Weymouth
Sailing
Club

The Youth sailors enjoyed the opportunity for competitive racing at their annual regatta. Thirteen boats raced around the course set up in the Bay on a blustery Friday evening. This was the first chance for some of the newer cadet members to experience the rules of racing. The Opi sailors valiantly chased the faster Fevas but in spite of their best sailing efforts could not catch up. Prizes were awarded to all classes. The Benjamin Samuel Prize for overall winner was awarded to Ruby Staples and Freddie Miners.

Why you may ask? Well, why not!

On Tuesday 8th September, three Squib crews roused themselves indecently early from their slumbers and put to sea by dawn’s early light for a spot of Sun-Up Squibbing. It was a crazy plan, executed by some crazy people. Once the initial shock, fear and horror of getting up early had been overcome and the memory of it subsided, it was a quite glorious morning to be out in the Bay.

Most right minded people would normally baulk at the thought of heading off to Dartmouth on a Bank Holiday weekend. For starters, what chance of getting a berth, and what about arriving to the hordes of holiday makers "half" filling the bars and restaurants, and what about the queues at the pasty and ice-cream shops!!

Well, 4 boats worth of crew decided that the delights of Dartmouth were well worth the risk, especially as the forecast was virtually wall to wall sunshine and a favourable Northerly 4/5 gusting 6 (and maybe a bit of 7)!! And so it proved to be, as Andi on Isabella, Bill and Lorraine on Merlot, Mike and Trevor on Moonshadow and Ray and Lesley on Crystella departed around 7am on the Saturday for the 52 mile passage across Lyme Bay.

Squib “Second Wind” – where is she now? … And news of “Quicksilver”!
By Rear Admiral John Croydon

Some of you might remember me and my Squib, “Second Wind”, racing regularly at WSC until old age forced me to sell her in 2014. I bought her from new in late 1978 and thoroughly enjoyed my sailing over 30+ years. The highlight was probably the first race of the Squib Nationals at Weymouth in 1980 which we won, and went on to record 5th overall that year! I was crewed by my son, Greg, who now sails a Dehler 36 as a member of the Club.

So, we’d got to the end of August and for all of the obvious reasons many Squibbers had yet to get out onto the water. Unacceptable. Just having a Telegram Squib Group of 48 exchanging banter, blah and rhubarb is great (really great, actually) but, well, it’s simply not enough. But the August Bank Holiday Monday promised some ideal conditions for a bit of a jolly, so we grasped the opportunity to load up some Squibs and get folk re-acquainted with seawater and the Bay. No racing, just a sail.

A brisk northerly greeted the brave few who turned out for this event, a three-race series which has in recent years turned into a dinghy versus Squib match, won last year by a Squib - could honour be restored among the dinghy fleet this year?

August has been another busy month for the Youth sailors of the club. The wind conditions have enabled the youngsters to practice their capsizing and turtling techniques, whilst engaging in competitive games of sea rugby and football. The lighter wind conditions also enabled our less experienced sailors to helm the Fevas, under instruction from our longer serving members.

I had a phone call from the Captain of HMS Lancaster in mid-July. The type 23 frigate was conducting a trial in the Bay which involved numerous high speed runs just to the south of T, and he very politely asked to move the mark out of the way for the duration of the trial. I thought no more of it and so was very suprised this Sunday to receive letter of thanks and a ship's crest for the club room. I wish everyone was so easy to please.
Simon

I never imagined seeing a post on Facebook would lead to the biggest adventure of my life, but this is what happened at the end of June when I saw Sail Racing Academy asking for help to transport a First 40.7 back across the Atlantic. After some frantic days trying to book tickets, dealing with rapidly changing schedules, cancellations and changing regulations, I was off. The journey over proved to be quite challenging with 4 flights, taking 3 days and 2 overnights in airports before landing in Saint Martin.