This Merlin Rocket, a Proctor MkVIII, has now got a new home.  After one failed attempt to sell the boat on ebay, it is now in my possession.  Hopefully it will be ghosting around South Cerney Sailing Club (Gloucestershire) this weekend after a week or two of fettling.  Its my first MR, a boat I have aspired to own for some time.

Cheers

Steve Hawkins

Glad to hear it Steve, I am sure your expectations will be met!! Have fun.

Does anyone know if this boat would likely have been delivered with a wooden mast or an Aluminium mast?

The mast fitted is an old Proctor (I can vaguely make out the letters G2 on the plate) It is hog mounted and has  spreaders, and a top, forward pointing 'diamond'.  The kicker is on a drum arrangement at the bottom of the mast.  

I have two sets of old terylen sails, both made by Ratsay Cowes, one from 1959, the year the boat was made, and another from 1962.  I am assuming the first set came with the boat when first delivered.  There are two spinnakers also.

I am not expecting to be campaigning the old girl (Originally called Desperation) any time soon, as contrary to the ebay description, she was not ready to sail, but more of a running restoration project....Doh!  But she was good enough not to waste the £60 in petrol it cost me to go and pick it up.

I will be doing the odd CVDRA event though before the year is out.  Shake down this weekend.  Hope she floats!

Steve Hawkins

Dear Steve,
I remember Desperation at Upper Thames. She belonged to Stuart Cox and had a silver Proctor mast (non-anodised. Stuart didn't sail the boat a great deal when I first joined Upper Thames but was always in contention in races when he did. Looking at a book describing the collection of Club trophies at Upper Thames recently,I note that Desperation won an Open Meeting (The Spade Oak Bowl) sailed by Stuart's son Ian who was one of the leading International 14 sailors of the time (and who won the Prince of Wales Cup in 1970).

Well,

Since S.W. Cox was the first owner, I think the question has probably been answered.  And mast and boom do not seem to be annodized.  Gonna take a bit of cleaning up though.

Nice to see that even this this boat had its moment of glory!  Even if it was just a moment.  A trophy named after a Pub?  Or vice versa?

Cheers

Steve Hawkins

Not sure I know the answer. The reach that Upper Thames sail on is called the Spade Oak reach so I assume that at some time an oak was there.
The Spade Oak Hotel is about a quarter of a mile from the river.
As regards Desperation, have a lot of fun with her