N3162 Bicycle Clips

[sollenelle]

Bicycle Clips changed owner again last week and is currently at Nottingham Sailing Club.

[John Sears]

Good to see the pictures of Bicycle Clips in such good condition. Certainly the best 12 I ever owned. I regretted parting with her soon after selling her.
Originally I ordered a boat to my own design from Nigel Waller. Fortunately he talked me out of proceeding with it and I was able to have one of the first batch of Baggy's he built in 1981. I had to wait until the middle of the summer. It was getting uncomfortably close to Norfolk & Burton week and I kept chasing him. Nigel lived just round the corner from me so eventually he suggested we meet up on the Friday evening before driving over to the works in Shardlow to collect the boat. I should have spotted the stalling tactics as he kept giving me glasses of wine, postponing our departure. We got there about 10 at night. To my dismay I found that the epoxy was still tacky! We had to carry the boat out on fingertips! Fortunately the weather was hot so the epoxy and paint went off very fast. By rubbing down & painting before and after a day's work, Sarah & I managed to have her ready to sail by the next weekend. We were missing the all important pivoting daggerboard case and foils. When I rang Nigel to enquire where they were there was a distinct cough. However they did appear that evening, carried by Mad Derek sitting in the back of the A35 and glistening with fresh wet epoxy!
That first sail at Trent Valley was a revelation. The first time we got on a reach the boat just planed away from the others and I knew we had a special boat.
The following week we went to Norfolk week and managed to win some of the sea races, despite being largely untuned. Sailing down waves with the daggerboard was a superb feeling. The boat was so responsive and easy to drive.
We had our best Burton week that year, having an epic Burton cup race with Phil Morrison and finishing 2nd. Graham Bailey was just that bit quicker and Punkarella was a well sorted boat by then. Our rig sagged badly to windward but downwind we just flew. In the following years we improved her performance despite having to remove the daggerboard. However we had much more competition as more Baggy's appeared in the fleet. We still finished 3rd in our last Burton week with her in 1986.
I still have her original pivoting daggerboard case somewhere in the attic. Gerard Waller did artwork for the original name on each side. She originally had a shallow stern tank as well as buoyancy bags. Steve Norbury undertook a radical weight reduction program on her and I was quite envious of the success he had. However I was older and heavier by then so I am sure I would have been unable to match his performance. I have enjoyed seeing her from time to time and hearing about her new owners. She must be close to the record for having the most owners in her life.

[Tom Alexander (Guest)]

I owned Bicycle Clip from 1995-2002. I loved that boat. I rebuilt the centreboard case and plained of keels off in Nigels Waller's boatshed and got a fantastic Waller centreboard and it went like a rocket. Second overall at Waldringfield Cartoon 1997 (should have won!) and two race wins at Aldeburgh 1999 against all the top guys where my best results.
The carbon rig looks awesome, I would have liked to use that. Vanish job looks great in pics. It was two pac vanish when I had it by the way but you would have to check with the other owners.
Happy sailing
Tom Alexander