News

from Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting December 2021

Black Sea adventure

Female sailors actually race in SailGP

SailGP made good on its promise to introduce female athletes into the series, as double Olympic champion Hannah Mills joined Ben Ainslie and the Great Britain SailGP Team onboard the British F50, at the Cadiz event in early October.

And it was an action-packed first event for Mills, who arrived fresh from her historic win at Tokyo 2020. Great Britain were doing well until a dramatic, high speed capsize on the final day put paid to their chances of an event win.

Mills’ arrival meant the Great Britain team now boasts the most successful ever male and female Olympic sailors on board.

She said: “I’ve been incredibly excited to be racing this weekend, it’s a really great step forward for the female athletes to be in the thick of it, witnessing it all, getting stuck in and helping wherever we can – tactics, strategy, and communications. The adrenaline rush is massive on the race course.”

SailGP introduced the Women’s Pathway Program at the start of Season 2 as part of a strategy to promote inclusion and more opportunities across the sport.

About her role on board, Mills said: “I am in the loop with the communications, the tactics and strategy, but it has just been for two days so it is only going to improve as we understand the language and what’s useful. It is a big learning curve but I am loving it. My role stayed similar throughout, apart from when I had to do the odd bit of grinding when there was just four of us on the boat! I’m mostly focussed on the tactics and strategy. It’s a role I love and a role that I believe I’ll get better at the more I do. This type of racing is different to what I’m used to, so I am learning so much every single race.”

Of the pitchpole, Mill said: “We were blasting along that first reach and unfortunately things got a bit out of whack and in those conditions there’s not much room for error. We will be coming back to Sydney looking to win.”

Ainslie said: “Having Hannah onboard this weekend was brilliant, she’s such a star. She’s an amazing sailor and a great team player. She fitted in naturally, was helping with the boat handling in the lighter airs and across all the conditions she was playing a big role tactically in helping me make some of the key decisions. It felt like a natural combination.”

Cross-Channel event for elderly cruisers

A one-off rally regatta for elderly yachts will run next July from Dartmouth to La Rochelle and back.

The Classic Channel Regatta is banding together with the Yacht Club Classique in France to run the once-only, two-week event.

‘Yachts designed before the end of 1968’ are eligible, as well as ‘approved production yachts designed up to the end of 1974 and more recent yachts built in classic and traditional style’.

The Classic Channel Regatta is billed rightly as ‘a unique and truly international gathering with its own Westcountry and Breton ambiance’. The fleet often includes crews from Britain, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Ireland and further afield.

“Racing is the backbone of the regatta, but the conviviality and parties are its beating heart,” say the organisers.

Racing will be under the increasingly widely used JCH Classic Handicap which is free to entrants and is easy to obtain online. The programme is:

Dartmouth to Paimpol, July 10–16; Paimpol to Camaret, July 17–19;

Camaret to La Rochelle, July 20–24.

The Classic Channel Regatta will again follow its successful formula, starting with two days of racing at Dartmouth before the Classic Channel Race, which will sail direct to Paimpol, arriving in time for a rest day in port on 14 July, when the regatta will be at the heart of Paimpol’s Bastille Day celebrations. Full details of eligibility and more on the regatta website.

classic-channel-regatta.eu

VOTE FOR YOUR CLUB OF THE YEAR THE 2022 FINALISTS 2022

n Aberdeen & Stonehaven Yacht Club (region:

Scotland) n Arnside Sailing Club (region: North West) n Ballyholme Yacht Club (region: Wales) n Brading Haven Yacht Club (region: South) n Budworth Sailing Club (region: North West) n Chelmarsh Sailing Club (region: Midlands) n Exe Sailing Club (region: South West) n Flushing Sailing Club (region: South West) n Lymington Town Sailing Club (region: South) n Teesdale Sailing & Watersports Club (region:

North East)

Four of the finalists were also recognised for their particular achievements in the following areas:

n Arnside Sailing Club - ‘Heart of the Community’ n Brading Haven Yacht Club - ‘Sustainability’ n Chelmarsh Sailing Club - ‘Inclusive and Open to

All’ n Lymington Town Sailing Club - ‘Modern and

Innovative’ Voting is open in the RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year Award, supported by Gallagher. Voting closes on Monday 24 January 2022.

The annual award recognises the achievements of sailing clubs across the UK, promoting the hard work and dedication that goes into running a successful club. The RYA Awards Panel has selected the finalists, representing the RYA Regions.

You now have the chance to vote for the sailing club you think deserves to be RYA Club of the Year 2022.

The 2022 Club of the Year will be announced at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show 2022.

Rob Clark, RYA Director of Sport Development, said: “We’ve learnt over the years that each club is different, and all have their strengths. It’s great to hear the stories of these clubs and congratulations to each of them for making our final 10. Now it’s up to you to vote for the winner.” Rob Peake, group editor of Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting, said: “The winning club gets some great benefits, so make sure you cast your vote on our dedicated competition website.”

The overall winner will be announced at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show, presented by Suzuki, 26-27 February 2022 Find out more information and cast your vote at awards.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/rya

“To win this competition is outstanding and shows what even a small club like ours can achieve”

- Noel Bristow, President of Port Dinorwic Sailing Club, 2021 winners

Charity seeks £1.5m to buy boat

The UK’s largest youth development sail training charity has launched an appeal to raise £1.5m to buy a yacht to take young people to sea.

Tall Ships Youth Trust has a fleet of four 72ft Challenger yachts and a 55ft ketch, which enables the charity to take 1,000 young people to sea every year.

Its new LifeChanger Appeal, launched in October, aims to raise the money to buy and refit an additional 70-80ft yacht with 10-12 berths, increasing its sea-going capacity by around 250 young people a year.

Funds would also cover three-years of running costs and bursaries for 750 young people to go on a voyage.

The trust, which works with young people aged 12-25, has a focus on supporting those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Some of the youngsters deal with physical, mental or learning disabilities. Some are young carers, while some have been excluded from mainstream education and have been involved in crime. Others have been physically or mentally abused.

The charity says the pandemic has only increased the need to support vulnerable young people.

Appeal committee chair Vivienne Cox says: “We know that a weeklong voyage on one of our iconic vessels, with support from our experienced youth development sailing team, gives these young people the opportunity to change their lives.

“However, with limited capacity, we’re currently unable to meet the demand, meaning hundreds of young people are going unsupported. This is why we’re launching this appeal and why we have to act urgently to commission this additional vessel as quickly as possible.”

Tall Ships Youth Trust youth ambassador Katie Craven, aged 18, had been sleeping rough and had been involved in crime when she went on her first Trust voyage. She said: “It opened my eyes and showed me I can do better. It completely changed my life. Every day onboard is different and you’re always learning something new. You’re with different people from different backgrounds, but no-one judges you.

“You have to work together, regardless. It’s really helped me to manage my emotions and get on better with people.”

She now has a modelling contract with a major brand.

Interested parties should contact James Hudson, Director of Fundraising and Marketing: james.hudson@tallships.org

Obituary - Timothy Colman 1929 – 2021

Sir Timothy Colman, publisher, farmer, environmentalist, life-long sailor and lover of the Norfolk Broads, who died in September, must be one of the few Peers of the Realm to have claimed a series of world speed records, writes Barry Pickthall. Born and bred in Norfolk, Tim Colman, a member of the Colman’s mustard dynasty and former Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, learned to sail on the Broads at a very young age and never lost a love for his county nor zest for speed on the water, dominating the world sailing speed record charts for more than a decade.

When the Royal Yachting Association first floated the idea of an organised speed week held over a 500m course in the sheltered waters of Portland Harbour back in 1971, Colman commissioned Tornado catamaran designer Rod MacalpineDownie to produce a special 56ft (17.1m) proa named Crossbow. Since the records were measured in one direction only across the harbour, he did away with the idea of tacking, and with a rudder little bigger than a copy of Reader’s Digest to minimise drag, the pencil-thin hull was balanced by a 31ft 6in (9.6m) outrigger supporting a small pod to windward in which the crew sat.

On 6 October, 1972, Crossbow set the benchmark world sailing speed record of 26.3 knots (48.7kmh) in just 19 knots of wind.

The team returned in 1973 and raised the bar to 29.3 knots before finally breaking through the 30-knot barrier with a speed of 31.1 knots in 1975. Two years later, Colman commissioned Macalpine-Downie to design a larger catamaran with identical una rigs in each hull, and Crossbow II set a marginally better record of 31.8 knots. In 1977 she raised the bar to 33.8 knots, then 34.4 knots. In 1978 Colman announced his retirement from record breaking, but in 1980 the crew reunited for one more attempt, and in a Force 8 gale, Crossbow II reached 36 knots (41mph or 66.7kmh) – a record they retained for six years until beaten by Frenchman Pascal Maka on a sailboard.

Sir Timothy, who was knighted in 1996, said of his record breaking: “You could call Crossbow a wonderful mid-life diversion: extremely exhilarating. When the notion of establishing a sailing speed record was announced, we said we’d do it for two years. If we happened to win, we’d have a go the second year to prove it wasn’t a fluke. We ended up doing it for 12 years and enjoyed every single minute of it! It probably looked dangerous. But I don’t remember being aware of it at the time. We used to keep a rope handy so we could climb down in an emergency. We also carried a razor-sharp knife to cut the sheets in a crisis.” The current record stands at 65.45 knots (123.1kmh), set by Paul Larsen in the proa Vestas Sailrocket 2 in Walvis Bay, Namibia, in 2012.

Maxis go all out at Saint-Tropez

The spectacular end to the Med racing season, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, turned into one of the biggest ever and most exciting gatherings of Maxi yachts, with fresh conditions giving the big guns a chance to let rip on the glorious waters of the French village’s famous bay. A fl eet of 45 Maxis competed in the regatta, with Comanche, pictured here, taking IRC1 and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez Trophy. Wallys, J-Class and classic yachts made up the extraordinary Saint-Tropez fl eet.

Position: The Captain

As sailing becomes ever more like fl ying, skippers need to adjust their patter...

FELIX DIEMER FOR SAILGP Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain Nathan Outteridge speaking. We’ve got a bumpy ride ahead of us across the bay of Cadiz this a ernoon, so buckle up tight and our grinders Tim and Yuki will be bringing round snacks later. We’ve just taken our position on the runway and we’re currently waiting for the Danish ahead of us to get airborne. I’ve heard nothing of concern from my ight controllers

Francesco and Leo, so once the Danes are clear, we’ll be increasing our speed to around 51 knots and taking o , with the help of our wing trimmer Chris.

Sit back and relax. You may have heard about Great

Britain pitchpoling. Nothing to worry about. ey have two of the world’s most successful Olympic sailors on board, yes, but we’ve got a clear run ahead and hopefully before long we’ll all get our hands on that $1 million. Cabin crew, ready for take-o .”