Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre win Team GB’s third Olympic sailing gold

 Mills and McIntyre secured seven top-three finishes in their 10 races before the double-points medal race to give themselves a healthy 14-point lead over the French duo of Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz.

Mills, who was a flag-bearer for Team GB during the opening ceremony alongside the rower Mohamed Sbihi, won a silver medal in London 2012 and then gold in Rio in 2016 before her then partner, Saskia Clarke, retired from Olympic racing. She and the 27-year-old McIntyre began sailing as a pair in 2017 and won the World Cup Series in at Santander in Spain in their first race together.

The gold puts Team GB clear of Australia at the top of the sailing medal table with three golds, one silver and one bronze. This is their second most successful sailing medal haul behind Beijing 2008, where they secured four golds, one silver and one bronze.

John Gimson and Anna Burnet take silver in the mixed Nacra 17 Class following Britain's double sailing gold in Tokyo

 Olympic debutants Gimson and Burnet were beaten to gold by the Italian crew of Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, with Germany's Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer taking bronze.

They were guaranteed a medal going into the final race and finished safely in fifth to stay in second place overall.  

Historic Scots fishing vessel and Outlander star Reaper restored in £1m project to open to public

 It is a rare survivor from the golden age of sail and Scotland's booming herring industry of the past which has served as a floating museum.

The iconic Reaper, is a key example of the Fifies fleet that became the most popular fishing vessel on Scotland’s North Sea coast during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Britannia rules the waves as Giles Scott retains Finn title and men's 49er crew claim gold

 Giles Scott made it double sailing gold for Team GB in the space of a dramatic hour in Enoshima Yacht Harbour after recovering from a nightmare start to follow Iain Percy and Sir Ben Ainslie to secure Britain's sixth successive triumph in the heavyweight Finn class.

Scott, who had already established a clear lead before the medal race, feared that he made an infringement at the start and so, rather than risk being recalled, willingly turned full circle to leave himself with a mountain to climb over the rest of the race.

Fletcher and Bithell’s victory was also among the most dramatic medal races in Olympic history, with the British pair leapfrogging defending champions and two-time America’s Cup winners, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, of New Zealand.

Fletcher and Bithell had begun the final 49er medal race four points adrift of the New Zealanders, who are widely regarded as the world’s best sailors, meaning that they needed to finish two places ahead of their rivals to take gold. They began superbly and surged into a clear lead after the first two turns, ahead of New Zealand who, crucially, had also fallen behind the Germany crew. 

‘I just gave it everything’: Emma Wilson takes Olympic windsurfing bronze

 The 22-year-old Wilson, who finished no lower than sixth in 12 of the 13 races in the event, said she had endeavoured to enjoy the competition.

“My mum told me just to enjoy it, because she didn’t,” said Wilson, whose medal was the first for a female British windsurfer since Bryony Shaw’s bronze at Beijing 2008. “She had a lot of pressure as the triple world champion leading into it, and that’s always going to be hard.”

Ellen MacArthur charity to benefit from bank holiday regatta

 

The August Charity Cup will take place on The Solent over the bank holiday weekend of August 28-30.

Sailors from the Isle of Wight will be taking part in the sailing event across the IRC classes, VPRS club class and One Design classes, including J/70, SB20 and XOD.

The inaugural August Charity Cup was held last year, which saw 75 teams enter the regatta, raising £5,000 for nominated charities.

For this year’s event, proceeds will go to The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Mayfield Nurseries.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust supports the personal development of children and young people — aged eight to 14 years — who have had cancer.

Through sailing and other UK-wide adventure activities, the trust supports and inspires these young people to embrace their future with optimism after treatment for cancer.

'Champagne' sailing and good weather promised for Cowes Week

 The world's longest running sailing regatta — cancelled last year due to Covid — has a packed programme of racing on The Solent.

One of the biggest changes this year is there will be more starts and finishes from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, making for more exciting racing for competitors and spectators alike, say organisers, Cowes Week Ltd.

A completely new class to Cowes Week this year is the Club Cruiser Division, which will have its own start and attract competitors with a new trophy sponsored by The Cruising Association.

There will also be a further three starts in the Performance Cruiser Division.  

The biggest fleet of Sonar one designs for more than a decade will gather for the UK Sonar National Championship, being run as part of the regatta.

New for this year are daily prizegiving ceremonies (for the previous day's racing), which will take place daily at 5pm on Cowes Parade.

The overall prizegiving takes place on Friday at Cowes Yacht Haven, with magnums of Cuvée 450 for all class winners and special moments caught on camera.

Shoreside, there is still plenty to see and do at the various venues around town throughout the week with entertainment and bars on The Parade, Cowes Yacht Haven, Shepard's Marina and at Northwood House.

Further information on the entertainment schedule can be found on the website http://www.cowesweek.co.uk or in the Cowes Week app.

Sailing lessons in Cornwall for children from joint venture

 

Children in Falmouth can enjoy summer holiday sailing lessons thanks to a new initiative from the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club working in partnership with Falmouth Harbour.

Up to three new dinghies will soon be available for the RCYC's Junior Sailing sessions, which are open to non-members for a small fee.

Organisers have also said careful Covid precautions are in place.

Now the schools have broken up, there are three more sessions planned over the next weeks, with the first on Sunday, August 1, 11-1pm.

Additional sessions are planned for Saturday August 21, 4.30-6.30, and Saturday September 18, from 3.30-5.30pm.

Anyone interested in a place for their child can find out more by emailing Melody Hitchens at sailing@royalcornwallyachtclub.org

Port of Milford Haven allows sailing experience for Pembrokeshire's schoolchildren

 Over 20 schoolchildren from Pembrokeshire have achieved sailing qualifications and gained confidence on the water after sponsorship from the Port of Milford Haven.

The port recently partnered with Pembrokeshire Performance Sailing Academy (PPSA) to offer learners from St Florence VC School and Golden Grove School in Pembroke the opportunity to complete their Youth Sailing stage one certificates.

With the port’s funding, youth sailing courses have been given to 24 students - 12 from St Florence VC school and 12 from Golden Grove School.

The Port of Milford Haven and PPSA have worked together on the waterway for several years and wish to give more people the opportunity to enjoy the marine environment in a fun, educated and safe way.

Richard Owens, chief instructor from PPSA, commented: “It’s been great to see the children from St Florence and Golden Grove schools participate in the RYA’s ‘on board’ scheme over the past six weeks.

"The scheme is a fantastic way to introduce young people to sailing and is proven to have a profound and positive effect on their lives. Life skills learned through sailing transfer from the water to the classroom and beyond.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing

 Eight out of ten fleets were racing on Wednesday, with only the Laser and Laser Radial having a rest day. Some sailors put down some big markers with dominant performances in the 470 Women and Nacra 17.

In the Men's and Women's Skiff events, both halves of an engaged couple are sharing the limelight in their respective boats, Dylan Fletcher (GBR) taking the lead in the 49er and his fiancée Charlotte Dobson (GBR) maintaining top spot in the 49erFX.

Alongside the big waves across Sagami Bay, the sailors thrived in 14-17 knots of consistent south westerly breeze that gave them a stern test.

Points are tight after four Finn races, but Alican Kaynar (TUR) is doing just enough to stay in the lead after his spectacular opening day.

Now, though, the Turk is on equal points with the Hungarian, Zsombor Berecz, in second place.

Just a point off the joint-leaders is 23-year-old Joan Cardona, the Spaniard continuing to prove that he can hold his own against the seniors on the biggest stage.

The day belonged to defending Olympic Champion Giles Scott, however, with the Briton winning both races and revelling in the big waves. After a slow start to the regatta, Scott's double-bullet day puts him just three points off the lead. He's known for being able to work the waves perhaps better than anyone.

Scott commented, "[Wind] pressure was super strategic today and there were really nice waves to surf. So you find a bit of pressure and get it, get a few good waves, you can extend away. But in this heat, there's a little bit of energy maintenance needed too, to make sure you have something in the tank for upwind."

Scott was relieved to have overcome a difficult first day. "It was a shaky start, but I've got a bit of a history of shaky starts so let's hope I continue more like today."

Great Britain's Dylan Fletcher and Stu Bithell improved throughout the day, winning the last race and moving into the overall lead of the Men's Skiff - 49er fleet.

Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey (GBR) may not have won a race in the big waves today, but 4,2,5 scores keeps the British in the lead by five points from the Dutch, who had the best results from the outing.

Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti made a big statement on the opening day of the Mixed Multihull - Nacra 17 racing, winning two races and coming third in the other. The Italians have always been fast downwind, especially in big waves that can bite without warning.

The 49erFX are the only fleet who will enjoy a rest day on Thursday with the 49er scheduled for two races to catch up on those lost during Tuesday's action. 

Manningtree Regatta returns next weekend

 Manningtree's Regatta is making a comeback after last year's spectacle had to be cancelled for the first time in decades due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The highly anticipated event is taking place along the quayside next Saturday and Sunday, with the first sailing race starting at 10.30am.

During the weekend, there will also be relaxing yoga on Manningtree beach, rowing races, fishing competitions

A firework display will light up the skies above the town on Saturday from 9.45pm following the first day of races.

On Sunday there will be live music near Winyl, in South Street with performances from The Maniacs.

There will also be circus activities near Jewsons, market and food stalls in South Street and performers throughout the day until 4pm.

Stunning clipper yacht launches new youth venture at Largs Yacht Haven

 A new campaign, Our Isles and Oceans, which launched at Largs Yacht Haven today, will create funded programmes for young people affected by the pandemic and lockdown. 

The cornerstone of the project will be a partnership with the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, providing funded sailing programmes for young people to learn to sail.

They are calling for 18- to 35-year-olds to apply to its initiative, as the pandemic has had a negative impact on the age group’s education and employment opportunities over the last 15 months. 

The confidence built and the skills learnt through the sport of sailing can be transferred from on deck to the workplace which is why the first Our Isles and Oceans programme to launch will take place on a Clipper Race yacht.

ONE of the world’s largest luxury sailing vessels has arrived in Portsmouth.

 The 525ft vessel, capable of transporting more than 300 passengers, is one of the largest commercial ships to berth in Portsmouth.

The giant ship, which is run by Tradewind Voyages, features two swimming pools and one 'deep dive' pool, a spa with a sauna, a snow room, and a jacuzzi, as well as a beauty salon, sun deck, main dining hall, and informal bar.

It is also equipped with two independent electric propulsion motors, enabling a speed of 17 knots – and speeds of 16 knots under sail power.