No Regrets
Well-Known Member
The annual Bray CC Boat handling competition has been held for many years now, but a few months ago, the committee decided to turn it into a useful tool for encouraging 'Non helming' partners or family members to actually join in the fun.
A great idea! Boat handling AND Training offered for newbies, adding to the safety of Club functions perhaps?
The initial entry was for Five boats, but three turned up, and I have to say the quality of these three entrants were absolutely staggering.
None had helmed any Boat other than during their modest training sessions of around an hour, yet all managed to impeccably perform a Port side upstream berthing, Fender retrieval, and a Downstream Starboard side mooring, to the point the Judge claimed he wouldn't have known they were absolute novices unless he had been forewarned.
This was, IMHO a brilliant move, which bought fresh faces to a popular event, which was attended by around thirty members in total, and has resulted in another five percent of Brays novices accepting training during the morning sessions.
Final results were very very close, with nobody claiming they could spot the Winners, but revealed as follows:-
Top Crew: Trevor Parkin (Shantung: Helmed by his Son)
Top family: The Parkins (Shantung, no less than Five on board!)
= Best 1st Timers: Pauline Ghandi (Judge IT) and Claire Thompson (No Regrets)
Best Lady Skipper: Pauline Ghandi (Judge IT)
Top Boat: No Regrets (Claire Thompson)
The irony was that the usual Skippers, acting as crews, who are all previous winners of various Boat handling events along the Thames, were rather flawed in many respects, showing unimpressive Rope handling skills, and other naughties.
Ladies, i salute you, and to my darling SWMBO, I will never underestimate your valuable crewing abilities....
A great idea! Boat handling AND Training offered for newbies, adding to the safety of Club functions perhaps?
The initial entry was for Five boats, but three turned up, and I have to say the quality of these three entrants were absolutely staggering.
None had helmed any Boat other than during their modest training sessions of around an hour, yet all managed to impeccably perform a Port side upstream berthing, Fender retrieval, and a Downstream Starboard side mooring, to the point the Judge claimed he wouldn't have known they were absolute novices unless he had been forewarned.
This was, IMHO a brilliant move, which bought fresh faces to a popular event, which was attended by around thirty members in total, and has resulted in another five percent of Brays novices accepting training during the morning sessions.
Final results were very very close, with nobody claiming they could spot the Winners, but revealed as follows:-
Top Crew: Trevor Parkin (Shantung: Helmed by his Son)
Top family: The Parkins (Shantung, no less than Five on board!)
= Best 1st Timers: Pauline Ghandi (Judge IT) and Claire Thompson (No Regrets)
Best Lady Skipper: Pauline Ghandi (Judge IT)
Top Boat: No Regrets (Claire Thompson)
The irony was that the usual Skippers, acting as crews, who are all previous winners of various Boat handling events along the Thames, were rather flawed in many respects, showing unimpressive Rope handling skills, and other naughties.
Ladies, i salute you, and to my darling SWMBO, I will never underestimate your valuable crewing abilities....
