Brightlingsea Sailing Club start there season on Sunday and we hope to have 7 Merlin's on the start line, this will be a record for club racing at Brightlingsea. 
Oz started the fleet many years ago and over the last couple of years we have grown quickly. The racing I am sure will be close, some like me like it light but others do well in all conditions.
Once the summer comes along Jacko joins us which adds to the fleet. I just hope we all stay friendly and meet at the bar afterwards!!
Oz if you want that beer on every race I am up for it.........

May I just add that Brightlingsea has without doubt the best boat park in the world. Lets make this a bit of a quiz - Does anyone know why their boat park is immense?

because in its heyday they would have club racing about 30 Hornets , 30 Firballs, 20 Mirrors, 20 Lasers and active 420 fleet , Tornado fleet etc etc etc....and cheap beer.
It was about the time that everyone wore red musto one piece suits with beer towels on the bum...what the heck was that all about ??? quiz No.2?!
they were one of the strongest clubs on the East Coast with a high level of talent, olypians etc..... even Craig was good in his day!

And over 30 GP14s, the Merlin fleet is heading that way............and we still are one of the strongest clubs on the East Coast.
Mirror, 420 and Tornado's Nationals all being held this year.....a busy year!

and Craig is still good!!!

Why is the Boat park so imemense - its because Andy D's wetsuit was found and made it all the way to Northampton last year.

Nope to all. 

Come on people - THINK!

Drink holders on the posts?

Craig is great at starting but it goes down hill after that! He is rather old now!
Best thing about the boat park, Merlins in the front row ahead of the fireballs!!

Did you get laid there once...?

10/10 Mel ~ BSC are leading the way. (The prize for guessing correctly is my second hand muddy and bent burgee - it's in the post)

Thanks for that is it the one you bent whilst sailing at the open here last year?  Gotta get some more holders due to the fleet growing.

Craig you know I'm always up for a beer! Your right, 7 Merlins out this weekend and our 8th fleet member gets his new boat in April.

for those who are old enough to remember,the old musto one piece when wet used to turn decks into a skating rink,beer towels stopped the problem!(and made them last longer!)my fist was a watneys, and me second was a double diamond!!happy days.....

Gosh DH you must be nearly as old as me, "Double Diamond works wonders"
This used to be the drink in the 70s but I am not sure it worked wonders!!

How about a pint of Harp......

...............stay sharp!

...to the bottom of the glass!

(Old enough to remember, but not to drink the stuff!)

Something to do with C Class cats?

One of the best Harp ads.

Lets raise a glass to all those who have reversed the trend over 30+ years and traded their six pack physique for a Party 7

Remember - don't take the p*ss out of Watney's - there'll be nothing left (as the old joke goes).

And then there was Watney's Starlight, much seen in Student Union bars and certainly not missed.......

anyone remember party sevens,no matter how carefully you treated them they always shot up like a fountain !! we kicked one round the garden at a party once for ten minutes, popped the top and was left with a half pint ...... ah youth...distant memories!!

Love in a punt...

Now you are scraping the barrel ...

For someone brought up on Stewart and Pattisons, Bass and Adnams the misery of Flowers Keg Bitter at the Thames side clubs was especially dire.

Ah, Stewart and Pattisons, the old Pockthorpe Brewery.  I spent my summer vacations working in the Watneys 'brewery' in  Norwich.  I witnessed the change from Red Barrel to Watneys Red, from bad to worse.  The Angry Brigade (Norfolks Bader Meinhof) threatened to blow up the brewery if Watneys didn't keep alocal brew, so Norwich Bitter and Norwich Mild was brewed.  Even more dangerous were the fork lift truck drivers when they got drunk!
As for drinking the stuff, used to alternate between Adnams and Green King

Do any clubs still serve beer in jugs? SMYC members might remember the odd session after a Lighthouse Litre when 62 jugs were served to the crew of 42 merlins. I know because I was behind the bar. Then, of course, everyone drove home. Totally unacceptable behaviour! SMYC served Watneys Red Barrel, Bass and a mild. No euro fizz at that time. Andrews was on gin and orange as usual.

If you lived anywhere near Hordean behind the downs a the back of Portsmouth you were treated tot he best beer in the world Gales HSB On a small cartoon in a Pub in Chichester years ago - two customers using the urinals, one turns to the other and says "stange that - goes in Gales - comes out Watneys"

I recall an Essex Rugby club that sent round a watering can of beer to top guests glasses up.  You lost count of the amount and just keeled over to await a lift home.  Heady days, heady days.

brilliant!!boats ,beer and bonking, all on one posting ,could only be merlins!!!

This posting started about sailing at Brightlingsea and ended talking about old times and beer so will end as we started!
We had 5 Merlins out in the end, 2 went to the open meeting. The wind was a force 4 to 5 giving great sailing for the first sail. Piers and Tim shot off the start line and were never seen again, Dan and Pete sailing the Merlin for only the second came second closely followed by Andy and Derrick, Oz and Drostin and Me and Jayne had a good battle at the back ending in me having to buy the first beer!!
We are now away for the next couple of weeks however Tim Rush will be using my Merlin to hopefully tune and leave me with new sails!!