Stone Blast

On the 24th and 25th June 2006, the Cherubs came to Stone SC in Essex for the biannual blasting weekend.

On the Saturday the breeze was late in arriving, so, once afloat, the fleet blasted late into the evening, missing all the food at BBQ laid on by the sailing club! During this session Atum Bom's T-foil was put to proper use for the first time, providing supporting evidence for the theoretical performance advantage.

Ewan Harris (rebuilder of Bistro 2655 Monkey Magic) appeared in his Thunderbirds vehicle of a rib. He said, “Hmmm. I will add a T foil to my list of jobs”. This was after he rescued Atum Bom's helm's hat, and before he disappeared to the rib's berth up a muddy creek (and possibly in a secret underground bunker). Therapy (Platypus 2656) made a welcome appearance and did some worthwhile blasting.

The evening was spent foraging for food as there was none at the sailing club. We were lucky in our choice of hosts and an emergency BBQ was arranged at Mr. and Mrs. Brown's fabulous pile overlooking the River Blackwater.

So as the sun slowly descended over the gentle landscape of Essex, and the smoke from the BBQ slowly rose and disappeared in the gloaming, thoughts and words turned gently to T-foils and Nationals transport arrangements….

We were also treated to an informative lecture from Mr. Brown on waste management strategies, including the merits of incinerators.

On Sunday the debate on the shore was whether the assembled Cherubs and assorted other classes would be able to stem the tide which was really hosing in, at the start of the race. Most of us could, but there was a large amount of mudskipping (and mud finding) to be done to improve our chances. Much duelling with Shearwaters (beautiful boats) was enjoyed, and we were jealous of their short centreboards! Atum Bom was the first Cherub home.

In between the races the wind had piped up and the tide reduced such that long-legged Cherubs went in search of more breeze and clearer air on the first beat of the next race. Therapy won the war of attrition in the building breeze.

After this, Loco Perro (2685 Big Issue) changed hands from builder / visionary Ben Brown to class returner Dan Kemble. Welcome back! Also of note was the appearance of Paul Smith (not the shirt designer, we established) with an elderly Forman 4 hull which was built in cirec 1980 but never sailed or registered. Paul is planning to sort the boat out to make a perfect starter Cherub for him and his family and came to get some tips.

Thanks to Stone SC for being very welcoming and relaxed, and providing industrial quantities of scones for Cherub sailors suffering with acute calofic deficits.

Next event: Weymouth at Castle Cove 12th - 13th August.

  • news/2006/0625.txt
  • Last modified: 2023/03/01 19:01
  • by jp233