Sailability
Raising money
RYA Sailability Sunsail Regatta – raising money for a good cause
HRH The Princess Royal attends Sailability Sunsail Regatta Held in September, the two-day RYA Sailability Sunsail Regatta saw 55 sailors from all sailing backgrounds and abilities enjoy some close racing whilst raising money for Sailability. Racing took place on the Solent, with competitors racing in six teams on Sunsail’s new F40 racing yachts. The sailors competed in three races, enjoying the Solent’s typical sea breeze. The day was rounded off with a three-course dinner, at the historic and exclusive Royal Yacht Squadron. ‘We had two fantastic days,’ said James Hester, who was competing for the Lloyds TSB
Commercial Finance team. ‘We are delighted to be able to support such a worthy cause.’ As well as presenting the prizes, HRH The Princess Royal congratulated teams for competing in the regatta and chatted to all of the sailors about their racing. She also praised Sailability for its work to enable people from all walks of life to be introduced to the sport. The event was won by HPM Investments, who won all three races. Second place went to the Sunsail team, and the Hughes family team came a close third. All proceeds from the event will go to RYA Sailability.
RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta One hundred and fifty disabled and able-bodied sailors in 65 boats converged on Rutland Water in August to compete in the annual RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta. Coming from as far afield as Holland, France and Canada, as well as the UK, sailors competed in nine classes: Stratos, SKUD, Access, 2.4mR, Challenger, Sonar, SQUIB, Kinsman and Neo 495, a new class to the regatta. Four races were sailed on Saturday, while Sunday saw all 150 sailors contesting the tworace prestigious Ken Ellis Trophy. Twenty-two-year-old Amy Oulton from Ringwood Sailability, who suffers from a rare disability, was competing in an Access 303 at the regatta. ‘This event provides competitors with the chance
to sail alongside sailors of all abilities and experience. Some people have been sailing for years, whereas I am very new,’ said Amy. ‘The social side is fantastic, too, and I have met another lady with the same disability as me. It’s a very special event.’ Wilma van der Broek, sailing in the Access Liberty fleet, was revealed as the overall multiclass champion and the winner of the Ken Ellis Trophy. The multiclass regatta is part of the RYA Sailability national sailing and racing programme ‘Making Disability Plain Sailing’, which is funded jointly by Sport England and the RYA Sailability Trust. For more information, visit www.rya.org.uk. View the event footage at www.sailability.tv
NEW STARTER
Bob Scull, a retired policeman and co-founder of Dart Sailability in Dartmouth, has joined RYA Sailability’s south-western team as its second regional organiser. Bob will work with groups in Devon and Cornwall to develop a highly successful sailing group for people with disabilities.
Rudyard Sailability receives award
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was presented to Rudyard Sailability. This prestigious UK National honour recognises outstanding voluntary contributions and sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard.
YACHTMASTER QUIZ ANSWERS 1 Osmosis is also known as ‘fibreglass
cancer’ (a rather overly dramatic description). It occurs when water penetrates the gelcoat of a fibreglass vessel and forms small pockets that, if left untreated and in their most extreme form, can reduce the structural integrity of the vessel. 2 Clouds will gradually become heavier and lower, and as the warm front approaches, it will generally be accompanied by rain, and visibility will decrease as the warm front passes over. 3 A bilge keel yacht can dry out upright. That is, it can be anchored or moored so that as the tide falls, the vessel will settle on its twin keels and remain upright.
30 Winter 2011 rya.org.uk
4 EPIRB (Emergency Position
Identification Radio beacon) SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) VHF DSC alert Red Parachute Flares SOS (via torch or sound signal) Displaying the flags N over C Loud and repeated sound signals (for example gunfire or ships horn) Waving of arms up and down beside the body (This is not an exhaustive list) 5 The chain weighs down the warp, ensuring that the pull from the movement of the vessel results in the anchor being dragged horizontally along
the seabed (which causes it to dig in), rather pulling vertically, which would cause it to pull free from the seabed. 6 Fog. 7 It may repeat the signals using a light. 8 The sailing vessel is the give-way vessel as it is overtaking. Its obligation is to ‘keep clear’ of the power-driven vessel until it is clear ahead of it. 9 An earring is an additional strop that is secured around the boom and through the reefing cringle of the mainsail. Its purpose is to act as a back-up in the event of the failure of the reefing line. 10 EBL – Electronic Bearing Line VRM – Variable Range Marker CPA – Closest Point of Approach