Bosham Classic Boat Revival at Bosham Sailing Club

Bosham Classic Boat Revival: The National 18s use their spread of sail to power off the line, but behind them Charlie Morgan in Merlin Rocket 1978 is already see the opportunity to break clear into better pressure © Dougal@davidhenshallmedia

Bosham Classic Boat Revival: there was never enough wind for Chris Turners beautiful Fireball Number 6, though this is a boat that would grace any sailing event © Dougal@davidhenshallmedia

It is easy to forget that the Bosham Classic Dinghy Revival Meeting is still only in its third year of running, yet in that short period of time, the event has quickly become the most high profile and prestigious 'classic' regatta for this growing genre of dinghy racing. Anyone who thinks that the age of these boats would dictate that the racing would be a gentle cruise around the middle reaches of Chichester Harbour could not be more mistaken. The starts were fiercely contested and with the sudden outbreak of summer bringing, at times, almost continuous streams of yachts and motor boats transiting the course area, tactical consideration were at a premium. Crews also needed to be aware of how the rising heat would swing the winds around, this was very much racing with head up and out of the boat.

With the conditions being so tricky, it was hardly a surprise that a boat and crew who hone their tuning and skills on the Thames at Tamesis should dominate proceedings in the Fast Handicap Fleet. Yet, at the outset, the expectation was that the large fleet of National 18s, who were busy gearing up for their National Championships at Hayling Island next week would make the best of conditions to maximise the advantage of their long waterline and towering rigs. Instead, it was the 46 year old Proctor IXb Merlin Rocket of Charlie Morgan who showed just how quick a 'narrow' boat from years gone by can be. Charlie and his two crews (one a day.....) Hayley and Fiona read the wind and tidal streams correctly to the point that in the last race, they finished first on the water by the proverbial country mile. Behind the leaders came a pack of National 18s, led by Brian Hoolahan who took the runners up spot ahead of Ben Marshall and Sel Shah in their Merlin. The light conditions didn't favour some of the heavier hitters, with the Fireball, International 14s and Sharpies all sailing well but struggling to hold their time on Handicap.

The Slow Handicap Fleet was packed full of YW Dayboats who have one of their spiritual homes on the waters of Chichester Harbour. These boats are far from the dinosaurs that some might think, as the boats are highly developed and sailed with a real passion. The racing within the fleet was a real pleasure to watch, as boats traded advantages in the changeable conditions. However, within this mix was a solitary Enterprise that had made the long journey down to the South Coast from Ogston in Derbyshire. With a sail number of 472, this boat showed just how restorations can not only allow the boat to resume its primary role of racing, but can still be sympathetic to the original concepts. The owner of 472, who had rebuilt the boat from something of 'wreck' status had even taken this level of thought through to the rig; when he asked sailmaker Mike McNamara to cut new sails for the boat, they agreed that the numbers should be positioned right up in the apex of the sail (as they used to be back in the late 1950s and early 1960s). It was this attention to detail that saw the Enterprise carry off the Concours Prize (along with a generous voucher from International Paints), just one of the many sponsors who'd recognised the growing importance of this event.

With the pressure from the Dayboats, racing in the slow fleet would go down to the wire and when the wind swung for the deciding final race, it looked as if the Enterprise was out of the running as it was buried behind a pack of boats that included the graceful Emsworth One Design. However, Martin Honnor and crew Bryce Howard are skilled exponents of close quarters fighting and wriggled their way to an inside berth at a very crowded mark rounding. This allowed them to score a 2nd place that was just enough to keep the chasing Dayboats of Colin Blewett crewed by Bosham's Izzie Lee who had come up from Poole for the event and the host club's David and Fiona Macfarlane out of the top spot.

This year's Revival Meeting was a little smaller than last year's bumper fleet but this was very much by design as the organisers had revised their entry criteria to encourage the 'racing' end of the classic spectrum. They are to be commended for not only this move but the way in which they organised the whole event, making everything from registration to recalls stress free. The closeness of the racing and the number of boats who were challenging for top honours, both afloat and in the Concours, showed how Bosham have really got a winning package on their hands. The Club and all their helpers, in conjunction with the generosity of the many sponsors, should all be proud of delivering an event for boats of yesteryear in a style that recalls the charm and fun of sailing back then.

Bosham Sailing Club extend thanks to #GetOutAndSail partners

The organisers of the Classic Boat Revival were delighted to receive the July #GetOutAndSail award. This brilliant initiative administered by YachtsandYachting.com is just the sort of shot in the arm the dinghy sailing scene needs and we like to think that our event for classic racing dinghies is also on the right track, attracting some wonderful racing boats out from barns, garages and dinghy parks and back out on the race track where they belong.

The huge pack of prizes and vouchers allowed us to dramatically extend our prize list this year – not only bolstering the range of traditional prizes for the main winners but also awarding prizes to those that would not normally be 'in the chocolates'.

The new prizes were extremely well received - individual fleet prizes, Concours d'Elegance, Furthest Travelled, Top Lady Helms, Family award, Oldest Boat, awards to all those who had attended all three Classic Boat Revivals and a number of special awards for our photographic team, Ambassadorial services to individual classes, 'In At The Deep End' for a lady new to dinghy racing, plus an award for a team delayed by an horrendous traffic jam.

A big thank you to the #GetOutAndSail partners : Crewsaver, Gul, Harken, International Paint, Navigators & General, Noble Marine, Ovington Boats, Rooster Sailing, Seldén Masts and Wildwind.

Fleet One Results:

Fleet Two Results: