I’ve made many mistakes in my life but that’s what any sailor does. Particularly if you’re in the pro. yachting game. When I was much older, I began to race an old Macgruer in Scotland. I was working very hard as a seasonal coach for Sport Scotland which was a great centre. It started off with this own boat This job came to my centre as an interesting jornt. It was decided that I might be able to do this…
Well actually we started in Oban with Jamie Grant who wanted his boys to enjoy his lovely boat. The first day was a near disaster from nearly hitting other yachts. Doing some boat handling; but also, I needed to understand the dynamics of these people and this boat. This boat handling idea was a stupid mistake, because I’d forgotten how poorly long keeled yachts perform in modern Marina’s. From what I can remember now I tried to teach the boys more about crewing on this lovely old classic 8 metre boat. And it went slightly better but nothing remarkable.
When you’re a professional coach and older but love it; jobs come round permanently. It’s the nature of your normal work. Thus, I was slightly surprised to see that during the next season. I was booked to go out again by this owner on his boat. Hopefully, this sound doesn’t sound too cynical, but you do meet hundreds of people; different forms of sailing when you work at this job.
To cut a long yarn short though. Jamie wanted to race his boat more. Neither his wife nor his two boys didn’t really understand his passions though. But his wife did understand this break for him was good, though.
Hence, we started racing her in the Clyde. Doing some club races during the next seasons in mostly the Clyde. Every year Jamie invested more money into his boat.
During the early years of racing, I generally got it wrong. Usually pushing the boat much too hard in strong winds but we weren’t going to win anyway. The rig wasn’t set up well, the sails were very old plus, none of us hadn’t been racing for many years. But we did it and had loads of fun…
Then, we entered the second Crinan Classic Regatta and several more. We’d started to race her quite well; apart from hitting a rock once. Beginning to do okay, having managed to drag aboard several more expert sailors. Unfortunately, this lovely event died.
The demise of this fine event didn’t affect me as much as Jamie who was quite a competitive man with his job as a busy Property lawyer. We entered and won a few couple of cups in the local Clyde club racing scene. These results encouraged him to race much more.
We entered the feeder race for the Scottish Series which we managed to win outright on Handicap a couple of times. He bought a new furling Jib. ’Kelana’ was also tarted up more each season; she looked an absolute picture.
Perhaps we’d learnt to race the boat slightly better, any results were mostly based on our concentration. We upped our game more racing her at higher level in the Scottish Series and doing West Highland Week. We were usually the only wooden boat always the oldest.
Our small team was still totally amateur apart from Moi. It was notable that ‘Kelana’ had begun to leak slightly more, now. Any decisions or mistakes where all on my shoulders. As my pal Adrian Morgan said more than once “she’ll go much faster if you reef her down properly”. But reefing did take a long time especially on short races.
As the bloke making all these racing decisions, it had already become far too serious. Even considering that I used to race boats for payment; life had changed from those days. Started to feel I’d rather not do this. For myself, if you don’t do it properly, then don’t bother. And was starting to believe that we’re killing this wonderfully built 1946 MacGruer…
The owner invested in a new mainsail but given almost no practice with scratch crews, I felt our results couldn’t be sustained. The owner and his boat were pushing me well beyond, where what I wanted to go.
We won one race in the Scottish Series finding strong winds on the east side of Loch Fyne; then we pulled one of the Primary Winches out of the deck during the longer race which we could have won.
‘Kelana’ at seventy was telling us we were pushing her too, hard. But Jamie had her ready for our second West Highland Week. Just managing to squeak a win in our class. This was excellent. This was enough for me as the skipper for ‘Kelana’; best to stop when you’re ahead. Fed up with ridiculous and lucky results. Hence, decided to exit after racing and cruising with this boat for over ten years.
Ten lessons learned from racing this old 8 metre, for many years:
- With a three-quarter rigged yacht mainsail trim is the most important (plus very good sails).
- It doesn’t pay to push these old lovely machines’ too hard; they often respond well and go faster with less sail, upwind with their tiny rudders.
- Downwind put up as much sail as the crew you’ve got; plus, all a forty-year-old spinnaker will stand.
- Don’t mix it with modern yachts; don’t damage a lovely old boat with a line scuffle. Try a timed run to the line, keeping very good way on avoiding modern yachts. Better to have a poor start than T-boning, one of ‘em.
- Very light winds we can still very competitive. If we’re behind, we can see the next holes in any wind.
- Concentration is the name of the game over many hours; we won light wind races; probably with me being such an arse. Thus, we were always trying hard.
- Tidal stream is very important for a yacht that’s like a submarined and a very clean bottom’s a must; there’s a big long keel down there.
- It’s different racing a tiny boat like ‘Kelana’; everything you do as skipper must done in the head by instinct. There were no TV screens: just depth on deck, speed over the ground with a tiny GPS below decks and no true wind speed instruments.
- Strong winds and any big choppy waves don’t suit yachts with long overhangs.
- Do enjoy racing a well-designed yacht (designed but not built, pre-WW11); it’s really like good vintage 1930’s car, that kind of technology.
We all need a change; I went racing on a big skiff the following season. But Jamie continued to race ‘Kelana’ well which was fine news… I had decided did need this anymore with my wonderful wife getting bad Alzheimer’s. It was a no go.
You perhaps shouldn’t want to bother stepping onboard on oldie yacht wearing boots; just put on proper yachtsman’s gear i.e. have some white blancoed Spat’s like that famous Beken photo of Sir Tommy Lipton onboard one of his Shamrock’s.
