1987 (When We Were Young…)
I first met Jim when he turned up on the dock at Hamble Yacht Services in the summer of 1987
looking for a ride on a boat, speaking in some bizarre accent and continually telling the funniest stories that had everyone on the floor laughing. He introduced himself to Led and me aboard Blue Diamond, a Beneteau-built One Tonner that we
were campaigning through the summer in various offshore races and inshore regattas, and made it clear that our results would definitely improve if he was on the boat.
And so, Jim ”Mumbles” Close joined the project and so started a yachting version of “The Fast and
the Furious” with the adventures coming thick and fast as we rolled from race to race over the summer, with Cowes Week followed by the One Ton Cup in Kiel as the season’s main goal.
At Cowes Week, we pushed hard during the racing and, I suspect, at times a little harder in the
evenings.
Jim was never shy about making “suggestions” or offering “encouragement” to the opposition while
on the water. On one occasion we were in a close boat-on-boat situation with the Frers 45, Yeoman. Jim made a couple of comments about the ability of the helmsman, who was steering while seated to
leeward of the wheel.
He chirped away in his Aussie accent at the gentleman in the white cap, encouraging him with “C’mon mate, you need to tack away and give us some room” followed by “at least steer a straight
line mate”, he then suggested “Mate, you need to take a year off and learn the rules” before asking
“Mate, do you think you own the water?” To which Prince Philip replied: “No, but my wife does!” Throughout Cowes Week, there were evening events, either in the beer tent — which required “drinking for Africa,” as Jim would put it — or at the various yacht clubs hosting cocktail parties and
members’ events.
Armed with cheap dress shirts and sail ties around our necks, we gate-crashed many evenings, laughing at members of Royal Yacht Clubs and their wives, many of whom Jim thought should “take
a year off and get some beauty sleep!”
The almost endless shenanigans in the house were hard to keep up with and ranged from one crew member being hung out of a second-floor window by his ankles so he could see what was going on in
the bedroom below, to waking one morning after a very big night and finding a long flagpole on the third-floor attic landing. No one knew where it had come from and, try as we might, we could not figure out how it had got there or how it would go back out. In the end, we had to cut it up and sneak it out under cover of darkness before vacating the house at the end of the week. The One Ton Cup was another event that, while perhaps not producing the best sailing, was again a
lot of fun. The long offshore race brought a mixture of conditions, with plenty of very light overnight drifting. As the light faded, we watched a couple of southern European, Mediterranean based boats stacking sails around the cockpit so that the helmsman was less visible. They then started pushing the tiller backwards and forwards aggressively, and promptly “rowed” off
over the horizon with their nav lights turned off and only visible due to the glowing ends of their
cigarettes.
Ashore, the dinners at the accommodation continued to be fairly raucous affairs. One evening stands out in particular as it ended with a full chocolate mousse food fight, with the owner of the boat wearing most of it by the end. He got his revenge the following morning when Jim’s one and only towel was used for a little clean-up operation after some “extra-curricular activities” before we started that day’s long offshore race. Jim remained blissfully unaware until we were beating up the coast of Denmark and the owner took great pleasure in informing him that he probably should have washed his towel before using it that morning.
The crew collapsed in laughter. Jim mumbled a few Australian obscenities, and went back to trimming the jib while plotting his next move.
Nipper Steve…..
(Steve Branagh)
Steve Branagh is an accomplished professional yachtsman and rigger. He and his lovely wife Kate (also an accomplished sailor) and kids are based in Palma. They run a very successful yacht rigging company. One of God’s good men Steve is …. and my inner circle of best friends.
RSB RIGGING SOLUTIONS SL
Palma Mallorca
BALEARES
SPAIN
