Hi all,
We just received a great message from an old MGer on the blog this week and, as we exchanged a few emails, I found that he had a great story to tell.
His name is Keith Chidzey, who sailed "Dopey", which has become Kerry Beatty's "True Blew". He used get around with some of the class veterans: Gary Reeves, Lindsay Mason and Greg Roche. He was also apparently very competitive sailing with his 5-year-old daughter, while he operated on the wire. I chipped him about having some "Mr Men" Books and puzzles in the cockpit to keep her occupied, as well as the fact he was looking for an unfair weight advantage by sailing with his daughter!
In quotes I have copied in some of his comments and memories, plus a photo of dad and daughter in front of a heap of boats in the Nationals a few years ago. He has admitted that this same daughter has just qualified for university!:
"crew weight strategy! now I am laughing!!!!! ..... ask the old guys & they will probably make several disparaging remarks along the lines of 'mad bastard', etc ..... had won a few champs before playing in MGs, so had 1/2 an idea of what I was doing.
I steered and sheeted from out on the wire with the boat maximized for simple easy-to-me control access - eg: a self tacker on the jib, with sheet leading along boom). Needless to say I was very happy when we voted to allow asymmetrics (made my life a lot easier!). For up wind - with power-to-weight all out on the wire we were very quick upwind. Anyway, for your amusement attached is a shot of the last series I competed in (nationals in 2000 @ St G), got to lead the fleet several times before a series of diasters (rudder blade, bad capsize, etc) wiped us out (as they do ..).
hold a real soft spot for my time in MGs
btw - just recently got back sailing again with an old mate letting me steer his trailerable, gee it is good to be back on the water"
"re Bronny - early on when we sailed out of Kogarah Bay there were several times she curled up and had a snooze in the bottom of the boat, but there was one light weather race in particular which still lives on in stories down the club, where we actually lifted the boat out with her still punching ZZZs - it wasn't until I was 1/2 unrigged she woke up!!
by the time that photo was taken, she was actively contributing to the boat, particularly sheeting the main downwind."
And now a picture:
