Yachts & Yachting magazine October 2020

BOAT SHOW SEASON IS ONCE AGAIN upon us or is it? In the past I have often observed that these events can feel a bit like groundhog day for those - like myself - who attend every year. Many is the time I have found myself wandering slightly lost around the halls of Dusseldorf or Southampton wondering what year it is. Anyway, 2020 is a bit different albeit for all the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, there is a certain knife-edge wildness about this round of boat shows that is usually lacking. Things were meant to kick off at Cannes - instead, things really kicked off when the government ordered it be cancelled at extremely short notice. The whole thing has been most unfortunate and my sympathies lie with British Marine, organisers of…

With the 2020 Round the Island Race sadly postponed (and since, cancelled), 133 yachts nonetheless took an alternative opportunity the sail the 50nm course in RORC’s Race the Wight event. Covid restrictions meant many raced short-handed, but perfect conditions and a charitable donation of over £5000 made to the NHS and the Scaramouche Sailing Trust gave the race an all-round feel good factor. Staying close inshore paid for many, in particular Mike Bartholomew’s GP42 Tokoloshe. The Fast40+ did the double, taking monohull line honours and the overall race win on IRC time correction.…

Applications are open for the RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year Awards, which celebrate the achievements of sailing clubs across the UK. All RYA-affiliated clubs in the UK are eligible for the competition, which is sponsored once again by Gallagher. The judging panel selects a finalist for each of the ten RYA regions, as well as two wild card entries. The finalists are invited to the RYA Dinghy Show, which in February 2021 is due to be held at Farnborough Exhibition Centre. The announcement of the winner is made by RYA chief executive Sarah Treseder to a packed house at the show each year and the winning club gets a range of benefits, including follow up articles in Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting over the year. Clubs are also…

The 52nd Southampton Boat Show may have been postponed until next year, but there are now three smaller boat shows in Southampton over the same dates, 11-20 September. British Marine’s mini-Southampton Boat Show is called Boats2020 and we preview the event in full on page 66. Held at Mayflower Park, the site of the normal Southampton Boat Show, it features a host of exhibitors including 90 boats and a variety of kit stands, with tickets available only by pre-booking. Extensive measures have been put in place to ensure visitors can see boats and talk to exhibitors at leisure and in safety. Meanwhile marina operator MDL is also holding an event at nearby Ocean Village, on the same dates, with more than 80 boats on show. The event is by invite only and customers…

The relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions in July and August prompted a spate of regattas and racing around the British Isles, with further events planned for the late season. Uncertainty continued to cause cancellations, most notably the Round the Island Race, which had been postponed to 26 September. Race director Dave Atkinson, of the Island Sailing Club, said: “As sailing restrictions have eased, it appeared that safety on the water was becoming less of an issue; but sadly, with Round the Island being one of the UK’s largest sporting events, achieving shoreside Covid-19 compliance within current government guidelines, is simply not achievable.” The club has organised two Solent races for September, the ISC Nab Tower Race on 5 September and a Christchurch Bay Race on 26 September. Notice of Race at islandsc.org.uk The other…

Salcombe Yacht Club marked its 125th anniversary with a successful race week, 85 boats taking to the water in glorious conditions and the rare spectacle of racing on the estuary thoroughly welcomed by locals and holidaymakers. The club’s planned anniversary ball had to be cancelled because of the pandemic but commodore Andy Savell and flag officers pulled out all the stops to produce a memorable event. Social distancing measures included asking all competitors to refrain from using the slipway and instead sail from a mooring, or launch from the beach each morning. Everyone who raced did a duty and the club organised race officer teams made up of family or friendship bubbles. Falmouth Week took place with 110 entries and crews of friends of family bubbles. Full report in Sailing Today…