Our Amazing Jubilee Weekend
Published 13:41 on 7 Jun 2022
As her Platinum Jubilee came to a close HM the Queen spoke of the sense of togetherness that she hoped the occasion had inspired. Her hopes were certainly realised at WWSC where members young and old, and in all types of craft and none, enjoyed a long weekend of celebration. What follows is just a sample.
Jubilee Thursday - Sprints and the Beacon
Our 3 Jubilee Sprints saw a different boat win each race. Kevan Watkins the first, Oli Bonar the second, and Guy Russell the third. In the Series however, Peter McKerchar remains on top. To see the full results click here.
All 3 races were sailed in a SE wind that proved challenging for the Race Officers and the 16 boats that turned out. At times it was a fresh Force 4 that had much of the fleet planing down the reaches but then inexplicably it would drop just when you weren't expecting it to a mere Force 2. The SE direction meant setting the course was tricky too. To get a decent upwind leg, Jem & Nancy Western asked Tash Price and Peter Collinson in the safety boat to place Hut just off the jetty at Rookwood. It turned out that the wind there was badly disturbed by the shore which led to some amazing changes of fortune as boats rounded this mark. Although this must have been frustrating it led to some fascinating tussles on the water and boat handling skills were at a premium. Well done to all. If you want to see loads more photos Nancy took of the racing click here.
It seemed as if the entire village of West Wittering came together to see the Beacon lit on one of those perfectly calm evenings we all enjoy after a hard day's sailing.
Max Ambrose in charge from WWE need not have worried when it burst into life right on cue at 21:15 joining beacons up and down the land. Thank you WWE for another memorable occasion.
Friday - Our Jubilee Charity Race and Street Party
WWSC's Sailing Team had designed this race so as to attract the widest possible entry and we weren't disappointed. The 33 strong fleet included every kind of boat - from Ed Martin in his Contender (once the Olympic singlehander) to Oppies (the boats many of our Olympic sailors learnt in). Our average lap format meant they could all race together on the same course.
Oli Bonar took first place in his Laser Standard, with Jem & Nancy Western second in their 2000. Then came Ann Carnegie sailing with daughter Rebecca Green in Nellie, a Lymington River Scow sporting a very regal sail. Jolyon Western's Laser Radial was 4 th, just 5 seconds behind Ann on corrected time with Roz Haynes and Clare Benda's Scow just getting the better of Jeremy Haynes whose Laser Radial sported the largest (Union Jack) burgee ever seen in Chichester Harbour. Carter Mills was the first junior home sailing an Oppie coming 16th which was greatly to his credit given the tricky wind conditions off the Ellanore Bird Hide and the often-crowded conditions around the course. You can see all the race results here. And even more importantly, members' contributions to our Charity Race JustGiving page in aid of MND have now raised over £1,000. Thank you for your generosity.
The Team prize went to "Team Western" (brothers Jolyon and Jem) while Flying Dorgies (Ed's Contender and Henry Martin plus Charles and Etta in their Osprey) came second. The Chatty Girls (Layla Shaer, Isla Edward and Millie Easton-Thomas all in Toppers) were third with all 3 finishing close enough that their on-the-water chat wasn't interrupted!
Ann Carnegie was the winner of the best dressed boat prize with her sail beautifully painted by daughter Rebecca outshining the competition from Anita Russell's Coble crewed by Stephen Carter in second place and Tom and Liz Richardson's Tideway Rhubarb 3 rd.
The whole affair was managed perfectly by Guy Russell, Kevan Watkins and Jac Mavity aboard Committee who had the onerous task of counting laps and recording times with over 30 boats finishing in quick succession. The 3 Safety Boats were crewed by Will Ellsworth-Jones, Bridget Wright, David & Kate Law, and Roger Mavity and Ginny Russell. Many thanks to all our volunteers.
The spirit of togetherness continued at the Street Party on Snowhill Green where the Club's tireless Social Secretary Tash Price had come up with the perfect recipe for relaxed, informal fun. Members of all ages marvelled at the magnificent Jubilee cakes on display, congratulated the afternoon's race winners and shared food and drink together in our magical creek-side location with the excellent steel band providing the perfect accompaniment. And the rain that had threatened held off too! Many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this happen. You can see some of the photos we were given on our web gallery here.
Saturday and Sunday - Wind stops play!
With the wind blowing at Force 5-6 mid-morning, Alex Anderson wisely cancelled our planned Jubilee Saturday Women-on-the Water. These weren't really ideal conditions for enthusing less experienced members with a love of sailing!
Then on Sunday, the plan to see the weekend out with a late afternoon Early Points race for Classes 1 & 2 came to grief not because of too much wind but none at all. Race Officers Steve & Sue Marks patiently waited to see if the battle between land and sea breezes would finally be resolved but in vain as the 2 perfectly cancelled each other out in the waters around East Head. Well done to everyone who managed to get out to the start line... and back again. And to the Rusty Sailors who (always positive) thanked their instructors Finn Western and George Benda for a "very relaxing experience".
The plot above shows the conditions faced by Steve and Sue, our Race Officers (and of course by all those who ventured out from the Creek for the race). The wind off the WW beach (at Chimet was never less than 5 knots but at the time the sailors were out was always from the west or south-west. Further up the Harbour (at Cambermet) the wind was almost exactly from the opposite direction (fluctuating between NW and NE) and falling gradually to zero by 4.15pm. In between these 2 points at Snowhill Creek, the result was virtually no wind at all!
Last updated 11:01 on 28 March 2024