Etchells Experience for RSYS youth sailors

by Malcolm Shaw on 12 May 2011 Sunday May 1st dawned with clear skies and gentle SW breeze for 19 youth sailors to participate in the Etchells Experience for 2011. Six Etchells were in the pond ready to go at 11.30am for a 12noon start.

The pre-event briefing for the youth sailors (complete with pfd’s) and Etchell crews took a few minutes and sailors were allocated to their boats.

The 6 Etchells involved were:
‘Alchemist’ :skipper Roger Gain and crew Jarrod Rhodes, ‘3 Gone Missing’ :skipper Todd Trevillion and crew Peter Borkovec, ‘Shindig’ :skipper Mark Johnson and crew Paul Thackray, ‘Roué’ :skipper Michael Morris and crew James Shannon, ‘Hooligans’ :skipper Stephen Tait and crew Eric Duggin, ‘Champagne Charlie’ :skipper Mike Thackray and crew Malcolm Shaw.

With youth sailors from 12 to 18 years of age we were able to put 3 youth sailors on 5 of the boats with 4 on ‘Hooligans’. We were ably assisted on the water in a runabout skippered by Tony Morris with assistance from parents David Brittain and Vanessa Gibson.

Once the boats had been rigged (with the assistance of the youth sailors) we prepared to start off Shell Cove. A windward mark was set about 750m above the start line to make a comfortable windward leeward course.
During each ‘race’ youth sailors took turns to steer, work jib and mainsheet and set and drop spinnakers under the supervision of the adults on board.

At 2.30 we proceeded back to the pond and the crews prepared the boats for hoisting back on to their cradles. All boats were put away by 3pm in time for a short de-briefing.

Thank you to all the Etchells skippers and crew for their time in making the event such as success.

All participants had a most enjoyable day and the next event is planned for May 2012.