Paul Turner, TVSC N3157 “Perfect Kiss”
You will have all no doubt already read Med’s report of the GILL meeting
on the 26 and 27th July at Hunstanton (being the first two days of the
NWNW) and Graham’s notes on the sailing for the whole week on the NTOA
website – but this is what happened at the other end of the fleet – and
off the water!
Friday 25th July – we set out from darkest Breaston, “we” being myself,
Christine Marshall and Tricia Wood, at 2.30 with a car and boat loaded
to the gunwales with double rations of catering (both had brought enough
to feed 5,000 with rather more than 10 loaves, 4 fishes and lots of
fruit and veg) plus various suits of sails (including Graham’s new
Alverbank’s and an aged fully battened mainsail for me to wave about at
Hunstanton) in addition to the usual sailing gear and suitcases. Having
been used to only breakfast at the cottage with every other meal out, it
looked like being a different sort of week from the very start – and it
was! We had arranged to meet up with the Up River crew at the Jolly
Sailor in Brancaster but Dave Peacock, who was driving direct from
Malvern, arrived very late – so Gerry arranged for our beers to be
consumed in our absence!
Saturday 26th July – dawned sunny with a gentle breeze and we made our
way to Hunstanton after a serious breakfast. Parking loads of boats and
accompanying motors proved to be entertaining with the local council
mini Hitlers (sorry, car park attendants) proving to be serious “jobs
worth’s”.
Race 1 – the local money was on a general recall for the N12s – and they
were right with over enthusiasm and the tide taking many boats over on
the start. We were re-cycled to start after all the other classes. We
had an (innocent) incident on the start line and were last at the
windward mark, recovering one place by the finish. The joy of being at
the back of the fleet is that you actually get more sailing time and
don’t have to wait around so long for the next start! You also get to
meet the happy souls in the other classes who haven’t yet discovered the
joys of N12 sailing.
Race 2 - saw us getting a much better start, and, now getting used to
the sea, we were actually up with the fast boys at the first mark. But
then the rot set in again with everyone planing away from us – we did
have easily the oldest and heaviest boat (and a few from Up River had
cheated this year by upgrading their yots from Design 8s!)
Meds and family plus Gavin and Sabrina joined us at the Cottage for
overnight accommodation or camping and it was off to the Jolly Sailor
(when DP finally got back from the shrine of the wibberly wobberly
rudder where everyone seemed to be consulting about these new fangled
finned foils – there’ll never get off the ground!) Lots of N12 yotters
were there and I seemed to end up in Paradigm Corner hearing plans to
produce new ready to sail DB yots with carbon rigs for £6,000 complete
with sensible rudders – what a fantastic boost this could be for the
class.
Sunday 27th July – not a cloud in the sky but it seemed that there was
some confusion about who was sailing which boats with what sail numbers.
I hadn’t helped by using the fully battened sails with N3363 on
yesterday for N3157, but it seems that the committee were using LAST
year’s entry forms! Decided to use the new “legal” sails to avoid more
confusion (and to hopefully go faster)!
Race 1 – good breeze and a bit of a chop saw a few capsizes (but not
us!) and we beat a few.
Race 2 - saw us getting a good start and were mid fleet at the windward
mark; again, we were left behind in the downhill planing. We had
arranged to meet up with Graham and Zoe at the Jockey in Burnham
Mark-up, but hunger took over and it seems that we had eaten and gone
before they arrived.
Monday 28th July – we decided to have a rest day! We had all overslept,
knees were aching and hands were not functioning so the King’s Lynn mud
did not seem too appealing (although I am reliably informed that one
crew actually wanted to go and sail there!) A call to Gerry confirmed
our decision – apparently the chef at the club had broken her arm and
there seemed little possibly of the usual fabulous all day breakfasts –
so we went to Holkham and walked (slowly) around the coast to Wells
where we had lunch and caught the bus back to the car. I rang Barry
Judge, former TVSC member from the dark ages, and had a very pleasant
hour or two in the Ship PH at Brancaster reminiscing about the good old
days at TVSC and the assorted characters. The purpose of the meeting was
(honestly!) to inspect his Mark8 which has been in his garage for many
years; N1733 Christi seemed sound from a very brief inspection and I may
just have found a new and caring home for her at TVSC.
Monday night we ate in (a gastronomic experience!) and there was a
serious thunderstorm overnight – the only rain that we saw until
Saturday lunchtime at Snett.
Tuesday 29th July – saw us off to Wells next the Sea. David and I took
the boats down early to get a space in the boat park next to the club
house well before the briefing at 2.30. DP spent many happy hours “bimbling”
with string, and other assorted bits and bobs. The hands had recovered
but the knees were complaining – and Tricia was holding forth about her
bruised bottom! Although the wind seemed quite gentle in the lee of the
town it was fairly hairy during the dead run out to the start line with
Lasers falling in around us. We had several steady gybes as we navigated
the twists of the channel but managed to totally lose the foredeck under
water in one of the squalls – miraculously we didn’t capsize! Rule 2*
was invoked before Rule 1* kicked in and we beat a hasty retreat to the
safety of the club house to be joined very soon afterwards by Messrs
Copsey, Pelling and Elcombe. Graham confessed later that he had been “cacking
it” in the start line – so it must have been a bit windy! And the day
finished with an invitation to all from Gerry and the Up River crew to
join them for a BBQ – great evening – many thanks guys!
Wednesday 30th July – DP departed back home very early in the morning –
without waking anyone! The day dawned sunny and breezy. We had a lazy
day, drove to Blakeney for the race start at 5.00pm, had a fab sail and
didn’t come last (only because Tim Harris retired!) A few fell in – but
again, not us. The start was quite interesting with a reef right in the
middle of the line, plus there was another shallow bit only feet from
the windward mark – but that’s NWNW for you! It was getting a bit late
by the time we had got the boats off the water (North Norfolk closes at
9.00pm!) and we only just got to the Ship for a meal and then adjourned
to the Jolly Sailor for the N12 convention being held there.
Thursday 31st July – another lazy day, late lunch and a late sail at
Blakeney. Tricia, after a day off for good behaviour, was now crewing
for Gerry. Decent breeze to start but it died off – and we beat Patrick
Elcombe! Had been reading Robin Stevenson’s book “The story of the
National Twelves”, kindly lent to me by Mike Nokes – 91 clubs are listed
as having N12s fleets in 1965. It was worrying to note how many Midlands
clubs have stopped sailing N12s, or have disappeared totally, in the
last 40 years.
Friday 1st August – overslept, lazy late breakfast and off to Snettisham.
It was quite breezy when we got there, but no water (although we were
assured by the locals that it had been ordered). The keen yotters rushed
about preparing boats as Gerry and I wandered about, went down to the
beach and looked north to the gathering black clouds over Lincolnshire.
After some skull scratching we decided that discretion and all that, and
so didn’t bother to rig the boats – the crews seemed quite relieved! And
the wind got up, the squalls arrived, boats got broken and the race was
abandoned. Gerry and Liz joined us at the Cottage for the last evening
including walk across Burnham Market to the Jockey for a meal. The only
time the telly was switched on was that evening to see what the weather
forecast was going to tell us about Saturday morning; I had also rung
the “Old Dragon” at home for her to surf the interweb for updates. The
committee decided that, much as we would liked to get up at 4.00am to be
on the water for a 6.15am start, the weather looked too dodgy – and we
decided on a lie in instead!
Saturday 2nd August – breakfast – and Gerry was keen to get to
Snettisham to see how much business was waiting for him! Prize giving
(results elsewhere in Graham’s report, but I think that he forgot to
mention that this was his first NWNW and that Christine and I got cups
for “meritorious conduct i.e. last!), collect the boats and off home
promising to return next year!
Serious thanks must go to Adrian & Joan Tebbutt and all the assorted
clubs and helpers for making this year another superb week’s yotting.
Overall 40 boats entered for the week with 75 on the water at Hunstanton
(30 were N12s) so they had a lot of work to do – and they did it very
well!
So Chaps (and Chapesses) – book your accommodation now and send off your
entry form for NWNW 2009 (being the 60th anniversary )! I have!
*Turner’s Five Rules of Fun N12 Yotting available on request if
accompanied with suitable alcoholic bribery!