Page 6 - Folk Boat Year Book 2021

best to keep fit, trying regular jogging reminder on social distancing and mask
around the perimeter of a 2/3rd acre wearing, by Anne Kyle, the worried but
garden got a bit repetitive, in any case delightful Commodore, worried because
during the hot weather it was enough to she had to keep control of a lot of happy
drag long hosepipes up and down the sailors longing to party.
plot. Then I tried the stairs, having read
about a couple in their eighties who My own Folkboat week was sailed in
every day did twenty climbs of their Cloud Cuckoo F693 generously lent to me
stairs then relating the distance climbed by Martin Le Gassicke. In trepidation I
to the world’s highest mountains. They asked Chris Baldwick at the risk of
got to the top of Everest and were last putting him on the spot, if he would care
heard of tackling Kilimanjaro, I decided to come and sail with an old bird, his
I’m more of a Captain Tom. enthusiastic yes, he’d be delighted,
cheered me up no end. It was incredibly
That’s enough of that, we just want to sad to hear of the passing of Martin in
get back to more structured sailing this March this year after a long and brave
year. Last summer gave us a respite from fight. I was humbled and honoured to
the earlier complete lockdown with self- have sailed his boat and he told me how
organized ‘races’ going on in the Solent happy he was that we got better results
once things eased up a bit. After much than him!
debate we decided with The Royal Solent
Yacht Club that we would run Folkboat Falmouth Week went ahead with five
Week, although some owners were Folkboats racing, I believe, also the
uneasy and didn’t launch their boats for Dartmouth Regatta with Folkboat entries.
the whole season. The club went ahead Talking of which we would be very happy
whilst putting in place and observing and interested to hear from any
stringent protocols. The event, sailed 2 Falmouth or Dartmouth Folkboaters who
up or single household crew and with may like to keep us up to date with
white sails, was a huge success with 33 Folkboating in your lovely sailing waters.
entries, down on the normal numbers We really would like to encourage more
but far better than expected. The Royal fleets to develop and join the National
Solent provided its usual fine catering Folkboat Association family. There were
and with numbers limited to 60 in the at one time several other area
clubhouse managed a full house on the associations, including the East Coast,
social evenings. Preceding each was a South West, Irish Sea, Wales and
short and very courteously delivered Gloucester (who would have thought
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