Middle Nene Sailing Club celebrates 70th Anniversary
by Wilf Kunze 19 Jul 2017 01:18 PDT
15-16 July 2017
Some of the 74 boats at Middle Nene Sailing Club © Ken Long
From a disused gravel pit to a respected sailing club on the national circuit. Middle Nene SC started in 1947 with just five boats and quickly became a well-known base for dinghy and keelboat racing, with a number of very successful sailors emerging.
"Amongst our members we can boast a lady world champion, European champions and several national champions. And we do have two members who together sailed the Atlantic!" explained MNSC's President, Tony Watts, himself an accomplished sailor. He continued: "Today we have 350 members, including anglers. We run RYA approved training programmes and we expect to train 50+ youngsters this year."
Joining in the two-day celebrations last weekend were the Mayor of Thrapston, Sam Cribb, on Saturday, and The Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, David Laing, on Sunday. Both took the chance to not only explore the club compound, but to also take a short sailing trip around the lake and were duly impressed by the efficient operation of the club, which is run entirely by its members.
The event ended on Sunday pm with the 3 hour long pursuit race for the 'Anniversary Cup', in which all boats with a Portsmouth Yardstick rating could participate on equal terms. Appropriately, the race was won by MNSC's Commodore, Matt Yallop.
Racing days at Middle Nene SC are Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and the main dinghy classes are Enterprise, RS200 and Solo, with Flying 15 and Illusion forming the keelboat fleet. The club prides itself on its family-friendly atmosphere and its vibrant social life. More details are available from the website www.middlenenesc.co.uk and from the club's Facebook page.