RS Tera Battle of the Regions 2022 at Draycote Water Sailing Club

 50 RS Tera sailors from across the UK met at Draycote Water Sailing Club for a new format of national level training and racing to conclude a busy winter training programme across our UK regions. The combination of training and racing provided an opportunity for sailors to test themselves against the best in the country and to decide which region would take home the inaugural Battle of the Regions trophy.

Led by our talented and dedicated team of Class Association coaches, there was the opportunity to train with sailors from different regions in the morning and put their learnings into use in the practice races in the afternoon. Competition was tight. There were great performances throughout both the Pro and Sport fleets and with no discards consistency was key in the breezy, shifty and chilly conditions. Based on average points only 0.15 separated Wales from the South by the end of the day.

The RS Tera Class Association has commissioned a new trophy, on its way from Australia, in memory of Abi Davies, who was instrumental in promoting the class in its early days, arranging the first Tera events and the very first National Championships. The sailor with the lowest score from the winning region was presented with a framed poster on behalf of the Regional Squad. After an intense battle on the water the Southern region were announced the winners, followed by the Midlands and Wales very close behind each other. With three top three results Ben Anderson from the Southern region was presented with the prize on behalf of his teammates and he kindly thanked the organisers and the club.

This event format, new for 2022 combined national level training, racing, meeting new friends and having fun. All were in agreement that it was a big success and will now become a permanent fixture on the UK RS Tera calendar.

Next stop for the UK fleet is Burton Sailing Club for the Rooster RS Tera Start of Season Championships 2022 on 14 / 15 May.

For all Tera related activity in the UK, check out the UK RS Tera Class Association website at www.rstera.org.uk

Kinsale Yacht Club Midweek Sailing to Start May 4

 Wednesday, May 4, has been set as the start date for Midweek Sailing at Kinsale Yacht Club in Cork.

Dragons and Squibs will have their own racing on Thursdays.

The club committee has told members: "We have an amazing amount of sponsorship this year."

51 boats have so far entered for the Squib Nationals at Kinsale and 60 "are anticipated," according to the Regatta Director, Ian Travers.

"The First Gun for the Bandon Co-op Squib Nationals is now a little over two months away. With 51 boats already entered, and 60 anticipated, the club will be sure to be buzzing over the week-long Championships. On the water, the nine race schedule over six days will be managed by the ever-supportive Peter Crowley and a full social programme will keep competitors entertained when ashore."

The Bandon Co-op Squib Nationals runs from the 19th to the 24th of June.

Lark Open at South Staffordshire Sailing Club

 The season opener for the Lark class in 2022 was the first of a two-day "double header" at South Staffs SC and Barnt Green SC. A quality fleet of 16 boats assembled at SSSC on the chilly Saturday morning, eagerly waiting for the forecast light breeze to fill in. OOD James Croxford wasted no time in getting us on the water for the first race at 1130.

Race one got away with a clean start in a light Easterly breeze, with a short and shifty beat to the first mark. Jonny Coate and Kate Phillips picked up some private breeze on the right which also lifted them to mark on starboard to round in the lead. The battles for places behind allowed Jonny and Kate to sail conservatively and hold their lead for the rest of the race, however a late challenge from Chris White and Ollie Goodhead on the last lap kept them on their toes right to the finish. Samuel Bailey and Finn Morgan took third to claim 1-2-3 for South Staffs.

Going into the final race it was all to play for, with any one of the top four boats in a position to take the win. Jonny and Kate were first to rule themselves out with another butchered start, so could only look on as the race played out ahead of them. Matt White and Marion Enkel put in a masterful performance to take the race win, with Samuel and Finn in second place. A battle for third place between Chris and Ollie and Stuart and Nick would prove critical to the final outcome. The two boats swapped places a couple of times but ultimately Stuart and nick just pipped Chris and Ollie right on the finish line to seal the overall win. The final scores show just how close it was in the end with all of the top three boats tied on 4 points, Jonny and Kate taking second with Chris and Ollie in third when the tie breaker was applied. Samuel and Finn just missed out on the top three with 5 points, followed closely by Matt and Marion with 6.

 In  the evening most of the fleet enjoyed a takeaway curry and drinks at the clubhouse. Round two of the "double header" would take place the following day down the road at Barnt Green SC.

Overall Results:

Pos Sail No Helm Crew R1 R2 R3 Pts

1st 2495 Stuart Hydon Nick Hydon ‑4 1 3 4

2nd 2464 Jonny Coate Kate Phillips 1 3 ‑6 4

3rd 2533 Chris White Ollie Goodhead 2 2 ‑4 4

4th 2468 Samuel Bailey Finlay Morgan 3 ‑6 2 5

5th 2471 Matt White Marion Enkel ‑9 5 1 6

6th 2529 James Goss Emma Mackey ‑6 4 5 9

7th 2523 Ed Bradburn Laura Burch 5 7 (OCS) 12

8th 2509 Stuart Allen Julia Allen ‑11 8 7 15

9th 2496 Steve Cumley Eluned Stewart 7 ‑10 9 16

10th 2489 Keith Macaulay Clare Waymont ‑12 9 8 17

11th 2537 Neil Firth Sue Firth 8 ‑14 11 19

12th 2541 Simon Cox George Cox‑Olliff 10 11 ‑13 21

13th 2532 Tony Hotchkiss Kimmy Dooner ‑13 12 10 22

14th 2539 Nigel Scott Vickie Burgess 15 ‑16 12 27

15th 2524 Mike Owen Lawrence Hartness ‑14 13 14 27

16th 2481 Andrew Ward Toby Ward ‑16 15 15 30

GP14 Open returns to South Cerney Sailing Club

 After a decade's long gap the GP14 class returned to South Cerney SC for an Open meeting. Eleven teams turned out with two local boats and nine visitors from a wide range of clubs including Brixham YC, Trimpley SC and Welsh Harp SC in London.

The visitors were welcomed with tea, coffee and no wind but Vice-Commodore Jonny Stevenson assured all at the briefing that it was on its way. Race officer Richard Burton set a good course using the whole area of the lake with a network of triangles and sausages which managed to remain largely true (On average!) as a highly oscillating wind kicked in from the south-west.

With winds still very light the first beat was still a bit of a lottery. As the wind filled in it benefitted those that tacked off and headed west. Steve Cooper and Liz Guest (Welsh Harp) got a dream start and were soon out of sight with youth sailors Monty Hampton and Jemima McMorris deploying local knowledge to get away as well chased by Keith and Lucy Street (Welsh Harp) and Maurice Cheal and Sarah Street from Wembley/Welsh Harp. The oscillating winds led to some highly tactical downwind reaches with the Streets, Jonny Stevenson and Emily Cole -Evans (South Cerney) coming through to take 2nd and 3rd.

At the prize-giving it was noted how close the racing had been with three different race winners and the top six boats only being separated by 4 points in the final results. A youth prize was awarded to Monty and Jemima for a highly creditable 8th place. Winners Magic and Szymon thanked and congratulated the club on running a GP14 Open again after so many years and the class promised to return in 2023 with a bigger fleet.

Overall Results:

1st Magic/Szymon Matyajaszczuk (Welsh Harp SC)

2nd Jonny Stevenson/Emily Coles-Evans (South Cerney SC)

3rd Maurice Cheal/Sarah Street (Wembley SC /Welsh Harp SC)

4th Keith Street/Lucy Street (Welsh Harp SC)

5th Andy Wadsworth/Kathy Howard (Brixham YC/Welsh Harp SC)

6th David Innes/Paul Trubridge (Frensham Pond SC)

5O5 World Championship 2022: Early entry date closes soon

 The entry fee for the upcoming 5o5 World Championship to be held in Cork from 3rd to 13th August 2022 will increase as of 18th April 2022.

Boats are expected from around the world for the much anticipated world championship which will be the first since the Covid 19 pandemic wreaked havoc.

For entry, Notice of Race, and all the information about the 2022 World Championship visit the Event site at 2022 World Championship – Cork, Ireland - International 5O5 Sailing (int505.org).

The event will be held out of Crosshaven, a small seaside town with a number of bars, restaurants, beaches and walks nearby. It is a 25 minute drive to Cork City where there is much to see. As a destination, this is a great event to bring friends and family to and experience the famous Irish hospitality.

The host club is Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC), situated in the town of Crosshaven which lies at the entrance to Cork Harbour, one of the worlds largest natural harbours in Ireland. The 'RCYC' is the oldest yacht club in the world, dating back to 1720. Today, the RCYC continues to be a hub of activity across all forms of sailing including dinghy racing, keelboat racing and cruising. In 2020, the RCYC was named Irish Yacht Club of the year

The RCYC has a strong history and record when it comes to hosting dinghy events having previously hosted the Enterprise Worlds, 505 Worlds, Laser Standard & Masters Worlds with many other prestigious keelboat events such as Cork Week and ISAF match racing events.

This is a club run by the sailors, for the sailors.

www.royalcork.com

Poole Sailability is the Official Charity of The International Paint Poole Regatta 2022

 With entries closing shortly on the 24th April, the Poole Regatta committee are pleased to announce that Poole Sailability is the official charity for the 2022 event.

Poole Sailability is a local charity which works to provide opportunities for anybody with impaired health and disabilities to get out on the water sailing amongst the spectacular setting of Poole Harbour. The large gathering of likeminded sailors that the regatta brings together, provides the perfect opportunity to build awareness of the charity and fundraise to help them continue their work.

Poole Regatta has become one of the most popular regattas on the South Coast and provides closely matched racing on five courses inside and outside the harbour, for intense competition amongst classes. Sixteen classes are committed to Poole in 2022, with the semi-professionals of the Cape 31's and Performance 40's out on the water alongside serious amateur crews in the IRC, VPRS, J70, J80, J24, Sonata, 2.4mR, Flying 15, Redwing, Shrimper, R19, Quarter Ton and XOD classes. The regatta will also host the IRC Southern Area Championship with up to 3 IRC Classes, the VPRS National Championship with 2 classes, the 2.4mR National Tidal Championship and race 2 of the J70 Grand Slam Series.

With such diverse fleets and crew from all manner of backgrounds competing at Poole, encouraging increased participation in sailing as a whole and providing a chance for those who may otherwise not have the opportunity, is a natural choice when it comes to selecting a charitable partner.

The team from Poole Sailability will be attending each of the regatta's well attended social events at Royal Motor Yacht Club, Poole Quay Boat Haven, Poole Yacht Club and Parkstone Yacht Club, so make sure to have a chat about their work when attending.

There is still time to enter, so put the 30th April - 2nd May 2022 in your diary and join in the fun at The International Paint Poole Regatta.

For further information visit www.pooleregatta.co.uk.

King's Mill reservoir as Sutton club launches final season

 The Ashfield Sailing Club has been running for 63 years on King’s Mill Reservoir but the area is soon to be taken over by Ashfield District Council amid redevelopment and carpark plans.

The closure, set for September, follows years of legal wrangling to save the club which was started by canoeing and sailing enthusiasts back in 1959.

At its height, the popular club which leased the reservoir site, known as Mill Waters, had hundred of members.

Resigned to its closure, described as a “sad loss” for the community and sailing fraternity, club secretary John Butler said the final season activities were still underway, and its annual public open day offering visitors the chance to try sailing, was planned for Sunday, May 8.

The closure of the club is a sad loss for me, and other sailing enthusiasts, but also for the local community who were able to enjoy dingy sailing on their doorstep. It now means people will have to travel much further afield to pursue the interest,” John said.

"Unfortunately, the council did not want us to renew our lease, they wanted the site to generate more revenue, we had a lengthy legal battle to save the club but didn’t win.

UF50 Celebration Sailing Regatta entries now open

 Hosted by the Royal London YC, Cowes, the UF50 Celebration sailing regatta will take place on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 August.

The regatta forms part of the UF50 celebration to commemorate sailor and boat designer Uffa Fox (1898-1972) at Cowes Parade from 18 – 21 August, and marks the 50th anniversary of his death.

The regatta is open to all Uffa Fox-related designs of dinghies, keelboats and yachts.

These include but are not limited to Firefly, National 12, International 14, Redwing dinghy, Pegasus, Albacore, Jollyboat, National 18, Flying 10, Flying Fifteen, Foxcub 18, Harrier 20 , Flying Fox, Foxterrier 22, Foxhound 24 and Atalanta.

Four races are scheduled and it is the intention of the race committee to run two races on Friday and two races on Saturday; however a maximum of three races per day may be sailed.

The target time for each race will be 45 minutes for dinghies and 60 minutes for National 18s, keelboats and yachts.

More details at       uf50.org

Lyme Regis Sailing Club completes Brass Monkey racing series

 LYME Regis Sailing Club brought its Brass Monkey racing series to a close last Sunday.

It has been a long series with 17 of the scheduled 28 races completed and 12 counting towards the overall results.

Sunday’s was raced in a chilly south-easterly breeze peaking at about 15 knots.

The normal fleet was supplemented with a few of the summer sailors getting in some early practice ahead of Easter.

Competitors said it was fantastic to see 10-year-old Ollie Rawlings competing in his first club race in his Topper 4.2.

The Brass Monkeys series is run by the competitors who volunteer, supported by rib and shore crews keeping an eye on them in the often tough conditions.

Series Results

Graham Cook – 24.2pts

Jerry Rook and Ben Orlich – 25.4pts

Tim O’Toole and Simon Law – 40pts

Grafham Water Sailing Club announces 2022 season

 Grafham Water Sailing Club has now published the full club, open meeting and training programme for the 2022 season.

Club racing is now in full swing on Wednesday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Adult coaching and Team Grafham junior sessions are running on Saturdays and Tuesday social sailing will restart in May. In August, the club is holding a week-long children's summer camp involving a range of water and land based fun activities and games. The club is open to everyone and new members are always welcome.

The open meeting programme continues at Easter with the Gill Youth Regatta and Optimist Easter Egg. This will be followed by a further 17 regattas and open meetings in the year ahead including the Solo inlands, Flying Fifteen inlands, Streaker inlands and D-Zero open, the 70th Graduate Nationals and the ever-popular Cat open. The club is also hosting the NSSA Schools Regatta in July. Many of these events will be sponsored by new club sponsorship partner Gill. The full event calendar can be viewed at www.grafham.org/open-meeting-schedule.html

For newcomers to the sport, the club is an RYA Training Centre, with courses available in dinghy sailing, windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding.

Grafham Water is a well-established inland sailing venue in Cambridgeshire, close to Peterborough, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Northampton benefitting from a large 1600-acre lake and flat surrounding countryside. The club has a large clubhouse with bar and restaurant overlooking the lake. Camping facilities are available. Families are well catered for with a cycle track around the lake and a playground and a waterpark on the North shore.

The club offers sailing for all classes of dinghy, catamaran, keelboat and windsurfer. Class racing is held for ILCA/Lasers, Solos, D-Zeros and Flying Fifteens in addition to strong catamaran and asymmetric fleets.

For more information about the club please visit their website www.grafham.org or call the club on 01480 810478.

Get a grip! What's the right halyard rope for my sailing boat?

 Choosing the correct line for your halyard doesn't just improve performance, it's essential for keeping your sails safe. Lose a halyard while sailing and you'll likely have to end your race and head to the loft for repairs, so making sure you use the very best for your halyards is a worthwhile investment.

Gone are the days of heavy metal wire halyards, with so many advances in rope technology there are a baffling number of options available, from basic polyester double braid to new high-tech materials. (N.B. If you are looking to upgrade from wires? You'll also need to replace your sheaves with U shaped rope sheaves, instead of traditional V-shaped sheaves).

Below is a top level guide to selecting the right halyard for your needs...

Diameter and Length

The diameter of your halyard is determined by 2 factors:

The strength of the material in relation to the loads on board

Size of your clutches and winches on board

The table below is the starting point we use for a mid-displacement monohulls, to specify lines, but we do then cross reference with the boat type and mast / deck hardware onboard. If you have a very heavy displacement boat or a multihull, line diameters may well increase from these guide figures.

  <24ft 25-30ft 31-37ft 38-46ft 47-55ft

Main / Genoa Halyard 1:1 6-8mm 8mm 8-10mm 10-12mm 12-4mm

Main Halyard 2:1 6mm 6-8mm 8-10mm 10-12mm 12-4mm

Spinnaker Halyard 1:1 6mm 6-8mm 8-10mm 10-12mm 12-4mm

Code Zero Halyard 2:1 6mm 6-8mm 8-10mm 10mm 12mm

Summary

Choose the correct diameter based on existing hardware

Calculate the length required from basic, easily available rig/boat geometry data

Core material choice is driven by boat size, performance parameters and budget!

Cover choice - start with Polyester but then add exotics to deal with specific / known issues like abrasion or slipping in clutches

Select your hardware

Ideal conditions for first sail of Pentland Firth Yacht Club season

 Sailors from Pentland Firth Yacht Club returned to the water on Sunday as the 2022 season got under way.

The strong winds and rain, sleet and snow that had battered Caithness the previous week were gone – all that was left was a covering of snow on Hoy and a cool air and water temperature of about seven degrees.

Indeed there was so little breeze in the morning that it was doubtful there would be enough for sailing. However, the wind returned at lunchtime and amounted to a steady 10 to 12 mph from the north, giving ideal conditions for a first sail of the season.

The sun even made an appearance, providing a welcome bit of warmth for the competitors.

Martin Lord and Sam Hodgkinson were out in the rescue boat in good time and set up the course in Thurso Bay. The sailors, having to remember how to rig their boats, took longer than usual to get on the water but were only a few minutes late for the scheduled 2pm start.

Marjory and Dave Lord were in their Laser 4.7 dinghies with Donald McKenzie in a Topper and Kyle Oag with crew Ian Grant in Kyle’s newly acquired Laser 3000. After a practice start, the racing began and the boats set off around the course.

The club is always looking for new members. Anyone who has an interest in sailing or would like to get involved is asked to contact pentlandfirthyc@gmail.com

UKSA GETS £600,000 MARITIME GRANT TO HELP DISADVANTAGED YOUNGSTERS

 UKSA has been awarded a maritime grant from the TK Foundation worth over £600,000 over the next 3 years.

The Isle of Wight-based charity provides life enhancing water-based adventures, education, and world-leading maritime training and aims to increase accessibility and diversity in the maritime industry. It will use this important grant to fund a number of beneficiary places on its Superyacht Cadetship and Sea.Change Foundation programmes for those who would not otherwise be able to participate.

The TK Foundation’s mission is to enable disadvantaged youths to succeed and promote maritime education and safety. It invests in programmes which enable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to maximise their potential through pathways such as education, training, and life skills to become self-sufficient. It also aims to promote knowledge of the seas and oceans to strengthen maritime safety and security.

The funding will enable UKSA to welcome 77 teenagers onto its Sea Change Foundation Programme each year. This week-long residential course gives them an introduction to the water and informs them how to progress into the maritime industry.

The grant will increase the percentage of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who can access the UKSA Superyacht Cadetship. Of the 2021 cadet intake, only 16% were from the most deprived areas of the UK (based on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation). The grant will also enable the purchase of new keel boats to ensure the charity maintains a top-quality fleet of equipment to meet safety requirements.