From Bob Legg: 

Roger and I went to the Foxhall boat jumble on Sunday which was quite good. Our best bargain was a brand new mainsail for "Alorsmondos". It wasn’t made for a Silhouette but is an exact fit and cost £50. As the guy we bought it from has hundreds of sails with all the measurements listed and is local to you I thought you might like the name:- 

Ian Thompson of Basic Boating. Tel. 01263 761663 Cromer.

Mobile 07765 272160

e_mail: Ian.Boating@Btinternet.com

Well upholstered undiscriminating lady to share Silhouette sailing.

Poor eyesight, loose morals and lack of musical taste essential.

Preferably short but tall girls with own ladder considered.

Applications with £5 non-refundable deposit.

Contact: c/o Box No. 1, SOIA East Midlands Group.

I always thought Silhouettes are to the world of yacht racing what the donkey derby is to Ascot but those excellent and informative articles by Colin Campbell gave me food for thought. They contain much sound advice for the thoroughbreds but perhaps missed a few points for us donkeys and lesser mortals.

I confess I’ve only raced properly on three occasions, always at the Rutland rallies and against my better judgement. I only went because the people are so nice and they all assured me it’s just a bit of fun not to be taken seriously. What a bunch of liars!

For a novice it is a very steep learning curve and perhaps I can pass on a few things I’ve learnt so far.

Preparation is the key to not having a nervous breakdown. Fine tuning the rigging and go faster gadgets will make a marginal difference but first make certain nothing is likely to fall apart under the unaccustomed strain. When Dave Milner hoisted his sails and his mast fell down I laughed so much I nearly bought a round.

Before adding water check there are no holes in the hull. Insultingly obvious you might think but Alf Baldwin, a belt and braces man if ever there was, had to retrieve Misty in a hurry when she was filling due to a small hole out of sight between the keels made during recovery at the previous rally. A ten minute fix involving a gutter bolt, mastic and a bit of rubber from a discarded tyre was so effective he went around Holland before doing a proper repair.

Check you have all the odds and sods before leaving home. Bob Nicholson, a first rate craftsman, was seen whittling a pair of spreaders from a bush just prior to launch.

A lot has been said about levelling up the boat with hose pipes full of water or spirit levels to ensure a vertical mast. A full glass of G&T works well and is easily stowed afterwards but why struggle to level the boat on uneven ground? Just raise the mast, bring the main halyard down level with a chainplate and cleat off the tail.. If you then take the halyard to the opposite chainplate you can see if any adjustment is needed and this method works afloat as well.

I generally just stand a few yards in front of the bow and check the mast is roughly in line with the stem by eye. I haven’t perfected this on the water yet!

Colin says to tighten the shrouds until they produce a good base ‘C’ when twanged. In future I’ll use a tuning fork partly because I’m tone deaf but mostly because being seen "Tuning" the rigging sounds like good psychological warfare. "You don’t stand a chance old man, your rigging is flat!" Does anyone know whether the shorter rigging on a Mk2 resonates at a higher note? I bet Bob Nicholson could get a tune out of Amy!

Talking of nice old gaffers I’ve sailed a few on the Broads which generally have their leeward rigging flapping in the breeze and having mostly owned tired old boats I am a bit nervous of overstressing anything (especially me). I find that as long as the shape is reasonable and nothing is actually sagging the old girl goes well enough – no lady likes her stays too tight!

Colin makes a good case for tell tales on sails and I will take his advice. In the mean time thin strips of Tesco bag tied to the shrouds enable you to judge wind direction without taking your eyes off of the opposition or getting a crick in your neck staring up at a burgee. Don’t try and go up market with Harrods bags, far too strong and heavy. To quote Brian and Elizabeth they should be "featherlight for extra sensitivity to every puff"

It’s too much to expect you not to have a post race supply of beer but for Mk3s at least it should be stowed in the inaccessible depths of the bilge keels. This will help the stability of the crew and possibly the boat as well. It will also be nice and cool by the end of the race.

If you have a helmsman who is too handy with a knife and fork and drags his transom put as much weight forward as you can.

The Skippers Briefing. Make certain you understand what is going on. Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions. If in doubt ask lots of stupid questions. They will rightly assume that this is a ploy but they won’t know which stupid questions are the questions you don’t know are stupid! (see it was just a ploy – honest)

The Start. You need binoculars and a stop-watch. Make certain you write down the exact details of the course and draw a diagram. If you are not sure which end of the start line is best try and shadow someone who is consistently good. I follow Dave Milner so I am never first over the line but I have been second a few times. Don’t make it too obvious they might lure you over the line just before the gun .

Rules. Hopefully everyone knows basic collision regs. but racing rules may as well be written in Greek. All is not lost however. Just remember that they were devised on the fundamental principle of giving the other boat a fair deal. If you can’t remember the appropriate rule ask yourself if your proposed course of action would be fair. Your conscience will tell you the answer and the probability is the appropriate rule will be the same. Avoid Colin Robinson who knows the rules and derives sadistic pleasure in using them to make your life difficult. He is one of the rotters who will yell Starboard at you when he is on port just to see if you are awake, stare at the top of your mast to break your concentration and any other devious trick he can think of; and such a nice fellow when he isn’t racing!

If you make a mistake pray to your god that Tony Eden didn’t see it He can turn a small gaffe into a legend and is usually right!

Anomalies. Is there a standard Silhouette? Most have been altered a little and even large alterations will be tolerated and considered interesting or even innovative provided they don’t work. If they work it’s called cheating! Make all alterations below the water line out of sight and mind and launch early before the others arrive. Under no circumstances add a bowsprit. Every inch of stick you add to the bow will be repaid in yards of the same in the bar.

Lastly if you want to enjoy the racing and remain popular enough to enjoy the socialising don’t make the mistake of winning.

Bob.