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VENDEE GLOBE 2008

Andy Tyler — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:42:51 +0000

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”.

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Tornado Worlds At Takapuna Beach

Andy Tyler — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:20:45 +0000

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.

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Olympic Classes Spring Regatta @ Weymouth

Andy Tyler — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:19:51 +0000

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 Truroâ€™s Rosie Chapman won the womenâ€™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 womenâ€™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.

Restronguetâ€™s Ed Powys and Will Morgan competed in the 49â€™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.

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DART 18 Training Weekends At Mylor

Andy Tyler — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:18:50 +0000

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 â€œStart Racingâ€ 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 â€œDevelop your Racing Skillsâ€ 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 Â£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.

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Volvo RYA Champion Clubs

Andy Tyler — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:18:00 +0000

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 havenâ€™t already joined.

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The Renaisance Of The Oyster

Andy Tyler — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:13:46 +0000

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 frogâ€™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 mumâ€™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 frogsâ€™ 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 â€œOriginal Helford Oysterage and Fishing Companyâ€ 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 60â€™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 Benâ€™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 Bentleyâ€™s Oyster Bar, Scottâ€™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 â€œpousse en claireâ€, which are fattened for 6 months and spaced at 3 per square metre. Traditionally these plump little beauties â€œthe Kobe beef of oystersâ€ 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 Wrightâ€™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 Helfordâ€™s finest.

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Flying Down To Rio

Andy Tyler — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:08:05 +0000

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 Hardingâ€™s 40 Degrees.

Simon Rogers has produced the Rogers 40 design represented by Nick Buddâ€™s Set Environnement, Simon Clarkeâ€™s Clarke Offshore Racing and Frenchman Bruno Jourdrenâ€™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 UKâ€™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 Gossâ€™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.

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Polly Agatha – Pilot Cutter Launch

Andy Tyler — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:07:31 +0000

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 â€“ a modern day classic.

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Fantastic Oyster Festival

Andy Tyler — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:42:21 +0000

This week I have to start with bouquets all round to those involved with last weekendâ€™s Oyster Festival. It was attended by around 27,000 people and although size and numbers donâ€™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 Harveyâ€™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 yearâ€™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 yearâ€™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?

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COGS End Of Season Prize Giving

Andy Tyler — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:41:44 +0000

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 crewâ€™s achievements this year and a fitting way to mark the end Tonyâ€™s involvement with the COGS Committee after 7 years at â€œthe coal faceâ€.

Helfordâ€™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.

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Final RYA Ranking Event And Results Overall

Andy Tyler — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:36:40 +0000

The third and final RYA ranking event took place at Weymouth last weekend and it brought further success to Andy Walsh and Ed Barney in the Tornado class.

The pair went into the weekend tied on points with the other two leading UK Tornado crews McMillan/Howden and Wilson/Bulkeley. McMillan was on usher duty at a wedding on the Saturday so Olympic 49â€™er helm Chris Draper stood in on and showed that there is no substitute for skill winning the opening race of the 6 race 1 discard series.

Andy and Ed finished 2nd in the opening race and went on to win Races 3 and 6. Wilson/Bulkeley also posted 2 wins winning Races 2 and 4 to underline just how competitive the racing is between these 3 crews.

Draper only raced on the Saturday and McMillan returned on Sunday and although not winning another race posted 3-x top 3 finishes to win the regatta by 1 point from Andy and Ed.

Wilson/Bulkeley finished 3rd equal on points with Walsh and Barney but losing out on countback in Race 6, which had been won by the West Country crew.

The change of helmsmen meant however the Draper/McMillan/Howden crew could not win the overall RYA rankings and so victory went to Andy and Ed from Wilson/Bulkeley.

Mylor â€˜s Tom Phipps and Marcus Lynch finished 4th overall at the weekend counting 2 podium finishes and finished 4th overall in the final rankings.

Phipps/Lynch and Walsh/Barney now face an anxious couple of weeks as the Olympic Organizing Committee has decreed that for 2012 the sailing events will be reduced by 1from 11 down to 10.

The ISAF will have to make a recommendation on which class gets the chop and there is a distinct possibility it could be the Tornado. Both crews would then have to decide whether to continue their Olympic ambitions and if the Tornado goes in which class?

Ed Powys and Will Morgan continue their learning curve in the 49â€™er fleet and finished 12th overall counting an 8th as their best result. Ed and Will finished 8th overall in the RYA 49â€™er rankings behind the Exmouth pairing of Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes the current World Champions.

It will be interesting to see how they progress next year given the tough competition in the UK 49â€™er fleet.

Finally Ben Ainslie made a rare appearance in the Finn class as he prepares for the 2008 Melbourne Finn Gold Cup and a showdown with Ed Wright for the UK Finn berth at the Beijing Olympics.

Ainslie sailed the wrong course in Race 1 on Saturday then won the next 4 races with Wright posting 2 x 2nd places and finishing a disappointing 5th overall.

The overall RYA rankings show youngster Scott Giles in top spot with Wright in 6th spot and Ainslie in 8th but Melbourne will determine who goes to Beijing and you canâ€™t really see anyone mounting a serious challenge to Ben.

He has already won 4 Finn Gold Cups more than any other sailor and I would not bet against him winning number 5 in Australia after almost 12 months absence.

Awesome.

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End Of Season Optimist Regatta, Weymouth

Andy Tyler — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:25:03 +0000

Just to underline the almost constant use the RYA Sailing Academies the Optimist Class returned last weekend to the Weymouth Academy for the End Of Season Regatta.

The Class held their National Championships at the same venue in August and must have been slightly taken aback that a record 338 youngsters decided to make a return visit in October.

The importance of the Weymouth as an Olympic venue and of course the quality of Junior Sailing in the UK is attracting the interest and active participation of other countries and 6 other nations were represented at Weymouth including Ireland, France and the Netherlands.

Indeed it was a youngster from the Netherlands Jolbert Van Dizk who mastered the light conditions best to win the 5 race 1 discard series.

After a 27th in race 1, 4 wins proved unassailable with Restronguet youngster David Grant providing the strongest Cornish challenger finishing 4th overall and just missing out on 3rd place on countback.

Restronguet sailors as usual performed brilliantly with Christian Townrow maintaining his season long good form by finishing 13th and Jack Martin scoring his first top 20 finish at a National event by finishing 17th.

All the Cornish youngsters finished in the top half of the Main fleet with Robert Dyer finishing 80th, William Wilson 111th and Joe Burford 127th.

William Wilson aged 10 was one of the youngest sailors in the Main Fleet with the majority of the competitors having at least a 2 if not 3 year advantage in physical development and experience over the Cornish lad.

The results mean that David Grant, Christian Townrow and Jack Martin have all been selected for the National Optimist Squad for 2007/8 Winter training with a view to represent Team GBR at the Optimist Worlds and Europeans in 2008 after the Spring Qualifiers.

All sport these days is ultra competitive and having recently written about how impressed I was with the GBR Olympic Squad at the Sail for Gold Regatta at Weymouth last month you do wonder at what cost.

There is a price to pay at any level and in Optimist sailing that means David, Christian and Jack have to report to a Fitness Assessment Day at Chichester University on the 3rd November presumably to be started on a health and fitness regime.

No more donuts or Kellyâ€™s at when you are 13/14 does seem a trifle harsh but our Olympic nominees for Beijing in the 470 Class Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield went on a crash diet after completing in a windy World Championships in Portugal in July to a windless Olympic Test event in China in August. The pair lost over 6 kilos on already lean fit bodies.

To start so young on training regime does seem like a loss of childhood and growing up with artificial constraints and yet it is noticeable how the nationâ€™s mood and well being has improved in parallel to the exploits of the English Rugby Team over the past two weeks.

If we want sporting success on whatever the playing field then the inescapable truth is that the key is starting young whatever the sport.

My only plea and I am sure every parent would agree is that the youngster must have fun in the process.

After the Fitness Assessment Weekend the National Optimist Squad is at Plymouth over the weekend of the 18th and 19th November for their first training session.

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J24 Autumn Cup At Plymouth

Andy Tyler — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:24:17 +0000

The J24 Fleet visited the Royal Western Yacht Club for the annual Autumn Cup and more precious points for the World Championships in Italy next year.

A 14-boat fleet contested the event with 9 visitors joining the Plymouth regulars for a 7 race 1 discard series held over the weekend of the 6th/7th October.

Conditions were again light for both days with shifts and holes across the Sound making sailing tricky and testing for all competitors.

Up country visitor Rumble skippered by Mike Lewis started slowly but gradually found his form and won the last 3 races on Sunday to make off with the silverware.

Both Cornish boats Roger Rabbit (Gary Denning) and Joya (Paul Toms) had their moments and both won a race on the Saturday to look to mount a serious challenge.

Fowey Skipper Paul Toms can be more pleased with the final result finishing 3rd overall but the Falmouth crew on Roger Rabbit will be disappointed to drop down to 5th overall having been in 2nd place overnight.

It would seem they like a bit of breeze in Falmouth!

Both crews are well placed to qualify for Italy and I suppose the question then will be whether they can afford the trip to Sicily?

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GUL â€“ A West Country Success Story

Andy Tyler — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:22:32 +0000

Gul has been a successful Cornish watersports company ever since I began writing this column some 10 years ago.

It is astonishing to consider that Dennis Cross founded the Company back in 1967 some 40 years ago as a result of him wishing to carry on surfing at Fistral during the winter months.

Using rubber more suitable for the manufacture of gaskets Dennis and his wife Rose started making 2 piece wet suits and demand grew and Gul came to life.

There have been ups and downs over the last 40 years and sadly wet suits are no longer made in Cornwall but the Company remains staunchly proud of its Cornish roots and continues to be a major player in the water garments industry.

It has continued to have a large slice of the surfing wet suit market but has expanded into sailing waterproofs etc and of course into lifestyle/leisure wear following a trend set by many Australian/American wet suit companies.

Gul has four shops in the South West at Falmouth, Newquay, St Ives and Truro with one outlet at Portsmouth somewhat an outcast as the only store outside the Duchy.

Today marks a major expansion as the Company opens its first outlet in Devon with a new shop at Drakes Circus in Plymouth. The store opens at 10.00 am and there will be a reception in the evening starting at 6.00 pm with live music and drinks.

Gul is one of the major sponsors of the British Olympic Sailing Squad and the Team is fully kitted out by the Company.

Exmouthâ€™s Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes the Team GBR nominated 49â€™er skiff sailors for Beijing and the current 49â€™er World Champions will attend the evening reception.

I understand that after Plymouth the next target is a shop in London and it is quiet something for any Cornish enterprise to start in the back of a VW Camper and end up in Oxford Street.

I wish Mike Pickering and his team at Gul every success.

Sadly I canâ€™t make the Plymouth opening as I will be at the Falmouth Oyster Festival, which promises to be a great weekend and starts at 11.30 am on Thursday and concludes on Sunday at 4.00 pm.

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The 11th Falmouth Oyster Festival

Andy Tyler — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:55:32 +0000

The 11th annual Falmouth Oyster Festival takes place next week with Celebrity Chef Clarissa Dickson Wright joining a very select list of top quality chefs to open proceedings on Thursday 18th October.

Previous distinguished operators in the culinary arts to grace the event include Rick Stein, Aldo Zilli, Antonio Carluccio and my personal favourite to date Hugh Fearnleyâ€“Whittingstall but Clarissaâ€™s appearance is the first for the fairer sex.

I believe this does raise issues as to why celebrity chefs appear to be predominantly male and equally refute the long held view that men are useless in the kitchen.

I digress as the organizers have excelled themselves by compiling a superb package of fun and entertainment for all the family over the 4-day Festival.

Thursdayâ€™s programme includes cookery demonstrations, live music, food stalls, arts and craft stalls and of course oysters washed down either fine wines from Walter Hicks or fine ales from Steve Skinner.

On Friday the mix is much of the same but with a new feature in the evening will be a Ready, Steady Cook Competition between Nick Hodges (Lusty Glaze) and Arty Williams (The Cove) operating in Port and Starboard Kitchens with the audience voting on the best meal prepared by the two chefs.

Music again will be slotted in throughout the day with a mixture of styles to suit all tastes.

The Oyster Parade from the Moor to Events Square will be a lunchtime highlight on Saturday but other attractions include an Oyster shucking contest in the afternoon and an evening spent in the company of Tom Cunliffe and Claudia Myatt.

Cunliffe for those who have yet to meet the man is a hero of mine as a superb yachtsman, journalist and broadcaster. He has written countless books on sailing and has probably forgotten more than I have ever known on the subject.

A giant of a man in sailing circles and not just in stature if I was ever in a small boat at sea in a force 12 I would like Tom to be at my side.

Claudia is equally well known as marine illustrator and author and between them both it promises to be a highly entertaining and enjoyable evening.

This year the Marquee will be open until 11.00 pm on both Friday and Saturday and fish suppers will be available on the Saturday night after the entertainment.

I should add that the 30th Falmouth Beer Festival is being held at the Princess Pavilion on Friday and Saturday and Falmouth are playing Truro at rugby at the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon (KO 3.00 pm)

The atmosphere in the Town will be very special all weekend and really a must visit destination for everyone at some point during Festivals.

The Oyster Festival finishes on the Sunday with the Falmouth Working Boats Inner Harbour Race taking place at 11.00 am with prize giving and shanty singing with the Falmouth Shout in the Marquee in the afternoon.

The Maritime Museum is as ever a generous and active supporter of the Festival and throughout the weekend there are activities for the family taking place in the main Museum buildings likewise some of the active Oyster Dredgers will be along side the Museum pontoons.

All the ingredients are in place to make the 11th Festival the best yet.

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RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series

Andy Tyler — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:54:57 +0000

I recently attended the Sail for Gold Regatta at Weymouth and met up with Peter Walsh proud father of Andy Walsh and commiserated with him over Andy and Ed Barneyâ€™s narrow failure to gain selection for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Tornado Class.

Peter confirmed that Andy and Ed would continue in the Tornado class and try to qualify for 2012 and also go to China next year as training partners for the chosen British crew Leigh McMillan and Will Howden.

At the Sail for Gold Regatta Andy and Ed finished 3rd behind their closest rivals over the last 3 years Rob Wilson/Mark Bulkeley and McMillan/Howden.

Going into the Medal Race Andy and Ed were 2nd but dropped a place to Wilson/Bulkeley after being covered throughout by the eventual winners McMillan/Howden.

The boys must be gutted because at long last they have discovered some boat speed and starting to challenge both their rivals.

A month ago Andy and Ed were crowned Tornado National Champions and last weekend the pair dominated the 2nd Round of the RYA Ranking Series.
Both rival crews were present but in posting 4 wins and a 2nd in the 6 race 1 discard series the pair could afford to sit out the last race.

Wilson/Bulkeley pushed the 2008 Olympic nominated crew McMillan/Howden back into to 3rd place to leave all 3 crews tied on 4 points going into the final round of Ranking Series due to be held at Weymouth next weekend 20/21 October.

It would be ironic if Andy and Ed found themselves above McMillan/Howden in the RYA Ranking Ladder and yet not going to China.

Meanwhile Restronguetâ€™s Tom Phipps and Marcus Lynch are steadily emerging as the best of the next generation of Tornado sailors finishing 4th last weekend. It is obviously early days for this new combination but with Weymouth 2012 as their target they have 4 years to hone their skills.

In the 49â€™er Class Ed Powys and Will Morgan having repaired their rig after its failure at the Sail for Gold Regatta finished 10th overall.

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Lasers At Hastings

Andy Tyler — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:54:11 +0000

It wasnâ€™t quiet like the Battle of Hastings but for 4 girls battling for Olympic selection in the Laser Radial fleet it was a fair old tussle.

Charlotte Dobson, Andrea Brewster, Lizzie Vickers and Penny Clark have been told they are the short listed quartet for Beijing and a decision will be made after Miami OCR in January or the Laser Radial World Championships in March if necessary.

To get to the World Championships you need to qualify via the UK Laser Association Rankings Ladder based on a series of Qualifying Regattas Hastings marked the 3rd such autumnal event following on from Pwllheli and Paignton.

Victory in Hastings went to Scots lass Charlotte Dobson with rivals Andrea Brewster 3rd and Lizzie Vickers 5th overall to move Dobson up to 3rd overall on the Radial Ladder with Vickers lying 4th and Brewster 6th to ensure all 3 women qualify for the 2008 Worlds.

Truroâ€™s Rosie Chapman finished 14th overall and was the 6th placed woman at the event, which leaves her 17th overall on the Ladder and the 9th placed woman. Only 8 places are allocated to the UK and as such I think she may just miss out on being invited to New Zealand. It may well depend on whether all 8 places are taken up.

The battle for the Olympic berth I suspect will go on until after the World Championships as it is that close.

In the Laser Standard fleet the status quo prevailed with Paul Goodison the Beijing candidate comfortably winning from the young pretender Nick Thompson with Philip Reynolds (Saltash) finishing 14th overall and George Cousins (Mounts Bay) coming home 21st overall.

Philip has not sailed sufficient Qualifiers to get a meaningful ranking yet but George has and is currently 19th overall on the Standard Ladder and the 7th ranked youth sailor.

It will be interesting to see how high the pair can aspire to in what is a ferociously competitive fleet.

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RYA Team 15 Championships At Rutland Water

Andy Tyler — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:52:58 +0000

The RYA Team15 Championships were set up by the RYA to attack a perceived weakness in the wind surfing discipline by young sailors in the UK.

The idea was/is to get more youngsters wind surfing with Team15 sailors specifically being 15 or under and accordingly strengthen the GBR Team in wind surfing when competing at international level in later years.

Bob Warren at Roseland Paddle and Sail has always supported the RYA initiative and many young wind surfers have learnt their skills on the Percuil River.

At the RYA South West Zone Championships last month this yearâ€™s crop of Team15 youngsters from the Roseland won through to the Championship finals held at Rutland Water last weekend.

Nine teams qualified from across the UK and some 100 competitors fought for the overall title on a whole range of boards and sail sizes.

The Roseland Waveriders excelled themselves by finishing 2nd overall with Jack Warren winning the 6.8m Techno Board Class overall.

Congratulations to all involved.

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Laser SB3 – The Final Solution?

Andy Tyler — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:01:44 +0000

The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club hosted the inaugural Laser SB3 Class Championship in 2003 for a state of the art new dinghy or probably more correctly three- man sportsboat – the SB3.

This is a fast and exhilarating three-man sportsboat designed by Tony Castro whoâ€™s CV includes the Cork 1720 an already proven successful sportsboat design. The SB3 was launched at the London Boat Show in 2002 and has proved an instant success with class wins in 2002 at both Cork and Cowes Week.

Back in September 2003 some 32 boats contested the 1st Nationals with the winner Jerry Hill from the Solent being a keen supporter of the class from its inception and still involved to this day.

The Royal Cornwallâ€™s Sailing Secretary Tim Coventry now retired from Laser was actively involved in the design and production of the SB3 and this year the Nationals at Hayling Island attracted 57 entries. After an auspicious start at Cowes with a Class Handicap win in 2002 by 2007 the SB3 is the largest one design fleet in the Regatta with 98 entries.

He must be thrilled with the growth of the class over the last 4 years with 75 new boats being launched in 2005 to 180 new boats hitting the water in 2006.

The SB3 is a fabulous fun boat to sail – fast and exhilarating with a large rig and sail plan providing speed and power both on and off wind.

It is fitted with a retractable stainless steel keel capped with 330 kilograms of lead at the base. This means that despite having an open cockpit the SB3 is uncapsizable but by using lightweight material for hull and spars is capable of breathtaking performance especially when flying the massive asymmetric gennaker.

At 20ft and being such a lightweight the SB3 is easily towed behind a standard saloon car and launch and recovery is a simple operation without lifts or cranes utilizing the custom trailer.

It is a sportsboat for those seeking keelboat â€œstiffnessâ€ and dinghy performance without the physical demands of dinghy or skiff sailing as a gunwale bar effectively prohibits hiking or leaning out and the SB3 carries no trapeze.

It is however definitely quick with 20 knots achievable in a real breeze downwind and upwind 6-8 knots boat speed indicates the SB3 is a real flyer and a whole lot of fairly dry comfortable fun

Given the performance and the lack of serious physical technique needed to sail the SB3 it has proved attractive to some of the cream of keelboat and dinghy sailors with the likes of Geoff Carveth, Mike Budd, Glenn Bourke, Tim Fells, Russell Peters, Rob Greenhalgh, Barry Parkin and Mark Rushall all appearing at the larger regattas.

Fleets have developed in France, Portugal, Ireland and Italy over the last few years and 2007 sees Vanguard the Laser subsidiary in the USA finally launch a major assault on the lucrative North American market.

Competition is undoubtedly fierce but the SB3 is a cheap alternative to the likes of the Melges 24 or J80 and with only 3 crew easy to campaign throughout a season.

In 2003 at those 1st Nationals in Falmouth we had 3 local entries from 3 local 1720 sailors namely Donal Oâ€™Halloran, Jonathon Money and Richard Beaman.

Donal had borrowed one of the early prototypes from Laser via Tim Coventry, Jonathon had gone into partnership with Phil Badger to purchase an SB3 and Richard had opted for the SB3 and sold his 1720.

Despite sailing a borrowed boat and new to the fleet Oâ€™Halloran nearly won the event finishing 4th overall with Beaman finishing 10th and Money 12th but today only Richard remains active in the Class however several other SB3s have started to race in the Port on a regular basis and there were 6 racing in Falmouth Week.

It leads one to question whether the SB3 could be the next Class to emerge on the Falmouth waterfront?

The popularity of a Class in the Port seems incredibly fickle with the likes of the GK24, 1720 and now the J24 seemingly rise and fall in the blink of an eye with the demise occurring for no apparent reason. Equally when one Class stalwart departs no one appears to take their place.

I suppose one explanation possibly could be the very mobility of these boats allows them to be trailed around to various regattas and as such decimate local fleet weekly turnouts.

Sunbeams, Ajaxes and for that matter Working Boats are not easily trailer sailed and have limited appeal elsewhere in the Country due to the lack of racing opportunities other than at Itchenor or Harwich.

I did think that the J80 would supercede the J24 in the Port as the modern One Design fleet but several owners have sold their boats since the Falmouth World Championships in 2005 and now the SB3 has emerged as the new kid on the block.

Given the pedigree that is Laser and the impetus that has started to roll with the SB3 and its launch in the States I am beginning to think that the last arrival on the sportsboat scene may well just about have all the answers and indeed be the final solution.

Cheap local sailing anywhere in the UK with the option of taking on the sailing superstars at any of the major regattas either at National or even International level.

The key is having sufficient numbers to race on a regular basis throughout the summer and with 4/5 SB3s already in Falmouth/St Mawes then 2008 really could see the Falmouth SB3 fleet flourish.

Laser use the slogan â€œThe most fun three people can have without breaking the lawâ€ and I think that is a very apt description of what the SB3 is all about.

I hope our local fleet continues to expand and grow.

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The RYA South West Zone Championships

Andy Tyler — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:00:54 +0000

Restronguet hosted the South West Zone Championships for promising young sailors drawn from sailing clubs all over the South West keen to start on the RYA sailing skills programmes and join the various training squads.

The Zone Championships were held a seven venues around the Country and attended by RYA Regional Managers to spot any promising young sailors at club level missed by non attendance at say the Optimist or Topper Nationals.

They are an effort to make sure no talent is wasted or not recognized and any youngsters maximize their fullest potential.

Restronguet staged a 5 race series for Optimists, Toppers and Mirrors over the weekend with light winds dominating the 2 races on Saturday with Sunday proving a slightly stiffer challenge with a fresher breeze.

In all 3 classes there was one exceptional performance.

In the 37 strong Topper fleet Richard Cumpsty from Chew Valley posted 4 wins from 5 starts to win overall from Tom Francis from Sidmouth with Sam Webb in 5th proving to be the first local sailor.

In the Optimist fleet Restronguet dominated but with perhaps Jack Martin a surprise winner although again posting 4 wins it was certainly no fluke with GBR Optimist World and European Squad sailors Christian Townrow and David Grant in 2nd and 3rd places.

Finally in the Mirror fleet James Wilkinson and Chris Searle from Mounts Bay also won 4 of their 5 races to comfortable win the class overall.

It will be interesting to see how far the 3 wining crews progress in the RYA squads after their impressive performances at Restronguet.

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COGS Prize Giving and Dinner

Andy Tyler — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:55:58 +0000

The Cornwall Offshore Groupâ€™s prize giving and annual dinner will be held at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club on Saturday 20th October. All competitors are welcome and full details can be found on the COGS website. www.cogsracing.org.uk

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Weymouth Sail For Gold Regatta

Andy Tyler — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:16:48 +0000

Last weekend the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy hosted the 2nd
Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta the only UK Olympic Classes International Regatta and an annual event in the calendar in the run up to 2012.

There are 11 Olympic classes in the programme for Beijing 2008 and Weymouth hosted 9 Olympic fleets over the weekend with the only absentees being the Star and Yngling Classes. Weymouth will be the venue for the sailing element of the 2012 Olympics and so every sailing nation will be visiting the Academy prior to the actual Olympic Regatta.

Local knowledge will be an advantage and the RYA is basing the GBR Olympic Squad at Weymouth for the next 5 years and most serious contenders for Olympic selection are moving to Hampshire to make use of the state of the art training facilities and RYA coaches on site.

Sadly it means that there is little opportunity for any of the UK Olympic fleets to hold events anywhere but Weymouth, which I believe is a great tragedy given that Lord Coeâ€™s sales pitch to win Londonâ€™s pitch for 2012 was legacy.

I do not think that the youth of the South West will be motivated by an event, which will solely take place in the South East of the country. Indeed unless some of the training camps or build up events take place south of Bristol I think there will be no lasting legacy for the benefit of the nationâ€™s youth.

As regards Cornwall I believe Carrick District Council and Cornwall County Council should both be pilloried for failing to see that a Falmouth Sailing Academy was built when the funds were allocated by the RYA back in 2000.

Visiting Weymouth you cannot help but be impressed by the facilities on land and sea to realise what Falmouth has missed out on. Falmouth would have never been the Olympic venue for 2012 but it was noticeable that 3 other RYA academies were sponsoring the Sail for Gold Regatta no doubt in anticipation of future spin off events.

This was my first visit to an Olympic Classes Regatta and it noticeable just how professional the GBR Team conducts itself and where the Lottery funds have been spent. After watching the efforts of the English Rugby, Cricket and to a lesser extend Football teams prepare it is refreshing to report on the Sailing Squad.

Watching the England v Samoan Rugby Match were around 30 of the RYA Elite Squads and despite sailing having concluded for the day I was the only spectator drinking alcohol.

The fitness levels are amazing, the sailing equipment immaculate and all members of the Squads looked like professional sailors, which of course they are but ones that are likely to win medals.

It is no fluke that GBR is currently the Worldâ€™s top sailing nation and judging by results this weekend the team can approach Beijing next year with the expectation of at least 4 if not 5 or 6 medals.

The RYA had already announced 8 crew selections for Beijing just prior to the start of the Weymouth regatta and 5 of those selected went on to win over the weekend.

In the RS:X windsurfer classes there were wins for Bryony Shaw and Nick Dempsey both underlining their medal potential.

Likewise the 470 fleets confirmed the selectors choice with Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield winning the menâ€™s event and Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark the womenâ€™s event. I should mention Nic Asher and Elliot Willis in the Menâ€™s 470 fleet who led after 2 days of the regatta and pushed Rogers and Glanfield all the way.

Competition is tough in every fleet and it is one of the reasons why our top sailors are so good. The pressure is always on and comes not just from foreign competitors but also from the home team.

This no more clearly demonstrated than in the Laser and 49â€™er fleets. In the Laser Class Paul Goodison has been nominated for Beijing but he was beaten into 2nd place by Nick Thompson at 21 a definite challenger for 2012 and some 8 years Goodisonâ€™s junior.

Lose form or lack commitment and the next generation of GBR sailors will pass you by and take over your place in RYA Elite Performance Squad. It really is that ruthless.

Suffering a similar embarrassment were Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes in the 49â€™er class having recently won the 49â€™er Worlds in Cascais and the Olympic Test Event last month they were also relegated into 2nd place by youngsters John Pink and Simon Wheeler. To be fair to Stevie and Ben the 49â€™er fleet along with the Tornado fleet lost 2 days racing due to high winds.

It is tough and expensive at the top end of the 49â€™er fleet and sadly for Restronguetâ€™s Ed Powys and Will Morgan having finished in the top 10 to qualify for the medal race the pair had a catastrophic mast failure and the whole rig came down. Carbon fibre spars do not come cheap.

In the Tornado fleet Andy Walsh and Ed Barney had a great opportunity to beat the Beijing bound crew of Leigh McMillan and Rob Howden qualifying for the Medal race in 2nd position just 3 points in arrears. The Medal race incurs double points and cannot be discarded so Andy and Ed just needed to finish 2 places in front of McMillan and Howden to take the Gold Medal.

Sadly McMillan and Howden got a fabulous start and covered Andy and Ed throughout the 2-lap race. Even worse Rob Wilson and Mark Bulkeley slipped past the duel and won the Medal race to demote Walsh and Barney down to 3rd place and the Bronze medal.

Showing good form were Tom Phipps and new crewman Marcus Lynch who won 1of the 4 qualifying races and also qualified for the Medal race. The pair tried an ambitious port hand start and were forced to duck the rest of the fleet and finished 8th to end up 6th overall.

In the Laser Radial fleet the RYA have not made a final decision as to who will go to Beijing and have indicated that the choice will be made out of Penny Clark, Lizzie Vickers, Andrea Brewster and Charlotte Dobson.

At Weymouth the girls had a tremendous tussle with Penny Clark coming out on top by 1 point from Laura Baldwin with Lizzie Vickers 3rd, Charlotte Dobson 8th and Andrea Brewster 13th. Our own Rosie Chapman finished 20th overall but just failed to post enough top 20 results to make the Medal race and challenge the leading UK female sailors.

Finally Ben Ainslie did not compete in the Finn class, which was won by his main rival for Beijing selection Ed Wright and although I canâ€™t see Wright getting the nod over Ainslie, Ben will need a good result at the Finn Gold Cup in Melbourne next January to be sure of selection.

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Restronguet Youngsters Shine At Poole

Andy Tyler — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:12:23 +0000

Last weekend Poole Yacht Club staged the Poole Junior & Youth Regatta and Cornwall was well represented by strong contingent of Restronguet Sailing Club Juniors. 6 races were held with 3 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday with 5 races to count.

In the Laser 4.7 fleet James Grant dominated counting 5 wins and discarding a 2nd to post the perfect score with Roger Stabbins finishing 3rd, Harvey Davies 6th and Alice Burford 19th.

In the 102 strong Optimist fleet there was an equally impressive showing with David Grant fishing 1st overall, Christian Townrow 2nd, Jack Martin 14th, William Wilson 40th and Joe Burford 59th.

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DART 18 Grand Prix At Pentewan Sands

Andy Tyler — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:11:34 +0000

Visitors dominated the Dart Grand Prix meeting held at Pentewan last weekend with victory going to Alan and Fiona Kernick from Stokes Bay from Andrew and Clare Round (Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club) and Cedric and Jane Winter (Restronguet).

6 races were held with 3 sailed on Saturday in a delightful sunny F3/4 breeze and 3 sailed on Sunday in a miserable wet F5/6 and big seas.

Come the last race on Sunday and the fleet had been halved in number due to gear failure and fatigue.

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Ainslie On Course To Create History!

Andy Tyler — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:29:35 +0000

It was announced at the Southampton Boat on Friday that Ben Ainslie was to be the Skipper and Helmsman of the TeamOrigin the British challenge for the 33rd Americas Cup to be staged in Valencia in 2009.

Ainslie has pursued a dream of helming a British Americas Cup boat for several years and with the Team assembled by Sir Keith Mills and Mike Sanderson I believe he is in with a great chance of actually regaining the â€œAuld Mugâ€.

Â Kiwi Mike Sanderson was an inspired choice by Mills as the Team Director and the pair of them have recruited a formidable group of sailors and designers to mount a serious challenge to Alinghi the current Cup holders.

Sanderson is a proven winner at the highest level of international yacht racing winning the Volvo Ocean Race on board ABN AMRO ONE as skipper and team leader in 2006.

Prior to that victory he was also on board Grant Daltonâ€™s two earlier Whitbread campaigns winning in 1993/4 in New Zealand Endeavour and finishing 2nd in 1997/98 in Merit.

Equally impressive is his performance in single-handed sailing finishing 3rd in the Open 60 Class in the 2004 Transat in Pindar AlphaGraphics, which but for a broken dagger board could have easily been a memorable debut victory.

Add in three previous Americas Cup campaigns with Tag Heuer in 1995, and BMW Oracle in 2003 and 2007 and a key involvement in the 150ft racing ketch Mari Cha IV and Mooseâ€™s CV is mightily impressive.

Sanderson visited Falmouth in 2003 in Mari Cha IV after shattering the East West Transatlantic Crossing Record and he must be now regarded as one of the top sailors in the world and a likely winner whatever the event.

Given his vast experience Sanderson has selected some of the best sailors in the world to partner Ben Ainslie. Stan Honey, Rob Greenhalgh and Justin Slattery join TeamOrigin and were part of the crew onboard ABN AMRO ONE.

Crucially Sanderson has also persuaded Juan Kouyoumdjian the designer of ABN AMRO to front up the TeamOrigin Design Team based in his office in Valencia.

Given Ainslie as the helmsman several of the leading members of the Team GBR Olympic and Performance Squads have also joined the team and these include Ian Percy, Andrew Simpson, Chris Brittle, David Carr and Andy Green.

It really is an immensely talented group of sailors and it must represent the best opportunity a British team has had of winning the Cup for decades.

Money has always been a stumbling block in previous AC campaigns but Charles Dunstone (Car Phone Warehouse) has joined with Keith Mills in providing part of the funding and several other sponsors are expected to be announced over the next few months.

Juan K designed ABN AMRO as one of the first of the new Volvo 70â€™s designed especially for the 2005/6 Volvo Ocean Race and it was easily the quickest Volvo 70 in the race winning 6 of the 9 offshore legs of the event.

2009 will mark the debut of a new design of Americas Cup yachts and so the defender and the challengers will be starting from a level playing field.

The feeling is that destiny awaits.

Ainslie really is entering a 2-year period in his life when he has the chance to rewrite history with a medal winning performance in Beijing next year and a Cup victory in Valencia in 2009 giving him a chance at immortality.

Victory in the Finn class at the Olympic Test Event at Qingdao last month has already given him an aura of invincibility in the Class having not set foot in the fleet for 12 months whilst on duty for Emirates Team New Zealand in the Americas Cup in Valencia.

Already a legend in the Finn for winning the Gold Cup (World Championship) 4 years in succession from 2002-2005 a feat never achieved before a win in Melbourne in January next year will confirm his position as red hot favourite for the Gold Medal at Qingdao in August.

Winning any medal at Qingdao will see Ben overtake Rodney Patterson as our greatest Olympic sailor with 4 medals at 4 different Games and then the stage is set for the Americas Cup at Valencia.

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Sail For Gold Regatta Weymouth

Andy Tyler — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:28:44 +0000

Some 300 of the Worldâ€™s best sailors have assembled at Weymouth for the Sail for Gold Regatta, which started yesterday and runs through until Sunday.

This is an event for the Olympic Classes and will become an annual event in the build up to 2012.

Naturally enough using the Proposed 2012 Olympic venue means that all the worldâ€™s best sailors will attend at least one of these events prior to 2012 to familiarize themselves with the venue.

The RYA has already announced that Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson (Yngling), Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes (49â€™er) and Paul Goodison (Laser) have already been selected for Beijing.

Subject to achieving some specific individual targets and performances Nick Dempsey (RS:X), Bryony Shaw (RS:X), Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (470), Christina Bassadone/Saskia Clark (470) and Leigh McMillan/Will Howden (Tornado) will also be selected.

The selection of the Star and Finn representatives will be deferred until the New Year and the Laser Radial representative will be chosen out of Charlotte Dobson, Penny Clark, Andrea Brewster and Lizzie Vickers again with a decision expected in the Spring.

Sadly that means disappointment for Truroâ€™s Rosie Chapman who I suspect was always targeting the 2012 Olympics as her main goal.

All five girls are competing at Weymouth this weekend and so Rosie will have an opportunity to outperform the 2008 chosen ones.

Equally Restronguetâ€™s Ed Powys/ Will Morgan are competing against Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes in the 49â€™er Class and it a wonderful opportunity for the young pair to test themselves against the current World Champions and World No 1 ranked crew.

Few other sports give you the chance to test yourself against the best.

Similarly Mounts Bay sailor George Cousins is up against Paul Goodison in the Laser fleet and Mylorâ€™s Tom Phipps and Marcus Lynch are competing in the Tornado fleet against Leigh McMillan/Will Howden.

Andy Walsh/Ed Barney are also competing in the Tornado fleet and it must be with some degree of bitterness as they realize the Olympic dream for them in 2008 is now at an end.

The test will be whether they remain together and have a crack at selection for 2012 or they abandon the dream altogether. Whatever they decide I do hope they have a great regatta this weekend and of course embarrass McMillan/Howden.

Full report next week.

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Lasers @ Paignton

Andy Tyler — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:28:04 +0000

This weekend the Laser Radial and Standard fleets held their 2nd Qualifier for the 2008 World and European Championships.

5 races were held with 2 raced on Saturday in a very light 5-knot Easterly breeze and 3 raced on Sunday in an 8/10 knot Westerly.

In the Radial fleet Laser Maestro Jon Emmett won counting 3 x 1st and a 4th from Penny Clark (2 x 1st, 2nd and a 4th) in a 5 race 1 discard series.

Charlotte Dobson finished 3rd overall and Rosie Chapman finished 14th overall and was 5th overall in the womanâ€™s event. Restronguetâ€™s Joanna Ireland finished 39th overall and Robin Elsey 68th overall in the 92 boat fleet.

The Standard fleet was dominated by Paul Goodison (4 x 1st) and Nick Thompson (1 x 1st, 3 x 2nd) with Philip Reynolds from Saltash finishing 17th overall and George Cousins 25th overall.

In the Laser ladders, which will determine selection for the Laser events Rosie lies 17th overall and is the 8th lady on the ladder and so should gain selection for the European Championships.

Joanna Ireland in her first season of Radial competition is currently 57th overall.

George Cousins meanwhile is 22nd overall on the Standard ladder and 7th Youth, which should see him also selected at least for the Youth European Championships.

The next Qualifier is at Hastings in the first weekend in October so there is still plenty at stake especially for those in the Radial fleet seeking selection for the 2008 Olympics.

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J24 Nationals @ Parkstone

Andy Tyler — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:27:20 +0000

27 boats assembled for J24 Nationals at Parkstone last Thursday for a four day 8 race 1 discard series.

Light winds prevailed and for the umpteenth time Stuart Jardine and his crew sailing Stouche emerged as the National Champions. Stouche counted 3 wins and was never out of the top 10 boats in any of the 8 races.

In 2nd spot were the Falmouth boys on board Roger Rabbit who counted 2 wins and a 3rd in their 7-race total but failed by 5 points to catch the Class Chairman.

This was Roger Rabbitâ€™s best performance in the Nationals to date and puts them well on course to qualify for the J24 Worlds in Italy next year.

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Working Boat Harbour Races

Andy Tyler — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:26:37 +0000

Last weekend saw the St Mawes Sailing Club and the St Mawes Hotel host the St Mawes Harbour Race for the two Working Boat fleets.

In addition the St Mawes Harbour Company in conjunction with the St Mawes fishing fleet staged their 2nd Fishing Festival on the Town Quay.

The weather was glorious as was the fresh fish on the Quay although with only a light breeze both fleets could only manage a short 2-lap course around the Harbour.

The support for the event was fantastic with 16 starters in B Class and 7 starters in C Class.

A reaching start across the Club line for B Class provided a fabulous sight for spectators and Abigail Rose (Norman Bowers) managed to just slip around Castle Buoy 1st and hold off all challengers until approaching the Turning Mark at the end of the first lap.

The wind in the centre of the Bay dropped and becalmed the Rose allowing Rebecca (Phil Slater) Cousin Jinny (Graham Pearce) and Mabel (Peter Collett) all to slip through and leave Norman cursing his luck.

Rebecca having got clear wind then proceeded to pull away from her challengers to retain the Trophy she won last year. Mabel finished 5 seconds ahead of Cousin Jinny on the water to also take 2nd overall on handicap.

In C Class Lottie (Paul Ferris) lead throughout the race initially challenged by Zilpha (Simon Berryman) and Leila (Adam Bird) but both fell away to allow Krystal (Bruce Trevartha) to take 2nd place.

On Sunday it was the Falmouth Greenlawns Harbour Race and Rebecca (Phil Slater) again dominated the B fleet winning comfortably from Victory (David Carne) and Abigail Rose (Norman Bowers).

In C Class Leila (Adam Bird) took the spoils from Krystal (Bruce Trevartha).

As usual all crews adjourned to the Greenlawns Hotel for the usual legendary hospitality making this weekend probably one of the best on the Working Boat calendar.

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Diary Dates

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:38:37 +0000

Donâ€™t forget this weekend sees the St Mawes Fish Festival and Working Boat Harbour Race this Saturday and the Falmouth Greenlawns Harbour Race for Working Boats this Sunday. The weather forecast is fair and so both events should be spectacular.

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The Transat 2008

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:38:00 +0000

I am delighted to report that Plymouth has won the right to host the 2008 Transat after a close bidding battle with another UK City after the organizers decided to invite offers to stage the regatta.

Offshore Challenges the organizers felt that Plymouth was not committed to running such a prestigious event and threatened to move the Transat to another venue such as Portsmouth or Southampton.

It is great news that Plymouth responded to the threat although I suspect that it was only the involvement of Conrad Humphreys and Sutton Harbour Group that saved the day.

Well-known offshore yachtsman Humphreys fronted up Plymouthâ€™s bid for the Transat and Sutton Harbour agreed to allow the whole race organization to be based in Sutton Harbour at the Barbican.

A Race Village will be built around the Barbican and all the competitorsâ€™ yachts will be based at Sutton Harbour. The event starts on the 11th May and the Race Village will be in operation for 10 days prior to race day.

All are welcome and if you have never seen any of the current generation of Open 60s or Trimarans then I would suggest spending a May day in Plymouth.

The future of the 60 ft trimaran class has been in doubt and it will be interesting to see who materializes at Plymouth but the other option is to open the fleet up to a new generation of 70 ft tris.

The 2004 start in Plymouth Sound was awesome with the trimarans rocketing off the line with 2 hulls out of the water and cascades of spray flying off the bows. There were no real starting maneuvers just sheeting in on the main and applying the power and in the blink of an eye they were gone.

Sailing any boat single-handed is a skill sailing 60 ft trimaran across 2800 miles of Atlantic Ocean is just simply phenomenal and I canâ€™t wait for 2008.

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Southampton Boat Show

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:36:23 +0000

It is hard to believe but already a year has past and this weekend sees the start of Southampton Boat Show with Press Day on Friday and General Admission from Saturday until the following Sunday.

The Show is launched by the arrival of HMS Bounty a replica of the ship made famous by the mutiny of the crew against Captain William Bligh lead by Fletcher Christian in 1789.

This replica was built for the film made in 1962 starring Trevor Howard and Marlon Brando and has been used extensively since in the making of many other films including the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

Other interesting yachts at the show include the Americas Cup yacht Alinghi acquired by the new UK Americas Cup Team TeamOrigin, Mike Goldingâ€™s Ecover, Alex Bennettâ€™s new Open 40 Fujifilm, Robin Knox-Johnstonâ€™s Saga and Gypsy Moth IV.

TeamOrigin lead by Sir Keith Mills and Mike Sanderson will announce on Friday the personnel recruited to date to challenge for the Cup in Valencia in 2009. This assumes of course the current legal wangling between Alinghi and various challengers has been resolved and agreement has been reached on the Cup format and the design of the yachts to be used in the competition.

Likewise the YJA will announce the nominations for Yachtsman of the Year and Young Sailor of the Year.

It goes without saying the event is the largest Boat Show outside the London event and there are close to 400 new yachts and boats afloat as well as a similar number ashore.

If you have never visited Southampton I would thoroughly recommend a visit this year as it promises to be the best ever.

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Lasers @ Pwllheli

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:35:46 +0000

If itâ€™s autumn then once again it is the annual selection trials for the UK Laser teams for the 2008 World and European championship events.

The first weekend in September saw Pwllheli host the first of these qualifiers for both the Laser Radial and Standard fleets. Conditions were good with a steady breeze and sunshine allowing 3 races to be held on Saturday and 2 on Sunday to give a 5 race 1discard series.

Given the healthy state of UK sailing and the Olympic status of both the Laser Radial and Laser classes then you know the competition will be hot in both fleets.

Truroâ€™s Rosie Chapman has been harbouring Olympic ambitions in the Radial fleet but 2 x Black Flags and only 1 discard meant counting a 71, which pushed her down to 35th overall.

It was a disaster as a promising 6th in Race 1 followed by a 20th and a 25th would have lead to a top 20 finish overall.

It is tough with Radial master Jon Emmett winning the event but being chased home by 4 women (lucky fella) with Lizzie Vickers finishing 2nd and Penny Clark 3rd to complete the podium.

Rosie has got to get in amongst them to be certain of retaining her position within the UK Womenâ€™s Radial European Team and hopefully advance into the World Team.

Likewise George Cousins from Mounts Bay found the going tough in the Laser Standard fleet finishing 22nd overall after posting an impressive set of results all in the top 25 finishers in all 5 races.

The standard is so high that he only finished the 10th youth in the 58 – boat fleet, which was won by RYA squad member Nick Thompson.

The next qualifier is this weekend at Paignton and hopefully Rosie and George will enjoy better luck and no more black flags!

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Andy and Ed Win Tornado National Champs

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:34:46 +0000

Weston Sailing Club on Southampton Water last weekend hosted the Tornado National Championships with 10 races scheduled over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

As usual the best-made plans in sailing largely depend on the weather and although there was plenty of sunshine there was precious little wind and as a result Friday was abandoned and only 6 races were completed on Saturday and Sunday.

Some 22 crews assembled at Weston for the event and being an Olympic class meant that although there were few entries there was undoubted quality throughout the fleet.

Truroâ€™s Andy Walsh and Ed Barney probably need a miracle to displace Leigh McMillan/Will Howden from being chosen as the UK Tornado crew for Beijing next year but they are continuing to campaign right to the selection trials and appeared at Weston.

They were joined by several other RYA Transitional/Development and Performance Squad members including close rivals Rob Wilson/Mark Bulkeley, John Gimson/Stuart Bithell, and Chris Rashley/Simon Marks as well as several foreign crews from Australia and Demark.

With 2012 looming and the incredible current success of Team GBR in all the Olympic classes more and more overseas competitors will be competing in the UK to observe the techniques and coaching methods of the RYA and of course familiarize themselves with the joys of sailing in an English summer.

There was one other interesting Cornish entrant namely Tom Phipps from Mylor with a new crewman Marcus Lynch at the front end. Phipps twice an ISAF Youth World Champion in the Hobie 16 class is keen to have a shot at the Olympics with 2012 obviously the target and this season marks his debut in the Tornado fleet both at national and international level.

The loss of Friday meant that the Race Management Team got the fleet off early on Saturday and tried to squeeze in 6 short races in a light 8-knot Northerly breeze and a strong tide.

There was an element of snakes and ladders to proceedings with horrible shifts and strong tidal currents. As usual the cream does come to the top and the RYA squad members performed in style.

Race 1 went to Wilson/Bulkeley, Race 2 Gimson/Bithell, and Race 3 Rashley/Marks before the Danish crew of Allen Norregarrd/Michael Risor interrupted proceedings by winning Race 4.

Race 5 saw Walsh/Barney take their first win with Phipps/Lynch also making the podium in 3rd place.

The wind finally packed up altogether and curtailed any further racing to leave Gimson/Bithell as the overnight leaders closely followed by the Danes and Wilson/Bulkeley.

Sunday saw similar light conditions and Walsh/Barney lead off the line in Race 6 to gain clear wind and gradually pull away from the rest of the fleet to take a 2nd win.

None of the overnight leaders had a good race and this proved decisive as Race 7 was abandoned and with it sailing for the rest of the day.

That left a 6 race 1 discard series and by 1 point Andy and Ed claimed the title from fellow RYA squad members Wilson/Bulkeley and Gimson/Bithell.

Tom Phipps and Marcus Lynch had an encouraging event finishing 6th overall and can only improve as the teamwork and Tornado skills are perfected.

In tough light conditions it was a fine performance from Walsh/Barney and with light airs expected in China who knows?

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Diary Dates

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:30:07 +0000

This weekend St Mawes Sailing Club are hosting the St Mawes One Design Championships and hopefully a fleet approaching double figures will provide a competitive edge to a fleet, which does appear to be in the doldrums at present.

Saturday 15th September sees St Mawes hosting the Harbour Race for Working Boats and the 2nd Annual St Mawes Fish Festival.

Sunday the 16th September and it is the turn of Flushing to host the Working Boat Harbour Race on the Falmouth waterfront. The 23rd September sees the Working Boat fleet return to St Mawes for the Victory Cup Races.

Finally Restronguet Sailing Club hosts the RYA SW Area Zone Trials over the weekend of the 29th/30th September.

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An Amazing True Story

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:29:22 +0000

Some stories just take your breath away and this one is truly astonishing.

An Ethiopian man living in London last week received a phone call via a GSM/Satellite phone from a distant relative who was on board a large Zodiac inflatable some 64 miles off the coast of Libya.

On board the inflatable were some 59 people comprising 15 females, of which 4 were pregnant, 7 children and 37 men.

They had not been fed or given any water for 3 days and had been dumped into this leaky inflatable by a commercial vessel at the dead of night after 2 days at sea closeted in a cramped storeroom.

They had been told they were in Italian waters, close to Lampedusa, a Sicilian island in the Mediterranean but with no engine their situation was desperate.

The Ethiopian rang the Coastguard in London who referred the matter to Falmouth MRCC at Pendennis.

Falmouth Operations room rang the inflatable and spoke to English speaking female on board who outlined their problems.

The inflatable was in Libyan waters but despite British Diplomatic pressure activated by Falmouth MRCC the Libyan search and rescue made no effort to help.

Other governments in the area were also reluctant to get involved. The Italian navy was already dealing with 2 similar incidents involving 1000 such refugees or illegal immigrants.

There were no US or UK military vessels within 150 miles of the raftâ€™s known location.

Eventually some 17 hours after receiving this distress call Falmouth MRCC was able to locate a Tunisian Naval Supply Vessel to do the humanitarian duty and go and rescue these poor souls.

Chatting to Falmouth MRCC their view is to forget the politics of the situation and just deal with the crisis.

It is a sobering thought that they estimate that around 20,000 people drowned last year in the Mediterranean and Atlantic as a result of attempting to leave Africa and get to Europe.

We live in strange times.

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HMS Carrick Update

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:28:20 +0000

Further to my piece last week I heard some disquieting news about the Cutty Sark, which apparently before the fire last May was to be enclosed in a bubble and used as a disc style restaurant, entertainment centre and promotions venue.

I have not heard whether the Cutty Sark is to be fully restored to a working ship or the plan is to revert to the above glitzy pub/restaurant catering for the like of weddings and wakes.

It really is shameful how we have continued over the last couple of decades to run down our history and try and erase anything to do with our past and in particular our colonial past such as the Cutty Sark or HMS Carrick.

Please sign the Carrick/Adelaide petition currently on Gordon Brownsâ€™ web site. The closing date is Friday 7th September.

Another loss to our maritime heritage readers may be familiar with is the Kathleen & May the triple masted trading schooner currently based at Bideford.

She is the last surviving UK trading schooner and has undergone a Â£2 million pound restoration but now faces an uncertain future as the Docks in Bideford are redeveloped and an appeal for Lottery and European funds to keep her in the UK has been rejected.

To date the only interest to acquire such an historic vessel has come from the Caribbean and the USA.

These treasures should not be lost, as they will never be replaced or returned.

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Racing Roundup

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:27:43 +0000

The 49â€™er and 29â€™er National Championships were held at Llandudno Sailing Club at the end of August and several Restronguet sailors traveled up to Wales to try their hand at skiff racing.

The 49â€™er Nationals can be star-studded affairs depending on the whereabouts of the British Olympic Squad who as it happens were either resting after the World Championships in Portugal or preparing for the Chinese Test Event for the 2008 Olympics at Qingdao.

New faces therefore all round and Ed Powys and Will Morgan enjoyed a race win and finished 9th overall in a championship restricted to 5 races and 1 discard due to a lack of wind.

The 29â€™ers had better luck and completed a 10 race series with the 56-boat fleet into Gold and Silver sub-divisions after the first 5 races.

Fresh out of Optimists Liam and Sam Stackpoole fared best of the two fledgling Restronguet crews finishing 6th in the Silver fleet with George Wilson and Roger Stablins finishing 9th.

Itâ€™s a good thing that Lake Garda is a large lake as the Italian venue hosted the Dart 18 and Topper World Championships over the last couple of weeks.

Robin Elsey from Restronguet had an excellent regatta in the Topper Gold fleet finishing 11th overall and including 1 race win in the event, which had over 175 entries. Harry Houlding from Fowey Gallants finished 68th overall in the Gold fleet.

In the Dart 18,s Kim and Sarah Furniss from Pentewan finished 24th overall in a fleet of 124 boats. Sadly Matt Pullen and Debbie Rickard chose not to defend the title they won so convincingly last year in South Africa.

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Caprice Retains Falmouth Sunbeam Championship

Andy Tyler — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:26:53 +0000

Despite the absence of Jonathon Money and Phil Badger two of the major protagonists in the Sunbeam fleet this yearâ€™s championship held last weekend proved to be close and exciting with a 3-way battle for 2007 title.

Slight favourite after a clean sweep of Falmouth was Caprice skippered by Lennie Trenoweth and last yearâ€™s winner after a thrilling tussle with Jonathon Money and Polly V18.

This year in the absence of Polly the challenge stemmed from Saucy Sally (Peter Crockford), Verity (Neil Andrew) and Phantasy (David Townrow).

Two races were scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday with competitors allowed 1 discard in the 6 race series. The Royal Cornwall received 13 entries and although there was little sunshine the breeze co-operated with the wind strengthening through the weekend for the full programme to be completed.

Race 1 went to Saucy Sally followed home by Caprice and Verity with Phantasy back in 5th place separated from the main contenders by Tantivy skippered by Richard Holt.

Tantivy and her skipper performed exceptionally well all weekend and as fairly new to the class can be regarded as a definite threat to the established order next season.

Race 2 and the results reversed with Caprice winning from Saucy Sally followed by Phantasy and Verity to leave the pair tied on points and the leadership overnight.

Saturday was equally close with Caprice taking first blood followed by Phantasy, Saucy Sally and Verity. Race 4 was won by Phantasy with Tantivy upsetting the order by taking a fine 2nd relegating Caprice to 3rd with Verity 4th and Saucy Sally 5th.

Come the annual dinner at the Club on Saturday night Caprice had established a 4 point lead over her rivals to just require a good opening race on the Sunday to retain her title.

It always looks simple in theory but of course it never is in practice and of course Caprice posts her discard in the opening race on Sunday to leave the door slightly open to her main challengers Phantasy and Saucy Sally.

Phantasy wins the opener from Tantivy, Saucy Sally and Verity to make the final race a shoot out between Phantasy and Caprice with Saucy Sally just 2 points behind and awaiting any slip up between the leading pair.

The most members of the Trenoweth family have been sailing almost since they can walk and Lennie Trenoweth is one of the best helmsmen in the Port and well use to pressure situations.

Caprice is always up with the leaders for the Final Race of the championship and takes the gun at the finish followed home by Saucy Sally, Verity and Phantasy back in 4th.

Caprice retains the title from Phantasy who finishes tied for 2nd place on points with Saucy Sally but finishes Runner-up on countback of race wins.

Gripping racing to the end and underlining the quality currently to be found within the Sunbeam class.

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HMS CARRICK

Andy Tyler — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:02:40 +0000

In 2003 I wrote about the fate of HMS Carrick and some 4 years on little progress has been made and the threat of either her break up or sale to Australia remains.Likewise the Cutty Sark a well-loved sight in Falmouth before the War is also in desperate need of further financial assistance due to the disastrous recent fire.

The Cutty Sark Trust, which looks after the vessel, gets no support from central or local government despite the shipâ€™s designation as a World Heritage Site and a listing in the Maritime Heritage Trust Core Collection.

Richard Doughty the chief executive of the CST gambled all on a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund modeled on a successful bid submitted by SS Great Britain after having an earlier bid in 1999 turned down.

Having secured funding work commenced and the fire is a major setback.

There are surprisingly few antique sailing ships afloat in Europe or indeed the World. HMS Carrick is one of the few left and is currently under threat of disposal to South Australia as despite being the oldest merchant ship afloat the UK has no plans or money to restore the vessel.

Originally launched in Sunderland in 1864 as the City of Adelaide she established a fine reputation as a wool clipper with a voyage of 65 days being the best of over 23 runs to and from London and Adelaide.

She was reduced to a barque rig in 1881 with little loss in speed but a considerable reduction in manpower. By then however the writing was on the wall for sailing ships and by 1887 she had been converted to a Hospital Ship although never actually used for such a purpose.

In 1923 she was converted into a Drill Ship and renamed HMS Carrick. Extensive reconstruction at Troon preserved her old hull and allowed for the installation of guns, searchlights, torpedoes and wireless facilities.

Formally commissioned in 1925 by the Marchioness of Graham, HMS Carrick was operational up to the end of the Second World War. Many young men and women were trained for the RNVR and Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships on HMS Carrick and she finally ended up as the Headquarters for Wren personnel in Scotland.

On the conclusion of the War the Admiralty decided that HMS Carrick should be scrapped only to be saved by the ex RNVR Officers of Scotland.

In 1946 these ex servicemen where looking for a shore base in the West of Scotland which had proved fruitless until they learnt of the HMS Carrick lying unwanted in the James Watt Dock at Greenock.

Under pressure from the late Duke of Montrose and Admiral Sir Charles Morgan the Admiralty presented the Ship to the embryo Club.

Membership of the Club declined and ownership of HMS Carrick has passed to the Scottish Maritime Museum, which has owned the ship for the past 11 years.

The Scottish Maritime Museum recovered HMS Carrick from a watery grave as she had sunk at her moorings in Govern in 1991. Plans were announced to restore the vessel in 1994 at an estimated cost of Â£4 million pounds but the project never took off and indeed the SMM went into bankruptcy in 2000.

The problems have steadily mounted as the SMM controversially tried to have the now A-Listed ship demolished as the Museumâ€™s trustees decided they could not afford the rent on the shipâ€™s berth at Irvine or raise the money to restore the ship.

This is where the Australians enter the picture and decide to mount a bid to recover the vessel and ship her back to Adelaide. The City of Sunderland also become interested because of the build history and both parties are in submitted bids to the Maritime Heritage Trust who have assumed ownership of the vessel on the demise of the SMM.

The Duke of Edinburgh chairman of the MHT convened a meeting in September 2001 to discuss the future of the vessel at which representations from Adelaide and Sunderland argued their respective corners.

Since then some Australian Government support has been forthcoming but there is an obvious reluctance to dispose of such an historic vessel already included on our Historic Ships Registry.

Four years down the line and nothing much has changed although the SMM or its replacement is still trying to have the clipper broken up.

Avid readers of the West Briton may recall reading last year about plans by a Somerset businessman to convert the ship into a restaurant and possibly bring her down to Falmouth but that also seems to have stalled.

If I were to place money I would have to say the odds are in favour of HMS Carrick being sold to Australia.

Donâ€™t get me wrong as I genuinely like Australia and Australians but I believe that it is criminal if through lack of Government or lottery support this vessel is allowed to leave the UK.

It is unrealistic to ever expect the Cutty Sark to ever sail again but I believe that HMS Carrick offers the UK Government a unique opportunity to restore a working Clipper ship from the days of wool and grain runs from Australia to the UK via Cape Horn.

HMS Carrick is about to be lost to this country and I would suggest that its retention is important to the nationâ€™s maritime history.

The Australian interest should act as a spur for Government action but I feel a deep foreboding in my bones that it will be encouraged and used as neat way of solving a problem and yet allowing a unique part of our maritime heritage to be lost.

Having studied the Australian web site and read their case for the Carrick to be relocated to Adelaide I am struck by the willingness of both national and state authorities to mobilize resources to secure the vessel.

This is in stark contrast to the UK authorities that seem to stuck in a quagmire of red tape and bureaucracy and unable to offer help in any shape or form.

Given the choice between a Rubens or HMS Carrick which would mean more to most people? If we can stop the export of works of art then surely an old hulk representing the last of probably the worldâ€™s finest sailing ships deserves some historical status especially given the A grade listing.

Successive governments appear hell bent on erasing our historic past and especially connections with our colonial Empire. The Australians would appear to embrace and celebrate that history whereas we chose to be apologetic or embarrassed.

I would concede the Empire was not perfect but the loss of the last Clipper is of such historical significance that for once we should fight for it to remain in the UK.

As Falmouth was the first landfall in the UK for such vessels I wonder whether HMS Carrick could not be brought down here and restored in the Docks.

The clipper would have paid many visits to the Port on her way to London and she would provide a magnificent attraction for the Dock Redevelopment Scheme.

A Clipper Route Interpretation Centre could also be included and show why and how Falmouth For Orders was the abiding directive for all UK merchant sailing vessels.

Given our chosen status as an EEC regeneration area the preservation of such a classic vessel a project that Carrick and Cornwall could embrace whole heatedly and with aplomb?

It would be a mouth-watering project and a wonderful addition to our waterfront despite the ongoing costs of maintaining such a vessel.

As a possibility how about a joint initiative with Adelaide and the clipper actually sailing between the two ports and spending 12 months in Oz and 12 months in Falmouth?

It would certainly prove a distraction for more mundane issues such as car parking, sewage and council tax!

The sad state of both HMS Carrick and the Cutty Sark although not crucial to the UK in political or economic terms does I think underline the sad demise of colour in this country.

By all means continue to pour millions into the health service and education but it is so black and white and mundane and for the sake of Â£25 million, which is peanuts in terms of national expenditure some colour and light could be introduced into much neglected legacy of our past namely maritime history.

We continue to fail to acknowledge our past our lives are becoming increasingly monochrome, boring and dull.

I do not think for one moment that the French or the Australians would allow either the Cutty Sark or Carrick to rot away and national pride and awareness would ensure their full restoration.

The circulation of the West Briton is circa 65,000 copies a week and currently there is a petition to Gordon Brown asking him to make the restoration of the HMS Carrick/City of Adelaide a priority.

To date some 761 people have signed that petition. This will cost no money but all I ask is that you sign it on http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/cuttysarksister/sign and if 650 or 6,500 or even 65,000 sign the petition it might just persuade Gordon to actually make it happen.

Thank you.

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Portscatho Regatta

Andy Tyler — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:59:28 +0000

Last Saturday Portscatho hosted its annual regatta and blessed with marvelous sunny weather some 80 entries were received for the sailing events.

Sadly the breeze refused to kick in until late afternoon but with 15 windsurfers, 12 Picos, 7 Ajaxes and 6 Working Boats plus a myriad of handicap dinghies it was the best entry for many years.

Not everyone went racing but the joy of village regattas such as Portscatho or Flushing is that it reaffirms the community and its spirit as the whole village comes out to party and everyone is invited.

In terms of results the influx of Laser SB3s into the Carrick Roads was demonstrated by Senior Momentum (Simone Kennett) winning the passage race from St Mawes round to Portscatho.

The PY Yachts Class was another SB3 benefit with SB3 Sixteen Bells (Neil Cameron) winning from yet another SB3 Cardinal Puff (Richard Beaman).

Elsewhere the Ajax Maestro David Liddington won the Ajax Class in Athena and Bob Edwards and Rob Collins enjoyed a spectacular match race in the Falmouth 18 footers.

Bob sailing Magpie got the upper hand over Rob in Myrtle but it was definitely reminiscent of the 1960â€™s when Magpie (George Cork) use to go head to head with Marie (Frankie Peters) in the same class separated by mere seconds throughout the race.

Not all the Working Boats made it to the start line with several crews running aground at the Social Club but on the water Winnie (Arthur Williams) got the better of Agnes (Robin Snelson) in B Class and Lottie (Paul Ferris) won C Class.

Bob Warren proved that age is no obstacle in winning the Windsurfer Class and there were wins for the RS600 of Piran and Ivo Tedbury (Fast PY dinghies), the Gull of Anthony Kilner (Slow PY dinghies), Tom Grafton (Pico) and Mary Denning and Lottie Crafton (Pico 2).

The consensus was that 2007 was probably one of the best Portscatho Regattas for decades and a great deal of thanks must go to Tony Tomlinson and Maggie George and their respective teams of volunteer helpers for keeping such a great event going for yet another year. See you in 2008.

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Fowey Week 2007

Andy Tyler — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:50:35 +0000

Fowey Week this year was not helped by the weather with strong winds reducing fleet numbers on the passage race to Falmouth on the Sunday and the return to Fowey on the Monday.
No Ajaxes made the trip up to Fowey from St Mawes as Tuesday also proved to be a bit too breezy off the Dodman for a 23 ft open boat.

Only 3 Sunbeams made the trip up to Fowey but a large contingent of Working Boats no doubt spurred on by the warmth of the welcome at Fowey managed the passage.

Sadly racing was blown off on Tuesday and Wednesday and so Thursday proved the only day of activity for the visiting Falmouth fleets with a win apiece for Evelyn in the Working boats and Clary in the Sunbeams.

The highlight of the Week however is the Harbour Race for Working Boats and a fleet of 14 boats made it a magnificent sight for crowds of spectators lining both sides of the River.

It was as so often decided at the start with Demelza skippered by JA getting the perfect start and disappearing off down River never to be headed. Mayhem followed on behind with Evelyn (David Mathewson) and Helen Mary (Kevin Andrew) making the initial running before spinning off at the first turning mark to let Irene (Robert Northey) and Boy Willie (Timmie Vinnicombe) take up the pursuit.

Irene and Boy Willie enjoyed a terrific scrap throughout the next two rounds but could not catch Demelza who deservedly won this nerve-wracking event.

Racing 14 Working Boats in a tight confined seaway takes an incredible amount of skill from skippers and their crews especially in any sort of breeze.

Irene just held off Boy Willie by half a bowsprit to take 2nd place with a charging Cousin Jinny (Graham Pearce) coming through to finish 4th.

The one thing about Fowey, which I always enjoy, is the mastery of Alan Toms in the Troy Class.

The Troys and the Fowey Rivers and the dinghy fleets raced all week within the confines of the Harbour.

Head and shoulders above all else in terms of performance was Mr. Toms winning the Troy Class for the umpteen time in T26 Moonstone and giving a sailing lesson to all on how to sail in Fowey Harbour.
A

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Sunbeam Championships

Andy Tyler — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:49:42 +0000

Friday sees the start of the Falmouth Sunbeam Championships hosted as usual by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club.

I expect the entry to number around 12/14 boats with a wide-open championship in prospect.

Last year Lennie Trenoweth sailing Caprice won and so should start as favourite this year however assuming attendance Verity (Neil Andrew), Saucy Sally (Peter Crockford), Verony (Phil Badger) and Phantasy (David Townrow) could all mount a serious challenge.

First race is on Friday morning and full details can be obtained from the RCYC.