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Santa Irene Club de Vela Newsletter - 17th August 2006
Here it is a letter from Halesowen in the English Midlands. Thanks toTarleton and an air ticket – Almeria to Birmingham for £69.
The weather here? Cloudy for 2 or 3 days, but generally very good, it’s surprising how many people wear shorts these days, even the Postman and why not he’s got a good pair of legs - well I guess the girls think so or do they?
Since being here I’ve visited the Midlands S.C. at Edgbaston in central Birmingham, it was a week day and good to see the local authority were organising sailing lessons for a group of teenagers. Racing was at the weekend in a variety of dinghies.
The Yacht Chandler for the Midlands is Purple Marine over at Walsall, I needed a sail repaired, so that was my port of call. Behind the counter was a young Colin Stait who sails a RS200, a fairly new racing class. It’s a modern two handed racing dinghy and ideal for lightweight crews. At 4 metres long, 1.83m beam and an asymmetric spinnaker it’s a boat I would like to try out, on the right day of course. Colin had just returned from the European Championships (Round One) it was held at Riva on the Lake Garda, Italy – a place I would like to visit. The weather was hot, one day 40° and very windy. The winners of the, 60 boat fleet of RS200’s were David Giles and Fiona Clark, our friend Colin Stait and Jeremy Littlejo were 13th.
Back to Birmingham and my visit to Bartlet S. C. nicely situated and a friendly club house, it was light winds, never the less the single handers were racing – a good fleet of Solos plus Lasers and a SuperNova which looks good at 14ft long!
Cowes week has come and gone, I can’t believe the news media takes so little interest in the largest and oldest regatta in the world. It all started 180 years ago on Thursday 10th August 1826 – a bit before my time. So what do we get these days – 8 race days with fun afloat and fun ashore in the evenings, 1,000 boats and 8,500 sailors – its one hell of a spectacle, we were regular visitors to Cowes in the 70’s.
I have a flight booked – Birmingham to Dublin on the 9th price, £1.99, plus taxes, that’s the way I like it. I’m looking forward to my first visit to Ireland and the meeting of the Drascombes down in Baltimore.
Hope you haven’t been too hot, remember to use
your factor 50 – or what ever. Catch up with you in two weeks
Take care
John Talliss
Tel : 950 475 157
Movil: 658 548 790
E-mail John@Sailrway.com
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