Please select your home edition
Edition
Lennon Thermalite 728x90 2

Record entry for Classic Boat Revival at Bosham Sailing Club

by David Edmund-Jones 27 Sep 2012 21:04 BST 22-23 September 2012

The Bosham Classic Boat Revival 2012 was kindly sponsored by Top Yacht, Wiley Nautical, Harken and Pusser's Rum.

79 classic racing dinghies from as far afield as Ireland and Lancashire descended on Bosham Sailing Club over the weekend of 22/23 September to contest the 2nd annual Bosham Classic Boat Revival.

With 10 classic Merlin Rockets – wide and skinny varieties - heading the entry list of International 14's, Fireflies, Classic National 18's, Chichester Harbour 18's, Jollyboats, Yachting World Dayboat's, Tideway's, Fairy Falcons, Sharpies and Wayfarers competing against the likes of an International Moth, Kestrels, Solo, Wayfarers, Torbay Minnow, even a 'banned' National 18 which was exceptionally fast, plus dozens of other similar classic craft, the Bosham Classic Boat Revival is gathering considerable momentum.

Event organiser Andrew Young commented "We certainly seem to have touched a nerve with this exciting event, with a huge increase on last year's entry list and, I am delighted to say, way ahead of our expectations. We were hoping that we might hit 60 boats this year, but were bowled over when 79 turned up! We started the event last year because we believed that there were thousands of classic racing dinghies – built during the 50's, 60's and 70's - languishing in dinghy parks around the country and these should be out racing. I think we might have been proved right!"

"It is clear that this is fast becoming a national event, not just one that attracts local sailors. The standard of racing is very high with at least two competitors featuring in the silverware at National Championships this year. We are now all wondering how we can top this in 2013! "

The programme called for a 5 race series across the weekend with 3 sailed back-to-back on Saturday. The wind strength was a perfect 8-12 knots whilst the easterly direction and low tide state provided a number of challenges for Principal Race Officer Nick Fox and his experienced team.

Whilst not quite allowing the picturesque Chichester harbour to be enjoyed to the full, the excellent courses certainly provided some very tight racing for the 79 competitors.

Running adjacent, separate, starting and finishing lines in order the accommodate 9 races across three divisions was a tall order, but Nick Fox and his team ran a faultless series of races for the competitors who arrived from 30 clubs from as far afield as Brixham, Blackpool, Lymington, Hamble, Christchurch, Weymouth, Lyme Regis and Merseyside, together with several famous clubs on the Thames and even from Ireland.

Sunday dawned with truly foul but predicted conditions, strong winds and driving rain. This time less than 20 competitors braved the elements, driven largely by the need for some of the keener competitors to put points on the scoreboard. With no discards coming in to play, it was essential to get out and race if one wanted to take home one of the prizes.

The local contingent was represented by competitors from Itchenor SC, Thorney Island SC, Dell Quay SC and Langstone SC with host club members doing particularly well winning two classes and featuring heavily in the prizes.

Shoreside one of the focal points of this unique event is always the hotly contested Concours de'Elegance competiton, where beautifully restored wooden classic racing dinghies are proudly displayed on Quay Meadow for all to admire. Judges Peter Lacey and Tim Gilmore, both local boat builders, had a tough time splitting the top contenders, but unanimously agreed the top prize be awarded to Simon Meacock from Weston Sailing Club with his immaculate International 14, Ripping Yarns built in 1964.

Fast Division results

1st. National 18, Tinkerbelle - Richard Stirrup, Dave Hall & Jonno Prosser – Bosham SC
2nd. National 18, Nimrod – Colman Garvey, Roy Darrer & Brian Heengan – Royal Cork YC
3rd. Merlin Rocket 774 – Martin Hunter – Upper Thames SC
4th. Merlin Rocket 1097 – Mike Stevens – Tamesis SC

Medium Division results

1st. International Moth 2883, Ian Marshall – Oxford SC
2nd. Yachting World Dayboat, Yellow Peril - Fiona MacFarlane, Ollie Macfarlane & Ginny Kidd – Bosham SC
3rd. Firefly 3434, Paul Kameen – West Kirby SC/Bosham SC

Slow Division results

1st. Tideway, Nimrod - Chris Welland – Bosham SC
2nd. Tideway, Mouse – Andrew Francis – Bosham SC
3rd. Chichester Scow, Happy Bunny – Izzie Lee – Bosham SC

Related Articles

Bosham Classic Boat Revival
The biggest classic dinghy event ever? In a year notable for the superlatives, the late summer of 2018 will go down on record as the year when the classic small boat scene really showed itself off in the best possible way. 80 entries had been expected but there was a good handful more. Posted on 4 Sep Celebrating the Ian Proctor's Centenary
At the Bosham Classic Boat Revival on 1-2 September 2018 Bosham Sailing Club is to host the Ian Proctor Centenary Rally during its annual Classic Boat Revival, 1-2 September 2018. Posted on 29 Jul IOCA South Pre-Nationals Training at Bosham
Over the hottest days of the year, combined with a magnificent thunderstorm Over the hottest days of the year, blue skies and force 1 to 3 were booked for the IOCA South pre-nationals training at Bosham Sailing Club from 25th to 27th July. Posted on 28 Jul Tideway Challenge at Bosham
Single race for the National Championship trophy Bosham Sailing Club hosted the 2018 Tideway Challenge. Organised by the Tideway Owners' Association (TOA), this is the official national championships for the Tideway dinghy class and it is hosted by different sailing clubs around the country each year. Posted on 13 Jul Ian Proctor centenary celebrated today
A large part of the great golden generation of British small boat racing As the scorching sun continues to drive a bumper summer of sailing events, it is fitting that today, the 12th July, that we celebrate the centenary of the birth of one of the great architects of our sport. Posted on 12 Jul Ian Proctor Centenary Rally Postponed
Moved to 1-2 September 2018 during the annual Classic Boat Revival The organisers of the Ian Proctor Centenary Rally due to be held 2-3 June 2018 at Bosham Sailing Club, have announced that the event will be moved to 1-2 September 2018 when it will be the highlight of the Club's annual Classic Boat Revival. Posted on 11 May Finns at Bosham
Two days of racing in Chichester Harbour Bosham Sailing Club hosted a two-day International Finn Dinghy Open Meeting. On 21st/22nd April The club's brief was to lay on three races per day around traditional marks across the eastern half of Chichester Harbour. Posted on 23 Apr IOCA (South) Winter Training 2017/18
Expanded with coaching at Spinnaker and Bosham Saiing Clubs This Winter, IOCA (South) expanded its traditional Pre-Zone Winter Training programme by offering coaching at both Spinnaker SC & Bosham SC. Lead Coach Andy Kerr and his team kept the 66 young sailors busy over the six sessions at each venue. Posted on 25 Mar The Man Who Designed Racehorses
The life, times, boats and innovations of Ian Proctor We turn our attention to the life, times, boats and innovations of Ian Proctor, as we celebrate his centenary in 2018. Jack Holt and Ian Proctor almost dominated small boat sailing, both in the UK and internationally, for nearly a quarter of a century. Posted on 5 Mar A Demonstration of Design
The life, times and boats of Ian Proctor As the UK started to emerge in the early 1950s from the years of wartime austerity, the dinghy and small boat sailing scene would undergo a huge explosion, both in terms of numbers and variety. Posted on 8 Feb
Copyright 2018 YY Online Services Ltd. registered in England no. 7895890
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy