Amateur yachtsman announces world record attempt for smallest sailing vessel to cross the Atlantic

 Amateur sailing enthusiast Andrew Bedwell is putting the final touches to his tiny 'Big C' vessel, which he aims to sail across the Atlantic and bring a World record back to Britain!

Setting off in May 2023 from St Johns, Newfoundland the perilous 1,900 mile journey should conclude at Lizard Point, Cornwall some two months later and take the title of "the smallest sailing vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean'!

Bedwell, 48, of Scarisbrick, Lancashire has previously taken a 6.5mtr mini transat racing yacht solo up into the arctic and around Iceland, setting off from Whitehaven, solo round Britain etc to list a couple but understandably this as his greatest challenge yet, with the journey expected to take approximately 60 days in the extremely compact boat.

The main compartment has AIS, VHF and chartplotter inside along with solar panels at the rear, an internal hand cranked generator and a watermaker combined with an in-keel water storage compartment, along with all the other sea safety equipment. Food is being specifically prepared for the passage due to the extremely limited space and weight requirements and will be 'functional'.

"This is a long held dream of mine but I'm under no illusions it's going to be easy" explained Bedwell, "the lack of space, toilet and proper eating options will be the hardest for me, throw in a few Atlantic storms and it could get interesting!"

Bedwell has some passionate supporters but is looking for more assistance for his attempt. You can find out more on Facebook 'Big C Atlantic Challenge' or online www.bigc-challenge.co.uk (under construction) or speak to Bedwell directly at andrew@bigc-challenge.co.uk

Brown Cup Scottish Schools Sailing Championships

 The Loch Earn Sailing Club is delighted to announce the return of the Brown Cup Scottish Schools Sailing Championships for 2022 following its Covid-forced cancellation in 2020 and 2021.

The Brown Cup Scottish Schools Sailing Event is a three-day event that will run from 11th to 13th June 2022 and take place on Loch Earn from the Loch Earn Sailing Club. The event is an inter-school sailing regatta with two days of coaching to enable sailors at Primary and Secondary school to race in the Scottish Schools Race, which forms part of the event. The event includes race coaching on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12 June and Scottish School Sailing Championships on Monday 13 June.

The event is designed for pupils and students aged 7 to 18 years. It is a "bring your own boat" event open to all established sailing dinghies with RYA Portsmouth Yardstick handicaps. There will be separate class racing for Optimist, Topper, and general handicap fleet, including Laser, Feva, and RS200.

Location

Loch Earn is a freshwater loch located in the southern Highlands of Scotland within rural Perthshire, about 45 km from Perth, 151 km from Aberdeen, and 122 km from Inverness. The Loch Earn Sailing Club is located at Sandy Point, St Fillans, Perthshire PH6 2NG.

Event timetable

Saturday 11 June - Race coaching available to Scottish School Sailors

Sunday 12 June - Race coaching available to Scottish School Sailors

Monday 13 June - Schools Sailing Championships event

Find out more at www.scottishschoolsailing.org

2022 Scottish Series Regatta is Cancelled

 Scotland's top regatta has been cancelled just 20 days before the first race.

The scrubbing of the 'premier regatta' is not due to a lack of entries but a lack of volunteers to run the event on Loch Fyne, according to organisers.

While the race committee had received a manageable seventy entries for the 2022 Scottish Series Regatta, Clyde Cruising Club (CCC) organisers cite a lack of resources as the reason for pulling the plug on the national regatta that dates back to 1974.

The three-day affair was due to start on June 3rd of the UK June Bank Holiday weekend.

According to an undated letter sent to competitors (seen by Afloat), club Commodore Geoff Crowley says the CCC has been "unable to sufficient volunteers and resources to maintain the stand for Scotland's Premiere Regatta".

"It is therefore with an incredibly heavy heart that we have taken to cancel Scottish Series 2022", he concludes.

The Scottish IRC Championships incorporated into the Scottish Series now move to the North Clyde Regatta on September 10th.

Rickmansworth Sailing Club receives six new dinghies

 Rickmansworth Sailing Club has been given some new boats to help young club members develop in the sport.

The club, based at Troy Lake in West Hyde, is one of eight to receive a share of £185,000 from the John Merricks Sailing Trust.

Delivery of the dinghies have now been made and are ready to use over the summer.

Club commodore Martyn Hawkins said: “We were delighted to succeed in our application to the trust and because of their generosity, we are taking delivery of six brand-new Toppers just in time for use in summer.”

These boats will be well used to deliver training to young people, introducing them to and helping them to improve in the sport of sailing.

"It is an exciting time for Rickmansworth Sailing Club, as well as the new Toppers we are undertaking the refurbishment of our clubhouse to help offer better facilities for around 300 members and the community groups using our club."

The club is an Royal Yatching Association (RYA) recognised training centre and it recently became part of the RYA’s OnBoard programme, which focuses on getting young people aged 8-18 into sailing.

Graduate Open at Chipstead Sailing Club

 The Chipstead Sailing Club Graduate Open 2022 took place in ideal conditions on Sunday 8 May 2022. Blue skies and a consistent warm breeze greeted the sailors, with fourteen Grads participating in a memorable day of sailing organised by Class Captain Gareth Colesmith, and OOD Mick Kostiw.

Nerves were clearly jangling among the sailors participating in the final race of the day, with OOD Mick Kostiw directing a general recall after some eight or nine boats were judged to be over the line at the start of the race. The race saw some of the closest racing of the day, particularly between Andrew Hubble and James Webber on the final lap. John Clementson achieved another first place finish of the day, with Alan Warren finishing in second. Only 10 seconds separated the following three boats, with James Webber clinching third place a hair's breadth ahead of Andrew Hubble (fourth), who was closely followed by Roger Cherrill (fifth).

Meanwhile, on the shore, a fantastic spread was being prepared by Cally Lewis, Jan Warren, Meg Crawley, Freddie Naughton and Jilly Batchelor to greet the sailors after they had packed up their boats, and the class were honoured by social visits from Howard Batchelor (not competing this year) and former Graduate sailor Douglas Horner.

The final position saw top-three finishers (1) John Clementson, (2) Alan Warren, (3) Andrew Hubble, while Isabelle Cobb was the Top Junior Helm.

Particular thanks goes to OOD Mick Kostiw, AODs Peter Gillow and Tony Dicker, and to the patrol boat crews Dave Rudman, Keith Turtle, Rob Trend and Mick Healy.

Overall Results:

Pos Helm Sail No Club R1 R2 R3 Pts

1 John Clementson 2979 CSC 1 1 1 2

2 Alan Warren 3022 CSC 2 6 2 4

3 Andrew Hubble 3000 CSC 3 3 4 6

4 Ric Lewis 3008 CSC 5 2 6 7

5 James Webber 3015 CSC DNS 5 3 8

6 Roger Cherrill 2962 CSC 4 4 5 8

7 Edward poet 2910 CSC 6 8 7 13

8 Gareth Colesmith 3021 CSC 7 7 9 14

9 Simon Dorricott 2964 CSC 8 9 DNS 17

10 Niall Martin 2686 CSC DNS 10 8 18

RS Aero Open at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club

 The wind came after a short delay ashore and the fleet launched to get all four scheduled races in with a nice lunch stop too.

Well done to Gareth Williams (Leigh & Lowton SC) on winning the event - all down to the last race from Andrew Molyneux (Huddersfield SC). Cathy Lunn (Leigh & Lowton SC) was first RS Aero 6 and first Female in 3rd with Nat Pritchard-Jones (Leigh & Lowton SC) as first Junior in 4th.

Great to see 2 RS Aero 6 owners out on the water for the first time competing on their own kit!

Thanks to all who helped from Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club and to our travellers for making their journeys.

Overall Results:

Pos Rig Sail No Helm Club PY R1 R2 R3 R4 Pts

1st RS Aero 7 1118 Gareth Williams LLSC 1065 1 ‑2 1 1 3

2nd RS Aero 7 2298 Andrew Molyneux Huddersfield 1065 2 1 2 ‑4 5

3rd RS Aero 6 2870 Cathy Lunn LLSC 1100 3 ‑6 3 5 11

4th RS Aero 7 1395 Nat Pritchard Jones LLSC 1065 ‑7 3 7 2 12

5th RS Aero 7 2324 Mike Baldwin LLSC 1065 4 ‑7 6 3 13

6th RS Aero 7 3144 Louise Mckeand LLSC 1065 5 4 4 ‑6 13

7th RS Aero 7 3849 Duncan Small Dalgety Bay 1065 6 ‑8 5 8 19

8th RS Aero 6 4190 Isabelle Martin Dalgety Bay 1100 ‑8 5 8 7 20

Next Up for the Northern UK RS Aeros is the Filey Regatta on 21/22nd May followed by the RS Aero UK Northern Champs at Yorkshire Dales SC on Saturday 4th June.

Young Adults Learn to Sail in Tough Conditions on Scotland’s West Coast

 The Our Isles and Oceans 68-foot Clipper Round the World racing yacht set sail from Tobermory Harbour this morning, with gale winds and rain forecasted offshore. Conditions worsened as the complete beginners were met with strong winds.

The sailing training programme takes groups of 18 to 35-year-olds from around the UK and the globe aboard the yacht. The programme’s aim is to allow young people who experienced difficulties during lockdown and the pandemic, to learn new skills and make connections.

Currently in the Spring programme’s third week, the sailors – Our Isles and Oceans’ Ambassadors – started their first day sailing in extremely tough conditions, led by Clipper Race Skipper, Emily Caruso, and the million-pound yacht’s Clipper Round the World crew.

Ambassador Alex McDonald, 34-years-old, a kitchen porter from Fife was amazed by his first experience on a yacht.

“It’s been a great day – I’ve been a bit nervous at times but very cool.

“I didn’t know the first thing about sailing, it was a friend of mine that recommended this to me and I’m really glad she did.”

The yacht is set to stay in the Kerrera Marina tonight and to sail between Mull and Oban over the course of the week, finishing on Friday in Oban.

Culture, cuisine and gentle cruising

 Great food, great wine, a warm and pleasant climate and a relaxed pace of life - that’s what the Mediterranean means to millions of annual visitors. Sailing the Mediterranean offers clear blue waters ideal for swimming and snorkelling, calm conditions and occasional mistral winds that up the ante for those in search of exhilaration, speed and spray.

Discover stunning scenery, ancient history and incredible wildlife as you island-hop through Greece's Ionian Sea, or weave through more than 1,000 sparsely populated islands along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. Indulge in the famous cuisine of Italy’s glamorous western shores, and take a trip to the famous Amalfi Coast and Costa Smeralda. Few regions on Earth offer the cultural and geographical variety of the Mediterranean.

From the ancient ruins and whitewashed walls of the Aegean to the vibrant and diverse Balearics, Mediterranean sailing has something to surprise and delight sailors of all ages. 

Take to the seas in the company of an expert skipper on a skippered charter holiday. Your skipper will be on hand with unmissable tips and recommendations when you need them and discrete enough to give you your own space when you don’t. 

WASZP Open at Oban Sailing Club

 Over the weekend 7th & 8th of May, the WASZP class headed to Oban in the stunning West highlands of Scotland - the furthest north in the UK the class has ventured. Two local boats were joined by boats from Dalgety, Derwent and on Sunday fresh back from a good showing at the Europeans in Mar Menor, Ewan Wilson.

Mirror conditions greeted the sailors on Saturday morning, but after a short postponement a steady 6/8knot south westerly filled in. Low riding racing is better than no racing at all, so slow boat tactics were the order of the day for the three races planned. 

On Sunday, again calm conditions greeted the sailors. But as per the forecast, the fleet soon headed out to the bay at 18 knots of boat speed to the racecourse on the stunning Firth of Lorne, bathed in sunshine.

Thanks to Oban SC for putting on an amazing event, WASZP UK and Sailingfast for the support, Owen Sails for the prizes and Seagrass Marine for the additional support.

The UK fleet looks forward to heading north of the wall later in the year for the Scottish Championship and UK GP at Loch Lomond and in the meantime, has its sights set on a record-breaking UK Nationals in Weymouth.

Call for volunteers to help ensure smooth sailing for Portsoy Boat Festival

 Thousands of people are expected to flock to Portsoy for the event on June 18 and 19, with boat clubs from Germany, Norway and Sweden already signed up.

This year, organisers of the event are asking for more people to help as the festival returns to in-person for the first time since Covid. 

David Urquhart, chairman of the committee, said: “Without the support of volunteers, we simply wouldn’t be able to deliver an event of this scale and quality. They play such an important role.

We need their support with the huge amount of planning involved prior to the festival, but also on the ground, helping with the set up, making sure everything runs smoothly over the weekend and with the clean-up, after the event.”

In return for helping, volunteers will receive free day entry to enjoy the atmosphere and entertainment of the festival.

This year Celtic rockers from Skerryvore will kickstart the event on June 18 at the Big Gig on the Back Green. More acts are lined up over the weekend and renowned premier heritage boats will be on display.

UK Sail Training Mental Health Awareness Week

 This week (May 9-15th) is national Mental Health Awareness Week, and ASTO (Association of Sail Training Organisations) is highlighting how UK Sail Training operators are helping to support communities recover mentally in the wake of the pandemic.

The theme of this year's initiative lead by the Mental Health Foundation focuses on the impact of loneliness on people's mental health and wellbeing.

Lucy Grodie, ASTO's General Manager, said: "After more than two years of anxiety and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, more young people than ever are coming to us having experienced feelings of loneliness and isolation, meaning the work that our UK Sail Training members do is now more important than ever. Sail Training is well placed to help mitigate some of the problems caused by lockdowns, isolation, and other missed opportunities for developing key socialisation skills."

She added: "Being out on the water, away from distractions like mobile phones and the internet, provides opportunities for people to open up to others on board and form more meaningful connections with those around them. These experiences, and the skills that are developed on a Sail Training voyage stay with people long after their trip is over and can be transferred into other aspects of their home life, schoolwork, and employment."

Sail Training isn't about learning to sail. Instead, it uses the experience of sailing to teach young and disabled people key life skills such as confidence, resilience, and teamwork. It also creates respite opportunities for people, allowing them to take a break from their everyday life and experience something challenging and exciting.

Activities like working as a team, pulling ropes, steering the boat and even cooking are all powerful tools for improving socialisation skills and creating opportunities for people to better connect with others.

In a recent survey conducted by ASTO, 97% of Trainees said by the end of their voyage they enjoyed working with other people, and 98% said that they were better able understand how other people think and feel.

As well as helping to combat the impact of loneliness and isolation, Sail Training can improve mental wellbeing by increasing feelings of self-worth and accomplishment, whilst encouraging people to become more physically active. This aids in the release of endorphins, such as dopamine and serotonin, which is proven to further boost mental health and wellbeing.

Each year, more than 30 UK Sail Training member organisations take around 10,000 young people to sea for positive, life-changing adventures. Those that take part in day sails and longer residential voyages include individuals, school and youth groups, and specialist mental health referral groups, amongst others.

To find out more about Sail Training and how UK Sail Training organisations can help support those dealing with mental health problems, visit uksailtraining.org

Heron Open at Bewl Sailing Association

 The single Bewl home boat was delighted to welcome eight visitors to its beautiful expanse of water, with competitors coming from as far afield as Norway, Wales and Yorkshire plus a contingent from Chipstead.

As mentioned by one of the visitors, the annual Bewl Heron Open provides extremes of weather and this year was no exception. The light wind was coming from all directions, but was predominantly north-easterly, so the Race Officer set a simple triangular course on the far side of the lake.

By the first start, the wind had dropped somewhat so competitors had quite a sedate three-lap race. In the light airs, Matt Pickett sailing single-handed took advantage of his large genoa to come second. Dave Butler and Emily Clixby with their red spinnaker led the fleet from start to finish, and the other boats with this extra sail confirmed its benefits.

The second race proved challenging when the wind completely died just after the start gun. Good concentration was required to avoid drifting back over the line. Then light rain brought a breeze which enabled boats to get round the course, though Jo Mayes and Amanda Conrad found to their cost that the reach was too fine to fly a spinnaker! It took over 40 minutes to sail a single lap, so the Race Officer shortened course to avoid further frustration. Dave and Emily took the gun.

When the wind backed, a change to a windward leeward course resulted in a perfect beat for the final race. This confused some competitors, and the visitors were not the only sailors to lasso the weather station near the new windward mark! The freshening wind led to a good race and, although Matt Pickett was first over the line, Dave and Emily beat him on handicap.

Competitors and the Race Management team all enjoyed a selection of home-made cakes and tea whilst Commodore Mark Munday presented the prizes. A big thank you to Race Officer Colin Nutt, his assistants and the shore team.

Overall Results:

Pos Sail No Helm Crew Club

1 10350 Dave Butler Emily Clixby Welton Sailing Club

2 9812 Matt Pickettt Up River Yacht Club  

3 10343 Jo Mayes Amanda Conrad Bewl Sailing Association

4 10089 James Russ Maggie Bolton Chipstead SC

5 2200 Graham Long Army Sailing Association  

6 9338 Lesley Dutton Simon Pratt Chipstead SC

7 9400 Ruth Murgatroyd Peter Murgatroyd  

8 8428 Nigel Lamb Maria Lamb Chipstead SC

9 9341 Sean Chapman Carol Martin Chipstead SC

Tenby Sailing Club 2022 Regatta

 Tenby Regatta takes place on the Weekend of June 25th and 26th. Racing commences on the Saturday at 12:35 with three back-to-back general handicap races planned and some big cash prizes!

On Sunday the Caldey Island RTI is scheduled for a 12.15 dinghy start, this race is open to both keelboats and dinghies and has a £300 prize pot to be shared amongst the top dinghy finishers.

The annual team prize is again on offer with £500 awarded to the highest finishing five boat team, so please bring along your club's fastest sailors, but be warned all four races to count!

Entries will be taken on the day and the club has ample space for a big fleet. Access to the walled town will be unrestricted as this event is before the pedestrianisation starts.

The Notice of Race and sailing instructions are available on the website: www.tenbysailingclub.org.uk/tsc-regatta-2022