Minisail Championships 2012 at Bough Beech Sailing Club

Six Minisails got together at Bough Beech SC in Kent to hold the first championships the class has seen since it faded 30 years ago. 2 sailors came from Belgium to take part, 2 from the south coast, one from Norfolk and one from the Cotswolds. For some, the event was a chance to try out a new boat, maybe pulled from the bushes at the back of a boat park and brought back to life, for others it was a chance to try racing for the 1st time in the company of other Minisails. Standards of sailing ability varied, but the enthusiasm for the boats was clear to all around.

Ronnie from Belguim and Rupert from Whitefriars had brought along wooden Sprite type Minisails, and Ronnie is in the process of building a new Sprite back in Belguim. Dean (also from Belgium), Peter from Hickling Broad and Tom from Southampton were sailing GRP Monaco designs, Tom's with a sliding seat attached. Hampshire based David was sailing a Minisprint, a GRP version of the Minisail where the sliding seat carriage is moulded into the deck. David is spending his retirement learning how to sail the Minisail from a sliding seat, and came a very creditable 2nd overall to Rupert in his Sprite.

Much interest was shown in the boats whilst at BBSC, and we hope this event will be the start of something bigger, maybe even in the re-start of production of new GRP hulls. More information about Minisails can be found at www.minisail.org.uk