Tynemouth Week 2022 back for a second edition

 We are pleased to welcome you, members and visitors alike, to the second Tynemouth Week. After the inaugural regatta last year, we're back with an even better and refined offering.

The week aims to offer members and local sailors lots of competitive sea/estuary racing and a great social atmosphere without using up your holiday! The schedule is set for 3 evenings of fleet racing, an afternoon of sprint racing before a pursuit race to wrap the 5 days up. This year we'll be providing catering each weekday evening after sailing and a Saturday evening party with live music. An ideal opportunity for local sailors to come and enjoy the great sailing area we have off Tynemouth.

Event Schedule

Wed 15 June 1830 - 2 short races with fleet starts for RS400, Laser + handicap

Thu 16 June - as above

Fri 17 June - as above

Sat 18 June - 1500 multiple short course race

Sun 19 June - 1300 full 180 minute pursuit race

The bar will be open after sailing each day and food put on.

Entry for non TSC members is £30 per boat with visitors welcome to leave their boats at the club for the duration of the event.

Please enter online via WebCollect, where you can also book food ticket and regatta t-shirts (need to be ordered by 31 May!).

Enjoy five days of sailing with no time off work required, for only £30!

Musto Lark National Championships 2022

 The Lark National Championships will be held over the Jubilee from 1st-4th June. Almost 40 boats are expected, including many new faces and a vibrant mix of younger and older sailors.

Sponsored by Musto, the Larks have ventured to a new venue - Pentewan Sands Sailing Club on a jewel of a sandy bay in East Cornwall. Anyone wanting to join in the fun can find out more at the Lark Nationals 2022.

As ever, competition at the top will be fierce, with eight previous Championship-winning helms (and seven winning crews) in the mix being challenged by some new-kids-on-the-block. We take a look at the Runners and Riders who might expect to be in the Top 10.

Challenging from the younger end of the fleet will be Samuel Bailey and Finlay Morgan - 2021 Travellers' Trophy winners and current 2022 Lark Youth Champion. Awesome speed and tactics inland but can they do it on the lumpy stuff?

With all this competition across the age ranges an experience, the Lark Class are instigating a Gold, Silver, Bronze fleets. So there will be competition across the whole racecourse. There are also a raft of trophy categories, including, married couple, club, heavy weights, youth, Old gaffers, etc, plus with the $1,000+ of prizes donated by Musto, we will have a lot of prizes to hand out at the end of the event.

Entries open for 2022 UK Musto Skiff National Championships

 The Noble Marine UK Musto Skiff National Championships 2022 is now open for entry. This year's regatta will be hosted at Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club (ESSC) over 1st to 4th September.

The annual four-day regatta is a premier event in the GBR Musto Skiff class calendar, inviting sailors from all over the UK to come together and race for the UK National Champion title. The Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club is on the East Sussex coast and is well known in the dinghy sailing world for its friendliness, strong organisation, and great sailing conditions.

The Early Bird (standard) entry fee is £165 and includes off the water snacks after every race day, evening meals for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and on-site car parking. Late entry (from 1st August) is £195, so the class is being urged to get their entries in before this date. For those unable to make the full event, a Weekend Warrior option is available for £95.

Entry is now open and the NoR is available to view and download on the Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club website 

Great progress is being made regarding planning for the 2022 Sailing Coble Festival which will take place in Bridlington in July.

 The event will be held over the weekend of Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24. It is anticipated this year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever.

Interest is steadily building from outside the East Yorkshire area and owners of traditional sailing vessels from as far apart as Portknockie, on Scotland’s Moray Firth, and Mevagissey, on Cornwall’s southern coastline, are interested in attending.

Regular sailing has already begun for members of the Bridlington Sailing Coble Preservation Society and the three cobles Gratitude, Gansey Lass and Three Brothers have been taking advantage of the excellent sailing weather in Bridlington Bay recently.

Two cobles restored in Bridlington during lockdown, the Kathleen and Venus, will be showcased at the festival.

A spokesman said: “The support and sponsorship of the Bridlington Harbour Commissioners, together with a number of other local companies, make the event possible and without that assistance and financial help it would be very difficult to stage.

Anyone who would like to take up a stall for the weekend, or anyone who has a sailing coble or traditional sailing vessel and would like to attend and be part of this growing maritime event, should contact threebrotherscoble@gmail.com for further details.”

Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Errwood Sailing Club

 Young Sailors age 8-19 from across Derbyshire were racing at Errwood Sailing Club Saturday 7th May in the Errwood race in the Derbyshire Youth Sailing (DYS) series.

DYS is a volunteer run organisation providing youth sailors across Derbyshire with opportunities to race with other sailors across the county, as well as providing training and opportunities to compete in National level competitions. The DYS race series includes 11 events at sailing clubs across Derbyshire, with individual race results and an overall series. The sailors can take part in any type of boat and a handicap system is used to balance the results.

At Errwood, 17 boats set out for the first race of the day in beautiful sunny conditions. The fleet included 6 Lasers and 7 Toppers, as well as a number of other boats. The wind was light, but strong enough for some great tactical racing and opportunity to enjoy the race. After a break for lunch, the sailors then took part in two further races – with each race lasting around an hour.

After 3 close races (with one race as a discard from scoring), George Jacobs (Intermediate) (Combs SC) in a Byte CI emerged as the overall winner; 2nd was Eddy Reid (Senior) (Glossop SC) in a Laser 4.7 ; 3rd was Alice Edwards (Intermediate) (Burton SC) in a Tera Pro was 3rd.

The first junior was Reuben Lawrance (Errwood SC) in a Topper. A special mention to Fraser Smith (Glossop) as the youngest competitor in an Optimist and to Henry West and Benji Gray (Buxton Sea Cadets @ Errwood) in their first race in a double hander RS Zest.

We're heading to Glossop Sailing Club on Saturday 28th May for our 4th event of 2022, it's going to be fun.

Find out more at www.dysailing.org

Whitstable Yacht Club Discover Sailing Day

 Whitstable Yacht Club held its annual open day under the RYA's Discover Sailing banner on Saturday May 21st. The weather was warm and sunny with light winds making conditions ideal for the 96 clients who had signed up online to experience sailing and WYC, many for the first time.

Clients were provided with a 30 minute sail in one of a variety of boats ranging from Topaz to Dart 18 provided and hosted by club members and club instructors. The club house was open all day and clients were provided with refreshments which gave them the opportunity to experience the facilities the club provides, meet members who answered any questions they may have and to take advantage of some great membership offers.

Judging from the smiling faces coming off the water the sailing was appreciated by all, and a good number of new members joined on the day, with many more taking away joining packs.

The event was the result of considerable planning by the WYC training and development team who brought together a large number of members who volunteered their time to ensure the day was a success.

North Devon Yacht Club welcomes new members

 After the success of a new members evening in May, North Devon Yacht Club has announced more sailing and social events for the Summer.

Commodore Richard Chidwick said: “With over 700 members and a mixed fleet of dinghies, catamarans, yachts and motor boats, North Devon Yacht Club is one of the largest sailing clubs in the area.

“We have a full programme of sailing and events planned for this year and following the success of our new members evening, we have arranged for further events this year and particularly new younger members who are keen to start sailing, in addition to more experienced sailors.

“The clubhouse is now open for members and guests six days a week, offering light lunches, tea/coffee, a licenced bar and arguably one of the best views across the water to Instow and Appledore from the lounge and terrace.

“In addition to regular sailing and dinghy races, NDYC has a full programme of RYA training for sailing and power boats, with cadet courses for those between 10 and 17 years and an active Youth Squad, plus a range of social activities.”

Rear Commodore, Jonathan Miles said: “NDYC has a number of Club boats which are used for training and can be hired by qualified sailors. There are always experienced sailors on-hand to advise newer members and trying different boats is often the best way to decide which type of boat suits you best.

“We offer RYA Level 1 to 3 sailing courses at Instow and follow-on training to help newer sailors develop their sailing skills and start racing. The full calendar of events and training is on the club website (below) with a special mention for the NDYC Open Week 8-14 August when the club will welcome sailors from the South West and beyond with dozens of boats on the water each day.”

For more information call the Club Secretary 01271 861390 or visit www.ndyc.org

Fleet building with one month to go for SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022

 With just four weeks remaining to the start of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race (Wicklow Harbour, Saturday 18th June 2022 - 1300hrs) entries are approaching the 50 boat mark in a strong sign of post-Covid interest in offshore racing.

Following the postponement and then cancellation of the 2020 edition, the 705-nautical mile circumnavigation is proving popular with boats ranging in size from 30 feet to over 70 and a spectacular start at Wicklow Sailing Club is certain.

With four weeks to go before the start, there is typically a surge of late entries and we know of several more teams planning to race but have yet to submit their entry," said Kyran O'Grady, Commodore of Wicklow Sailing Club. "After Covid has knocked-back so many plans, to have a strong fleet entered is a testament to the appeal of this unique race."

Find out more at roundireland.ie

Introducing The Knox-Johnston Cup

 Clipper Events, sister company to Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has revealed plans for its inaugural Knox-Johnston Cup, a new addition to its racing schedule, taking place on 17-18 September 2022.

The Knox-Johnston Cup, named in honour of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is a brand new feature on the Clipper Events racing calendar and designed to put the fun back into competitive racing. It's an exciting mashup of part of the iconic Round The Island Race route with the added thrill of a take on the Clipper Race's tactical features; a Scoring Gate, a Sprint, and the Joker Card.

The race aims to provide some seriously fast, tactical and competitive racing whilst focusing on reigniting the social side of yacht racing.

Record breaker, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world, said: "Over the years, yacht racing has become far more serious than it ever used to be. As a sport and an industry, the fun après-racing scene has diminished and as a result fewer people are being attracted to yacht racing.

"By introducing the Knox-Johnston Cup, we are going back to the great days of yacht racing, where there was a lot of socialising that went hand-in-hand with highly competitive racing. The importance of the social side of yacht racing shouldn't be underestimated, it plays a significant role in attracting people to the sport and I still meet some of these people I socialised with after racing some 60 years on!

"In addition, with no previous sailing experience required to take part in our new event, and a practical introduction to the yachts given on the first day, we are able to provide an opportunity for a wider audience to experience the thrill of competitive sailing on a Clipper Race yacht."

Unlike any other racing event, the Knox-Johnston Cup, which follows the classic anti-clockwise route around the Isle of Wight.

The weekend-long programme includes a Skipper and boat allocation draw followed by a day of on the water training.

Friday 16 September

1800 - there is the option to arrive from 1800 and stay on board

Saturday 17 September

0800 Welcome and team allocation with breakfast followed by a safety brief

0930 Slip lines, sail training, lunch on board, tactical training

1800 Sundowners

1900 Dinner with team strategy and a keynote speech by Sir Robin

Sunday 19 September

0600 Breakfast on board and slip lines

0730 Knox-Johnston Cup Start Line

1500 First yachts to start finishing

1600 Alongside

1700 Prizegiving and celebrations

1800 Departure

For more information and to book your team onto the Knox-Johnston Cup please visit the Clipper events website.

OKs set for the HISC Whitsun Regatta

 Over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend, the OK Class will be taking part in the HISC Whitsun Regatta as part of the North Sails Super Series. Racing will take place in Hayling Bay, known for its fantastic racing.

While the fleet will be competitive on the water, it is also known for its inclusivity and social side, which will be boosted by the social program on shore.

Saturday evening competitors will be transported to the Caribbean with a Steel Band, whilst you enjoy your burgers, hot dogs and beer on the balcony.

Post sailing on Sunday HISC will lay on their famous regatta tea, which all competitors get a ticket for. Some argue this is the best Regatta Tea to be found... There is only one way to find out!!

Entry and more information on the HISC OK open and Whitsun Regatta can be found at hisc.co.uk/sailing/open-events/hisc-whitsun-regatta

Students find their sea legs on historic Shetland ship

 The Shetland-born former herring boat was given new life in the 1990s as a sail training and charter vessel.

Over the past week, the Swan offered sail training days for students in Sanday, Westray, Ullapool and Stornoway.

Skipper Maggie Adamson said that she gets a thrill out of seeing young people band together on board.

And the students who set sail–even those who turned a bit green–revelled in the chance to learn the ropes on a living piece of Scottish sailing history.

Today, the Swan is one of only two fifies left of its size.

Skipper Maggie Adamson is also from Shetland. She started sailing on the Swan in 2016 and she loves sail training with kids.

She said: “It’s always great when the kids come on board. It doesn’t really matter what age, whether it’s primary school age or up to teenagers.”

She said there’s a noticeable difference between when the kids first set foot on board and when they disembark after a hard day’s work.

Maggie said that sail training on the Swan builds fast friendships.

“Teamwork’s the most important one in a lot of ways. When you come on a boat you have to work together to make it work.

“It’s a mini family in a way. You’ve got to look out for each other as well. If someone’s not feeling right or seasick, you’ll notice some of the other kids stepping up and helping out and that’s really great to see.”

Vaikobi Partners with UK Cadet Class Association

 Vaikobi, has teamed up with the UK Cadet Class Association as part of its ongoing sponsorship program that supports sailing at all levels. Vaikobi is a unique brand, that is owned and run by people that are passionate about the water and ocean sports.

The UK Cadet Class hosts some great events and supports sailors at all levels in the UK and at international venues around the world. In this their 75th anniversary year the UK Cadet Class will be hosting the European Championships at Royal Torbay Yacht Club this summer. They put together a competitive selection process for the World Championships each season which this year will be in Vaikobi's home market of Melbourne, Australia. Vaikobi will be supporting the GBR Cadet team with branded kit for that event as well.

Get your entries in for the British Keelboat League at Burnham!

 The British Keelboat League is heading to the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Burnham-on-Crouch with teams invited to get their entries in for some fast-paced and fun racing.

The event promises two unmissable days of short course, quick turnaround fleet racing in the Essex club's rigged and ready-to-go 707 keelboats over the weekend of 11-12 June.

Up to 12 teams of four or five sailors, each with no more than three male sailors on board at any one time, will be battling for supremacy on the River Crouch.

As with all British Keelboat League (BKL) events, the backdrop is stunning and the stage is set for an exciting series: teams will compete in nearly 20 races with a premium on teamwork and boat handling - and places for the Grand Final in The Solent this autumn up for grabs.

Entry per team is £365 and registrations close on Sunday 29 May 2022. Teams can enter online and then simply need to turn up on the day with their sailing kit to #rockupandrace with a good time on the water and on shore guaranteed.

By widening entry beyond clubs for 2022, the BKL Championship aims to be more inclusive and as in previous years there will be a warm welcome for both experienced keelboat sailors and those wanting to try this aspect of the sport for the first time.

The pay-and-play series will visit a variety of venues and includes Youth, Women's and Sailability championships, with the top two teams from each event qualifying for the BKL Grand Final:

11-12 June: Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham-on-Crouch, 707s

18-19 June: Hayling Island Sailing Club, Hampshire, RS21s

2-3 July: BKL Youth Championship at Queen Mary SC, London, RS21s

16-17 July: BKL Women's Championship, Royal Southern YC, Hampshire, RS21s

10-11 September: Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, Wales, RS21s

17-18 September: BKL Sailability Championship, Cardiff Bay YC, RS21s

30 September-2 October: Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hampshire, BKL FINAL