Classic Merlin Rocket Open at Banbury Sailing Club
by Richard Turner 7 Sep 2004 16:09 BST
4 September 2004
Classic Merlin action at Banbury © Richard Turner
The 11 classic Merlin Rockets racing at in the Vintage Wing Open at Banbury SC included: Kate, Merlin Rocket No 1, from 1946; from the early 1950s Magician (522), Spritefull (507) and Chindit (578); from the 1960s, TenSixtySix (1066), Bright Eyes (1216), Chippyninebee (2046), Busy Bee (2056) and Les Sables (2120); and some mere youngsters from the early 1970s, Hissing Sid (2819) and Anarchy (2848).
The light wind conditions particularly suited Kate as her mast is 2½ ft higher than later boats. In the first race, Kate pipped Hissing Sid on the line by just some 2ft after managing to pick up a little more wind on the run to the finish.
After a leisurely lunch, the second race was led all the way by Kate with Spritefull in second and Anarchy third.
The third race saw the fleet struggling as the already light wind dropped to virtually nothing. Busy Bee got her nose in front and held the lead to the finish as the wind increased slightly. Hissing Sid fought through into second place with Kate relegated to third.
With two wins, Kate helmed by Mervyn Allen and crewed by Lora Stock, was again proved to be a difficult act to beat in light conditions and shows the long life that can be expected from Merlins.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat Type | Sail No | Boat Name | Helm | Crew | Club | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | Merlin Rocket | 1 | Kate | Mervyn Allen | Lora Stock | Ranelagh SC | 2 |
| 2nd | Merlin Rocket | 2056 | Busy B | Ian Levin | R Levin | Banbury SC | 4 |
| 3rd | Merlin Rocket | 2819 | Hissing Sid | Jon Embrey | Jennie Jones | Banbury SC | 4 |
| 4th | Merlin Rocket | 507 | Spritefull | Chris Barlow | Lois Barlow | Shearwater SC | 6 |
| 5th | Merlin Rocket | 2848 | Anarchy | Nick Price | Catherine Price | Ranelagh SC | 7 |