After many hours trawling around picking up heaps of junk or bidding against Mr Blake on E-bay,finally ive got a classic merlin!2427 ghost rider,everything is there but sails,It looks like the mast is a B section.I know it won the champs in 71,but can anyone throw any more light on it please?I will need some rags at some point,it has a very small chute,has anyone tried a current rules kite or do they last 5 mins,presume it would have a 3.15 or so jib and 2400 main as it has no certificate. thanks phil

The RYA should have a certificate for the boat, that will tell you what it originally had as a sail plan.
Originally owned by Francis Williams from Exe SC, who then one 2500 in the MR Lottery !!!

I may be able to put you in touch with Francis if you e-mail me with your phone no.

If interested I have a suit of sails inc kite, and a boom if interested give me a ring 07775 664104

I awarded some prizes at the '71 champs and had the same pronunciation problem - too late I was told that the n's were silent , hence yami -yami .

As to sail plans the Gregory sail plan had a small jib ( 2.9 ish ) and a large main .Was brilliant in a blow but Francis went to a larger jib to improve the light-air performance .

thankyou all for the replies,bizarrely I have2500 and 3190 (ext Mr T Lane) in for repair at the moment,the two ghosties look very different though, is 2500 a 2? I have to say 2427 is in fabulous condition  for a forty year old boat,I removed the deck and gunwhales yesterday (cascamite had given up!),they will go straight back on as they very cleanly popped off.The old girl is so original even down to the kicker wheel!I will try to put some pics on the site,Regards the name, does anyone remember if it was stuck on with the letters you bought from the local Ironmongers? (thats whats on it now,looks awful) its been put on the bow stbd side. I'd like it to look like it was when Francis won in 71 as the aim is to do the 2011 champs in her.workshop no is 07973 720732 anytime really mon -sat rgds phil scott.

Interested in the reccomended pronunciation 'yami yami' - the boat didn't originate from near Dudley by any chance?

I met Derek Scheffer a few weeks ago, he crewed Francis Williams when they won the 1971 Championship at Plymouth in 'Myaminiyami'. 

The following year Francis won 'Silver Ghost' no. 2500 in a raffle to celebrate the association Silver Jubilee.

Derek Sheffers number is 01590 678742. I am sure he can give you lots of information.

2121 has a small chute too and the old soft kite is fine. However we tried a newer, stiffer and thicker kite and managed to rip a section out whilst hoisting. Try one and see but if it sticks don't just haul harder as we did!

Spray everything with ie shute and kite with McLube spray first.

the names been googled by mr martin apparently its a south african river god, perhaps a black country tribesman came up with that one!!

Yo cor blerm us.Us Black cuntry gents do ave Marelins.

They dow fit ont cut

In my experience the river gods hand out pleasure and pain in equal measure but only if you take the long term view...

The Nyaminyami (Zambezi River God) is a Zimbabwean legendary creature created by the Tonga people. The Nyaminyami is a dragon like creature with a snake's torso and the head of a fish.[1]

The Nyaminyami supposedly resides in the Zambezi River and controls the life in and on the Zambezi.

aBantulanga Folklore Detail

Nyaminyami, afd {Zimbabwean 'Tonga Folklore Mysticism': The spirits of Nyaminyami and his wife residing in The Kariba Gorge are God and Goddess of the underworld.} On top of the White House Dome, Washington DC, USA is a statute of 'The Goddess Of The Underworld'.

Sightings
Over the years there have been several sightings of the Nyaminyami by local people but there has never been an official, recorded sighting of the creature.

Legend
Although there are several different legends surrounding the Nyaminyami the Kariba legend is the most documented and widely known fable.

The Kariba Legend
"The BaTonga People lived in the Zambezi Valley for centuries in peaceful seclusion and with little contact with the outside world. They were simple folk who built their houses in kraal along the banks of the great river and believed that their gods looked after them supplying them with water and food.

But their idealistic lifestyle was to be blown apart. In the early 1940s a report was made about the possibility of a hydro-electric scheme to supply power for the growing industry that colonialism had brought to the federation of countries that were known as Northern Rhodesia on one side of the river and Southern Rhodesia on the other, now Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In 1950 the Kariba Dam project was started.

Heavy earth-moving equipment roared into the valley and tore out thousands of hundred-year-old trees to build roads and settlements to house the workers who poured into the area to build a dam that would harness the powerful river. The BaTonga’s peace and solitude was shattered and they were told to leave their homes and move away from the river to avoid the flood that the dam would cause.

The name Kariba comes from the word Kariva, meaning trap, which refers to a rock jutting out from the gorge where the dam wall was to be built. It was believed by the BaTonga to be the home of Nyaminyami, the river god, and they believed that anyone who ventured near the rock was dragged down to spend eternity under the water.

Reluctantly they allowed themselves to be resettled higher up the bank, but they believed that Nyaminyami would never allow the dam to be built and eventually, when the project failed, they would move back to their homes.

In 1957, when the dam was well on its way to completion, Nyaminyami struck. The worst floods ever known on the Zambezi washed away much of the partly-built dam and the heavy equipment, killing many of the workers.

Some of those killed were white men whose bodies disappeared mysteriously, and after an extensive search failed to find them, Tonga elders were asked to assist as their tribesmen knew the river better than anyone. The elders explained that Nyaminyami had caused the disaster and in order to appease his wrath a sacrifice should be made.

They weren’t taken seriously, but, in desperation, when relatives of the missing workers were due to arrive to claim the bodies of their loved ones, the search party agreed in the hope that the tribesmen would know where the bodies were likely to have been washed to.

A white calf was slaughtered and floated on the river. The next morning the calf was gone and the workers’ bodies were in its place. The disappearance of the calf holds no mystery in the crocodile infested river, but the reappearance of the workers’ bodies three days after they had disappeared has never been satisfactorily explained.

The Ba Tonga smiled knowingly at each other and waited for the final blow that would send the intruders scurrying back to wherever they came from.

After the disaster, flow patterns of the river were studied to ascertain whether there was a likelihood of another flood and it was agreed that a flood of that intensity would only occur once every thousand years.

The very next rainy season, however, brought further floods even worse than the previous year. Nyaminyami had struck again, destroying the coffer dam, the access bridge and parts of the main wall.

But the project survived and the great river was eventually controlled. In 1960 the generators were switched on and have been supplying electricity to Zimbabwe and Zambia ever since.

The BaTonga still live on the shores of Lake Kariba, and many still believe that one day Nyaminyami will fulfill his promise and they will be able to return to their homes on the banks of the river. They believe that Nyaminyami and his wife were separated by the wall across the river, and the frequent earth tremors felt in the area since the wall was built are caused by the spirit trying to reach his wife, and that one day he will destroy the dam."

I believe that Francis called his boats after lengendary sea creatures. His boat prior to Nyaminyami was an "Outrage" design called Kraken. I believe it was Derek who won the boat and not Francis (who as memory serves was a tad underwhelmed to be woken and to hear that they had won a boat in the early hours of the morning!). Silver Ghost was,(as a name),  I guess a compromise.

please ...... nobody break the dam!!!

An article from the Exemouth paper suggests there was a Contessa 32  called Nyaminyami used by Francis' parents Howard and Betty in the mid 1970s

I was recently walking through a boatyard in Lymington (Berthon I think) and came across a yacht out of the water called 'Nyaminyami', she must be that Contessa 32.

Hello D.H. - I'll call you later, but you might want to give my pops a call. He has a piece of mast section that may be of interest. His number is in the merlin book. 

TTFN!!

nearly finished the old tub bar the varnishing and fitting out,but what do you insure a 40 yr old boat for? 80 hrs spent roughly and she looks well,but if she got damaged beyond repair where do you find a replacement? I was thinking about £2000 as it will have a carbon rig and decent sails,but then that puts the boat at about 500 quid,what do the other classic guys do? any ideas folks???

I'd be interested to know as well as my old girl is slightly different to what she was 2 years ago with a few mod cons. CVRDA might give a better idea of values to insure. 

D.H can you post some images to mags of the renovation so that they can be put on the web as it would be interesting to see then and now progress.

My forty year old Merlin is insured with Bluefin (Bishop Skinner) for a grand, excluding trailer and trolley which are itemised seperately. Can't tell the premium as the policy covers other boats too.

Oh and that's original rig and format, no modernisations. Carbon's going to cost you more too.

I have just been looking on Bishop Skinner at quotes for my boats as I am about to insure my OK. They are cheaper than Craft Insure who my Merlin is with but massivly more for my Merlin?

They also don't seem to cover as much. Think I will stick to Craft Insure for now.

I would say you insure the boat for its value as parts. Therefore if you have a carbon rig insure the boat for its basic value of say £800 plus what it would cost you to replace the rig and kevlar sails, about £1,800 - £2,000 I would guess for the whole set up. So at a guess and older boat with a modern rig would, for insurance purposes,be about £2,500 to be sensible about it. Obviousley what ever you put as the value is going to effect your premium.

Thats how I would work it out but not sure what other opinions are?

I guess it will work like this: if you can justify a higher insured value and agree it with the insurer, then that is what they will insure you for but will charge you more premium.  After spending an amount of money that I remain vague about when questioned by my wife, I insured my MGB for an agreed value of £8,000 when it had previously been insured for £4,000.  Next year as it is 3 years on I will have to submit another valuation form and confirming photographs.

If you have an old Merlin you are fond of that would genuinely cost you £2,500 to get another boat off e-bay or wherever and get into that condition, insure for that value.

I ran into problems in the past with damage to Super Nova 2315 when insured with Newton Crum.  I broke the mast and the end punched a hole through the planking after a shroud lever broke.  Because the overall value was set at near the purchase price, the spars and hull were valued only at a proportion of this and the damage resulted in a write-off, though as it was repairable, that is what I did.

thanks folks,replies much appreciated,Doc your scenario regards damage is exactly what bothered me,il'l try the figures i think is fair and let you know rgds phil

Having crewed and then to have been fortunate enough to have helmed one of these fantastic boats, they where one of a kind. The first five to be built at Rowsell Brothers did not measure due to the rise of floor, and mine had to have the keel planed down after it was varnished ect.The first five built all whent on to do well in the champs or the Silver Tiller.The first one ever built was for Dave Robinson at the 1970 champs very windy,he finished in the first ten I think. The next five where built in 1971, with all the rock at the back for a heaver helm.It will be interesting to see how well it will go with a moden rigg.

Kevin,  Its ages since we have spoken - too long! Can you send me your email address? It would be good to catch up.

thanks for the info kevin,much appreciated,when its finished ,ill see if my dear friend pete scott can lure you out of retirement, perhaps he might crew for you at trent valley?regards phil scott

sorry ,i meant to post this ages ago, had aquote with nobles,for£2500-£3000 it would cost me around 150quid, i think thats pretty reasonable,just supply them with some photos to prove condition.

I used to crew this boat with the late Eric Smith at Notts County sailing Club when they sailed at Stoke Bardolph between 1980-84. If I remember right, it was Eric who put the letters on the bow following a winter in his garage being sanded and having multi-layers of varnish applied. It did look fantastic when it was finished. I can still remember the rollocking I got when I couldn't fend it off quick enough from the jetty and it took on a polishable scuff.
We did win a considerable amount of races in this boat too. I know that there are three 1st crew Frostbite trophies and two 1st and one 2nd Merlin class summer series trophies in a loft somewhere. We did manage to bend the mast folowing a rather disasterous capsize on top of the marker bouy on an extremely windy snowy Sunday morning. We dragged it down river and ended up on the opposite bank for about 3/4 of an hour until the rescue boat arrived to tow us back in. Happy days.
I stopped sailing when I left school so did not know how long Eric still had the boat. It is nice to hear that it still looks well, as of 2010 anyway.
It would be interesting to know where she is now and what condition she is in.

Still not finished but not far off!

Where will you be sailing her? Would be nice to have a nosey.

Hi All, 

We took on 2266 Exequisite (a Rowsell built Outrage design) a couple of years ago. We've spent quite a bit on her and she's been sailed regularly at Upper Thames, having been redecked and derotted by Laurie Smart. A lovely boat to sail inland and I suspect a lot more work will take place going forward. We believe but cannot confirm that she is the last Outrage still in existance (hope we are wrong)so have insured her for 5 grand. As yet, no carbon mast, boom or poles but will work on it. Still quick and ten year old son has been promised her on attaining 14th birthday. Some of you may remember that I enquired on the Forum a few years ago if anyone knew of the whereabouts of my old boat Gigolo (2222). Thanks to the kindness of Jeremy Deacon, sourcing Exequisite from an old Cookham member,we have her back on the water. Mainshett, cunningham and kicker-what more do you need? Anyone who sails on the river and wants to see how she's been refurbished, send me an e mail.