Burnham Dragon Dinner 2008

09 December 2008

The most important social event in the Burnham Dragon fleet calendar, the Class dinner and Clanger award ceremony took place on the 22 November. 90 sat down to dinner and among those present were representatives from the first three boats at the Gold Cup, Noddy from "Danish Blue" showed off the Gold Cup Trophy,

Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, "Jerboa" the Nations Trophy (the trophy for the best performing nation at the Gold Cup).

and Robert Campbell, Jonathan Hill and Matt Walker "Quicksilver III", who were third, all stood up to take our applaud.

I don't know if anybody will be interested in what we ate, but it was roast beef carved at the table with all the trimmings. After which I made the customary thank you to all those who had helped the class during the year and wished a speedy return to heath those members who had been ailing. This was followed by the presentation of the late seasons trophies (the main seasons prizes were presented a month earlier at the Club's laying up supper). "Scorpio" Ian Gray won the Petticrow Trophy for October points. He also won the Candlesticks, for the late season Sunday points.

"Avalanche" Mark & Mandy Wade won the Newts Trophy, the late season Saturday points. The other important trophies presented at the dinner were for the crew's race series which went to Alex Burnett and the Motty Rankin Trophy to the top performing boat over the year that had not won another trophy, but also has to be a senior sailor over the age of 60; this went to Gary Harrison in "Spindrift". We also held a raffle for a new spinnaker and other goodies which raises the money for all the activities and champagne we drink during the rest of the year, rather embarrassingly the winning ticket, drawn by my wife, was that of the Class Captain! But having blown out 4 spinnakers this year was gratefully received.

All these events are really only the prelude to the main event of the evening the presentation of the Clanger Trophy for the biggest faux pas of the season by a Burnham boat. Teresa Wade and Tim Wilks ("Valanga") last year's winner had the task of presenting it to the next recipient. In verse they reflected on past winners of the trophy and how they came by the clanger bell, before getting on to the past year misdemeanours and who may be in line for the cursed bell, finally presenting it to Tim Tavinor for a number of exploits during the year not least falling out of his boat at the East Coast Championships while sailing back to the club after Saturdays racing.

The evening finished soon after midnight with most attendees in suitably jovial mood vowing to be careful not to run fowl of the "Clanger Bell" in the 2009 season.

Fiona Brown
Press Officer
Fiona.Brown@fionabrown.com