Wayfarer Finale at Bough Beech Sailing Club

 The point is almost every one of the fifteen competing teams had at least one a-ma-zing result and one disaster, darling. That's Bough Beech for you.

The Saturday forecast was for winds from the North West. Racing started with a breeze from the West which slowly veered towards the North West. Steve Knowles and his race team, who did an excellent job all weekend, set a skewed figure of eight course.

Overall winners of the open meeting on count back were Andrew and Tom Wilson. This was a popular result because Andrew and his various crew have finished as runners up to Michael and Simon at every other championship and open meeting this season. Completing the podium were Elliott and Rory, showing that a well sailed and tuned "old" boat can be competitive in these conditions.

There was still time to hand out the UKWA trophies and conduct the prize draw. Winners of the Craftinsure National Circuit Series 2021(best three results to count including at least one fresh water and one salt water event) were Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend. Well deserved winners of the Travellers Series (all nominated events to count) were Nigel and Belinda O'Donnell who hitched up their boat and competed in each of the eight events.

 The curtain closes on the UKWA season for 2021. A busy programme of events is planned for 2022 including the International Championships in Florida in March (with half a dozen UK entries). The highlight of the domestic season will be the National and European Championships which will be hosted by Arun YC in Littlehampton in August. For more information on the Wayfarer visit wayfarer.org.uk

Overall Results:

Pos Sail No Helm Crew Club R1 R2 R3 R4 Pts

1st 11093 Andrew Wilson Tom Wilson Datchet Water SC 1 3 1 ‑7 5

2nd 10648 Michael McNamara Simon Townsend Rollesby Broad SC 2 2 ‑4 1 5

3rd 1112 Elliott Marks Rory Moppett Bough Beech SC 3 4 3 ‑11 10

4th 88 Martin Rouse‑Collen Donna Rouse‑Collen Upper Thames SC 7 1 (OCS) 4 12

5th 11120 Guy Marks Katy Seddon Bough Beech SC 6 ‑12 5 3 14

6th 10688 Bill Whitney John Shelton Shoreham SC 8 5 ‑11 2 15

7th 11282 Nigel O'Donnell Belinda O'Donnell Swarkestone SC (DNS) 7 2 6 15

8th 11012 Tim Townsend Jacqueline Townsend Medway YC 4 10 ‑12 5 19

9th 10673 David Roberts Mike Bryant Bough Beech SC 5 9 6 ‑10 20

10th 11211 Mark Lee Sam Pygall Medway YC ‑10 6 8 8 22

Annette Walter picks up the victory as better winds return to Welwyn Garden City Sailing Club

 Welwyn Garden City Sailing Club's Commodore Cup was fought over under blustery conditions but Walter had no such trouble in the more benign winds, picking up the overall win ahead of Roger Morse and Charles Adams the club's commodore.

Patrick Rohart, back from his summer in France, was a little rusty in race one but improved to a third place in the second race.

In the slow fleet, Al Jose challenged strongly in the first race but had to settle for third as Walter dominated while Morse was the clear winner in the fast competition.

Tied for second place were Tony Hale and Rohart with a second and third place each.

Young cancer survivor enjoys a day of sailing with Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

 

A 19-YEAR-OLD from Basingstoke who survived cancer said her “confidence” and "individuality" has been rebuilt after enjoying a day of sailing with a cancer charity.

Laura Warren was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019 and was joined by three other young people for a day of sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.

Laura said the Trust helped her stop feeling so isolated and to “own her” cancer story, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019.

She said: “I hadn’t really met anyone near my own age with a cancer diagnosis and it was quite isolating. I also found I would dismiss any feelings I was having around cancer because I felt I hadn’t been through enough to be worthy of it. It was a hard habit to break.

She is now set to return for a four-day sailing adventure in Cowes next summer, where she will wear the top she helped design with pride.

She added: "I want to come back next year because I want to meet more amazing people, and continue to build my confidence. I am most looking forward to the games of Uno and hopefully meeting up with some of the people I met this summer again.

2021 RYA National Team Racing Championship at Spinnaker Sailing Club

 The RYA National Team Racing Championship saw 24 teams competing at Spinnaker Sailing Club with the West Kirby Hawks successfully retaining their title and the Prince Philip Trophy.

Supported by the UK Team Racing Association, RYA, kSail and host club Spinnaker SC, it was a welcome return for the much anticipated championship after the event was blown off in 2019 and then cancelled in March 2020 and March 2021 due to Covid lockdowns.

There were a wide range of teams in terms of both in age and experience. Entries included two school teams from Magdalen College School and Claires Court School and two teams from Rutland SC, one of which (Rutland Green) included as helms Jamie and Ben Tylecote, fresh from winning the Eric Twiname Youth Team Racing Championships, sailing with their father Steve as the third helm.

The defending title holders, West Kirby Hawks, were accompanied by another West Kirby team, and there were a variety of University and Alumni teams competing.

RYA Racing Services Manager Niall McCleod added: "It's great to see team racing back up and running and a lot of people have put a lot of work into making it happen. It's been one of the hardest hit disciplines over the pandemic because of the nature of it so it's really good to get these events going again."

The aim is to now get the RYA National Team Racing Championship back on schedule with a return to its usual place on the calendar in Spring, with the next edition taking place at West Kirby SC over the weekend of 26-27 March 2022. Save the date!

Full results at events.ksail.co.uk/2021/UKTRA

Podium Results:

1st- West Kirby Hawks

   Andy Cornah

   Ben Field

   Dom Johnson

   Fiona Harrington

   Tom Foster

   Hollie Marston

2nd - Cindies Sailing Club

   Josh Adams

   Paris Thomas

   Tim Gratton

   George Hopes

   Emily Wiltshire

   Tom Gaggitt

3rd - Cambermet Cardinals

   Tom Darling

   Dom Lewis

   Rob Gullan

   Bethan Matthew

   Gemma Keers

   Charlie Darling

Voting open to make Shropshire Sailing Club the UK's best

 Chelmarsh Sailing Club has once again been chosen as the region's finalist in the RYA and Yachts and Yachting Club of the Year Awards for 2022 for the second year in a row.

The award celebrates the outstanding achievement and the hard work of sailing clubs in the UK, and Chelmarsh has been specifically recognised in the category of 'Inclusive and Open to all'.

Dave Strain, interim chief executive of the RYA, said: “Congratulations on achieving this prestigious award and I look forward to meeting you in February, 2022."

Clipper Race to restart in February 2022

 The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which has been on hold in Asia due to COVID-19 restrictions, will resume its 2019-20 edition in March 2022 after receiving a Special Event Permit from the Philippines.

After sailing halfway around the world, and unable to reach the planned ports in China, the sailing event was suspended 18 months ago in Subic Bay, Philippines. This new permission will enable Clipper Race organizers and Race Crew to return to the country for the restart.

The eleven Clipper 70 ocean racing yachts had raced over 20,000 nautical miles from London, with stops in Portimão (Portugal), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), Fremantle and The Whitsundays (Australia), but have remained in Subic Bay Yacht Club since March 2020 after organizers and Race Crew had to return home.

Before the current edition was postponed, Clipper Race crew had crossed the Atlantic Ocean (North and South) and Indian Ocean, raced towards the Roaring Forties, and sailed around the Australian coast. They have also crossed the equator twice, experienced tropical heat and frigid cold and faced huge seas and flat calm.

When can we cruise, sail or charter again?

A number of countries are allowing yachts and charters to sail their waters before allowing international flights to land. For more guidance on charter restrictions, read our updates here or take a look at our superyacht marina guide. Below, we list the countries that have announced the reopening of their waters.

Having already opened international borders, Costa Rica has now announced that it is also easing restrictions for charter yachts. Superyacht broker Fraser has been working with the Costa Rica Marina Association to help amend the country's charter laws, which will now allow for luxury charter vessels over 24 metres to charter legally and remain in Costa Rica for up to one year.

As Thailand begins to slowly reopen its tourism industry, the government has announced that yacht owners will be allowed to undergo their quarantine period on board. According to Seal Superyachts agency in Phuket, owners can either arrive in the country by boat or fly in and travel to their yacht to begin their quarantine. After this has been completed and negative test results have been presented, passengers and crew will be free to move through the country unrestricted. 

APS has announced that Indonesia is once again welcoming visiting superyachts on a new type of e-visa. The e-visa allows for 60 days and is extendable up to 180 days. Crew and guests will need to present a negative COVID-19 test result, along with some other documentation, but will not be required to quarantine upon entry.

Antigua and Barbuda has reopened borders to international marine traffic and is actively encouraging the yachting community to return, with plans afoot to execute all of the yachting events on the racing calendar.

Fiji opened its borders to superyachts and other foreign-flagged vessels, despite remaining closed to tourists arriving by air travel. The only port of entry to the country will be Port Denarau Marina, and new arrivals will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result before disembarking.

The Maldives is open to land and sea travel for vessels from all countries travelling in the indian ocean, while In the South Pacific, French Polynesia is also welcoming international vessels with those on board required to present negative COVID-19 test results before and after arriving.

Croatia is now open again for chartering, with “charter clients / guests allowed to enter the country without any quarantine requirements”. Greece is open for yachting and chartering and encouraged clients to book charter superyachts. Other European yachting grounds now open for travel include Cyprus, Monaco and Italy.

Those hoping to undertake a northwest passage journey may have to put their plans on hold. Vessels carrying more than 12 passengers will be barred from entering Arctic coastal waters of Canada (including Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and the Labrador Coast) indefinitely. However sailing is allowed in inland rivers and lakes in the Northwest Territories of Nunavut and Yukon.

#asailorslotuk #superyachtcharter #superyachtholidays #superyachtweddings #luxurycharters #luxuryfamilyholiday

Sailors ready for the start of the 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 World Championships in Mussanah

 Oman Sail is preparing to welcome a 148-strong fleet representing 29 countries when the 2021 49er, 49erFX and Nacra the World Championships gets under way in Mussanah on 16 November.

Being held in Asia for the first time in event history, the regatta is the one of the first global sailing events after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and for some participants the start of the campaign to qualify for the Paris 2024 Games.

The championship will run from 16-21 November 2021 at the Barcelo Mussanah Resort, adding to Oman's reputation as a world class host and premier sailing nation. The fleet includes Olympians, promising young sailors, high-performance doubles sailors and members of Oman's national team, all looking to start their 2024 Olympic campaign in good form.

49er and FX UK Nationals 2021 at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

 Bonfire weekend saw a select group of 49er and FX teams descend on their spiritual home of Portland harbour for the 2021 National titles. Hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Center as part of the RYA National Ranking series.

Top of the bill was Olympic Gold medallist Dylan Fletcher debuting in his new pairing with Rhos Hawes. However a number of other new pairings were also on the entry list with points to prove.

The forecast had been marginal all week with the possibility of no racing on the Saturday. However some confident and prompt race management went for it early and quickly got the championship under way.

A fantastic championship, very much a last minute affair, and the class will hope to run a stand-alone event next season. To follow the class activity on the UK follow their facebook page or website.

,Overall Results:

49er FX

Pos Sail No Helm Crew R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 Pts

1st 379 Logictech James Grummett Anna Carpenter 1 (DNC) 2 4 1 1 1 10

2nd 230 megan brickwood steph orton ‑3 2 1 1 2 2 2 10

3rd 10 Simon Hiscocks Saskia Tidey 2 1 (DNF) 2 3 DNC DNC 24

4th 291 Bella Fellows Nikki Boniface (DNC) DNC 3 3 4 4 DNC 30

5th 713 Eleanor Keers Jessica Jobson (DNC) DNC 4 5 5 3 RET 33

6th 23 Monique Vennis‑ozanne Hannah Morris (DNC) DNS 5 RET DNC DNC RET 45

7th 37X Chris Taylor James Taylor (DNF) DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 48

49er

Pos Sail No Helm Crew Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 Pts

1st 234 Nick Robins Daniel Budden WPNSA 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 ‑3 10

2nd Dylan Fletcher‑Scott Rhos Hawes WPNSA 2 2 1 (DNC) DNF 1 1 1 15

3rd 258 Ewan Wilson Daniel Harris Wormit Boating Club 3 3 3 2 3 4 3 (DNC) 21

4th 245 Elliott Wells Louis Johnson HISC 4 4 (DNC) 4 4 5 5 2 28

5th 23 Arron Holman James Grummett Hollowell SC (DNC) DNC DNC 3 2 3 DNC RET 36

6th 5 Joseph Bradley Ben Bradley HHSC/ HISC (DNF) DNC DNC 5 5 6 4 U

GP14 End of Seasons Championship at Royal Windermere Yacht Club

 23 boats, including three from Ireland, made the trip to Royal Windermere Yacht Club for the GP14 End of Season Championship. There were some concerns as to whether the event could even go ahead in the week leading up to it as heavy rain had raised the lake level by 2 metres. Royal Windermere did an amazing job of marking out the submerged jetties, providing additional people in drysuits to aid with launching and recovery and finding a stand in OOD for day 1 as the original OOD was stranded by the floodwater just to make the event possible.

A huge thank you to Royal Windermere for going to so much effort to make us welcome and for making the event possible. Thanks also go to Vanessa Devereux and her team for organising the event in tricky circumstances Covid has created. Finally, it was great to see so many boats on the water and catch up with everyone. It would be great to see as many, if not more, of you out on the circuit in 2022.

Quote from Jon Chapman an occasional GPer in his second National Competition "We are not regular GP sailors and we were impressed to see how competitive the fleet were across a broad spectrum of age, crew weight, boat type. Quite different to many other classes where crew weight, age and fitness is as important as sailing ability in getting to the front. "

David Lawson & Mike Fairlamb won the event from Russ & Ali Cormack and Sam Watson & Geoff Edwards. The Silver fleet was won by Richard Thompson & Simon McVey with John Richardson & Harry Frith 2nd and Jon Chapman & Tony Wilcock third in their first event away from Budworth. Winners of the bronze fleet were Tomasz Szakola & Chris Lomax with Chris Hearn & Caroline Cawood second and Jonathon & Sebastian Nagle taking third.

Noble Marine Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie Open at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club

 The season ending finale of the Noble Marine Insurance Lightning 368 Travellers Trophy Series took place on 13th November at West Oxfordshire SC in what is affectionally known as the "Rum & Mince Pie", and yes, rum & mince pies were on offer!

A record season's turnout of 21 boats hit the water, and a steady force 2-3 breeze with occasional stronger gusts made for enjoyable and entertaining racing.

Behind the leaders in the ever competitive Silver Fleet contest there were 2 notable windward "Death Roll" capsizes from firstly John Butler and then Tony Jacks, to much hilarity and banter from the rest of the fleet.

With a number of Juniors competing this time out, it was local James Ball in 16th who picked up the Junior prize, and Ian Ranson won the closely fought Silver Fleet contest.

,Overall Results:

Pos Sail No Helm Club R1 R2 R3 Pts

1st 427 Robbie Claridge Royal Lymington YC ‑1 1 1 2

2nd 425 Penny Yarwood Up River YC ‑2 2 2 4

3rd 428 Simon Hopkins Up River YC 3 ‑4 3 6

4th 410 Jeremy Cooper Shotwick Lake SC ‑6 3 4 7

5th 438 Caroline Hollier West Oxfordshire SC 4 ‑6 5 9

6th 417 Jason Gallagher Denholme SC 5 ‑7 6 11

7th 441 Ian Ranson Bolton SC ‑9 5 7 12

8th 444 Tony Jacks Bartley SC 7 ‑15 9 16

9th 432 Chris Hill Ulley SC 10 ‑11 8 18

10th 435 Ben Twist Broadstairs SC ‑11 8 11 19

Paul Burton tops opening round of Girton Sailing Club's winter pursuit

 Paul Burton came out top in the first round of the winter pursuit series with two wins from three races in his Supernova.

Blustery strong winds heralded the event and eight boats braved testing conditions on offer.

Second was Newark P & G service manager Nick Whiles (Supernova) who offered excellent service to another competitor by rescuing his lost hat, returning it, and still going on to win, and then came second in the 3rd race.

Third, was Alan Bishop & Paul King (Laser 2000), 4th Marcus & Lilly Shaw (RS200) and 5th Steve Bishop (Solo).

Away from the club. Girton's sailors showed continued good form when Tony Bleasdale and Nick Whiles came 3rd and 4th respectively in the Noble Marine Supernova Travellers national series round at Hunts Sailing Club, St Ives, Cambridgeshire.

UK Wayfarer Finale at Bough Beech Sailing Club

 The Wayfarer class is this weekend (13/14 November) looking forward to its final open meeting of the season, the Finale at Bough Beech Sailing Club in the beautiful countryside near Edenbridge, Kent.

As well as the trophies and glassware to be won, the prize-giving at Bough Beech also takes in the annual end of season draw where sail numbers are drawn from a hat for fabulous prizes such as a years free insurance, a new genoa or a new top cover, all courtesy of our generous sponsors, Craftinsure, McNamara Sails and Hartley Boats. The more events a boat has attended the greater its chance of winning one of these prizes. You have to be "in it to win it".

The forecast for this weekend is 10-18mph from the Northwest on Saturday and 12-22mph from the Northeast on Sunday. Sunday might be a bit damp! The first race on Saturday is scheduled for 1200.

For more information about the Wayfarer Class, the classic Ian Proctor design raced on equal footing by weekend warriors and Olympians alike, visit the class website at www.wayfarer.org.uk