PERIHELION 130PERIHELION 130

36

Perihelion 131 Please send your contributions for the next issue of Perihelion by

September 1st 2020

To Nigel Fern

3 Cheltenham Drive Ashby de la Zouch

Leics LE65 2YE

[email protected]

PERIHELION 130PERIHELION 130

Early Summer 2020Early Summer 2020

Comet Class Association Comet Class Association

NewsletterNewsletter

“Crazy Comet” - © Steve Gregory

2

Page

Association Officers 3

Reports Author

Editorial Nigel Fern 4

Chair John Sturgeon 5

Secretary Liz Hossell 7

Builder Andy Simmons 10

Articles

RYA Dinghy Show Chris Robinson 11

2020 Bloody Mary Chris Robinson 13

The Way Forward? Keith Lamdin 21

Crash John Windibank 22

Darting Devonward Norah Jaggers 27

Poetry

The River Bure John Windibank 8

Apocalypse John Windibank 16

NEWSLETTER NUMBER

Contents

35

COMETS FOR SALE & WANTED

For Sale

Comet 455

Good condition and ready to sail/race

Comes with:-

1(one) well used mainsail

1(one) Brand New Mainsail

Race rigging

Rear mainsheet

Praddle

Wind indicator

Folding trolley

Top cover

Bag for spars

Original paper work and owner’s manual

Price £650

Chris Mayne

[email protected]

07876563660

mailto:[email protected]

34

3

OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION President

KEITH LAMDIN

8 Second Avenue

Clacton-on-Sea Essex

CO15 5AN

Tel: 01255 421862

Chairman

JOHN STURGEON

6, Adams Drive

Fleet, Hants, GU51 3DZ Tel. 01252 623253

e-mail: [email protected]

Secretary

LIZ HOSSELL

3 Crump Way, Abbey Vale

Evesham, Worcestershire,WR11 3JG Tel: 07801 656662


Events

STEVE GREGORY Tel: 07977 215581


Treasurer

RHIAIN BEVAN 2 Hall Lane,

Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN15 7LJ Tel: 07834 186247


Membership

EDDIE POPE

Flat 6, Penhallow Court, Well Way,

Newquay, Cornwall TR7 3LR 07903 350261


Results

MICHAEL ETTERSHANK 67 Crouch Avenue

Hullbridge Hockley

Essex, SS5 6BS

Tel: 07984 914869 e-mail: [email protected]

NewsEditor

NIGEL FERN

3 Cheltenham Drive

Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 2YE Tel : 01530 469691


Committee member

CHRIS ROBINSON

86 Scrivens Mead,

Thatcham, Berks, RG19 4FQ Tel: 01635 865733


Committee Member

PETER MOUNTFORD

Chy Crogan, Higher Lane

Mawgan, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6AX


Committee Member

STEVE BELLAMY

Tel: 07757 959218

e-mail [email protected]

Committee Member

MARK GOVIER

43 Hatherleigh Road

Cardiff, CF3 4AS Tel: 02920 778459

mailto:[email protected]

4

Happy New Year!

Rather strange I know but welcome to the

first edition of Perihelion for the 2020s. Will

they be ‘roaring’ as a century ago? Some of

the more adventurous of you might be

wishing for roaring winds, I know I won’t.

The above was written in early January and

now in late May in the midst of the lock

down with all of the early Opens and the

Association Championships cancelled the

outlook is grim. Although there is a glimmer of hope of getting the boats

wet in the not too distant future as several clubs are allowing carefully

monitored cruising.

Late last year I was contacted by a member enquiring about articles for

Perihelion having enjoyed the one by John Windibank. I explained that I

had twisted Norah’s arm to pass on her wealth of knowledge unless the

‘member’ knew any better! The reply was - “There is no way I would

dare to suggest I know better than Norah, it would be more than my life is

worth!! Nuff said!

I am deeply indebted to Chris, John, Keith and Norah for their very

interesting range of articles. I am sure at least one will raise a chuckle or

two or even create an on going debate. More of the same PLEASE!

Additionally Steve G is to be congratulated for his take on the Comet -

see cover, I hope that Andy will not sue for Creative copyright damages!

Steve’s village held a ‘modelling’ competition and this was his entry!

It seems that ‘modelling’ is a growing craze, many thanks to Henry and

Norah for their contribution.

Nigel Fern

Comet 845

Editorial

33

COMET SPARES, REPAIRS AND ACCESSORIES

Don’t forget all spares and accessories are held in stock and can often be with you in

less than 24 hours if you order in the morning.

New Dinghies / Sails and Spares - a selection is always in stock.

Comet £5200

Comet Xtra £5300

Comet Xtra White £5270

Comet Mino £5150

Standard Sail £360

Standard Sail with Zipper £390

Zippered Sail Conversion Kit £30

Mino Sail £320

Xtra Sail £430

Xtra Conversion Kit & Sail £465

White Xtra Sail £390

White Xtra Conversion kit & Sail £435

Xtra Bottom Mast £190

Xtra Top Mast £105

Xtra Boom £160

A full spare parts price list is now available to download from our web page -

www.cometdinghies.com

Repairs

Accident damage and refurbishing gladly undertaken.

Write, phone or e-mail but include a daytime phone number.

Comet Dinghies :

Unit 4 Valley View Business Park

Ashreigney

Devon EX 18 7 ND

Tel 01769 520545 Mobile 07860 847845

e-mail [email protected]

http://www.cometdinghies.com/

32

We left Dartmouth just before 2000 and had a super sail across Lyme

Bay. It was a clear night; there was phosphorescence in our wake and a

N/NW 4/5 gave us a glorious beam reach getting us to Chesil Beach 2

hours too early to round the Bill. At the same time the wind died

completely and we had to motor to maintain our position until the tide

turned. We eventually motored into Weymouth at 0900.

While in Weymouth the purser committed a series of faux pas which will

go down in family history. Well, would you recognise the Barron Knights

if they moored alongside? And it’s very easy to start the engine when it’s

in reverse isn’t it? That one certainly invoked the wrath of Birdseye who

was the only thing mooring the boat at the time.

We motored back in a flat calm, carrying the tide all the way to just short

of Cowes. We left at 0735, one and three-quarter hours before NW

Devonport and arrived in Cowes at 1525: nothing exciting to report en

route. As for getting back to Emsworth, well apart from the thick mist

and no wind we once more made the most of the tide.

Our visit to Devon gave us 347 miles and a lot of new experiences. The

rivers made us think seriously about bilge keels and the fog made us

thankful for a good compass and sufficient navigational experience to log

our progress carefully. We were ashore enough for the children to do

their own thing. In fact our only complaint must be for the lack of wind

on occasions. Roll on next year!

Cedric the Saxon

(alias Sexy or Silly Cyril)

August 1987

As told by Norah.

5

Chairman’s Report

Chair’s mutterings I hope you are all keeping safe and well in

these extraordinary times.

I have incurred the wrath of Nigel our editor

by delaying this report as long as possible in

the hope that RYA might announce

something of cheer for our association. My

apologies, Nigel.

The easing of the lockdown a couple of weeks ago allowed the RYA to

announce that social sailing was now possible. That was great news for us

as single-handed sailors or for those who could persuade family members

to make up their crew, but it did not provide much hope for racing of the

type we are used to. Their latest notice suggests that any racing should

enable social distancing, so no crowding at the start nor at the first

windward mark then! That precludes the normal start for us at the

moment. Staggered starts and racing over multiple days are suggested

instead, but that would raise great difficulties for us at Opens and

Championships. So we will just have to wait and see what might happen

later in the year when the results of the latest loosening of the lockdown

become clear.

As for our National Championships scheduled for the end of August,

things are unclear at the moment. Wales is more restricted than England

and Bala Sailing Club web-site says they are closed until further notice.

We shall just have to wait and see.

This is all the more galling as the weather has been so wonderful for so

long now, at least in Hampshire. It reminds me of the Championships at

Teignmouth when the sun beat down on a still sea. But then there was no

wind. We have had, frustratingly, both good weather and wind. Let’s keep

our fingers crossed that it lasts until we can get out racing again.

6

At my home club, Hawley, we were shut down fully by the organisation

that controls the lake for the Army, so we have not been able to get

access. Recently we opened up for social sailing and I went along to

check the tyres on my trolleys, but proper maintenance with social

distancing was well nigh impossible due to the numbers of people around

my boat. I hope you have managed to keep your boats in good shape

during this period.

Worse than not being able to go on the water is having to stay close to

home. The beautiful weather brought its downside - I have had to do

some gardening. The is the least favorite of my hobbies, indeed I don’t

regard it as a hobby, but a chore on a par with doing the dishes. I suppose

that a garden that has been neglected for a couple of decades whilst I

sailed should keep me fit and it has. But there is a long way still to go

both in the garden and on my fitness. Jacqui at least is happier but sadly

she is extending the task list to other things. Shielding is fine, but I wish

the list that I could be shielded against could be extended to cover more

activities in the home.

This may well be the last Perihelion for which I write the Chairman’s

report as I am due to step down at the AGM. So, I would like to take this

opportunity to thank the Committee for all the hard work they have done

on our behalf and to wish them all the best for the future.

Stay safe and I hope to see you all at Opens and Championships once we

can get back to sailing safely.

31

Next day was warm and sunny with a Westerly 4 blowing so we set off

for Salcombe on a comfortable beam reach. However we found at Start

Point that the tide was driving us far too far out so we motor sailed head

to wind, taking a long time before we rounded Prawle Point. The weather

deteriorated and became overcast and misty so we were glad to get into

Salcombe. The main disappointment for the children on this trip was the

lack of basking sharks - we only saw one.

We knew Salcombe from the land as being a picturesque village. We

were less impressed from the seaward side. We were met by the

harbourmaster’s launch and escorted to a visitors’ pontoon half a mile

from the village quay and anchored in mid stream. Trips ashore were a

little arduous in the dinghy and the water taxi expensive for the family.

Fuel was available from a barge in the middle of the harbour and water

arrived in the water tender – another small barge. You paid £1.50 and

filled every receptacle you could find.

We used the dinghy for the two mile trip to Kingsbridge. This was a

decision made by the purser and at one point on the outward journey,

much regretted by the same. There seemed as much water inside the boat

as out. We did however find the purser’s ancient aunt in Kingsbridge so

all was worthwhile.

When we left Salcombe at 0745 we were able to sail away from the

pontoon and apart from needing to motor out of Salcombe entrance we

were able to sail all the way back to the Dart. The wind was Northerly

4/5 so we has a broad reach to Start Point and then were close hauled

across Start Bay. By the time we reached the Dart estuary the wind had

increased to the top of a 5 and the sea had become very choppy. The

wind continued to rise for the next day and we stayed in Darthaven.

This meant that we were there for part of regatta week and eventually left

to make room for racing boats. We anchored in the middle of the river to

watch the Red Arrows’ display. That was fantastic – the river made a

perfect arena and at times they seemed to be below the level of the

mastheads. The only problem was when the wind was against the tide

and all the boats were jilling about in a random fashion! We met lots of

new people – transiently and at close quarters so everyone had to be

friendly.

30

green without appreciating that the red far out to starboard had to be

negotiated first. This resulted at one point in running aground on the

Shaggles Sands and some panicky wriggling to get off again. We had the

misfortune to be seen by “Conveyance” during this exercise and were

renamed “Silly Cyril”.

After another night at Exmouth we set off on a misty, drizzly morning for

Dartmouth. We saw little of the beauties of the South Devon coastline,

just a brief glimpse of Hope’s Nose and Thatcher Rock, but nothing of

Torbay. The mist began to lift as we approached Berry Head and cleared

for us to see the Mew Stone and thence into Dartmouth where we found a

welcome at the Darthaven Marina, just below the steam railway.

The next day being fine and sunny we had a day sail along to Slapton

Sands and did some sail training for the incompetent crew on the way

back. I’m still confused – a gybe is used for tacking but it isn’t the same as

a tack which is also used for tacking. Am I on the right tack or have I got

it wrong again….?

The following day saw us heading up the Dart to Totnes. The Dart is a

splendid river, wide with wooded banks. It has been used for films set in

the Amazon and one can see why. The channel is narrow and curves a lot.

We didn’t have a chart so made do with the notes in the booklet given us

by the Marina. “Head for the boathouse and when it is abeam steer 030

degrees to the opposite bank” is an example of the instructions.

Further upstream it is well buoyed. We had lunch at Dittisham and then

put the children in the dinghy. They were able to cut corners whilst we

kept to the channel. We picked them up again shortly before we got to

Totnes. Apart from the sheer beauty of the trees and the air of tranquillity,

we saw the ribs of a paddle steamer left to die by the riverside and any

number of herons.

At Totnes we tied up by the Baltic Quay and went exploring. Did you

know that they have stagecoaches there? And daschunds travel in purpose-

built motorcycle panniers! No, we hadn’t been drinking. Our passage

downstream was delightful and we moored on a buoy off Stoke Gabriel

for dinner before cruising back into Darthaven in the early evening.

7

Secretary’s Report I normally say, ‘The Sailing Season is well under

way’ but alas not this year.

I hope you are all Staying Safe and there is the hope

that we will have some sailing this year.

We managed to have our Committee meeting at my

house on a very windy day in February (before the

lockdown) - here are a few notes from that.

We need a new Chairman, under the 3 year rule, a

new Results coordinator—Michael has done a great job for many years,

and a Trophy buyer for this year. Mark Govier has resigned from the

Committee and we have Eddie Pope, now, as Membership Secretary.

Elsewhere in P130 you will find a nomination form, don't be shy we need

new blood! Just fill it in and post it/them back to me, the more the

merrier!

We have bought some more Comet flags for new clubs joining us. Norah

and I have them with us when we attend meetings.

Costs are still rising for the printing of the Perihelion. This is being

looked into by the Committee of possibly doing online newsletters. There

is a proposal by the Committee to raise membership next year for Full

(£22), Junior (£11), Family (£28), Associate (£22) and Temporary (£11)

to go forward as a motion at the AGM.

Temporary membership had not been formally put through an AGM so

this will be rectified this year. Temporary membership is for sailors

wanting to take part in just our Association or National Championships

but didn’t want to continue Membership. They don’t receive a Perihelion

and costs half of full membership.

Thank you for everybody who helped at the Dinghy Show this year.

There are plans to look into Training Days attached to a Championship or

Open meeting but those are probably going to be looked at next year now.

8

The White X sail is always under discussion as is the White X Sail

(reefed). As both are the same sail we have decided that they can be

changed during an Open meeting or Championship.

I’m hoping to meet you all this year at an open meeting and as always

Stay Safe till then.

Liz Hossell

The River Bure

The River Bure’s a special place,

With fish that jump and moorhens chase,

The lowly overhanging trees,

And ripples stirring in the breeze.

The Herons there like turned to stone,

And waders all to see,

But in this green and grey and peace,

It all makes way for me.

Slipping through the water,

Past posts and pubs and dikes,

Looking round the next bend,

This is what we like.

There's broads and other places,

Mysteries to unfold,

John Windibank

29

It was left on after the taxi had departed and we heard him check in with

his HQ “I’ve sorted out Sexy Cyril or whatever his name is” which

caused us some amusement.

Exmouth is perhaps not the yachtsman’s ideal haven. The moorings are in

the middle of the river in quite a strong tidal stream so dinghying ashore

can take time and be a bit wet. Fuel and water appeared to be available

only inside the commercial harbour which is approached through a swing

bridge.

The following day we decided to explore the Exe and made our way up to

Topsham. The 2m echo-sounder alarm sounded most of the way and the

purser was definitely not ‘appy! The Exe is a beautifully wide river but

the channel is incredibly tortuous with hard sandbanks in unexpected

places. Big coasters and barges used to go up regularly and helped to

clear the channel but their demise has allowed a lot of silting to occur. We

saw the end of the Exeter Canal – still navigable – and then found deeper

(a relative term) water as we arrived at Topsham. What an idyllic spot!

We moored alongside the wharf below the Carlsberg Lager warehouse

with a pub beyond it. Good beer and excellent hot pies within easy

staggering distance there was a great temptation to venture no further into

Devon! Between visits to the previously mentioned hostelry we

“sightsaw” around Dartmoor and the Exeter Maritime Museum. It was on

departing on one of these sightseeing exercises that Cap’n Birdseye had

one of his not infrequent mental aberrations. “The warps need adjusting”

he says and proceeds to move pieces of rope from here to there and back

again. We depart for grockle tour. On our return the Cap’n is approached

by a delightful young lady who enquires about the Avon which she found

on a mud bank down the river. The purser is glad it was not she who

stood on the painter whilst adjusting the warps and then forgot to tie it to

the boat again!!

We are all agreed, we will visit Topsham again, though, having seen the

dinghy rescuing maiden, Birdseye’s motive for doing so are not at all

clear!

Our trip back down the Exe the next day was a bit fraught as the buoys

seemed different somehow. There was a temptation to head for the next

28

Weymouth is a lovely town. A berth below a selection of pubs and fish

and chip shops has to have some advantages! There was such a selection

of marine traffic too; from the new hydrofoil to the 10p per trip oar

powered ferry across the harbour. Nothe Fort is worth a visit - it’s an

excellent museum and viewpoint.

After a day in Weymouth we left at 0200 the following morning for

Devon. Did you realise the deterrent effect of a notice saying “We are

leaving at 0200”? It really does ensure that you stay on the outside of a

trot!

Have you ever tried calling Portland Coastguard at 0200? Birdseye in his

early morning stupor managed “Portland Postcard”, “Courtland

Goastcard” and a number of other combinations before he got it right.

Going out to The Bill was fine, apart from not being able to see one buoy,

which we decided must be obscured by an anchored Naval vessel but

subsequently discovered had been discontinued a matter of days

beforehand. We kept about a mile off Portland Bill and motored into a flat

calm across Lyme Bay.

This being completely new territory for all of us we had to keep a good

eye to the charts and ensure we took all of the few fixes available to us. It

was perhaps as well, as Cap’n Birdseye had just pointed to a town on the

coast and said “I reckon that must be Budleigh Salte…..” when the whole

coastline disappeared into a thick sea mist; giving us less than 400 yards

visibility. So, it was a case of assuming that the last EP was correct, that it

was Budleigh Salterton that we’d seen and steer a compass course to the

buoy at the entrance to the Exe. We met a few fishing boats on what

seemed to be reciprocal courses to our own and assumed that they had

come from Exmouth so pressed on…slowly. It was quite exciting to see

the mist thin after an hour and a half and the buoy which we were aiming

for appear on our starboard bow.

The mist cleared as we entered the Exe and picked up a convenient buoy.

Having asked a native what to do next, we called “Conveyance” and

within minutes a water taxi had appeared and escorted us to a more

suitable buoy. This was when we discovered one of the joys of the radio.

9

The frustrated Sailor - ©H + N Jaggers

10

In these extraordinary times, I thought I would

let you know what’s going on at Comet

Dinghies.

At the beginning of March, I took a new comet

up to the Dinghy Show for the Class

Association stand. It was surprisingly busy

and upbeat, but I think there was an

underlying concern about what was probably

to come. On the Monday, the Comet was delivered to Chipstead.

Commercially early March seemed quiet, people’s minds on more

important things I suppose, but since lockdown started its been really

quiet. Karen has been furloughed due to this and the fact our office isn’t

much bigger than 2 metre square! I stayed at home for a couple of weeks,

painting sheds, polishing motorbikes and even going cycling (only

slightly electric assisted I add)

I’m now back at work and even plan to start building a Comet for stock

next week. Sails are ordered in batches of ten, usually with a four-month

lead time, suffice to say we have plenty in stock, enough for this year and

even into next. Being a simple boat builder and even an OAP now, I’m

not great with computers but we have a load of info on the new sails and

the new Spare Parts Price List ready to e-mail out to anybody interested.

We will get through this, the wind will still blow, the sun will

occasionally shine, and that Comet will be great fun to sail again.

Andy Simmons

Builder’s Report

27

DARTING DEVONWARDS IN SEXY CYRIL

Crew - Mike and Norah Gould plus children

“Go West Young Man” may not be the most original of thoughts but it

suited our holiday mood. Taking passports with us (in case of a diversion)

we set off from Emsworth in a light South Westerly just before 3 p.m.

It was our first “passage” with VHF so we were delighted to receive a

link call en route to Cowes. Our caller’s first words summed it up: “that

was easy…..”

Off Portsmouth Harbour we encountered the Japanese Navy engaged in

sun worship or something similar which involved lining the decks. Some

of the jolly sailors in some jolly boats waved in a jolly fashion and we

waved back. All good for International relations!

We were greeted in East Cowes by a colleague with a video camera at the

ready. Cap’n. Birdseye proceeded to make a sow’s ear of going alongside

but we were eventually secured and were able to convince the cameraman

that we did, very occasionally, do better.

Next day we set off for Weymouth in decidedly chilly weather with a

Westerly 4 against the tide making it choppy. We retired wet to Yarmouth

and set out the next day, which had the advantage of a little sun but the

disadvantage of the same Westerly. We still got wet but not so cold. In

spite of the short seas across Poole Bay which threw us about we made

very good progress, 8 knots over the ground between Anvil Point and St.

Albans Head.

Cap’n Birdseye was the only crew member to have been so far West

before and had told us tales of St.Albans Race. I’m not sure quite what I

expected, but, the sea having calmed after Anvil Point, there was really

nothing to see. It was a bit bumpy inside the race with a 3 knot tide

running but nothing to write home about. Once round the head a flat calm

descended and we motored to Weymouth with a short tour round

Lulworth Cove.

26

pleasantries. It wasn’t until he died and Stuart read about it in the press,

that he realized he had been chatting to L S Lowry, in my opinion one of

this country’s greatest artists. (Lowry was a very modest man who

refused 5 honour’s including a knighthood)

Glossop Sailing Club that year was having problems with one of its

rescue boats, one of its spars had broken and they had a lot of problems

getting it replaced. They were now all ship shape for the championship

and the rescue boats were much needed in the windy weather we were

having. The race is on and we battered up the beat with the lightweights

spilling wind and sailing heeled over. Heavier sailors had more success

keeping the boats flat and made good way, I was in a good position and

off the wind I was up on the plane, white water hissing past the hull. Out

of nowhere it seemed, Brian Welham planed through my lee as though I

was standing still, which to this day has left a scar on my memory. Back

through the start line rounding up for the beat I saw the rescue boat a long

way off planing towards another capsize. Sailing on close hauled up the

beat, there was a wind shift, time for a tack, looked over my left shoulder,

rolled through the tack, pulled her flat CRASH. I had just smacked into

the planing hull of the rescue boat, smashing the bow of the Comet and

taking out the newly replaced spars of the rescue boat, I did not finish that

race. Andy patched up the damage temporarily, enabling me to finish the

Championship, but I do not know about the rescue boat, and I kept out of

Stuarts way!!

The winds are dying down a little and I have heard from the boat repairer

that the Comet is ready to collect. Corona virus it seems has succeeded

where storms have failed, they have stopped us sailing for a while it

seems. Here’s hoping we won’t be off the water for too long, if it

stretches through the summer I am beginning to wonder if my sailing days

are over, but I can honestly say, that in my years of sailing, I have had, a

crashingly good time.

So, T-bones can be perfect from an eating point of view,

But I will go vegetarian when I sail the course with you.

Here’s Hoping

John Windibank C858

11

RYA Dinghy Show 29th February – 1st March 2020

As usual the Comet Class Association

had a stand at the RYA Dinghy Show at

Alexandra Palace. This year the RYA

had changed the layout of the show so

that all the Class Associations were

located together. This didn’t make much

difference to us as we were in a similar

position as previous years.

I’d like to thank everyone who helped with the Show this year. Comet

Dinghies provided a boat to display and Andy set up and dismantled the

stand at the beginning and end of the show. Andy was also on the stand

throughout the weekend. On the stand on Saturday were Peter

Mountfield, Nigel Fern, John Coppenhall and Jeff Smith, while Ben

Palmer and myself were there on the Sunday. All the literature was

provided by Henry Jaggers. He also provided a set of pictures taken by

Norah for display on set of boards borrowed from Paul Hinde.

Saturday was busy, but in contrast Sunday was very quiet. The weekend

was just after the first Coronavirus cases in the UK, so this may have

deterred some visitors. Had the show been two or three weeks later it

would probably have been cancelled.

Early Sunday morning the RYA invited someone from each stand to an

important announcement at 11am. This was followed by a couple of

people coming to see the stand manager (me!) about new parking

arrangements during the breakdown of the show and about a potential

clash with other presentations at eleven. It all seemed very mysterious.

We couldn’t work out what it could be about, but did rule out cancellation

of the show due Coronavirus as the show had just opened for the day. I

attended the briefing, and the RYA announced that from next year the

Dinghy Show will be moving to the International Exhibition and

Conference Centre at Farnborough. They then gave a presentation on the

reasons for changing the venue and the process they had undergone to

find a new location. This information has since been repeated in their

12

press announcement and been put on the RYA website. Briefly, the

principal reasons given for moving from Alexandra Palace were

difficulties in getting to Alexandra Palace (the lack of public transport and

limited parking) and the lack of space at the venue. They considered nine

venues in and out of London, including Alexandra Palace and as far north

as Manchester. They did not go into detail about why they chose

Farnborough, but did note the NEC in Birmingham was ruled out as it

was deemed as too expensive, while Farnborough is comparable in cost to

Alexandra Palace. Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference

centre then gave a short presentation on the venue. It is a new building

that opened in 2018, and is larger than Alexandra Palace – the show will

only use about two thirds of the venue. It has a very large free car park,

and as it hosts the Farnborough International Airshow, you can also arrive

in your private jet! However, our chairman has said he will just walk from

his house! Next year’s show will be slightly earlier than previous years,

and will be on 27th-28th February 2021.

The Dinghy Show has been at Alexandra Palace for twenty-five years,

and I’ll miss driving to it as driving around the North Circular brings back

childhood memories of my Dad and Grandparents taking me to visit a

Great Great Aunt who lived in Wimbledon. I was always impressed by

the great ring round all around London – that’s the North and South

Circular, not the M25 which hadn’t been built then!

Finally, the Dinghy Show also provided us with a chance to complete last

year’s prize giving. The Hossell Plate was awarded to Ben Palmer, and

the FATE Plate was awarded to Godfrey Clark.

Godfrey presented with the FATE Plate Ben presented with the Hossell Plate

25

Nationals that year in Eastbourne, he insisted on doing a perfect repair

which he did on the spot. There was another occasion when Andy was

repairing my much loved C555, it had had a few problems and I decided

to treat myself to a new Comet C858. I sold C555 and Andy delivered

both boats to Chipstead sailing club at the same time, C555 was

immaculate and I wondered why on earth had I bothered with a new boat,

C858 was very nice of course.

There was one incident I had a few years ago which I call the shark bite.

Sailing in Norfolk week at Burnham Overy Staithe, we all launched in

blowy weather on a flood tide on the river inlet, the gusts were wicked

and over thirty dinghies were trying to launch at the same time. Moored

boats were hindering our progress and boats were

everywhere, I was just ahead of a Phantom who

was having a lot of problems slowing down and

then with another big gust he was out of control

and accelerating towards me he tried

unsuccessfully to duck under my stern. There

was a loud crack at the back of the boat and he

sailed off towards the moored boats. I sailed on

into clear water, stopped and looking over the

stern I felt sure I’d see a gaping hole, but no, I could not see any damage.

Everything seemed to be working correctly and ship shape until I pulled

up the rudder, which had an 8 cm lump knocked out of it, definitely a

shark bite! I finished the race and Andy sent me a new rudder blade, so

all’s well that ends well, who said that?

I have found someone at last, who said he can repair the damage and I

have taken the boat over to his place in Ely, so fingers crossed. Still

plenty of wind about and China is having trouble with some new virus,

sounds grim.

I will finish this article with my biggest bang, which occurred at a

championship at Glossop SC. Stuart Guilder was a lovely man who ran

two very successful championships for us and he was full of funny

stories, one you might find interesting. Stuart was a police officer and

when on patrol he used to regularly meet a man always wearing a raincoat

(but being in Lancashire that’s not surprising) and they always exchanged

24

Lake Sailing Club, the wind was frothing the water and on this big bit of

water sizable waves were rolling. Up wind boats were being blown over

and I was shedding more wind than I was using, off the wind I was

instantly planing, screaming along white foam spraying everywhere,

flying down the waves. At this point I had had some practice, the bough

submerged as I hit the trough, the boat slowed dramatically whipping me

and the mast forward and the boat filled with water. Miraculously I hadn’t

capsized, the bent mast was obvious, there was no chance of bailing, as

the water was crashing over the gunwale at every wave, I had to get some

way on to shift some of this water and get back to the shore. Sheeted in to

a close reach and with the boat banging up and down on the waves, I had

managed to shift some of the water out of the boat through the bailer. So

back to the club but no post levering was going to rectify this bend.

Storm Dennis followed Ciara and I am stilling looking at the bash in the

boat and not sailing. Awful floods in Wales and the west.

I have had 3 Comet T Bone accidents, two happened on the start line

when I was hardly moving and boats out of control smacked me

amidships where the Comet hull is vulnerable, the other happened at a

Nationals in Cardiff. We were having a lot of weather on the first day and

some of us were suffering on the gybes, but this accident happened when

I was beating. I was sailing on port tack following another boat but to

windward of him, my adversary emerged from behind him on starboard

tack and I luffed to let him pass in front of me. Whether the wind shifted

or he did not see me, he altered course straight at me, perhaps he was

trying to go under me but he smacked me amidships spinning me round.

Sailing on without stopping I did not catch his number and I finished the

race with another capsize doing my penalty turns. Ashore I looked for the

other helm in the accident but no one it seemed had had seen anything,

Andy Simmons (Comet Boats) was there of course and offered to repair

the damage and he trailed C700 back to Devon. I picked up the boat a few

weeks later and the repair was immaculate and I have always been

pleased with the service Andy provides.

My first Comet C195 was delivered by a member of Andy’s staff and we

managed to bounce the corner of the stern on the ground causing a small

chip in the gel-coat, we rubbed it down but when I saw Andy at the

13

Bloody Mary Pursuit Race 2020

I haven’t sailed in the Bloody Mary for the last couple of years, so this

year I thought I’d have another go if the weather was reasonable. A week

before the event the forecast was for a warm dry day with the wind in the

mid teens, gusting to 20 knots. This seemed ideal, so I submitted my

entry. Throughout the week the forecast wind increased, and the day

before the race the forecast was 30 knots gusting 38! On arrival at Queen

Mary the wind was whistling through the rigging and there was some

white water on the reservoir. In the clubhouse their forecast was for gusts

to 29/30 knots, but their wind indicator was showing 18 knots gusting 21

– quite a discrepancy!

The Bloody Mary is a 150 minute pursuit race. The Comet is one of the

slower boats, so starts quite early in the start sequence at 17 minutes. I

was the only Comet, but I shared the start with two Laser 4.7s. One 4.7

was recovering from a capsize at the start so, apart from avoiding them,

the start was straightforward. Upwind the water was choppy and I took on

some water. Nearer the first mark the conditions improved as we got

closer to the reservoir wall. I rounded the first mark a fair distance behind

the other 4.7 and then got caught by a Firefly that had started just after us.

I couldn’t see the next mark so I followed the 4.7, but it came apparent

that it was heading for the wrong mark! I located the correct mark and

headed for that, which allowed me to catch the 4.7 and overtake the

Firefly. The next leg was dead downwind, not the favourite leg for a

Comet! The last time I sailed the Bloody Mary in wind I death rolled on

an identical leg, so I was keen not to repeat the experience. I kept all the

control lines tight, the board most of the way down and sat towards the

stern. The boat was fairly stable and I managed to drain the cockpit of

water. However, part way down I finally identified the next mark and

realised I needed to head much further downwind. This was going to be

difficult without two gybes. Further down the run the wind began to

increase and I nearly broached. Although I recovered it wasn’t going to be

possible to get to the leeward mark without gybing, so I wore round to

avoid the first gybe. Approaching the mark and preparing to gybe I

nosedived and filled the boat with water. Being barely in control I opted

to wear around again. These problems allowed the Firefly to overtake

again. However, the 4.7 hadn’t increased its lead as it had capsized.

14

The next leg was upwind and the longer length and hence higher boat

speed of the Firefly and 4.7 allowed them to pull away. I started getting

caught by other boats – a Laser Radial and the first RS Aero, so by the

windward mark I had lost sight of the Firefly and 4.7 and my race with

them was over.

After the second windward mark a series of ever broader reaches

followed. Quite a few boats were catching me now, and I observed a few

capsizes. This seemed strange since for the Comet these were the most

stable legs! The final offwind leg was another dead run with a gybe. I

elected to do two broad reaches with the gybe in the lee of the reservoir

wall – just like two RS200s following me. This worked fine and I started

the final beat just behind a 2.4m keelboat. It was heeled right over, but it

looked I lot less work than sailing a dinghy.

The final beat was supposed to be parallel to the starting beat to avoid

having to go near the start line. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out this way

as the start line was directly upwind! Although I couldn’t see any boats

about to start I didn’t think that going through the line would be a good

idea. I went left and then tacked across on port, using the start line as

protection from starboard boats coming off the leeward mark. I made sure

to come into the windward mark on starboard as there were many more

boats around now.

On lap two when I got to the run that caused me problems the first time

round I ensured I headed well downwind coming off the windward mark.

Initially everything was going well, but as I got away from the windward

bank the wind increased, the water became choppy and it became quite

hairy. There were other boats to avoid too which made it difficult. Not far

from the leeward mark I caught up a Solo. I didn’t fancy going to

windward as I would probably broach and end up the wrong side of the

mark, so I went to leeward and death rolled instead! The boat quickly

inverted, and. I got my legs caught up in the mainsheet. However, as I got

myself untangled I realised the boom was underneath me, and this

provided a helpful step to get onto the upturned hull. As the boat came up

it went head to wind, so I was able to get back in and recover quickly.

I now had to reach into the leeward mark, whilst everyone else had water

23

and mine came with a wooden mast. I used to

worry nonstop about that boat, its mast step

position, tension on the shrouds and forestay, cleat

positions, frantic to get it to point higher than

other boats. The spinnaker problems are a book on

their own, and on a windy day with the spinney up

the gusts in the sail would bend the mast as we

accelerated away. This day we came off the reach

with the spinney pulling well, slammed into the

gybe sheeted in, off on the run, a big gust thrust us

forward creating a huge bulge in the mast and

then: an explosion as the mast split and snapped in

two, throwing me into the water, OOPS!

My replacement mast was of course aluminium so no more broken masts,

but I am not to smug, aluminium bends.

My next dinghy was a Topper, the boys were becoming more independent

and with them sailing, the dinghy needed to be almost indestructible. I

picked up the new dinghy, with the complaints of the boat seller telling

me that Toppers were now to be made in Germany and he was worried

about new boat supplies. That was his problem I was thinking, I had my

boat, so off we set to Joss Bay (Kent) to try things out. Joss Bay in those

days was a lovely quiet sandy beach just right for a day at the seaside, we

rigged the boat and pushed of into a choppy sea a moderate wind and

rollers breaking on the sand. The conditions made the sailing interesting

and I was enjoying myself surfing down the waves, but then of course I

got carried away and riding a good wave I got to close to the shore, went

through the wave trough, hit the sand and the boat and I pitchpoled into

the beach. Spluttering and wiping the salt from my face, I pulled the boat

upright only to be presented with a saggy looking rig, every spar was bent

and the sail hung lifeless like a bag. Well that was another lesson of life, it

seems it’s me, that needed the indestructible boat.

Bent masts and spars can be a problem for any class and in my early years

of Comet sailing, I would occasionally see sailors wedging their mast

between posts and levering them, in an attempt to straighten a bend. My

worst bent Comet mast happened when I was sailing at the Chew Valley

Sailing at Thamesmead

with my son Paul

22

Crash

Here I am, not sailing but standing looking at my Comet with an 18cm

gash in its side, I had been perfectly T Boned and not for the first time.

Looking back as I do a lot these days, over a sailing career approaching

60 years, I remember a lot of scrapes and bumps.

The weather outside, has lumps of gusty wind hitting the house, at up to

80 miles per hour, encouraged by storm Ciara and I am reminded of the

Hurricane that hit the South in 1987, with winds recorded as 122mph.

Wake up dad my son is saying, the fence has just blown through the

window, I blearily climbed out of bed and was suddenly wide awake as I

looked at the damage. All my carefully erected fences were strewn about

the garden, there was damage to the roof, tree branches were everywhere

but on the trees, all the dustbins had disappeared and anything movable

had moved.

Clearing up and making everything as safe as I

could, it was time for a trip to the boat park at

Gravesend Sailing Club to see the damage and

on the way, we passed a caravan impaled on

top of a letterbox and trees that had broken in

half. At the club carnage was everywhere,

everything that had not been tied down was on

its side and dinghies on their trailers were

upside down in the water. My Mirror dinghy

had flown across the boat park and was impaled on an upturned trailer

and was surrounded by a pile of boat debris.

You can imagine the mountain of insurance claims for all this damage

and the insurers responded by letting any insurance claim under £500 go

through on the nod and it was amazing how many claims went through

for £499. I repaired the mirror myself and using the damaged parts as

templates for the new panels I was pleased with the result and over the

years I have never had any problems with my insurance companies, I am

touching wood as I type this.

In the early years of the Mirror Dinghy, most of them were built from kits

15

on me as they were running into the mark. I elected to sail to leeward of a

capsized Merlin Rocket which was just downwind of the mark as this

provided protection from the incoming boats. The Merlin Rocket got

going and overtook me. Then there was a big bang as its mast came

down!

The wind eased, so the rest of lap two and the following lap were much

easier. There were also fewer boats around, but this meant I must be

getting near the back. With less wind and fewer boats I completed the

problem run on lap three without incident. On the next leg I was followed

by two rescue boats, and one of them fired a gun to indicate the finish of

the race. A third boat zoomed up and started taking photos of the 420

behind me which had stopped racing. I then realised what was going on –

the 420 was the winner, and I had just avoided being lapped by 20 yards!

This was the first time I’ve been close enough to see the winner’s finish

line; a pity it was from a lap behind rather than using it to finish. There

were several finish lines around the course, so I sailed on until I reached

the next one. This was furthest from the clubhouse, which meant I would

be one of the last boats in. It is also dead upwind of the clubhouse, so I’d

have to sail the problem run again – and the wind was getting up again

too!

Final result – 155th, 169 finishers 288 entries.

Chris Robinson

16

Apocalypse

Most of us have seen it all, the good the bad the brave,

But as you know there’s always, something new to save,

There are, we all remember, the wars and bombs for all,

A three-day week encountered, we answered to the call.

Unemployment, queuing for the dole, nations disagree,

And we could save the planet, if we join in planting trees,

Every sort of tempest, the fire, the flood and famine to,

And everywhere there’s terror, that we have all lived through.

Now we have a new one, a virus, could be bad for you and me,

Its landed in our laps so soon, there’s lots of trouble that we see,

Viruses, we pass them round by being close and breathing everywhere,

So, we must all be patient, look listen, be careful and take care.

Don’t squeeze your favourite mistress or snog your new best guy,

Just keep a little distance, and you know, you’ll both get by.

While we wait, remember, we will have time to think,

And if that’s not enough, we can always turn to drink,

No good, rethink, not the time to sink, to the brink?

But, as we have seen it all and many times before,

I’ll hunker down and let, my poor old mind, explore.

John Windibank

22nd March 2020

21

THE WAY FORWARD?

In the last Perihelion, I read with interest the reports by the Chairman and

Builder on the reefing system for the White Xtra sail together with issues

over attendance at Comet events. From my viewpoint, I now wonder

whether the two are connected in the Class perspective.

When I bought Comet 55 in 1985 as a simple one design single-handed

boat, I was surprised to find there were already 2 makes of sail in use.

Since then, there have been minor changes to boat and fittings with major

changes of rig through Morrison/Hyde Standard sails, Hyde Mino and 2

types of Xtra rig, one now with a reefing option to the same size as Mino.

Incidentally, whilst the purpose is the same, rolling a reef round the mast

is not comparable to slab reefing as, when rolled, the aerofoil changes

markedly from tack to tack.

Whilst I accept there may be a business case for these changes, we can no

longer consider the boat as a one design in the strict sense although, as

always, the best sailors will remain at the front of the fleet.

Turning to the Class, our initial rapid growth in the late 80’s and early

90’s was at a time of greater numbers attending the sport generally and,

following Lasers and Toppers, single-handed classes specifically. I have

watched, with some concern, a general downturn in participation in all

Classes and Clubs over the past decade, or more, and I doubt this trend

will reverse in today’s society with so many leisure options now

available.

In conclusion, is it now time for the Class to ‘bite the bullet’ and say that

helms may choose any rig to suit their abilities in the conditions, with no

handicap allowances, for simple Class racing on a fleet basis. It will not

suit the purists, myself included, but may give the best opportunity for the

Class to maintain numbers in a reducing racing scene. I do not see what

we lose by such a change but, just possibly, we could enhance our

reputation as a friendly and inclusive Class.

Keith Lamdin,

Comet 55.

20

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PERIHELION 130PERIHELION 130

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