Coniston Friendly Meeting
May 18th - 21st 2010
Author - Richard Waldron
In attendance were Roy and Val Bradshaw, Big Bill and Pat Wilson, R. John and Dianne Blake, Barbara Aldred and 'newbie' Richard Waldron.
I am the 'newbie' so I have been asked for a report on this meet. I have written it from my own perspective.
I have an ancient 1984 Tinker Tramp (sail no. 910) and was concerned to see that the other attendees had all bought 12 ft. modern tinkers, so I thought my modest boat would be outsailed easily. However, I was delighted to have the guiding hand of R. John Blake, a clearly very experienced sailor. He soon put me right about the tensions and positioning of my rigging, the angle of the mast, how far to reel in the mainsheet, how to adjust the rudder etcetera. He and Dianne, as well as the others, made me feel very welcome and were extremely kind to me. I had planned to eat and live modestly in my small tent and Honda CRV, visiting the village for most meals. I was however awarded the use of John and Dianne’s camping gas stove and invited to share some BBQ meats and fare in a friendly group meal on the first night of my arrival. Everyone was most welcoming and friendly. I related well in particular to "Big Bill" as we had shared some seagoing experiences in the Merchant Navy.
After getting used to the boat and adjusting several details, I attempted to keep up with the more experienced sailors and mostly managed to do so. On a broad reach, my little Tramp performed very well indeed, perhaps in part due to the original design with a mast step and bulkhead. I was astounded at how well these little inflatable boats performed and suggested that they should be more respected as a class in their own right. They are extremely safe, being classed as life rafts when not ‘hobby’ sailing. They are used by many yacht owners as very serviceable tenders, but they are so much more.
We did not have any official racing, but did have a few friendly competitions around the buoys which concentrated the mind and the competitive spirit.
We used one trip as an excuse to moor at the foot of the Ruskin museum and café, a most delightful way to spend an afternoon. The winds were fairly light with the odd gust. This was a bit of a challenge to get the most out of the boats, but there was no danger of capsizing.
Coniston defied the hot weather reports for the rest of the UK, being overcast and shrouded in mist over the hills. This suited the sailing of the Tinkers, though the winds dropped to an uncanny stillness on the Friday.
Coniston Water was a beautiful lake, with plenty of room and depth for sailing. The Gondola and other tourist tripper boats made for fabulous views and hardly gave us any trouble. "Steam gives way to sail" had to be a very loose rule.
The village proved very well equipped with anything needed for 'messing about in boats' and has lots of good accommodation and feeding (and watering) holes.
I have not enjoyed myself so much since I do not know when.
The camp/caravan site was brilliantly sited next to the water. Some sybarites are apparently put off by the lack of electric hook-ups (due to sometime flooding), but I found it a perfect site, if fairly basic. The toilet facilities are small, but fine if you can be a little patient.
I was surprised that there were not more Tinker owners at the meet. It was, overall, idyllic and the friendliness of the other owners was and is absolutely fantastic.
I am the 'newbie' so I have been asked for a report on this meet. I have written it from my own perspective.
I have an ancient 1984 Tinker Tramp (sail no. 910) and was concerned to see that the other attendees had all bought 12 ft. modern tinkers, so I thought my modest boat would be outsailed easily. However, I was delighted to have the guiding hand of R. John Blake, a clearly very experienced sailor. He soon put me right about the tensions and positioning of my rigging, the angle of the mast, how far to reel in the mainsheet, how to adjust the rudder etcetera. He and Dianne, as well as the others, made me feel very welcome and were extremely kind to me. I had planned to eat and live modestly in my small tent and Honda CRV, visiting the village for most meals. I was however awarded the use of John and Dianne’s camping gas stove and invited to share some BBQ meats and fare in a friendly group meal on the first night of my arrival. Everyone was most welcoming and friendly. I related well in particular to "Big Bill" as we had shared some seagoing experiences in the Merchant Navy.
After getting used to the boat and adjusting several details, I attempted to keep up with the more experienced sailors and mostly managed to do so. On a broad reach, my little Tramp performed very well indeed, perhaps in part due to the original design with a mast step and bulkhead. I was astounded at how well these little inflatable boats performed and suggested that they should be more respected as a class in their own right. They are extremely safe, being classed as life rafts when not ‘hobby’ sailing. They are used by many yacht owners as very serviceable tenders, but they are so much more.
We did not have any official racing, but did have a few friendly competitions around the buoys which concentrated the mind and the competitive spirit.
We used one trip as an excuse to moor at the foot of the Ruskin museum and café, a most delightful way to spend an afternoon. The winds were fairly light with the odd gust. This was a bit of a challenge to get the most out of the boats, but there was no danger of capsizing.
Coniston defied the hot weather reports for the rest of the UK, being overcast and shrouded in mist over the hills. This suited the sailing of the Tinkers, though the winds dropped to an uncanny stillness on the Friday.
Coniston Water was a beautiful lake, with plenty of room and depth for sailing. The Gondola and other tourist tripper boats made for fabulous views and hardly gave us any trouble. "Steam gives way to sail" had to be a very loose rule.
The village proved very well equipped with anything needed for 'messing about in boats' and has lots of good accommodation and feeding (and watering) holes.
I have not enjoyed myself so much since I do not know when.
The camp/caravan site was brilliantly sited next to the water. Some sybarites are apparently put off by the lack of electric hook-ups (due to sometime flooding), but I found it a perfect site, if fairly basic. The toilet facilities are small, but fine if you can be a little patient.
I was surprised that there were not more Tinker owners at the meet. It was, overall, idyllic and the friendliness of the other owners was and is absolutely fantastic.
Let’s see more owners and boats at the next meet.
 |
| Big Bill Wilson takes to the water ©Richard Waldron 2010 |
 |
| Tinkers on the horizon ©Richard Waldron 2010 |
 |
| An old Tramp in good company ©Richard Waldron 2010 |
 |
| Four old retrobates (sic) take a break at the Ruskin museum ©Richard Waldron 2010 |