Letters to Santa...

[Michael Brigg]

Today is the 1st day of advent and so as well as starting the pudding mix perhaps we need to start declaring the path we intend to walk on our winter's journey.

Those of us with enlightened little helpers will know that a list submitted to SWIMBO will quickly find its way up the chimney, but perhaps for those that are not in possession of a fine flue the forum might offer us the facility of a delivery service to Santa.

Dear Santa,

My International canoe needs a repair to the trailing edge of the centre plate, and a new coaming on the bow where it T-boned a sleepy fibreglass YW14. Thank you for the deep skirted cover last year from Mr Razorback Boats, but I need to get inside now for the winter. Please can I have some wide comfortable webbing straps to sit on in the Garage rafters.

Oh yes. I want to convert the Mast foot to take an adaptor for switching from fixed to rotating mast.

I promise I am going to be especially good next year as I need a Free pass for the Nationals at Weymouth and the Worlds at Pwlheli next year...

Flycatcher F3184 needs a big job to repair a leak around the plate case. It probably needs to come out and should have been done when I had all the other work done, but that made me such a bad boy I still feel lucky if I'm given a brass shackle at christmas. I also took a knock on the Port shroud and cracked the veneers. It will need some re- epoxying. The boat is still sailable and so will probably need to be a project on hold. Please can I have some Duck tape and some Epoxy to use next year. Oh, A new suit of sails will be nice but I'll have to do lot of Carol singing for that.

Blue Moon has been promoted to the Upper garden in readiness to slip into the Garage underneath Torment. Never mind Garage therapy, the Window frame needs to be replaced as it is rotten, before any work gets done, and there are new hinges needed for the doors and new woodwork needed for the Coal hole

Blue moon will need a gallon of "imported" Dichloromethane, so perhaps while I am applying that, the windows should wait as I will need plenty of fresh air! I expect the Epiphanes will wait until next year.

I promise to be good,

[trebor]

Dear Santa,
I have been a good boy this year, I would like,
1) single scull
2) sea kayak
3)nice surprise !
Thanks in advance

[ent228]

I've just brought my Christmas presents:

Good condition Laser Surfsprint and a Sailboard Vario, the joy of being into old boards. Paid for by a trip around IKEA in Bristol..........

I'm really looking forwards to playing with them in the spring.

[Rupert]

Dear Santa,

Please could you do some Christmas magic and remove all the flaky paint on the inside of Saskia while I'm asleep on Christmas night?

If I wasn't good enough during the year for that (highly likely), please may I have a windsurfer?

[jules22]

Dear Santa,
Please could you mend all 8 of the clubs International Cadets that the kids have broken this year, failing that a couple of "usefull" helpers at the upcoming work day to help me fix them, before the weather gets to cold to fix boats outside........

[Pat]

Dear Santa,
This is a big ask but.... we'd like at least a dozen clones to do all the building works and house extension and a full team of house elves to turn out the house and garage, make space to work on boats and clear the pile of rubbish to be burnt that is blocking access to the stove it is going on, so we can warm up the workshop which is very cold even in high summer.

Then there's a few plastic boats that need various works - a Laser nose job, an Albacore paint job, the Larks, little Bobbin and lots of little bits of gelcoating and refitting. The Zoom needs a new dagger board and rescuing from the jungle in the garden - we're helping though, as yesterday we cleared away the big soil pile surrounding it and backfilled the new retaining wall to make a better boat park and stop us and our boats sliding off down the lane.

After that there's the serious work on the three wooden Merlins - fat boat (3434) needs a new transom and the split in the mast foot wood repairing and a full refit. Half Cut 2121 needs a new deck and some reinforcement of the knees which hold the shrouds. And a full paint job and maybe a leaky plank fixing. Enchanter (40) needs loads of sanding especially inside between the ribs and lots of coats of good varnish and Sandy wants to retro-fit a rear deck as per original which was removed years ago. Thank you Santa, by the way, for coming early (in the guise of Chris Barlow) and bringing us some lovely cotton sails for 40 - we promise to try to use them soon.

Another thing I'd like is a one string system for Red Herring. I know it's a modern Albacore not a Merlin Rocket but we always get confused with the shrouds, jib tension, kicker and ram controls all being similar and close together and I'd like to make it easier. And while we're about it, the front end jib and pole systems need a rework as the cleats are too high and impossible to un-cleat under load, nearly capsizing us and the jib tack and pole catch on the ram every tack.

And Santa please send us some buyers for the boats we want to sell who are happy to part with good money and then some beautiful weather with wind and sun so we can all enjoy the next season's events.

[Ed]

and a new coaming on the bow where it T-boned a sleepy fibreglass YW14.

That's the thing about IC's...... a complete mind of their own.....

There you are, having a nice pleasant sail.....minding your own business and the damn canoe just goes and t-bones someone. I mean, what can one do..... when it gets an idea in its mind, there is just no stopping it.



eib

ps mine is just the same...

[Michael Brigg]

and a new coaming on the bow where it T-boned a sleepy fibreglass YW14.

That's the thing about IC's...... a complete mind of their own.....

There you are, having a nice pleasant sail.....minding your own business and the damn canoe just goes and t-bones someone. I mean, what can one do..... when it gets an idea in its mind, there is just no stopping it.



eib

ps mine is just the same...

Yes...This is what my brother says it is like to own Whippets....Absolute responsibility with no power/control.

(He sleeps with dogs! !!)

[alan williams]

He arrived early at are house a new set of shiny carbon twin poles and launcher. Father Christmas (Kevin Gosling ), will be bringing a late Christmas present in the spring to me a rebuilt Flying Fifteen.
Happy Christmas one and all.
Alan

[chris]

Dear Santa
Please:
1 Make sure Sandy works on Merlin 40 so he can try the sails I passed on.
2 Bring back 'Bob a Job' week so we can exploit some cheap labour to do the nasty bits of boat repairs we try and avoid.
3 I would like some gaffer tape that is extremely strong but when you eventually need to remove it just peels off without leaving any sticky muck.
4 a years supply of epoxy and varnish ...Pleeease.
5 A little help regluing all the planks on Spritefull would be much appreciated and if you could stop the old brass screws breaking then I promise not to swear so much.
Oh and world peace, of course.

[Obscured by clouds]

Dear Santa,
This is a big ask but.... we'd like at least a dozen clones to do all the building works and house extension and a full team of house elves to turn out the house and garage, make space to work on boats and clear the pile of rubbish to be burnt that is blocking access to the stove it is going on, so we can warm up the workshop which is very cold even in high summer.

Then there's a few plastic boats that need various works - a Laser nose job, an Albacore paint job, the Larks, little Bobbin and lots of little bits of gelcoating and refitting. The Zoom needs a new dagger board and rescuing from the jungle in the garden - we're helping though, as yesterday we cleared away the big soil pile surrounding it and backfilled the new retaining wall to make a better boat park and stop us and our boats sliding off down the lane.

After that there's the serious work on the three wooden Merlins - fat boat (3434) needs a new transom and the split in the mast foot wood repairing and a full refit. Half Cut 2121 needs a new deck and some reinforcement of the knees which hold the shrouds. And a full paint job and maybe a leaky plank fixing. Enchanter (40) needs loads of sanding especially inside between the ribs and lots of coats of good varnish and Sandy wants to retro-fit a rear deck as per original which was removed years ago. Thank you Santa, by the way, for coming early (in the guise of Chris Barlow) and bringing us some lovely cotton sails for 40 - we promise to try to use them soon.

Another thing I'd like is a one string system for Red Herring. I know it's a modern Albacore not a Merlin Rocket but we always get confused with the shrouds, jib tension, kicker and ram controls all being similar and close together and I'd like to make it easier. And while we're about it, the front end jib and pole systems need a rework as the cleats are too high and impossible to un-cleat under load, nearly capsizing us and the jib tack and pole catch on the ram every tack.

And Santa please send us some buyers for the boats we want to sell who are happy to part with good money and then some beautiful weather with wind and sun so we can all enjoy the next season's events.

Pat: should'nt that be 'Dear Sandy'?

[Obscured by clouds]

as for Dear Santa, I would like:
a large heated workshop, where I could get both Sibrwd and Julia Dream into the warm and dry.
a carbon fibre mast for Sibrwd so I can finish her as intended.
a couple of litres of epiphanes varnish for Julia Dream
the wherewithal to actualy undertake these jobs

[jpa_wfsc]

Dear Santa

Please may I...

be able to see again so I can get myself to the sailing club and do some sailing! (Cataract op scheduled for 1st March, sooner would be nice!!)

have a Finn to sail again.

[Michael Brigg]

Dear Santa

Please may I...

be able to see again so I can get myself to the sailing club and do some sailing! (Cataract op scheduled for 1st March, sooner would be nice!!)

have a Finn to sail again.

Dear JPA,

I can strongly suggest you take a leaf out of Mr Kirk Douglas' book. (Who incidentally this week will hopefully manage a rare Hollywood actor's achievement by becoming a Centegenarian!)



His Cataract certainly didn't stop him getting down to the club for a beer with his mates, and a few other interesting pub games either.



Suggest this is made a part of the National Rally!

Ho Ho Ho.

Santa!

[jpa_wfsc]

Suggest this is made a part of the National Rally!

Ho Ho Ho.

Santa!

Dear Santa - well that cheered me up a it. May I suggest that we hurl danfos at the painters, if we hit, we get to keep the (previously) attached boat, if we miss - not, and if we hit the boat, a free lesson in fitting a new deck?