UK Marlow Youth Ambassador applications open for 2022

 This year, Marlow are inviting applications from UK youth sailors sailing in the following Class Association Organisations:

Waszp

29er

Topper

Kitefoiling

The Ambassador programme is an opportunity for rising stars from these Class Associations to work with a global Leisure Marine brand who are involved with some of the top sailing and racing teams in the world. One Youth Ambassador will be selected per class for the duration of one year starting from 1st March 2022.

Ambassador programme benefits:

Working with a leading global Leisure Marine brand who have over 200 years in the rope-making industry.

Rigging package (based on your supplied rope specs) and branding collateral worth £300.

Exposure through Marlow's news and media platforms including the RYA Dinghy Show where the brand ambassadors will be invited to join Marlow on-stand at the show.

Rigging support and help from Marlow's team of experts including athletes from the British Sailing Team.

In return, Marlow Ropes will be looking for a Youth Ambassador capable of providing the following:

Image and video-based content including specific videos such as:

a rig-check introduction - what lines do you use and where do you use them

an event/competition report ahead of your season of sailing

Performance upgrade - what lines and techniques do you use to get the most performance.

Splicing tips or tricks

Images to include action shots, ropes in use, rigging shots

Social media mentions and tags - specifically across Instagram and Facebook - APPLICANTS WILL NEED TO HAVE THEIR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA SAILING ACCOUNTS

Feedback and testing opportunities on new product launches

Testimonials / interviews at events or shows

Application process:

Applications are NOW OPEN, closing at 6pm on Monday 14th February. These must include details of a consenting adult.

Sailors will need to send an email FAO marketing@marlowropes.com with a completed application form and accompanied by a link to a video you have created, uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo which includes:

images or footage of you sailing

an introduction about yourself and answers/interpretation of answers or demonstrations related to the following questions:

What do you enjoy most about sailing?

Why do you want to be a Marlow Youth Ambassador and what will you bring to the role?

Do you know how to splice and what the benefits are of splicing?

What splices do you know?

Following the application closure date, applications will all be judged and reviewed. A shortlist may be created depending on demand.

On board Sunreef catamaran Great White with tennis superstar Rafael Nadal

 International tennis superstar Rafael Nadal and winner of this year's Australian Open takes us on a tour of his 24 metre superyacht Great White...

He’s a singles tennis star, but when it comes to hulls, Rafael Nadal is now very much a doubles man. His 23.95 metre 80 Sunreef Power catamaran Great White features a flybridge with a bar and barbeque, a stern garage for a jet ski, an elegant interior in cream and coffee tones, and 360 square metres of living space.

His passion for boats began in childhood, zipping around his home island of Mallorca in his father’s Riviera power boat. He began his own yachting career with a Princess V62, followed in 2017 by Monte Carlo Yachts’ MCY 76 – nipping home between gruelling tournaments for short snorkelling trips or a night of peace on board. But chartering a Sunreef 74 sailing catamaran made him realise what two hulls can offer. “I met great crew and visited amazing places in The Bahamas,” he recalls. “Those seven days with my family on board were unforgettable – especially thanks to the huge amount of space and comfort. Those were the main reasons that now I own one of Sunreef’s catamarans.”

For Nadal it was all about space. "I have only owned monohulls and on a catamaran I was captivated by the huge amount of space. Honestly, in my small port [in Mallorca], the 80 Sunreef Power is the biggest boat that can dock there. It’s great for me that I can have it here in Porto Cristo, located in front of my house. The huge amount of space that my catamaran has is unreachable by any monohull up to [30 metres]. That is for me the main reason for switching from monohull to multihull."

Key exterior details include stainless steel portlights, high bulwarks and subtle ambient lighting, as well as a superyacht tender garage large enough to hold a tender, Jet Ski and other water toys. Accommodation on board Great White is for a total of eight guests in four cabins, with the owner’s suite sitting in the starboard hull alongside another guest cabin and the crew quarters. Nadal’s master suite features a walk-in dressing room, sofa, flip-down ceiling TV above the double bed and a private fold-down balcony.

“Every time I have the chance, I come back to Mallorca and get on the water. I have always loved the feeling of adventure a boat offers you. You feel free.”

“As someone from an island, as I am, the sea is part of our lives and it’s not a secret that I love the sea. Every time I am at home in Mallorca I try to go out and find that time where I can just enjoy my time on a boat,” he said.

The beautiful Salcombe Yawl

 The Salcombe Yawl has a history which goes back at least 200 years to the straight-stemmed, transom-sterned, yawl rigged local fishing vessels of the late 18th-early 19th century. By 1823, it is clear that the yawl-rigged fishing-boat, had become established as a common type on the South Devon coast.

By 1853, when the earliest painting, now in the Salcombe Yacht Club, was made, the Yawl is clearly visible as the direct ancestor of the Salcombe Yawl of today as she is similar in all respects. Also about 1853, we hear of the first occasion when Salcombe yawls, then known as the Licensed Watermen's Boats class, raced together in the Salcombe Regatta. These work-boats were yawl rigged and open or quarter decked. They were between 14 ft and 18 ft long and were all owned and worked out of Salcombe, being used for fishing and as hire boats for picnic parties.

Upcoming Events:

First, the late May Bank Holiday has been moved to the end of the half-term week and made into a four-day weekend by the addition of an extra Bank Holiday marking the Queen's Jubilee.

The Yawl and Solo Open will therefore take place on Thursday 2nd June, Saturday 4th June and Sunday 5th June. Start times are in the NoR which has been published on the SYC website - www.salcombeyc.org.uk/racing/nors-sis-for-open-meetings-1

On Friday 3rd June we are holding a special All-Comers Jubilee Pursuit Race to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. The first start will be 10.30 with a target race time of 100 minutes for the slowest boat in the fleet.

There will be a BBQ at the Club afterwards so come along to celebrate the Jubilee! Book Here - www.salcombeyc.org.uk/event/662783

Second, and at the request of the SYOA, we are adding a Green Fleet start to the Yawl starts in the afternoon of Regatta Week. This is designed to appeal to those Yawl sailors who might otherwise feel a little apprehensive about entering into the fray of the Red or Blue fleets starts. It is open to both Red and Blue fleet boats but not to any boat that finished in the top half of their respective fleet in the 2021 Regatta. It will be scored on handicap using the current Portsmouth Yardstick numbers of the Red and Blue fleets, Book at www.salcombeyc.org.uk/event/salcombe-gin-syc-regatta-2020

We hope this will encourage some of the many new Yawl owners to take part in our Regatta.

RS Sailing announce the long-awaited return of the RS Games!

 This summer, over 1500 competitors in 1000 RS boats will be descending on Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy for the dinghy sailing event of the year - the 2022 RS Games. In true RS style, it is set to be a true celebration of the incredible RS community and lifestyle that is so special to many sailors worldwide!

The RS Games kicks off with the RS Feva World Championship and RS21 National Championship, followed by the RS Aero Youth World Championship! Ramping up with the National Championships for the; RS100, RS300, RS600, RS700, RS800 and RS Vareo classes! Next up is the Celebration Regattas for the RS200 and RS400 classes, and last but by no means least, the RS Games conclude with the RS Tera World Championship, the RS Aero European Championship and the RS500 World Championship.

The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is the country's premier sailing venue, renowned for holding world-class events run by the experienced team at the academy and an army of volunteers that make these events possible.

Jon Partridge, RS Sailing CEO commented, "We genuinely can't wait for the RS Games. After a couple of years of uncertainty, the RS Games will be such a fantastic way to bring the RS community back together. We can't wait to celebrate everything about our sport that makes it so special!"

RS Games - Event Dates:

RS21 National Championship | 21 - 24 July 2022

RS Feva World Championship | 23 - 27 July 2022

RS100 National Championship | 24 - 27 July 2022

RS300 National Championship | 24 - 27 July 2022

RS600 National Championship | 24 - 27 July 2022

RS Aero Youth World Championship | 25 - 29 July 2022

RS700 National Championship | 28 - 31 July 2022

RS800 National Championship | 28 - 31 July 2022

RS400 Celebration Championship | 29 - 31 July 2022

RS Vareo National Championship | 29 - 31 July 2022

RS200 Celebration Championship | 30 - 31 July 2022

RS Tera World Championship | 1 - 5 August 2022

RS Aero European Championship | 1 - 5 August 2022

RS500 World Championship | 1 - 5 August 2022

What's coming up?

Entries Open - February 2022

RS Games Party - RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show - 26 February 2022

Big Name Entries for next weekend's Tiger Trophy

Next up in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series is the Tiger Trophy at Rutland Sailing Club, with some well-known names ready to compete for the title...

Winners of the past two Tiger Trophies are among the leading contenders for next weekend's event at Rutland Sailing Club on 5 & 6 February. This is the fifth event in this season's Seldén SailJuice Winter Series.

Last year's victors Dave Hall and Paul Constable have competed at every edition of the Tiger Trophy in honour of their late friend, John Merricks, widely considered the greatest sailor to have emerged from Rutland. Hall & Constable's Fireball will be up against the winners from the previous year, Neil Marsden and Jonny McGovern back in their 470. Nathan Batchelor & Sam Pascoe are not regulars in the RS400 together but this Ovington Boats works team have won plenty of major titles in other classes and are likely to be fast. Nick Craig & Toby Lewis would be fast if they were in an RS400 too, but they're chancing their handicap opportunities in a GP14 dinghy instead.

Others to watch include Amelie Hiscocks crewed in the 29er by her double Olympic medal-winning dad Simon. There's a strong contingent of the Tylecote family also entered, with Fiona Tylecote and Sarah Kemp racing a 2000, and Fiona's sons Jamie and Ben Tylecote each racing ILCA 6 singlehanders. Roger Gilbert & Ben McGrane have already won two events so far in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series and are looking to consolidate their position in the overall rankings with a good score from Rutland.

With more than 50 boats already entered in a range of classes, the Tiger Trophy is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and well-attended events of this winter.

To put your name down for the racing and the legendary Tiger Dinner on Saturday night, enter below.

Enter the Tiger Trophy at www.sailjuiceseries.com

Isle of Wight sailors celebrate success in 3,000-mile Transatlantic Race

 2022 has got off to the perfect start for Isle of Wight sailing following successes for local sailors in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Images: RORC

2022 has got off to the perfect start for Isle of Wight sailing following successes for local sailors in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Images: RORC

RORC TRANSATLANTIC RACE 2022

THERE were huge successes for Isle of Wight sailors this week in one of world sailing’s most prestigious races — the RORC Transatlantic Race.

After setting off from Lanzarote on January 8, all the competitors took on a monumental 3,000-mile transatlantic battle against the elements and rough seas to the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Cowes-based Jeremy Waitt and Richard Palmer, in Richard’s JPK 10.10 yacht, Jangada —one of the smallest in the fleet — went it into the race with the top prize under their belt from 2019.

After 18 days, they celebrated winning the IRC Two-Handed event on Tuesday — finishing the race in a corrected time of 16 days 13hrs 58mins 34secs, which beat their 2019 time and set a new IRC record for the race.

“It was tough — an absolutely mental race from start to finish, with no let up at all. There was some difficult downwind and tactical sailing,” Richard said.

2022 International WASZP_X Games

 The ultimate junior foiler will bring an opportunity for 11-14 year olds to attend their first International Foiling Competition over the 9-10th of July in the stand-alone WASZP_X class.

Junior competitors are then invited to stay on if they wish to compete in the open International WASZP Games. This also presents excellent coaching opportunities for existing WASZP Sailors looking to inspire the next generation.

This event will double as the Pre Games for the Open WASZP Class ahead of the International WASZP Games held from the 11th -16th of July.

For those wanting to spend an extended stay in Malcesine (host club), there is an incredible opportunity to do 3x events in one:

Foiling Week - 30th June - 3rd July

Pre-Games and WASZP_X International Games - 9-10th July

International WASZP Games - 11 - 16th July

Stay tuned as entries will open soon for the International WASZP_X Games and Foiling Week

Shearwater Class Associations debuts new ideas at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show

 With an enviable reputation for friendliness coupled with a professional outlook, the Shearwater Class Association will be exhibiting at the new RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, 26-27 February 2022.

Focusing on growing the family friendly class, the Association will be showcasing the newest Shearwater catamaran to hit the water since 2013 on its stand C16. Owned and sailed by the father and son duo who assembled it, the boat features new ideas such as, extensive use of carbon composites, unique sail controls and innovative thinking for ease of sailing for the crew. These features which will be shown to the class for the first time at the RYA show in Farnborough.

The Shearwater Class Association is hosting a range of events this year, both on and off the water, including:

Shearwater Mid-Winter Dinner - 26 February

Shearwaters at Bala Cat Open - 30 April- 2 May

Shearwaters at Rutland Cat Open - 21-22 May

Shearwaters at Newhaven & Seaford - SC 25-26 June

65th Shearwater Nationals at Pagham YC - 18-21 August

Shearwaters at Weston Cat Open - 10-11 September

Shearwaters at Cat Fest Brightlingsea - 1-2 October

For more information on the Shearwater Class visit www.shearwatercatamarans.co.uk

Isle of Wight Round the Island Race 2022 open for early birds

 THE Island Sailing Club (ISC) has announced that entries are now open for Britain’s favourite yacht race, the Round the Island Race 2022.

The race continues to live up to its reputation as a ‘race for all’ – welcoming sailors from all over the world, with professionals, keen amateurs, families, and first-time racers competing on the same racecourse.

In 2021, the 90th year of the race, organisers expectations were exceeded when they welcomed over 1,200 boats and 8,000 competitors.

The 2022 race will be held on Saturday, June 25.

To enter Britain’s favourite race, go to the event website www.roundtheisland.org.uk.

Early Bird entries will close on Saturday, February 26, when the standard entry fee kicks in.

A chance to climb up the Cutty Sark sailing masts

 For the first time since it arrived in Greenwich back in 1954, visitors to the Cutty Sark will be able to climb up the ship’s mask rigging and see the sights from up high.

The assent will start with a briefing in the glazed space underneath the ship’s hull, and then visitors will be taken up to the main deck and onto the ship’s ratlines to climb up its shrouds, just as hundreds of sailors did during Cutty Sark’s long career at sea.

For safety reasons, while you climb up the ropes, you’ll have a safety harness to prevent you from falling.

Visitors will traverse one of the ship’s lower yardarms before reaching the tops platform to take in the views, before a controlled descent from the rigging, down to street level beside the ship.

Arguably, if you want views, then the much higher vantage point next to the Royal Observatory will give you a better view of London, but without the sense of achievement from climbing up a sailing ship’s ropes.

Pricing details haven’t been announced yet, but tickets will go on sale on Monday 21st February.

You can pre-register for information through their website.

Kind-hearted boat owner donates yacht to club

 A kind-hearted boat owner has donated a yacht he has owned for 20 years to Fisherrow Yacht Club.

Jim Baird gave up the helm of the small Kinsman yacht called Wee Mo knowing she would be given the care and attention needed by club members.

In return, he received complimentary membership of the club as a thank you for his “very generous gift” of Wee Mo, which is easily recognisable as looking like a large dinghy amongst the boats tied to moorings at Fisherrow harbour. Mr Baird still hopes to continue to sail Wee Mo as a club member.

The yacht complements an identical class boat – a small six-metre day sailing yacht with no cabin –which was acquired by the club last summer.

As it has a lifting keel, it can lie on the mud and low tide and, when out on the open water, has 700kg hull weight to give the boat great stability so is “great” for family sailing and sailing novices.

This first Kinsman had no name until Wee Mo was donated to the club at the end of the 2021 sailing season. Club members started calling the unnamed boat Wee Jo – a play on Mojo.

Inez Visser, club spokesperson, said: “Both Mo and Jo were built approximately 35 years ago and, with continued exposure to elements, both require some renovation to ensure another 30 years of successful sailing.

Winter Match Racing Championship

 Entries are invited for the RYA Women's Winter Match Racing Championship as teams get set for the #rockupandrace event at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy.

Part of the RYA Winter Match Racing Series, up to nine teams of three/four crew will be duelling for supremacy in Elliott 6m keelboats over the weekend of 26-27 March 2022.

A combination of close racing and an opportunity for women to race with and against friends will make it a popular fixture for both experienced match racers and newcomers.

Following the cancellation of last year's event due to Covid restrictions, it is a welcome return for the championship, and top match racer Kate Macgregor will be on hand as the event coach to provide support for the wide range of teams expected to enter.

Kate said: "Match racing is an easy and fun way to go racing all year round and this women's winter championship is just one of the many events in the match racing calendar. Match racing is perfect for all ages wanting a new challenge. It has been fantastic to see the development within the teams over the last few years and I am excited to be coaching on the water at this event."

The championship will be the fourth and final fixture in the RYA Match Winter Racing Series 2022 and early bird entry is £330 per team for those signing up before 23.59 on Saturday 26 February 2022, then £360 per team thereafter.

Among those already entered is Ellie Cumpsty's winning team from the Marlow Ropes Women's Match Racing Championship which took place in summer 2021.

Ellie said: "The Women's Winter Match Racing is a great event to compete against your peers and also learn from top coaches like Kate Mac. It's a really fun and social event, where there is no judgement, so it's a good opportunity to try new manoeuvres or even just try match racing for the first time."

Team members Rosie Povall and Emily Au are likewise looking forward to taking part. Rosie said: "It's always really good to get out on the water, especially when the rest of the sailing season slows down. The cold is 100 per cent worth it for fast top quality racing in prep for the season ahead."

Entries open for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2022

 Entries have officially opened today for the Maxi yacht Rolex Cup, an event organised with the support of longstanding partner Rolex and in collaboration with the International Maxi Association.

The regatta will take place from 4 to 10 September and the Notice of Race is available online here.

The event reaches its 32nd edition in 2022 and, as always, an impressive fleet of boats at the cutting edge of yacht design and construction are expected to take part, with internationally renowned sailors on board.

The Maxis will meet on the water from 5 September, across five days of racing on coastal courses around the islands of the La Maddalena archipelago and along the infamous "Bomb Alley" strait between the islands and Sardinia.

Entries for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2022 will be open until 30 July. Further details are available in the Notice of Race.