World Cup: GB finish with eight medals in Miami

Britain won four medals on the final day of racing to finish with eight from the World Cup Regatta in Miami. Luke Patience and two-time world champion Elliot Willis were victorious in the men's 470 class. A broken kicker for Nick Thompson saw him miss out on gold in the laser class and slip down to silver. There were also silvers for Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (women's 470) and Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves in the Nacra 17 event. Giles Scott and Bryony Shaw had unassailable leads going into Saturday's final day of their competitions, having both secured their gold medals on Friday. World and European champion Scott, unbeaten since returning to Finn class sailing 15 months ago, finished second in his final race to beat nearest rival Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic of Croatia by 25 points. Shaw was 10th in the final race of the RS:X women's windsurfing class to successfully defend her title. There were also two silvers in the Paralympic classes on Friday. Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell finished second in the Skud, while Megan Pascoe was runner-up in the 2.4mR class.

Wimbleball sailing club to host the 'Exmoor Beastie' race

WIMBLEBALL Sailing Club in Exmoor is to host the final races in a new competition to find the best sailors in the South West. Roadford, Starcross and Wimbleball Clubs are holding races on consecutive Sundays in March to find out just how good the sailors are in the South-West. The first race, the Roadford Rocket, is a new event and will be hosted by the Roadford Lake Sailing Club and is due to take place on March 8. The second race will be the 23rd annual Starcross Steamer Pursuit race, sponsored by Exe Sails, to be held on March 15 on the River Exe. The third race in the series, the Exmoor Beastie, will be hosted by Wimbleball Sailing Club on March 22 at Wimbleball Reservoir in Exmoor National Park. The race is a three-hour pursuit and prizes will be awarded at Wimbleball after the Beastie to the first three competitors who complete all the events. All the events will be using the Sailjuice handicap numbers and will be open to all monohull dinghies with a handicap from Cadets to Foiling Moths (1350 to 500). For more information on the Roadford Rocket, contact rickwillows@ gmail.com;

Win a life changing sailing experience

The Town Council, in association with the Tall Ships Trust, have launched the Barry Marine Youth Award for 2015 which awards an all-expenses paid voyage, in UK waters, sailing as a member of the crew aboard the tall ship Stavros S Niarchos (or its successor), or aboard a 72ft ocean going Challenger yacht. The award, available to Barry residents aged from 12 to 25 years, will offer the opportunity to make new friends and enjoy new and unique challenges. Applicants need to complete an application form and submit a short written statement of up to 500 words about “What winning the competition would mean to me and how it would develop my skills and abilities.” Applications are welcome in English or Welsh. Deadline for applications is Sunday, March 15 and winners will be selected by March 31. Further details and application forms can be obtained from Barry Town Council on 01446 738663 or by emailing info@barrytowncouncil.gov.uk Applications should be sent to Barry Town Council/Tall Ships Competition, Council Offices, 7 Gladstone Road, Barry, CF62 8NA.

World class sailors to arrive in Cardiff as the city prepares to host the Extreme Sailing Series for a fourth time

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Sailing success

OLYMPIC sailing star Sir Ben Ainslie accepted an official Guinness World Record Certificate for Bart’s Bash, the charity event which set a new record for largest sailing race in 24 hours. An incredible 9,484 boats took to the water to race at 237 locations worldwide for the race in September, with the first-time event raising £366,391.95 for the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. The charity was founded in memory of Olympic gold medallist Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson, who had spent time training in Gosport, who died aged 36 in a sailing accident. Bart’s Bash was created to remember the sailor and to raise funds for the charity’s work in sailing. Sir Ben, who is one of the founding trustees of the foundation, received the Guinness World Record Certificate for Bart’s Bash at the CWM FX London Boat Show 2015. Sir Ben, who is building his America’s Cup sailing team base in Old Portsmouth, said: ‘It’s a real pleasure to accept this certificate. No-one could have imagined how big the event would become. ‘It is a reflection of how much Bart meant to people across the world, and how sailing can unite people.’

Sonning schoolboy sails for Great Britain at Mirror World Championships

Fourteen-year-old Henry Heath competed for Great Britain this month at the Mirror World Championships in South Africa, and at the African Championships the week before. Joined by his team mate James Dickinson, the pair made the most of the two weeks bagging second place in the African Championships Under 16 boat, and fourth place in the World Championships Under 16 boat. Henry said: “I was very proud to represent my country. It was a real honour – and it gave me a great feeling.” Henry, from Henley, has been sailing with James who attends Royal Grammar School, in Guildford, for the past year and a half after they met at the Itchenor Sailing Club on Chichester Harbour. They qualified to sail for Britain after their success last summer when they finished first Junior boat and third overall at the General Mirror European Championships. Both the African and World Championships took place on the huge Theewater Dam in the heart of the Cape wine and fruit growing-region of South Africa. With Cape sunshine and plenty of wind, the conditions were perfect for the gathering of 60 boats from the Mirror fleets of the UK, Australia, South Africa, Japan and France. The wind blew hard for the first two days of the African championships, conditions in which Henry and James thrive, and the boys achieved a first, second and fourth. Lack of wind caused the last day to be cut short, and Henry and James finished the regatta fourth overall and second Under 16 boat. After two rest days for the sailors, the World Championships began. Despite testing conditions Henry and James finished fourth Under 16 boat and 15th overall. Henry’s personal highlights of the trip were “the chance to meet a lot of people from other countries and winning one of the races at the African Championships”. The events provided the Sonning schoolboy with a number of memorable moments, the most bizarre of which was having to abandon a race because there was a Cobra in the lake. Henry and James will continue competing next year but are upgrading to a “bigger, faster and more complicated” boat - 420s.

Hayling Island Sailing Club won ‘Club of the Year’ award for 2014

Hayling Island Sailing Club has won the coveted Yachts and Yachting ‘Club of the Year’ award for 2014 and will receive its prize at a prestigious awards ceremony to be held at the London Boat Show on 15th January 2015. The Yachts and Yachting awards aim to highlight the best performances, products, clubs and events of the last 12 months and to be named ‘Club of the Year’ is a tremendous accolade for the committee, staff and members of HISC who hosted an action-packed year in 2014. Consistently good weather, record levels of sailing activity as well as the highest ever membership levels meant that 2014 was a hugely successful year for the club. 2014 was the year HISC hosted the Moth National and World Championships; possibly the most high profile event the club has ever organized, and a record turnout for the class. The two years of meticulous planning ensured an extremely well run event both on and off the water and the huge level of media interest that the event secured was testament to its worldwide success. HISC also hosted a number of other extremely successful events in 2014 including the RS200 and 420 National Championships, The RS Classes Southern Championships with over 200 boats as well as a busy programme of open and grand prix events for a wide selection of dinghy classes. All this on top of the normal 6 series Open Pursuit races, Saturday and Sunday club racing series, Family Fun Week, the largest ever Youth Race Week, and a busy schedule of training and youth events held throughout the year! Another highlight of 2014 was the launch of the hugely successful Get Racing Club; an initiative which saw a large number of newcomers get on the water to learn key racing techniques, build confidence and gain valuable racing skills in a relaxed and informal format from experienced volunteer racing ‘mentors’. Commenting on the award, HISC Commodore Greg Lamb said, 'This is a fantastic and well deserved achievement for everyone involved with Hayling Island Sailing Club. From the committee members who give their valuable time and experience to assist in the running of the club, to the dedicated and hard-working team of permanent staff and of course the enthusiastic members who get such enjoyment from the varied racing schedule and many social events held at the club. 2014 was a memorable year for all sorts of reasons and to win the Yachts and Yachting ‘Club of the Year’ Award is the icing on the cake for us!'

Disabled sailors need volunteer helpers

A PORTLAND sailing scheme supporting sailors with disabilities is encouraging more people to volunteer as their New Year’s resolution. Chesil Sailability, based at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, is looking for people to assist in a variety of roles. Volunteers will have an opportunity to work by the sea during the summer whilst making a difference. The group is currently reflecting on their first full summer season. Weekly sessions ran from April to September with almost 50 sailors taking to the water. This included people who had never been sailing before. Some sailors have since made their own personal debut on the racing scene. A special ceremony was also held in July where £12,000 worth of new sailing dinghies were launched. Money from the Rod Shipley Memorial Fund, formed by Elma Shipley and the Chesil Trust, helped pay for two Hansa 303 boats. Hugh de Iongh, chairman of Chesil Sailability, said: “Looking ahead to 2015, we want to build on the success of this year, sharing the amazing experience of being afloat with more and more local people with disabilities. We want to support our sailors to have fantastic exp-eriences, whether pottering about in boats, or racing. “Our Race Team is competing in the Europeans and we are hosting the Nationals in 2015, so there is plenty to look forward to and get training for. “But Chesil Sailability really is for anyone with any kind of disability who wants to sail at any level.” The group is entirely run by volunteers. Over the winter, training is planned to ensure all volunteers feel confident in their roles and organisers stress a knowledge of how to sail is not essential for taking part. Roles up for grabs can range from reception, administration, looking after the boats, to hoisting sailors in and out of boats on the pontoon. Other roles could include coaching and safety cover on the water. If you would like to find out more information or would like to try sailing, please get in touch with Chesil Sailability by calling 07543 656390 or emailing info@chesilsailability.org.uk.

2015 Fireball World Championship

2015 Fireball World Championship - The Notice of Race and entry forms for the UK Fireball Worlds have just been released. The event offers two weeks of unrivalled sailing in the beautiful waters of North Wales. Situated on the Llyn peninsular, just 10 miles from the Snowdonia National Park, racing will take place in Cardigan Bay within easy reach of the sandy beach from where the fleet will launch. The event is expected to attract some of the best sailors in the world, and participants from as far afield as Australia, Japan, Namibia and Canada to name but a few. The last time the event was held in UK waters, 170 boats from 15 countries made the start line. Bob Fisher, the first ever Fireball World Champion and renown sailing journalist, is guest speaker at the Black Tie dinner event on the Tuesday evening of the Worlds. Full details and the entry form are available on the event website. For further details please email worlds2015@fireballsailing.org.uk.

Sailing from Tobermory to Canna 2014

Sailing 2014 - West Coast of Scotland - Day 05

Sailing 2014 - West Coast of Scotland - Day 04

Sailing 2014 - West Coast of Scotland - Day 03