Hi
Does anyone know of anywhere that you can launch with a pontoon alongside the luachn ramp on the south or east coast? I’m a bit less agile than normal at the moment, and think I’m going to find it hard to climb into the boat from the ramp. I know of several launching ramps that would be suitable in Devon and Cornwall, but they’re too far away for a weekend sail and our usual East coast launching spots on the Orwell and Blackwater are rather more basic!
Thanks
Nicky

Sea Simon,
I just arrived in Devon and plan to see her later today. She just got a fresh coat of non skid on the cockpit floor and fresh paint in the entire cockpit, so should be in Bristol condition.  I will get her down to Blackness and rigged ready for sailing next week.
Regards
Mark

Equinox is now sold, STC.
Many thanks.

V interesting Mark, and having raced against you at Mylor last year, I  can see that there's little in Foxwhelps spec, nor your helming ability to have stopped you doing better at Dart! 😉. Pleasure to have met, and raced you!

RORC have been persuaded to correct my keel type...but guess what?
My rating is unchanged... who'd have thought it? 😱.
They also are very reluctant to show their workings...which to me, as a marine technologist/CMarEng, speaks volumes...

RORC, IRC and now YTC etc is some sort of proprietary intellectual property it seems, out of which a few people seem to make a good/satisfying living?

Rather frustrating for us all....?

Sea Simon,

Yes, “Foxwhelp” BC 23 suffered miserably on her RYA rating at the Royal Dartmouth regatta largely because we suffered going upwind. We did our best to sail without ballast through chop in an effort to satisfy our rating. We had three crew on the rail, but still bobbed about a bit.  (Cruising I would certainly have had ballast in to windward to cut through the chop). Off wind, she went well with the asym up, but the legs were very short.
We did better in the Bay Race with longer legs and lighter air.

In contrast, “Pippin” always does very well when in the company of the OGA.  Of course the OGA rating bears no resemblance to the RYA, particularly as it has no displacement measurement.  And with our ability to have ballast or not, we have an advantage adjusting to the conditions. 
When one old gaffer was overheard to be grumbling about Pippin’s water ballast advantage, I suggested they introduce displacement to their calculation.  A nearby old gaffer responded with ;”Do you really think we want to know what our boats weigh?!”

Last year “Pippin” took first and second in the Gaffers class with equal points to the winner (tie break rules say the winner of a tie is the winner of the later race).  If Pippin does not sell before the regatta this year, I intend to reverse that result, although the very lovely “Cynthia” owned by Peter Lucas is always a popular winner.