The Way we Live Now (yes, this is a sailing rant...Dan Crane may enjoy it...)

[Kukri]

Today I took the elder sprog and a friend to the Suffolk Schools' Regatta, on Alton Water, along with the elderly family Firefly.

We were pleased to see that ours was not the only Firefly there - there were three others - all modern GRP ones, all with very new looking sails. Enquiry of the crew of the Firefly next to the sprog's in the dinghy park revealed that the sails were indeed new - first unrolled this very morning. All three boats had new sails. All three boats belonged to Royal Hospital School, as indeed did many other boats. Unsurprisingly Royal Hospital School won the regatta.

Sprog and friend had a nice day's sailing, despite taunts of "Is that a Firefly - why are you going so slowly?" from children attending Royal Hospital School.

The Firefly class specify a single maker - Hyde - and a suit for a Firefly costs £558.67 including VAT. The sails on our boat are about ten years old. Indeed, the whole boat, with combi trailer, cost less than that.

For a county schools regatta?

 

[sailorman]

Today I took the elder sprog and a friend to the Suffolk Schools' Regatta, on Alton Water, along with the elderly family Firefly.

We were pleased to see that ours was not the only Firefly there - there were three others - all modern GRP ones, all with very new looking sails. Enquiry of the crew of the Firefly next to the sprog's in the dinghy park revealed that the sails were indeed new - first unrolled this very morning. All three boats had new sails. All three boats belonged to Royal Hospital School, as indeed did many other boats. Unsurprisingly Royal Hospital School won the regatta.

Sprog and friend had a nice day's sailing, despite taunts of "Is that a Firefly - why are you going so slowly?" from children attending Royal Hospital School.

The Firefly class specify a single maker - Hyde - and a suit for a Firefly costs £558.67 including VAT. The sails on our boat are about ten years old. Indeed, the whole boat, with combi trailer, cost less than that.

For a county schools regatta?

And many pupils will be on bursary`s too so cost to their parents, very little

 

[ProMariner]

Sorry, I think I am not getting the point, are you offended that some boats turn up for a race with good sails? Or exasperated that newer sails CAN make a boat a little faster? Or is the point, that school boats should only use clapped out gear, and anything else is an affront to privately owned boats?

Buy the nippers a new jib, for, what, £100? Get the settings and prep right, for a bit of elbow grease and another £100, get your sprogs to sail and race it often, THEN come back with a proper rant. Sorry, this one does just not cut it.

But wd for getting them a nice boat, and not setting them adrift in the rya squad sausage factory, and wd for not running round the lake shouting at them to pull the stick.

A little taunting does a kid no harm, and gives them a chance to show humility and grace.

 

[Kukri]

I'm not offended; I am startled that a school should think a county sailing regatta important enough to spend that sort of money on. It's their money, of course - they are a public school, and their prospectus does emphasise sailing. I am just not sure that Doctor Arnold would have seen things that way.

Sprog's other boat is an International Canoe - which he didn't take, as in a fleet of Toppers and Teras there isn't room to get up to speed. An RS 29 (also Royal Hospital) finished further down the fleet than he did. The Firefly was his and is now his younger brother's. It's what you'd call a good ordinary club boat - does well enough in the club fleet - certainly not a manky auld wreck.

 

[sailorman]

Sorry, I think I am not getting the point, are you offended that some boats turn up for a race with good sails? Or exasperated that newer sails CAN make a boat a little faster? Or is the point, that school boats should only use clapped out gear, and anything else is an affront to privately owned boats?

Buy the nippers a new jib, for, what, £100? Get the settings and prep right, for a bit of elbow grease and another £100, get your sprogs to sail and race it often, THEN come back with a proper rant. Sorry, this one does just not cut it.

But wd for getting them a nice boat, and not setting them adrift in the rya squad sausage factory, and wd for not running round the lake shouting at them to pull the stick.

A little taunting does a kid no harm, and gives them a chance to show humility and grace.

http://www.royalhospitalschool.org/

 

[doug748]

.....
A little taunting does a kid no harm, and gives them a chance to show humility and grace.

I always think it is winning that gives us all a chance to display those admirable qualities.


If I ever win owt, I will see how I get on.

 

[Jack B]

I think they compete at many more regattas than just Suffolk schools.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I'm not offended; I am startled that a school should think a county sailing regatta important enough to spend that sort of money on. It's their money, of course - they are a public school, and their prospectus does emphasise sailing. I am just not sure that Doctor Arnold would have seen things that way.

.

maybe they think its important to teach the kids how to be winners. if so, then good.

 

[Kukri]

I think they compete at many more regattas than just Suffolk schools.

The Firefly class have an unusual rule: one suit of sails, per boat, per year. Most people, if they are keen, buy a suit for the Nationals.

 

[Kukri]

maybe they think its important to teach the kids how to be winners. if so, then good.

I am absolutely sure that Doctor Arnold would not have agreed with that.

 

[zzyyxx]

It has always been the case that where something can be bought to gain an advantage someone wealthy will buy that advantage.

It's why they're in a private school in the first place.

 

[Jamesuk]

Yawn ;-)))

 

[Iain C]

.
An RS 29 (also Royal Hospital) finished further down the fleet than he did...

Erm, pointless rant about getting beaten racing. If his is an old boat and he was'nt far off the pace, then the moral victory is his, and he probably would have won in a faster boat. If he was miles out the back door, practice, or get better sails...simple. Sadly that's dinghy fleet racing for you, if you want to win, then you need good kit. If you are happy to just sail and enjoy it, then who cares.

Oh, and what the hell is an RS 29?

 

[Kukri]

No, that's NOT what the rant is about. What the rant is about is the utter pointlessness of turning out, having spent a small fortune, to an event where 140-170 boats turn up, mostly ordinary club boats owned by teenagers, be they in public schools or state schools. OF COURSE RHS were going to win - but what a pointless victory!

 

[Iain C]

Erm, so someone turns up at a 170, yes, 170 boat regatta with new rags and it's pointless? You do realise that's bigger than any Nationals fleet I care to think of, and somehow it's not right for them to choose that one to use new sails at? Sorry to rain on your parade but even with brand new sails if they'd pointed to boat the wrong way, or got involved in a protest, (very easy with that many boats) they wouldn't have won...there might be some skill involved too you know...

...still want to know about the RS 29 too ;-)

 

[dunedin]

Even council running sailing centres get new boats occasionally. Our kids once sailed a fun inter-club regatta in a brand new Mirror, with clearly brand new sails. The reason was they had sold the old boats - and I noticed yesterday they still have the same Mirrors 15 years later
Are you saying we should not have been allowed to sail until the boats had been beaten up a bit ?

 

[davidpbo]

People quite often use special events as leverage to buy something that was needed anyway. How old were the sails that were replaced? Maybe someone donated them or they had been fundraising.

 

[dylanwinter]

they have obviously improved over the past 40 years

when I was at wolverstone we used to team race against them but we whumped em so comprehensively that the events were stopped

Greshams on the other hand were always a challenge

D

Ps - we occasionally got new sails for our boats - state run boarding school too

outragous I know

 

[zzyyxx]

Yawn ;-)))

Come the revolution the people with new sails will be first up against the wall.

(It was just an observation.)

 

[Seajet]

Come the revolution the people with new sails will be first up against the wall.

(It was just an observation.)

I tend to agree !

I used to race every winter in Scorpions and Fireballs, we hadn't a chance of winning as we were penniless teenagers with very old sails, up against gits who were sponsored with new sails every few months.

It really was ' the fun of taking part '...