South West Sailing

This weekend sees the start of the 6th edition of this incredible round the world yacht race and I wish I could be there to watch the start on Sunday.

Some 30 Open 60s will provide an unforgettable sight with an estimated 300 boat plus spectator fleet. Best hope of the 6 UK sailors should be Mike Golding who finished 3rd in the last event despite losing his keel as he approached the finishing line.

The French have a formidable line up in the fleet and I expect Michel Desjoyeaux the winner in 2002 or Loick Peyron the winner of the 2008 Transat to maintain French domination of the event.

The Transat and Funchal 500 have been excellent events staged here in the West Country but are dwarfed in comparison to the Vendee. The support shown by the Vendee Conseil General  (County) and Les Sables d’Olonnes (Town) French local authorities just show what can be done given the determination and vision.

To date some 300,000 people have visited the Race Village since it opened on the 18th October and this weekend should see the town packed to the rafters.

If you have never visited the event then I would urge you put it on your bucket list and try to catch the finish in February next year. I saw the finish in 2004 and it remains a vivid image in my memory as probably one of the greatest sporting events I have ever witnessed.

It should also be a compulsory visit for any UK race organizer to witness a fully professional organization stage a world-class event.

The attention to detail is extraordinary and you can easily see why the Vendee has eclipsed all the UK single-handed yacht races, which originally pre-dated the French event.

In the words of the Bond theme “Nobody does it better”.

The Tornado World Championships are being held this week at Takapuna Beach in New Zealand and Cornish interest is centred on Andy Walsh and Tom Phipps and their crews in the 51-boat fleet.

Walsh and his crew Ed Barney after 4 races have had their usual maddeningly inconsistent regatta. On the opening day they posted a 5th and a 4th to lie in 3rd place overall and look well placed for a cracking event.

The pair were well up with overnight leaders the Germans Gaebler and Struckman and Dutch crew of Booth and Nieuwenhuis but the following day Walsh and Barney posted a 21st and 28th to add some 49 points to their overnight total.

In contrast whilst not winning either of the two races both the Germans and Dutch crews posted top 10 finishes to open up a 35 point plus differential lead over Andy and Ed.

Consistency and consolidation the key to winning an international regatta and something Andy and Ed maddeningly seem to lack just when they seem in a strong position to win a major event.

I accept there has been no discard yet in the 10 race series but the UK pair have dropped from 3rd to 14th overall and although it is barely halfway through the event the chances of a podium finish are remote.

The only consolation is that despite languishing in 14th the pair are leading the UK challenge as none of the other leading UK crews have fared any better.

Tom Phipps and his crew Marcus Lynch as one of the junior UK crews in New Zealand are having a roller coaster of an event and started with some gear failure in Race 1 to finish 43rd and have to retire from Race 2 to fix the problem.

On the following day whilst leading Race 3 the pair capsized to finish 22nd and then followed up with a 19th in Race 4 to lie 35th overall.

Full results next week.

Weymouth Sailing Academy hosted the first of two Olympic Class regattas organized by the RYA and a compulsory event for all RYA Olympic Development and Transition squad members.

Fleet number across the classes were small but as usual racing was competitive with the RYA coaches and staff present to monitor progress and development of the potential Olympians of 2012.

In the 470 class Ally Martin crewed by Truro’s Rosie Chapman won the women’s event finishing 5th overall in combined mixed fleet and counting a 2nd and 3rd in the 6 race 1 discard series.

Ally Martin is a highly promising 470 helm and Rosie was replacing her regular crew Lottie Clay.

If the change was permanent it might make sense for Rosie, as competition is ferocious in her chosen class the Laser Radial for the 2012 Olympics.

On the other hand the women’s 470 class is not keenly contested at present with only Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark the UK crew for Beijing regularly competing in UK and International 470 events.

Restronguet’s Ed Powys and Will Morgan competed in the 49’er class and had a disappointing weekend but hopefully things will improve for the next round in the Series, which is to be held at Hayling Island Sailing Club over the weekend of the 10/11th May.

If all this talk of Olympic sailing has wetted your appetite for improving your racing performance this season then Windsport International are hosting the annual Dart 18 2008 Teach-in.

Your host and main coach will be cat guru Brian Phipps and two weekend training sessions have been arranged. On the 19th-20th April there will be a “Start Racing” course to help newcomers to the Dart 18 and those keen to start racing in the class at club or open meeting level.

The second weekend is due to be held on the 26th-27th April and is titled “Develop your Racing Skills” and is aimed at those racing at club and open meeting level but wish to compete at national and international events.

Numbers are limited so early booking is recommended with each weekend being priced at £138.00 per crew to include coaching, boat trailer and car parking from Friday through to Sunday.

Full information can be provided by Windsport 01326 376191or Jenny Lloyd the UKIDA Secretary at UKIDA, Brynhafren, Leighton, Welshpool, Powys SY21 8HG.

Truro Laser sailor James Tilley is the RYA Champion Clubs Liaison Officer and the programme originally launched in 1997 has just under a revamp and major relaunch via a new web site at www.rya.org.uk/vcc.

The site offers a multitude of best practice tips, downloads and case studies of some of the 143 current Champion Clubs in the UK.

The principle aim of the CC programme is to encourage young sailors and windsurfers to learn how to sail and develop their skills through quality RYA race training programmes run by participating sailing clubs.

The benefits of applying to become a Champion Club include increased revenues, membership and a hopefully full access to training programmes to the benefit of all members.

All clubs need to attract new members in order to survive and continue and the RYA Champion Clubs programme is designed specifically to encourage youngsters to sail and youngsters are the lifeblood of any club.

Speak to James and get on board if you as a club haven’t already joined.

As a child fishing and fishermen always fascinated me and one of the first fishermen I encountered was Teddy Harris down at Percuil. At the end of the beach at Percuil was a small shed, which housed the local branch of the Duchy of Cornwall Oyster Farm and Teddy worked on the fishery cleaning and relaying young oysters.

I was learning to sail and generally messing about in boats during the summer months down at Percuil and watching Teddy handle a boat was an education for a young enthusiastic amateur. Seamanship is acquired over years via experience and practice and making the simple tasks like rowing look simple and effortless.

Oysters were unknown to me and I never actually tried to eat one until a sailing trip to France aged 15 and in the company of three younger children who would eat all the gastronomic minefields on offer over the Channel. My diet of fish fingers and beans was soon replaced by frog’s legs, snails and of course oysters.

If these three precocious brats would tackle French cuisine with gusto then I would not flinch and equally take on the challenges on offer after all I was 15 and seriously cool.

That 4-week holiday literally changed my diet and made my mum’s task of cooking tea a lot easier than it had been prior to the trip abroad. I confess that not all the food sampled became standard items on my daily menu thereafter notably frogs’ legs but I did become slightly more adventurous in my outlook and was definitely easier to feed when out and about.

As I grew older I became more aware of the importance of Oysters around the Carrick Roads and the fact that at one time it was the staple food for a large proportion of the population. In the 18th century millions of oysters were consumed in the UK and oyster beds were an important asset for landowners with oyster poaching a criminal offence.

The Helford Oyster beds came into the ownership of the Vyvyan family and in 1829 the upper reaches of the river were leased to a certain John Tyacke and the rent included a clause that twice weekly 100 oysters were to be delivered to Trelowarren House throughout the year.

Given the vast quantities of oysters being consumed it was obvious that stocks around the coast could not survive and gradually the industry declined and the price of oysters rose. Until the advent of the railway and refrigeration the industry in Cornwall stagnated but crucially survived.

Ownership of the oyster beds passed over to the Duchy of Cornwall with activities centred on the Helford River at Port Navas. The “Original Helford Oysterage and Fishing Company” operated the beds from 1910 and the Duchy Oyster Farm was built in 1948 to pack and clean oysters.

When I first met Teddy Harris in the early 60’s the ownership of the oyster beds had passed to Macfisheries but a seemingly terminal decline had set in. Relaying oysters is a costly business with high fatalities and with dwindling stocks the beds on the Percuil River fell into disuse.

The Helford beds survived in no small part to the Hodges family who have been involved in the fishery for decades first as Oyster Bailiffs and then as employees of Macfisheries.

Leonard Hodges subsequently acquired the lease and ran the business for many years before handing over to his son Lindsey. The family involvement ceased after nearly 40 years in 2005 when the lease was sold to Ben Wright of Wright Brothers.

Wright Bros is owned by ex City lawyer Ben and his brother-in-law Robin Hancock a former record producer who has worked in the past with the likes of Madonna and Billy Idol.

The pair originally started business in 2002 as a result of Ben’s friendship with Jerome Miet one of the largest producers of oysters in France. France produces around 2 billion oysters annually and Jerome Miet produces around 10 million alone that equates to the entire production in the UK.

After a day on the Marennes Oleron in SW France fishing for oysters with Miet, Wright decided to rekindle the demand for oysters in the UK.

Given their background in London high society the pair aimed to supply the best restaurants and cafes in London and it worked with clients now including Bentley’s Oyster Bar, Scott’s, The Ivy, J Sheekey, the Rivington, The Wolseley, Automat, The Ebury, Racine and the Bibendum.

Starting with Marennes Oleron oysters the Company has branched out and in a refreshing change are importing razor clams, winkles, and whelks from Boulogne and mussels from La Rochelle.

The oysters from Marennes Oleron are grown in the sea for 3 years and then transferred to claires, clay bottomed lakes where without tides and with less salt, they are left to fatten. Quality varies with time and different grades are imported with the superior grades left in the claires for a longer time.

Indeed the Company has a stock of the “pousse en claire”, which are fattened for 6 months and spaced at 3 per square metre. Traditionally these plump little beauties “the Kobe beef of oysters” have been reserved for the producers and their families.

The success of the business encouraged the team to branch out into the restaurant game themselves and Wright Bros Oyster & Porter House in Borough Market soon opened to general acclaim from critics and public alike.

Seafood predominates and is sourced world wide but with particular emphasis on UK seafood from the finest locations. Cornwall is well represented with Helford crab and of course Helford oysters.

The restaurant stocks over 24 different types of oysters including British Columbia, Humbolt Bay, Kumamoto, Tsarskaya, West Mersea, Carlingford Loch and Papillon with pride of place going to Helford.

Given Ben Wright’s experiences with the French oyster industry there will be a major benefits to the Duchy Oyster Farm and already the company has invested in a new oyster barge, cages and racks with an upgrade of shore side facilities to improve product handling and quality.

An Objective One grant was obtained to help with these improvements and together with help from the Truro Oyster Fishery Management set up in 2003 the future is looking very rosy for the Ostrea edulis or Native oyster.

A trip last year to the Slow Food conference in Terra Madre in Italy by TOFMG with support from South West Rural Enterprise Gateway and Cornwall County Council put the spotlight firmly on the Helford and Fal oyster industry.

The Native oyster found down here is regarded by many gourmets as the best in the UK and the renaissance it has undergone over the last few years is staggering and no small part due to the Wright Bros, the TOFMG and of course the annual Oyster Festival.

Today of all days it is appropriate to praise their efforts and forgo the red roses and the champagne and just buy a dozen of Helford’s finest.

Well not quiet Rio but Salvador in Brazil with the departure this Saturday due from Le Harve in France. That is the plan for two West Country sailors Alex Bennett and Ifor Pedley in their new Open 40 Fujifilm as competitors in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

Fujifilm is a brand new Open 40 built at Totnes over the summer months by Composite Creations from a design by Owen Clarke especially for Alex Bennett to campaign on the burgeoning Open 40 Regatta Circuit in 2008.

The Open 40 is becoming regarded as the ideal stepping-stone from the Mini Transat fleet to the Open 60 fleet for both amateur and young professional skipper seeking to make his or her mark on the international regatta circuit.

Designed for off shore short handed sailing the Open 40 can easily be sailed fully crewed for club racing or family cruising and is proving very popular both here and in France. The French Finot designed Pogo 40 made its debut in the 2006 Route du Rhum and filled 4 of the first 5 places in the Open 40 fleet of 25 boats with victory going British skipper Phil Sharp.

British designers have entered the fray for the 2007 Jacques Vabre with Owen Clarke producing the Express 40 design represented by Fujifilm and Peter Harding’s 40 Degrees.

Simon Rogers has produced the Rogers 40 design represented by Nick Budd’s Set Environnement, Simon Clarke’s Clarke Offshore Racing and Frenchman Bruno Jourdren’s Lord Jiminy.

The stage is set for a battle royal with 6 UK wholly or partly crewed entries taking on another 26 crews predominately of course from France.

Fujifilm represents the third boat in which Bennett and Pedley have raced together with the 2003 AZAB and the 2004 Mini-Transat representing earlier partnerships, which in truth met with little success.

Hopefully given a brand new boat a willing and generous sponsor then the 2007 JV should represent the start of a new more successful era.

Originally from Mitchell Ifor learned to sail with his father in a succession of family owned cruising yachts based at Mylor. His sailing experience has broadened over the years and has ranged from Maxi Yachts such as Maiden to racing on board the Working Boat Evelyn.

Ifor had planned to take a year out and join the BT Challenge for 2004 but was forced to reconsider that option due to potentially damaging his successful career with the Northcliffe Group.

The AZAB and the two handed Mini Transat races allowed Ifor to continue his job at Northcliffe and yet still enjoy competitive sailing taking holidays to coincide with the regattas.

The Jacques Vabre will be a major break in his business career as the 4000 mile race will take up to a month to complete in Fujifilm.

Alex Bennett is trying to take that leap and become a full time professional sailor but as usual for all aspiring professional sportsmen in poorly paid or unfashionable sports is struggling to find sponsorship or financial security.

Some 8 years ago Alex made the front page of all the UK Yachting Press by finishing 5th in the Mini Transat at the youthful age of 22. He has crewed and skippered a wide range of yachts and dinghies and is regarded as one of the UK’s finest short-handed sailors.

A piece of notoriety he would probably not relish is that he has been rescued twice from sinking ships but it is a risk that all extreme performance sailors have to face. The first incident occurred as crewman on board Team Phillips with Pete Goss and the second occurred on a solo return voyage from South America on board Goss’s old boat Aqua Quorum.

The latter incident was a major setback to Alex as he had recently purchased Aqua Quorum as his trial horse on which to mount a campaign to contest the Vendee Globe in 2004 in an Open 60.

Up to the demise of AQ events had gone well with a Open 50 class victory in the Jacques Fabre Race of 2001 crewed with fellow ex-Team Phillips crewman Paul Larson.

The loss was undoubtedly been a major problem in his efforts to showcase his talents by competing in events prior to the 2004 Vendee.

Hopefully a successful Open 40 campaign in 2007/8 will enable Alex to resurrect his ambition of competing in a Vendee Globe and although the 2008 edition may be to early 2012 is certainly a possibility.

The pressure is really on Alex and I do wish him and Ifor a successful Jacques Vabre to kick start his career as professional sailor after a couple of years out of the spotlight.

Cockwells Modern & Classic boatyard at Ponsharden have just launched their Pilot Cutter Polly Agatha at Mylor Yacht Harbour. The design is similar to that of Peggy a Cutter built by the Rowles family of Pill in 1904 in Bristol and still actively sailing in the Bristol Channel.

It is a great success for Dave and Joy Cockwell and underlines the Yard’s growing reputation for quality work with wooden boats. I visited the Cockwell Stand at the 2006 Southampton Boat Show and greatly admired the ribs and framework of the Cutter, which formed part of the exhibits on display.

Pilot Cutters have always been built in the West Country with the likes of Bowdens at Porthleven, Slades at Fowey and Treadwells at Padstow building some of the finest of the Bristol Channel Pilot fleet.

Dave Cockwell and his team are another band of highly respected and talented shipwrights in Cornwall building such magnificent vessels and joins the Gweek Boatyard as a centre for Pilot Cutter excellence.

Gweek is the current spiritual home of Pilot Cutter building in Cornwall with shipwrights Luke Powell and David Walkey actively building and restoring Pilot Cutters. Luke Powell trading as Working Sail has to date built 4 Cutters namely Eve of St Mawes, Lizzie May, Agnes, Hesper and Ezra.
His current project Tallulah is a 44 ft Cutter nearing completion with a launch date early next year.

The Bristol Pilot Cutter Association have a rather snooty view of so called replica cutters but I feel that with the use of traditional materials and the workmanship of the likes of Luke Powell or Dave Cockwell that age is the only difference between the modern and the old cutters sailing today.

Dave Cockwell has always dreamed of building a Pilot Cutter based on the lines of Peggy and Polly Agatha is built in a similar fashion with oak frames and larch planking. There are slight differences with bronze bolts and screws replacing the iron materials used in 1904 and a new deck of marine plywood sheathed in epoxy and glass and then overlaid in teak rather the traditional use of planks and pitch.

The new deck improves the strength and stiffness of hull and provides a more durable and lasting finish in an area on wooden boats often prone to water ingress.

Down below new owners Kim and Trudi Hartley had a major input into the layout and design and specified English Oak throughout. The layout includes a luxurious master cabin with en suite head and shower; forward two berth cabin with two occasional berths and an additional heads.

The main living area has another four berths plus another two occasional berths, a large galley and nav station.

Polly Agatha is one of the new breed of Pilot Cutter maintaining the excellence of the original design in hull shape and sail rig and yet incorporating a modern luxurious interior and utilizing all the modern electronic aids for navigation and living on board.

The boat will be based on the River Hamble and will be available for corporate and private entertaining as well as sail training with a professional skipper and crew. Full details can be found on www.polly-agatha.com.

Polly Agatha was christened in style by Trudi Hartley with the usual bottle of bubbly and then all present were invited to admire the stunning living accommodation below decks and following a splendid buffet in Mylor Yacht Club embark for the first sail.

The workmanship throughout is outstanding and since the formation of the Company in 1996 Cockwells have delivered some outstanding wooden boats. Polly Agatha continues that tradition and yet raises the bar higher for the next vessel out of the Yard.

David Walkey at Gweek is also actively working on Pilot Cutter restoration and repair. In 2004 Marguerite returned to the water after undergoing a major restoration and last year Marian was restored and relaunched to be based locally at Mylor. The last cutter David is currently working on is probably the most famous namely Kindly Light, which has been undergoing a meticulous restoration for several years with a launch date hopefully next year.

No doubt at height of the wooden boat industry in the 18th and 19th centuries many Pilot Cutters were launched every year but over the last few years the Carrick Roads has seen a flurry of activity at least 5 Cutters launched or relaunched.

Design tends to be improved and refined over the years and without a doubt the design of the Scilies or Bristol Pilot Cutter evolved and grew to make become the classic coastal sailing vessel it is today.

You cannot improve upon perfection and I left the Yacht Harbour a bright tinge of green after drooling over Polly Agatha – a modern day classic.

This week I have to start with bouquets all round to those involved with last weekend’s Oyster Festival. It was attended by around 27,000 people and although size and numbers don’t always make for a great event the Festival was superb from Thursday right through to Sunday.

Clarissa Dickson Wright kicked off proceedings with wit, style and aplomb and the event created a wonderful atmosphere throughout Falmouth for the whole weekend. The local Falmouth Community laid on a great party aided by some glorious weather and some very tasty ingredients.

The Skinners and St Austell Brewery Ale and Wine bars supplied the refreshment and Harvey’s and the Falmouth Bay Oyster Company provided the food. Add in a wide range of music from folk to jazz and some extraordinarily talented local chefs demonstrating their culinary flair and you have close to perfection.

The event has been through some ups and downs but in all honesty I believe the organizers will be hard pressed to improve on the 2007 programme and format.

I have often criticized Carrick District Council over various issues in the past but their continued support of this event is to be whole heartedly applauded and I firmly believe that many more visitors will come down for future Festivals.

During my 3 visits to this year’s event I met several visitors from Berkshire and Surrey who had specifically made the trip to attend the Festival. One remarkable couple had between them consumed 7 dozen oysters.

Carrick have always been looking for ways of extending the tourist season and in the Oyster Festival they have struck gold and the District Council deserves a lot of credit for its faith in the event.

The Camra Beer Festival at the Princess Pavilion also provided an additional attraction over the weekend and there was a steady flow of people between the two venues.

The completion of Events Square has also helped give the Festival a firm foundation for 2008 and beyond and it really is not to unrealistic or in the realms of fantasy to suggest a second marquee or stage at the original home of the Festival at Custom House Quay in the near future.

I was that impressed with this year’s event.

The Harbour Race for Working Boats was well supported and Abigail Rose skippered by Norman Bowers won B Class and Leila with Adam Bird on the helm won C Class.

Irene (Robert Northey), Zulu (Kevin Radford) and Edith (Mal Stone) won special prizes for sailing in the their working rig and in the case of Edith even towing an oyster punt.

I must finally salute the efforts of all at Falmouth Bay Oyster Company the team shucked some 20,000 oysters over the weekend.

Could the Oyster Fishery become a growth industry in Falmouth once again?

The Cornwall Offshore Group Series (COGS) held their annual prize giving at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club last Saturday night. This was the 7th annual awards event for COGS and a bit like the Oyster Festival is steadily growing in popularity with local sailors and sailing clubs.

The existing 7 member clubs Fowey Gallants, Helford, Mylor, Penzance, St Mawes, Royal Fowey and Royal Cornwall were joined by Saltash Sailing Club this year and some 50 yachts competed in the 6-race 2007 programme.

Offshore racing I suspect will always take a back seat as an option in comparison to simple local racing around a set course.

The time constraints of first sailing to the race start and then sailing back from the race finish means that offshore racing is only going to have limited appeal.

Nevertheless given the attractiveness of the harbour destinations along our coast I feel more and more local sailors will at least compete in 1 or 2 COGS events per season.

The racing is competitive with an IRC and PY class in each event together with a two-crew class option for those who may prefer to sail short handed or as a couple.

This year regular competitor Tony Stathem from Helford sailing Jacobi his J109 was dominant in the IRC class with another stalwart Damien Bloor and Artful finishing as runners up.

In the PY class new comer Culum Matheson sailing Solent Dolphin took the silverware from Martin Leech and Incite. The two-handed class was won by Noon Hi skippered by Jack Plenty from Silver Harmony and Lyulph Hesling.

Jacobi was also declared the overall Top Yacht of the series to underline Tony and his crew’s achievements this year and a fitting way to mark the end Tony’s involvement with the COGS Committee after 7 years at “the coal face”.

Helford’s Commodore Rob Hewett presided over the prize giving even though the event was hosted by the Royal Cornwall and that to me confirms the friendliness and informality, which makes COGS well worth supporting in 2008.

It is a unique opportunity to race and socialize with members of sailing clubs from Plymouth to Penzance and at the same time fine-tune boat handling and navigational skills in competition.