Amongst the many visitors to the 2009 Mirror World Championship in Pwllheli is Johnny Bucknall, son of the original Mirror designer and TV DIY celebrity Barry Bucknall. He is in town for a couple of days to soak up the atmosphere of the World Championship and was clearly delighted to see so many people enjoying the Mirror experience. 'I was about seven when my dad produced the very original Mirror prototype. I recall that with input from Jack Holt, the final design, which was produced in conjunction with the Daily Mirror Newspaper, looked quite a bit different. Some of the new boats here look very racy and the photos from yesterday show how well the class has evolved.'
Class legend Guy Wilkins who literally did write the book on the Mirror Class, has made an unexpected return to Pwllheli. Guy was a competitor at last week's UK National Championship here in North Wales, but made the decision not to sail at the Worlds. However, having seen the fantastic sailing going on at the Worlds yesterday via the Official Worlds website, he realised he just had to be involved. So he quickly re-packed the boat, before making the trek back from London to Pwllheli and arriving here again this morning. Good decision Guy! It's good to have you back...
Photo: Paul Todd/www.outsideimages.co.nz