FOWEY CLASSICS 2012 Jul 31st - Aug 3rd
The 21st Anniversary RallyFowey Classics August 2009 Newsletter
After the “Call my Bluff” wine tasting you probably won’t believe anything I tell you… starting with the fact that when I was writing this Newsletter, Polruan NCI was recording a SSW wind, mean velocity 34 kts but gusting to 55 kts with rain driving in sheets. This is August!
The treasure hunting ship “Odyssey Explorer” was even sheltering in Fowey, apparently having been forced to abandon exploration of a wreck site off the Lizard because of the weather.
Now that most of the post-event admin. Is completed there are some Classics details which I’d like to share with you.
Some regular Classics sailors were absent this year so there was a slightly lower entry than usual, with 52 boats registered, together with three “Friends” boats and one non-sailing “Friend”. This was a manageable number and gave us a very select Classics.
The challenging weather immediately prior to the Classics prevented five very eligible entrants from reaching Fowey. These were “Varen”, the 41ft 6” varnished Watson sloop, bottled up 500 miles away (even with a free wind) in Loch Fyne by an unending succession of southerly gales, the Folkboat “Tiger” which hopefully will make Fowey next year at the third attempt and a regular supporter, the 1898 “George Glasson”.
Somewhere just east of Portland Race in the driving rain of a grey breaking dawn and heavily breaking sea, the valiant 1927 vintage but shorthanded 46 ft gaff ketch “Melmore” learnt that the less than pleasant, top end Force 6 Sou’westerly which they were experiencing was about to become an even more disagreeable guaranteed Force 7, occasionally F 8 SW gale Lyme Bay – no way ! Prudence, the seldom mentioned crew who ships aboard many good boats, suggested they should return to Bursledon. The same weather system kept “Bandor”, a first time entrant and 37ft 1937 Dallimore design and virtual sister ship to “Leila”, in Poole.
These boats were greatly missed, since each would have contributed significantly to what our Judges thought was the most eclectic, diverse and attractive fleet ever seen in Fowey.
Fourteen boats were first time entrants which speaks volumes either for the pulling power of the Classics website or for the enthusiasm of your word-of-mouth recommendations about this event.
One or two of the larger Bermudan boats may have wished (well – just a teeny bit) that James and Ellie Boyd of “Concord” hadn’t been quite so persuasive in encouraging the slippery “Bilou Belle” to come to Fowey with Jean-Jacques and Florence and their impressively competent mast-climbing boys (from 0 to 30ft in one minute apparently, up “Concord’s “ mast, using legs and arms only!). Their impeccably sailed 37ft Dick Carter designed sloop proved that French skippers can cope with round the cans just as well as the odd Vendee Globe race or Transat. (Incidentally Jean-Jacques is a founder member and President of the Atlantic Yacht Club, an organisation dedicated to classic yacht trans-Atlantic sailing).
J-J and Florence are now ambassadors for Fowey Classics in France and have promised to spread the word. However I have told them that recruiting glossy gaffers from the Mediterranean circuit is a non-starter since Fowey Classics will not accept entries with either professional skippers or retained crews on board. Nor will we accept the attitudes that seem to go with that sort of sailing.
It is the Corinthian spirit of this event which everybody says is so delightful and the fact that our entries range from 12 ft to 70 ft over spars. Our very generous sponsors also contribute immeasurably to the overall success of the Classics and on your behalf I have thanked them all.
This year Class 1 boats (gaff rigged boats over 30ft) averaged 40ft 6 in on deck and it was lovely to see these big gaffers under way… although a little intimidating if one tries to share exactly the same piece of water with one… as the Organiser discovered at the Pencarrow mark!
The indomitable dinghy fleet again brought a sparkle to the Classics and anyone who spotted the synchronised gybe executed by the three Axe OD’s and the Burnham 12 footer during the Parade of Sail, will realise they witnessed what must surely be a Guinness Book of Records manoeuvre. As well as the fancy stuff they were all up there as usual collecting silverware on the Friday evening. And I wish to record officially and with thanks, that the quality of their picnic Pimms was impeccable… again!
As well as beautiful summer weather we were blessed with an abundance of photographers. Almost everybody will have seen (and been snapped by) Jane Perrin who as a freelance professional was capturing images from her high speed rib for Classic Boat and other publications. Jane’s pics can be viewed at
www.cj-nautical-imaging.co.uk
Some of you may have spotted Martin Smith, one of CB’s top freelance photo-journalists (did you see his recent piece on Bodinnick Boatyard?) who was studying the beautiful “Concord” very closely. Old hands will have instantly recognised Rosanna Shakerley aboard the Judges dory and elsewhere, collecting her usual brilliant images for her Picasa site (click Picasa Rosanna Shakerley then open Web album) and for the Fowey Classics website and the now well established FC calendar.
Mentioning the Classics calendar leads to a quick commercial break…These collector’s items are usually ready just about in time to order as Christmas presents. They make a very nice thank you gift for your hardworking crew and look pretty good on any wall. But we only print 100 copies and for the last two years the only ones left have been my reference file copies. The calendars are the major contributor to the cost of maintaining the Classics website so we need to sell a few…
The first ever “Cultural Classics” proved to be a runaway success and few sailors left Bodinnick Boatyard unmoved after hearing the outstanding guitar music played by James Boyd interwoven with Jennie Pyle’s sympathetic readings from “Concord’s” early logbooks and other contemporary sources. It was a magical, unforgettable and beautifully presented performance.
I received a card showing “Concord” beating to windward under just staysail and main… an Archie White watercolour sketch. Jennie asks me to thank all of you for your spontaneous generosity
(that was for the car parking fine whip-round. Ed) and goes on to say how much she enjoyed her few days in Fowey and to thank you all.
Rebecca Mitchell and David Courtenay-Clack generously provided both wines and professional expertise to amuse, delight, educate and completely hoodwink what appeared to be the entire fleet at the “Call my Bluff wine tasting”. Richard Kittow’s delicious barbeque supper rounded off a splendid evening.
These inaugural contributions to the Cultural Classics are going to be hard acts to follow for 2010. Karaoke and bingo perhaps…?
As usual there were no spaces left at the annual Classics RNLI Quiz evening when it was again full house for a delicious supper and (I promise you) a simplified Quiz... though participants might not have thought so at the time, judging by some very puzzled looks. Your generosity enabled us to surpass even last year’s record takings and Fowey Classics has sent a cheque for £1084 to the RNLI. Thank you to every participant and especially to the donors, Camus Cognac Ile de Re Cognac, Morrison Bowmore Mariner Scotch single malt whisky, Cadbury Schweppes, Bookends of Fowey, Sams of Fowey, Richard Kittow of Fowey, Jane Miner at The Mariners Supply Company, Fowey Harbour Commissioners and Beth Bourelly who sent two tickets for the London Eye, all of whom who provide such attractive prizes for this event within an event.
Friday’s brilliant sunshine and light breeze added greatly to the
“Plage en fete” atmosphere of the Old Pulteney Picnic and Pursuit Passage Race.
There were thoroughly convincing Cornish pirates disembarking from a genuine black tarred lugger (Congratulations “Ibis” on a brilliant piece of theatre), aided and abetted by another pirate lass with an Axe (should that be from an Axe?) and an equally captivating rival pirate captain from “Spintail”
(When you see the pics of the Organiser in these maidens hands you will understand. Some people will do anything to gain prize points… Ed.). There were two plausibly Scottish pipers from “Anna” to remind us of our benefactors of the day and then of course there were the picnics. Oh – and what picnics!
Congratulations to everybody who produced such splendid fare, from the minimalist dry biscuits and bottled water lunch which sustained (?) our Senior Boat Judge to the sauteed scallops in white wine and burnt lemon juice sauce, garnished with chopped spring onions and served on a bed of lightly buttered samphire, all cooked on a driftwood fire, followed by braised sea bass with sea kale, rounded off with Eton Mess for dessert, which was the inspired offering from Leila’s crew. Apparently they eat like this all the time on board, although normally five courses…
This gourmet extravaganza has upped the ante a bit for 2010 but the Organisers decision and general consensus (even from the Shiraz, Tar Baby and Mabel gastro-ensemble who appeared to have airlifted a large part of Fortnum’s deli to Little Lantic) was that nothing beats freshly cooked food so Leila won a very well deserved first prize. The only downside for them was that they were still doing the washing up when the rest of the fleet was approaching Fowey…
Then there was of course THE race back to Fowey. Once again the Organiser inavertently left one boat (this year poor “Pica”) swinging forlornly on her anchor, waiting for the “Go” command, after the rest of the fleet had departed.
Mille regrets Jeremy but I hope the 10 minute bonus time may have helped a bit.
Amazingly the finishing times showed that however random the starting procedure may have appeared, only 1m 8 secs separated the winner “Shiraz” from “Mabel”. There was a dark blue faux classic surfboard (Judges description) in third place, 3 minutes after “Mabel” followed 5 minutes later by “Fiara” in 4th place, who was closely followed by another nine boats within the next 8 minutes. The competition was just as close elsewhere in the fleet with mere seconds separating some finishers and all 27 boats crossing the line within 67 minutes of the winner.
Slainthe! to Old Pulteney for sponsoring such a fun day.
Finally it’s market research time. Is the programme too intensive? Would you like a little more time just to be able to stop and enjoy Fowey or sit in your cockpit chatting to friends…? What can be done to improve Fowey Classics? Please let me know what you think.
In the meantime Janet and I wish you good sailing. Please do call us if you are returning to Fowey before the end of the season, because for us the one real downside of running the Classics is never having enough time during the event to be able to meet you all or see your lovely boats.