RYA Sailability Multi Class Regatta at Rutland Sailing Club
by Emma Slater, RYA 17 Aug 2009 09:56 PDT
14-16 August 2009
RYA Sailability multi class regatta heralded a success by all
Seventy two boats and 94 disabled and able-bodied sailors converged on Rutland Water over the weekend (14-16 August) to compete at the third annual RYA Sailability Multi Class Regatta.
Competitors from as far afield as Scotland, Ireland and across the UK battled it out in the eight classes – 2.4, Access 2.3, Access 303, Access 303 Liberty, Artemis, Skud, Squib and Challenger – demonstrating great skill in the blustery conditions.
Each class competed in two fleet races, both scheduled for Saturday, however due to winds of up to 30 knots; the afternoon fleet race was postponed to Sunday morning. Sunday culminated in an all class pursuit race, which proved quite a spectacle as nearly all 72 boats raced around the course in the near perfect conditions – sun and wind, a rare sight for UK summertime!
Keith Harris, the only sailor at the event who operates his dinghy entirely by using his tongue, competing in Orville in the Access 2.3 fleet said: “It was extremely windy out there, but good fun. The regatta is such a great event it gives you the opportunity to race, see other classes; I’ve never seen an Artemis before and now I want to have a go, as well as being a great social event.”
Despite sailing with six inches of water in the boat due to the high winds, when asked about his chances of winning Keith replied: “Piece of cake!”
Competing for the first time at the regatta was the Skud fleet, which had six entries. Mike Cogswell from Queen Mary Sailing Club, who is currently starting his paralympic campaign in the Skud said: “There have only been two Skud events in the UK in 2009, so coming here is a great opportunity to get some racing in, tune up and have some great competition.
“There has been no other event in the world so far this year where I’ve been able to line up against six other Skuds, its fantastic. The blustery conditions also allowed the opportunity to do some heavy wind work. This regatta is great training in a relaxed atmosphere.”
The winners:
2.4 fleet, John Vickers, Rutland Sailability
Access 2.3 fleet, Keith Harris, New Forest & District Sailability
Access 303 fleet, Paul Holzherr, Frensham Pond Sailing Club
Access 303 L fleet, Andy Sheath, Frensham Pond Sailing Club
Artemis fleet, Lucy Hodges / Ian Shirra, GBR Blind Sailing
Skud fleet, Allan Smith / Jackie Gay, Rutland Sailing Club
Squib fleet, Fiona Morrison / Carol Canning, n/a
Challenger fleet, John Draper, Queen Mary Sailing Club
John Draper, winner in the Challenger fleet also claimed The Ken Ellis Trophy, which goes to the overall winner of the pursuit race.
Matt Grier, RYA Disability Racing Development Coach said: “The weather has been fantastic and it’s great to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves.
“The Racing is definitely improving year on year and I hope to see the standard continue to drive upwards. I hope in the future to see more individuals fighting for places in Paralympic teams and using this event to hone their skills.”
As well as the competitive side to the weekend the multi class regatta is a great social event too, with many spectators coming along to support the sailors and giving sailors the opportunity to speak to each other and swap tales back at the club house.
“We’ve had a spectacular turnout at this year’s event making it our biggest regatta so far. These events are a great gauge of the talent we have within the disabled community and we hope to see even more competitors at the 2010 event. It’s a real must for the sailors calendar”, commented Debbie Blachford, RYA Sailability Manager.
“It’s apparent that the interest in racing is growing and with more and more Sailability groups being developed there are far more opportunities to participate in competitive sailing”, concluded Debbie.
A special thank you also goes to the 70 plus volunteers who worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure the event ran smoothly from start to finish.
The Multi Class 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 about RYA Sailability visit the RYA website and click on the Sailability link at the bottom of the home page.