Wintry weather? No but Snowflake is on way

Chichester Yacht Club's 40th Snowflake series begins this Sunday.
Snowflake action at Chichester Yacht ClubSnowflake action at Chichester Yacht Club
Snowflake action at Chichester Yacht Club

This anniversary year promises to be an exciting renewal of the second of the club’s winter series of races.

The series is open to all dinghy sailors who wish to be active through the winter months and is noted for fast and furious fun.

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The sailing fleets from a variety of classes, which normally number 50 to 80 boats, comprise fast, medium and slow handicap. Participants of all ages are welcome.

The 40th season comprises 11 races in January, February and March. For sailors entry forms are available on arrival or by direct contact with the Chichester Yacht Club office.

Full details are also available at www.cycdinghies.co.uk – for notice of race and sailing instructions, see under winter series.

Rear commodore Paula Olliff and the dinghy race committee will also be available to advise spectators or families who may have an interest in taking up sailing or to come down and watch a great event, soak up the atmosphere or grab a hot drink from the club tea bar.

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The first race on Sunday is at 10.30am with a briefing for sailors at 9.30am.

ARUN

The traditional Cadetmas, held at the Arun Yacht Club clubhouse, drew 60 cadets, parents, members and guests, who toasted a year of wide-ranging cadet sailing achievement.

This included participation in team racing, match racing and open-fleet regattas away from the club as well as growing participation and success in the club racing calendar.

Jen Cummings from Bowers & Wilkins, proud sponsors of cadet sailing at AYC, was on hand with partner Karl Cook to present the club awards, which include annual merit awards, club racing medals, and even a cruiser racing award.

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In club racing, this year was a milestone in awarding medals for all club races for cadet finishes alone.

Medal winners included Dominik Woodcock, Jonny Brown, Turner James, Charles Taylor, Georgia Miles and Adi Lavender.

There were honourable mentions too for the cadet match racing comprising Alex Reeves, Charles and Turner, who came second in an informal match racing regatta hosted in Sonars by Sussex Yacht Club – and for Georgia Miles, Dominik, and Binnie Burgess who also recorded wins in the same competition.

The cadets were also represented at a WSSYSA Feva team racing event in Crawley, various WSSYSA Topper Traveller events, Chichester Harbour Federation Race Week and the RYA Zone Champs.

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At the end-of-year WSSYSA Regatta at Felpham, 17 sailors competed over two days and proudly flew the AYC burgee.

Merit awards were awarded as follows: Air Crew Shield (most improved cadet), James Spratt; WSSYSA Cup (outstanding performance at the WSSYSA Regatta), Shaun Kerrigan; Dillon Cup (cadet of the year), Georgia Miles; Paul Hughes Cup (outstanding contribution to training within the club, which Paul presented himself), Mark Nicholls.

Other awards included the RNLI Pennant and the Cruiser Bowl (Turner) and the Admiral’s Boot, for which many sailors were nominated but which fittingly was awarded to Nick Clare for carving a path of destruction in a Wayfarer on his way up and down the river.

There were speeches from outgoing cadet captain Georgia Miles, who was thanked for all her hard work this year, and from incoming captain Charles Taylor, who was wished well for the year.

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Dominik Woodcock and Jonny Brown were introduced as cadet Topper and Laser-class captains respectively. Nick Rusbridge, training principal, thanked all contributors and helpers who had made training and cadet sailing at the club so successful over the year and looked forward to an equally-full calendar for 2016, when AYC will celebrate its diamond jubilee.

Nick Clare, in accepting his award, emphasised that the club were extremely proud of the endeavours and successes of its cadets and pleased to see their sailing careers flourish, which increasingly included undertaking training to follow sailing careers beyond the club. He thanked parents, volunteers and staff who worked to strengthen the cadet sailing community.

The evening concluded with the drawing of prizes for the raffle, which raised nearly £400 for cadet funds.

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