Oyster 2023 Autumn Regatta

The Oyster Autumn regatta of 2023 was recently held at Mallorca’s superyacht harbour- Port Adriano.

Sponsoring their 45th Oyster regatta Dolphin sails were delighted to see some excellent results with our sails including an overall class 2 win for the very well sailed 655 ‘Blow’, with a clean sweep using 5-year-old Dolphin sails!
At the prize-winning dinner, Class 3 winners 565 ‘Rock Lobster’ enjoyed an arm-wrestling contest with the Danish team on ‘Blow’, with the ‘Vikings’ earning the bragging rights.
First amongst the 495’s was Eddie Jordans ‘Tuga’, with Dolphin membrane sails beating the Oyster regatta debutants on ‘Mayfly’,
also, with Dolphin sails.
Congratulations to all prize winners.
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September Update from Team Dolphin

After a slow start to the season we are now back on track and raring to go. Our production rate is back to normal and we are steadily working our way through a heavy order book at all of our lofts. With September’s Southampton Boat Show postponed until 2021, all the focus is now on the upcoming Boats 2020, taking place in Mayflower Park, Southampton. More details on this below.

You can stay in touch with us and see regular updates via our websiteFacebookTwitter and Instagram – be sure to follow us!

After the cancellation of Southampton Boat Show, British Marine have developed a smaller show which Dolphin are pleased to be attending. Based in Mayflower Park, one area of the previously larger show, Boats 2020 will take place from the 11th-20th September 2020. We will be exhibiting alongside over 60 other exhibitors and are looking forward to seeing all our customers, both old and new.

Come and chat to the team on stand B015 – next door to the RYA.

To comply with Covid-19 restrictions, tickets are limited so make sure you get yours now. We also have 50 FREE tickets exclusive for Dolphin customers, these are on a first come, first served basis and are limited to 5 per day. To claim one of our free tickets follow the link below and use our unique code DOL1.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

CLAIM YOUR FREE TICKET

 

Place Your Order NOW!

As the sailing season draws to a close, the sailmaking season starts to rev up! The winter is our busiest time for new sail and cover orders, with January to April being almost full to capacity with orders going out. So, if you’re thinking about a new sail or cover, get your order in now to ensure it is ready in time for Spring! Not sure what sail or cover you might need? Have a look at our recent projects below, or get in touch with one of the team.
REQUEST A QUOTE

 

Recent Cover Projects

Some of our recent cover projects include two Discovery 57s, a Moody 31, a Moody 42, several Oyster 565s and an Oyster 745. We’ve made stackpacks, awnings, sprayhoods, pedestal covers, wheel covers and a whole range of small bag projects too! Take a look at our social media for regular updates including photos of our current and previous cover projects.
ENQUIRE ABOUT YOUR NEW COVER

 

Summer Sail Projects

This summer we have been working closely with Oyster Yachts on the latest Oyster 565’s sails. You may recognise the spinnaker below from our April newsletter, when we shared some photos of the amazing paintwork completed by Ocean Art.
TALK TO ONE OF OUR TEAM ABOUT YOUR NEW SAIL

 

Dolphin Sponsors the Landsail Tyres J-Cup

Taking place from the 3rd-5th September, we are pleased to hear that the Landsail Tyres J-Cup will be going ahead this year! After a vastly disrupted race calendar this season, it is great to see people getting out on the water and racing.

As before, Dolphin have sponsored the event with our in-house embroidered holdall bags. We are loving the yellow logo on our navy pockets and we hope all the winners do too! If you want one of our great holdalls for yourself and don’t fancy your chances of winning then these are available to buy online, or give us a call to place your order.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish the competitors fair winds and calm seas – a very good luck to all!

 


 

Our Hamble Loft Continues to Grow!

After a busy Spring, our Hamble loft recruited Sam to help them through the busy summer season and beyond! Sam has fitted in well with Oli and Paul, our Hamble team, and you will often see him out and about patterning or fitting covers in South Coast marinas.

 

Online Chat

If you’ve got an enquiry don’t forget you can chat with us live on our website!
CHAT WITH US

 

Shop Online

And you can also shop online — take a look at our range of Dolphin items, all of which can also be made to measure and personalised with our in-house embroidery machine.
SHOP NOW

 

Winter Servicing & Repairs

As autumn starts to arrive it’s time to think about servicing your sails and covers over the winter season. We can wash, thoroughly check over and repair all your sails and covers – we even offer FREE storage once they are done until the season starts! Washing starts at £30 and is calculated on the item’s weight and number of washes needed.

Did you know that some insurance companies don’t cover your boat if sails and covers are left on over the winter? It’s worth checking the small print and if you’re not covered, just bring them to us for a winter wash and storage.


 

We hope you’ve managed to enjoy at least some of this year’s sailing season and are able to make the most of the remaining few weeks of summer! In the meantime, we shall look forward to seeing you at Boats 2020…

 

All the best to you and yours,

from the Dolphin team

An Update From Dolphin!

Here at Dolphin we’ve had a busy 2020 so far and thought we would share some of what we’ve been working on to give you a little distraction from the current situation surrounding Covid-19.

You can also stay in touch with us and see regular updates via our websiteFacebookTwitter and Instagram – be sure to follow us!

 


Recent Cover Projects

We have been working on a variety of cover projects recently, including a full enclosure for a Najad 373; two different Moody 31 sprayhoods; a full set of covers for a Discovery 58 and a Hallberg Rassy 57 companionway cover. As well as these we have produced the full collection of covers for the four newest Oyster 565’s!

Take a look at our social media and website for more examples of our cover projects.

TALK TO ONE OF OUR TEAM ABOUT YOUR NEW COVER

Sail Projects in 2020

So far this year we have made several sails for new and old Oyster yachts which have been shipped worldwide. As well as these, we’ve had lots of other projects coming in, such as the below mainsail for a Rustler 36. The owners of this boat are planning to circumnavigate the UK and Ireland as soon as the lockdown is over – we can’t wait to see some photos!

One of the most colourful sails to come through the loft in a while was this blue asymmetric, complete with two sea horses! Another great painting from Ocean Art — we love working with these guys to create some really fun branded sails!

 

TALK TO ONE OF OUR TEAM ABOUT YOUR NEW SAIL

**NEW** Online Shop and Live Chat

 

You can now chat to us live on the website!

We’ve been busy behind the scenes updating our website. One noticeable change is the option to Chat With Us. Whether you want to discuss a new quote, get an update on a current order or ask for some general advice, you can now talk to a member of the team through our live website chat. Open during office hours, it will give customers an alternative way of instantly contacting the team.

Having been up and running for only a week, we have already taken our first order following a live chat so we’re sure it will be a useful tool for our customers and team members alike!

If you have a sail or cover project you would like to discuss, why not give it a try?

CHAT WITH US

 

Or you can shop online!

Another update on our website has been the addition of our online shop. At the moment we are only selling our merchandise, such as holdalls and laptop bags, but in the future we may well add more Dolphin products to the shop.

As part of setting up our online shop we have also increased our product range. Take a look below at some of the items we now sell, or why not head over to the shop and have a browse?

SHOP NOW

You may have also seen that in October last year we took delivery of a brand new embroidery machine! This has enabled us to personalise all of our merchandise, either with a logo, initials or someone’s name. We often work with race events and regattas, so have been able to produce sponsored prizes entirely in-house. Check out an example of this below – they also make great gifts so if you are after a personalised birthday present, get in touch!

ENQUIRE NOW

Success At Our Hamble Loft

Our Hamble based loft has now been up and running for 6 months and oh what a busy time that has been! From day one Oli and Paul hit the ground running with boats to pattern, sails to fix and even a couple of caravan/trailer covers to make.

Having been based on the South Coast for 6 years Paul has found that the Hamble loft is a great hub of activity and he’s pleased to be flying the flag for Dolphin with a proper service loft. Previously he worked out of a van and everything was sent back to our Essex lofts to be worked on. The introduction of our Hamble loft has improved our turn around time for South Coast projects hugely. It’s great knowing we can be of help to fellow sailors and Paul is always on hand to offer great advice too!

Over the last 6 months, we’ve had lots of customers popping in as they pass through Hamble Point Marina: enquiring about new cover or sail projects; bringing items in for winter washing and servicing; or just stopping for a chat! It’s been great meeting all those customers and both Oli and Paul are looking forward to the many more they will work with.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR HAMBLE LOFT HERE

Getting Involved

As we are all too aware, the current situation surrounding Covid-19 is very fraught and full of the unexpected. During this time we will be keeping our customers up to date via our website and social media, so be sure to keep an eye on these! Our sales team are also at the end of the phone or email should you have any queries and they are always happy to help.

One positive side to the Coronavirus epidemic is seeing communities getting involved and helping each other out. We are pleased to have done our bit out in Palma de Mallorca, with our Palma loft manufacturing masks.

Christophe our Service Manager, hearing of the shortage, contacted the local town hall and hospitals who then sent him instructions and materials. Once made the masks were sterilised and distributed between hospital staff, police and supermarket staff. A big thanks to Christophe for going in at the weekend to make the masks – a great effort and we are very proud that he is part of the Dolphin team!

For the latest update on our working practices during the Covid-19 epidemic, follow the link below.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Stay Tuned

As always, we are working our hardest to get your sails and covers made ready for the season and we join you in looking forward to getting on the water later in the year to enjoy some much needed tranquility.

We hope you stay safe and healthy during this unprecedented time and would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for their on-going business and support.

Likewise, we are here to help and would like to support you in any way we can: from storing your sails until lockdown is over, to offering a friendly conversation on the phone, the Dolphin team are always happy to help as much as we can.

A polite reminder to anyone with an outstanding invoice for it to be paid within 30 days of the invoice date. Again, should there be any issues with this, do just give us a call and we can make alternative arrangements to suit.

As usual, we will continue to share our stories, recent projects, advice and new ideas throughout our various channels, so stay tuned for some light entertainment in the weeks to come.


All the best to you and yours,

from the Dolphin team

 


 

Three Tensile Awnings Installed

Despite the current situation surrounding COVID-19, we’ve had a very busy week fitting these three tensile awnings… The first two are for Milsoms and Le Talbooth down in Dedham and the other is for Felixstowe Snooker Club – we hope you’ll agree they look fantastic!
A good job done by all involved and under difficult circumstances following the government guidelines/restrictions too!! Well done team Dolphin 💪

*NEW* We Now Offer Embroidery

Late in October we took delivery of our brand new embroidery machine. After the whole team had played around with it and several of the Harwich machinists had been properly trained on it, we are now able to offer a bespoke embroidery service. Whether you want your name, initials, crew position, company name or boat logo to personalise one of our bags, we can do it. It’s a great gift idea too!

We will also be offering crew shirts in the new year — so if you need to kit out your crew with a holdall, laptop bag and polo shirts, why not get it all done together at Dolphin?

We can embroidery your own products as well as supply a range of items… Perhaps you’re a sports team or school that is in need of branded clothing, we can do that too, so get in touch!

Sail Maintenance

From past experience our sails do not need a loft visit very often, but it is always wise to check over your sails to keep abreast of any potential issues. If there’s something that’s concerning you why not give us a call, drop us an email or ask The Pod?
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We would suggest it is a good idea to have your sails professionally washed a minimum of every 2 years. It may not be necessary to have them done every year and ideally, they wouldn’t go beyond 3 years, but this is very dependent on what conditions they are used in. The importance of washing your sails is not just about getting the sails cleaner and preventing the build-up of mildew. It is essential to remove any salt as this is very abrasive and will create unnecessary wear to the sails.
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As for webbings and lines, we exclusively use Spectra/Dyneema webbing in the corners, which has the best chance to resist UV weathering and maintain strength. Of course, like any ‘working’ item an occasional check is wise, especially before a long passage. This should not be necessary in the first 2 years, but we would recommend checking every other year after that. It might be that the corner webbings need a bit of re-stitching, it is unlikely with Dolphin’s high standard of production that they will need replacing, but it can happen.
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As we all know, conditions can change drastically whilst sailing and issues do occur. If your sails get ripped or a small hole appears, it is always best to get it repaired sooner rather than later. Depending on the structure of the fabric, rips can get bigger very quickly in the wrong conditions, but if it has been patched over, this should be prevented. For smaller, more insignificant rips or holes, we can provide you with a patch to stick on that will get you by until you are able to get the sail to a nearby loft.
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If you are unable to get your sails washed as regularly as you’d like, it is still a good idea to rinse off any metal components to remove the salt and prevent rust. This will also help stop rust marks on the sail once it has been folded and stored. For hanked storm sails, or hanked sails that you are unlikely to use on a regular basis, it is a good idea to rub vaseline onto the brass hanks. Use a good amount and leave it on, then wrap a plastic sandwich bag (or similar) around the hank and seal it with an elastic band. This will stop the hanks from ceasing whilst they are stored. You can fold the sail with the hanks bagged like this.
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One thing people are often surprised by is the build-up of mildew on their sails when they haven’t been sailing. This happens because if the sails aren’t used, once they are wet, they will remain damp which allows mould and mildew to develop. Essentially, the sail hasn’t had a chance to dry out. So, even if you haven’t got time to go sailing, it is a good idea to get your sails out every so often to air them, let them dry and generally check them over for any build-up of damp.
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When folding sails to get them to a sail loft or off the boat, try to have as many hands involved as possible: this should ensure as neat a fold as possible and ideally will follow the original fold lines. This prevents excess wear in the fabric by not having multiple folds. If at all possible, fold them on a flat area such as a dock or boat yard, but be careful not to get dirt wrapped up in the sails, as this may cause mildew build up or abrasion.
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Overall, sails are fairly easy to look after and if care is taken they should last you well. Obviously cruising and racing sails differ significantly, but if you regularly check your sails over, have them washed every couple of years and keep on top of any repairs they can last between 3 and 10 years!

400th Anniversary of the Mayflower

In preparation for next year’s 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s departure to the new world, the Historic Harwich Society have put together a guide for visitors to Harwich and Dovercourt Bay. We have been included in the directory as our head office and cover loft is based on Harwich’s Main Road – free copies of the guide can be found at either of our Essex lofts.

Take a look at the website for more information about the 400th anniversary and to see what events are on to celebrate!

www.historicharwich.co.uk/mayflower-400/

 

 

 

-2019-

It’s been a busy year here at Dolphin with the expansion of our Palma loft, new team members joining us, internal promotions and opening up a new loft in Hamble! After a very successful Southampton Boat Show the Hamble loft is in at the deep end and extremely busy. The rest of the team have also had lots to do and with the changes in staff this year we’ve got a few new faces around. Why not take a look at our Meet The Team page to see who is part of team Dolphin?

Whilst Dolphin goes from strength to strength with new ideas and ventures in discussion, we’ve still been working away on the usual sails and covers and have had some great projects come through this year. Take a look at the photos of some of the best 2019 jobs and see what else we’ve been up to this year…

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Dolphin’s Union Flag Kite Goes Under Tower Bridge

One of the most notable projects from 2019 was the Union Flag asymmetric that we made for Oyster Yachts. A big thanks goes to Ocean Art for the paint work — we think it looks brilliant and are sure you’ll agree! This photo was taken of the new Oyster Yacht’s ‘Pocket Superyacht’ just after it sailed under Tower Bridge earlier in the year.

Now an award winning boat -Bluewater Cruiser of the Year- we are extremely proud to have been involved in the whole project and have supplied her with a full set of sails and covers, including one of our stunning tensile awnings. Having also kitted out the second in the series, we are now working closely with Oyster on hull number three and hope to be able to share more with you in 2020!

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*NEW* We Now Offer Embroidery

Late in October we took delivery of our brand new embroidery machine. After the whole team had played around with it and several of the Harwich machinists had been properly trained on it, we are now able to offer a bespoke embroidery service. Whether you want your name, initials, crew position, company name or boat logo to personalise one of our bags, we can do it. It’s a great gift idea too!

We will also be offering crew shirts in the new year — so if you need to kit out your crew with a holdall, laptop bag and polo shirts, why not get it all done together at Dolphin?

We can embroidery your own products as well as supply a range of items… Perhaps you’re a sports team or school that is in need of branded clothing, we can do that too, so get in touch!

Looking for Christmas presents? Check out our sail bag range, starting at £30!

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Still Old School!

Whilst sail and cover design is moving into a much more digital production, we still like revisiting the old methods for certain projects. This year we made several sails for the West Mersea MFOB fleet and donated some prizes for their Turkey race held in November. Many winkle brigs and smacks took part despite the chilly weather!

During the summer we also made a new “whoomper” and topsail for Kismet, Richard Matthew’s classic Fife. She was raced at the Panerai Classic Regatta towards the end of the season and won one of the races! Kismet is often seen at classic events and we are pleased to be continually involved with such a beautiful yacht.

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We were pleased to sponsor the Cleanwave Water Rocket at this year’s Oyster Palma Regatta, helping Oyster gain GOLD status in their effort to be ‘A Clean Regatta’!

Something we’ve been particularly keen to be involved in is the #cleanwavemovement and their pledge to reduce single use plastic and keep our oceans clean. Alongside this we have worked with other charities, through donations and raffles. The Bradwell Cruising Club recently raised £1400 by holding an auction for which one of the lots was a ‘Wash & Service’ voucher we had donated. In 2020 we hope to do more for these worthwhile causes and are always pleased if our customers and colleagues get involved!

The Harwich team really got into the festive spirit when we took part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 13th December! They even enjoyed some hot chocolate and mince pies at tea break.

Thanks to all who donated!

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We will be open until lunchtime on Christmas Eve and then closed through to the 2nd January. During this time emails and phone calls may not be monitored, but we will endeavour to get back to you promptly once the offices open again in the new year.

We wish all our staff, customers and suppliers an enjoyable Christmas break and look forward to a great 2020!

Sails and Covers – Winter Washing, Servicing & Repairs

At this time of year we’re all prepping our boats for the winter, which includes removing all sails and covers – – take a look below at our list of things to check as you remove them. Not only does this let you know of anything needing immediate repair, but it warns you for any future issues that might need attention either during or after the next season.
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We would also recommend having your sails and covers washed and serviced each winter, as it will increase the life of them and ensures they are checked over regularly by a sail or cover professional. It does make it easier if you’re already aware of what needs fixing and it’s good to tell us when you come in, as we can then discuss possible options and costs involved in any repairs.
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When removing your sails for the winter we recommend checking the following as you flake the sail…
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-Luff: look at the webbings, slides, batten boxes (if fully battened), headboard, liners, spectacles, reef cringles. Does anything look worn or broken? Are any slides damaged, broken or cracked? Maybe they need replacing. Is it worth having a professional take a look at a certain bit? Are the webbings starting to fray or in need of replacement?
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-Leech: is the fabric starting to soften around the reef patches? How are the reef eyelets? Is there any chafing on the leech line and is the cleat still intact and attached correctly? Are the telltales there or is there some in need of replacement? If there is a UV strip, is it worn or ripped at all?
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-Foot: any chafe or rubbing along the edge or on the UV? Are any patches needed or does the UV need replacing? Have the reef indicators come off? If there’s a foot line is it still intact or is it chafing at all? Is the cleat still fixed correctly?
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-Battens: are any battens broken or missing? If so, ensure you bring the broken batten in to be replaced when you have your sail serviced. There’s no need to bring all the battens, but it is good to see the broken one!
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If you notice anything unusual or in need of attention just let your sailmaker know when you take it in for servicing. That way nothing will get missed and if anything is a particular issue, it is highlighted and inspected by a professional. You can always give us a call if you want further advice, or why not pop a message to The Pod and see what others have done to solve their own sail or cover problems?!
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NB. Did you know that some boat insurers will not cover the boat or it’s contents over the winter if the sails and covers are left on? It’s worth checking with your provider!

RBODs at Burnham Week

Throwback to the last week of August and the end of a fantastic Burnham Week! We are pleased to see nearly the whole fleet has Dolphin sails and from what we’ve heard there was some great and close racing. Congratulations to all the winners and well done to everyone that took part – don’t forget to give us a call to talk about new sails for next year!

See the full report from Will Dallimore below:

Burnham Week 2019 will be remembered fondly for many reasons not least for the exceptionally good weather, the close racing, good courses and the healthy number of youngsters enjoying the unique formula that makes the RBOD fleet so special. There was way too much action to give a detailed report of each race but here are some highlights:-

We were delighted to have ARIEL back in action having been admirably maintained  in race ready condition all season by Phil Plumtree. Team Warren, fresh from Formula 1 & Formula E, took on ARIEL for the week and introduced the stunned fleet to Formula RBOD when they burst off the grid and sailed exceptionally well to take 3rd and 1st in races 1 and 2. We were delighted to see Fiona and others enjoy their first sailing experience on the Crouch and hope to see much more of this team in the future. An anecdote from ARIEL concerns one of the less race-experienced crew asking just 5 minutes into the race what time the finish will be. The Warren brothers worked as a well oiled team with younger giving instructions to elder – ‘do what I tell you and don’t take your eyes of the telltales, so a few mins into the first race he was doing as instructed and wanted to know how they were doing, didn’t want to tell him we were leading!’
Going into race 3, ARIEL and RED JACKET, leading contenders for the Bank Holiday weekend series, were exceptionally eager and found themselves OCS allowing MANDARIN to pounce on her favourite Straker Cup and the series.
AQUAMARINE continues to deliver and is always in contention for the podium places when not on the mud. We don’t like to single out individuals but mention must be made of a crew member who, rumour has it, lures boats aground with dubious lead-line calls (a modern day RBOD siren?), immediately drops his shorts to push off and then poses on the foredeck in his pants for the remainder of the race. This pattern is repeated even when on loan to other boats as ARIEL discovered – “No bottom” was the call followed immediately by “were aground!”, but Tally Ho, the shorts were off in a flash and Aquapants man burst into action.
We were delighted to see ONYX helmed (very well) by Gary Sims midweek with Mike enjoying more time back on the boat and seeing ONYX win the Bert Clark Memorial Trophy. On returning to the boat for Saturday’s race, Roger became aware of Gary’s aversion to modern gadgets as he untaped the tiller extension from the tiller.
ONYX’s groupies were in good voice from their camouflaged duck hunting kayak as Barty and Anna supported the boys before beating a rapid retreat to base when the Prosecco ran out.
A particularly memorable feature of this week was the number of youngsters enjoying the cut and thrust of RBOD racing. GANNET was in good hands with Lily, Jack P, Vincent and Helen getting the boat going well despite a near sinking during a vicious gust on Wednesday’s race after which they had to bale out using their cool box having given up with the bucket with a hole. Rory and the team had a great day on Thursday with a second place – come back soon!
The Hobdays were a strong presence with all 5 family members scattered around the fleet at various stages of the week. BLUE JACKET had an excellent day on Tuesday leading from start to finish to take the Cyril Sweet trophy. It was good to see early morning exercise being taken on the paddle boards in preparation for the racing.
The young Dallimores were in action mid week with James, Clare & Sarah getting MANDARIN going well to finish second in the mid-week series. Clare, Sarah, Billie Q and Alex collectively gave the fleet a taste of Girl Power on Friday and Saturday and RED JACKET’s blushes were only saved by 40 odd years of experience as Steve cleverly wriggled through on the last leg of each race. As an example of two worlds meeting, here is a snippet of conversation between the girls on MANDARIN during a tense inshore leg ….. Crew to Helm ” Clare, that boat behind – they keep throwing something over the side”. Evidently this 29er sailor had not seen a lead line in action before – strange that!
If there was a pointing trophy PHALAROPE would have little competition as the Pinky Blinder can sail at speed virtually into the wind. An unfortunate navigational error in race 1 allowed AQUASHARK through at the finish line as PHALAROPE elected to gybe and finish south of the committee boat on her own private line
After years of dominating this blog, BERYL strangely provided little material other than some topless appearances by the owner which were unfortunately captured by the official BW photographer. Speaking of which, Roger Mant took some great pictures which can be seen here https://burnhamweek.com/2019-gallery/
Thanks as always to Sylv and the team of helpers that once again produced a very successful RBOD BBQ which raised substantial funds for the restoration of SIMONETTA.
Well done to all competitors for making it such a great week and Congratulations to RED JACKET for winning the week but, watch out, the next generation are getting closer….!
Comment from Class Captain Steve:-
Burnham Week was blessed with amazing weather this year with lots of sunshine and sea breeze enhanced winds giving us a lot of windward starts.
I’ve had great feedback from many saying how much they enjoyed the courses and the later starts, giving more recovery time from the night before as well as no postponements waiting for wind.
The RBOD racing was very close with the lead changing many times giving everyone a chance on the podium.I was delighted to see so many young people joining the fleet adding new vitality and competition to the class. I overheard the Dallimore girls saying “ let’s keep MANDARIN and Dad can get another one “. It has to be said they sailed brilliantly and on several occasions, after doing all the hard work, they should have won but sometimes in racing there are cruel twists of fate near the end. Better luck next time girls !
At the RBOD and Elite class dinner, Will Dallimore announced our goal to repeat the success of the RBOD 80th anniversary, (when all RBODs were on the water ), in 2 years time for our 90th anniversary!
This is already gathering enthusiasm and I’ve heard from more than a few they intend to return for our 90th as well as from people like Charlie Pitcher who says his sons James and Freddie want to do it with him !
The RBOD class continues to attract a great group of Club members and friends and is definitely the best and most fun class on the river !
Steve ( Class Captain)