• TBSC Merchandise 2009

 

• Items for Sale  - This page was updated 25/08/08 – (please inform webmaster if anything is sold)

 

For Sale

Seabird Half Rater with road trailer

Dunlin – Sail No: 79

Completely re-built circa 1979

Price on application

Contact Stephen Kenning

Email stephen.kenning@argroup.co.uk

Tel:      Mobile:              07765 884093

            Home:              01865 390654

 

 

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• The Snail Trophy

 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007      

Who has received the snail trophy over the years and what for?

• 1986  Simon Tebbett

The “snail” was given by Richard Ashworth to Simon Tebbett in 1986 to commemorate the fact that for some quite inexplicable reason Richard was ahead of Simon in the half season Seabird series.  After (more than) a few glasses of wine that day they decided the “Snail Trophy” should be awarded annually for “a conspicuous act of helmsmanship whilst racing or on the water in Trearddur Bay”.  They also decided that it should be presented to the unsuspecting winner at lunchtime in the Burgee Club on the last Saturday of the season.

• 1987  Richard Arkle

Richard has always favoured “rock crawling” to keep out of the tide, particularly in very light winds.  In this race he was leading the race comfortably on the way to the finish line when a wave pushed him up onto the rocks off Black Rock.  He was left high and dry and could only watch as the rest of the fleet offered helpful suggestions as they sailed past him to the finish line.

• 1988  Richard Naish

Richard managed to snare a lobster pot line just 10 yards from the finish line whilst leading a race.  He instructed his crew to dive in to the water to free the line – it is unclear what precisely they thought of that suggestion.  Richard, like Richard Arkle the year before, could only sit and watch as the rest of the fleet sailed by to the finish line.  It was, apparently, some months before Richard was able to eat lobster again.

• 1989  Peter Davis

Peter had at the time never won a Seabird Cup Race.  He was leading a race and decided to cut through Lagoon on his way to the finish line to secure his first victory.  It was low water and Peter did not appreciate that Lagoon was landlocked.  He had to turn around, sail out of Lagoon, and, somewhat red faced, eventually finished the race mid fleet.

• 1990  David da Cunha 

David sailed a magnificent race and crossed the finish line many, many minutes ahead of all the opposition – who seemed to be still far out to sea.  On enquiry as to why he had not received the customary gun, he was told by the (very brave) OOD that had he cared to have sailed the same course as the rest of the fleet, he would no doubt have received his due salutation.

• 1991  Chris Bird

It was the Rhoscolyn Race.  Chris was lying 3rd as he rounded the Beacon rocks and seeing a chance to steal a few yards on the leading boats he decided to cut in close to the rocks.  Chris did not notice an outlying rock and went headlong into it.  Chris, not a particularly light man, executed a near perfect swallow dive up and out of the boat as it stopped and he didn’t.  Witnessed by many, the waters rang to tumultuous applause.  

• 1992  Simon Tebbett

The race to Holyhead.  Simon was leading the race as he turned the end of the breakwater into the harbour, with a seemingly effortless run ahead of him to the finish line.  Rosie Davis greeted Simon from the end of the breakwater.  Full of the joys of spring he returned Rosie’s greeting and not watching where he was going promptly ran into the end of the breakwater.  Not content with that, he thought it sensible to keep close to the breakwater during the run in.  He fell into a wind shadow and watched the rest of the fleet sail briskly by him not 20 yards away whilst he moved not at all.  As ever, fellow competitor’s comments were insightful!      

• 1993  William Evans

Said by many to epitomise the spirit of the Snail Trophy.  The OOD has not noticed that at low water the Ingledene mark on Course 1 was high and dry on the beach, some 5-10 yards from the waters edge.  Will, committed to the task of sailing the course and under the watchful eye of his parents, beached his dinghy, got out, pulled it around the mark (going the right way around and careful not to touch the mark lest he incur a penalty), re-floated it, and sailed on to the next mark of the course.  Exceptional!

• 1994  David Keates and Patrick McHugh

Unusually, Gwylan, David and Patrick’s Seabird, occupied all the contender positions for the trophy that year.  The event, however, that won them the trophy took place in very light winds and in a strong adverse tide.  Patrick, at the helm on that day and renowned for keeping a tidy boat had, in anticipation of the need to kedge, instructed David to pull out the anchor and chain and coil it tidily on the deck.  At the appropriate moment in a falling wind, Patrick instructed David to throw the anchor overboard.  David, not noticing that his left foot was in the centre of the coil of rope at the end of the chain, promptly joined the anchor in the sea - much to the amusement of the watching fleet.  

• 1995  Tony Crook

Another anchor incident – which just goes to show there is a contagious element to these acts of helmsmanship.  A light wind and a foul tide.  Stephen Crook, whilst lying 3rd in the race, could not make progress against the tide.  Tony suggested and Stephen agreed to drop anchor and await a freshening wind.  The rest of the fleet began to make similar preparations.  The water resounded to the sounds of anchors and chains being thrown overboard.  From up ahead came an expletive that the rest of us could only assume was medical in its’ origination.  Tony had thrown out the anchor and not noticed that the chain was not secured to the boat.  All aboard Redshank spent the next 20 minutes drifting backwards through the fleet.

• 1996  Nicko Williams

Nicko and his wife Jackie were racing their Myth Echo on a particularly windy and rough day.  Echo began to take on water and neither Nicko nor Jackie could bail fast enough to keep her afloat.  As she began to settle in the water, Jackie called to Nicko to abandon ship.  Now Nicko has a leg that does not always do as it is told fast enough.  At the time he was sitting astride the centre board, bailing for all he was worth.  Jackie called again for Nicko to abandon ship.  Nicko stopped bailing but seemed to make little progress in clearing the centre board casing.  When Jackie called again, Nicko shouted “… for heaven’s sake darling I’m trying as hard as I can but I can’t get my leg over” – to the vast amusement of all present in the attendant safety boat.  For many months thereafter, Nicko received lots of helpful suggestions from his friends as to how this unfortunate situation could be resolved! 

• 1997 & 1998  Not presented

• 1999  Tim Edmeston

A very close run second to Will Evans as the all time favourite.  Tim was helming his Myth Neptune, shared between the Edmeston and Hosegood families.  Tim, whilst a vastly experienced man of the sea, raced the Myth infrequently and had never even come close to winning a race.  On this day, however, he was on the last leg of the course approaching the finish and in the lead by some quite considerable distance on what was a lovely summer’s day.  All looked set for that elusive first win - except, that is, for the fact that as an occasional racer, Tim (1) did not know he was in the lead, (2) did not know that he had sailed the full course, and (3) given it was such a nice day, had decided to retire from the race and go fishing in his Drascombe.  As a responsible sailor he approached the finish line to inform the Flagstaff team of his retirement just as they were preparing to give him a gun for first place.  Tim, oblivious to Gilly’s frantic calls from the Flagstaff, announced his retirement and went about without crossing the line, to return to his mooring.

• 2000  Mike Davis

Mike, a man with a certain exactness on the water – except, on occasions, and somewhat prophetically, at the start of a race, had agreed to act as OOD for the TBSC / HSC Team Boat Racing.  The second hand on the Flagstaff clock has an unfortunate habit of speeding up once past the top and slowing down once past the bottom.  It was a tense few moments as Mike, for the benefit of the spectators at the Flagstaff and the starting assistant, counted down the minutes to the start of the race – 6, 5, 4, 3, etc.  It is said by the spectators that a look of sheer horror passed over Mike’s face as he tried to figure out from the second hand of the clock if he had 2 or just 1 minute to go to the start of the race.  Mike took the plunge and called the 10 second countdown.  The starting gun fired, much to the puzzlement of the spectators – it is said that one or two, ill prepared for the noise, collapsed and several dogs took off at speed, and to the helmsman of the Seabirds on the water.  It was a long minute until the first Seabird sailed over the starting line.   

• 2001  Not presented

• 2002  Dick Richmond

Reminiscent of Chris Bird’s win in 1991.  After a number of seasons of a more relaxed attitude to racing their Seabird, the Arkle family sold a joint interest in Seamew to the Richmond family.  The 2001 / 02 winter was spent renovating the hull and spars.  Rigging was replaced.  New sails were acquired.  There was an air of expectancy throughout the fleet that Seamew would once again present a serious challenge.  Early results were a little disappointing, but on this day Seamew was at the front of the fleet with a commanding, and growing, lead.  All seemed set for the maiden win, until the spinnaker halyard jammed at the top of the mast.  Richard Arkle suggested that Dick Richmond stand on Julie’s shoulders to free the jam.  When Dick was at full stretch up the mast, a wave caught the boat and Dick executed what many informed observers believe to this day to be an almost perfect double pike with twist into the water.  Dick seemed to very much appreciate the high scores awarded to him by each Seabird that sailed past as he waited for Seamew to come about to pick him up.

• 2003  David Bedale

 David Bedale had for many years regarded the sea as no more than a navigational nuisance between wherever he happened to be and the 1st tee at Holyhead Golf Club.  In early August, 2003, David, after what he later described as a particularly lengthy lunchtime “refreshment” session in the Burgee, was persuaded by Tim Edmeston and Alan Hosegood to buy Frank Arkle’s motor launch “Snowdrop”.  On the day he took possession of Snowdrop, David, conscious of the advice of his many well wishers, wore his lifejacket as Chris Pritchard explained how the engine worked – whilst Snowdrop was still on the beach.  The next day, after successful sea trials in a force one gale, David, not yet having acquired a tender, hailed a passing jet ski for a lift back to the beach from his mooring in Hotel Bay.  His crew, Charlie Womersley, climbed aboard first, followed by David, at which point the jet ski capsized and David was left to swim ashore pondering whether or not he should have had the last pint of Guinness with Tim and Alan.   The very next day David acquired and laid his first lobster pots.  The following morning he set off to haul in his first catch – unaware that Tim and Alan had salted a pot with a plastic squirrel and a jar of thick cut marmalade – David’s favourite breakfast preserve.  All David could see as the pot approached the surface was a pair of huge, luminescent, red eyes staring at him from inside the pot.  David was heard to exclaim “Christ, it’s a bloody octopus – at which point he was only persuaded from jumping out of Snowdrop by the sight of Alan Hosegood rolling around in the bottom of the launch with tears of laughter streaming down his face.  David’s quartet of happy experiences was completed near the end of August as he approached his mooring in Hotel Bay.  Ahead and between him and his mooring he saw two boats crossing his bow with a gap between them just wide enough for him to pass through.  At full speed he dashed for the gap.  The occupants of both boats waved wildly at David, who smiled and waved back.  The occupants of the two boats then jumped out of their boats into the shallow water and help up the tow rope between them, allowing David to pass underneath – still smiling.  A worthy winner.   

• 2004     Amanda Stothert

Since inception, the Snail Trophy has been the exclusive preserve of the male helmsman.  No more.  Amanda has, for many years, taken to instructing her children on the art of seamanship and safe sailing.  On cold, rainy, August mornings, Amanda could be seen on Porth Diana beach and below the Flagstaff yelling instructions to her grateful children on the water.  Over time, despite this encouragement, the children’s abilities grew to the point that Amanda believed they were ready for advanced, beach based, instruction – indeed, such was Amanda’s reputation that many other parents came to learn just how to teach their own children, although Andrew’s presence may have owed much to a somewhat fundamental misunderstanding of what exactly Amanda had in mind when she suggested he meet her in that quiet spot.  The dinghy was rigged and brought to the top of the beach.  The crowd assembled, hushed in expectancy.  Amanda’s children gathered around the dinghy.  Amanda boarded and began to show her children just how work the sheets when close hailed, when running, when tacking, when gybing – the day was not, after all, a complete loss for Andrew.  The wind grew in strength just as Amanda had tightened the sheets and to her complete horror the dinghy began to tilt alarmingly.  Throwing her weight to windward, the dinghy rocked and to the enormous enjoyment of all present, capsized to leeward.  Her sense of humour intact, Amanda politely refused the helpful offer of one parent to call the rescue services.  Truly in the spirit of the Snail.  

• 2005     Graham Jones

The year was a peculiarly quiet one, until, in the middle of the season, the Myth Class decided to hold a special race (the “Two Franks Race” – messrs Buckley and Mathews) to commemorate one of the first races held by the Club.  The course, then as now, was from the flagpole, around Lagoon rocks, around Black Rock in Porth Diana, around both sets of rocks again, and back to the flagpole - a not unusually convoluted course for this fast, modern, hugely competent sailing class.

The day dawned, very windy, grey, and cold.  The seas were large, rollers sweeping into the bay and crashing on to the rocks.  The Seabirds, fearful of some spray over the bow, decided it was not the morning to race to Holyhead.  Undeterred, the Myths decided to press on with their race.  Crowds gathered, the Myths left their moorings, and banners flew - one proudly proclaiming “Myths - where Seabirds dare not go”  was particularly appreciated by Seabird owners.

Astonishingly, the race, with one or two exceptions, was virtually incident free.  It was good to see Richard Arkle renewing his love affair with but somehow managing to not quite land on the rocks around Porth Diana.  David Clarke made a serious effort to capture the Snail with a spectacular capsize, but the committee judged the effort to obvious and too well recovered to warrant serious consideration.  It was, however, left to another member of Her majesty’s judiciary to create the case.

The race had finished.  Many of the Myths were returning to their moorings in Porth Diana.  The force 5-6 wind was dead astern.  Absolute concentration was required to avoid collision with the many moored boats.  Suddenly, a scream of pure terror cut across the water.  A Myth had lost its’ rudder.  It came hurtling in through the moorings towards the shore - hands, oars, and anything else available was used to fend off moored boats.  The crowd watched, spellbound and silent.  Time slowed.  By a miracle - who now dare say lawyers are not God’s chosen children, no boat was hit.  The Myth landed on the shore at a considerable speed, bettered only by the crew.  With dignity intact, Graham, with an unconcerned but decidedly relieved air, slowly rowed Lachmi back to her mooring.     

• 2006     Julie Arkle

Julie is only the second lady to win the Snail, but the first whilst actually on water, the first spouse of a previous winner and the only grandmother to do so.

It was yet another windy and rough day’s racing in Trearddur Bay.  Julie was crewing for Richard in their  Myth Aquila when, having rounded the Outer Bay mark, they set off on a dead run for Ravenspoint.  Now, for those not familiar with these state of the art racing machines - the analogy between a shire horse and Nijinsky will not be lost on many, when gybing it is necessary to “dip the lug”.  This is not, as some suggest, something that only husbands and wives do in the solitude of their own boat, but a necessary manoeuvre to bring the mainsail over whilst on a dead run.  Julie, as instructed, stood up in Aquila, went forward of the mast, and began to pull over the gaff.  Just then, Aquila ran into a series of large waves.  Aquila began to rock, backwards and forwards.  Julie did the same.  Each gathered momentum.  The end was inevitable, and to the horror of many watching from the rocks at the mouth of Porth Diana, Julie let go and executed a precise rolling forward with, although he judges were uncertain as to whether this was intended, a subliminal twist dive to port.  Once in the water, Julie immediately removed her boots in order to signal to the approaching Myth fleet that she would really rather not be run over.  Other, less charitable, people speak of the importance to Richard of Julie not losing her expensive sailing attire.

Later, Julie praised the expert rescue skills of Chris Pritchard and Carol Wilson.  There is little doubt that such praise was merely a rehearsal for occasions yet to come

• 2007    Not Awarded