Classic Boat — November 2017

ALL PHOTOS EMILY HARRIS

Aboard the winning

smack Alberta

Inset: Hallowe'en

Alberta skipper Robin Page

Chasing CK476

Ethel Alice

My Alice

Thames barge Kitty

(^24) CLASSIC BOAT NOVEMBER 2017
TELL TALES
Sydney sailor Martin van der Wal sailed in this year's Mersea Week at the
end of August, aboard the engineless 36ft (11m) West Solent One Design
Hallowe'en, sailed by Adrian Mulville, son of sailing author Frank Mulville.
Adrian has spent three decades restoring the yacht since he found and
rescued her. Adrian and Martin were in the 'Fast Classic' division and had to
contend with, at times, more tide than wind, crowded moorings, and the
ever-present possibility of a 'smack attack' by the 11-strong smack fleet.
Martin says: "This includes, but is not limited to, being at a mark with
slow-turning smacks dwarfing you on every hand and running downwind
with a fistful of smacks stealing your air from behind. Despite being
spanked in more races than not, we snatched second place from our closest
rival Kismet, a 48ft (14.6m) Fife gaŽ cutter. First place had already been
stitched up by the sharply sailed Holman-designed 32ft (9.8m) Stiletto. Skinny
water, limpid skies, big tides, engineless boat, fluky air, mixed fleet, Mersea
Week: classic!" Alberta won the smack class.
MERSEA WEEK, ESSEX
Smack attacks in Essex
CB353 TT24.indd 24 26/09/2017 15:56