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10/07/08
Contenders do battle in Italy...
2008 saw 92 Contender Sailors head for Tuscany, Italy at the beginning
of June for the 2008 European Championships.
Competitors from all
over the world including Australia , Austria , Canada , Denmark , Germany ,
Holland , Italy , Spain , Switzerland and the UK took part.
Several different
builders were represented including a few built by our selves.
The event was
finally won by Giovanni Bonzio of Italy followed by Marcus Hamilton form
Australia in 2nd and Italian Andrea Bonezzi in 3rd.
For a full report
click here. |
The British
contingent arrive in style! |
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01/07/08
A Day in the Life of Chris Somner by John Yonwin, Honorary Treasurer of
the Dayboat committee......
I was delighted to accept the challenge from my colleagues on The Committee
that I meet with Chris and write an article for DB Ramblings.
His firm, Chris Somner Dinghy Services Ltd, is one of our sponsors for our
Dayboat Nationals being held in Poole in August this year, so I was keen to hear
from Chris as to how the building of the new DBs was progressing and his
thinking about boating generally.
I arrived at his boat yard mid Friday morning and he was on the phone to a
customer (all his customers sound like his friends to me, and vice versa!).
“Another boat order – not a DB this time,” says Chris with that cheeky smile.
Over a cup of traditional “boat yard coffee” our conversation set off to a brisk
pace. I soon realised that this man has “enthusiasm”. I do hope this article
does him justice.
The Committee offered me a selection of questions to put to Chris and I sent
them to him a day or so before our meeting. He had done his homework on them.
Q What are your recommendations for long-term care of the hull?
A Wooden: Keep a close eye on the condition of the hull at all times and the
moment a repair job is spotted DO IT...delay is the “kiss of death”. Fibreglass:
Always try and epoxy resin a new hull. The extra cost will be an excellent
investment. Every two years, you need to apply a good compound polish, and wax
every year without fail.
Q Your advice regarding dealing with minor impact damage?
A Repair them as they happen and do not tape a damaged area thinking “I will do
that later”.
Q Our moulds – what would be the single greatest improvement that could be made?
A Without doubt, the Association should invest in new moulds.
Q How has building a YWDB differed from your previous boat builds?
A To a degree, “clinker is a stinker”...difficult to mould and this makes for a
higher cost and making sure that the weight distribution is correct.
Q How many people are involved in making a DB here? And how long does it take to
make a DB?
A We have three of us here in the yard and a typical build time is approximately
TWO months but it really depends on the time of year.
Q Can you describe a typical day here?
A It depends whether the day is essentially a “repair” or “build” day. We open
at 8am and shut up shop around 6pm. I spend a lot of time talking to our
customers. They are the most important and best part of the job to me. At the
end of the day I like to leave with a grin on my face when we have finished a
job.
Q What is your favourite sailing venue?
A Poole – without doubt.
Q What boats do you currently sail?
A Yachting World Dayboat and Albacore.
Q What other interests do you have?
A Not much time for other interests. My wife, Anita, and I enjoy walking and
socialising with friends, and I play a little golf.
Q What do you consider are the essential attributes for the job you do?
A A passion for boats (Chris says without hesitation)
Q What is the worst part of your job?
A Rolling over a Wayfarer! And seeing the price of resin go up by the hour – in
three years the price has risen from £198 for 220kg to over £700. In the last
three weeks alone the price has risen a further £60.
Q What is your most memorable sailing experience?
A Winning the Colraine 24-Hour Race some 8 years ago with Anita and crew.
Q Who or what inspires you most?
A Successful/passionate people in any walk of life.
Q What would you like to have achieved by the time you are 70 years old?
A Have a settled family, a business that has a quality team and a firm
reputation for quality work, and that our run of successes for the boats we
build continues. Contenders – our boats are in the top 5 in the world; Cadets –
we are in the UK World Team; Dayboats – we pick up prizes on a regular
basis...would love to see a “CS YWDB” become champion. Mind you, it is really
all down to “the nut at the end of the tiller”.
Q How did you get into sailing and boat building?
A It was down to my grandfather and the Opi I started sailing in when I was
little. I team raced at Sevenoaks School, then went to university to study
cybernetics and business studies and I ran the sailing club whilst there. I
worked at Bob’s Boat Shop (Poole) and gained my City & Guilds in Boat Building.
Four years ago, I also qualified as a Yacht and Small Boat Surveyor.
Q How many YWDBs can you build in a year and how many have you built so far?
A We can make 5 or 6 a year and we have built 5 so far. What would be good to
see are orders for 5 or 6 placed in the next two or three months so that we can
enjoy a good build run between September 2008 and January 2009. I am up for it!
Q Are you going to sail with the Dayboaters in Poole?
A Yes. I am building a Dayboat as a demonstrator.
Q How could a YWDB be improved?
A (With a smile on his face)...Build it 50 kilos lighter!
Q Are there any rules that could be updated from your point of view?
A “Black Bands on Spars”: The rules say that these should be painted on. I
suggest the word “painted” be removed from the rules.
Q What dinghies have you sailed over the years?
A 420s, Opies, Larks, Scorpions, Fireballs, Flying 15s, RS 200s, International
Moths, Albacores and Yachting World Dayboats.
As I was leaving, Chris introduced me to his colleagues, Steve and Andy, and we
looked over the wooden Albacore that they are restoring. What a beautiful job!
The last question of the morning was down to Chris...
“OK, John, when are you going to order your new composite DB that you keep
asking me about?” He quickly thrust a colour card into my hand and, just as the
phone started to ring (again), he said, “Then I can start asking you some
questions about the spec of your new boat!”
Thanks, Chris, for taking the time to answer the questions.
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