Skippers of the Future FINAL version SUBTITLES

EP.15 - Andrew Completes his Circumnavigation of the UK!

Seychelles Sailing Adventure

A sailing trip around the Seychelles is a fantastic idea! The archipelago offers crystal-clear waters, beautiful beaches, and idyllic islands, making it a perfect place for a sailing adventure. Here’s a suggested itinerary for a week-long sailing trip in the Seychelles:

Day 1: Mahe (Arrival & Explore)

Start your journey on Mahe, the largest island and home to the capital, Victoria. Spend your first day exploring the island, relaxing on Beau Vallon Beach, or visiting the Botanical Gardens.

In the evening, prepare for your sailing trip and board your chartered yacht.

Day 2: Mahe to Praslin

Sail to Praslin (approx. 1-1.5 hours), the second-largest island. Visit Anse Lazio, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and have a family picnic on the beach.

Explore Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the famous Coco de Mer palms.

Day 3: Praslin to La Digue

Set sail to La Digue (approx. 30 minutes). This island has a laid-back vibe, and there’s plenty to explore by bike. Visit the stunning Anse Source d'Argent, with its granite boulders and crystal-clear waters.

Enjoy snorkeling or take a kayak around the bay.

Day 4: La Digue to Cousin Island

Head to Cousin Island (approx. 30 minutes). This small nature reserve is home to a wide variety of birds and wildlife, making it a great spot for a nature walk with the family.

Spend the rest of the day snorkeling or simply relaxing on your boat, enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

Day 5: Cousin Island to Curieuse Island

Sail over to Curieuse Island (approx. 30 minutes). This island is famous for its giant tortoises and beautiful mangrove forests. You can hike along the trails and visit the tortoise sanctuary.

Enjoy the beach and perhaps have a barbecue dinner on the boat.

Day 6: Curieuse to Silhouette Island

On Day 6, set course to Silhouette Island (approx. 1 hour). This island is known for its lush forests, clear waters, and secluded beaches. It’s an excellent spot for hiking and snorkeling.

Spend the night anchored in one of the sheltered coves.

Day 7: Return to Mahe

On the last day, sail back to Mahe (approx. 1.5 hours). Depending on your time, you could stop for a swim at one of the islands along the way.

Once back in Mahe, you can spend the evening exploring Victoria, doing some last-minute shopping, or relaxing at a café.

Tips for the Trip

Best Time to Visit: The best time for sailing in the Seychelles is between April-May and October-November when the winds are moderate, and the weather is perfect for outdoor activities.

Snorkeling & Wildlife: Ensure that your yacht is equipped with snorkeling gear, as the waters around these islands are teeming with marine life.

Safety: Always check with your charter company about safety precautions and whether your yacht is equipped with the necessary life jackets and other gear for the whole family.

This route gives you the perfect combination of adventure, relaxation, and exploration, making it an unforgettable family sailing experience in the Seychelles!

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25th anniversary of Cornwall Offshore Group Series (COGS) in 2025

 

The initial 2001 series was launched with just four pre-existing races, each run by a different participating club. The very first race, from Falmouth to Fowey. St Mawes ran a race to Plymouth via Eddystone, Helford ran the Helford to Penzance race,and the Royal Fowey ran another from Fowey to Helford. Boats entered under PY or IRC handicapping, but the inter-club championship was run under PY alone, requiring a cunning conversion factor!

In all, 33 boats entered the inaugural COGS series with 15 coming to the line for the first race as part of an overall 71 boats taking part in the RWYC Triangle race. A race report in the Somerset County Gazette noted that "this was quite a turnout made even more impressive given the degree of socialising that took place at the RCYC the night before"!

It's a credit to all those involved that COGS has continued to run every year, unbroken even by Covid, and is currently experiencing a renewed level of support whilst many other handicap race events struggle to maintain their numbers.

The race programme has expanded over the years, from the initial four races to fifteen spread across three separate series. COGS now runs a coastal series with six passage races, an offshore series of six longer races and a three race bay series newly introduced in 2024.

The typical COGS fleet still accommodates a wide mix from dedicated race boats to family cruiser-racers, equally split between IRC and YTC. Perhaps surprisingly, COGS races are well suited to less experienced racers. Although all-round sailing experience is of course important to manage the coastal and offshore courses, the nature and length of races means that contesting start lines and mark roundings is less significant than in shorter, round-the-cans racing.

For our 25th season we will again be running all three race series but with a sixth new race added into the offshore series. This new offshore race hosted by St Mawes, will be run as an overnight passage from St Mawes to Salcombe, which as been added in response to requests from several IRC boats including St Mawes member Afrita, for an additional longer distance event to aid qualification for this year's Fastnet. Conditions permitting, the IRC boats will take an extended route whilst the YTC course will be more direct.

St Mawes SC have kindly agreed to run this new race and we are delighted by the enthusiastic welcome from Salcombe YC where we will enjoy our post-race celebrations, debate those "could've, would've, should've" moments, regret the "if only" wrong choices, and laugh about the downright mistakes. There's always the next race!

Finally, a few words about our sponsors. We were delighted to receive a very significant increase in cash support from sponsors in 2024, enabling us to fund post-race catering, additional prizes and a very well supported end of season prize-giving dinner.

A detailed knowledge of the racing rules is not necessary and, if you wish, we'll be pleased to link you up with one of our regular skippers to provide some gentle mentoring. Come and join us in '25! 

See  :-  cogsracing.org.uk

The Streaker Class celebrates its 50th Anniversary

 

2025 marks 50 years since Jack Holt created the Streaker dinghy and it is turning out to be one of his most enduring and popular designs. The Class is celebrating this significant milestone - and their recent strong growth - with some special 50th anniversary events.

It is often said that Jack designed the Streaker, at the age of 63, when he started to find his Solo a little on the heavy side. That may be true, and it is certainly a useful storyline in the current single-hander market, but a glance at the original 1975 brochure shows that this wasn't necessarily Jack's only target market. "With the younger ex-Cadet or Mirror helmsman or helmswoman being especially considered, it is a direct inexpensive step before joining the 470 or 505 fleets" the brochure declares!

Indeed, the Streaker is a boat that is very well suited to lighter-weight sailors of all ages. At last year's National Championship, the competitors were aged from 14 to 77 and the top ten included two sailors under 25 and three over 60.

To honour Jack's role in the boat's success, the Class will be holding a Tideway Race, kindly hosted by Ranelagh Sailing Club, on the River Thames. Jack designed the Streaker at his premises on Putney Embankment, a few doors down from Ranelagh SC. He was a member of this historic club for many years, so it will be a fitting tribute to see Streakers new and old returning to their birthplace for this unique and iconic event.

The race will take place on Saturday 17 May 2025 and is being generously sponsored by Holt Marine Ltd, the successor of Jack Holt Limited. Spectators are welcome!

Building on the class's success, this year's Noble Marine Streaker Golden Jubilee National Championship will be at Rutland Sailing Club and is expected to be the biggest yet. The planned programme of events will appeal to Streaker sailors from across the spectrum of owners, including non-racing Streaker enthusiasts who might prefer to cruise around Rutland Water. There will also be a full social programme including a live band and a Golden Jubilee Dinner. The Championship racing takes place from 11-13 July, with some fun and training on the previous day.

RYA National Match Racing Series 2025 - Qualifier 2

 

Five teams competed in the club's Sonar keelboats at Queen Mary Reservoir over the weekend (15-16 February) with a range of conditions to test tactics and boat handling.

While some sailors were old hands at match racing, there were also new faces giving it a go, with light winds on the Saturday enabling everyone to get up to speed in the Sonars.

It allowed for some tight racing, with plenty of penalties and place-changes along the way, and a full day saw the teams content to return to shore at the end of flight 12 after 11 races each.

A total of five round robins were raced and Julian Fung sailing with Matt Wright, Dom Williams and Alice Smith - who are all friends from team racing together throughout their university years at Imperial College in London - claimed victory winning 15 races out of 20.

Commenting on their weekend, team skipper Julian said: "The weekend was fantastic with champagne conditions and lots of racing, with my personal favourite moment of the weekend being our bowman falling in backwards during a hoist, though he probably disagrees.

"What we felt worked well for us was clear communication during manoeuvres especially in the pre-start to gain an advantage off the line, then managing risk on the beat to consolidate our position especially in the shifty conditions we had at Queen Mary."

Top three :-

1st Julian Fung, Matt Wright, Dom Williams, Alice Smith

2nd Christian Huelss, Rosie Povall, Felix Trattner

3rd Ollie Leeson, Thalya Ambroziak, Jonathan Redfern, Ollie Payne

The season now continues with the BUCS/BUSA University Match Racing Championships at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), 28-30 March 2025 (entry through BUCS).

Entry is also open for the RYA Harken Youth Match Racing Championship (28 - 29 June) and RYA Marlow Ropes Women's Match Racing Championship (13-14 September), both at WPNSA.

For teams wanting to learn or refresh their match racing and keelboat skills, RYA Match Racing Clinics at the same venue will be taking place 15-16 March & 26-27 April 2025.

Inverkip to host major Scottish yacht racing event in May

 

The Haven Knox-Johnston Kip Regatta will see more than 50 boats take to the water on May 10 and 11 at Kip Marina.

This year is particularly special as it marks the Royal Western Yacht Club's 150th anniversary.

The regatta, organised by the Royal Western Yacht Club, is known for its closely contested races across various classes including IRC1 & 4, RC35, CYCA 3 & 5, Sigma 33, International Etchells, 2 Handed, 707’s and others.

There will also be prizes for the winners, provided by sponsors such as Helly Hansen, Gill, Tunnocks and others.

On shore, there will be a Friday afternoon barbecue hosted by the Kip Marina team and McCaskies butchers and a Saturday night shore party at The Chartroom with live music.

The prize-giving ceremony will take place on the Sunday afternoon.

Kip Marina will provide a reduced regatta rate for berthing, hoists and launching for entrants.

Paul Knox-Johnston, sales and marketing manager at Haven Knox-Johnston, said: "The Haven Knox-Johnston crew are delighted to once again be the title sponsor of the 2025 Kip Regatta in May.

"Supporting the yachting community and helping bring sailors together to do what they love best is a high priority.

"Being part of the 150th Royal Western Yacht Club’s anniversary celebrations is the icing on the cake.

"The west coast is a truly breath-taking place to sail and will provide a spectacular backdrop for a weekend of competitive on-water action and not-to-be-missed social events.

"As we saw last year, the team at Kip Marina organise a fantastic event and with upwards of 50 boats expected on the water again in 2025 the regatta is not to be missed.

"We look forward to being involved across the weekend and working with the Kip Marina team to make the regatta one to be remembered."

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ASC Portland welcomes Jon Egging Trust for watersports activities morning

 

ASC Portland recently welcomed young people from the Jon Egging Trust to take part in a morning of activities and watersports focusing on leadership.

The Jon Egging Trust supports over 40,000 young people across the UK, focusing on children living below the poverty line, children in care and young carers. They aim to help young people develop social and emotional learning as well as build confidence, self-esteem and resilience. To do this, children take part in a 3-year programme with 12 sessions a year, holding sessions both in schools and out in the community.

At ASC Portland we are delighted to partner with the trust to be part of inspiring more young people and introduce them to sailing.

A group of 15 young people came down to visit us at ASC Portland from Wey Valley School as part of this programme and took part in a morning of sailing and shore-based activities.

Everyone had a chance to get out on the water in our keelboats with our experienced and qualified instructors. For many of the students this was their first time on the water, and they came away from the session with a great sense of achievement. Being on the water is a unique learning environment that can help build confidence and encourage young people to work as a team to overcome challenges.

The students enjoyed learning how to helm and control the speed of the boats, giving them a sense of independence.

Alongside activities on the water students took part in short workshops on shore focusing on leadership skills. These workshops helped students build confidence and explore their thoughts on leadership, identifying and overcoming challenges. They also had the opportunity to learn more about sailing and take part in sailing themed games and activities to build teamwork skills.

We loved welcoming the students to ASC Portland and are looking forward to working with the Jon Egging Trust again in the future.

Young sailors at Northampton SC train for the next season

 

Last Saturday (15th Feb.) cold and drizzly conditions with light wind was the scene for nine young sailors who met at Northampton SC on Pitsford Reservoir.

This was the second of three winter coaching events organised in preparation for the Northamptonshire Youth Series, a popular race series with regattas held at several locations in the county.

Following a hearty breakfast the youngsters rigged their boats for the day. Well-equipped for the conditions in dry suits and warm clothes, they first did a number of practical exercises in boat handling and sailing tactics, followed by two races where theory could be turned into practice straightaway. All this under the watchful eyes of racing coaches from Northants SC and neighbouring Middle Nene SC, who also ensured safety on the water, a high priority given the age of the participants and the cold weather.

“We noticed a considerable improvement in performance compared with our previous event in January and our young sailors certainly enjoyed a bit of time on the water, especially since we cannot use our own lake in Thrapston during the winter months. Winter training really helps to keep the spirit going and we look forward to meeting all the other clubs from the county in spring and summer!” said Mark Greer, Rear Commodore Sailing and Head Coach at Middle Nene SC.

One more training session is planned for 15th March, before the official regatta season starts in Spring with events at Northampton SC, Cransley SC, Banbury SC, Draycote SC Middle Nene SC and Hollowell SC.

Details about the Series of events are available at :-

 www.facebook.com/northamptonshireyouthseries

Golden Jubilee Dinner To Celebrate Fifty Laser Years At Howth

 

Laser sailors from across five decades will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Howth Yacht Club Laser Frostbites at a dinner to be held in the club on Saturday, 1st March, 2025. At the time of writing there are at least six of the "originals" from the first series held in 1974 attending, including "founding father" John Gore Grimes, whose enthusiasm for Arctic cruising made the winter racing of Lasers seem normal.

All who sailed or were involved in the running of the event over the past fifty years are welcome. Organisers are urging people to book as soon as they can as places will be limited. Please do not be concerned if you have not been in touch or in the Club for some time; the idea is to get people together to celebrate and reminisce. People will be allocated to tables, and there will be at least one table per decade.

At one point, the Howth Frostbites had the biggest club Laser fleet in Europe with over ninety entries. The series was split with a pre Christmas series for the Courtney Cup and a Spring Series for the Rowan Trophy. Two other key events are the New Year's Day race and the now legendary Round Ireland's Eye Race to conclude the season where sailors can go either way around the island. At one point there was a hugely well attended Howth v Dun Laoghaire held between Christmas and New Year.

The series has always been competitive, and this ramped up when the Laser became an Olympic Class. Key to its success has always been great racing, an excellent sailing area, and competition for all ages and skill levels. This, combined with top class race management which is the envy of many other clubs. However, the real key to success has been the comradery, slagging, and the friendships forged, as evidenced by the list of sailors past and present who will be there on the night. To all guests on the night: please allow for tall tales, and the odd exaggeration of wind strengths, wave sizes, boat speeds etc, as we reminisce on a wonderful fifty years and an amazing group of sailors, organisers, and -- most importantly -- friends.

St Edmundsbury Sailing & Canoeing Association's 2025 Season

 

The St Edmundsbury Sailing & Canoeing Association's 2025 season starts on Saturday, 29 March at Lackford Lake, 5 miles NW of Bury St Edmunds.

A comprehensive programme of dinghy sailing and paddling events is scheduled, with on the water activities running through to November. Dinghy racing is organised on Sundays with social sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding taking place at any time, so long as two adult members are on site.

The club runs RYA adult and junior dinghy sailing courses and paddle sports training sessions for members throughout the season. The club owns a large fleet of training dinghies (eg Wanderers; Gull; Lasers/ILCAs; Picos; Toppers and Optimists), kayaks and paddleboards (SUPs), which are also available for hire. It is a great feature of the club that you do not need your own equipment to be able to sail or paddle.

SESCA hosts a number of group members including the Bury St Edmunds Sea Cadets; Newmarket and Mildenhall Sea Cadets; Young People Afloat (a sailing youth club); Suffolk Scouts; Priory School and WASH Sailability. The latter group caters for individuals with a variety of special needs, as well as people with a wide range of physical disabilities.

The highlight of the season's programme is the club's '12th Antigua Sailing Day Regatta', which will be held on Sunday, 22 June. This is a fun event, which celebrates 'Antigua Sailing Week' in the Caribbean. The Regatta is again being generously supported by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

The club prides itself on its low membership fees and being affordable to all. (cadet £25 pa; adult £62 pa and family £90 pa) Anyone interested in joining the club is invited to look at the club's website :-

www.westsuffolksailing.org.uk 

or contact the club secretary at sesca.admin@gmail.com for further information.

P&B POSH 2025 at Paignton Sailing Club

 

Paignton Sailing Club are pleased to announce that entries are now open for their 2025 POSH regatta being held on the 10th and 11th May and this year is being sponsored by P&B.

Paignton Open for Single Handers (POSH) was founded in 2012 and appeals to a range of high-performance single-handed dinghies and has also been adopted by many as a class open meeting. The regatta has gone from strength to strength with turnouts of around 100 boats with many classes incorporating the event in their traveller circuit. In 2025 it will also host the Fire Nationals.

Paignton Sailing Club is renowned for hosting high profile events with an enviable record, superb facilities and equipment and a world class Race Management team. The Race Officer for the 2025 event will be Ian Bullock again, a well known and highly experienced International Race Officer.

The club itself is located on Paignton Harbour and has plenty of holiday accommodation and parking within walking distance. It is only a short distance away from Paignton's sandy beach, from where the dinghies will be launched, allowing the club to launch during any tide states onto the sheltered waters of picturesque Tor Bay.

Entry will be via the club website : - 

www.paigntonsailingclub.co.uk/posh