There's going to be a big clearout of our compound up here this winter and one of the boats that will be going, unless the owner comes forward, is a MR no 2594.

Does anyone have any info on this - design, name etc. I have an idea on ownership, but I'm sure that when they see the state it's in they will suddenly become absent.

The deck has gone, the gunnels likewise.There are bits of wood coming off everywhere. The hull looked sound, but a bit of prodding showed up some soft bits forwards of the c/b box.

A dead Merlin. sad really.

Boat name is 'Blue Flame' A September Girl, design by Phil Morrison  built by Keith Probert built circa 1972. 

it of a shame really!

In the late 70's it was owned by Doug Collard and sailed at Draycote Water - she achieved some notoriety at a DWSC Silver Tiller meeting when, parked close to the clubhouse for the evening she was showered in shards of glass as the indoor 'hockey' (being played in the first floor lounge) turned nasty and a rolling maul in the corner proved too much for the large window pane!! Much explaining required to Doug and Club!!

Originally owned by Peter Barlow, a DWSC member too, If my memory is correct,remember sailing in it as crew at the 1st inland champs at QM.

thanks all.

I remember the hockey match well Peter!
The next owners were N & S Bolland also at DWSC but the year books do not show where or when she went from there.

Not exactly on the above subject, but very nearly. Does anyone know anything about the whereabouts of my (and before me, Dave Spiers' and Rob Trickett's) old boat, 2595 'Blood, Sweat & Tears? She was with a Mr Bain at Redditch SC in the early 1980s, but doesn't appear in this year's 'list of members by boat number'.

In the 1985 year book the next owner is shown as R. Shallcross who lived in Hereford. No SC is shown.
The 1986 book records the owner as R. Petchey of Tunbridge Wells and Bewl Valley SC.
It appears that no more owners are recorded in the later MROA year books. It may be worth contacting a Bewl Valley Merlin owner to see if their club records show any further owner. Good luck she was a famous boat.

Many thanks Tony. I will try the Tunbridge Wells/Bewl area. BS&T certainly raised my performance level and I believe that she did the same for Robert, but Spiers was a cut or two above the average from the outset.

Doh. it would help if I had remembered the number properly it's 2694 not 2594.

Back to the beginning.

Oh well at least you had a natter about the other boat then!

According to the book, that is a Smokers - a wonderful boat and one that says everything about the Merlins of the 1970s! 2694 hails from 1973 and was called 'spitting Image'!

D

2694 was built by Rowsell Bros and was originally called 'La Calinda'. She is a Hexagon designed by Keith Callaghan and according to the 1973 year book she was built for Jim Park at Wembley SC.
Please let me know if you want to know what is recorded in later year books