Surrey Schools Sailing Assocation Regatta
As always, the club was delighted to host the Surrey Schools Sailing Assocation regatta on the 10th May. Finally summer arrived with sunshine, which assured a good turn out for the event, though a little more wind would have been useful. 37 students attended from 7 schools and sailing clubs in Surrey, with boats ranging in size from an Enterprise to an Optimist with plenty of Toppers, Lasers and Fevas in between. From Island Barn, William Scott competed in a Topper and Oliver Foster competed in a Taz.
The morning saw challenging racing in light winds and a major wind shift which some competitors were able to take advantage of. In a testament to perseverance, all competitors managed to finish, what was for some, a frustrating race. In the afternoon the wind died but the fleet enjoyed a couple of hotly contested paddling races!
Commodore, Alasdair Maclean said, “It was great to see young people out enjoying the sport. The SSSA regattas offer a valuable stepping stone in the process developing sailing skills into racing skills. These events enable young people to learn to race before going out onto the Open Circuit, which can seem daunting to a beginner. I was particularly pleased to see William Scott come fourth in the Toppers.”
Of course no Surrey Schools event is complete without an impressive array of trophies to be won and the winners were:
Fast Fleet – Josh Peckham – Royal Grammar School
Slow Fleet – Thomas and Stefan Curtress - Royal Grammar School
Topper Class – Elizabeth Culwick – Guildford High School
Laser Radial Class – Liz Foreman – Queen Mary Sailing School
Laser 4.7 Class – Matthew Goodburn - Royal Grammar School
Feva XL Class - Thomas and Stefan Curtress - Royal Grammar School
Best beginner – Matthew Goodburn - Royal Grammar School