Sailing News Week Commencing 11th July 2022

We are still on the look out for a Trot boat driver. Thank you to those that have already put their name forward. The service will not run between 1pm-6pm unless we are able to find someone to fill these duties. If you would like to put your name forward we would be very grateful.

As ever if you have further sailing news please let us know and we will happily post for you.

We look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Not sure what you’re doing in the summer yet? MYC training are running RYA courses and various summer sessions.
All training is open to members and guests to the club.

RYA Courses with spaces available. Book through smartclub.
RYA Youth Stage 1 Start Sailing, 8-10^th August, 22^nd-24^th August.
RYA Level 1 Dinghy Start Sailing (adults with instructor aboard), 13-14^th August, 21^st-22^nd August.
RYA Powerboat Level 2, 21^st-22^nd August.

Summer Sessions: Contact the club office for more information on availability and to book any of these activities.
Have a go sailing: 2-hour sail sessions with instructor aboard. Open to adults or youth aged 6+ with parent/guardian on site.
Summer sail fun: members invite your family and/or youth friends to an instructor led 3-hour sail session. Fun for all involved. Encouraging 5 years old plus to enjoy the water.
What SUP all about? Stand up paddleboarding instruction and group activity for 2 hours. Taught skills that are developed through activities or short paddle journey.

25^th – 29^th July
Are you aged 16 – 24 years old and would like to learn to sail?
Residential sailing course

Are you completing your Duke of Edinburgh Award and looking for a fun residential to do?

Medway Yacht club has linked up with the company First 4 Adventure to provide this Gold Sailing Residential. It will be 5 days of dinghy sailing based at the club, with the opportunity to develop skills, gain a RYA start sailing qualification whilst having fun and making new friends. Accommodation will be camping on the club site with use of the yacht club’s changing and shower facilities. Food is provided at the club, and there will be options to buy additional snacks and treats. The evening activities will include team challenges, a local walk, sailing quizzes and opportunity to prepare towards your RYA sailing qualification.

To book this exciting residential sailing option book through the licensed Duke of Edinburgh organisation First 4 Adventure UK
https://first4adventure.co.uk/services/gold-sailing-residential/

A new group of Royal Engineers arrived to start their sail training at MYC working towards their RYA Stage 1. The exciting pathway for these aspiring new sailors is to continue their training to go on and race and potentially represent their unit at the force’s annual championships. We are working with them to help facilitate the best and most competitive team.

Gybing practise was order of the day for adult sail training Saturday, with participants sharing their satisfaction at progress made. It was also enjoyable during the training to wave off those sailors departing MYC in the Montgomery race.

Our MYC youth benefitted from having guests from the locality who choose our training session to assist their own tidal preparations for the upcoming Feva World Championship at Weymouth. The youth guests really got involved in making the most of the opportunity and liked the Upnor Castle views too.

Saturday the 9th of July and race 5 of the MYC Squib summer series.
The forecast was for a hot, sunny 10-12 knots from the North’ish and I guess that’s what we kind of got. But for most of the race the wind was really light and fickle and although it was a pleasant sail it was SO FRUSTRATING (at times).
As is now normal, Black Mark made the best of the start with White knuckles (freshly scrubbed that morning) and Legend just behind. Winsome also joined the group but having not scrubbed for some time was not feeling to confident about their race pace, and indeed that proved to be the case…. although sticking it into the mud on the way to 23 didn’t help their cause.
By Wilsonians both BM and WK had started to pull away and with their kites up built a healthy gap to L and W But in the fluky wind on the reach down to 26 all were forced to drop their kites in a bit of a panic at some point. And although L had managed to overhaul WK, BM had managed to extend its lead and had what was probably a 2 min gap to the others at this, the first mark of the course.
It was then a short tricky beat to 27 then a beam reach to 25 and from here, a beat down to 23. Which in the fickle wind was even harder but it was BM that made the best of it, keeping to the right of all the shifts, which payd, and which allowed them to extend their lead to over 3 min. A lead they would hold on the way over to 22 but from here their luck started to change.
For example BM was forced to tack its way over to MYA1, where as both L and WK managed to lay it in one. Then on the next spinnaker run back up to 26 a large hole filled in on this part of the river and put a pause on the race for all. However as is the way on a run  the wind would fill in from behind, and with L now staying on what was the left, favoured side of the wind it allowed them to get within 30 seconds of BM at the mark. Although we didn’t realize it at the time WK also took advantage of the new wind and started making ground into the leaders as well.
From here it was a starboard tack all the way back to the line which sounds dull but in the light and shifty wind it was anything but. By the corner at Mears L tried to roll over the top of BM but BM closed the door on them however as they come out the other side and the wind filled back in L bore away and in the extra pressure managed to sail under BM to take the lead for the first time.
It was only then however, looking back at how they were doing in their own race did they realize just how close WK had got to their battle, and in a race where anything could happen  it was now genuinely a three way fight for the lead.
With the Dragons joining us all in heart break reach to mix things up and some even bigger shifts and holes no one could relax and as ever I doubt the finishing times will tell you just how close the race was but at the line nothing changed with L just in front of BM with WK having what may well be one of the best races of the year a  close 3rd.
I cant say it was a great sail but on what was the hottest day of the year so far there were plenty of pink, slightly sun burnt smiles on everyone’s faces at the end

Auth Legend

On the Saturday the 9^th of July early in the morning ,1000hrs to be precise. (It was early if you had been moored up on the pontoon the night before ) like smugglers of old times 23 boats slipped their moorings and stealthily glided down the river . Not because they were Quiet but because there was very little wind .

A few boats sneaked out of the Chatham Marina ( one was using a Pogo ) and sailed past the by now spread out fleet .

Such is the power of the class captains (other Fleets please note) the wind slowly filled in and as Terry Wogan would of said “off we jolly well went”

All went very well until the front of the fleet turned left at the Montgomery and the wind died and so of they jolly well went to the Netherlands . Once again the Power of the class captains came into play and just as Muskrat with 3 reefs in got to the wreck the wind picked up and once again Muskrat and Mischief were in the Pack .

By now the competition was hotting up , not because it was a race (its not a race ) but 13 of the boats had booked Dinner in the Queen Phillipa and were thirsty.

We said goodbye to the boats who were not joining us in the usual manner on channel 72 “Good Bye and your going to be missing a good night in Queenborourgh

Little did some of us know quite how much of a good night it was going to be .It was the cider Festival.

The rest as they say was history .

It’s not about winning its about the having fun