CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2016 53Above clockwise from top left: Jonathan Dyke (left) with Jonathan Thompson of Zest,
fi rst in the ‘slow class’ and third overall; Venya, a 40 Square Metre Spissgatter;
skipper Ed Maggs at the helm with a happy crew on Betty Alan; Lynx and AndrasteBardu was in the mix for the start of the ‘slow’
classics, but we fell behind in the light winds. However
one of the joys of this event is that the ‘fast’ classics
start after everyone else. The result was that as they
caught us up, we could enjoy the beauty of these boats
in full race trim and admire the skill of their crews. Like
the international Bjarne Aas-designed 8-M If, built in
1930 and raced by Peter Wilson. Or the different
designs of International One Designs and West Solent
One Designs. Stunning.
The real racing would go on ahead as spinnakers
were set, but for us the wind fell fl at. The fi rst race was
brought to a close by the committee boat, but not
before all had crossed the impromptu fi nishing line and
times noted. As the fl eet regrouped, a new start line was
set and starting line manoeuvres began. While heavy
rains could be seen inland over Colchester and Ipswich,
conditions remained dry though cloudy. Any high
performance race wind was in short supply, but there
was enough to get the fl eet around a well-set course
of race marks and navigation buoys, requiring
spinnakers to be set and gybed.
The largest boat racing was the gaff ketch Betty Alan
which had skipper Ed Maggs busy marshalling a big
crew and meeting the trials of setting a spinnaker. Others
included modern classics like Golden Fleece, an S7S 41
Right: Concours
d’Elegance
winner Lora, a
gaff -rigged
cutter built to a
Pain Clarke
design and
launched
in 1911