View Down the Line is a monthly column written for the Netley Sailing Club Newsletter. Although focused on the Open Meetings hosted at the club it covers a wide range of topics, some humerous, some informative but always centred around what is happening out on the Race Course.
Each Months 'View Down the Line' will be featured here, archived copy can be seen by clicking on the required month.
View down the Line. October 06
Well now, how is your Wotnot? Is that too personal a question? Okay then try this one. How are you getting on with your Satisfaction, are you enjoying it
Now you make think I’ve either finally flipped or am suffering the male menopause (some would say both) but actually both are genuine, relevant dinghy questions. Sat out there in there in the dinghy pound are a growing number of dinghy racing classics, amongst then…yes, you’ve got it, a Wotnot and a Satisfaction, both in their day top flight Merlin Rocket designs. Sadly though they day is past but the fact that these two wonderful boats are no longer competitive at the top level doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for them out on a race course, particularlly at a club such as Netley.
The passage of time for boats such as the older Merlins is at long last being recognised with a more generous allowance being made to their handicap rating. If these boats could therefore be tempted out to join our regular comings together (not literally I must add else we’ll back at last months subject of Protests) then there is every chance for them to happily compete with the modern white ‘plastic fantastics’ (RS boats to you and me). Proof of this must be the Albacore that turns out very regularlly in the seasoned hands of Lance Andrews. Okay, Lance is a very experienced (some would say wily) dinghy racer and no one knows the waters off Netley quite like he does. That said, he’s taken an older, some would even say unfashionable boat, re rigged it and is racking up very respectable results when ever there is breeze and a lot of windward work. One wag went as far as to say that the easiest way to determine the wind direction was to check Lance’s course on the beat, for unless were mistaken he seems to steer the boat straight upwind!! We’re only lucky that as a Association the Albacore Class have voted against a age related allowance else Lance would have a boat that would even be more generously aided by the maths than the Phantom – and THAT takes some doing.
Older boats can also be found on the other side of the clubhouse in the cat tray (opps, sorry, rows XX-XX) with boats like a pair of Condor Cats, a Dart 20 and other historical craft all just looking for the chance to get out there and show that they can still ‘cut the mustard’! To this varied collection we now have added a classic International Canoe (hmmmmm.. that should do well at Netley, providing the non sailors on the terrace with some very interesting spectacles!!! In days of old the advertising tag line for the Canoe Class was “anything else is like kissing your sister”, can’t say I’ve tried that, think I’ll stick to kissing my brother! The very latest ‘oldies’ boat to make an appearance at Netley is a Unit, just possibly the only boat with a handicap better than that of a Ph…. no, I won’t go there, instead “better than that of a Scorpion”! Actually the Unit was a Hamble designed single hander, built at Chippendales in Fareham and destined to compete in the trials set by the IYRU to replace the Finn. Despite a sparkling performance by the Unit in sailing, as everywhere else, politics rule, the Contender ended up getting the IYRU’s vote and the rest, as they say, is history!
In keeping with my new found plan to use free lance writing as a ploy to keep me off the streets, I’ve found (in a shed on the isle of Wight) and purchased the last cold moulded Unit in existence and will be racing it on the classic dinghy scene during the 2007 season. These old boats have a varied and interesting open meeting circuit, with events at such diverse locations as the Baltic Wharf Docks in central Bristol to the tidal expanses of Brightlingsea. And now the Classic Boats would like to come to Netley next season and would hope that many of our own ‘classic boats’ (such as those already noted above) would want to join in . So if your boat is 25 years old or more then you’d be welcome, just seek me out at the club at some point and I’ll let you know progress on getting an event of the ground.
Hosting an event such as the Classic Classes will be a big change for the club, one of a number that the coming season in 2007 may bring. One thing is certain, Netley needs to look long and hard at what events it will, and won’t be hosting in the future. While it is always a privledge for the club to host the ‘senior’ classes that have a long history of coming to Netley, boats such as the Hornet, Scorpion and Osprey, their numbers have now declined to the point that prime sailing weekends are being given up, only to see even less boats out racing than we’d normally have out for a regular club Sunday.
Maybe it is the fault of the club, for sure some racers now see our facilities as tired and limited, maybe it is the fault of the classes with their ever present issue of ‘fixture congestion’ or maybe it is just yet another sign of the changing times. So many people speak of the decline in the ‘traditional’ sailing clubs and classes yet, as was spoken of in last months jottings, some areas of the sport are ‘riding high’. The cats still seem to be going from strength to strength with yet more of them joining in with the usual Sunday fixtures. Another group ‘on a roll’ are the RS600s, one wonders if they have been breeding like rabbits down in the dinghy pound. For those who haven’t been around of late the RS600 is very quick, very tippy but lots of fun. Ian Parker and Co can be seen out there wobbling from capsize to capsize yet coming ashore with huge grins on their faces. Yes, having fun is surely what it’s all about. One of our growing fleet of 600 sailors, Steve Reeve, has delivered the Oscar winning ‘Performance by a Netley Boat at an Open Meeting’ by running the leaders close at the Hayling Island event. He won the last two races and now must be seen as one of the clubs hottest prospects.
With this growing presence of these exciting boats at Netley it is hoped that we will be hosting them, and the RS Vareos, in the coming season. The Vareos are yet another fleet that has been quietly growing in size down in the dinghy pound with such notable names as one ‘Dave Machin’ and the ever present Luc (he of the frites with mayonnaise leanings) getting to grips with this spinnaker equipped singlehander.
With the club’s cat sailing interests well served with Netley hosting at least one major event, maybe two, the mixed ranks of the RS’s, the classic boats and no doubt a weekend for the normal culprits (Hornets, Ospreys, Shearwaters and Scorpions etc) the season is filling up already. But for once there is enough spread in the make up of the open events to provide something for everyone. So even if you’re not up to speed with the latest whiz bang super fast sailing there should be some events open to you. See you there!!