Messages

TVSC Open postponed to May next year.

Is anyone coming to the TVSC open meeting?   So far I'm the only entry (and I'm feeling lonely!)

Greetings. This is the new date for the TVSC open meeting which will be held jointly with the Merlin Rockets. Three races back to back (first race 11:00) followed by a roast lunch. This is a full open meeting, all N12s welcome including vintage. RSVP to paul@ryehillfarm.com 

[URGENT NOTICE]

Greetings Vintage Yotters. 

URGENT NOTICE

The Vintage Champs tomorrow and Sunday has been postponed because of the serious wind forecast/ yellow warning from the MET Office. We are looking to re-run possibly at Solway on the weekend of 30th September/1st October, but watch out for announcements. 

PT on behalf John Sears @ Notts County

Update - Mr Jones is now with Ben Jones, son of Martin Jones the designer of N2399. See boat database for more info . P

I received this email a few days ago:

Dear Paul,
Thought I would drop you a line to let you know my father, C M Jones (always known as Martin and the designer of Mr Jones) turns 90 this August. I didn't know if you had any photos you could share of her sailing/ restoration as he and my mother, who met him through sailing, were pleased to hear people are still enjoying the boats he designed. He designed the boat for a chap called Hugh Welbourne who apparently asked my father for the design to be extreme! My father moved onto sailing Squibs in the early 70s in which he taught me to sail before moving on to gliding in retirement and moving down to Cornwall where my parents now live, although I now live in the Midlands for work reasons.
Kind regards
Ben Jones

Following several further emails I delivered Mr Jones to Ben this morning together with a pack of various old documents charting the history of N2399. I believe that Ben's intention is to take Mr Jones down to Cornwall to sail.

Hi Paul, Saw your item of 24th May on the Nat 12 site .

I would like to add to the history you have on Smuggler.

I bought it from Rowsel boat yard in the late 1970`s and sold it to a guy from Wales about 1984/5.

I live in Barnstaple, North Devon and have attached a pic of me in the Torridge at Instow .It was a surprise to learn that she was still being used.

Hope you manage to sell her .

Brian Langley

Thank you peeps for the various enquiries; all the spare sails (and carbon boom) have now gone. It's just the surplus boats to sell...

Hi Bryan. For new sails my first stop would be HD Sails in Birmingham 0121 356 2175 and ask for Andy Davis. If you only want second hand, I have a decent suit of North Sails, and several older Alverbank mains. 07710 324 800

Greetings N12 Sailors. Following various accidents and operations I have been read the (medical) Riot Act which means that my sailing activities will have to be restricted and also that I will have to much reduce my collection of N12s. The following (first of design) boats are now for sale/looking for a caring home either with separate owners or for someone to take over the collection.

N1650 Smuggler, N2020 Starfish, N2359 Shotgun, N2399 Mr Jones, N2492 Whisper, and N2750 Cheshire Cat. All are in racing order with combi trailers (except N1650 launching only) and covers; several have undercovers.

If you are interested please contact me; I'm not looking for a fortune more good homes for these heritage boats. I have really enjoyed saving, restoring and lending out these fab boats but, sadly, the time has come....... 

paul@ryehillfarm.com

PS the Vintage Champs are coming up 15/16th July at Notts County SC just down the road.....

Black Cat hull deemed past restoring, rig being donated to N3301 Grizelda

It is with deep regret that I report the death of Harry Dalby in mid-December. 

 Harry was a member of Trent Valley for more than fifty years.  He was the eldest of the four Dalby brothers and the first to become a TVSC member.  He was an active and highly competitive dinghy sailor during the 1960s and 1970s.  He competed at the Club and in open meetings locally and further afield, often with one of his younger brothers as crew. 

He was a passionate National 12 sailor and a member of the 'Trent Valley Ditchcrawlers' along with Paul Turner and the late Clive Robinson.  He designed and built his own National 12s, the names of the designs reflecting his business interests in industrial ovens – 'Gas-Fired',  'Hot Planks' and 'Red-Hot Shot', and where he lived - 'Oadby Owl'.
  
 Harry continued his sailing interests into later life, keeping a yacht on the Hamble.  His children attended the TVSC Junior Camp on a number of occasions and Harry had acquired his nephew Philip's Merlin Rocket with the intention, sadly unfulfilled, of teaching his grandchildren to sail at Trent Valley.
  
 Harry was a Committee member during the 1970s and Rear and Vice Commodore towards the end of that time.  He remained a Trustee of the Club until his death.
 
 The funeral service will be at St. James the Greater, London Rd. Leicester at 12.30 on January 10th, and then moving onto the Masonic Hall, London Road. 

Jean Gill's funeral will be on Wednesday 7^th September at 14:00 at St Chad's Church, Wilne, Derbyshire with the Rev Gary Dundas officiating.

Feel free to contact me if you need any more information. Paul

A message from Nick Gill:

"I am sad to report that my mother, Jean Gill has died aged 93. She sailed National 12's for around twenty years from 1950 till 1970. Her first boat was N580 called Phantom which she persuaded Dougie to pass onto her when she tired of crewing. After that she owned N1900, a Mk 8 called Champers, a nod to the hedonist 60's I think. Her last boat and the one she had most success in was a Starfish N2307 called Roundabout. She sailed actively at Trent Valley Sailing Club and competed in the Midland area circuit. I recall one championship at Llandudno around 1966 where she sailed in a fleet of well over a hundred boats. She was one of a very few lady helms in those days. Her final dinghy days were in Fireballs which on the River Trent was quite a challenge. After that she took up golf with similar enthusiasm. Off the water she ran Yacht Supplies in Breaston, a well-stocked chandlery, until the early eighties."

I first met Ken in the late 1960s when my sister crewed for him at TVSC. He was always great company and put so much time and effort into supporting sailing at Trent Lock but he also worked tirelessly at promoting the vintage wing of NTOA. A very kind and thoughtful man. So many happy memories and stories of incidents, including him winning a Derwent meeting only to have the Commodore of that Club pinch his opening joke that he had been rehearsing - but he rose to the occasion! We will miss you, Ken.