I was once lobbed from a national schools competition for wearing the wrong type of life jacket - not no life jacket, the wrong type! I had won the event in a laser and the mother of a competitor pointed out that the rules required a 'life jacket' ie the type that goes around behind your head rather than the 'buoyancy aid' that I was wearing, most people wore then and everyone wears now. I had to retire -still hurts! |
I remember somebody was once disqualified for wearing an old Flotherchoc (remember them, the ones with all the little air 'capsules'?)which consisted of simply the outer skin of the buoyancy aid and not one intact air capsule! |
I was once forced to retire because another competitor hit me whilst I was on port on a dead run, I didn't do a 720 out of principle, still galls me. |
I was crewing in cadets with a guy called Peter Baldwin at Frensham Pond. We had a minor coming together with another cadet sailed by Karen Vidalo. I think Peter's life-jacket brushed hers. She was in the wrong but Peter didn't protest her because he fancied her. www.justgiving.com/williamharris |
I once did a 720 after a port and starboard incident even though that same white Merlin had hit me whilst on port in a port and starboard incident the race before and failed to exonerate itself...... |
I remember back in the '70's being lobbed PMS at a Whitstable Twelve Open meeting - I was easily identifiable as I was the only boat that had a blue tinted jib window! |
I was disqualified at an East Anglian club, for inciting the fleet to cheat!!! |
slightly off subject but, |
That's nice - think the merlin class is still alot like that today. Surprised no one even commented about the twin poles though, expect there was a reason. Don't suppose you tried turning up with a suit of ( non performance enhancing) Kevlar sails ? |
Thinking of 'roll tacking', in the 1950s Brian Appleton sailing at Minima Y.C. owned the first quick tacking 'banana boat' called 'Lucky' no. 177. A short distance upriver from the Minima start line was a trot of moored boats maybe 200 yards long and perhaps 20 feet or so from the Surrey shore. In no wind with a nimble crew Brian could roll tack up 'the trot' in a couple of minutes. There was chatter about protesting him but most of us ended up doing the same. We liked to think we invented 'roll tacking' but I doubt if that was true. |
most people in the merlin fleet had twin poles, I think somebody spotted the poor wording and the rules were changed. |
Tbe differance is in the spirit of the class rules. Fireball rules are closed, therefore the rules imply by their referance to "pole" there there will be only one. However i've seen plenty of them with two!! |
I had a minor startline collision in force seven +.We came in on port and tacked below a guy named John Pullsen and the boats sucked together. John stood up in the back of his boat and a wave pushed the back of the boat down below the water and they were swampt to the cheers of the GP14 fleet waiting for thier start. We completed ouer turns and completed the course, but lost the protest on the grounds that no one could do turns in the conditions and survive. |
University team race where my crew fell out arriving at the finish line and swam back to the boat. We were protested and lobbed for 'crew not in usual position' crossing the line. |
505 Europeans, Abersoch 2000. Coming up to the finish line, tacked under a starboard boat to try and squeeze ahead of them on the line, called it a bit tight and hit the mark. Did my turns but got lobbed because I didn't recross the finish line. Having sailed for almost 2 hours in a 4-5 I was understandably a bit miffed,...so sold the boat a week later. |
Disqualified at the Tasar Nationals at Babbacombe. It was a windy day 25+ knots with huge seas , I elected not to have my boat weighed as I didnt think I would win a race. However this particular day played to our stengths, in a three race back to back day , I won one , second in another and I think third in the third. All winning boats are impounded on return to the beach for rules compliance and my boat was found to be under less than 0.5kg under hull weight. It was a genuine error on my behalf as at that time I owned three tasars and put the incorrect lead into the boat , all weights were moulded in a tin can and looked nearly identical! As a Tasar committee member the only course of action at a National event was to retire gracefully!! I dont expect the 0.5kg would have influenced our results. |
Disqualified at the Tasar Nationals at Babbacombe. It was a windy day 25+ knots with huge seas , I elected not to have my boat weighed as I didnt think I would win a race. However this particular day played to our stengths, in a three race back to back day , I won one , second in another and I think third in the third. All winning boats are impounded on return to the beach for rules compliance and my boat was found to be under less than 0.5kg under hull weight. It was a genuine error on my behalf as at that time I owned three tasars and put the incorrect lead into the boat , all weights were moulded in a tin can and looked nearly identical! As a Tasar committee member the only course of action at a National event was to retire gracefully!! I dont expect the 0.5kg would have influenced our results. |
I was asked to leave a club for failing to select the correct gear. Not of the racing variety but more first over reverse, and made an awful mess of the car and the wall :) |
Ian Batt and I got lobbed for starting on the minute gun at the last pwllheli champs, just as the RO raised the black flag.I only mention Ian as he was wearing the watch... |