style wrist-band still on my wrist!!!

Major thanks to Hamish & Calum, all at DBSC and Ian (Why didn't you put your wee kite up?)& Jane R, our hosts.

Col, you haven't killed me yet. Those who didn't go - your loss...! A great Easter.

Huge thanks to Calum & Hamish for all their work in creating one of the best sailing/social weekends ever.
I would also like to thank everone who made the trip north, it was great to see you all and the spread of boats, hope you all had a great weekend and a safe trip home.

Here's to next year!!!

My first Merlin event, what nice friendly people, hope to do a bit more in the old girl. Sunday was interesting; I thought all the creaking was coming form the boat but it seemed to be my knees. 
Again big thanks to every one coming so far to support and Hamish and calum for organising.
Roll on next year

Cheers 

Neil

Great event really enjoyed it!

Mike enjoyed it so much he even left his sailing kit there!!

Great meeting, eating, drinking, sailing, dancing and having a good time with you all. Thanks to all for supporting the event. You made the event. Mental Sunday survival race, my arms hurt from two handed steering downwind (must try another rudder shape). Thanks to all who helped, supported or contributed in any way. Hamish and I will start planning next year. Dont forget we have a number of events planned for this year (Scottish travellers series) at the most fantastic locations.

Thanks for organising a great weekend Hamish and Callum. I couldnt have guessed we would have such a good time, thank god the first races didnt start till two. Cant wait for the next one.

Well done to all of the people involved.

It's all be said, but can I add my thanks to everyone involved in organising this weekend - Hamish, Callum and everyone at the Dalgety Bay SC.

Superb venue, view, weather and sailing.

And thanks to Hamish and Aileen, at the Club, for helping to send on my sailing gear which I left in the changing room - it's an age thing!!

Thanks are also due to The Ancient Geek who provided the  prizes for the "Novelty" element of the Scottish weekend- (1) furthest travelled, (2) most obvious retiral thus relinquishing a possible winner spot, and (3) organiser's and longest recorded Scottish capsize prize!!  Whisky was the order of the day and judging by the bedraggled and cold appearance on the Sunday the winners of prizes 2 and 3 needed it!!

We finally made it back to Wiltshire yesterday having enjoyed the Scottish hospitality both at Dalgety Bay and with the family. Saturday's sailing was perfect for those of us in old boats and even those who didn't sail on Sunday were spellbound watching the speed and antics of the daredevils.

Biggest thanks to Hamish and Callum for all their hard work and to the race officer and his boat teams for making us all feel so safe there - even though it was too deep to anchor the marks at times!

I've a few photos which I'll mail to Mags when I get on the home internet so those who weren't there can see just how beautiful it is - backdrops of the Edinburgh skyline and the Forth bridge predominate.

Sounds like everybody had a fab time, pity i missed it. Any chance of someone posting some results, does not sound like it was the sort of event that had any losers but i would like to know who our new World Champion is!!?

World Champion
Its a Midland Circuit Man(s) of course!  Where else can you learn to sail so well.

Matt Biggs and Tom Chadfield

Race report will be sent to the Website shortly, but if you want the pictures without the  words try this link.
Pictures curtesy of Alan Henderson  / Fotoboat.com

Doesn't it look good in the pic's, I feel sorry for all you that didn't make the effort to come, you can now see what you missed.

Great pictures indeed

Who was the crazy dude taking photos on sunday, and can we seee them anywhere - Alan Henderson's don't fully give justice to the event, when even in the windy suff there were still ten boats crowding the startline at the gun!

Perhaps he couldn't hold the camera steady - it certainly wouldn't surprise me!!

Just read through all of the comments from last weekend and am absolustely delighted that you all had a good time! It was a pleasure to host the event for the Merlin Rockets, and we would be more than happy to play host to you again!
Glad everyone made it home safely, even if a wet suit had to follow on.. :-)

Just wanted to add my thanks to you all for coming, and your comments about the weekend make it all worthwhile! 

Hope to see you next time!

Cheers, 

David Burnett, Commodore ( and your race officer!) Dalgety Bay SC. 
http://www.dalgetybaysc.org