..... most of them are very similar to the current boats being made or have been converted to Mk4s, one strings etc etc.

So if we were able to go to the champs, it doesn't seem right that my 25 year old Summer Wine will have to race against them for the "old boats" prize, and not forgetting Gangsta Paridise, Unfinished Business, Moondance, Mango Tango etc etc

looks like a new boat is required tim lol !!!!!!!!!!!

Tim - come to the Nationals anyway. We won the over 20 year old prize at Looe & Whitstable - first time my missus has ever won a prize at a sailing event, very smug face all the way home after prize giving. The mugs are still in pride of place position in our house. Yes, we have upgraded, but the guys we sold Enchantment to thought they might be coming to Penzance.

Don't get phased by the £200 prize for the old (10 years +) boats. I am working on the sponsorship schemes so that I can get an equivalent prize for the "classic" fleet. It's just that I have nothing confirmed yet. Any ideas ... ?

Alternatively, leave the compass behind and race for the Tacktick trophy - a shiny new compass kindly provided by Tacktick - but you have to sail the event without a compass. Don't also forget that the Holt Plate is set so that the handicap ringers (Gangsta and all the modern boats) will get handicapped out of the reckonning. Came 2nd in that at Looe to Mark Kahn in Mislaid, with Finlandia in 3rd, all "older" craft.

Loads of prizes already promised - Harken, Hyde Sails, North Sails, P&B, Speeds, Goacher Sails, Chipstow, Synthesize, Allen, Winder, Marlow Ropes, Tacktick, Phil Scott Boats - more to come.

Entry forms & NOR in the next magazine, if you didn't pick them up at the Dinghy Show.

Well in a breezy Salcombe last year your 25-y-old Summer Wine was quicker than a lot of the Mk 1 Winders, and for that matter a 16-yr-old Heaven Sent.  Dan would still have won the 10+ year old prize in Gangsta, no surprises there, but there were 3 Mk 1 Winders, 3563, 3555 & 3569.  And you did perform brilliantly for Demelza.  Don't know what would have happened at Whitstable, neither of us went but nor did a lot of others including the bit of the fleet that sail the mk 1's.  I've booked the week off work and after talking to various people at the show who have sailed in Mounts Bay am seriously considering going, prizes or not.

There's always the Buttercup!  I haven't won it yet.  ;->

P.S. Tim you must be able to knobble Moondance surely?

A sort of Moondance assasin perhaps?????

Hope this is not a ploy to put me in a difficult position.

Actually Moodance is called Moondance Assassin, so surely we are talking about the Moondance Assasin assasination. Too many asses there.

Dr Mills - please come, the more the merrier. We have lots of prizes throughout the fleet and at the moment have 3 jibs to raffle off. So might divert one of those to the classic / prime of lifers .....

My point is:

if the Class PY adjustment starts at 1989 (the year the first "Canterbury Tales" design appeared), which is 21 years ago, why does the old boats prize start at 10 year old boats?

It is possible that a well maintained (and steered!) 10 year old boat could win overall, so it should not be classed as an "old boat". 

I realise there are other trophies, but there is a bit of a disconnect that could do with being reviewed.

Yes, having raced 20 year old plus boats at the last few Nationals, I can see your point. There are prizes for 10 year old boats - the "Old Boat Prize"; 20 year old boats - the "Prime of Life"; 30 year old boats - the "Classic".

Apologies for not making more of this, but at Whitstable there were only Enchantment (3386) and Cream Cracker (2997) in the latter categories. There will be seperate prizes for the age groups above.

10 year old boats will this year include the first batch of Winders, some LIRs and some lovely Lawrie Smart creations. So yes, there is no reason that they could not be in the running for the overall prizes too.

Point taken though and I'll add this to my notes for when this event is over and the team for Hayling take over for 2011!

so.... Dave Lapes has had 3554 1 strung, is he going for the bow drop, raking board, faired in bilge keels.......old boats prize! Back of the net!!!!!!

prime of life is 10 to 20 years
old boats is plus 20 years.

"classic" is a design style not age, but clearly related.
vintage is very old