Congratulations to club members Sam Pascoe and Sam Mottershead for winning the Merlin Rocket Silver tiller open meeting held at Rutland Water on Monday 4th May. They won with an emphatic 3,1,1 score line from a fleet of 30 boats which included some of the brightest names in UK dinghy sailing. Sam Mottershead who has progressed through the club YOBs programme, gamely stepped in to join Sam P as his normal crew, sister Megan, was otherwise engaged in a ISAFF event on Lake Garda.
The two Sam’s were part of a three boat Weymouth contingent which also included Phil & Ali Ashworth & Mark & Rima Bugler who made the long trip to Rutland to take part in two days of intense on the water training prior to the open meeting over the bank holiday weekend.
The Merlin class association organised the training by three class experts, Richard Whitworth, Mike Calvert and Pat Blake all of whom are no strangers to Weymouth. While Mike and Richard have sailed and trained at WSC in the past, older members may remember Pat Blake campaigning his Flying Dutchman with the likes of Rodney Patterson in Weymouth Olympic week from Weymouth sands.
Rutland sailing Club provided great hospitality with full catering and bunk house accommodation. The wind was a strong north easterly on the Saturday & Sunday which made for cold conditions and challenging training routines! We all learnt a lot including that it’s colder up north than in Weymouth!
There was an unfortunate incident on the Sam’s boat. Modern Merlins have automated flyaway spinnaker pole systems powered by shock cord. These work well as long as you duck when the pole flies off the mast back to its position on the boom. Unfortunately Sam M was not quite quick enough and the pole struck him just bellow the eye while training on Saturday with the elite group. This accident resulted in a trip to casualty on the Saturday evening where he was patched up. The two Sam’s arrived back from hospital just in time for some welcome hot food. Sam M affectionately known as mini-Sam (who incidentally is not half as mini as he used to be) has a great sense of humour and announced that it was good job he’d grown in the last year otherwise it would have had his eye out! However Sam M was obviously undeterred by this accident as he carried on with the training next day and of course won the open meeting in fine style on the Monday.
Creditable results were also achieved by Mark & Rima who came 22nd and Phil & Ali who came 24th who were both on the heels of some very good Merlin sailors - lots learnt and optimism for the season ahead.
Submitted on 14th May 2015