CATAPULT END OF SEASON PRESENTATION LUNCH
We were back again to the welcome at Noel Inn, Whitwell,
Rutland, for another successful end-of-season gathering on Sunday
November 17th, again enlivened by Syd Gage's collation of his
and George's on-board videos.
Gareth
Ede could count four wins from the final 2019 TT event, to be a very
convincing winner of the 2019
Jon Montgomery Travelling
Trophy.
(Leaderboard)
John Terry was a comfortable runner-up, and Mike Gough held on to third
for the year, and also took the 2019 Handicap prize, ahead of Syd Gage
(Handicap
Leaderboard)
2019 SEASON ROUNDUP
For a summary of another successful Catapult season, look
here
2020
SAILING PROGRAMME:
Stuart is racing ahead with preparing the
2020 Programme with
favourite venues confirmed at Bala, Bassenthwaite, Yorkshire
Dales, Rutland, Bridlington, Carsington and Stone Week, and the
final event as usual at Grafham Water Cat Open. The Northerns will be early in the season at
Bass, and the Nationals back to Royal Yorkshire YC. A
reply from Bewl is expected in January.
He is dangling the possibility of a European Championship in France
in summer, through Chris Beckett there, offering to sail alongside club
or other visiting fleets. He focussing on 4 clubs: Lac d'Orient
(approached last year) Club Nautique de Guiffaumont on Lac du Der in the
Ardennes, Sports Nautique de l'Eau d'heure in southern Belgium, and
Moisson-Lavacourt, north of Paris. Carsington (3-4 October). I
won't know about Bewl until their next meeting in January
NEW
TRAMPOLINE DECKS
John Peperell can
make new decks for members, for 180 pounds (with an additional 50 for
dagger-board fairings, which reduce wave impact for racing.) He is
making one in the new year for an enthusiastic Catapult sailor who a
farms in Kenya and who has one complete boat and has bought parts to
make another. John can also do deck repairs. (Prices ex his home in
Twickenham.) He can be contacted at
john.catapult@dsl.pipex.com
2019
RACING PROGRAMME: FINAL EVENT
Catapult again finished the season with a
final TT at
Grafham Cat Open,
October 19th-20th,
making up most of the Slow (!) Handicap fleet with seven boats (rising
to eight on Sunday.) The club set their their usual port-rounding
trapezoid course, suiting Catapult, with the Sprint 15s starting 4
minutes ahead for three back to back races each day (so each race
produced one or other fleet tacking up while the other ran down, with at
least one Sprint-on-Catapult incident!)
On Saturday the forecast SW breeze stayed moderate, with periods
allowing trapezing for Gareth Ede and John Terry. On Sunday winter
arrived with a cold NW breeze under cloud, again moderate, giving two
days of excellent (and well-organised) racing. Again, Gareth Ede and
John Terry competed for the front, with George Evans consistently
chasing (and getting a second in the final race.)
(Report)
(Below: Northerns winner John Terry
gets a fast start at Carsington.) (Photo CSC Safety Rib with
thanks.)

TRAMPOLINE
DECKS
John Peperell can make up new trampoline decks for members
SPARES AVAILABLE
John Terry has updated the Association spares stocklist, seen
here It was
established hrough the generosity of past Catapult sailor Admiral Sir
Robert Hill and previous Secretary John Peperell, to keep the fleet
afloat in cases of breakage or damage. Guidelines on spares availablity
are here
DIY CATAPULT HULLS!
Germany-based
Catapult owner Volker Lehleitner, faced with the challenges of getting
new hulls, went ahead and made his own. He was able to get a job lot of
Hypalon, and built the hulls to a high standard, as the photos
here
show. Volker's son has made this
video
of the boat successfully cruising in Bonn.
(Below:
Jon Montgomery Travelling Trophy winner Gareth Ede at speed at Yorkshire
Dales SC.)

HYPALON TUBE REPAIRS
Puncture? Leaky tubes? Seams coming unstuck? End caps need replacing?
Paul Stubbins offers a high quality professional repair service. Paul,
now working as a sole trader (with therefore no VAT to pay!), has many
years experience working for RIB manufacturers, and offers a nationwide
service from his base in Hull.
Have a word with Class Secretary, Stuart
Ede, to see if he can arrange for pick up and delivery through the
membership network to save on transport costs. Contact Paul at
paulstubbins23@gmail.com
or on
07429 754392.
REPAIR
ADVICE
Syd Gage has added to his stream of
practical advice and detailed instructions with a new article on DIY
Puncture-free PU-foam-filled Tyres The
article
here shows what to buy, and his excellent photos and instructions
(and personal setbacks) show how to change the steel roller bearings to
nylon ones (more suitable for water
immersion).
Many
more advice articles are
here,
the latest on
Repairing frame bolts
beam
repairs, mast buoyancy, and halyard options.
(Below: Syd Gage's camera mounting, picking up the opposition ahead as
he concentrates on catching them.)
(Photo Paul Hargreaves with thanks.)

CATAPULT CRUISING
Justin (below)
uses Catapult's shroud
adjustment to dip the mast and negotiate the New Cut bridge between
the Waveney and Yare rivers on the Norfolk Broads:
more
) Get in touch with Alastair (at
alastairforrest@hotmail.com
) with cruising plans or reports to add to
the
Cruising write-ups (and see his recent
tidal Thames cruise.)

Jon Montgomery: Designer of Catapult: 22nd February 1935 - 9th June 2009.
A tribute to Jon
here.
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