Weymouth
Sailing
Club

Club members, friends and honoured guests packed into the Ocean Rooms of the troubled Pavilion complex to celebrate the previous years sailing and looked forward to the centenary year.

The virtual Vendee Globe has been won in spectacular fashion in the early hours of this morning by Llyl, a time of 74 days 16 hours and 59 mins. To show how impressive this is, at 1330 today (thurs 24th) the boat in second place still has 34 NM to go, and there are 460,000 odd competitors!

The WSC group aren't too far behind with guest Terry Ridyard on zest 1 the closest to finish. Ray Capp on Crystella is in front in the "zero options" category, after not having shelled out on any posh sails, auto pilots etc..

Weymouth and Portland were well represented at the 40th Bloody Mary Pursuit hosted by Queen Mary SC. Wsc members Sam Pascoe and Alex Knight finished a superb 9th overall out of a total 339 entries, in their International 14. New Wsc member Sam Barker teamed up with Megan Pascoe on the Merlin Rocket to finish an excellent 135th. Recent winner of Cadet of the Year Emma Stevenson came 163rd on her debut in the event, an amazing effort. For more information on the Bloody Mary http://www.queenmary.org.uk/bloody-mary.aspx

Emma Stevenson, one of the Cadets has officially joined the Virtual Rigger Gul Race Team as an ambassador. Further information can be found on their website, www.v-rigger.com .

Steve and Ben Stokey have left a chilly January Dorset and arrived in the Canaries to sail with Sara and Phil across the Atlantic to Barbados. Check out Lochmarin's blog as they make their way across, expect no stories of clearing snow from the decks though - turn right when the butter melts !

http://blog.mailasail.com/Lochmarin/89

Stavros S. Niarchos, Voyage Diary, SSN 565 Plymouth – Tenerife

Many of us who signed on as voyage crew (paying crew as opposed to the more permanent crew), were looking for an adventure voyage and this is certainly what we got! Whilst it may not quite compare to Scott’s diary in his expedition to the Antarctic, in which he wrote that the story would stir the heart of every Englishman, this trip certainly stirred a few ‘fixed’ objects and quite a few humans too: anything which was not thoroughly fixed down during the first week was hurled in an uncompromising fashion across the ship.

Emma Stevenson ruled the waves at this years YOB prize giving, walking off with 9 race cups and Cadet Of The Year. (writes Phil Samways)

After waving goodbye to Peter & Ali, we would like to welcome Martin Lee as our new caterer. As a fellow sailor and having catered at Castle Cove Sailing Club he is well aware of the idiosyncrasies of a sailing club and its catering needs. Following the normal closed period of January, the first opportunity of sampling Martin's cooking will be Sunday Lunch on 3rd February.

What better way of starting the Centenary year than a quick Channel crossing? Mild, stable weather with a bit of wind and good visibility meant that Friday was an ideal day for a sail, and there was enough wind once the day got under way to get the cruising chute up and push on quite quickly, to arrive in Cherbourg with enough daylight to check tidal drift on the approach to Passe de l'Est as a fierce ebb set in.

We were all surprised when we hauled up 'C' onto Woody's boat RWToo to see a vaguely familiar red rope entangled with the rope and chain. It was Wildfire's spinnaker sheet which was lost overboard in April last year during the Spring Series including the treasured Wichard shackle. Dave's comment 'I think it was me who lost it anyway !'.