Weymouth
Sailing
Club

Finding myself again in you-know-where, having looked at the forecast and thought 'why not?', I was very pleased to catch up with Figaro sailors Alexis Loison and Nicolas Jossier outside the capitainerie, with whom I watched the sad defeat of France on the TV in the bar of the Yacht Club. The weekend also saw the close of the celebrations at Cherbourg of the 'Solitaire du Figaro Eric Blompard Cashmire' offshore race.

After the fabulous (but windy!) 100th anniversary rally to Cherbourg last year there was enthusiasm at the annual meeting for more passage cruising/racing. The committee duly obliged with the first trip, to Cherbourg, scheduled for the weekend of 20th to 22nd June. Despite all good intentions to the contrary our organisation was a last minute affair but, the boat eventually filled with diesel and enough provisions to feed an army, we assembled aboard 'Nutcracker' on Thursday evening.

The roll of honour for this year's Channel crossing has to be headed by 'Suspicion', the J24 which has already one of the highest turnouts for racing in the club, and which made it in fine fettle to Cherbourg, with owner Simon saying that he had enjoyed the wind over tide conditions off the Cotentin because it reminded him of sailing a dinghy again!

Centenary of World War 1 - Signalling at Sea

On the occasion of the Centenary of World War 1 and to call attention to the threatened underwater cultural heritage of that conflict, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) calls on all vessels at sea to use commemorative signalling by half-masting of the ship’s flags or ensigns on 28th June 2014.

We have been offered the use of J pontoon at the west end of the marina, near the Capitainerie, which is very convenient for the Yacht Club as well. Remember to have your current membership card with you in order to claim your 20% discount on mooring fees.

Those of you taking your tablet to Cherbourg will no doubt want to download the 'Chateau de Cherbourg' free app, which allows you to stand at various locations in the town and see what the medieval castle and fortified town looked like.

Alexis Loison from YCC, the other half of the father and son team who won the Fastnet last year, has won the first stage of the Figaro Solitaire in Plymouth, narrowly beating Fabien Delahaye from Ouistreham and Jeremie Beyou, twice overall winner. Although Fabien was leading at Roscoff, Alexis took an easterly option on the last leg which gave him a better angle to the finish, and also gained him the Brittany Ferries' trophy for the fastest time from Roscoff.

The Rowing Club took over for the afternoon and after a training session we had a three-Gig race with a mix of Rowing Club youngsters and Yobs. We followed this with a barbeque at WSC which was attended by all the youngsters and helpers from both clubs. Thanks to all the people who helped out from both clubs, with a special thanks to Bree and Colin from the Rowing Club for helping us to instigate this event, it was a great day hopefully enjoyed by all.

Three weeks after D-Day, Cherbourg was liberated by the Americans on June 26th 1944, after almost exactly four years of German occupation, and our annual rally to Cherbourg falls between the 70th anniversary of that important moment, and the date of the surrender on 19th June 1940. As you enter the Passe de l'Ouest, you might ponder the curious three-day artillery duel which was fought between American forces in the Fort de Chavagnac on the south side, and a handful of Germans stubbornly refusing to surrender in the Fort de l'Ouest!

We want you to join us for a great sail across and excellent company and activities when we get there. If you've been wanting to cross the Channel for the first time, this is the time to do it!

The series of photos of landing craft in Weymouth harbour is well-known, though I had not seen this one before a friend showed me a Ouest France D-Day supplement. It provides an interesting view of the weather which appears not that different from our recent weather here.