Salterns children's 24 hour sail raises over £8,250 for Children in Need
by Tanya Baddeley 20 Nov 2019 10:49 EST
15-16 November 2019
One hundred young sailors from Salterns Sailing Club showed great determination last weekend when they sailed non-stop for 24 hours to raise funds for the BBC Children in Need appeal.
This is the 21st year that Salterns Sailing Club, a Lymington sailing club for children run by children, has organised a 24 hour 'sail-a-thon' for Children in Need. The Junior Committee organises the event every year and makes sure that there are at least two boats out sailing all the time during the 24 hour period.
The intrepid young sailors managed to keep at least two boats sailing between 4.30pm on Friday 15th to 4.30pm on Saturday 16th November. Many did not sleep and sailed overnight in gusty wind, drizzly rain and near to freezing conditions.
So far the children have raised over £8,250 and this figure is still rising as donations come in and sponsor money is being collected. This takes the total raised by the children of Salterns over 21 years to £168,000 - not bad for a small children's sailing club!
"When the rain poured down in the early hours of the morning it was tough, " shared Freya Baddeley, Commodore of Salterns Sailing Club, aged 16. "But we kept going by thinking about children less fortunate than us and how we are helping them by raising money."
The Junior Committee organised the 24 hours into a series of fun sailing sessions and amusements, encouraging the younger members of the club along to take part.
"This year we are delighted that so many of our young sailors took part in the event," said Freya. "Although conditions overnight were hard, the sunshine and gentle breeze on Saturday made perfect sailing conditions."
As well as organising events for the sailors, the Junior Committee also organised The Big Salterns Brunch, welcoming the local community to walk around the Lymington-Keyhaven sea wall path to join them for hot drinks and a bite to eat.
"It was great to welcome so many supporters to the club for brunch, many also had a go on our Tombola and bid in our Silent Auction," said Freya.
A particular highlight of the day was the Lymington Lifeboat crew's annual Optimist race, a hilarious spectacle where five grown men attempted to sail small children's dinghies around Eight Acre Pond. Needless to say, they got rather wet and provided a great laugh for spectators!
Many from the local sailing community came along to support the Salterns event, including double Olympic Gold medallist Sarah Gosling, and Laser Radial champion Hannah Snellgrove, a previous Commodore of Salterns.
Saturday afternoon was buzzing with members and visitors, with many younger sailors out on the lake. The Junior Committee organised seamanship races and held the grand finale of the season's racing in British Moth and RS Tera dinghies.
Meanwhile in the clubhouse, the fundraising Tombola, Silent Auction, colouring competition and refreshments keeping everyone else busy!
Salterns Sailing Club would like to thank everyone who supported their 21st Sailathon, in particular those who donated lots for the Silent Auction and prizes for the Tombola.
You can help the children of Salterns Sailing Club raise funds for Children in Need by donating at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/salterns-sailing-club2019
If you would like to find out about becoming a member of Salterns Sailing Club in 2020, please see www.salternssailingclub.co.uk