The Commodore's Barge; a different approach to dinghy sailing.
19 February 2007
Phil Jackson choses to sail a very unusual boat.
The Commodore in his barge.
Our Commodore, Phil Jackson, is an eccentric old .... . (gentleman,git, fool?). He seems to think that he knows better than professional boat designers. A few years ago, encouraged by Ray Bennett, he lost control of his wallet at the Boat Show after several hours in the Guinness tent, and bought a Supernova dinghy.
The Supernova was billed as the ideal single hander for Gentlemen of Fuller Figure, but Phil couldn't get on with its squat fully battened sail. A series of amusing experiments ensued. At one memorable moment, sporting a particularly weird configuration, our leader was told loudly, and quite rightly, by dear old Bob Falkner 'if you can't control it don't ....... well sail it'.
Anyway, eventually he bought a new longer mast and commissioned a new sail. The result was christened the V1. (Flying bomb). The boat went quite well for several years, until Wraysbury's resident rabbits ate the sail. This provoked more experiments. Jib fairleads have been fitted, and in recent months the boat, now called the Bentanova, has been sailing with a full Enterprise rig. It goes surprisingly fast in this configuration, if he can keep it under control and pointed in the right direction. Of course, he never wins anything; the Sailing Committee have doctored his handicap to ensure that. (Fair enough!).
Development hasn't finished yet. The old sail has been repaired, an a new, even bigger, set of sails has been commissioned, in pristine white, with the insignia V2, after the old ballistic missile.
Watch this space for more developments. The old hull is beginning to creak and complain, and is letting in water. A new hull may soon be required to go with the new rig.
In case anyone thinks that this article is disrespectful to our Esteemed Leader, he wrote it!
