Everything is set up ready for everybody to come to Banbury on Sunday for the Silver Tiller and second Midland Circuit Open of the season.  Can Dave Winder retain the Banbury Cross Trophy?

Plenty of water, lots of good food and the weather is forecast to be sunny (but who believes forecasts!!).

It would be helpful to know who is coming but don't let this put you off turning up at the last minute - the more the merrier.

We will be there Richard. Looking forward to it.

Talk is of two from Brightlingsea - ourselves (3717) and Derek and Andy (3620).

Three from Redditch Mr T including a contender for the mature boat prize in 3403.

Richard what time will the gate be open from and tea being made from?

4 from Blithfield i think

Gate will be open by 8.30am at the latest - may be earlier if the cat wakes me early.

Tea / coffee will be available from shortly after - just as long as it takes the kettle to boil.

Banbury is still on despite dreaded ash clouds so all those who were hoping to fly off into the blue yonder can turn up and sail at BSC instead.

Hi,

Any one want to crew me at Banbury, would be nice to have a day out.

Alan

Alan

Have emailed your phone details to Edward Bolton-King who is an excellent crew.

Thanks, by the way I moved in Dec so the details in the year book are out of date, I e-mailed the correct number, hopefully sorted !

Will Steve Watson be there to hand my form into for Rutland??

Any results yet?

Results can be found at the link below and a report with pics will follow later today.

Interesting to see that both Dave and Duncan were 6th in the last race? creating a tie?

Excellent days sailing, always love to come to Banbury. Thanks

I hope so Jez, else I might need to update the ST scores again ;-))

Well done Jez in coming 11th overall - a real giant killing performance.
Hopefully we are going to Cookham on Sunday but will we still be able to keep up with you?

Ross, I am pretty sure it was Duncan I followed home in that race, in which case it makes no difference in position overall. Thanks for doing the results so quickly.

Thanks Brian, we were really pleased with out result and had we not made such a hash of the second start and been last round the windward mark it may heve been better! Sadly we are going to miss our home open meeting next weekend as it is our wedding aniversary and we are going away. No flight involved thankfully. I hope you enjoy Cookham though.

It has been so long since I last helmed a Merlin, that I had to look myself up on google to remember. Last Merlin event for me was 2008 Salcombe week!

Nice to get back into the boat, and to see familar faces, but the wind was really terrible, admit it :-)

We retired from race two with half a lap to go, Simon had finished 30 minutes earlier and we figured there either has to be a time limit (we hadn't read the SI) or is there wasn't there should have been :-). Had a nice leisurely lunch and watched the rest of the fleet take another 60 minutes to complete the last half a lap! Well done Jez and Joanne for sticking that race out and taking so many boats in the end, even though that was your discard.

The last race, our start was the best we could hope for, with a bit of speed and at the unfavoured pin end, a lttle late but OK, and of course there had to be a general recall. The wind then dropped so much that we we only managed to get out of the 'triangle' under black flag, just, before the 1 minute.  A back row start into virtual now wind, saw us pump our way in to the club house and pack up early. It wasn't a moment of glory.

My crew for the day was a local top GP14 crew and certainly knew his way around the course, all credit to him, but I don't think he has been converted to Merlins. Not this time anyway.

It was good to see you on the water again Alan. You will have to try again another time! That last start was a hard one. When the gun went I was facing the wrong way!! Having been watching Simon gybe in front of me I had not noticed the Starboard boat behind him, with only about 10 seconds to go it was either tack off and get black flagged, gybe and have a terrible start or hit him! I gybed. None the less being at the right end of the line saved me and we got away mid fleet so not too bad. Not sure why so many people went to the pin end though?

They didn't go to the pin end, they were just stuck there! We tried to sail down to the committee boat end, we were sailing from pin end toward the committe boat on Starboard - think about it. and about 3 feet below me Mike Anslow was sailing in the same direction on Port. Not what you'd class as a steady wind :-)

Not a classic race then folks, not so sorry I missed it.  I blame Iceland, when they aren't defaulting on bank deposits they are covering Europe in invisible ash and interfering with our weather.

Well spotted on the two 6th places in the last race.  Unfortunately not a dead heat but a slip of the finger.  Duncan was actually 7th.  Ross will be pleased to learn that it doesn't alter the overall results.

Report and pictures now up at link below.

Great to see Number 2997 a Vintage and indeed a CVRDA qualifying boat not propping up the Silver Tiller table at this stage.  Come on the oldies!!