Hi just to say what a great event that has been organised by all the clubs, Merv and Ben who does all the results, it is a shame that only six boats qualified, but to see 39 boats compete is fantastic, I know some of the clubs have had only small entries but please hang-in there,
I know next year there will be better numbers, hopefully the boats from Tamy and Hampton, will come and play.
Well done Mike and all those who did qualify, and see you on the water for the last of the Thames Series which is also a great event, just to keep up with tradition I will see if I can borrow a different boat.

Well said Martin. I can say that Cookham will have a better turn out of home boats next year as this year was poor. We have a couple of very fast older boats that were undergoing refurbs this year that are now back on the water ready for next.

what designs are they I need a fat boys boat

They are not for sale Martin. Cherished boats now!! They are a Satisfaction, a Fadaway and a Smokers. All well known, fast boats.

Why don't you call the guy selling Sweet Charity on the for sale list. That is a very fast boat and very cheap money. Only problem is it is in Scotland or I would have bought it!!

it has been wrecked, he tore out chain plate , we were trying

I contacted the owner of Sweet Charity - I was prepared to drive from the south coast to Scotland as I knew this was a 'good' boat! Although I made contact within 48 hours of the advert appearing I got the message back that the boat was sold. I also tried locally as the original 'Sugar Plum' was for sale at Gosport but in the end chose not to bid on this.

I've already got a Smokers, 3025 (ex 'Riot') and have sailed it in some of the CVRDA events with 'supercrew' Jon Thompson. We had a number of discussions about joining in with the De May series but the devil was in the detail....what in?

With so much of the De May sailed inland (I normally sail on the salty stuff) on rivers and ponds, the temptation would have to be to try to put together a boat that is more suited to these conditions. That said, the conditions when we sailed the Bough Beech event suggested that a Smokers was one very good option, however I do not supposed many events will be sailed in quite such brisk conditions.

The boat needs to carry weight at the back and go well inland - so the search is on. If we can't find a more suitable boat then the default option is the Smokers but one way or another I hope that we can add to the De May numbers in 2011.

Dougal

hi the smokers is a great boat for the river, come at see what it is like at putney, there should be some wind for the last race of the thames series
martin

Dougal,

I sailed Riot at Cookham a couple of years ago when the last owner had it and thought it was a particularly nice boat. I have a smokers which I am intending on useing a bit more next year. I would have thought that the design is as close to the best all round boat for a series of opens at rivers and ponds. Further than getting your hands on a Passing Cloud or an Adur 6, I would stick with what you have and join in. Sould you get a windy open you will have the upper hand by a mile.

I would agree with the above. Unless you are exceptionally heavy I think the Smokers is pretty much the ideal all round river boat - better than an Adur 7 or passing cloud which are only better in drifting conditions with lots of tacking.  The satisfaction tacks better that say an NSM2 (also a good river boat) and as soon as there is any breeze at all you are off!

It's all about the Adur 7's I'm afraid!

...that would be Mr Wilder who recently acquired a very nice 7

NSM II's are better on a tie break........

DV what do you know......
A Satisafction will be better on the river than a Smokers, or if you are very lucky a Quatermass....

..yes a quatermass also very good - sadly there are only 2, one regularly sailed and the other lives under a chicken run and doesnt get out!

where is that

Part of the Harris fleet and not currently for sale...............
A cross between an NSM2 and a Satisfaction, built to carry a little more weight with more rocker and the mast 4" further forward than a 2. 
Only 2 ever built both at Tammy, 3258 & 3259

Martin
If you a re looking for a carrier - try Lian Fox - he has got one for sale

not avalable until 2014

Martin, try this. No idea what it is but might be worth trying to find out?

Martin.... we're trying to track this down too! - if we get an answer I'll post it here. Thanks for all the comments re the Smokers, going upwind in one of these has to be one of the all time sailing experiences! 

Sadly, Riot (3025) is not in the best of states.....it has been redecked at some point but the work was not a 'rowsell' job, nor was anything done about the strength of the interior load points (jib take off, Shroud levers, thwart etc) to the point that as soon as we tried to sail the boat hard, bits came away in our hands with a distressing regularity. 

There is though a lot that could be done - either a rebuild of 3025 or the 'other' option. I've been looking for some time for an Outrage/Courageous but these are like hens teeth....  but I'm keeping an open mind for now (plus a close watch on e-bay) - in the end though, I do not mind what we sail as long as it is capable of holding together for a season of hard sailing. At the back of my mind though is the added thinking that Smokers are hardly a rare breed at risk of extinction. But there are boats out there that ought to be saved - if one comes along,  then maybe saving that is as much a reward as is doing well inland!

D

Nice picture of a Smokers Satisfaction ghosting along the river, follow the link.

tc.... a super picture! Thanks for the link

D

That boat doesn't look legal......

...pray tell

hey up Vines, wind it in a bit! when you and your specially adapted NSM with it's extra wide decks have won the Cookham shield 3 times then perhaps you can say that Adur 7's are slow, but I seem to remember even a fat bloke like me sailed a bit quicker than you in breeze last winter. In the meantime wrap it! I am sure your uncle twice removed would agree that the Adur 7 is one of the best all round river boats and bravo to Rob Wilder for his recent purchase. Perhaps we could have an Adur 7 Champs....and sorry DV you are not invited to the party. Barnsie can come though!!

Sorry I didn't think I had said adur7 s were slow. Just that smokers are fast in most conditions, presumably that's why you bought one! If you one cookham 3 times in a 7 they must be very fast indeed

Don't worry PP, DV lives in a cloud cuckoo land where he is the best sailer and the only reason he doesn't win every race is due to severly bad luck.........
However the Tammy winter series answers the question - Passing clouds 1st & 3rd,an Adur 7 2nd and a 9b 4th. DV came 6th however I'm sure he has an excuse for that.....

I think it's time to get over it rh

that was a nice little splatter

He's only won it twice, I won it the other time...

And I was crewing you AH when you won!! 
Looking forward to getting my Adur 7 on the water next season after a winter tart up.. We all know I'm the best river sailor out of them all ;-)

:) marvelous

Rob, free on Sun Nov 7th?

Cookham Sheild:

1951	Jack Holt	Ranelagh	Venture	1813
1952	Ken Mollart	Thames	Dally	230
1953	Michael Pullen	Ranelagh	Tarka	291
1954	Guy Pearce	Cookham Reach	Coquette	359
1955	Guy Pearce	Cookham Reach	Coquette	359
1956	Guy Pearce	Cookham Reach	Moonlight	1039
1957	Geoffrey Keene	Henley	Hustler	390
1958	Brian Saffery Cooper	Ranelagh	Racketeer	863
1959	Gerald Burnham	Cookham Reach	Hustler	390
1960	Robin Fowler	Minima	Gollywigs	1330
1961	Brian Southcott	Tamesis	Restful	
1962	Brian Southcott	Tamesis	Restless IV	1222
1963	Brian Ellis	Aldenham	Fantastica	1314
1964	David Child	Minima	Beat Nik	1523
1965	Brian Southcott	Tamesis	Restless IV	1222
1966	David Child	Minima	Beat Nik	1523
1967	Brian Southcott	Tamesis	Restless VII	1882
1968	John Harris	Ranelagh	Passing Cloud	1079
1969	Adrian Furnley	Tamesis	Flinkidink	1097
1970	Nigel Hodson	Cookham Reach	Sylph II	1904
1971	Chris McAllen	Cookham Reach	Simplicity	2070
1972	Bob Deacon	Cookham Reach	Tumbling Dice	2633
1973	Francis Williams	Exmouth	Silver Ghost	2500
1974	Michael Green	Oxford	Taylor Maid	
1975	Harry Haynes	Nottingham	Solitaire	2849
1976	Phil King	Draycote	Moriarty	2958
1977				
1978	James Langdon-Down	Tamesis	Benign	1936
1979	Tony Johnson	Graffam	Py Eyed	
1980	Harry Roome	Cookham Reach	Sweet Charity	3072
1981	Bob Deacon	Cookham Reach	Panatella	3165
1982	Chris Powel	Wembley	Impromptus	
1983	Andrew Savel	Tamesis	Lucky Strike	3112
1984	Clive Evison	Cookham Reach	Moderation	2979
1985				
1986	Patrick Blake	Cookham Reach	Sprig of Shillelagh	408
1987	John Bell	Hampton	Matchless	3376
1988	Andrew Savel	Henley	Precious	3333
1989	John Bell	Hampton	Matchless	3376
1990	Clive Evison	Cookham Reach	Warp Seven	2712
1991	Gerry Burnham	Cookham Reach	Rumours	
1992	Dick Batt	Cookham Reach	Dangerbat	3400
1993				
1994	Nick Yeoman	Chichester	Shooting Star	1768
1995	Chris Rathbone	Upper Thames	Deep Thought	3451
1996				
1997	Tony Johnson	Cam	Skimbleshanks	3474
1998	Pat Blake	Cookham Reach	Smarty Pants	3506
1999	Phil Plumtree	Tamesis	Splatter	1631
2000	Phil Plumtree	Tamesis	Splatter	1631
2001	Pat Blake	Cookham Reach	Smart Cookie	3559
2002	Duncan Salmon	Wembley	Gravadlax	3575
2003	Andrew Harris	Tamesis	Splatter	1631
2004	William Warren	Shoreham	Moist	3643
2005	Rob Wilder	Tamesis	Wild Card	3656
2006	Pat Blake	Cookham Reach	Hot Totty	3676
2007	Dave Winder	Hollingworth	Attack of the Clones	3662
2008	Richard Harris	Tamesis	Passing Cloud	1079
2009	Matt Biggs	Blithfield	Two Pints of Lager	3705


You should be able to see what and who has won it from that!! Looks to me that the best river boat is a Winder from that!! Only joking, Splatter and Passing Cloud have a good record, however Both Passing Cloud and Flinkidink actually won it in their heyday.

OHHHH get you lot, as Tammy CC I thought i'd step in at this point and break this up before it gets out of hand. anyway your all wrong It's Adur 3's and Make it so's that are the quickest river boats...show you this winter ;)

'Passing Cloud' is still in her heyday. She has been for 50 years!

Woohoo! place yer bets. Come on PP come join the fun

I sailed in the 1952 event, I crewed Brian Appleton in 'Gail' no. 28. We were 17 and 16 yr old schoolboys and I suppose we weighed 16/17 stone total in boat 4ft 6ins wide.

It blew a howler and I don't think we finished a race even though we hoisted a Cadet sail in at least one of them. Ken Mollart

ps pp should be an easy one for you in your Adur 7 on 7th Oct - just AH to beat in his Smokers - everyone else with be an Ranelagh :)

I sailed in the 1952 event, I crewed Brian Appleton in 'Gail' no. 28. We were 17 and 16 yr old schoolboys and I suppose we weighed a total of 16/17 stone in boat 4ft 6ins wide.

It blew a howler and I don't think we finished a race even though we hoisted a Cadet sail in at least one of them. 1951 champion Ken Mollart and and crew Ian Curtis turned up late, rigged 'Dally' on her trolley in the modern fashion and won all three races easily.

7th of October. That was a Thursday!

As promised - an update. Jon (Thompson) has tracked down the owner of the boat in East Anglia and got the answer that it is a Superstition. However, from the quoted number - it could be a Wotbeta. Neither of these were had a high "I want factor" so that is a dead end. We then made a punt for the Admiral Benbow in Cheshire but that had sold that day...so the search continues. At this rate we may well end up with the smokers after all.....

d

Martin http://www.boatshed.com/merlin_rocket-boat-106223.html
I have been looking too but decided too much going on at the moment, Found this Rowsell Smokers-Smoking Joe on this site - too much money but worth a punt

.