Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

Selden Merlin Rocket National Championships – Runners and Riders

by Tim Fells 21 Aug 2012 13:17 BST 25-31 August 2012
2010 Merlin Rocket nationals at Penzance © Tom Gruitt / www.tom-gruitt.co.uk

The 2012 Selden sponsored Merlin Rocket championships are due to start on Sunday 26th August at a new venue for the class, Lyme Regis.

For a class celebrating 67 years of National Championships, it is wonderful to see the class on the up with high demand for boats and an entry list that reads like a who's who of dinghy sailing. Boasting 2 Olympic medalists and 17 Endeavour Trophy winners, the 2012 fleet will certainly be one of the most competitive on record. Overall victory could come from anyone in a long list of champion sailors. Getting into the top 20 overall will be some achievement.

Amongst the front runners will be four of the most decorated teams in the fleet:

  • All eyes will be on Stu Bithell fresh from claiming 470 Silver at Weymouth. Stu has teamed up with his 2010 champion crew Christian Birrell in a brand new boat and will be expected to show all his Olympic know-how. Or, as many of the fleet is hoping, still be on a post Olympic bender!

  • Last year's winners Andy 'Taxi' Davis and Tom Pygall will be brimming with confidence with Taxi already adding the 2012 Solo title to his long list of honours. After their match racing master class in 2011, no one will want to get in a boat for boat race with them.

  • Geoff Carveth and Graham Williamson will be looking to take the title they narrowly lost on the last day in 2011 and have a new boat that has been going fast all year. Revenge will be sweet if they can close out the win they had in the palm of their hand before Taxi's intervention.

  • Nick Craig, who needs no introduction, has teamed up with Roger Gilbert's two times Merlin champion crew James Stewart and will put up their usual formidable challenge, hiking harder and longer than anyone else and tacking on every little shift they can find.

While these four will be getting prime time attention, there is a wonderful array of talent also capable of taking the title.

Multiple N12 champion Tom Stewart, who now has a record beating five 2nd place finishes, is back with a new boat and Lark champion helm Steve Hall in the front end hoping to take the elusive title for the first time.

The form team on the open meeting circuit has been John Gorringe and Endeavour champion crew Toby Lewis, who are particularly potent in a breeze.

Winners of Salcombe Merlin Week 2012 and one of the quickest teams in the fleet, Dave Winder and Pippa Taylor will be hoping for a week of mixed conditions and plenty of Hollingworth shifts.

Strong all year around the circuit and with race winning boat handling in a breeze, Matt Biggs and Ben Hollis are sure to feature near the front.

Showing bursts of speed in their new Jo Richards 'Superfast Jellyfish', Simon Blake and Alex Jackson could be the surprise package if it all comes together and they find the right buttons.

Third in 2011 and second at Salcombe Week 2012, Tim Fells and Chris Downham will be looking to keep the trend going with their unique skiff-styled set up.

Add to these a roll call of Merlin Rocket champions (Richard Whitworth, William Warren, Mike Calvert, Jon Turner, Pat Blake and Alan Warren) and multiple champions from other classes (Simon Potts, Andy Tunnicliffe, Dave Wade, Dave Hayes, Ben McGrane) and it is clear why no-one is claiming to know the eventual winner.

What is for certain is that the racing will be of the highest standard and there will be plenty of stories to share over the usual enthusiastic refreshments.

Keep your eyes on YachtsandYachting.com to see how this one unfolds!

Related Articles

Merlin Rocket Class Training is back for 2025
Something for everyone, this March in Hayling The Merlin Rocket class is running training on the 1st and 2nd March at Hayling Island Sailing Club. Open to all Merlin Rocket Owners' Association members, it is a great start to the season. Posted on 16 Jan
Gould and Mackley's Merlin wins at Grafham
In the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series Gill Grafham Grand Prix Across three handicap racing fleets at the Gill Grafham Grand Prix, Chris Gould and Sophie Mackley race their Merlin Rocket to overall victory in a field of 130 monohulls and multihulls, with 10 different classes in the combined top 10 rankings. Posted on 31 Dec 2024
Latest Merlin Rocket class Magazine
Hitting members' doorsteps now If you are interested in all things Merlin you can take a look as it is now published online too. The fixtures for the famous Craftinsure Silver Tiller Series are on page 4 - and the fixtures for our regional, vintage and classic series are in there too. Posted on 24 Dec 2024
Chichester YC Frozen Toe Winter Series concludes
Series attracted over 60 boats across three fleets Chichester Yacht Club's Frozen Toe Series, running from November to Christmas, attracted over 60 boats across three fleets. As is typical for early winter sailing, the conditions varied greatly - from warm and sunny to cold, wet, and windy. Posted on 16 Dec 2024
Merlin Rocket Class Launches 2025 Calendar
41 events to choose from, yes you read that right The 2025 Merlin Rocket Calendar is here, and the class is delighted to share with you events that will take us from the banks of the River Thames and the River Trent to the seas of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Essex. Posted on 26 Nov 2024
Craftinsure Silver Tiller End of Season at Stone
Is this the first time that AI has been used to establish the winners? We made it, report 41 of 2024 and the final one from this year's Merlin Rocket season. Having asked the third placed finishers at each of the events it was probably time I wrote one myself. Posted on 28 Oct 2024
2024 Merlin Rocket Allen SE Circuit at Shoreham
A perfect weather window of sunshine and 8-15 knots The 19th of October saw 18 Merlin Rockets head to Shoreham Sailing Club for the final stop of the 2024 Merlin Rocket Allen SE circuit. The fleet were welcomed by a perfect weather window of sunshine and 8-15 knots. Posted on 21 Oct 2024
Merlin Rocket Felucca Trophy at Hollingworth Lake
Part of the Craftinsure Silver Tiller and the Northern Circuit The annual Felucca Trophy has just taken place at Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October, with 16 Merlin Rockets going north to take part. Posted on 16 Oct 2024
Merlin Rockets of all ages at Hampton
A challenging day's sailing with a variable wind and strong stream Usually this is held over two days at the weekend but this year, with a strong stream in the Thames and a forecast of virtually no wind on the Sunday, we took the decision to hold both the De May series and the Thames series race concurrently. Posted on 14 Oct 2024
Merlin Rocket Women's Championship
A great event with training, a talk by Sarah Ayton, then competitive racing The Women's Champs is special as so many ladies from other classes come and join, Merlin crews team up and ex Merlin sailors come back to the class. Sailing is a sport for everyone but I think there are still barriers to a lot of ladies. Posted on 16 Sep 2024