A Sailors Lot

Sunday, 21 February 2021

The 5O5s return to the stunning Dorset coast and to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in July for the UK National and European Championships in what promises to be two more highly anticipated events for the class. Having successfully staged the 2016 World Championships at the 2012 Olympic venue, the UK 5O5 Class have elected to return to host this year's National and European Championships, with the venue providing top notch sailing, a large variety of conditions, excellent race management and best in class facilities. With the 2020 World Championships, which were due to be hosted in Sweden last summer, cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic the teams will be itching to get out there and test themselves against some of the best sailing competition outside of the Olympic classes once again. The double event will begin on Tuesday the 13th of July with a 'sprint cup', 4 short sharp windward leeward courses within Portland Harbour to hone everyone's skills followed by two days of traditional larger windward leeward courses out on Weymouth Bay which will result in a new UK national champion being crowned. This event will be followed by a day off for competitors to complete measurement checks and final preparations ahead of the Europeans which will commence on Saturday the 17th of July running through to Tuesday the 20th of July inclusive and will include 10 highly competitive races to find a new European Champion. The UK 5O5 class also owns its own boat and is open to approaches from individuals and crews who would like to borrow this boat to campaign for the above events in the knowledge that they will get hooked on the class and find their own boat for the 2022 season and beyond.

FORMER OLYMPIAN OFFERS SAILING TRIP AROUND THE ISLE OF WIGHT

A former sailing Olympian is hoping to take a team of people - who are struggling with their mental health - sailing around the Isle of Wight. NHS worker Craig Palmer was put in a coma for 61 days after catching swine flu - which led him to battle with his mental health. Craig who works as a wheelchair therapy technician for Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, established community interest company CraigSailing after friends at Lancing Sailing Club helped him recover from depression The 55-year-old, who lost his manufacturing business and had to learn to walk again following three months in Worthing Hospital, hopes sharing his love of sailing will now help others having problems with their mental health to rebuild their lives. “My aim is to give them an opportunity to break out of their bubble,” said Craig, who discovered his talent for sailing as a 16-year-old schoolboy in his native Zimbabwe. “Before long, they will forget what’s going on at home. It’s not a solution, just an opportunity for them to stop and assess what they want to do.” Now a Royal Yachting Association-qualified Offshore Yachtmaster, the pinnacle of sailing, Craig hopes ten crew will join him and his general practitioner first mate for the Solent Adventure around the Isle of Wight from 15-18 March - providing COVID-19 permits. The trip costs £200 per person for four days at sea, and Craig’s crew will benefit from the expertise of a skipper who competed with Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie at the 1995 Laser European Sailing Championships, and who in 2019 conquered 10m waves, gale-force storms and sub-zero temperatures to complete the South Africa to Australia leg of the Clipper Round the World Race. Craig will give crew half a day’s theory and safety training and the opportunity to be part of the team of a 40ft ocean-going yacht. He will also be able to draw on the knowledge of a shore-based freelance psychologist if required. Craig hopes to run another Solent trip exclusively for NHS staff in late summer, and if all goes to plan, he hopes to charter boats from around the British coastline for further trips. Anyone who feels they are struggling with their mental health can take part in a CraigSailing voyage. A formal mental health diagnosis is not required. Further information and booking details are available from craigsailing.com.