News
Inaugural AC World Series Event to Deliver Intense Action at the Water’s Edge
The world’s best sailors arrive in Portugal next week to prepare for the inaugural America’s Cup World Series competition in Cascais, the opening event on the path to the next America’s Cup in 2013
Follow the Yellowbrick...
Yellowbrick Trackers will be fitted to every boat in the Rolex Fastnet Race allowing friends and family to follow the race
Sonar racing changes gear
The race for the medals is really starting to hot up with two days and three races to go. Crews braved winds of more than 20 knots in Portland Harbour today as Weymouth and Portland's finally lived up to its reputation as a breezy venue after three days of light and fluky airs.
Brittany update Wednesday 6 July
The fleet, the small select band by now of Lazy Life, Silver Tide, Willow and Aeolus, are in Vannes, and tonight is the second cruise dinner, to be held at the Grain de Sel restaurant. For some boats new crews have been arriving, and this is the farthest point of the cruise, so the return legs start tomorrow.
Proposed channel changes in Thames Estuary
Trinity House is proposing that the present Gore Channel is discontinued and the Copperas Channel to the west of Margate Sands be marked with the East Last buoy being repositioned to the south of the Copperas Channel and renamed Reculver and the Hook Spit buoy moved to the west to mark the northern edge of the channel and renamed Copperas.
Clubhouse stays open all through August
A few members have asked if the club house will have a closure during August as we did last year. The answer is no, there's no need for a closure, and we'll be open as normal through the summer.
Don't forget to book for As You Like It at the Globe on 3 August
Brits in the hunt at halfway stage of IFDS Disabled Sailing Worlds
The chase for the SKUD sailing World Championship title is emerging into a two-horse race on the 2012 Paralympic waters, with Britain’s defending world titleholders Alexandra Rickham and Niki Bir
The Normandy (or Perseverance) rally
Ariel set off from Southampton on Saturday 18 June with John Strode and Gill as crew, we made for Haslar Marina to pick up daughter Sally and her husband Marc on Sunday. The forecast didn’t look good. Strong south westerly winds and rain were forecast and we had already knocked on the head the “prequel” gathering in Littlehampton.
The first Fastnet Race
Some critics refused to acknowledge the first Fastnet race in 1925 as a true ocean race as racing did not cover long distances across an ocean or sea. However, the race quickly evolved due to the popularity of the new sport of ocean racing in England.
Fastnet Winners - since 1925
The Fastnet race has engaged the world's top sailors in a way that almost no other race has - with the exception, perhaps, of the Sydney - Hobart race. This year will be no exception. There has been only one LSC member who has won this race - past commodore Owen Aisher in the original Yeoman. Here is a roll call of both the skippers and yachts that have triumphed in the race.
Latest from Brittany Friday 1 July
Successful first cruise dinner in Camaret this evening (Friday 1 July) postponed a day because of weather in the Channel and Mary Lunn's tribulations. Robin and Barrie came over by car from l'Aberwrac'h. Other boats arrived safely after a flat calm and sunny passage through the Chenal du Four.
Update from Brittany
Upper lips are stiff, but it's a rather sorry tale in l'Aberwrac'h tonight, Wednesday 29 June. Lazy Life had engine trouble and had to come in under sail (!) and be helped by a RIB, and, the big disaster, Mary Lunn has lost her rudder.
Cruise Control?
I couldn't join the Brittany cruise as I've found a buyer for my house. Real buyers with money are as rare as hen's teeth so it seemed rash to tell them 'I'm going sailing so you'll just have to wait'. So I've ended up being a sort of Cruise Control (like Race Control but for a cruise) from deepest Worcestershire. Read on for latest update.
Results of Club boats in the RTIR
It was a blustery day with reports of gusts up to 30 knots off St Catherine's and big seas having built up in the previous week's bad weather. Out of the ten Little Ship Club boats entered for the Round the Island Race, three retired or did not complete.
Brittany update
As of Sunday evening 26 June, Lazy Life is in Lezardrieux, Aeolus is in Alderney, Silver Tide was in Cherbourg yesterday, Roshanak is stuck in Lymington, and no news yet of Willow or Mary Lunn.
Graham Broadway's tweets from Brittany cruise
Graham Broadway's jumped straight from the RTIR on to Aeolus, Michael Forbes Smith's chartered Halberg Rassy, for the Brittany cruise. See his tweets here, and click the links in his tweets for his pics.
Preparations and watching the forecast
As usual, the best laid plans have had to be flexible. Challenges have ranged from A Day at the Races having to pull out of the cruise because of mast damage, to several changes of plan in the face of rather un-June-like weather forecasts.