Dinghy Show

I think there were no longer enough windsurf stands and visitors to make it worthwhile.

They did, there were dozens in the coach park, gave us the same idea, but were never as successful, windsurfers are such an independent bunch but we got a couple of coach loads, we used to go round the Crystal palace car park poster and stickering up all the cars and coaches to advertise our show which was usually a couple of weeks later.

I remember going as a kid where the price you pick a drysuit up for justified the trip....

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Originally posted by Rupert I only remember it from Cryatal Palace - boats out in yards, narrow corridors - a very strange place, but maybe that suited 1970s dinghy sailors. Ally Pally much better, I think. Those films show that Crystal Palace had a large arena too, and it had mezzanine floor where i.a. some clubs had stands.   There were also classes that couldn't fit inside lined up along the path you took from car-park to hall (tho' they had room for that huge boating lake inside! I recall they had one of the first Isos sitting on it one year).   I thought the whole thing had more character.

I'm sure there was more to it than I remember - I guess I'd have been 10 or 11.

As I recall if you weren't an RYA affiliated class you had to be outside in the cold. I think AP is probably the best venue, it was a real down if you got thrown out to one of the outer halls at CP, which was rather likely to happen to classes not approved by the then much less demotic RYA. crystal Palace must have been a right pain to get to if you weren't from NE Surrey too. I've been to Picketts Lock shows, but don't really remember them. I believe the place we knew has been demolished.



Edited by JimC - 03 Mar 15 at 2:21pm