This week I have been competing in the Panerai British Classic Week, an event that brings classic
yachts from around the world together for a few days of enjoyable racing.
This year there were 83 entries; so plenty of lovely boats to watch weaving their way through
the water! I was sailing onboard Thalia, a gaff cutter built in 1888; the oldest boat in the fleet.
We struggled during the beginning of the week as long courses had been set, with hefty
upwind legs. Thalia prefers to go off the wind; so we consequently spent most of the time going
around the Solent by ourselves, with one of the races even taking us 5 hours to complete!
The courses became more suited to the gaff cutter later on in the week, making for some great
racing; it really is a fantastic sight when your in the mix with such grand boats.
I really enjoyed getting to grips with sailing a classic yacht; for most of the week we had torrential rain,
and some good breeze, making for a very atmospheric background to sail against.
Although one day I got locked in the heads for 10 minutes, thanks to the door swelling, it was a great
experience I'd gladly repeat.
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