SAILING NEWS
It is great to see members making the most of the exceptionally warm weather and enjoying time out on the water.
The last of this season’s windward/leeward took place last weekend supported by Dragons, Sonatas and Wayfarers. A long day but some great racing was seen. Thanks to the race team and all the helpers.
Two members of the Wayfarer fleet took part in the Wayfarer Inland Championships.
Despite the rain there was some very close racing and the hospitality of Richard Hartley at his home club of Blithfield made everyone very welcome. Report and results can be found here https://wayfarer.org.uk/racing/race-results/
The very popular weekly Race reports from Dragons, Sonatas, Squibs and Wayfarers can be found on the website under sailing news.
The Burton series hosted by Medway Cruising Club comes to a climax this weekend with the final two races being sailed. This series is well supported and a number of our members have taken part and enjoyed some good racing. Results (to date) can be found here https://www.medwaycruisingclub.org.uk/racing-2/
The MYC Autumn Series starts on 29th October. The five race series finishes on November 26th with the traditional prize-giving lunch. Race Officer, Philip Clarabut and the team will have some good courses prepared for all conditions. There will be committee boat start/finishes for all races. This is the first time the club will be using the YTC handicap system which has been very popular with other clubs particularly on the South Coast. Boats wishing to sail IRC as well as YTC are welcome. Full Details for this series can be found at https://www.medwayyachtclub.com/2023/07/autumn-series-2023
Tuesday Sailing – don’t forget that this fun loving gang of sailors welcome anyone who wishes to gain more experience with cruiser sailing. They meet every Tuesday morning. For more details contact Bob and John at cruiser@medwayyachtclub.com.
The 2024 calendar is already extremely busy with Open Meetings and Championships for the Dragons, Sonatas, Wayfarers and Toppers. All dates can be found on the website including dates for the MYC Keel Boat Regatta, the Marathon and Commodore’s Day.
YOUTH TRAINING
From small beginnings we now have over 16 youth sailors joining the club on a Sunday morning. This is a fantastic result and thanks must go to Catherine, Kerry, Hassan, Neil, Rosie, Chantel and everyone else involved. A great team effort.
The young sailors have endured some fairly tough sailing conditions but they all go out with loads of enthusiasm. This week a smaller number enjoyed the teachings of visiting instructors Arabella and Dan and found the shoreside tuition very helpful before they went out on the Zests which are proving to be a great training boat. We have terrific support from the parents and delighted that Chantel Withey has stepped forward to lead this group with Admin.
Youth Sailing continues for the next 3 weeks. 8th, 15th and 22nd October. Over the winter we will continue to provide activities for our Youth Sailors learning more about wind and tides, how to tie knots and anything else sailing related. Any suggestions and offers of help will be much appreciated.
COURSES
Power Boat and Safety Boat courses:
Please let the office know if you wish to take one of these courses. We are compiling a list of names and dates. There will also be some opportunities for refreshers for those with qualifications but would like some one-to-one tuition with an instructor before taking on a duty.
VHF and First Aid
Please let the office know if you wish to take these courses over the winter.
Safety Days
At the beginning of next season we will be running some safety days. This will be relevant to everyone who goes out sailing and will involve demonstrations using life rafts and opportunities to try getting a ‘man-over-board’ back into a boat. Please look out for dates next year.
