Tom has owned three National 12s: a Cheshire Cat design called After the Goldrush between 1981 and 1983; and two Baggy Trouser designs, the first called 42 with sail number N3111, built by Nigel Waller, between 1983 and 2000, and the second called Chill Out with sail number N3433 built by Ian Ridge and finished by Steve Neal, since 1999.
This photo of After the Goldrush was taken by Roger Lean-Vercoe at Burton Week (the class national championship) at Weymouth in 1982 showing Zeb Elliott (aged 13 at the time, but to go on to win the Prince of Wales Cup) working his socks of – we’d broken the halyard on the beach, arrived two minutes late at the start but somehow clawed back to 24th in a fleet of almost 100.
The two photos of 42 below by Nick Champion are from Burton Week at Llandudno in 1990, with Tom at the helm and Natalie crewing:
and the photo below of Chill Out is from the Royal Thames YC Cup open meeting at Ranelagh in January 2013 with Una Hodgkins crewing (returning a favour from 1974 when Tom crewed in her Mirror):
Tom finally sold Chill Out in early 2023 – with a heavy heart – after more than forty years in this fantastic class.