Josh Davidson (13) and Hettie Thorogood (12) met on the competitive Cadet class sailing circuit.
Even though they are from different sailing clubs, South Cerney and Waldringfield respectively, Josh and Hettie hatched a plan to come together and sail a Cadet dinghy non-stop for 12 hours in support of the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. Details at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sailforukraine. With a final nod of approval from both sets of parents and the generous support of South Cerney Sailing Club (SCSC) for the use of the lake and safety facilities, the green light was given and the event was a go.
Sailing Josh's 1978 Cadet 7274 Wave Rider, the pair shared helm and crew responsibility throughout the day to ensure the dinghy continued to move unassisted for the full 12 hours. Launching just after 8am on the 21st April, the pair had the SCSC lake to themselves in light 8 - 10 knt breeze for the first 4 hours. Setting a triangle and sausage course, the pair set the spinnaker to get down to the leeward mark to keep the day focused and more interesting. Throughout the day there were live sessions on social media, and the original target of £1000 was left well behind.
Just after crossing the finish line Hettie said, "(I Feel) AMAZING! We have raised over £3.5k! Thank you everyone who has donated!"
With the sail complete they returned to land with wobbly legs, wondering why the world wouldn't stop moving beneath their feet. Asked about the biggest achievement of the day, Josh replied, "I can't believe we raised so much! It was a long day and some bits went really slowly, but we did it! The next event we do will seem really short and easy, and I won't complain about Arky (Race Officer) doing back-to-back races any more..."
The pair had little time to recover. Both were sailing as competitors in the windy and wild UKNCCA selector event at Pevensey Bay just 36 hours later.
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