Conteza
As I approach my eighty-second year and having read ‘The Ark’ from its first publication, I feel it is about time to put pen to paper.
Each of my yachts has a story to tell which possibly I might write about in future ‘Arks’, but the story you may consider most intriguing is when I completed the Round the Island Race in ‘Conteza’ a Nicholson 39, in 1977, with a crew of Russian aeronautical technocrats who I was teaching, none of whom could speak English or who had ever been sailing before! They had been living on the Island for over a year.
Needless to say, I spoke no Russian so we used the interpreter that I had provided to interpret my lectures to them. This had to be approved by the MOD and MI6. At the completion of each lecture, discussions about Cowes arose and several of the men became keen to try sailing for themselves. I suggested we enter the Round the Island Race. They took up my offer and as they were determined to win, took a crash course on how to handle a boat. Each man was made responsible for only one job, such as one man to each winch and others allocated to jib and main sheets and so on. I had enlisted the help of friend Charlie Gladys to help at the sharp end so felt faintly confident that we would manage. I did insist that they learn the words (and meaning!) of ‘lee ho’, ‘go, go, go’ and ‘stop!’ The interpreter did his job but he seemed decidedly unsure of the whole boating thing.
On the day of the race with all aboard everyone was excited. On the start-line no-one said a word. At the ten-minute gun we started to position ourselves for the final run to the start line. At the starting gun signal with the Genoa unfurled we were away straight over the line making a good start but then, oh dear, we had a bit of a muddle. Charlie sorted it out but we had lost valuable places.
At Egypt Point we were tacking along the Island shore. The crew began to get the idea of ‘lee ho’ taking the Genoa around so as not to back it. It was incredible: not a hitch. We began to pass boat after boat until at the Needles we seemed to be up with the leaders. At the words ‘go, go, go’ the Genoa was furled and Charlie had the Spinnaker ready for hoisting and the pole was out. The Spinnaker broke out filling in a grand manner and we were off. Charlie had to push the Russians aside in order to sort out all the lines with the Russians trying to help in their own way but the poor interpreter was by this time suffering from bad sea sickness and was useless for anything!
We settled down to a great sail as the sails were trimmed and we passed St Catherine’s Point. The Russians went below to fetch lunch and we dined on cold boiled eggs filled with caviar – interesting! We were soon round to Sandown Bay where we set the Genoa once more, keeping to windward of the Bembridge mark as I wanted to make the final approach on starboard. From here it was all one tack to the Forts then rounding it to the Island shore to dodge the tide and just skirting Ryde Sands, tacking along to Osborne Bay and on to the last obstacle of Old Castle Point. We then charged for the line with masses of other yachts and us trying to keep up to port of the Committee boat. Arriving ashore we made a beeline for the results and found that we actually had come first in our class of seventy odd boats!
The Russians were over the moon and by the time our position was confirmed they were so drunk on vodka that Charlie and I had a terrible job trying to return them to their hotel in Newport in taxis.
At a later date at a special ceremony the Jubilee Cup, duly engraved with their names and positions on board, was handed over. I later heard that this cup was raced for in Moscow and at a Black Sea resort. It is funny to know that a Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Trophy is venerated as a prize in what was then a Communist country. Oh well there is an enormous depth of good will among all people all over the world.