OTT

[Liam]

Thank you for awarding the OTT shield to Erling and myself for our gross stupidity and recklessness in sailing to the Channel Islands last year.

What are the rules of this award? Does somebody have do something crazier than us to have it awarded to them? How about a trip to the magnetic north pole, or if that is frozen over next year there's always the Atlantic.

Bit disappointing to hear that people are taking the ferry to Carnac next year. Shows a lack of ambition I think.

[Robert]

I heard that Erling is planning to sail there - has he not mentioned this to you? Congratulations on receiving your "Bonkers" award. I noticed some inscriptions on the rear - can you enlighten us as to who has had an equivalent dose of lunacy in times past?

[Liam]

I heard that Erling is planning to sail there - has he not mentioned this to you? Congratulations on receiving your "Bonkers" award. I noticed some inscriptions on the rear - can you enlighten us as to who has had an equivalent dose of lunacy in times past?

Perhaps a new padawan has been found.

Alpha Pappa has the shield. Enquiries will be made.

[Kevin Dutch]

I'm sure that Nick Dewhurst has won this award for doind a land speed record on a 15 with two launching trollies along the beach.

[Bob Carter]

Hi Liam,
The OTT trophy that you and Erling won was new in 1995 but before that there was a battered old cup which it replaced. The idea was Nick's and the the winners were often the people he spoke of in his prizegivng speaches. My records start in 1990 (see below) and the early years were just taken off what was engraved on the old cup so the ? marks may be not awarded or may be the winner did not get the cup engraved. I think Kevin is right and Nick did award it to himself for his land yachting on his Dart 15 and 2 trolleys on Saundersfoot beach but it does not look like he got the record added to the cup/plaque. I'm pretty sure the first winner was Peter Ewing (the Dart 15 salesman at the time) who took a Dart 15 to Lanzarote on British Airways (or BEA as it was then). He just turned up with his Dart 15 and checked it in as excess bagage. It was evidently easier in those days. Other records I have are as follows:
The OTT Trophy
Date Winner Rationale
1990 P Fairbanks Not sure - might be for turning up at a Nationals at Pentewan in a cruiser and being drunk out of his mind the whole week
1991 J Johnson When in the Navy for taking his Spark to the Antartic and sailing with the penguins
1992 J Jeffrey Sailing across the channel in his Dart 15
1993 ?
1994 ?
1995 T Scott ?
1996 D Ingram ?
1997 J Davies Not sure but it possibly for sailing his Dart 15 after having heart surgery
1998 ?
1999 ?
2000 ?
2001 ?
2002 ?
2003 C Blenkinsop For making a huge trailer that takes 2 Sprint 15s in pieces "because he had a bad back"
2004 not awarded
2005 not awarded
2006 not awarded
2007 not awarded
2008 not awarded
2009 not awarded
2010 not awarded
2011 not awarded
2012 not awarded
2013 Liam Thom & Erling Holmberg For sailing their Sprint 15s to Alderney and back

I would be interested to hear from anyone who can remember what the others did to merit the award. If no one can the details will be lost in past Nick Dewhirst speaches.

Cheers

Bob

PS Liam it is some years since I have seen the plaque. Does it have any record in the back? If not we should stick labels on the back to show each winner (like we do on the back of the Phi Breeze pictures for 2nd place at the Nationals).

[Robert]

Thanks Bob - very interesting! I wondered if Paul Craft was a contender for launching himself through the air and landing on his mast and breaking it! Guess it's for less accidental achievements, though .

[Bob Carter]

Here is the picture of Carl's enormous trailer which resulted in him winning the OTT trophy in 2003

http://www.sprint15.com/pics/viewer.php ... imgid=1336

I have more data on past winners from George Wood who has been searching his grey cells and old mags to put together a more accurate record.

Many Thanks George - I'll update the history chart in a few days.

Cheers

Bob

[Martin Searle]

This is the trophies record on this website. I will update it with the additional info provided by Bob. Looks like Nick won it twice once in 1986 and the other in 1994 (at saundersfoot, which was my first nationals).

http://www.sprint15.com/events/EMS/trophiesviewer.php (choose Over the Top Action at Nationals in the drop down box).

Martin S.

[Bob Carter]

This is the trophies record on this website. I will update it with the additional info provided by Bob. Looks like Nick won it twice once in 1986 and the other in 1994 (at saundersfoot, which was my first nationals).

http://www.sprint15.com/events/EMS/trophiesviewer.php (choose Over the Top Action at Nationals in the drop down box).

Martin S.

Hi Martin,
That's great. Many Thanks.
Cheers
Bob
PS I had not appreciated that you had worked though my history spreadsheet and put all the old data on the website. That's really good. Are you still planning to put pictures of each trophy on the website too? If you do we need to take a load more pictures - if we do it at Thorp Bay in July that would capture a lot of them (or we could lean on Stuart to do it at home ). The picture of Erling & Liam receiving the OTT trophy with the Oxford report will do for the OTT for the time being.