Saturday 1 October 2011

Smack Race

What a glorious day we have had, the temperature hit 81 degrees, which is just ridiculous for this time of the year.  But I am not complaining,  I have had a lovely day out on the river as part of the committee boat for the club's annual smack race.  Here are a few photos from the day :

How many people can you get in a dinghy (yes they did make it to their smack safely!)

Here are some of the girls from the committee boat - we were plastering sun cream on like there was no tomorrow - first time this year!  The wine hadn't appeared yet, well it was only ten o'clock!


Sorry about the quality of the picture, but here are some smacks all hustling for the lead.


Just a couple of smacks, they are just magnificent when they have all their sails up.

And there is always the free beer and wine on the hard as an added bonus!


8 comments:

  1. Oops, lost my comment when I enlarged one of the photos. I'm intrigued by their rigging, Fran. Topsails and mains in different colours, and the jibs, too. And don't I see one with a dark blue spinnaker?
    Gorgeous!
    Amazing weather you had, too. We had hot weather until today, when the skies darkened and tried (but failed) to rain. I got a bit of sunburn when we were up in the mountains on Wednesday. Whodathunkit?

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  2. Am glad to see that pic of down to the gunwales dinghy !
    It reminds me of when I worked in a Devon shipyard (now closed) The work boat would be similarly loaded when taking hands ashore for the mid-day break.

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  3. You look like you had such fun with your friends.

    Good for you Fran, making the most of this beautiful weather.

    Sft x

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  4. No, no, no, they did not make it to the Smack safely, they made it to the Smack full stop. For the complete Tutak stories blog - http://tutak-ii.blogspot.com/2011/09/tutak-goes-north_15.html

    enjoy.

    billy
    :))

    Please excuse the piracy, but some may like the pictures.

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  5. Free beer - I'm there. I've never heard of a Smack before. The do have lots of lovely sails. More than I' used to seeing on our sailboats. We got a day trip out in our power boat. We wanted to go out overnight to a nearby marina, but the waves made it too bouncy for fun. Maybe next time. - Margy

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  6. Kay - It was actually a smack and classic race, and the blue spinnaker belongs to a classic yacht (as it happens also the winner) x
    Mel - Health and Safety probably would have something to say about it now! x
    Sft - Weren't we lucky with the weather at the weekend - hope you enjoyed it too x
    Margy - You come and get some beer and then I'll come to you for a trip out on your Bayliner x
    Billy - Are you taking advantage of our friendship! x

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  7. Thanks for the photos - I love old working boats! (I've been lurking and watching your progress with the barge for a few months now!)

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  8. Hi Eigon, welcome aboard. We tend to take the smacks and Thames Sailing barges for granted because they are such a common sight round here. But when I actually take time to look, it always strikes me how magnificent they are. I will pop over to your blog later and have a good read. Hay on Wye is on my 'must visit' list and all those books are my idea of heaven! xxx

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