Conference unifix::sailing

    Where does one start one asks...........
    
    You will be spoilt for choice but here are a few of my favourites
    both large and small.
    
    Campers and Nicholsons yard have a small but interesting chandlers,
    they are a short ferry ride away from HM Dockyard where Victory,
    Mary Rose, and Warriour are.
    
    Lucas sail loft in Portsmouth also have an interesting little chandlers
    plus you may want to see what sails they have on offer.
    
    In Southampton Pumpkin Marine are always worth a browse.
    
    Midway between Portsmouth and Southampton on the Hamble you have
    Moody's yard with a reasonably well stocked chandlers and you may
    wish to play "Wealthy Yank/Reb..." and have a look at the latest
    range of Moody Yachts afloat or even sail one (By appointment)
    
    Just along from them you must visit Aladins Cave both sites.....One
    is for new chandlery and is cheap the other a 5 min walk away is
    for second hand chandlery and the odd interesting sailing artifact
    can be found. (If you see a 5'8" woman saying to a balding overweight
    chap with a wistful look in his eye "Put that back Pete we have
    enough junk already" you will have spotted me.....)
    
    Nearer the time give me a call and I will be only too happy to give
    you more precise directions etc.
    
    Pete 
    
    DTN 830-6603 Leave a message if I am out as I have been known to
    visit the customer........  

re .0:

See also Note 71. Thomas Foulkes in London is supposedly excellent, and 
they will deliver what you buy to the airport. I bought my Avon liferaft 
from Foulkes. They sent me a quote, I sent them a personal check in US 
dollars, and they telephoned (!) me to inform me that they were out stock 
and would I like my check back? No, I was happy to wait a few more days. My 
Avon arrived at the Logan Airport airfreight terminal in Boston less
than 10 days after it was manufactured in Wales. Duty paid it cost less
than $1800 (the US discount price at that time was around $2700). 

Also, if you buy something, be sure that you don't pay the VAT (value added 
tax). It doesn't (or didn't anyway) apply to export purchases.

    Alan,
        You are correct that export items (ie outside the EEC) are VAT
    Free ,current rate of UK VAT is 15%. Now if you are talking London
    rather than Portsmouth & Southampton I would agree that Ffoulkes
    are worthy of a browse as are Pumpkin London Branch, London Yacht
    Centre, Capt O.M. Watts. Kelvin Hughes to mention one or two.....
    As usual with all these places some get better prices on certain
    products than others.........
    
    Pete

More along the exhibits and history line, a worthwhile half- to full-day 
can be spent at the British Maritime (Marine?) Museum in Greenwich, also
the site of the well-known observatory by the same name.  It's a
relatively short train ride out of London, and has many fascinating things
to see.  When I was there, there was one of the smaller tallships, plus
Chichester's Gypsy Moth (open for browsing, if one took the trouble to ask
the live-aboard caretaker) and a couple other famous racing yachts. 

I've been a fan of the famous Shackleton adventure since my OB days, and 
went there specifically to see the James B. Caird, a 21' light wooden boat 
Shackleton and some of his crew sailed from Antarctica to South Georgia.  
It's been off public display from some years now, but if you ask the 
guides, they will take you into the cellar to see it; an amazing sight!

Pete, do you have any more details? 

J.

   Greenwich is one of the special places........The small tall ship
    you mention is the Cutty Sark , now some of you may think instantly
    of a very ordinary belended whiskey but.....the ship at greenwich
    is the one on the bottle rather than in it......Greenwich is the
    Royal Observatory on which a certain line key to all navigators
    run like 0 degrees of longditude etc there is also an RN museum
    plus Gypsy Moth etc yes definately worth a trip. Trouble is so are
    many other places with nautical connotations like Bristol, Liverpool,
    Whitby ( Some Chap called Cook used to sail out of there....) Newcastle
    etc etc oops sorry nearly forgot Plymouth......
    
    Pete
    
    

    
          re: VAT and export
      
      If the establishment you purchase from is going to export and 
      ship the goods for you then you do not need to pay VAT at the 
      time of purchase.
      
      However, if you want to leave the shop with the the goods in 
      hand, then you will have to pay the VAT at the time of 
      purchase. The VAT can be recovered at a later date from the 
      shop when they have proof that you have in fact exported the 
      goods.
      
      To do this you need to first ask if the shop provides this 
      service. If they do they will give you a form (cannot remember 
      the name of it) to fill in; make sure they sign and stamp it 
      as well. You show this form and the goods to customs when you 
      leave the UK ( NB: do not pack the goods into check-in baggage 
      before you show customs). They will stamp the form and you 
      send it back to the shop in an envelope they usually supply 
      you with. After a while if you are lucky, you receive a check 
      for the amount of the VAT you have paid. I say lucky because 
      it has happened to me that I did not get my VAT back from one 
      company.
      
      Force-4 in London have what I consider to be a good system. If 
      you pay with a credit card, they make out two slips, one for 
      the item without VAT, and one for the VAT on its own. If they 
      haven't received proof from you after three months that you 
      have exported the goods (ie the customs stamped form) then the 
      charge for the VAT goes through your card company.  
      
      I only mention all this, as there is nothing more frustrating 
      than standing at Heathrow and not having the appropriate 
      documentation completed or the goods have already been checked 
      in with your baggage. Afterall, there are considerable savings 
      to be had as already mentioned.
      
      Regards
      

    I am looking for mail order shops that specialize or have good stocks
    of equipment for racing dinghys.  Specifically Holt Allen seems to have
    a upgraded line of blocks and cleats that have ball bearing movements
    and some ingenious designs that fit those difficult problems.
    
    Information, addresses, telephone numbers and leads on how to obtain
    catalogues would be much appreciated.
    
    thanks for the help
    
    Rick
    

>    I am planning a trip to the UK in early May.  Following a suggestion
>    from this notes file, we intend to visit Portsmouth and Southampton.
    
    You might also reply to note #46 in the MARVIN::UK_SAILING conference.
    
    
    Press KP7 and all that jazz.