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[Merlin Rocket Owners Association]
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Merlin
Rocket Fleet
Merlin Rocket fleet captain:
Lets get the propaganda out of the way: Merlins
are the best boats! They are fast, fun and
friendly boats to sail. They have been going since 1945,
so there's pedigree and history in abundance. It's a
development class so you can modify your boat to suit
your tastes (within the rules of course). They are bang
up to date; the modern boats have carbon masts, which
make them as easy to sail as they are fast across the
water. The cost is as deep or as shallow as your pocket -
a new boat with carbon fibre trimmings would easily push
£10,000, but a competitive steed is about £2500 and you
wouldn't really want to spend less than £750. Finally,
and most importantly, they look gorgeous - the plastic
boats are easier to maintain but are a bit soulless when
compared to the wooden clinker-built real deal (although
both hull constructions are as fast as each other).
It would be fair to say that
Blithfield is more of a 'club' sailing base rather than a
home port for Open Meeting contenders, although we do put
in a good showing in the local Midland Circuit and attend
Salcombe Week in Devon. Our fleet is as friendly as it is
competitive - we have some of the latest ex-champions
boats and some lovely classics that regularly sail.
Everybody is willing to give help and advice both on and
off the water and the fickle finger of fate means that
the outcome of a race is never a foregone conclusion! At
the last count, the fleet consisted of:-
| No. |
Boat Name |
Helm / Crew |
Colour |
Design |
| 3665 |
Still Not Over |
Matt Biggs and Dave Crockett |
Light Blue |
Winder Tales Mk3 |
| 3639 |
Carbonator |
Steve and Gill Leney |
Yellow |
Winder Tales Mk2 |
| 3617 |
Nearly All Over |
Tom Chadfield and Andrew Chadfield |
Dark Blue |
Winder Tales Mk2 |
| 3612 |
Manaia |
Geoff and Noelle Wright |
Blue |
Easy Roller |
| 3549 |
Unfinished Business |
Pete and Nicki Smith |
Blue over white |
Let it Ride |
| 3547 |
Moondance Assasin |
Peter and Christine Male |
Blue and yellow |
Joyrider |
| 3541 |
Wet Spice |
Norman Price and Neil Harper |
Blue over White |
Thin Ice |
| 3505 |
Sterling Crisis |
Robert Grew and Kate Wright |
White |
Canterbury Tales |
| 3492 |
Empty Pockets |
Andrew and Lil Easton |
Red |
Empty Pockets |
| 3342 |
Synchronisity |
Neil McAra and Yvonne Pearson |
Blue |
Summer Wine |
| 3339 |
The Flame |
Tim Male and Rebecca Aldred |
Red |
Summer Wine |
| 3296 |
Seveth Heaven |
Roger Ellis and Sarah Thomas |
White |
NSM 2 |
| 3124 |
Space Illusion |
Simon Clarke and Chris Clarke |
Blue / White |
Smokers Satisfaction |
| 2823 |
Heart Beat |
Brain Homer and Mark Homer |
Varnished |
Echo |
| 1781 |
Phantasy 2 |
Matt and Cathernie Stephenson |
? |
Star Rocket |
If you've decided to get a
Merlin, you need to decide which hull design you desire.
The rules mean that you can design a boat to suit your
specific sailing and crew weight (typically circa 22
stone); variations on 'Summer Wines' and 'Canterbury
Tales' are the most popular. The Class Association is
very active and organises events all over the country, merlinrocket.co.uk
is the best place to look for the 'design guide' and the
biggest source of secondhand boats and equipment.
Since there are so many bits
of string to tweak, there is no need to buy a new suit of
sails every season to remain competitive. You'll do
better to perfecting what you've got rather than waste
time pouring over sailmakers brochures. If you would like
to try sailing a Merlin Rocket, send an
or pop down on a Sunday;
most of the fleet will happily let you have a go with
their precious boat if you promise not to scratch it!
Everyone can sail Merlins - when it's light winds, you
can take your kids out and get a weight advantage, and
when the North Sea winds are coming in, you can put the
spinnaker up and make some real progress!
Don't hesitate to get in touch if you need a crew or
advice on choosing your first boat. I look forward to
seeing you on the water!
Tim Male
3339 The Flame
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