FOWEY CLASSICS 2012 Jul 31st - Aug 3rd
The 21st Anniversary RallyFowey Classics have finally arrived in the 21st century with the launching, at the beginning of April, of this website which supports all the relevant information for entrants.
This has been achieved thanks to all 73 of you who bravely invested in the first ever Fowey Classics Calendar, which, following three reprints because I seriously underestimated the demand, has generated sufficient revenue to re-invest in contemporary communications. I hope you like the site. Apologies to the few of you who found that your calendar had a rather short year. I hope that these omissions have now all been rectified. Order now for 2009.
On the new website we have endeavoured to produce a clear, uncluttered, user friendly and visually interesting layout which, hopefully, will enable you to navigate easily to all the information needed.
The entry form is a pdf document (2 X A4 pages) which can be downloaded and printed out. However we are not yet quite sufficiently advanced to allow you to pay on-line. Your payment will still have to be made with a good old-fashioned cheque, in the post accompanying your completed entry form.
Credit for the IT wizardry, for the site construction and for his great patience in incorporating my myriad of detailed graphic refinements, goes to Sander Taats, a web-designer based in north east Sweden. Sander is coming to Fowey for the Classics to meet you all and to see, first hand, exactly what the event is all about.
Sander would like to go afloat but as “Surprise” is probably rather too extreme to initiate a novice sailor I hope one or two of you with larger, more sensible and more comfortable boats may be able to help by finding a day berth for him.
As you use the site you will notice that on most of the screens (pages?) the visual images change on a random basis. This serves to keep a fresh look to the page – a small element of surprise – and more importantly to enable us to use as many different illustrations as possible. All the pics are credited in the “Web Gallery” and I hope that this will encourage you to submit your own digital images after this years’ event. We will upload the best of them, possibly by having a little competition. However please note that this is not a path to instant riches since Fowey Classics do not pay any royalty or fee for using photos. A credit and visibility on the world wide web should be sufficient reward!
You may feel that after the televised launch last year of
“Elizabeth Ann”, the replica Gorran Haven Crabber, any future Classics might be something of an anti-climax. Whilst we can’t guarantee a launching every summer we have drawn on the best elements of the 2007 programme and refined them for this August.
The Cornish Maritime Trust is planning to bring the original 1892
“Ellen” to Fowey, so for the first time in perhaps 100 years you will be able to see two Gorran Haven crabbers sailing together, especially interesting as they both have “zackly” the same lines.
Mentioning Gorran Haven crabbers reminds me that the very same hand blown rummer which Victoria Graham used to launch
“Elizabeth Ann” last August is returning to Fowey Classics. You may recall that Charles Hunter-Pease
(“Varen”) captured this evocative rummer after a fiercely contested auction at the prize Giving supper. Charles has now had it mounted in a Victorian glass bell and is very generously donating it to the Classics as
“The Gorran Haven Crabber Trophy” to be a new trophy for the “Best boat with a quadrilateral sail”.
Another new Concours trophy
“The Slippery Salver” has been equally generously presented to Fowey Classics by sisters Pat Kirkham and Di Webster. This should encourage skippers of the small boat Class 5 (17ft 6 ins to 20ft) to smarten up their paintwork and their sailing skills as this trophy, like all our Concours prizes, is for the “best” boat in Class. Note not “fastest”!
The “proper job” Cornish Cream Tea served at Gallants last Classics attracted 192 enthusiastic gastronomes but their enjoyment was rather curtailed by the diktats of TV presentations upriver. So, for 2008 we will repeat the Cream Teas, add Birthday Party to the title as there are some celebrations in store and, with the luxury of a little more time, have some appropriate live music for the occasion. The local – and major SW – law firm of Stephens & Scown (pronounced “scone”) have very generously underwritten the cost of this sybaritic tea time. You already know their name as your benefactors for the “Sun over the Yardarm” welcome bag as well as being the sponsors of the hugely popular Welcome Cocktail Party. Our very sincere thanks to Andy Steele and his team.
The top communications manager from the home of the British Admiralty charts – UKHO – has rewritten his holiday and work schedule in order to come to Fowey to give us a remarkable insight into the production of the Admiralty chart.
Demonstrably the best charts in the world, first created over 200 years ago, essential in the “Rule Britannia” era, beloved of spies, indispensable for yachtsmen and now collector’s items for the earlier editions, Nick Tasker’s illustrated talk entitled
“The Admiralty chart, history and tradition, art and science” is tailor made for Fowey Classics so I hope you will all come along to Gallants for this. Once in place for this Learning Curve you’ll hardly have to move for the Cream Tea Birthday Party.
Our other Learning Curve looks at an equally interesting topic. Wooden boats.
Two years ago a gale delayed the arrival of the Classics fleet into Fowey. During that same gale Peter Williams of Bodinnick Boatyard, struggled back from DZ in horrendous conditions (20+ hours under staysail only) expecting to greet 23 of you who had signed on for the
“Traditional wooden boatbuilding” Learning Curve. Only 3 actually made it. So for the other 20 of you, and everyone else too, Peter has very kindly agreed to re-run the tour of the boatyard and the “Yarn with the Maestro” bit, including
“How to wield an adze without shortening your leg”.
Following feedback last year we have taken onboard your comments about the cost of the Prize Giving / Farewell Supper. Since this is very much at the heart of the Classics social programme we have developed a “Mediterranean” style buffet supper evening which will bring down the ticket price and will open up availability by accommodating many more diners.
For the ravenous carnivores in the fleet we will be repeating the very well supported Real Lamb Roast on the Harbour Front terrace of the Royal Fowey. Whilst we cannot reduce the ticket price for this, at least those disappointed last year by the low entry limit will have a chance to enjoy a superb evening as the Club will now take 70 guests for this supper.
Vegetarian dishes are of course available at all Classics catered events. It is helpful if you would indicate on your entry form or by separate email if you would like to have the veggie option.
We also listened to the dinghy sailors who discovered that they could have entered a 60 footer into the Classics for the same total cost that they shelled out to Restormel Borough Council for a piece of tarmac to park car, trailer and a 12ft boat for four days and nights. Fowey Harbour Commissioners are being extremely helpful in offering to create all-inclusive packages for their Old Station Yard car park and/or for their Penmarlem site. To take advantage of these special deals we need to meet FHC’s “block booking” criteria (at least 5 boats/cars/trailers) so would the intrepid small boat fleet please contact me.
The famous Classics RNLI Nautical Evening and Quiz returns for a 5th Anniversary special. We raised a total of £942 for the RNLI in 2007 so let’s mark the anniversary by reaching a Grand. I’m sure we can do it.
This year our Quiz will take a new form. Hopefully a little easier than previous years, the emphasis has moved away a little from the rigorous Yachtmasters exam style and instead you will be drawing rather more on the cultural recesses of your memory (well – some of you anyway) as we embrace literature, painting, music and poetry connected to the sea. However, in order not to disappoint the traditionalists I have of course included plenty of the usual arcane maritime trivia and mind-bending meteorology questions.
This fund-raising evening is one of the highlights of Fowey Classics and those of you who have participated in the past know that early entry is essential. Space and cutlery limitations mean that the first 65 applicants get in and have a very entertaining evening and a great supper. Was it true that last year one of you paid £50 on eBay for two £15 tickets…..?
The innovative Old Pulteney Pursuit Passage Race and Picnic introduced last year was so enthusiastically received that we have made this a permanent feature of the programme. Old Pulteney are delighted to again shower deserving recipients with delicious old malt whisky. This very laid back sailing day brings the fleet together for a jolly across the bay for a sociable picnic on some far-flung strand. Many of you will no doubt be honing your anchor weighing and rapid sail hoisting skills in anticipation of the surprisingly effective
Le Mans style start for the friendly race back to Fowey.
OP also sponsor another of the cerebral challenges which await you in Fowey. Except that this year it won’t actually await you… instead I will email a downloadable version of Fowey Classics’ very own jumbo nautical crossword “The Old Pulteney Puzzler” to each entrant upon receipt of their completed and paid up entry form. Of course I will also post one to every entrant for whom we do not have an email address Regular printed copies of the OP Puzzler will be available at Registration for your 2nd and 3rd shot at this annual challenge.
The earlier you enter the longer you will have to solve the puzzle. Since the winners are determined by a Prize Draw, it makes good sense to submit more than one completed copy of the Puzzler to improve dramatically your chance of picking up a very nice bottle of malt whisky for £2 an entry or three for a fiver.
Please remember to bring your marine insurance documentation to Fowey. All sailing entrants (including Friends) must have cover for racing risks and ALL entrants must have valid Third Party liability cover to a minimum of £2 million. The Welcome Desk require you to present your insurance papers before they give you your Entry pack. Please don’t email or post a copy to me – it has to be checked by the Registration team.
Classics entrants arriving in Fowey by water on Tuesday afternoon will be greeted in traditional style by Brian Appleton’s elegant vintage motor launch
“Guide”, dispensing largesse in the form of Fowey’s famous “Sun over the Yardarm” welcome bag. Perfect after a long sail from Plymouth or the Helford or even further afield. Anyone arriving earlier, later, or by road, may collect their bag at Registration as this gift is for all entrants, including Friends.
The combination of beautiful and diverse boats and friendly participants, in one of the West Country’s most outstandingly attractive natural harbours, makes the Fowey Classic Boat Rally a very relaxed and enjoyable sailing event with its own distinctive ethos.
Please join us this year and be part of this very special Fowey
esprit. Our small team and your fellow entrants look forward to welcoming you on August 5th to Fowey Classics 2008.
Roy
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Roy Downes
Organiser Fowey Classics
Tel +44 (0)1726 870 627
Email
roy@foweyclassics.org