2006 The Solo 50th Anniversary year. To mark the occasion, a Champion of Champions event was held at the National Championship, Felpham, Jamie Lea (who had won the Nationals that week) winning a light hearted 3 race event from a list of stars including (below) Gates, Carveth, Falcon, Goodenough, Houston, Davis and Videlo. I sneaked in virtue of a 4th place finish at the 1998 Nation’s Cup and took my Dad’s Solo 186 to the party. Early in the year Steve Denison had won the battle of the Classes pursuit race at the London Boat Show where Solo 5000 was displayed, hung above the Purple Marine stand…Health and Safety would not allow that in 2026! Tony Thresher announced that he would no longer be building Solos, I had several and they were all fast on the occasions I pointed them in the right direction. His development in construction processes and the ability to custom build for all weights and conditions really set him apart from others in the 80’s-90’s. While he never got the tiller over the transom rule change over the line, his energy for the class was infectious. Fortunately, Tony would continue to provide training for the class. We returned to Lake Garda for the Nation’s Cup and this was won by Salcombe’s Alistair Morley. We lost salcombe’s Shirley Tyler, one of the early ambassadors of the solo. In rule changes, the use of hardwood would be allowed in the construction of keel bands, principally to enable wooden hulls to be faired in the same way as FRP hulls. Solo number 2 (actually number 1) was refurbished and displayed at the Dinghy Show. Paul Kimmens and Mike Wilkie competed in a number of big events during the year, all part of the anniversary celebration. Jim Hunt turned up at Oxford in a Miles build (wood) and won the Winters from Steve Denison and Richard Pye., bucking the FRP trend. The 79 entries reflecting the continued dominance of the class in the UK, the membership stood at 1149. Jim Prior won Solo 5000, the Solo and all equipment, donated by our generous suppliers.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator