MERLIN ROCKET FORUM

Topic : More from before

The Merlin Rocket Champs were to be held at Plymouth in June that year (1958). Nineteen year old John was determined to sail our Dad's new boat 'Dizzy Too' at Plymouth but it would only be around 11 weeks after his accident on Alderney so it seemed unlikely and indeed he was still in plaster as we all drove westward. Dad was to be John's crew and he wanted to sail too so he devised a plastic covering for John's plastered leg which would supposedly make it waterproof.

Everything probably would have been OK if they hadn't capsized before the start of the windy practice race!

As soon as they got ashore Dad bundled John complete with wet plaster into his car and they drove around Plymouth with the heater on for several hours until the plaster appeared to be dry. As far as I remember they sailed the rest of the Championship.

At that Championship most of the young Ranelagh/Minima sailors were staying at Attewell's Temperance Hotel (that's another story!) which had been chosen by our elder 'statesman' the late Peter Clayton who clearly deserved to have the only single room. As the week progressed we all complained about a disgusting smell wafting through the hotel which was eventually traced to John's still damp and by now strongly stinking leg. The unfortunate Peter was prised out of his single room and to his great delight and ours John moved in.


Posted: 31/01/2007 11:57:09
By: Robert Harris
I started this thread in the hope that we can uncover more oldie's stories like those on the London Boat Show thread.


Posted: 31/01/2007 12:25:00
By: Robert Harris
Great idea, would love to hear more


Posted: 31/01/2007 16:24:43
By: Ian
Don't have any old stories but here are the results from Ranelagh's February 1976 Open meeting. Corresponding event coming up February 18th with a 13.30 start. How many from 76 will be there?
Nick

http://www.ranelagh-sc.co.uk/1976%20MR%20Trophy.htm

Posted: 31/01/2007 17:18:14
By: Nick Price
Alan Warren beats John Harris on the tie break.


Posted: 31/01/2007 17:31:48
By: Alan F
It seems that I was 4th - sailing 'Last Will and Testament' which was Will Godfrey's boat. I did sail with Will a few times so I suppose it is right, I am afraid my memory is not good enough to remember every race from 30 years ago!
Anyway Phil King was only 5th!!!
RESULT


Posted: 31/01/2007 23:09:37
By: Magazine Man
Great to see Krakatoa on the line up, with my Uncle Rhys (Dad's Bro) sailing it. 
If anybody from back in the day fancy catching up with Rhys he and Louise (my aunt) are helping us organise the Jersey trip in June.
Get in touch with myself or Dad dor more details.
The more the merrier!!


Posted: 01/02/2007 00:46:30
By: Hywel jnr
Perhaps Magazine Man needs to look back a little further to 1967 when he appears to have won the Banbury Open in Beatlecut.

Can he do the same again in 2007??

http://www.banburysailing.org.uk/History/Merlin%20Rocket%20Open%20Winners.htm

Posted: 02/02/2007 00:03:16
By: RichardT
Apparently I won it in 'Grey Goose' no.1047 five years before Pat did but for the life of me I can't remember it.


Posted: 02/02/2007 11:14:13
By: Robert Harris
Well Robert I rember that meeting so well so I bet does Pat Blake it was both our first away Silver Tiller races. It blew a hooly and I have vivid memories of my late father drying the contents of his wallet in the open hearth of the pub we stopped at for supper on the way home! It was before Banbury moved across the reservoir had its HQ on the dam in a sort of Dug Out.
I am too young to know except by word of mouth of Alderney and the Storming of the Imperial Hotel Torquay I do recall The Palm Tree incident at Weymouth and this little known event at Oulton Broad in 1962.The Royal Norfolk and Sufolk YC Newcombe Trophy and the Waveny and Oulton Broad all rounder trophy, my sister being courted by at least two of my fellow sailors, sister Sue ever difficult was playing it very cool. She also being courted by Malcolm a 20th Earl, and Nick the son of a local boat builder.
After that nights visit to worship at the High Altar of Ivan Darby landlord of “The Commodore” we repaired to the yacht harbour and there on board on of the more comfortable racing cruisers began to put the world to rights. Apart from the aformentioned also present were David Hannant, David Leech and Graham Leech, and female hangers on.
A visit to the chippy was declared essential, and my sister somewhat a typically went.
She returned with the order and a few tins of "beef Stew" one of which she opened warmed through and proceeded much to my delight to feed Noth Nick and Malcolm from it.
Only Malcolm seemed to enjoy food and declared that it was the best ever.
The next morning my sister proudly told my very shocked parents that she had fed them Dog Food and Malcolm was so besotted that he had eaten it.
She should not have flattered herself, to this day Malcolm doesn’t know, untill that is if he reads this!
Both Malcolm and Nick are still a very good friends, but being a 20th Earl perhaps only Malcolm could be called a Pedigree Chum!


Posted: 02/02/2007 11:39:01
By: Ancient-Geek
I must persuade my brother John to write about the storming of the Imperial Hotel during the 1957 Champs at Torquay because as far as I'm aware he was the only one of us who actually got into the hotel. 

That was a fairly riotous Championship so it was fortunate that ASBOs hadn't been invented 50 years ago!


Posted: 02/02/2007 11:54:24
By: Robert Harris
It was at my first Champs at Whitstable in 1956 that I first heard the Hamble story that the newly designed Proctor Mk 1X would be very difficult for the average club sailor to control and that it was only for the really top guys like Cliff Norbury and John Oakley.
Looking at the Banbury results mentioned above, it seems to have taken me 10 years to wake up.


Posted: 02/02/2007 18:12:46
By: Tony Lane
And yet John Oakley won that Championship in a Proctor MKVI


Posted: 02/02/2007 19:21:56
By: Robert Harris
Robert - that's what it says on the trophy!

AG is quite correct about the 'clubhouse' then being on the south dam - I came across some photos of this the other day. The grand clubhouse was an aluminium shed which was floated on pontoons over to the current club site in the late 60s. It was still in use up until about 5 years ago when a westerly storm ripped the bolts out of the ground and we decided to consign it to the skip.

The question is will Pat be back this year to defend the trophy?


Posted: 02/02/2007 19:44:56
By: RichardT

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