Sail championships could bring £1million to Dartmouth

A WORLD-class sailing event in Dartmouth this summer could bring as much as £1million into the town, it was claimed today. The J80 World Sailing Championships, to be hosted by the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, the Royal Dart Yacht Club and the J/80 UK Class Association, are being held between June 9 and 15. . Race headquarters for the predicted 80 race teams, which are likely to involve 500 people, will be on Coronation Park. Hilary Bastone, who represents Dartmouth as a South Hams District Councillor, has been involved in arrangements for the prestige event. He said: "This is proving a really good money maker for the town and is really underpinning the port as a great venue to stage exciting sailing events – particularly with Start Bay being both sheltered and challenging. “We estimate that this event could bring in between £500,000 to £1m for the town. "It is a real prestige event and will do nothing but enhance the reputation of Dartmouth as a sailing venue. Last year’s J/80 Worlds were held in Copenhagen, and in 2010 they were in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. “We have already had a lot of block bookings from the teams wanting to come down in advance to get used to local sailing conditions in advance of the championships."