Can you remember your first love?

Danny Jo

Danny Jo

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Here's mine, being launched at Dell Quay, Chichester harbour in 1964. Not sure what's happened to my face in this pic. My youngest daughter helped me restore her 8 years ago, but, when I last saw her (CK4263 that is) lying on the Menai Straits shore opposite Portdinorwic, she was in a sad state.

MarkLuciaCadetSnipatDellQuay001.jpg
 
You seem to have had the same trouble as I had - it was the ideal boat for a 14 year old, but by the time I had finished building her, I was too big.
 
Mine was secondhand, hence the earlier number, but yes was a tad cramped.
Quite competitive in a blow though. Did you race?
 
Mine was a school's boat, "Cob" CK1501, from St Peter's in Burnham on Crouch. I got to crew in her quite regularly for the year I was there, at the age of 13. I expect she's long rotted away.
 
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Quite competitive in a blow though.

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Yes. She was the only boat I've had that I've found easy in a squall. Not cleating the sheets is one thing of course, but the perhaps unique design feature was the wide side deck which gave her the ability to float at 90 degrees without taking on water (provided no-one was aboard). If you were quick in capsize situations you could leg it over the weather side onto the dagger board and stay reasonable dry. Try doing that in a Mirror.

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Did you race?

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No. Didn't bother getting her measured because, by mistake, I made her a little to beamy. I was in any case fully occupied crewing Solent Sunbeams.
 
That brings back some memories. Somewhere I still have the "programmes" for the 1974 and 1975 Cadet National Championships, held at Burnham on Crouch. Full of fascinating facts about who won last year etc. etc. and a full programme of events for the week.

I wonder how long that lasted before the cadet was superseded?
 
Brings back memories. My school bought 2 Cadets from Peter Scott and kept them on a lake at Frampton-on-Severn. That was my first experience of sailing in 1958. Great little boats for kids and much more like the real thing than today's Optimists.
 
I remember the 1974 championships. I crewed for my mate Alan in "Jo" (can't remember the sail number), the grp school boat. We wheeled them down the high street on their launching trollies on the Sunday, IIRC. I think we came in the last ten in every race, except the one where the mast came off and the one where five boats lapped us and they put us down as 6th. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
The Cadet Class is still going strong with big fleets nationally and across the world.
I sailed them as did both my kids and soon grandchildren, hopefully.
Last nationals at Burnham were about 1986.
Many of today's top sailors are ex cadets.
[that doesn't make me a top sailor, before anyone else points that out]
 
Dave,
Jo was CK5980, but according to the race programme for 74, she was sailed by a Julie Miller and Bronwen Price.
You are down with Alan Staniforth as sailing the aforementioned Cob. Both squadron 43, Burnham Sailing Club.
 
Ah, thanks. It certainly brings back some ancient memories. I think I've still got my programme as well, I found it whewn we moved house, but it's now in the loft in a box somewhere. Alan's folks still lived in Burnham last time I was in touch ... er ... fifteen years ago. I think we got chucked off the unloved Jo by the girls. Cob was the preferred boat, Jo was much slower, probably heavier being grp. The other school boats were Cygnet and Colt, both plywood. The Burnham sailing club was where the school kept the boats and sailed from, Mr Wright the French teacher, who sailed a Squib, was the main instigator. The school had other boats as well, I never saw the Osprey sail, but have fond memories of my first trips in the Devon Yawl. That, and the camaradarie of the tail-enders during Sunday racing.
I wonder if the school still has boats? These days, I suppose, most families are rich enough to have one of their own if they want.
 
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