Blackwater Sailing Club News

Cadet Callum Marshall shines in the Monaco Optimist Team Racing Championship

Editor — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:20:39 GMT

BSC Cadet Callum Marshall kicked off 2026 in style, captaining the team representing the UK at the Monaco International Optimist Team Racing Championship. Callum qualified for this event after winning in the 2025 Nationals. This is likely to be his final international competition in an Optimist – and what a venue to sign off!

After a light-wind practice day spent exploring Monaco, racing got underway following a delayed start. Day 1 saw mixed results in challenging conditions, while Day 2 was dominated by postponements and very light winds. Despite frustration, the team stayed focused and determined.

The final days brought better breeze and strong performances, with the British team winning all three races on the last day. The team finished tied 5th on race wins with the USA, taking an impressive 6th overall on points.

A fantastic achievement and a brilliant way for Callum to conclude his international Optimist sailing. Congratulations to Callum and the team on a great result in Monaco!

Belinda Hunt

Photos: © Yacht Club de Monaco

Winter Work Party Brings Big Turnout

Editor — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 12:34:11 GMT

A sunny but crisp winter morning greeted more than 60 club members as they arrived—shovels, strimmers and loppers in hand—for this year’s Winter Work Party. The impressive turnout set the tone for a morning filled with hard work, muddy clothes, and plenty of camaraderie.

Volunteers got stuck straight in, clearing ditches, tackling the muddy ramp (and inevitably getting covered in it), cutting back brambles around the Lasers, widening the sea wall footpath, organising the dinghy park and giving the race box, galley and office a much-needed tidy.

Meanwhile, Mike made himself indispensable, buzzing around on the quad bike to shift boats and other heavy kit, while Zoë followed with the tractor, scooping up heaps of branches and brambles as fast as they were cut back, and moving rocks with the digger.

Mark, armed with his trusty chocolate bag, did the essential work of keeping spirits high with sweet treats and encouraging words.

A mid-morning tea break—with biscuits and festive mince pies—gave everyone a chance to thaw out and swap stories before heading back to the tasks at hand. And after hours of graft in the cold, the Galley team served up a very welcome baked potato lunch, topped off with Zoë’s delicious bakes.

This year’s Work Party also marked a special moment for Julie as she passed the Warden’s baton to her successor, Mick. In recognition of her remarkable nine years of dedication, she was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers - a well-earned thank-you from the whole club.

With festive music drifting across the grounds and mulled wine prepared by Tommy and Karen to warm hands and hearts alike, it was a day that embodied what makes our club so special: community, commitment and a shared love of sailing.

Here’s to another year of teamwork—and to the volunteers who keep our club thriving.

Volunteer Spotlight - Mike Ayton

News — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:05:21 GMT

Continuing our series recognising volunteers across BSC, the Web & Comms team is delighted to shine a spotlight on Mike Ayton, who has quietly and expertly guided the Club through one of its most important negotiations recently.

Mike has been a BSC member since 1987, first drawn to the Club when he met his future wife, Gay Waller, then a long-standing cadet member. He already had some sailing experience from his years living in Uganda, where he sailed on Lake Victoria. Back in the UK, he quickly became the “heavy weather” crew for his future father-in-law Martin in the Albacore fleet. He and Gay later inherited Honeybee, and today they can be found afloat in their distinctive orange-hulled Kestrel, EasyWet.

Professionally, Mike is a Chartered Surveyor specialising in commercial agency and development in Cambridge — particularly in the office, tech and life-science sectors. When long-serving Club Surveyor David Goldsmith retired, Mike stepped into the role, advising the Club on its property interests. While BSC owns the freehold of its buildings and land, it leases the foreshore — including the moorings area — from Maldon District Council.

Recently, Mike completed a major piece of work: securing the renewal of the Club’s foreshore (moorings) lease. It may sound far removed from negotiating a cutting-edge laboratory lease in Cambridge, but in practice both are commercial agreements governed by the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954.

The renewed lease covers the launching ramp and the 120+ moorings stretching from Ballast Hole to a point precisely 170 metres south of the southern Club boundary, extending out as far as the main channel, Colliers Reach.

Negotiations first began when the previous lease expired in 2015. Mike advised on the commercial terms and worked to ensure the Club avoided any onerous obligations, liaising throughout with Allan Hunt’s legal team at Mitchell Plampin Partnership. A decade-long process might test anyone’s patience — especially as a succession of council staff and lawyers brought shifting views on how the lease should be structured — but thanks to the protection of the ’54 Act, the Club’s position remained secure throughout.

Mike recalls some of the more unusual moments along the way.

“At one point, the draft lease was reviewed by a solicitor at another council who seemed unaware that the lease refers primarily to water. They suggested the “property” should be kept clean and in good repair — prompting clarification that, fortunately, the Club is not responsible for cleaning the estuary, only for maintaining the ramp.”

The new lease was finally completed in August this year, securing the Club’s continued use of both ramp and moorings for the next 20 years — an invaluable outcome for BSC and its members.

A huge thank you to Mike for his persistence, professionalism and good humour throughout this long process. His work ensures the Club can continue to enjoy and manage its moorings well into the future.

If you know a volunteer who should be featured in our spotlight series, please email news@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk.

Blackwater Sailing Club Celebrates Cadets’ Excellence at the East Anglian Maritime Awards

News — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:03:12 GMT

The Blackwater Sailing Club (BSC) is proud to announce that two of its outstanding cadets Austin Edwards and Stanley Johnson have been awarded the highly respected East Anglian Maritime Awards (EAMA) Certificates of Excellence. Now in its third year, the awards are a unique opportunity to recognise the achievement of young people who participate in maritime activities.

The Blackwater Sailing Club also had the honour of hosting the EAMA awards ceremony on 12 November welcoming young people and their families as well as distinguished guests and representatives from across the region and was delighted to provide a fitting venue to celebrate all the achievements.

What started as a love for kayaking and paddleboarding for Austin Edwards soon turned into a full-blown passion for sailing. Learning at age 10 he hasn’t looked back and is now racing in ILCA 6 at national competitions and the UK’s top sailing venues including Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy. He thrives on challenge, strategy and the thrill of speed on the water. With ambitions to become a dinghy instructor and work in the maritime sector, Austin is charting an exciting course towards a future built on passion, perseverance and adventure.

Stanley Johnson’s family has a long history with the BSC as his great grandparents were members, so he’s spent much time on the water including a month aged 4 cruising around France with his grandparents. As a cadet aged 8, he progressed rapidly from an Optimist, even though vowed never to sail again after a scary first day training, to Topper and now racing and winning awards in his ILCA6. Stanley enjoyed a week’s work experience at the Club helping the Stewards with moorings, rib maintenance, cleaning changing rooms and maintaining the boat park giving him valuable insight into the challenges off the water; with the independence, confidence and sense of achievement he has gained from sailing, he is on a good course for a bright future.

Joe Bird, Rear Commodore Blackwater Sailing Club said: “Many congratulations to Austin and Stanley. These awards, with their broad and inclusive criteria aim to recognise those who show commitment, community spirit and enthusiasm for maritime activity and I’m delighted to see that our Cadets’ achievements have been recognised through this important regional initiative.”

The East Anglian Maritime Awards celebrate young people who make a meaningful contribution to the water environment whether it’s in sailing, conservation, engineering, boatbuilding, volunteering, lifeguarding and wider maritime community life. The awards are given in four categories - conservation, proficiency, resilience, and water safety and focus on improving life chances, increasing confidence, raising aspirations and strengthening local communities through voluntary and community participation.

EAMA chairman, retired Rear Admiral and Vice Lord Lieutenant of Essex Roy Clare, gave a warm welcome at the Award Ceremony whilst Mrs Jenny Tolhurst, The Lord-Lieutenant of Essex highlighted the importance of maritime excellence in the County and presented the Awards.

Volunteer Spotlight - Marilyn Sinclair & the Mid Week Lunch team

News — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 13:50:44 GMT

“The friendships that have been formed over many years…”
“It is like being part of a large family and gives me a feeling of belonging…”
“There is always someone to help when it is needed…”
“Life in the 21^st century brings different pressures on members, but it is important to make everyone feel part of the club”

These are the reflections of four volunteers, (with a whopping 167 years of BSC membership between them), when asked for their favourite thing about being a member of the club!

And doesn’t that just say it all? Yes, we come to BSC to sail, but we stay for the kinship, the friendships and the feeling of family – on and off the water.

This time, we’re shining the spotlight on a brilliant example of that spirit: the fabulous volunteers who make the Mid-Week Lunch Club happen every month.

The Lunch Club was the brainchild of long-standing member Marilyn Sinclair, and set up 15 years ago. Marilyn explains:

“I felt that many of the older Members were being overlooked in the Club’s social calendar and that it would give them a reason to come to the Club, even if they didn’t sail anymore. It has also been especially popular with those Members who have lost their partners, as again it gives them a reason to come and meet up with other Members in a similar position.”

Together with an army of dedicated volunteers, Marilyn and the brilliant caterer Bridget Mellor, who always goes above and beyond, welcome around 30 members each month. In all that time, the only thing that’s managed to stop them is a global pandemic!

Over the years, the Lunch Club team has included:

Barbara & Bob Appleby
Jane Foulds
Kate Stewart
Marg Norman
Jan Nuttall
Penny Baines
Julie Leary
Tricia Parker
Anthony Sinclair

These names represent years of love, service and support for the club, both on and off the water.

Barbara, for instance, joined the club 25 years ago when the Osea Sailing Club tragically burnt down in 1996. Her experience as social secretary and running the galley across the river saw her get stuck in at BSC from the very beginning. Barbara went on to run the galley during club week from 2003 to 2021, working hard to secure the club a 5 Star Hygiene rating! (Bet you didn’t consider that when enjoying your bacon roll before racing!).

Marilyn has volunteered in a number of positions since joining back in 1969 - from Cadet Skipper to introducing the Macmillan Coffee Morning in 2011, which has raised over £12,000 to date! (BSC members clearly LOVE their cake!) Whilst serving on the social committee, alongside initiating Lunch Club, Marilyn identified there was a lack of social activities for members at the other end of the life cycle and set up the kids’ Christmas party in 2021. Now the wildest party in the calendar!

Over the last 35 years, Penny has joined many a winter working party, fulfilled bridge and safety boat duties; and, when her husband was a Flag Officer, organised and catered social events, as well as being an active fundraiser for the Clubhouse Redevelopment Project. Penny served on the main committee, taking a particular interest in HP&E, but now says, “I am happy to help out whenever asked.”

And Tricia – Alongside helping with Lunch Club, Tricia is a core part of the Webs & Comms and Membership sub-committees, helping with the day to day smooth running of the club and attraction of new members. Tricia has served many years on the Main Committee, including in the Flag Officer Roles, becoming our second ever female Commodore. Asked what she gets from volunteering, Tricia says: ‘I enjoy knowing that I am helping the club to keep the self-help ethos, which gives it its character and community feeling’.

There is no doubt that the social side of the club brings just as much, if not more, than the sailing to our members. And we are lucky to have people who are ready to roll up their sleeves, serve up a slice of cake, or even slip into a santa suit!

In the words of Marilyn Sinclair:

"I just like being involved and helping out wherever I can and am able. As I was once told “The more you put in the more you get out” and I personally agree wholeheartedly with this comment!

Fancy getting involved?

If you’d like to be part of the social side of the club – whether that’s Lunch Club, events, parties or anything in between – we’d absolutely love to have you.

Just drop a note to Julie Shelter at: social-secretary@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk

You never know… it might just be the start of your next 40+ years of friendships at BSC.

Volunteer Spotlight - Dick Garside

News — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 11:23:24 GMT

If you've visited the Club recently, you'll know it's been buzzing with activity. Members are laying up their boats after another action-packed season, cruisers are being hauled out on every tide and the moorings are being prepared for winter.

Managing the moorings is a big job that requires careful coordination — and much of it is led by dedicated volunteers.

To recognise the incredible contribution of volunteers across the Club, the Web & Comms team will be spotlighting individuals on the BSC news pages. And who better to start with than our Moorings Officer, Dick Garside.

Dick has been a BSC member since 1986. Before taking on his current role, he served on the Main Committee, the HPE Sub-Committee, and contributed to several Club redevelopment projects. He stepped into the Moorings Officer role in 2019, just as the moorings system was being digitised. There are up to 169 moorings available at BSC, with 120 currently in use.

As Moorings Officer, Dick's responsibilities include:

Keeping records of mooring condition, and allocation to boats and members
Allocating boats to suitable moorings to reduce the risk of conflict
Organising the biennial inspections and sharing results with members
Organising mooring work with the Warden and Stewards
Keeping an adequate stock of mooring tackle
Keeping the Wild Apricot database up to date
Getting invoices for mooring tackle to members
Proposing annual updates for consideration by the Moorings Sub-Committee

When asked what first drew him to the Club, Dick says:

"The main attraction was that it was a 'DIY' club, where members take responsibility for their own equipment and support each other. I think this spirit largely continues today — encouraging members to do as much as they can themselves, while recognising the Club must manage higher-risk activities. It would be sad to see the Club become one where members expect everything to be done for them. I was fortunate that when I started as Mooring Officer I inherited the comprehensive records kept by predecessors John Clark and Mick Sargeant. In fact the present mooring pattern was instituted by Mick’s father.”

There's no question that Dick does a huge amount for the Club. His background in seafaring, engineering, construction and naval architecture helps keep everything running smoothly. And he's keen to involve more members in the moorings team — ensuring things continue to run well in future. Could you learn from the calm and capable Dick Garside?

A heartfelt thank you to Dick for everything he does — and continues to do — for the Club. We hope his efforts inspire others to get involved. The moorings team will be happy to mentor anyone interested!

If you think there is a volunteer that should be mentioned on our news pages, then let us know by emailing – news@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk

The season closes with the Dyer Cup

News — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 18:26:23 GMT

The traditional end of season race was run on Sunday 19 October with a fleet of 29 boats for an all-in-start from the launch downriver. The start line was between the launch anchored off Clarks buoy and Osea Road buoy, with a beat downriver against the tide to Doctor buoy off Osea Pier and then a run back with the tide around the river’s official navigation marks. The turning point was at Herring Point off Maldon with the fleet finishing across the club line.

The handicap race was very close with a Wayfarer helmed by Graham Hoy & crewed by Clemency Evans winning by a 40 second margin over Dan Dixon in a Finn in second place with Rob & Katherine Carver in a Laser 2000 in third place. One cruiser participated, John Dyer & crew in “Breezy” and so won the Copsey Cup.

The bridge crew ran a race for the Short Course Fleet started from the Club line for 3 Mirrors and 1 Optimist. The winner was Julie Nelson crewed by Sarah Bakewell and well done to Oliver Keeble for finishing the race is his Optimist.

Many thanks to RO Malcom Green & ARO Judy Barnes who were in the launch driven by Steve Sharpe. The bridge crew of myself, Wendy Walker and Julie Shelter processed the results quickly.

We also ran a Macmillan Coffee morning and many thanks to Social Secretary Julie Shelter and her team for all their organisation. We raised £530 for this exceptional charity so thank you to all members for your support. The RNLI also had their usual stall which had a successful day with sales of £300.65 and donations of over £200.

Our Rear Commodore, Joe Bird organised an Open Forum for members to put forward their suggestions for improving and rejuvenating the way racing is run at the Club. Some really good ideas were forthcoming – there will be another Open Forum on Saturday 1 November at 19: 30 – the bar will be open so please come along to express your views.

BSC Commodore

(Photos: Gay Ayton)

Laser Open

Editor — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 17:24:41 GMT

On the 20th and 21st September the club hosted a 2-day Laser Open, with the Sunday also being a GP Event for the UKLA ILCA East Region Series. There were 3 races each day, with separate starts for ILCA 7 (Laser), ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) & ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7), downriver from a committee boat. We had a great turn out with 40 sailors, 14 club members and 26 visitors. Saturday started out with lighter winds, but then, as forecast, the wind strengthened and it was very gusty, which caused a few capsizes. Sunday was more consistent, and with the Essex sunshine it was great sailing. Thanks to everyone who helped and took part.

Tracy Haigh

Let them eat cake!

News — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:34:10 GMT

Thank you to everyone who supported the Macmillan cake sale last Sunday as well as the one held in the summer. Thanks to everyone's generosity we raised £730! A fantastic achievement.

Additionally, Anne from the RNLI stall was grateful - members raised over £600 across both events too.

A special thank you must go to all the willing helpers who made these events possible.

Cadet Reid Scott and Beastie weekend

Editor — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:23:53 GMT

The last weekend of August offered some feisty wind conditions for those taking part in the Reid Scott & Beastie events (the latter being part of a series of events hosted across four clubs in the Eastern region).

Some were put off by the forecast of rain on the Friday, but for the 48 sailors who took to the water, it proved to be a glorious afternoon of steady F4-5 winds and clear skies. We had a couple of coaches out on the water, as there were a handful of novice racers in the Topper/Tera & Optimist fleets; honourable mention to Charlie C-C who raced like a pro and ended the day in 3^rd place overall! Meanwhile, in the Feva fleet, the day was a close-fought tussle, with 2 boats ending the day on equal points (visitors Noah & Rory, and homegrown scratch pairing Daniel H & Bella E). We managed to fit in a third race for all 5 classes, but due to some confusion in the communications, this was not entirely successful for all (in the Gen Handicap fleet, all 4 boats managed to sail different courses, rendering the race null & void).

Saturday saw fresher winds, with gusts around 30mph recorded. The Oppie Regatta fleet briefly ventured onto the river, but swiftly retreated to the lake for more enjoyable conditions. Kudos to Hannah K for making that call, and ensuring they could make the most of the day. The challenging conditions meant that a number of boats didn’t finish the first race, but the hardy majority managed to stay out for a second, with the competition really hotting up across all fleets.

On Sunday we welcomed a large number of additional visitors in Oppies, Teras, ILCA 4s (Laser 4.7s in old money) & Fevas, swelling the ranks to over 90 sailors. Despite the late tides, we again managed 3 races for most (including 3 on the lake for the Oppie Regatta fleet), allowing some great competition in superb conditions. On several occasions, we had classes starting a new race while others were still crossing the line for a previous, making for some exciting viewing from the shore (and numerous challenges for the spotters on the bridge!).

The suspense was really building in the early evening as the bridge team valiantly trawled through results for the 13 races that day, and then had to extrapolate the Beastie results based on different age/rig size criteria. By the time we were ready for prize-giving, a number of the further-flung visitors had already had to set off home, but a number expressed their thanks for a great weekend of racing in a very welcoming atmosphere, with great support both on and off the water.

Clare Hall

Results

Reid Scott

General Handicap

1 Osea Evans & Jack Bernard/Luca Batley

2 Finlay Craig & Oscar Rogers

3 Natasha & Olivia Adkins

ILCA/LASER (all rigs)

1 Callum Marshall

2 Hugh Andrews

3 Jess Welch

FEVA

1 Noah Mathers & Rory Luddington (visitors)

2 Daniel Hall & Bella Elderton

3 Esme Thomas & Bertie Elderton/Elvie Coates

TOPPER/TERA

1 Ben Crawford

2 William Jenkins

3 Elliot Gardner

OPTIMISTS

1 Thomas Child (visitor)

2 Freddie Barnes (visitor)

3 Beatrie Long (visitor)

Beastie

ILCA 4/LASER 4.7

1 Callum Marshall

2 ess Welch

3 Will Keys-Batson

FEVA

1 Noah Mathers & Rory Luddington

2 Amelie Fairhead & Hugh Walker

3 Daniel Hall & Bella Elderton

TERA

1 Edward Gould

2 George Panos

3 Harry Calver

TOPPER

1 Joe Crawford

2 Amelia Gilbert

3 Abigail Nicols

OPTIMISTS

1 Thomas Child

2 Freddie Barnes

3 Isaac Thomas

OPTIMIST REGATTA FLEET

1 Jenson Edwards

2 Emily Steggals

3 Maddison Dove

4 Isla Steggals

Cadet Week 2025

Editor — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:54:30 GMT

A Fabulous Week to Remember

August saw the highlight of the BSC Cadet year with over 153 Cadets and nearly as many volunteers taking part in a packed week of sailing and onshore fun. As well as the sailing, other activities included, field games, the traditional tractor pull contest and the Colour team competitions.

During the week our Cadets sailed in a wide variety of boats, from Oppies, Toppers, Fevas, 420s, Lasers, to Thames Barges! We also were very lucky to have Oyster Smack ‘Hyacinth’ sailed by the newest Cadets to sailing and the use of four BSC cruiser yachts for the older Seamanship and Crewing group who were less keen on the racing but wanted to enjoy cruising.

Beginners learned the ropes on the lake, while the more experienced cadets trained or raced on the river. Winds picked up throughout the week, culminating in a breezy Saturday and the sunny Sunday sail to Maldon for ice cream with nearly 100 boats.

Red team claimed overall victory in the colour team competition, shining in the lake games and the talent show.

On Wednesday night, most Cadets headed over to Madison Heights in Maldon to enjoy roller-skating and soft play. Despite the variety of ages amongst the cadets, we all had a lot of fun at Monkey Puzzle with everyone getting involved and taking part in games such as Stuck in the Mud and Splat. It gave everyone a chance to get to know other Cadets that were not in the same colour or sailing groups. After an exciting hour, we went to the roller-skating rink where there was a range of different skill levels. It was especially nice to see more advanced skaters support and guide others around the rink.

On the penultimate evening we had the Curry Night, when both adults and cadets had an opportunity to dress up and celebrate. There was a photo booth where both adults and cadets captured memories with their friends. Later, there was a disco as well as a new addition to Cadet Week for the adults: the Ceilidh Night, where an Irish band performed and organised country dancing which was very entertaining! The disco gave a chance for both younger and older cadets to have fun and dance with DJ Elliott on the decks expertly mixing the music.

We also had a film night, a talent show and the very popular fancy dress competition with the challenging letter ‘O’ theme.

We raised over £1800 during Cadet Week for our four charities being CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), Thames Barge Sailing Trust, Heritage Marine Foundation and the Farleigh Hospice. Farleigh Hospice was the charity supported by Richard Marshall’s Swim Across the Channel which took part over the last two days of Cadet Week.

It was definitely a fantastic and memorable week for both the children and all the adults taking part. The week was a huge success thanks to all the dedicated volunteers and organisers under the leadership of our enthusiastic Cadet Skipper.

Osea Evans & Katherine Carver

Photos: Anna Lau and Sophie Carver

Cadet Week Results

MAIN SERIES

General Handicap for the Cadets 420 Cup

1 Bella Elderton & Hermione Cook

2 Flo Evans & Katherine Carver

3 Olivia Adkins & Henry Louis

LASER Overall for the Glendu Regatta Cup

1 Jess Welch (4.7)

2 Austin Edwards (Radial)

3 Hugh Andrews (Radial)

LASER Radial

1 Charlie Garlick (placed 5^th)

Laser 4.7

1 Mara Thomas (placed 4^th)

Feva for the for the Gibson Trophy

1 Amelie Fairhead & Bonnie Marshall

2 Natasha Adkins & Esme Thomas

3 Harriet Garlick & Freddie Diddams

TOPPER/TERA – for the NRD Trophy

1 Amelia Gilbert

2 Ben Crawford

3 Isabelle Miller

OPTIMISTS for the Segura Trophy

1 Oliver Keeble

2 Matthew Marshall

3 Victor Iszatt

OVERALL RACING TROPHIES

CHALLENGE TROPHY: Best points for the week

Amelie Fairhead & Bonnie Marshall in Feva

BLUE FLAG TANKARD (NO PLAQUE): Girl’s best points for the week, not winning the Challenge Trophy

Bella Elderton & Hermione Cook in 420

BEST CREW MEDAL

Bonnie Marshall in Feva: coaches described as absolute powerhouse – excellent transitions – super-responsive to both helm & conditions

COCK OF THE CADETS: Winner of Race of all Class Winners

1 Jess Welch

2 Amelie Fairhead

3 Bella Elderton

PINK FLAG TANKARD

Best results in a handicap fleet not winning the first prize

Flo Evans & Katherine Carver in the GH fleet

AWARDED TROPHIES

OPTIMIST – for the Evans Endeavour Goblet

Matthew Marshall for really developing his race acumen since this time last year

SEAMANSHIP CUP: Awarded for good seamanship or helping other competitors

Willoughby Spanton for persevering sailing back from downriver without being towed

HERON SPOON: Most Resolute Cadet

Ariana Denny from Oppie OTW – first time on river, always kept on trying, and did all that was asked of her

GINGER RICHES: Most Spirited Cadet

Charlie Nelson – always smile on face, good listener & always willing to help other cadets

BSC Club Week 2025 – What a Week!

News — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 17:33:16 GMT

It may seem like a distant memory now, but Club Week 2025 was a corker. Read on for the Commodore's report, featuring shifty winds, sea shanties and a Celebration of the Sea!

This year’s Club Week kicked off on Wednesday 20 August with the Wayfarer fleet on duty. Thanks to perfect tide times and a steady Force 4 breeze, over 80 boats took to the water for two thrilling back-to-back races — an incredible start to the week!

Thursday saw the Fast Handicap & Fireball fleet take charge, with me helping out on the bridge and Charlie Stewart masterfully running the ramp. The second race brought high drama with two fleets finishing from Lock and four shortened at Millbeach — keeping us on our toes and grateful for the trusty Line Camera! The evening rounded off in style with the ever-popular Quiz Night, brilliantly organised by Hattie Norman and supported by Drac & Marg. With 13 teams battling it out, the finish was nail-bitingly close!

On Friday, the Sprites took over. A slow start with very little wind (shifting a full 270 degrees!) meant a 45-minute postponement, but things eventually settled at NNW Force 2. Fleets were launched, though conditions were tricky, leading to shortened courses for three fleets and the Cruisers. True grit shone through with Victor Iszatt (Optimist) and Amelia Gilbert (Topper), both refusing offers of a tow and determinedly completing Course 1 in over two and a half hours! Spirits were high later at Fleet Night on the Terrace, with plenty of fun and games.

Saturday was another action-packed day, with the Short Course & Optimists fleets running two races. Meanwhile, the club transformed for my Commodore’s Supper, themed “A Celebration of the Sea”. The costumes were incredible — from Chris Mills’ larger-than-life Jellyfish to Alan Coday’s creative Seaweed! Alison from Annie’s Caterers wowed us with a hearty fish pie supper and a show-stopping meringue dessert. Entertainment was top notch too, with the Motley Crew from Brightlingsea leading us in rousing sea shanties, followed by music and dancing on the terrace with Sam from Friday Sailors and his band.

Sunday wrapped things up with the Medium Handicap fleet, run by Guy Welch. Only one race went ahead before the legendary Cock of the Club showdown. Excitement was sky-high with 2 heats of 5 boats in our Club Zests, and a 6-boat final that kept everyone on edge. In the end, it was Mike Iszatt who sailed to victory and claimed the title!

The week concluded with a celebratory Prize Giving, led by Rear Commodore Joe Bird and myself. A huge THANK YOU to all the volunteers, organisers, sailors, and supporters who made this week such a success. What a fantastic Club Week — full of racing, fun, laughter, and memories to last until next year!

Commodore, Sheena Berney

Photos: Zoë Nelson

FULL RESULTS:

Optimists: Victor Iszatt

Mirror: Mirror Goblet & Gilbert Trophy – Kevin Dowley

Short Course: Trebor Topper Salver & Sinclair Tankard: Esme Thomas & Iola Thomas/ Florence Fenton

Fast Handicap: Mike Iszatt

Fireball:

Goldhanger Trophy: Steve Jarred & Jack Bernard.

Blobs Trophy: Mark Maskell & Luca Batley

Medium Handicap:

Committee Trophy: Dan Dixon

Osea Handicap Trophy: Jon Simpson

Firefly Trophy: Ist Solo: Mark Osborne

Silverdene Cup: 1st 420: Sam Glover & Dom Carver

Laser:

Laser Pot Tankard: Jessica Welch

Broken Mast: Matt Bernard

Wayfarer:

Brown Tankard: Graham Hoy & Rob Haigh

Tom-Tom Trophy & Pippin Trophy: Alan & Janet Hoy

Sprite:

Terry Cup, Thursday Cup. David Marlow Salver & Bunting Trophy: Marcus Gallo & Gill Callander

Fast Cruiser: Mike Sargeant & crew

Club Cruiser: Harry Coday & Duncan Clark

Cock of the River: Mike Iszatt

Six-flags-Freddie makes it a Regatta to remember

News — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:28:58 GMT

It was another bumper weekend of activity on the river with BSC Regatta Day on the Saturday and Round the Islands Race taking place the following day.

As is tradition, Regatta started with racing on the river and it was great to see 68 boats across twelve classes taking part. Whilst the winds were light, there was plenty to get the races going and the finishing guns were a welcome sound for those crossing the lines first. (See Results below).

When everyone was back on land, it was time for the games to begin! And after much concern about how to accommodate the greasy pole in light of the new pontoon set up, it rose triumphant once more. And thank Poseidon it did, as one contestant in particular gave quite the show. Each time Freddie Diddams took to the pole, he strolled effortlessly towards the flags with the control and poise of a Russian gymnast, taking SIX flags home in total. Special mention also to Jessica Welch who also was the only female to take the flags this year.

Crabbing attracted a crowd too, making use of the extended pontoon area, with Arabella and Anna catching the most crabs, Victor & Alice catching the largest crab and the TG Family the smallest.

Of course, the cake stall was on hand to keep up people’s spirits (and sugar levels), raising a whopping £400, which will be split between RNLI and Macmillan charities. Tommy had the bar working over time and the galley team was on hand supplying hungry sailors with food, tea and coffee – so a BIG thank you to everyone who helped to make the day go so smoothly.

After prize giving, many members stayed on for the dinner and Barn Dance where Gill Calendar prepared a delicious meal ahead of the Hoedown, followed by a lil' something sweet from Zoë (much mentioned baker of the BSC newsfeed).

All in all, it was an awesome day. Here's looking forward to next year!

RESULTS:

Short Course winner: Howard Knott (H) Susan Hilton (C) - Gull

Medium Handicap, Ripple Regatta Tankard Winner: John Simpson – Finn

Fast Handicap Boothby Cup Winner: Jessica Berney (H) Julian Berney & Kim Waterfield (C) – National 18

Optimist winner: Leonie Fairhead

Mirror One Stop Trophy winner: Richard Evans (H) Poppy Evans (C)

Topper Regatta Cup Winner: Amelia Gilbert

Fireball Jennifer Rose Bowl Winner: Charlie Stewart (H) Kevin Hopper (C)

Laser Regatta Tankard Winner: Jessica Welch

Wayfarer Regatta Platter Winner: Paul Truman (H) Judy Barnes (C)

Sprite Marks Cup Winner: Ian Barbrook (H) Mick Terry (C)

Cruiser Commodore’s Castor Winner: Mick Sargent & Crew

Alicia Mellish

Photography: Zoë Nelson

Rainstorms, rainbows and brownies - Not your average Commodore's Cruise

Alicia — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 06:40:45 GMT

The forecast was less than favourable for the Commodore’s cruise this year, but that didn’t stop a hardy few from casting off and heading out into the Blackwater Estuary last Sunday.

After some deliberation over our destination, (and spurred on with news that Zoë had made brownies and lemon drizzle cake), six boats left for breakfast at Osea Pier. I was crewing on Adagio with the Commodore and after a gentle run in the sunshine to our first stop we rafted up with Akela. Sheena got the bacon on the grill, Julian regaled Akela’s new owner, Ollie Scammell, with stories of passages past, and I contemplated my next house purchase. (With any Tom, Dick or Cruiser able to moor outside my bedroom window, I decided to pass on putting an offer on Osea).

Steve Moore from Harmattan consulted the weather app, updated the flotilla with a plan over the radio and it wasn’t long before we were off again, headed for an anchorage in the vicinity of Thirslet Spit. As we passed the boats moored at Marconi, the ominous black clouds that had been hanging over Maldon, gathered pace (and precipitation) and it wasn’t long before a 28 knot wind, peppered with hailstones and rain, was washing through the fleet. With a strong wind and the tide underneath us, we were storming towards Bradwell. Members of the cruise peeled off one by one, with Zoë and Ian doing an amazing job at corralling the cruisers back to the calmer waters.

The weather eased as quickly as it had escalated but soon enough we had all returned to the peace of Osea Pier, where the wind had eased; and, the afternoon was an ever-changing seascape of sunshine and showers.

Although it was a shame everyone didn’t make it ashore together for beach games and Pimms, Julian, the Berney grandchildren, the dog and I did make it onto Osea for a much-needed run around and a quick river swim. We only lost one beach ball and the dog for five minutes!

At around four o’clock Adagio put out an urgent call on the radio for tea bags and cake, to which the stewards responded with professionalism and speed. And with the sky promising a short reprieve, there was an opportunistic excursion to look for seals at Lawling Creek. As we approached with caution, there they were, sunbathing on their bellies, with babies in tow - a magical afternoon treat!

After a bit more cake, it wasn’t long before the cruise made for home. As we beat back to the club, criss-crossing each other’s bows, a full rainbow framed the flotilla, rewarding those who had been robust enough to venture out.

Whilst it wasn’t your conventional commodore’s cruise, if the squeals of delight from the four-year-old I sat next to on deck during the hail storm are anything to go by, it was a joy nonetheless!

Alicia Mellish

Photos: Zoë Nelson

The Commodore declares Sprite Week a windy success!

Alicia — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 10:09:08 GMT

Monday was very windy, WSW 5-6 and gusts but 6 boats braved the weather conditions to do the first race. The main halyard came down on Peter Jenkin’s in 26 Aurora but he managed to come back to the ramp to sort the halyard and then went out again to do the race. For the 2nd race, there were only 4 boats and we shortened the course at Ballast Hole – Woody came to “help” Clem and myself in the Bridge and was very excited about pushing the horn for finishers – shame he did it at the wrong moment! David Nichols in 204 Troll won both races with Malcolm Green in 23 Nida coming in 2nd both times.

On Tuesday the wind was less and steadier so 12 boats went out for the first race. Last year’s champions, Steve & Mark Jarred were on good form and won by a large margin. 6 boats competed in the 2^nd race with a big battle between David Nichols in 204 Troll & the Jarred brothers in Pan 007 with David being victorious.

There was no wind at first on Wednesday and although predicted to be SSW F 2, we postponed the start until the sea breeze came in – ESE course set but was shorten at Ballast Hole. Marcus & Gill in 15 Djinn were ahead but the Jarred brothers just kept coming to pip them on the line by a boat length.

The crews race happened next – the most chaotic start of the week with 5 boats over the line, only 2 of whom returned. Tommy Mills in 204 was first across the finish line, followed by Ben Phipps in 33 and then Gill Callander in 15 – the trophy was awarded to Gill as she is not a regular helm and has only been sailing for a few years – a popular decision!

On Thursday the wind was WSW 4-5 with 10 boats out – Chris & Kathryn Nichols in13 Ariel came in 4^th . The single handed race was scheduled as the 2^nd race but there were no takers surprisingly.

So it was all to play for on Friday – 15 boats were on the start line pushing hard so we had a general recall. Fun for Clem & myself on the Bridge as we then had to put back the start of the Friday Sailors race, as they were starting through the line the other way. So into a new start sequence but a dredger pushed by a barge went through the line just as the fleet started – tricky moment for some! Both races provided close competition with Steve & Mark being triumphant both times.

A fun week of racing with some great memories! Lovely to see the Terry clan on the water some of the time, John & Pat limited due to new knees. Lulla did 3 races in 29 Mustard Seed with Chris Mills as crew as well as Bevis & Tessa Wright in Juno with the distinctive blue sails! Good to see Martin Scarth out in 33 for 7 races, as well as Ian Barbrook in 14 Banshee crewed by new member Simon Lockwood. Chris Briggs had a change of crew mid week with Martin Jordan stepping in. The perseverance award should go to Peter & Rose Chittenden in 62 Puck who did 7 races, wisely using a smaller sail on the windy days!

A hilarious prize giving was conducted by Marcus, Class Captain with results given by myself! The Heron Cup had gone missing after our Trophy supper last year but I finally found it on Friday morning lurking in my house – my penalty was to polish it before prize giving!

Results:

1^st: 204 Troll – David Nichols & Tommy Mills

2^nd 23 Nida - Malcolm Green & Stephanie

3^rd 007 Pan – Steve & Mark Jarred

Sheena Berney, Commodore

Cadets Rise to the Challenge on a Windy Third Training Weekend

Editor — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 13:02:41 GMT

The third Cadet Training Weekend was one to remember, marked by sunshine, strong winds, and impressive adaptability from sailors and instructors alike.

With gust reaching 36 knots, conditions on Saturday required some quick thinking from the Chief Instructor, Cadet Skipper and all the Dinghy Instructors, who made the call to move some of the less experienced river sailors to the lake for safety. Despite the change in plans, the lake was buzzing with activity and enthusiasm. Even our youngest sailors—some as young as eight and complete novices—were able to learn how to steer a boat and perform their first tacks. It was inspiring to see such rapid progress in just one day.

Out on the river, the more experienced cadets faced the challenge head-on. The strong winds tested their skills, but most found the fast conditions thrilling and rose to the occasion. A few opted to return to the calmer lake, highlighting the club's commitment to flexibility and safety without compromising on fun or learning.

Sunday brought calmer winds and the welcome return to the original training plans, coinciding with an RYA inspection. The inspectors were highly impressed by the quality of instruction and enthusiasm across the board.

With preparations for Cadet Week now in full swing—involving coordination of instructors, training groups, activities, food, merchandise, and more—the excitement is building. It's the highlight of the cadet calendar and promises to be a fantastic celebration of everything the section has achieved so far this year.

Well done to all the cadets, volunteers, and instructors for a brilliant weekend of learning, resilience, and fun on the water.

Belinda Hunt
Photos © Anna Lau

A Summer Weekend at the Club

Editor — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:37:18 GMT

The hottest and longest day of the year brought a flurry of activity to the club, with members making the most of the sunshine and breeze both on and off the water.

On Saturday, a scheduled day sail saw six cruisers and dinghies, including some of our Adventure Cadets, head downriver to Bradwell Beach for a picnic and refreshing swim. With gentle winds and glorious sunshine, conditions were perfect for a relaxing day on the water.

Meanwhile, three BSC yachts took part in a BJRC (Blackwater Joint Race Committee) Series race, with several cadets getting their first taste of cruiser racing – a great experience for the club's young sailors.

Back at the lake, five adults successfully completed their RYA Levels 1 & 2 dinghy course, wrapping up on Sunday in much stronger winds testing their newly acquired skills.

Elsewhere, an early morning sail to celebrate a birthday finished with members gathering for a lakeside picnic – the perfect end to a memorable weekend.

With sailing, racing, training and celebrations all rolled into one, it truly was a fabulous weekend for everyone involved.

Belinda Hunt
Photos: Steve Perkins, Matt Ogburn, Sharon Moore

Years in the Making: Pontoon Project Finally Comes to Life Thanks to Planning, Teamwork, and Volunteer Spirit

Editor — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 11:02:13 GMT

After years of meticulous planning, countless meetings, obtaining quotes, and navigating the maze of planning permissions, including permission from the Marine Management Organisation the long-awaited pontoon project is finally becoming a reality.

The Pontoon Committee, formed to bring this ambitious upgrade to life, is now seeing the fruits of its hard work and perseverance. What began as an idea years ago has steadily taken shape through determination, diligence, and community support.

This past week saw the 18m pontoon extension constructed of floating modules, finally floated into place and located by 3 new piles. The project included a replacement of the existing 16-year-old pontoon that had badly deteriorated.

The extension will improve access for dinghies, cruisers, cadets, and all members of the club, making it safer and more efficient for everyone to get on the water. After years of planning, it’s more than just an infrastructure upgrade—it’s a celebration of what can be accomplished when a community pulls together.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone involved, who helped steer this project forward and to the fantastic volunteers who showed up for the many work parties to help make it happen.

Belinda Hunt

Photos by Steve Sharpe, Zoe Nelson and Sharon Moore

A brilliant BSC Open Day!

Alicia — Mon, 19 May 2025 13:56:15 GMT

We hosted another successful Open Day on 17 May at our stunning location at Heybridge Basin. The event welcomed over 180 visitors of all ages, offering them a relaxed and friendly introduction to the joys of dinghy sailing at the family-friendly Club.

With gorgeous sunshine and a light breeze, the conditions were perfect for newcomers to experience life on the water. They had the opportunity to enjoy free taster sessions sailing in a variety of dinghies on the Club’s large freshwater training lake as well as a trip out on the River Blackwater in power boats– all under the guidance of experienced members and RYA-qualified instructors.

Onshore, families enjoyed demonstrations, one-to-one chats with the Club’s officials and other members, guided tours of the Club’s outstanding facilities and clubhouse as well as enjoying refreshments and homemade cakes overlooking the river – cakes and sailing are always a good combination!

“We were thrilled with the turnout and enthusiasm, said Joe Bird, Rear Commodore of The Blackwater Sailing Club. “it’s always inspiring to see so many people, young and old, taking to the water for the first time and discovering what makes our sport so rewarding. We’re pleased to welcome new members and help them develop their confidence and skills on the water.”

Many of the visitors expressed interest in joining the Club with a number of new memberships and training courses signed up on the day. Kevin, one of the visitors exclaimed: “It was a super Saturday event and the Club could not have been shown in a better light nor have been more welcoming, thank you!”

The Club offers a wide range of sailing opportunities all year round. The Sailing School which is RYA-affiliated, covers dingy sailing, powerboat tuition and first aid training for adults and children and as an RYA British Training Club, it helps develop the champions of the future.

If you are interested in joining but missed our Open Day - fear not! Click through to our membership section here; or, contact our membership secretary membership-secretary@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk

Blackwater Snipe Open Weekend

Alicia — Mon, 12 May 2025 13:42:37 GMT

The Blackwater Sailing Club proudly hosted a highly successful Snipe Open Weekend on 10-11 May welcoming sailors from across the country for two days of outstanding competitive racing and warm camaraderie.

With steady force 3-4 winds and glorious sunshine throughout the weekend the sailors – seasoned racers and enthusiastic newcomers alike, were treated to some of the best racing conditions on the River Blackwater.

Over six races, competitors navigated courses that showcased both their seamanship and sportsmanship. It was tight competition throughout with boats converging on the marks just seconds apart. One team however, Matthew Wolstenholme and his crew Sam Boniface on Saturday and Ian Gregory, Sunday were dominant, their skillful performance and tactical consistency was a masterclass in Snipe sailing resulting in a clean sweep and overall winner.

The success of the weekend was made possible by the tireless efforts of voluntary Club members, including the organisers of the event Richard and Debbie Marshall and race officer Andy Pickering who brought his wealth of experience to the water, setting the courses and running the racing with efficiency and flair ably supported by Claire Hall and Florence his 11year-old daughter.

With the stunning backdrop of Osea Island and the club’s fantastic facilities, the weekend drew high praise from the competitors, many of whom commented on the excellent organisation, the warm friendly welcome and one of the most picturesque stretches of water to sail on.

Overall Results

1^st Matthew Wolstenholme and crews Sam Boniface and Ian Gregory

2^nd Richard and Debbie Marshall (BSC members)

3^rd Joe and Mike Warwicker

A Perfect Cadet Training Weekend

Editor — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:58:15 GMT

70 enthusiastic cadets set off for an exciting adventure, where sunshine, sailing, and ice cream came together to round off a successful cadet training weekend.

On Saturday, the children were grouped by ability and experience, working towards their RYA sailing certifications in the fun, supportive, and safe environment of our family-friendly club. Then on Sunday, blessed with bright sunshine and gentle wind, all the cadets - a mix of beginners and more experienced junior sailors - enjoyed a fantastic sailing trip to the Maldon Promenade.

Among the group were eight-year-old newcomers who had never stepped into a boat before, sailing alongside confident young sailors refining their skills. The Mirror and Sprite classes offered their support through our newly introduced Cadet Crewing Group, where complete newbie Cadets or non racers could experience social sailing on the river with their Cadet friends building confidence and skills from the more seasoned sailors and qualified Dinghy Instructors in the club.

Safety remained a top priority, with 10 safety RIBs on the water and 20 experienced instructors providing expert guidance and encouragement throughout the weekend. Parents involved as helpers were at the Prom to catch and assist the landing on the beach. They were also rewarded with a delicious Rossi ice cream.

The trip was a brilliant conclusion to an inspiring weekend, highlighting the amazing opportunities our sailing club offers to young sailors of all abilities.

Photos © Chris Keeble, Ronan Fenton, Belinda Hunt

East Anglian Maritime Awards

Hon Secretary — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:40:42 GMT

The Club is proud to announce that three of its members have been honoured in the East Anglian Maritime Awards scheme (EAMA); Jess Haigh and Lucy Shelter in the Proficiency category and Steve Jarred awarded the Young at Heart.

This scheme is a unique opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of young people who participate in maritime activities emphasising voluntary and local community participation. The awards are given in four categories - conservation, proficiency, resilience, and water safety.

Working together on the BSC Cadet Committee 2023/24, Jess Haigh (18) Commodore and Lucy Shelter (18) Secretary, encouraged young trainee cadets, coached competitive teenagers as well as taught adult beginner sailors to realise their potential and really enjoy time on the water. As both are also accomplished RYA Race Coaches and RYA Dinghy Instructors, their expertise and energy is contagious and their ability to remain calm whilst teaching under 10s, stroppy and overconfident teenagers or adults developing self-confidence and balance is inspiring; skills that will stand them in good stead for their future.

This impressive duo also race dinghies competitively exceling at Feva XL Nationals, the 420 Nationals and in 2023 climbing the national rankings up to #23, reaching their peak representing GBR at the 2023 420 Worlds in Alicante.

Steve Jarred was made a lifetime Honorary Cadet by the BSC cadets in 2024 in appreciation of his longstanding support, coaching, sailing proficiency and race technique. A competitive and accomplished sailor himself for over 55 years, Steve continues to pass on his love of sailing and top tips for racing success in the changeable and challenging tidal conditions of the River Blackwater. As RYA Dinghy Instructor and Race Coach he has responsibility for coaching budding racers in single-handed boats and when BSC Sailing School Principal spent many hours fixing boats for trainees to use.

Sheena Berney, Commodore said: “Many congratulations all. Jess and Lucy, this award is a great testament to your boundless enthusiasm, passion and unwavering commitment - Steve, a consistent presence and inspiration on and off the water to so many cadets over the years – Young at Heart is a wonderfully fitting tribute, we thank you.”

Gay Ayton
Publicity Officer

Blackwater Sailing Club Welcomes new Commodore: A historic milestone in leadership

Hon Secretary — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 16:45:13 GMT

Some of you may have seen this article about our new Commodore in the press. It has so far been published in: Maldon & Burnham Standard, Maldon Life, Yachts & Yachting, Sail World.

"The Blackwater Sailing Club is proud to announce the appointment of Sheena Berney as the new Commodore, making her only the third woman to hold this prestigious position in the Club’s 125-year history.

Sheena has been an active member of the Club for over 40 years demonstrating exceptional leadership and a passion for sailing. She has served in a number of roles and on multiple committees including Membership Secretary welcoming over 100 new members each year as well as organising the Club’s annual Open Day. As a Flag Officer on a six-year pathway, firstly as Rear, then Vice and now Commodore, she is not only well qualified in all the many aspects of running this Club of over 1,000 members, including design and organisation of the significant rebuild but also shows immense dedication, time and energy.

Sheena has extensive experience on the water too; as an enthusiastic fleet captain of the Sprite dinghy class she was instrumental in keeping this historic class active. For the National 18 class she helped run their national championships and as an experienced Race Officer runs club racing and open meetings. Sheena is also an experienced big boat sailor competing in offshore racing as well as cruising and a trans-Atlantic crossing.

Sheena is a recipient of one of the Royal Yachting Associations’ (RYA) most prestigious volunteer awards The Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her commitment to sailing at The Blackwater Sailing Club.

In her new role, Sheena aims to promote accessibility in sailing, further encourage a thriving cadet section and nurture the welcoming environment for all members. “I am honoured to take on this role”, said Sheena “which I’m so pleased to say is still largely run by wonderful volunteers. Celebrating our 125th anniversary has been a profound time to reflect on our rich history and I’m looking forward to working with the members and embracing new opportunities as we continue to showcase this special family friendly Club for our future sailors.”

Gay Ayton
Publicity Officer

DYER CUP 2024

Hon Secretary — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 11:49:39 GMT

The Dyer Cup – The Blackwater Sailing Club’s end of season trophy race.

The Blackwater Sailing Club’s last race of the sailing season, the Dyer Cup was held on Sunday 3^rd November having been postponed from 20^th October due to Storm Ashley’s terrible weather and force 7 winds.

In a pleasant contrast, the gentle force 2-3 easterly winds encouraged 24 boats to turn out for this annual race that is open to all the Club’s boats. With 16 different classes there was some wonderful competitive racing in the light airs and strong tide off Osea Island. The course took the fleet from the club line downriver on a beat to Doctor, then reaching and running back up the river through the Doubles to Hilly Pool and with a shortened course direct to the finish line at the Club.

With all the different handicaps, the results were close. Brett Townsend, sailing his Solo was the winner and then only 45 seconds separated the next six boats on corrected time.

The Club always runs two charity events during the Dyer Cup and did so this year on the original date in October. Despite the fact there was no racing, members who donated cakes and came along to support raised a fantastic £545.00 for Macmillan Cancer and £622.95 for the RNLI, both of whom expressed their gratitude to the Club and members for their generosity.

The Dyer cup was presented to the Club by the Dyer family in the 1950s and is awarded to the winner of this unique race.

The prize winners for 2024 were:

Dyer Cup

1^st Brett Townsend, Solo

2^nd Osea Evans & David Evans, Wayfarer

3^rd Martin Scarth & Angela Docherty, Sprite

Dyer Cup – Slow Handicap Trophy

Richard Evans & Poppy Evans, Mirror

Dyer Cup – Copsey Cup

Breezy, John Dyer, Joe Leary, Sarah Cooper & James Tovey

If you would like to visit the club with a view to joining then please contact our membership secretary, email membership-secretary@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk.

For more details see blackwatersailingclub.org.uk

Cadet Week 2024

Hon Secretary — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 09:04:12 GMT

150 Cadets Take to the Water

Blackwater Sailing Club Cadet Week

The Blackwater Sailing Club’s Cadet Week which took place from 3-8 August is an annual six-day extravaganza of racing, RYA training and onshore fun and games. This year was no exception with 150 cadets enjoying a packed timetable of onshore activities in the morning followed by the hotly contested racing for trophies on the river and then the evenings’ entertainment.

This week gives cadets, aged from 8 to 18 and of all sailing abilities, the opportunity to have fun and enjoy being on the water whilst building confidence, friendships and sailing skills. Under the supervision of the highly experienced and well qualified instructor team, they attain their different RYA levels as well as learning to race.

Typical British weather presented daily challenges to the sailors from glorious sunshine with little or no wind when beating the tide became the focus to the strong gusting force 6 winds and rain by the end of the week. The skilful safety boat teams were kept busy.

Jess Haigh, the Cadet Commodore said: “We had an amazing week. With six fleets and 11 races there was some fantastic competitive racing on the river including our plucky young cadets in their oppies and toppers.

Our Cadet Committee laid on an exciting programme of events for everyone - with team building games on land and the training lake, ice-cream relays on the river, the tractor pull which was won by the adults although they were subsequently disqualified for cheating! Also fancy dress competition and film and curry night – an exhausting time was had by all, it is huge fun though and really one of the best weeks!”

Sheena Berney, Vice Commodore, said: “Organising our cadet week is a mammoth task and it’s all thanks to the army of volunteers, some 130 people who give up their time to make it happen so smoothly. We are hugely grateful. I’d like to particularly thank Rob Carver our Cadet Skipper as he steps down after his final cadet year at the helm – his energy and hard work has been inspirational.”

At the prizegiving the worthy winners across all the fleets were:

Optimists: 1st Daniel Hall, 2nd Isabelle Miller, 3rd Evie Truman

Toppers: 1st Austin Edwards, 2nd Thomas Doggett, 3rd Natasha Adkins

RS Feva: 1st Flo Evans & Katherine Carver, 2nd Hattie Garlick & Hector Johnson, 3rd Alice Ruston & Isabelle Foy

Lasers full/radial: 1st Hugh Andrews, 2nd Dominic Carver, 3rd Osea Evans

Lasers 4.7: 1st Jess Welch, 2nd Stanley Johnson, 3rd Mara Thomas

General handicap: 1st Jess Haigh & Lucy Shelter, 2nd Sam Glover & Charlie Bourne, 3rd Hermione Cook & Bella Elderton

Pink Flag Tankard: Best results in a handicap fleet not winning the first prize - Dominic Carver

Evans Endeavour Goblet: Oliver Keeble for his perseverance

Challenge Trophy: Best points for the week - Hugh Andrews

Blue Flag Tankard: Girl’s best points for the week - Jess Haigh and Lucy Shelter

Heron Spoon: Most Resolute Cadet - Natasha Adkins

Best Crew Medal: Katherine Carver

Cock of the Cadets: 1st Hugh Andrews, 2nd Jess Haigh, 3rd Dominic Carver

125th Anniversary Regatta

Hon Secretary — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 11:18:33 GMT

285 Members, 92 Boats, 13 Commodores, 7 families of 4 generations & 2 of 5 generations

The Blackwater Sailing Club was delighted to host a special regatta as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations on Saturday 20th July.

Setting Sail for the Regatta (photo: Zoe Nelson)

On one of this summer’s first glorious days, the Club welcomed over 285 members and their guests and 12 ex-commodores, the earliest, Chris Collins having held the post from 1980 – 1982 and Gill Pain one of only two lady commodores in the Club’s history travelling down from Edinburgh to attend.

The regatta featured 92 boats taking part in a series of class races including fast and medium handicap, lasers, mirrors, fireballs, cruisers and sprites, the Club’s own classic racing fleet.

(photo: Zoe Nelson)

Onshore events included the popular crabbing event with 140 crabs caught in total, the entertaining greasy pole as well as swimming and cork races. Tea and delicious homemade cakes by members were also part of this traditional day with £554 being raised for the RNLI.

The Club founded by 12 local men has grown into one of the biggest on the estuary with a membership of around 1,100. It is still very much a well-loved family club run by its members to the extent that at the prize giving cadets of families that are now in their fourth and even fifth generation of membership were given certificates celebrating these long-serving families.

The 125th anniversary has created a wonderful opportunity for members’ reflections to be documented and included in the already excellent historical records of the Club. These date back to its beginning and provides a great insight into both the social history of the club and local area generally.

(photo: Zoe Nelson)

Past Commodores

BSC Commodore — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 07:44:47 GMT

As part of the regatta celebrations, all the club's past commodores were invited to the day. This was a great opportunity to get a photograph. These are the commodores who were able to attend, see how many you recognise.

Chris Collins, Gill Pain, David Goldsmith, John Bolingbroke, Anthony Sinclair, Michael Ferrier, Bryan Southgate, Mike Foster, Tricia Parker, Chris Nichols, Richard Pusey , Steve Jarred, Alan Hoy

125 Boats on the water

BSC Commodore — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:05:17 GMT

Sunday 7th July was the first of 125 Year Anniversary events with more than 125 boats on the water. The weather was not kind to us and it got pretty windy. The club looked splendid with all the special bunting and every boat taking part was given a 125 year anniversary pennant for the event. We had BBC Look East at the club so we made the news bulletin! The 125 year anniversary committee have worked hard to lay on all the celebratory events and thanks to all who helped on the day.

Our thanks to Ian Morrin for this video of our memorable day

BSC Mirror Week 2024

Hon Secretary — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 19:09:15 GMT

What a superb fleet of Mirror Dinghies turned out for BSC Mirror week. We had 16 dinghies of varying ages and rigs plus some with spinnakers all competing for the Mirror Week Goblet and the Mirror Week Tankard series of races.

The weather was kind to us but colder than expected the wind was not as forecasted and gave us some very challenging flukey winds to push the technical skills of even the most experienced of the 16. Everyone rose to the challenge and put in some excellent performances with Julie Nelson winning the Goblet trophy which was well deserved as her performance was consistent and strong all week . The Tankard trophy was won by Kevin Dowley in his newly built by himself Bermudan wooden Mirror which is not only beautiful to look at it’s very fast as well, so one to watch out for.

Not only everyone had a fantastic time out on the water sailing, on land we delivered a week of great socials including a quiz and a D Day sing along down at the basin which we all enjoyed. We rounded the week off with prize giving on Friday afternoon plus everyone received a participation Medal as a well done then a great BBQ was had by all.

The Mirror dinghy is a great little boat whether you are 8 or 80 you can sail in company or you’re own within a great sailing class of like minded people who like nothing more than sail in company then have a debrief over tea and cake.

Lesley Langley

Mirror Class Captain

Photos by Zoë Nelson

Successful Open Day on 27th April

Hon Secretary — Tue, 21 May 2024 19:53:45 GMT

Despite the bitterly cold wind and threat of rain, 158 visitors braved the overcast weather and joined us for the Open Day on Saturday 27 April to discover sailing and experience our wonderful facilities.

Photo: Anna Lau

The visitors including 57 children were given taster sessions with experienced instructors in Quests and Zest dinghies on the lake. Later as the tide came in they went out in cruisers and powerboats and appreciated being afloat on the estuary.

Photo: Anna Lau

Allan Hunt, Rear-Commodore said: “I was delighted that so many local visitors as well as those from further afield joined us, particularly as it was so chilly.

Everyone though said it had been very enjoyable and how much they had been made to feel welcome. Some joined the Club there and then and others we hope will be joining us soon.

Photo: Zoe Nelson

The day would not have been possible and run so smoothly had it not been for the huge army of helpers who volunteered. On behalf of the Club my grateful thanks goes to everyone for all your hard work and efforts.

To Zoe and Rob for moving cruisers to create a larger car park as well as ferrying visitors out on the river. The car park crew for organising the parking. Julie and the Friday sailors for coordinating taster sessions on the Lake and to those who helped on the pontoon and gave the river trips. All went like clockwork.

Photo: Anna Lau

The welcome desk and meet and greet team did a wonderful job taking down the details of visitors before handing them over to the team of tours volunteers who showed them around the Club and answered questions.

To Peter Gould for his music and screen show and Alan Coday for the training presentations. The membership team in the main club room did a splendid job talking to interested visitors and as a result signing them up.

Finally and by no means least, thanks to Tracy and the Galley Crew and Tommy and his bar team for much needed food and refreshments throughout the day.

Gay Ayton
Publicity Officer

Charlie Dixon and Callum Marshall shine at the East Anglian Maritime Awards

Hon Secretary — Tue, 21 May 2024 19:41:48 GMT

We’re so proud to announce that Charlie Dixon and Callum Marshall have been honoured in the proficiency category of East Anglian Maritime Awards 2024 (EAMA)

Created following the success of the Parade of Boats during the late Queen's Jubilee celebrations in 2022, the EAMA honour and celebrate the maritime heritage of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. With a focus on nurturing the maritime spirit among the youth, the awards recognise excellence across four categories: conservation, proficiency, resilience, and water safety.

Charlie Dixon aged 19 has an impressive list of achievements with numerous national and international championship wins and awards including: UK Windsurfer of the Year 2023, Young Sailor of the Year. The EAMA award now recognises his dedication and willingness to inspire and mentor fellow sailors despite facing his own challenges including injury setbacks and exemplifies the true spirit of maritime camaraderie.

Cadet Callum Marshall aged just 12 and another rising star, has a string of Optimist achievements to his name from regional training squad selection to podium finishes in national championships. His journey illustrates the essence of talent and perseverance in the maritime arena.
Sheena Berney, Vice-Commodore, said: “This is a fantastic attainment for both Charlie and Callum and a wonderful testament to their passion, determination and unwavering commitment at such an age is so impressive. We heartily congratulate our young stars.”

The Club was also pleased to have hosted the EAMA Award ceremony which was attended by distinguished guests from the maritime community. They included representatives from sailing clubs, HM Coastguard, Sea Cadets and renowned personalities trans-ocean rower Dawn Wood and Olympic sailor Rob White. Roy Clare, the EAMA chairman gave a warm welcome whilst Mrs Jenny Tolhurst, The Lord-Lieutenant highlighted the importance of maritime excellence in Essex and Jasmin Klimcke, an EAMA youth ambassador echoed the award’s inspirational value to Essex’s young generation. Sarah West CEO of Harwich Haven Authority a key sponsor of the EAMAs emphasised the significance of the awards in fostering community spirit and maritime excellence.

Gay Ayton
Publicity Officer

MALDON YACHT CLUB QUIZ NIGHT 11TH MAY

Hon Secretary — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 21:02:40 GMT

Congratulations from Maldon Yacht Club on your 125th Anniversary.

Maldon Yacht Club are also celebrating this year, ours is the 75th Anniversary.
We would like to cordially invite BSC to enter a team into our Quiz Night, which is being held in our clubroom aboard 'Jim Main' at the end of Maldon Promenade.
Date - Saturday 11th May. Start - 7.30pm Teams of up to 6, £3 per. person. Bar open & some nibbles provided but please feel free to bring whatever snacks you like. Prizes of wine, beers & choccies. Entrance will be via the dump-end road.
We do hope you can join us for what will be a good fun evening.

RNLI Maldon Branch AGM 15th May 2024

Hon Secretary — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:59:59 GMT

NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

OF THE MALDON & DISTRICT BRANCH

OF THE RNLI

The AGM of the Maldon & District Branch of the RNLI

will be held on Wednesday 15^th May 2024 at 20.00

at Maldon Little Ship Club, The Hythe, Maldon CM9 5HN

AGENDA

1. President’s welcome

2. Apologies for absence

3. Minutes of the AGM held on 26^th April 2023

4. Chairman’s Report

5. Election of Officers and Committee

6. Any other business, details of which have been sent to the Secretary 14 days prior to this meeting

We hope to have our new Community Support Manager, Sally Hutton, attending.

We will also have our good friends from West Mersea who are bringing a special 200 Anniversary film and some rescue footage.

We do hope you can support us.

BOAT JUMBLE ON GOOD FRIDAY 29TH MARCH 2023

Hon Secretary — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 16:20:12 GMT

Dont forgert the Boat Jumble which has now been changed to Good Friday, 29th March 2024!

Starts at 10am and your chance to clesar out your unwanted sailing equipment and also grab a bargain!

RYA Day Skipper Theory MLSC

BSC Commodore — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:33:41 GMT

Children's Christmas Party

BSC Commodore — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 10:11:30 GMT

The children had a great time at the Christmas party on Sunday. Party People entertainer James was wonderful at entertaining the children with games and magic tricks and the snow machine was a real hit. Afterwards, the children sat down for a bite to eat, served by the galley elves. Father Christmas then arrived and talked to the children and handed out presents. It was lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves, including the adults! Thanks to everyone who came along and for everyone who helped organise it and who helped on the day.

2024 SAILING PROGRAMME

Hon Secretary — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 11:54:38 GMT

The 2024 Sailing Programme is now available to view on the website and you can download a copy for yourself:

To go to the Sailing Programme page CLICK HERE

Mid Week Lunch 16 November

BSC Commodore — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 17:08:30 GMT

At the Mid Week Lunch on Thursday 16th November there was a great turn out with 7 past commodore's present!! quite a record I think.

It was also Ken Harrison's 90th birthday last week and Jonathan Payne's 80th this week so Bridget made a cake for them and this seemed to go down very well.

The dates for next year are:

January 18th

February 22nd

Much 21st

April 18th

May 16th

June 13th (Tea on the Terrace)

Yacht Master Theory Training at MLSC

BSC Commodore — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 08:33:10 GMT

RYA Training @ MLSC

Improve your Navigation and Seamanship skills and gain a valuable qualification by enrolling on one of our RYA accredited Courses

Yacht Master Theory – 8 week course

8 evenings: Tues 21 Nov, Tues 28 Nov, Tues 5 Dec, Tues 12 Dec,

Tues 9 Jan, Tues 16 Jan, Tues 23 Jan, Tues 30 Jan

1800 to 2100 hrs

plus Sat 3 Feb, 0900 to 1700

and Sun 4 Feb 1000 to 1600

Tuition fee: £330, includes all course books and charts.

Prepayment required

All Courses include all RYA materials

and temporary membership of MLSC.

Contact: hon.training.mlsc@gmail.com or visit www.mlsc.org.uk for more joining details

Early booking is advised as places are limited

Maldon Little Ship Club, The Hythe, Maldon, Essex CM9 5HN

RYA Training at MLSC

BSC Commodore — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 13:48:58 GMT

Summer arrives in time for hotly-contested annual race series

BSC Publicity Officer — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 15:16:23 GMT

Champagne sailing conditions graced our flagship event in the racing calendar.

Following on the heels of a successful Cadet Week for youngsters, Club Week saw competitors aged from four to over 80 taking to 128 boats to compete over six days, topped off with the standalone Regatta.

Summer 2023 finally delivered, with warm sunshine and perfect sailing winds providing sailors with ideal conditions and some memorable sailing on the upper reaches of the Blackwater Estuary.

Vivien Whitchurch and Chris Briggs race the Sprite

There were 11 fleets in Club Week, run from 13 to 18 August, ranging from Optimists to Fast Cruisers. The largest fleet was Medium Handicap boasting 32 boats, followed by 23 Lasers, 15 Wayfarers, 14 Mirrors, nine Sprites and eight Fireballs.

The Club excelled with the logistics of launching, starting, finishing and returning them all within the confines of the tide.

Those not worn out by the sailing could enjoy a host of social events, from a quiz night to a 70s disco.

Sailing Secretary Steve Perkins said: “The week started with a gusty south-westerly Force 4 to 6, offering some challenging conditions, thrills and spills to keep our safety fleet busy, a few masts collecting mud from the bottom of the river, and lots of smiles and stories at the bar once ashore.

“Monday was slightly easier, steady Force 4, which pretty much stayed with us for the rest of the week, albeit from a different direction every day, keeping our Race Teams on their toes all week, working their way through the portfolio of courses!”

Rob Carver and Clem Evans in the B14

There was close racing all week, with the winners of each class competing for the 'Cock of the Club' in the Club's recently-purchased Zest dinghies. Short races were set in front of the clubhouse, with participants cheered on by the crowd, each supporting their own class champion. The overall winner was Finn sailor Dan Dixon, showing once again his infamous ability to make any boat go that little bit faster!

The Regatta on Saturday 19 August finished the Week with a total of 61 boats in 11 classes, including Optimists, Mirrors, Toppers, Teras and Fevas, Fireballs, Medium Handicap, Lasers, Wayfarers, Sprites, Fast Handicap plus Fast and Club Cruisers.

While the boats were out racing, the crabbing competition saw 25 crabs caught, a few fish, jellyfish and a sea gooseberry. This was followed by the legendary greasy pole, which tested participants’ balance; the open water swimming race, which tested their stamina; and the cork race, which tested their sportsmanship. The day finished with a hog roast and music.

Sheena Berney, Vice Commodore, said: “The Regatta was a fantastic family day for everyone and many thanks to all the volunteers who made the day such as a success.”

Going for the flag at the end of the greasy pole

Commodores Supper

BSC Commodore — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 07:49:07 GMT

Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening and get into the spirit of the 70's

Important Notice to Mariners

Hon Secretary — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 19:07:14 GMT

Inclement conditions don't dampen Cadet Week fun!

BSC Publicity Officer — Sun, 06 Aug 2023 17:19:14 GMT

Nearly 150 young people aged between eight and 18 enjoyed a packed sailing, racing and social programme at our annual Cadet Week.

The week gives Cadets of all abilities the opportunity to sail and race, learning from a team of voluntary instructors who give tuition covering all levels and stages.

Lake racing

For those new to sailing, tuition starts on our training lake, while those more experienced sailors – some of whom have been enjoying great success in international competitions – took to the estuary for a full calendar of 65 races. There was river racing in over 50 boats from five different fleets and a team racing event.

Toppers sailing to Maldon Promenade Park in the rain

Cadet Skipper Rob Carver said: “All in all, it was a fantastic week despite the challenges of the weather, running races every day, getting dozens of Cadets through their RYA levels, and enjoying almost all of our planned off-the-water activities.”

The Week also had a bursting programme of social events organised by the Cadet Committee - including a fancy dress competition, disco, quiz and table tennis tournament - with a huge undertaking by the voluntary galley staff to provide catering throughout.

Fancy dress competition

Cadet Week raises money for charity with a raffle and silent auction making a magnificent £1,700 for the Cadet Commodore’s chosen charities – the Thames Barge Sailing Trust and Teenage Cancer Trust.

Series winners: Laser Radial and Cock of the Cadets Nick Evans; Laser 4.7 Jess Welch; General handicap Lucy Shelter and Jess Haigh; Topper/Tera Josephine Bernard; Feva Flo Evans and Katherine Carver; Optimist Callum Marshall.

Wayfarer Nationals Dabchicks SC

BSC Commodore — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 08:33:43 GMT

Wayfarer Nationals at Dabchicks SC.

The Wayfarer Nationals took place on 29^th June to 2^nd July at one of our neighbouring clubs on the Blackwater, Dabchicks with an entry of 28 boats. We had a strong contingent of four boats from the Blackwater SC taking part. The first thing to say it was really windy on all three days, but all our club boats managed to finish all nine races. There were some spectacular results with the Blackwater winning several of the trophies. The winners of the National Championships were Andrew Wilson and Tom Wilson from Datchet Water SC.

The Blackwater SC won the trophy for best club overall, which is amazing as the Medway SC has won this for many years.

Graham Hoy won the best newcomer trophy and with crew Rob Haigh won the silver fleet.

Nick Evans and Bill Huntington-Whiteley won the Junior Trophy.

The overall results were Graham Hoy and Rob Haigh, 2^nd place, this is a tremendous result.

Martin Hare and Dave Evans, 8^th place, this is also a very good result in tricky conditions.

Nick Evans and Bill Huntington-Whiteley, 14^th place.

Alan Hoy and Wills Sargeant 15^th place.

Full results here https://www.sailwave.com/results/DSC/UKWA%20FinalResults.htm

Coronation Cups

BSC Commodore — Tue, 16 May 2023 08:32:28 GMT

The Coronation Cup races took place on 8th May on the start line at Maldon Yacht Club. There was a good entry of 25 boats for the main race and 10 boats in the short course race, mainly Blackwater boats. The long course took the boats round Osea and Northey Islands and the short course just sailed round Northey. The main race was won by Mike Iszatt RS600 2nd was Alex Williams Blaze and 3rd Dave Nichols Phantom. The short race was won by Andy and Florence Pickering Mirror, 2nd Howard Knott Mirror and 3rd Callum Marshall Optomist. The full results are on the website.

Open Day success!

BSC Publicity Officer — Mon, 08 May 2023 21:16:54 GMT

More than 250 people visited our Open Day to try sailing and find out more about our award-winning Club.

Sunny weather graced the event on Sunday 7 May, drawing visitors keen to go out on the water and have a look around our wonderful facilities on land.

Taster sail on the lake. Photo: Anna Lau

Experienced instructors took out many children and their families on taster sessions in Quest dinghies on the training lake, which offers a safe environment for those new to sailing.

Quest dinghies on our training lake. Photo: Ian Barratt

Those wanting to experience the estuary were taken out on powerboat and yacht trips, giving them a feel for the beautiful experience of being out on the water between Heybridge, Mill Beach and Northey Island and enabling them to see up-close the dinghies competing in the Britannia series.

One of the vessels offering river trips. Photo: Anna Lau

The Clubhouse was buzzing with activity and nearly 60 people joined up as members on the day.

Allan Hunt, Rear-Commodore, said: “We were thrilled to have so many visitors to our Open Day. People had travelled in from north London, Chelmsford, Brentwood, Billericay, Colchester and further afield to look around our fantastic facilities and give sailing a go. We’ve had wonderful feedback at the event and on our social media channels.

“I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all our volunteers who helped put on the event. Sailing is such a wonderful past-time and we cater for all abilities, from complete novices to those wishing to compete. We were pleased to welcome them all to our friendly Club and inspire them with the opportunities for enjoying our beautiful stretch of the Estuary, which put on an excellent show in the sunshine!”

The event was held only months after Blackwater Sailing Club was named the Royal Yachting Association’s East Region Club of the Year.

Calling all wannabe sailors!

BSC Publicity Officer — Sun, 02 Apr 2023 09:11:58 GMT

Whether you’ve never been on the water before, are a seasoned sailor and new to the area or just fancy a family day out, Blackwater Sailing Club’s Open Day is for you!

The annual event offers people the opportunity to try sailing and have a look around our Club’s wonderful facilities overlooking the Blackwater Estuary.

Held on Sunday 7 May between 11am and 5pm, visitors can drop in at a time that suits them and find out more about one of the leading sailing clubs in the country.

There will be taster sessions on the training lake, where people can experience sailing in a safe environment whatever the tide is doing. Experienced instructors will helm a range of dinghies, taking adults and children aboard with all buoyancy aids provided by the Club.

For those wanting more of an open sea experience, there will be trips on the Estuary, giving them a feel for the beautiful experience of being out on the water between Heybridge, Mill Beach and Northey Island.

Refreshments will be available from the Clubhouse along with tours of the facilities. Club Members will offer a warm welcome and will be able to discuss membership options and answer questions.

Taster sail in the Quest on the Club lake at Open Day 2022. Image: Nigel Butler

Allan Hunt, Rear-Commodore, said: “We are a membership Club and our annual Open Day gives anyone interested in sailing the opportunity to find out more in a friendly and welcoming environment. Many people who come along to the event have seen boats on the Estuary and are just curious to find out what it’s all about.

“We’re proud of our Club and the new Clubhouse with all its stunning facilities so we will be very pleased to give more information to anyone who comes along to the Open Day. Membership enables you to use the Club and access a whole range of adult and children’s sailing courses so we hope people will leave inspired to give it a go!”

Sailing on the Estuary will be available around high tide at 2.45pm so we would encourage anyone wishing to have a taster trip on the river to come along around 1pm. Lake activities will be available all day.

The event is being held only months after Blackwater Sailing Club was named the Royal Yachting Association’s East Region Club of the Year and 18-year-old cadet Charlie Dixon was crowned the Yachting Journalists’ Association’s Young Sailor of the Year and the UK Windsurfing Association’s Windsurfer of the Year.

BSC’s Charlie Dixon wins Young Sailor of the Year!

BSC Publicity Officer — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 09:00:00 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club's Charlie Dixon has been crowned Young Sailor of the Year!

Charlie, from Maldon, won the prestigious Yachting Journalists' Association title on 25 February 2023 and was presented with an enormous trophy at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show at Farnborough International Exhibition Centre.

He won the award a day after he turned 18 and only weeks after he was named Windsurfer of the Year by the UK Windsurfing Association.

Charlie had a fantastic 2022, finishing the year Youth National IQFoil Champion, iQFoil Youth European Champion, iQFoil International Games Gold Medallist, iQFoil World Champion and World Sailing Official Youth World Champion.

Charlie (second from right) with the trophy. Photo: RYA

Blackwater Sailing Club was also named East Region Finalist in the Club of the Year 2023, an award from the RYA and Sailing Today with Yachts and Yachting Magazine to recognise and celebrate the hard work that goes into making the UK's 1,000 clubs successful.

Nigel Butler, Club Commodore from 2020 to 2022, collecting the Club of the Year East Region Finalist award. Photo: RYA

Charlie said of the Club: “The Blackwater is a great place for windsurfing and a place I love to call home. It provides flat water no matter the wind strength and a massive area for flying around. It can be sailed in any wind direction and it never disappoints.

“I am lucky enough to be able to windsurf all over the world for events and training but I still love to come home and love to come back to the river - on its best day nothing compares to it!”

Charlie now has his sights set on the Paris Olympics 2024 and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and is training regularly with the British Sailing Team in Weymouth.

Photo: Sailing Energy

If you would like to support Charlie’s Olympic campaign you can donate on his Crowdfunding page

Burns Night at the Club

BSC Commodore — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 16:28:31 GMT

The evening commenced with the Vice Commodore, Sheena, addressing the haggis and then the Selkirk Grace was read by the Rear Commodore, Allan. We then tucked into haggis, neeps and tatties expertly cooked by Steph, Simon and Alex. Julian Berney said a few words about Robert Burns and recited a poem. We then had dessert, a delicious cranachan with whisky cream. The bar was well stocked with whisky and tasting was available. We then danced the night away with the Cumberland Reel, Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Virginia Reel and Strip the Willow.

Thanks to everyone involved who helped make it a great night

Charlie Dixon – Windsurfer of the Year 2022

BSC Publicity Officer — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 12:38:11 GMT

We are delighted to announce that 17 year old Blackwater Sailing Club cadet Charlie Dixon has been voted the UK Windsurfer of the Year 2022.

He was nominated alongside three other top athletes from different disciplines of windsurfing for the UK Windsurfing Association 2022 title and won the public vote.

Charlie had an incredible year in the Olympic iQFoil class, finishing 2022 youth National Champion, Youth European Champion, International Games Gold Medallist, World Champion and World Sailing Official Youth World Champion.

Charlie said: “It has been an amazing year and I will remember it forever! It started off with me being not known on the windsurfing circuit - just a normal boy who had a love for windsurfing - and ended by being known as the boy who could not be beaten by anyone else in the world.”

Charlie now has his sights set on the Paris Olympics 2024 and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and is training regularly with the British Sailing Team in Weymouth.

Charlie is a great ambassador for the Club and for the sport and an inspiration to our cadets and adult members. If you would like to support Charlie’s Olympic campaign you can donate on his Crowdfunding page

Read the full article on Yachts and Yachting

Photos © Sailing Energy, Dixon Family

Club of the Year 2023 - Please vote for Blackwater Sailing Club !

BSC Commodore — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club is proud and honoured to have been chosen as the RYA East region finalist for the prestigious Royal Yachting Association and Sailing Today with Yachts and Yachting Magazine 2023 Club of the Year award.

Please CLICK HERE and vote now!

There are over 1000 sailing clubs in the UK, 136 in the East region and 12 finalists, but only one can be crowned Club of the Year 2023! Our selection is testament to the commitment and dedication of the many volunteers who help make Blackwater Sailing Club such a successful, friendly community where all are welcomed to enjoy sailing and watersports.

The finalists now go through to the public vote with the winner announced at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports show on Saturday 25 February 2023.

This has been a brilliant year for the club, but we need to get more votes than all the worthy finalists to win this fantastic award which would be an amazing accolade to recognise our achievements.

Thank you for your support and thank you to everyone who has voted for us already.

Happy Christmas at Blackwater Sailing Club

BSC Commodore — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 10:05:19 GMT

Santa has been busy at Blackwater Sailing Club keeping up with our festive social programme!

On Sunday 11 December 35 children had a fun time at their X-mas party with a brilliant entertainer, party tea and all enjoyed getting a present from Father Christmas. The parents all joined in with the Hokey Cokey at the end.

On Thursday 16 December the Christmas lunch returned to the beautifully decorated main clubroom. After a delicious traditional X-mas turkey meal followed by X-mas pudding, we enjoyed a sing along with a variety of favourite carols. There was some particularly enthusiastic participation to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with each table in charge of a day!

On Friday 23 December Santa will be back to watch the beautifully decorated boats enjoy a festive sail before the Friday sailors X-mas lunch. Adults who have been good will get a chance to sit on Santa’s lap and get a gift from his sack!

With best wishes for a very happy Christmas to all our members and friends and a sailing filled 2023.

Photos © Nigel Butler, Tracy Haigh

Blackwater Crew Triumph in ARC 2022

BSC Commodore — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 09:49:29 GMT

Massive congratulations to Blackwater Sailing Club sailors who have won the famous transatlantic ARC race from Gran Canaria to St Lucia. ‘Sunbeat VI’ finished the crossing in 18 days to not only win their monohull class D but they also achieved the fantastic result of first overall out of the 95 competing cruisers!

The Dehler 42 was skippered by Steve Kuhl and crewed by Drac Norman, Tim Gratey, Angela Docherty, Ed Sadd and Nigel Clark with shoreside support from Andy Pickering.

The full results can be seen here

Laying Up Supper 2022 - Channels

BSC Commodore — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 11:17:37 GMT

On Friday 18th November, Blackwater Sailing Club members and their guests packed into the beautifully restored 17th century thatched Essex Barn function suite at Channels, Chelmsford for our black-tie Laying up Supper. Everyone looked very smart in their finery and there was a great atmosphere with the venue looking very festive and decorated for Christmas.

After grace from the Rear Commodore, Sheena Berney, everyone settled down to enjoy a delicious three course meal with friendly and efficient service from the house. During coffee, the raffle was drawn. Thanks to the generosity of members, we had some amazing prizes including a delicious looking (and tasting) showstopper lemon cake made by Zoe. The raffle was followed by the 200 Club draw.

Without further ado, DJ Mitch Fisk entertained us with his mix of music and the dance floor was quickly full of people showing off their moves. As usual, the Friday Sailors energised themselves with ‘fortified’ coffee and led the dancing all evening until the carriages arrived at midnight to take them away!

A great time was had by all - many thanks to the team at Channels for looking after us so well and to Tracy Haigh and Sheena Berney for organising a most enjoyable event.

Photos © Nigel Butler, Zoe Nelson

Toast to The King at Trafalgar Lunch

BSC Commodore — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:33:41 GMT

On Thursday 20 October members sat down to enjoy a delicious Trafalgar lunch in celebration of Horatio Lord Nelson’s famous victory at Cape Trafalgar in 1805. Don Baines introduced the proceedings and following the Trafalgar Grace by the Commodore, diners enjoyed crowned steak and ale pie, monarch’s mashed potato, carolingian carrots, cheesy leeks and roasted vegetables. This was followed by patriotic sticky toffee pudding with Trafalgar toffee sauce and cream.

Don then gave an entertaining talk “The Admiral Requests” which detailed the complexity of moving from one ship to another in an open rowing boat to allow face-to-face meetings between the admiral and his captains. We also learnt about the niceties of heaving-to in a ship of the line like HMS Agamemnon or HMS Bellona. At the end of the talk the Commodore gave the loyal toast to the King for the first time in 70 years! The Rear Commodore then read Nelson’s prayer before battle and then former Commodore, Anthony Sinclair, proposed the toast to the Immortal memory of Horatio Lord Nelson, and to all those who fell with him. Guests then “Spliced the Mainbrace!” with Lady Hamilton’s nip – a tot of spiced rum. Tea, coffee and pieces of eight followed to round off what was a most enjoyable occasion. Many thanks to Don for organising and to Marilyn Sinclair and her team for continuing to provide these popular lunches at the club.

Photos © Nigel Butler

Foilers Fly to Victory in the Dyer Cup

BSC Commodore — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 08:17:25 GMT

A fantastic Autumn morning, with a clear blue sky and a building breeze from the southeast greeted the 29 boats taking part in the traditional end of season Dyer Cup race. This is an all-in handicap race sending the fleet down river to Doctor, then back upriver to Herring Point before finishing at the club line.

This year the fleet ranged from a foiling Moth and an IQ-Foil windsurfer, both starting from a PY of 490, through to the doublehanded Mirror’s with a PY of 1390. As was shown by last years winner, Julie Nelson, sailing a Mirror, it isn’t exclusively the fast boats that could win this one.

A Committee boat start was set up at Clarks, with a long start line from Clarks to Osea Road, giving a tight fetch down the river to Doctor. The fleet got away first time, despite several boats pushing as close to the line as they possibly could to get away in clear air. Best starts were Rob Carver, Laser, Brett Townsend, Solo, Guy Welch, Snipe, and Charlie Stewart, Fireball. Charlie Dixon, recently crowned IQ Foil World Youth Champion, hit the line at full speed a few seconds after the start gun, and made it clear that he was the man to catch! Gareth Davies in his Foiling Moth was never far away from Charlie, and the pair were being chased hard by Rory Dixon in his Waszp.

After the fetch to Doctor, the fleet turned to head back upriver, a tight reach allowing some spinnakers to be flown, but for others it appeared frustratingly too tight to hold them.

Chasing Gareth and Charlie, the Fireball was enjoying a fast 3 sail reach all the way to Hilly Pool and seemed to be in contention while Mike Iszatt in his RS600 was setting a blistering pace. Other mid-race contenders were Andy and Florence Pickering, Mirror, Jess Welch and Hugh Andrews in their Laser 4.7’s, who were enjoying their own private match race right up to the finish. Other races within the race were Brett Townsend and Ian Smith, continuing their season long duelling in their Solo’s, and Jess Finch and Gary Ling enjoying a close tussle in their Laser Radial’s.

Leading cruiser was Breezy, John Dyer and team, but not flying their spinnaker on the tight reach, it wasn’t going to be their day.

The fleet rounded Hilly Pool for a long beat up to Herring Point, followed by a fast run back downriver to the finish. Gareth and Charlie finished just four seconds apart, in an incredible race time of just 16 minutes!

After finishing, there was the lure onshore of the cakes and drinks being served as part of the Macmillan Charity cake event, but others chose to go back downriver and make the most of the stunning October afternoon.

Sheena Berney and her team on the bridge turned around the results very quickly, whilst competitors enjoyed some well deserved cake, and a prizegiving was held in the sunshine on the patio. It is a lesson to us all that the first three winners all missed the prizegiving because they were still on the water practicing!

Thanks to the generous support of our members the event raised £600 for Macmillan Cancer Support and £400 for the RNLI.

Results:

1st Charlie Dixon, IQ Foil

2nd Gareth Davies, Int. Moth

3rd Rory Dixon, Waszp

1st Cruiser – Breezy, John Dyer

1st Club Cruiser – Ffumbler, George Whitchurch and Jonathan Payne

1st Slow Handicap – Andy and Florence Pickering, Mirror

1st Cadet – Rory Dixon

1st Slow Handicap Cadet – Jess Welch, Laser 4.7

Photos © Steve Perkins, Tracy Haigh, Peter Gould

Steve Perkins, Hon Sailing Secretary

Congratulations to K6 National Champion - Dave Hall

BSC Commodore — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 09:15:49 GMT

Congratulations to our latest National Champions Dave Hall, Emilie Hood and Heather Chipperfield who won the closely contested K6 National Championships held at Mylor Yacht Club from 15-18 September.

Dave said that Mylor YC put on a great event in a great setting and thanked Heather and Emilie for successfully getting them around the racetrack to victory. He reported that there was great sailing in strong wind on the first day but it was all a bit stressful on the following shifty days. You can read the Yachts and Yachting report here

Wonderful Wayfarer Eastern Championship and Snipe Open Meeting

BSC Commodore — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 10:36:04 GMT

On 10-11 September Blackwater Sailing Club hosted the Wayfarer Eastern Championship combined with a Snipe open meeting. An excellent fleet of 15 Wayfarers including 6 visitors contested the event. Congratulations to winning team of Andrew & Tom Wilson from Datchet Water SC with an excellent 2^nd by Steve Perkins and Martyn Hare flying the flag for BSC. Six races were run over the weekend from a downriver committee boat allowing competitors to enjoy the beautiful racing area between Osea and Northey Islands. We received some fantastic feedback after the event and here are a couple of quotes:

Tim from UKWA said “we had a really enjoyable weekend at BSC. I had as much fun as I can remember at an open meeting but whether this was down to the favourable weather, the excellent race management, the warm welcome we received from your club or the fact that the tide limiting sailing time maximises the bar opening time I really can’t decide. Probably a bit of everything!”

Another sailor said “The Easterns, held at BSC was an absolutely wonderful weekend; very many thanks to Steve Perkins and his team both on and off the water. It was very much enjoyed by all those taking part with warm weather, super hospitality and competitive racing.”

The Yachts & Yachting report can be seen here

9 Snipes, including 7 visitors contested their South Eastern Championship with some of the boats crewed by BSC cadets. Congratulations to the winning team of Peter Wolstenholme from Bough Beach SC crewed by Charlie Bourne with a strong 3^rd place by Richard and Debbie Marshall as first BSC boat.

The results can be seen here

The full report by Richard Marshall can be seen here

Simon from the Snipe fleet said, “thank you for making me so welcome, I had a bloody brilliant time!”

Pictures © Zoe Nelson, Clemency Evans

Queen Elizabeth II - RIP

BSC Commodore — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 17:57:18 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club is deeply saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and extends our heartfelt condolences to King Charles III and the Royal Family.

After careful consideration, we decided to proceed with the Wayfarer Eastern Championships and Snipe Open meeting on the weekend 10-11 September. Before the briefing, the Commodore gave the following tribute to The Queen and led a minutes silence.

"I would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II following her passing on Thursday 8 September. She was our longest serving Monarch and reigned for 70 years so for most of us she is the only Monarch we have known. She demonstrated a wonderful sense of duty and dedicated her life to service of the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. She represented much of what makes Britain Great and so admired around the world.

While 15 Prime Ministers came and went the Queen was always there as a steadying hand on the tiller throughout many difficult times for the country and her own family. It is testament to her devotion to duty that she continued her work right up to the end when she welcomed our new Prime Minister.

The Royal Family have a long history of involvement with and support for sailing. The Queen was Royal Patron of the RYA, her husband HRH Duke of Edinburgh was former president of the RYA and the Princess Royal is the current president of the RYA.

King Charles III now takes the helm and will today be proclaimed King. I have every reason to believe that the monarchy is in safe hands and he will prove a worthy successor to his mother.

As we mourn the Queen, I would be grateful if you could join me in a minutes silence to show our respect and reflect on what this truly remarkable lady meant to us.

God save the King"

Nigel Butler

Commodore

Record Breaking Regatta & Club Week

BSC Commodore — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 11:33:58 GMT

The second heat wave of the year heralded our annual Club Week which ran from 13-19 August. Events started with the Regatta with 103 boats entered and 166 sailors across 10 fleets. The canons were used for starting and the entrants had great racing in champagne conditions with a steady f4 easterly wind.

The crabbing competition got under way while the races were on and when the fireballs finished the ever popular ‘greasy pole’ competition started. A variety of other inshore games included swimming races and the cork race. The prize giving was held late afternoon and then many members stayed on to enjoy a delicious hog roast.

As the heatwave broke down, we had mostly good but very shifty sailing winds for most of the week including two days when the wind was gusting f6 which tested the heavy weather skills of our sailors and kept our safety fleet busy. We had a record 128 boats racing crewed by 202 sailors and started 69 races during the week. The largest fleet was the Medium Handicap which had 13 different classes and 31 boats, then the Lasers with 23, then the Wayfarers and Toppers/Teras both with 14. It was great to see so many of our cadets taking part across the fleets and in many cases beating the adults! At the end of the week, the winner of each class took part in a race in Toppers on the river to decide the Cock O’ the Club – amazingly, this was won by talented international Optimist sailor Callum Marshall who at the age of 10 beat the club’s finest helms!

After a tiring time on the water, we ran a full social programme and over 100 members enjoyed the ever popular Quiz on Tuesday night. Big thanks to Hatty for doing the quiz and for Drac and Marc for helping on the night.

The Commodore supper on Wednesday was Pirate themed with some great fancy dress. The evening started in the lower deck with lashings of Tommy’s secret ‘Dark and Stormy’ rum punch which created a warm glow! Excellent food from Maldon’s Chinese restaurant ‘The House of Delight’ and live music from the Hopkirks who really got the guests dancing the night away. Thank you to the cadets who helped serve the food and looked after us so well.

Overall, one of our best club weeks for years and many thanks to Steve Perkins our Sailing Secretary, Sheena Berney our Rear Commodore and all our staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make it such a safe and successful event.

Congratulations to our winners from each class:

Optimist: Callum Marshall - 5931 “Victory”

Mirror: Jessica Finch & Florence Pickering - 70223

Topper/Tera: Josephine Bernard – Tera Sport 2632

Fireball: Charlie Stewart & Sue Gibson - 14905 “Walkabout 3”

Fast Cruiser: John Dyer & crew - 1889 “Breezy”

Fast Handicap: Terry Crook – Phantom 1464 “Ghostbuster”

Medium Handicap: Ian Smith – Solo 5545

Laser: Ted Coday – Laser Radial 200489

Wayfarer: Martyn Hare & Steve Perkins - 11305

Sprite: Martin Scarth & Tricia Parker – 33 “Jack O’Lantern”

Club Cruiser: George Whitchurch & Jonathan Payne – “Ffumbler”

Full results for the week can be found on our website here

Photos © Nigel Butler, Iain Marshall, Hatty Norman, Tracy Haigh, Peter Gould

Fantastic Cadet Week 2022

BSC Commodore — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 18:18:58 GMT

On Sunday 24 July, Blackwater SC welcomed 150 cadets aged 8 to 18 to our first Cadet Week for 3 years unrestricted by Covid. The cadets, their parents and the cadet team packed into our new upper deck club room for the daily briefings. 57 cadets were in lake training groups, 43 in river training groups and 50 in MG race groups split across six fleets. For the team activities, they were divided into six colour groups led by the Cadet Committee. Training groups worked towards the cadet badge, RYA levels 1-4 and seamanship skills. River training was provided for optimists, toppers, teras and lasers by our experienced team of instructors and assistants. Racers were supported by our team of race coaches and races were run from our club line with one down river day with a committee boat start.

Historically, cadets would start their training aged 8 learning in optimists on the lake. Increasingly, cadets are now joining the club as teenagers and are too big for an optimist! To cater for this trend we used our fleet of RS Quests supplemented with Wayfarers to provide training for older beginners and intermediates in addition to the RYA level 4 and seamanship training.

Conditions were great for sailing during the week ranging from a gentle force 2 to challenging force 6. The emphasis on the week was having fun and the team activities included lake games, field games, treasure hunt and the tractor pull. Evening social events included a gala dinner and disco.

The final day began with the fancy dress competition with some amazingly creative costumes. While the judging was happening, the Cock of the Cadets races took place with the winners of the river race series battling it out for top-spot. This was followed by the parents race challengingly held in Optimists. In the afternoon, over 200 cadets and helpers in 120 boats set off for a cruise to Maldon where vast quantities of ice creams were consumed!

Our chosen charity to support during the week was the Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSTY) and their chairman David Aisher gave an introductory talk about the work of the trust. During the week, Rafe organised a raffle which raised a splendid £809.35 which was donated to the TSYT.

Huge thanks to our Cadet Skipper Paul Trickey for putting together and delivering a brilliant and safe Cadet Week supported by the Cadet Committee, our instructors, coaches, assistants and the many volunteers who make this wonderful week possible for our young sailors.

Racing results:

Laser 4.7 – 181374 – Hugh Andrews

Laser Radial – 2 – Nick Evans

Optimist – 5931 – Callum Marshall

Topper/Tera – Topper 44412 – Robert Gardner

Medium Handicap – RS Feva BSC2 – Bella Elderton & Garci Lefranc

420 – 53332 – Jess Haigh & Lucy Shelter

Cock of the Cadets: Hugh Andrews

The full results can be seen on our website here

Members can read a detailed report from the Cadet Skipper here

Salute our World Champion - Charlie Dixon

BSC Commodore — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 17:32:30 GMT

Many congratulations to our talented 17 year old Blackwater Sailing Club cadet sailor Charlie Dixon who has been crowned iQFoil Youth World Champion at the Youth World Championships in the Hague held from 8-15 July 2022.

Having become iQFoil Youth National Champion at the RYA Youth National Championships held at Plas Heli, Pwllheli in April 2022, Charlie joined the 16 members of the GB team who raced at the Hague against 450 of the world’s best youth sailors from 69 countries.

The Hague was Charlie’s first ever international event and he went there without any great expectations. He completely dominated the male iQFoil class at the event notching up eight wins from 11 races to seal the title by a staggering 16 points. Charlie was the only member of the GB team to wind gold at the event from the 12 classes contested. The full results can be seen here

Charlie is a great ambassador for the Club and when he is not at a championship, he can be seen practising and training on the Blackwater Estuary. This is deserved reward for all his hard work and commitment to this exciting Olympic class.

New Members Day 2022

BSC Commodore — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 14:52:09 GMT

On Sunday 10 July the club held its New Members Day. 60 new members, 41 adults and 19 children attended and met at the lake at 11am. Alan Coday Senior Instructor and Sheena Berney Rear Commodore gave an introductory talk about the club and a briefing on how the day would work.

New members were invited to go out in the club Quests helmed by volunteer members. The wind was very light and getting back across the lake was sometime quite a challenge but everyone that wanted a sail was accommodated. When not on the lake instruction was given on the simulator.

The Commodore Nigel Butler, Vice Commodore Alan Hoy and member volunteers chatted to the new members, answering any questions they may have had and explaining about the adult and cadet training we have available. New cadets were not forgotten and many went out in an Optimist with Natasha Adkins who sailed the whole morning.

At 1pm everyone went up to the main terrace and was able to enjoy a tasty BBQ which was prepared by more volunteer members. With the bar open and good food conversation flowed and everyone seemed to be having a good time, making new friends and enjoying the facilities that the club offers.

Thanks must go to all the members of the club who gave up their time to organise and run this day and I hope the new members enjoyed themselves and I look forward to seeing them again at the club.

Linda Ogburn

Membership Secretary.

Champagne Conditions for the Commodore's Cruise

BSC Commodore — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:58:11 GMT

Saturday 9 July was a glorious warm, sunny day for my second Commodore’s Cruise. Many thanks to Allan and Belinda who allowed me to use their Sabre 27 as flagship for the day. We loaded up “Kalyba” with essential provisions of prosecco, lager, beer and vast amounts of food. Gradually boats appeared from everywhere and at 08:30 a fleet of 25 boats including a wayfarer, several dayboats and a selection of cruisers with 64 people and 2 dogs set sail in a pleasant f3-4 NNE wind for an easy broad reach with the ebb tide to Osea Pier where we anchored for breakfast.

Five cruisers had volunteered as cafés and once anchored set to producing bacon butties including a new for 2022 pescatarian fish finger butties option from café Akela. Orders were taken over Ch 37 and a delivery service was provided by Rob and Zoe who were escorting the fleet in yellow RIB. As we feasted, the wind gradually freshened to F4-5. At 10:30 the fleet slowly hauled up muddy anchors and set off for a lively broad reach past Thirslet and onto Bradwell. We were overhauled by a number of yachts including Nigel Clarke’s new Beneteau 30.1 “Puffin,” Kane Gooch’s beautiful 1889 oyster smack “Katie” and Steve Kuhl’s’ Dehler 42 “Sunbeat VI’ warming up for the ARC.

About a mile past Bradwell, we anchored off Weymarks Beach and Rob and Zoe did an excellent job providing a taxi service ashore. The champagne corks were soon popping as everyone tucked into their picnics and got the BBQs going. As the tide turned, the wind suddenly veered to the East as the sea breeze arrived. Artemis and Shamrock laid on a demonstration of dragging their anchors but both dug in again without the crews having to interrupt their lunch!

Eventually the cool boxes were emptied of alcohol and the gluttony finished, the post prandial somnolence slowly wore off and we gathered for a fleet photo and then onto beach games organised by Zoe. I led our team away for the egg and spoon race and despite a slow start, Harrison surged to victory on the anchor leg. The sack race and three-legged race were hilarious particularly when Karen and Tony did their usual trick of capsizing and falling on top of one another laughing.

As the sun continued to beat down, we decided it was time to decamp. Larkabout’s crew gave a demonstration of the challenges of rowing their tender against a brisk wind and flood tide. Tony seemed oblivious of the fact that his course over the ground was backwards but Rob spotted his plight and gave him a helpful tow. The fleet set off with the flood tide for another exhilarating downwind sail in the f4-5 ENE. As we passed Thirslet spit and gybed downwind past Marconi the wind freshened and was gusting f6 at times. We had a great sail home and arrived in time to get on the mooring by 18:00 and soon back ashore.

I would like to thank everyone who joined me on the cruise and helped make it a most enjoyable and successful occasion.

Photos © Nigel Butler, Zoe Nelson, Belinda Sturge

BSC Celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in Style

BSC Commodore — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 17:55:57 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club enjoyed a fantastic week celebrating the 70th anniversary of the accession Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and marking her wonderful achievement of 70 years on the throne.

From Monday 30 May to Friday 3 June our growing fleet of mirrors joined the sprites for their annual racing week. 8 Sprites competed with overall winners David Nichols & Christine Mills. An impressive 18 mirrors entered with overall winners Julie Nelson & Kiley Gooch.

On Thursday 2 to Friday 3 June we held Platinum Jubilee Series racing with light to moderate winds on day 1 but particularly challenging F4-6 winds on day 2 testing out heavy weather skills. 19 boats entered the main fleet with overall winner Terry Crook in his phantom. The short series was contested by 17 boats with Andy & Florence Pickering overall winners in their mirror. Club racing continued on Saturday and Sunday.

Over 100 members enjoyed the warmest day of the Jubilee holiday on Friday 3 June at our Platinum Jubilee Street party which came at the end of the 2 day Platinum Jubilee Race Series and Sprite & Mirror Week. The clubhouse was bedecked in flags and bunting and 3 long rows of decorated tables were set up, tea was provided, the bar was open and members were asked to bring a selection of food. An impressive banquet ensued with tables laden with a delicious selection of home cooked produce. The "Best Jubilee Hat" competition was keenly contested and won by Jan Nuttall. Our younger members enjoyed various games. In the evening, the BBQs were lit and many stayed on to enjoy a pleasant evening on the patio.

On Saturday 4 June we held a highly successful Optimist Open meeting with F5-6 winds providing particularly challenging conditions for the main fleet who had a committee boat start East of Northey Island. The 19 main fleet entrants, including 5 visitors, enjoyed 4 exhilarating races with Hugh Andrews the clear winner with 4 bullets! Due to the conditions, the Regatta fleet raced on the lake and managed 6 races. The 9 entrants including 3 visitors enjoyed some close racing with Daniel Hall emerging victorious. The weekend was rounded off with team racing on the lake on Sunday morning.

Many thanks to those who worked so hard to make the week such a success both on and off the water.

Photos © Nigel Butler, Tracy Haigh & Jake Fairhead

Notice to Mariners - Northey Island Works

BSC Commodore — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 16:11:25 GMT

Be aware that licence has been granted to the Natural Trust to undertake works as part of conservation adaptation works to the north east and south east of Northey Island. Works are licenced between 13 June 2022 and 30 September 2023.

You can read and download the full notice here

Memorable Open Day 2022

BSC Commodore — Thu, 19 May 2022 10:12:27 GMT

The Blackwater Sailing Club at Heybridge Basin held their annual Open Day on Saturday 7 May from 11.30 to 17.30. The weather was generally kind with only two brief showers in the morning and finished in glorious sunshine. The day saw a steady stream of visitors coming to the registration desk, with a total over the day of 315 people keen to see what our sailing club has to offer. Everyone was offered a guided tour of the clubhouse and grounds by our team of volunteers wearing high viz jackets.

The team on the Lake were offering sailing sessions in a range of dinghies, helmed by experienced Dinghy Instructors – over 200 people had a trip on the water, wearing buoyancy aids provided by the Club. The Cadet Section staged a demonstration of Optimist racing for the younger visitors to enjoy.

The upstairs galley team were busy all day producing filled rolls, cake, tea & coffee for our visitors while the downstairs bar which opened at noon did a brisk trade all afternoon.

Once the tide came in, we were able to offer our visitors trips on the river – either in one of our safety ribs or the club launch, which also ferried visitors out to one of two cruisers who were offering a chance to try a different type of sailing. Club racing also started at 15.30 so visitors were able to watch the racing from the sea wall in lovely sunshine.

The membership teams in the main clubroom were working hard to answer all the various questions about the terms and cost of membership and signed up 42 adults & 8 cadets at the end of the day with a number of other visitors thinking about joining in the near future

The success of this special day could only happen with the amazing dedicated support of more than 80 volunteer members – my thanks to everyone who helped to ensure our visitors had a memorable day.

The Blackwater Sailing Club is one of the leading sailing clubs on the East Coast; an active family-focused Club offering dinghy & cruiser racing for experienced sailors on the river; a well organised Cadet Section for children aged between 8 to 18 years offering initial training on the 7 acre freshwater lake & then coached training and racing on the river for the older Cadets. The Sailing School is now able to offer RYA Level 1 & 2 courses for Adults, which has been in much demand from new members.

If you missed out on our Open Day but are interested in membership please visit our About Us page or email our Hon. Membership Secretary

Photos © Nigel Butler, Iain Marshall

Walk the Walk for Breast Cancer Charity

BSC Commodore — Tue, 10 May 2022 17:33:04 GMT

A group from the club, Belinda, Allan, Zoe, Tracy, Nina & Maxine have signed up for the Moonwalk London, raising money for Breast Cancer Walk the Walk Charity. Whilst Belinda, Allan and family are doing the walk in London on 14 May, Zoe, Tracy, Nina & Maxine decided to complete the walk last Thursday 5 May. Nina & Maxine walked 16.3 miles from Paper Mill Lock towards Chelmsford along the canal, then circling round through the woods North of Danbury to Woodham Walter and then back to Paper Mill Lock. Zoe & Tracy walked from the club along the canal to Paper Mill Lock then towards Chelmsford and circled back through Blakes Woods to Woodham Walter and back to the club via Beeleigh Falls. Thanks to all the support on the day via Facebook and WhatsApp which kept us all going to the end. Thanks to the generosity of club members, friends and family, our team has raised a massive £ 2584 so far. If you would like to donate to this good cause, please click on this link

Pictures © Tracy Haigh, Zoe Nelson

Fantastic Easter at the Club

BSC Commodore — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 09:53:29 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club was the place to be during Easter with plenty of sunshine and cooling onshore breezes. More than 60 boats raced over six days and many more just took to the waters to enjoy a relaxing sail. The cadets had a successful Frostbite series over Wednesday to Friday with club racing from Good Friday to Monday. The Friday sailors held their Friends Trophy race on Friday with 20 boats competing. On Saturday over 100 cadets and their families enjoyed the Easter Family Social which included an Easter egg hunt, family supper and disco. On Saturday and Sunday Zoe and Belinda organised a very popular charity cake sale to raise funds for breast cancer charities. Many members donated cakes including a ‘showstopper’ which was raffled each day. Thanks to the generosity of members £902 was raised.

From Friday to Sunday there was handicap racing for fast, medium handicap and short course with a remarkable 32 entrants for the short course! On Monday, the Osea Cup general handicap race was intended to be a race around Osea but light winds prevailed and some barely made the start line! The fine weather on Easter Monday saw a good turnout for the car boot style boat jumble sale. Despite an early 7am start, the upper car park saw good trading as boat owners searched for a bargain with bacon butties provided by the galley team. Thanks to those members who generously donated to the RNLI at the event. Collecting boxes on two stands raised a useful £81.15.

Overall a fantastic holiday long weekend and it was great to see so many people enjoying being at the club soaking up the sunshine and sea air. Full details of the racing results can be found on our website here

If you are interested in finding our more or joining Blackwater Sailing Club why not come along to our Open Day on Saturday 7 May.

Pictures © Nigel Butler, Anna Lau, Steve Sharpe, Tracy Haigh

Congratulations Charlie Dixon iQFoil Youth National Champion

BSC Commodore — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 17:59:52 GMT

Many congratulations to talented Blackwater Sailing Club cadet sailor Charlie Dixon who has been crowned iQFoil Youth National Champion at the RYA Youth National Championships held at Plas Heli, Pwllheli. Following his success, Charlie has been announced as the GB team representative for the iQ foil class at the Youth World Championships in the Hague this summer. Charlie is a great ambassador for the Club and when he is not at a championship he can be seen practising and training on the Blackwater Estuary. This is deserved reward for all his hard work and commitment to this exciting Olympic class.

The full results can be seen here

Brilliant Winter Work Party

BSC Commodore — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 18:36:07 GMT

Sunday 6 February dawned with a cold NW wind gusting over 40 knots and horizontal rain – not an encouraging start for our second winter work party you may think! As 9am arrived, over 70 members came from far and wide to help make this one of our best attended and most successful work parties for years. Blackwater Sailing Club members are hardy folk and are not easily deterred by a severe gale and a bit of rain. Some were dressed in full oilskins and looked ready to take on the South Atlantic as they spread out around the site and set to work.

In four hours they achieved an amazing amount including clearing out and tidying the members workshop, clearing and tidying the dinghy trailer storage compound, enhancing the landing area either side of the lake ramp, moving the waste oil tank to prepare for another kayak rack and relocating all the club boats so they are together in a row including the reclaimed dinghy storage area by the pond. A pruning team made short work of the St George’s and footpath hedges and an enthusiastic gang deep cleaned the catering galley while the flags team decluttered the office and tank room.

At 1pm, the finish bell rang and the tired and hungry workers made their way to the lower deck. When all were present, they were presented with a glass of prosecco and the Commodore led a toast to Her Majesty the Queen to celebrate 70 years since her accession to the throne. They were then rewarded with a delicious lunch of jacket potato with beans and cheese followed by a selection of puddings prepared by Katherine and her team in the galley and Zoe contributing an excellent crumble.

We are extremely fortunate to have so many members who give freely of their time to come and help at our work parties to make our club a better place for us all. Thank you to our Hon Warden Julie Nelson for organising everyone and to all those who came along and worked so hard on the day.

Photos © Nigel Butler & Alan Hoy

Congratulations to our first Cohort of RYA 1&2 Graduates

BSC Commodore — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 11:42:44 GMT

As an RYA Recognised Training Centre we have recently started running RYA adult ‘Start Sailing’ (RYA1) and ‘Basic Skills’ (RYA2) courses for Blackwater Sailing Club members. Senior Instructor Alan Coday leads our adult dinghy courses and instruction is provided by our own dinghy instructors on a rota basis, which gives an interesting and varied approach. Beginners can ‘know about and try’ RYA approved techniques in the RYA1 ‘Start Sailing’ programme, whilst improvers on the RYA2 ‘Basic Skills’ course ‘can do and demonstrate’ a series of skills, tasks and manoeuvres essential for safe, satisfying, successful and fun dinghy sailing.

The inaugural cohort of six adult beginners, battling through the winter months, all recently ‘graduated’ achieving RYA 1 and 2. On completion, Mike said: ‘The course was fun and encouraging and I really feel my sailing has improved since taking part. The instructors were excellent, very knowledgeable, experienced and supportive.’ Irena said: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed this programme which was the highlight of my week, I have learned so much and my confidence on the water has improved’. Tony said: ‘The course is first rate and it’s been a great way to spend Friday afternoons. I'm going to miss it!’ and Sophie said: 'I have absolutely enjoyed myself. The instructors have taken me from a beginner to understanding how to sail and how to sail better. From parts of the boat, to rigging, launching, points of sail, tacking and safe gybing. Slowing and stopping the boat by putting in irons and of course man overboard. The fun and laughter the 6 of us, along with all our instructors, over the weeks has been amazing.’

To help satisfy demand, we plan to run adult dinghy courses throughout 12 months of the year. The next January weekend course is over-subscribed and the next six-week course starting 28 January is already full but we shall be following that with an RYA Level 2 (improvers) course commencing mid-March, a Direct Assessment day (mid-April), another weekend course (end of April), another beginners’ course (May), followed by another improvers course (June) – repeating the series all the way to Christmas.

These chargeable courses in BSC boats are bookable by members through the ‘Events’ page of our website or via the Wild Apricot member app. We also provide ad hoc one-to-one mentoring, arranged for one or two mentees. For more information please visit the Sailing School page on our website. If you are interested in becoming a member and taking advantage of our adult and cadet training, please visit Contact Us

Photos (c) Alan Coday & Belinda Sturge

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

BSC Commodore — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 17:52:23 GMT

On Thursday 16th December Blackwater Sailing Club descended on Forrester Park for their Christmas Lunch which had been cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19. After a delicious traditional X-mas Turkey meal followed by X-mas pudding, we enjoyed a sing along with a variety of favourite carols.

There was some particularly enthusiastic participation to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with each table in charge of a day! Many thanks to Marilyn Sinclair for organising this most enjoyable event and to Belinda Sturge for leading the singing and Allan Hunt for providing the music.

With best wishes for a very Happy Christmas to all our members and friends and a sailing filled 2022.

Photos © Nigel Butler

Santa Comes Early for the BSC Children

BSC Commodore — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 17:02:04 GMT

On Sunday 12th December Blackwater Sailing Club held their first Children’s Christmas Party with 33 children from babies up to aged 10 enjoying the fun. The kids were entertained with music, games, bubbles and magic tricks and then sat down for a bite to eat, before Father Christmas arrived. He walked into the club room and took his seat by the Christmas tree and the children lined up to receive their presents. A big thanks to Marilyn and her band of elves and Santa’s helpers for making the day so special for all the children and parents.

Photos (c) Tracy Haigh

Laying Up Supper - Channels

BSC Commodore — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 18:29:07 GMT

On Friday 19^th November, 80 Blackwater Sailing Club members and their guests packed into the beautifully restored 17^th century thatched Essex Barn function suite at Channels, Chelmsford for our black-tie Laying up Supper. Everyone looked very smart in their finery and there was a great atmosphere with the venue looking very festive and decorated for Christmas.

After grace from organiser, Joe Bird, everyone settled down to enjoy a delicious three course meal with friendly and efficient service from the house. During coffee, the raffle was drawn. Thanks to the generosity of members, we had some amazing prizes which were divided into goodie bags for the winners. This was followed by the 200 Club draw.

Without further ado, DJ Mitch Fisk entertained us with his mix of music and the dance floor was quickly full of people showing off their moves. This year, the Friday Sailors energised themselves with ‘fortified’ coffee and led the dancing until the carriages arrived at midnight to carry them away!

Thanks to the successful raffle, there was a small profit from the event that is being donated to ‘children in need’.

All in all, a great time was had by all and evidence that there is still demand for a black-tie dinner in addition to our more informal trophy supper held at the Club. Many thanks to Steve and the team at Channels and to Joe Bird and Tracy Haigh for organising a most enjoyable event.

Photos © Nigel Butler

Productive Winter Work Party

BSC Commodore — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 16:53:47 GMT

On Sunday 7 November over fifty helpers turned out for our first winter work party which enabled us to finish the three main tasks of the day. Our main task was to clear out the mast shed of the old unused masts which have not seen the light of day for many years. After clearing the masts and old wood etc., we were able to re arrange the mast shed so it not only looks tidier but has some spare racks for cruiser owners who wish to store their masts over winter.

Our next major job was to resurface the new dinghy storage area. This is where we reclaimed some land on the edge of the drainage pond which was left to settle after the club house rebuilding finished. The land is now stable and has been levelled and re finished.

At the Ballast Hole side of the club grounds the entire length of the banking has been cleared of brambles and has been trimmed. This has tidied up this area and allowed members to get to their dinghies.

There was a very high tide and the Fireballs out for Winter racing only just managed to get back before the flood gates were closed.

Well done to everyone who helped, we got an awful lot of jobs done.

Photos © Belinda Sturge

Dyer Cup 2021 – Top Gun Julie Nelson in her Mirror

BSC Commodore — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 20:31:50 GMT

A sparkling October afternoon attracted 50 boats to take part in the end of season finale trophy race, the Dyer Cup. The race team, led by Sheena Berney, had George Whitchurch providing a committee boat start just downriver from Clarks and they were undeterred by a spectacular formation of four USAF F15 fighter jets that flew low over the start area a few minutes before the start. The fleet set off in good time for a gentle reach down to the start line, with a menagerie of cruisers and dinghies including pretty much every class sailing at the club.

The course would take the fleet on a tight reach downriver to Doctor, then a fetch, turning into a beat for some, back up the river through the Doubles and to Hilly Pool, then a broad reach to Herring Point, and finally a beat back against the tide to the finish line at the Club.

George got the fleet away cleanly and on time, with most being line shy, except for the fireball of Charlie Stewart and Sue Gibson which hit the line at full speed on the gun and broke away from the fleet. The breeze was up and down all the way to Doctor, with some gusts catching a few out, a quick swim for Richard and Mara Thomas in their RS200, and Barry Ely and Lyndsey O’Reilly in Poohsticks doing well to avoid a broach when reaching in close company with a concerned looking Paul Allen in his Fusion! It was a great sight to see as places were won and lost all the way to Doctor.

As the boats turned at Doctor there was close racing throughout the fleet, Charlie had slipped back into the pack with the other Fireballs, but places were changing all the way back to Hilly Pool as what started as a tight three sail reach became a beat. Joe and Clare Bird were leading the fleet home in their 49er, Julian Berney was mixing it up at the front in his National 18, crewed by Jess Welch and Martyn Hare. The Hare brothers Dan and Jamie were having their own private battle in their Aero’s, the 420’s were enjoying a close race, Nick Evans and Joey Taylor getting in front. The cruisers were making their presence felt, with John Dyer and team in Breezy looking impressive towards the front of the fleet.

Further back the slower boats were racing well, Julie Nelson and Jessica Finch, both sailing single handed in Mirrors, were pushing each other all the way, and the club cruisers were making good progress through the fleet.

At Hilly Pool the Fireball’s race was still very much on, Dave Hall and Paul Constable picked a perfect line into the mark to avoid the need for a tack and rounded just ahead looking as if they would get away on the reach to Herring Point. However, Charlie and Sue, rounding in fourth place were not done, and taking a lower line, seemingly in less favourable tide, they found a way back and led the others home on a close, short tacking duel to the finish line, just holding off Mark Maskell and Nigel Sheppard.

It was still all to play for further back in the fleet, with everyone clearly enjoying the gains and losses to be made in the final beat to the finish. Jamie and Dan in the Aero’s battled all the way, with Jamie just getting in front.

The Mirrors were not far behind, as the breeze freshened to help the slower boats beat the tide and save time on the early finishers.

Back ashore the club was running a MacMillan Cancer Support Charity event, everyone enjoyed drinking tea and eating vast amounts of cake in the late afternoon sunshine whilst Sheena and her team worked out the results in super quick time. Thanks to the generosity of members and guests, £912 was raised for this very important charity so a big thank you to all who showed their support. The results were very close throughout the fleet, anticipation was building, nobody knew who the winners were going to be! It was a day for the slower boats, with Julie Nelson in her Mirror winning both the Slow Handicap trophy and the Dyer Cup, and Jonathan Payne / Alan Sargeant in Ffumbler winning the Cruiser Cup. Julie was absolutely delighted, and Jonathan couldn’t believe he had won with such a dirty bottom!

The worthy prize winners were:

Dyer Cup

1 – Julie Nelson, Mirror

2 – Jessica Finch, Mirror

3 – Rob and Wendy Walker, Wanderer

Dyer Cup – Slow Handicap Trophy

1 – Julie Nelson, Mirror

2 – Jessica Finch, Mirror

Dyer Cup – Cruiser Trophy

1 – Ffumbler, Jonathan Payne and Alan Sargeant

2 – Breezy, John Dyer, Joe, James, Sarah and Shelley

Photos © Steve Perkins & Zoe Nelson

Record Breaking Club Week 2021

BSC Commodore — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 07:40:03 GMT

A fantastic regatta day set the scene for a memorable Club Week 2021 which ran from 22 to 27 August. We had great sailing winds for most of the week including two days when the wind was gusting F6 which tested the heavy weather skills or our sailors and kept our safety fleet busy. We had 122 boats racing crewed by 202 sailors and started 75 races during the week. There were 999 starters in those races with an average of 13 boats in each race. The largest fleet was the Medium Handicap which had 12 different classes and 29 boats, then the Lasers with 24, then the Mirrors with 16 and the Wayfarers with 14. During the week there were 40 different race winners. It was great to see so many of our cadets taking part across the fleets and in many cases beating the adults! At the end of the week, the winner of each class took part in a race series in Toppers on our training lake to decide the Cock O’ the Club – this was won by Fireball sailor Charlie Stewart.

Hot and cold food was available throughout the week from our catering galley and this was complemented by record sales at our newly completed bar and a great range of social events. These included a gin night, a quiz night, the Commodore’s supper with a best of British Theme and a last night party night with Thai food and dancing to the Redwood band.

All in all, one of our best club weeks for years and many thanks to all our staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make it such a safe and successful event.

Congratulations to our winners from each class:

Optimist: Callum Marshall “Victory”

Mirror: Any & Florence Pickering “Blue”

Topper/Tera: Jessica Taylor – Topper

Fireball – Charlie Stewart & Sue Gibson “Walkabout 3”

Fast Cruiser – John Dyer & crew “Breezy”

Medium Handicap – Guy & Alison welch – Snipe

Laser – Aimee Taylor – Laser Radial

Wayfarer – Martyn Hare & Steve Perkins “Pickle”

Sprite – Hilary Gallo & Clem Evans – Sprite 33

Club Cruiser – Paul & Evelyn Su “Sea Urchin”

Full results for the week can be found on our results page: https://blackwatersailingclub.org.uk/BSC-Race-results/10256832

Photos © Ian Johnson, Belinda Sturge & Nigel Butler

Memorable Regatta Day and Opening Ceremony

BSC Commodore — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 15:02:56 GMT

Saturday 21 August 2021 was a fantastic day for the club when we were finally able to officially open the rebuilt southern end of the clubhouse which was completed over a year ago. The busy day started with the regatta with 99 boats entered and 167 sailors across 11 fleets. The canons were used for starting for the first time in two years and the entrants had great racing in steady winds. Full results can be seen on our website by clicking the following link: Regatta Race Results

The crabbing competition got under way while the races were on and when the fireballs finished the ever popular ‘greasy pole’ competition started. A variety of other inshore games included swimming races and the cork race. The prize giving was held mid afternoon and we then prepared for the main event.

The official opening ceremony was carried out at 18:00 by Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Following speeches, a special presentation was made to Anthony Sinclair and Mick Sargeant to recognise their enormous contribution to the successful completion of the new building. Our Rear Commodore, Sheena Berney was presented with her RYA Volunteer Outstanding Commitment Award by Doug MacEwen, the chairman of the RYA East team. It was particularly fitting that this award was presented on a day in which Sheena had invested so much time and energy to make such a success.

Following the awards, the ribbon was untied and a commemorative plaque was unveiled in the new Lower Deck. 170 members and guests then enjoyed prosecco and canapes in the beautiful new upstairs club room and those who hadn’t seen the new building were able to take a tour and meet friends they hadn’t seen for a while. In the evening, 145 people enjoyed a catered buffet provided by Emma Kavanagh Catering and danced the night away to “Band on the Run”.

The flag officers and committee wanted to give all our members a memorable party to thank them for their support through the rebuilding and 16 months of Covid restrictions and to thank and acknowledge the numerous volunteers who had given their time to the building project over the past 5 years. The whole day was an overwhelming success and was a fitting occasion to mark the landmark of completion of rebuilding of the clubhouse started around the millennium. We now have a fantastic new, smart, energy efficient building that will provide great facilities for current and future generations of members.

Photos © Belinda Sturge and Peter Gould

Fantastic Cadet Week 2021

BSC Commodore — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 11:04:55 GMT

On Saturday 7^th August Blackwater Sailing Club welcomed 130 cadets aged 8 to 18 for its first post-Covid Cadet Week. There were a few adjustments made due to Covid precautions but all in all, and thanks to the efforts of instructors, bridge team, galley, ramp and lake volunteers and all other helpers, the Cadets (and everyone else) had a great week.

After registration the cadets enjoyed a unique land-bound relay event, retrieving Topper parts dispersed around the lake. This worked very well even with the sudden downpour that drenched spectators and competitors alike.

Sunday was deemed to be too windy and gusty for racing or RYA training on the river so the more experienced sailors went out for a high-octane blast on the river while the newer groups took turns sailing on the lake in the morning, and working on theory in the afternoon. In the evening the Cadet Commodore Kane Gooch and the Cadet Committee organised and hosted a Treasure Hunt and a team quiz.

Monday’s onshore event was games at Heybridge Basin playing field. Cadets gathered in their colour groups to face a number of challenges including a tug-of-war. Rupert Marks was kind enough to give a short talk on the work of the Pioneer Sailing Trust (Cadet Charity for 2021) and how it works, amongst other things, to develop the life prospects of young people. Back at the club, it was again a windy day but not as gusty as Sunday, so all groups went out on the river and lake as planned. The cadets were entertained in the evening with a film show.

Tuesday brought sunshine at last! The traditional Tractor Pull went very well and clearly came as a great (and happy) surprise to many of the new cadets we have this year. Wind and weather were perfect and both river and lake sailors had an exhilarating day’s sailing; followed in the evening by the Cadet Gala Dinner.

Wednesday saw another sunny day and good wind meant that the river racers had an excellent down-river day. In the evening a Covid safe outside disco took place . Parents were encouraged to make themselves scarce and the event went off very well!

The final day on Thursday started somewhat overcast but the mood was brightened by the prospect of the Fancy Dress competition and Cock of the Cadets race. This was followed by the Parents Race challengingly held in tiny Optimist dinghies. In the afternoon as the weather brightened, all 130 cadets set off for a cruise to Maldon , either in their own boats or riding in a RIB, some even sitting on the front of a Topper. They arrived at the Prom and descended en masse upon the ice cream stall. Back at the club at the end of the day, with the sun finally shining, it was time for prize-giving.

This fantastic week was able to take place due to the enormous commitment and enthusiasm of our Honorary Cadet Skipper Paul Trickey and the large team of coaches, instructors along with the Cadet Committee under the leadership of Cadet Commodore Kane Gooch; none of this would happen without them and the myriad of volunteers helping not only Cadet Week but throughout the year. Blackwater Sailing Club thanks every one of them.

Cadet racing results:

Medium Handicap:

1^st Ben Haigh

2^nd Will Taylor

3^rd Jamie Keegan

Laser Radial and 4.7

1^st Marnie Aers

2^nd Jack Bernard

3^rd Hugh Andrews

RS Feva

1^st Jess Haigh & Lucy Shelter

2^nd Sam Glover & Charlie Bourne

3^rd Osea Evans & Isabel Finch

Topper/Tera

1^st Jessica Taylor

2^nd Charlie Garlick

3^rd Matthieu Bernard

Optimists

1^st Jess Welch

2^nd Stanley Johnson

3^rd Callum Marshall

Cock of the Cadets: Jess Haigh

Photos © Anna Lau

Sunshine and Smiles for record breaking Open Day

BSC Commodore — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 19:28:21 GMT

It was wonderful to be able to open our doors to the public on Saturday 26 June for the first time in 2 years due to Covid-19 and welcome the 365 visitors who flocked to Blackwater Sailing Club for our Open Day and RYA “Discover Sailing” event. The Blackwater was looking stunning under clear blue skies with glorious sunshine all day. 73 adult and cadet helpers from the club helped make this a fantastic day out for our guests, many of whom had never considered trying sailing before. The Friday sailors were kept busy providing numerous sailing taster sessions on our 7-acre training lake in our fleet of RS Quests throughout the 5-hour event. Once the water arrived, 26 family groups enjoyed a river trip on the launch, a Rib, a classic motor launch or sailing on a cruiser. Many just sat and enjoyed watching our club racing and the activity on the Blackwater Estuary.

Our Tour guides were kept busy showing 82 family groups around our beautiful new Clubhouse. We had a one-way system in place and a tally system operated by our Covid Marshall who regulated the flow of members into the building & ensured Covid regulations were followed. The galley did a marvellous job providing food and serving soft drinks, tea & coffee. The upstairs galley closed at 15.00 and the downstairs bar was then opened for drinks using table service.

The membership teams worked hard all day resulting in new applications from 47 adult members & 13 cadets, making this our most successful Open Day ever!

Thank you to the army of volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the day welcoming our guests and presenting a friendly, smiling face. Blackwater Sailing Club is a family friendly, members club run by the members, for the members. We are fortunate to have so many willing volunteers who freely give of their time to make the club such a great place and help make events like this such a success. Thank you to our many visitors for coming and we hope you enjoyed your day as much as we did.

Photos © Nigel Butler & Zoe Nelson

Exhilarating Round the Islands RNLI Fundraiser Races

BSC Commodore — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 20:40:11 GMT

On Sunday 27^th June 46 boats set out from Blackwater Sailing Club on a cool grey afternoon to take part in the annual Round the Islands races. 40 entered the main dinghy race around Osea and Northey Islands and 6 the short course around Northey. The entry fee was a donation to the RNLI and much to the delight of local Vice Chairman, Ken Harrison, we raised a fantastic £348.50 for our local lifeboat stations.

The 23 medium handicap boats started first in a brisk force 4-5 north easterly breeze with a short beat against the spring tide to Millbeach which helped spread the fleet out. A tight port fetch to Osea was too close for most to fly their spinnakers. The 17 fast handicap boats started 20 minutes after the medium and the chase for on. As the fleet approached Osea pier it became a beat with challenging shifty gusts which caught some out, particularly those who stayed close to the shore to keep out of the flood tide. Round the eastern tip of Osea the wind was gusting force 6 causing a lumpy swell as the leaders enjoyed an exhilarating reach along the northeast coast of Osea with the ultra-fast boats now overtaking the medium. The strengthening wind and the challenging cross swell caused a number of capsizes which continued as the fleet bore away onto a run towards Northey and kept the rescue boats busy. While passing south of Northey, some sailed too close to land mistaking tufts of grass as safe water only to impale themselves on Northey in 12 inches of water! As the fleet approached the southwest of Northey the fireballs and other fast boats were powering through onto the beat up the Northey shore to the finish.

It was great to see such a large fleet of boats out on the river in pretty challenging conditions and bodes well for our upcoming Cadet and Club week. Congratulations to Charlie Dixon who raced his foiling windsurfer round the course in a new record time of 38 minutes, but he couldn’t beat the Viper and the Spitfire on corrected time. Well done to cadet Theo Aers who skilfully sailed his full rig laser to 8^th place and was the first medium handicap boat. Well done to the 6 brave young cadets and the short course fleet captain who battled their way round Northey on the short course.

Thanks to the race team, all the safety boat crews and the ramp helpers who helped make this such a successful race while raising money for the RNLI.

Results:

Round the Islands - dinghies:

1^st Neil McCulloch and Jane Arnold - Viper – Jubilee Goblet

2^nd Marcus Wallace and Abbie Wallace - Spitfire - Vincett Wings trophy

3^rd Mark Maskell and Nigel Sheppard - Fireball

Round Northey:

1^st Jessica Welch - Optimist

2^nd Luca Batley - Tera

3^rd Optimist – Callum Marshall

For the full results visit the race results page

Photos © Zoe Nelson

BBC Film at BSC Lake

BSC Commodore — Thu, 13 May 2021 10:35:20 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club welcomed the BBC Look East team to our 7 acre sail training lake on Tuesday 11th May. We were delighted to be able to support Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 and facilitate the BBC to go sailing with Chelmsford Radio Yacht Club (CRYC) as a backdrop to talk about SAILING WELLNESS and the positive benefits of getting afloat and 'blue health'.

This is the first time the BBC have featured Radio Controlled Model Yacht Racing on the TV. The class CRYC race the IOM Class (International One Metre) and a number of club members are also members of the CRYC and take part in the competitive racing held at our training lake most Tuesday and Sunday mornings.

You can view an article about the filming here

You can watch the action on YouTube here

For more information about how you can take part in this exciting racing please visit the CRYC website

Photo and film courtesy of the BBC

Osea Cup and Britannia race Series

BSC Commodore — Tue, 04 May 2021 17:42:22 GMT

Osea Challenge Cup

A cold, blustery NNE wind greeted the 26 boats entered for the Osea Challenge Cup on Sunday 25 April. Some decided to stay dry and warm, but the 14 who did start the main race, the long course, enjoyed a challenging and eventful race, with capsizes, breakages and a collision between a Sprite boom and the crew's head forcing half the starters to retire. Perfect conditions for the Fireballs, taking 5 of the top 6 places. Congratulations to Dave Hall and Paul Constable, worthy winners of the Osea Challenge Cup. There were no starters for the short course, this was carried over to Race 1 of the Britannia Series.

Britannia Series

A fantastic weekend of racing over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, with 14 boats racing for the Long course Trophy, and a whopping 24 boats racing for the Short course. Despite the forecast for light winds, Saturday delivered a cold, gusty Northerly. The long course was set to make the most of the new race marks, with long beats, runs and reaches between West Point, Mundon, Beacons and Midway. The majority opted for the shorter course, staying in the more sheltered waters around Osea Road and Clarkes. Both fleets enjoyed close racing, with Gareth Davies (Foiling Moth) leading the long fleet overnight, and Jess Haigh / Lucy Shelter (RS Feva) leading the short fleet.

Lighter winds for day two, with a late afternoon start both fleets opted for shorter races, with very close racing throughout the fleet. Two different race winners for the long course, Dave Hall (Fireball) and Julian Berney (N18), and in the short course Howard Knott (Mirror) taking two wins.

Congratulations to the overall winners, Dave Hall / Paul Constable (Fireball), Long Course, and Jess Haigh / Lucy Shelter (RS Feva XL), Short Course. Jess and Lucy also win the Short Course Osea Challenge Cup.

Full results can be seen on the results page of our website

Photos © Tracy Haigh and Ian Johnson

Easter Dinghy Race Series

BSC Commodore — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 08:48:29 GMT

Following our reopening on 29 March, BSC returned to racing in style over the Easter weekend on 2-3 April. Despite the cold, grey weather, with a biting NNE wind, there were lots of keen, happy racers out. During the two days we had 11 boats in Fast Handicap, 22 in Medium Handicap, and 8 in the Short Course fleet – 41 boats for the first event of the season! To comply with our Covid-19 protocols, all participants had to register to race via the website or member App. A ramp marshal controlled access to the ramp to ensure social distancing was maintained and the spacing between starts was increased to avoid any crowding ashore. The changing rooms had to remain closed so participants were encouraged to come changed or had a chilly change in the car park.

All fleets were racing around the new 2021 courses, using some of the new race marks – everyone had to think hard to work out where to go, and there were a few cases of boats rounding the wrong marks, and at least one occasion of a whole fleet heading for the wrong windward mark!

There was close racing throughout, with multiple race winners. The Fast fleet was won with a race to spare by Maria Richards and Graham Hoy in their Fireball, the Medium Fleet was won by Jess Haigh and Lucy Shelter in their RS Feva XL.

Closest finish was in the Short Course fleet, ending with three Jessica’s on equal points, Jessica Taylor and Jessica Garlick in their Toppers, and Jessica Welch in her Optimist. Jessica Taylor was the overall winner with the best individual race score enough to split the three of them!

The Novice Optimist Winter Cup was won by Callum Marshall, always smiling his way around the course and finding time for a friendly wave to his friends as he passed them on the river. For the full results please visit the results page

Thanks to all the volunteers, including Race Offices Sheena Berney and Barry Foulds, and the RIB crews who endured the cold to keep everyone safe.

Steve Perkins, Hon Sailing Secretary

Photos © Nigel Butler and Belinda Sturge

Club Reopening 29 March

BSC Commodore — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:44:58 GMT

As the daffodils burst into flower to announce the arrival of Spring, I am delighted to announce that we can reopen the club on Monday 29 March for general sailing, boat maintenance and cruiser launching. Now we have a roadmap out of lockdown we have a better idea of the route to normality. The Covid-19 team and the management committee will discuss our stepped plans for reopening in detail and I will send members a more detailed update before we reopen. We will continue to follow a considerate and conservative approach, but I hope that we will be able to start racing on Good Friday 02 April using the Covid-19 protocols we established in 2020.

Flooding following record winter rainfall turned into freezing during February as the ‘beast from the east’ hit with the club blanketed in snow. The swans were seen skating on the pond and Zoe flew her drone to capture some great aerial shots of the snow. As the snow melted a rapid rise in temperature make it feel like Spring and the waterlogged grounds started drying out at last. The staff are working hard getting many jobs done and we hope everything will be looking good and ready for our reopening.

Photos (c) Zoe and Julie Nelson

New Race Marks and Courses for 2021

BSC Commodore — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 17:52:48 GMT

Many thanks to our Sailing Secretary Steve Perkins, Ewan Harris and their team from the Sailing Committee who since 2019 have been working on improving our existing courses and adding some new race marks. The new race courses have now been published and the five new marks have been purchased. The new marks are Sandy Bight, Muddy Cove, Beacons, Mundon and Kraken. We now have 96 courses with a something perfect for every wind direction and distance. You can view and download the new courses and race marks map from the Racing at BSC page. To learn more about how the new courses developed please read New Courses Development

RYA Virtual Dinghy Show

BSC Commodore — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 17:14:59 GMT

The biggest and best dinghy show in the world was due to be held at a new venue in Farnborough this year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the show will now be held 'virtually' on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February but will still have many great talks, presentations and exhibitors.

For more information visit the Dinghy Show Website

Registration is free so don't forget to register and then you can join any of the many sessions and visit the virtual booths of the many exhibitors. Register for free here

As another first for Blackwater Sailing Club we have a 'virtual booth' at the show. Please come along and visit us and have a chat. Click our link on the show exhibitors page

We look forward to 'seeing' you at what promises to be another great show.

Anyone lost a tender?

Hon Secretary — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 15:20:59 GMT

This dinghy/tender has been found drifting in the river and is now ashore. Please contact the Honorary Secretary if you need more photos

BSC Awarded RYA British Youth Sailing Recognised Club Status

BSC Commodore — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 17:24:41 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club is proud to announce that they have now been awarded the coveted status of RYA British Youth Sailing Recognised Club.

Please see the announcement in Yachts and Yachting BSC RYA Award

To see what being an RYA British Youth Recognised Club means click the following link British Youth Sailing Recognised Club

BSC 2020 Review

Vice Commodore — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 10:20:59 GMT

On 24^th March, the Covid-19 lockdown meant that we had to close the Club for the first time in its 121-year history. The Flag Officers formed the Covid-19 team and met weekly during lockdown via Zoom, at all times following a considerate and conservative approach. Regular meetings were also held with the management committee who agreed phase 1 re-opening on 13^th May with access to the grounds and boats moving to phase 2 on 16^th May with the reintroduction of social sailing and cruiser launching. At all stages we have followed the RYA and gov.uk regulations and guidelines to keep our members safe while allowing them to do what was permitted. An enormous amount of effort has been put in by our staff and large band of volunteers to ensure that our activities and premises are Covid secure. Our sailing committee in particular worked tirelessly to enable racing to restart on 18^th July with online registration and completely rewritten procedures to ensure social distancing and no groups of more than six on our launching ramp. The changing rooms have remained closed throughout and all our planned social events have been cancelled.

It is easy in this crisis to focus on what you haven’t been able to do but here at Blackwater Sailing Club we would like to look back and celebrate a little of what we have been able to do this year:

· Social sailing only restricted for 7 weeks

· Virtual Spring Regatta during May

· Launched over 100 cruisers

· 35 club meetings held via Zoom

· Virtual AGM and EGM

· Became skilled at changing in the car park

· Virtual quizzes and social evenings via Zoom

· Many members enjoyed social sailing, cruising, canoeing, rowing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and model yacht racing

· Completed the rebuilding of the centre and southern sections of our Clubhouse in June

· Re-opened the bar in July

· Members fit out of the new Clubhouse completed during July-August

· Introduced online registration for racing

· Club racing restarted 18 July

· Cadet Reid Scott 5-day race series for 70 cadets run during August in place of cadet week

· Most of our major cup races were run during August-October including the Dyer Cup, Round the Islands Races and Bart’s Bash.

· 6-day race series with 69 boats run during August in place of Club week

· Online virtual RYA first aid training courses

· Welcomed the Chelmsford Fire Service to do their Swiftwater and mud rescue training at the Club

· Optimist training for beginners on our freshwater lake

We are planning a full sailing and social programme in 2021 in the hope that the Covid-19 restrictions will be eased, but if not, we can still enjoy sailing on the beautiful Blackwater Estuary and our 7-acre training lake. We hope to be able to officially open our fantastic new Clubhouse and run an Open Day so that we can invite our friends and potential new members to come and see our great new facility.

Photos © Ian Johnson

CLUBHOUSE REBUILD COMPLETION

Vice Commodore — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 18:37:38 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club is very proud to announce that the rebuild of the central and southern section of our Clubhouse has now been completed and we are putting the finishing touches to the Club fit out. We can't wait for the Covid-19 restrictions to ease so that we can open the new building to our members and show our friends and welcome potential new members to this fantastic building that will serve current and future generations for years to come.

The Bar reopens!

Hon Secretary — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 11:28:06 GMT

The Commodore recently announced by email to Members that the Bar in the Osea Room will be opening from Friday 10th July at 7.30.

A strict one-way system will be in operation entering via the Main stairs and leaving by the stairs to the Cadet room and balcony.

Protection is in place for bar-staff and names will be recorded.

Full details will be published on the website

Virtual Spring Regatta

Hon Cadet Skipper — Wed, 13 May 2020 11:07:47 GMT

After 4 weeks of lockdown, BSC sailors came together on line to take part in a virtual spring regatta. We had 12 sailors competing in J70 Sports Boats to determine who would represent the club at the RYA e Sailing Spring Championships.

The regatta was held over two days with 6 races on each day with a total of 4 discards to help compensate for the inevitable broadband issues of virtual sailors living out in the wastelands of the three H’s (Heybridge, Hackney and Hatfield Peverel).

The Virtual Bridge was open 10 minutes before the first race with the Race Officer and his glamorous assistant maintaining social distancing rules by being in the study and the kitchen respectively. With a minute to go to the first start we had a 6 racers on the start line, after 10 minutes of tight racing Nick Evans emerged as the winner, unfortunately that was it for the Evans family as their dial up internet connection was not upto the job.

Race 2 started with the Andrew’s family joining in, we also had two of our more mature sailors taking part giving us a total of 10 racers on the start line. This time Charlie Dixon emerged victorious after a tight tussle with Hugh Andrews, this was to set the scene for the rest of the race series. Jess Haigh and Graham Hoy lead the following pack with some very consistent results, although Graham’s performance did drop off when he ran out of VMG tokens. Special mentions should go to Izzy Wallace who had a good series and managed to record a bullet in the penultimate race and also to RGA294 a surprise entrant from Spain who somehow managed to hack in to our last race, covered Charlie Dixon for most of the race and manage to sneak a win only to be disqualified by the race officer.

Congratulations to Charlie Dixon who was our overall series winner and will go onto represent the club at the RYA Eastern Region Virtual Racing Championship, on the 18^th of May, and hopefully qualify for the National Finals. We have also made the decision to award Charlie the Cadet Frostbite Trophy this year which hopefully we will be able to present to him in person later in the year, in the meantime here is a virtual version.

Virtual Spring Regatta

Hon Cadet Skipper — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:03:50 GMT

Virtual Racing

Hon Cadet Skipper — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 18:09:49 GMT

The RYA has negotiated a deal with Virtual Regatta https://www.virtualregatta.com/en/ to enable clubs to at least get some virtual racing in, BSC is hosting racing every evening at 20:30, the biggest fleet so far has been 15 dedicated sailors. If you are interested in taking part you will need to register on Virtual Regatta and contact the Cadet Skipper who will give you the logon details.

Important News - Cancelled Joint River Safety Meeting

Hon Secretary — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 17:00:30 GMT

Please be advised that the Maldon Annual Joint River Safety Meeting which was to be held at the Club on Tuesday 17th March HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
They have advised us as follows:

Dear Harbour Stakeholder

In view of the coronavirus situation and following guidelines from Maldon District Council, the Maldon Harbour Commissioners have taken the decision to cancel the Maldon Joint River Safety Meeting scheduled for Tuesday 17 March 2020.

The Commissioners would like to thank stakeholders for their ongoing support. Notes will be made available, compiled from the reports that were tabled for the meeting. If you have any questions or comments that you would like added in to those Notes, please let me know.

Regards

Julie Stuchbery

Clerk, Maldon Harbour Improvement Commissioners

Wonderful Winter Work Party Workout

Vice Commodore — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 15:59:10 GMT

On Sunday 12 January a new record number of almost 60 members turned up to help at our third work party with 48 staying for lunch. The BSC fitness trainer, AKA Warden Julie, inspirationally detailed jobs to be done as ways of toning different muscle groups essential for sailing. Relocating the inflatable rack was in fact a lower back workout. Removing rust from and repainting the stairs became a knee and quads strengthening work out. Sadly, the Aquarobics session had to be postponed since the ditches were too full from recent rain - it would have needed a team of bog snorkelers. The weather gods again smiled on us and the whole site was like a scene from ‘ground force’ with lots of jobs getting done and a fantastic atmosphere throughout the Club.

A big thank you to Julie for organising us all and to Kathryn and her team in the galley for keeping us fed and watered. Some say “there is no such thing as a free lunch” well, at Blackwater we now throw in a free workout as well! The Vice Commodore commented that if work parties continue to be this popular then we will have to start selling tickets and limiting numbers! Thank you to all those who gave up their Sunday and came along to work together to get so much done. Our next work party workout is on Sunday 09 February. Put it in your diary now – what a great way to get fit for the rapidly approaching sailing season.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas Party

Vice Commodore — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 16:01:09 GMT

On Thursday 12^th December when most of the country were heading out to vote, Blackwater Sailing Club descended on Forrester Park for their annual Christmas Lunch. After a delicious traditional X-mas Turkey meal followed by X-mas pudding, we were entertained by our very own talented Blackwater Ensemble with a variety of favourite carols to sing along to.

This was the first of several Christmas events organised for our members building up to the Friday sailors X-mas sail on the lake with all the boats decorated. This is followed by another not to be missed X-mas lunch. Rumour has it that Santa will be appearing again this year and all those boys and girls who have been good this year will get to sit on his lap and receive a secret Santa gift and a sticker!

Photos (c) Nigel Butler

Christmas Cracker Race 29th Dec

Hon Cadet Skipper — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 13:53:34 GMT

Laying Up Supper - The Lion House Rocks!

Vice Commodore — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 12:02:38 GMT

On Saturday 16^th November, 91 members and their guests packed into the Lion House function suite at the Lion Inn, Boreham for our black-tie Laying up Supper. Everyone looked very smart in their finery and there was a great atmosphere. Of particular note were the Friday Sailors with their ‘Great Gatsby’ themed dress with some very impressive flappers on display.

After grace from the Rear Commodore, everyone settled down to enjoy a delicious three course meal with friendly and efficient service from the house. During coffee, the raffle was drawn. Thanks to the generosity of members, we had some amazing prizes which were divided into five goodie bags for the winners.

Without further ado, DJ John entertained us with his mix of music and the dance floor was quickly full of people showing off their moves. This year, the Friday Sailors limited themselves to ‘fortified’ apple juice and led the dancing. It was good to see the fast handicap fleet having “The Time of their Life” but sadly, their attempt to recreate the iconic lift from ‘Dirty Dancing’ didn’t quite come off. As the evening went on, everyone still sitting was dragged to their feet to form the longest conga seen at the Lion House since our event last year. This wound its way around the premises for some time and then the dancing continued late into the night.

All in all, a great time was had by all and evidence that there is still demand for a black-tie dinner. Many thanks to all at the Lion House and to Tracy Haigh and her team for organising a most enjoyable event.

The Sun Shines on our first Work Party

Vice Commodore — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 18:36:21 GMT

On Sunday 3rd November we were blessed with a calm sunny day after the recent monsoon like rain and gales. A big thank you to the 45+ adults and cadets who gave up their Sunday to come along and help at our first winter work party. The great turnout meant we were able to get lots of jobs done to help keep the Club looking good and to continue to enhance the facilities for all our members.

Photos (c) Nigel Butler

Squad Sailors 2020

Hon Cadet Skipper — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 13:11:18 GMT

Congratulations to all the cadets that have been selected for regional and national training squads over the winter. This is reward for the hard work they have put in getting their sailing to the necessary level to be selected and making the effort to attend the selection events and making a commitment to attend all the training weekends through the Winter. It is also a tribute to the BSC Instructors and Coaches who give their time freely to help deliver training at Blackwater.

RYA Optimist Zone Squad East

Osea Evans

RYA Topper Zone Squad East

Jessica Taylor

Jessica Garlick

Sam Glover

Tera National Squad

Jessica Haigh
Lucy Shelter

RYA National Optimist Boys Squad

Hugh Andrews

RYA 420 Youth Squad

Matilda Evans

In addition we have a large Blackwater representation in the following open training groups

Grafham Laser Training

Ben Haigh, Aimee Taylor, Theo Aers, Marnie Aers, Ellie Shelter

Burnham Squiddies Feva Training

Jess Haigh, Lucy Shelter, Izzy Evans, Anna Keegan, Jamie Fenton, Charlie Bourne,Ruby Andrews, Sophie Foskitt, Abbie Wallace

Brightlingsea 29er Training

Theo Aers

420 Class Training

Nick Evans, Joey Taylor

IOCA East Optimist Training

TBA

There are still places left on the IOCA East Optimist training, if you are interested in taking part please contact Steve Andrews.

If there was sufficient interest we could arrange a Tuesday night talk at the club on RYA Squads and training groups outside the club.

Dyer Cup Packing Up Day - THANK YOU

Vice Commodore — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 16:03:53 GMT

A massive thank you to all the members who turned up throughout Dyer Cup day to help with packing up the centre and southern sections of the Club in preparation for the rebuild. Julie Leary expertly organised the process and the fact that so much was achieved was thanks to those who have worked hard over the past few weeks clearing out and tidying our storage areas in preparation for the pack up. Julie efficiently co-ordinated the packing of items and removal to their storage locations and we achieved much more than could have been hoped for with all the hard work now done. The Cadet room has been reorganised as a large meeting room and the Osea room as a small meeting room and dining room for up to 40 people. We will continue our mid-week lunches over the winter in the Osea Room. Any members boxes that were in the members galley can now be found in the mast store.

Decimated Fleet for Dyer Cup

Vice Commodore — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 15:55:23 GMT

Sunday 29^th September was Dyer Cup Day, but the forecast strong winds and persistent rain deterred all but a few from taking part. Thanks to George Whitchurch and team who manned the launch to act as Committee Boat and to all the rescue boat crews. With winds gusting up to 30 knots there were plenty of spectacular capsizes and some pitch poling to keep the rescue boats busy. Congratulations to Dave Hall and Paul Constable in their Fireball who were overall winners of the Dyer Cup and to John Dyer and the crew of “Breezy” who won the Copsey Cup for the first cruiser.

Photos (c) Zoe Nelson

BSC Recognised as a British Youth Sailing Recognised Club

Hon Cadet Skipper — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 13:27:30 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club is pleased to announce that the club has recently been awarded British Youth Sailing Recognised Club Status.

In order for a club to achieve BYS Recognised Club status, a club must demonstrate that it runs a regular race training programme within at least one of the BYS Recognised Classes. In order to achieve the high standards of training that are expected of BYS Recognised Clubs, training must be delivered by qualified RYA Coaches to RYA Recognised Training Centre standards (or equivalent) with a Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy in place.

This is recognition for the club’s instructors and coaches who give up their time free of charge to help deliver training weekends throughout the year, thank you. It is also recognition for our Sailing School Committee (pictured) who create the structures and support to make the training weekends happen.

Finally, we would not have achieved this award without the cadets who travel away from the club to represent us at National and International events.

More details on the British Youth Sailing Scheme can be found here.

https://www.rya.org.uk/programmes/bys-recognised-clubs/Pages/hub.aspx

The Sun shines on Bart's Bash 2019

Vice Commodore — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 13:46:48 GMT

What a difference a year makes! Last year we had to cancel our Bart’s Bash races due to strong winds. This year, on Sunday 15^th September, 104 boats from the joint Blackwater Clubs raced under clear blue skies and the only thing lacking was…wind! Bart’s Bash is largest sailing race in the world and was started in memory of Olympic Gold medallist Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson MBE, who passionately believed that everyone should have the chance to try sailing and enjoy the many benefits that it brings. Money raised by our Clubs goes to the Andrew Simpson Foundation (ASF) whose mission is to “inspire the next generation” by using sailing to improve the lives of young people across the world.

The day before the race, our Cadets enjoyed a Bart’s Bash training day. As they did in 2018, they donated all the training entry fees to the ASF. Blackwater Sailing Club ran the short course from a committee boat east of Northey Island. The gentle F2-3 westerly breeze was battling with a developing sea breeze resulting in large shifts in the wind which varied from force 0-2. This caused challenges to PRO Margaret Norman who was faced with a 50 degree shift in the wind just before the start requiring relaying of the start line. The fleet of 36 boats got away first time with the solo of Nigel Butler starting at the committee boat end. This allowed him to break away from the fleet with the laser radials of Aimee Taylor and Andrew Field in hot pursuit. Conditions were challenging and competitors faced attack by large swarms of flies as they gently drifted around the triangular course under the beating sun and 27 degree temperatures. At times even the jellyfish were moving faster than the boats! Despite the conditions, the leading 5 boats managed 3 laps with only 27 seconds separating the top three finishers on corrected time.

Short Course Results:

1^st Nigel Butler Solo - 5716

2^nd Aimee Taylor Laser Radial - 189660

3^rd Andrew Field Laser Radial - 44

The Long Course was run by Stone Sailing Club with PRO Wendy Robinson setting a committee boat start south of Osea Island. The fleet of 68 boats made reasonable progress to the west helped by the end of the flood tide. As they passed to the north of Osea, the tide changed which, although initially helpful, made progress painful slow once they passed to the east of the island and tried to stem the tide back to the finish. 48 of the starters finished with the remainder having to retire. The RIBs were kept busy towing members back to the Club. The Commodore, Steve Jarred, said after the race “that was the slowest circumnavigation of Osea I have ever done taking four hours from departing the club to returning.”

Long Course Results:

1^st Dave Wood 2000 - 21647

2^nd Charlotte Videlo 420 - 54997

3^rd Karl Terkelsen RS400 - 570

The full results are on the BSC website: Short Course Long Course

Or the Bart’s Bash website where the results are slightly different due to the method of calculation used: Short Course Long Course

RYA Training at MLSC

Vice Commodore — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:30:24 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club is happy to recommend RYA Training at Maldon Little Ships Club. During 2019-2020 they are running the following courses:

Day Skipper Theory - 26 week and 8 week concentrated course
Yacht Master Theory - 8 week concentrated course
Short Range Radio Course
First Aid Course

Please click the following link for more information regarding these courses MLSC RYA Courses 2019-20.pdf

Maldon Harbour Improvement Commissioners Public Meeting

Hon Secretary — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 22:01:08 GMT

This meeting will be held at the Club on Wednesday 25th September 2019 at 19.30 hrs, and the Agenda can be downloaded HERE

Notice to Mariners-Intertidal Sensors

Hon Secretary — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 20:14:34 GMT

Partrac Ltd. is scheduled to install marine sensors in the Blackwater Estuary, Essex, at five sites from 16th to 19th September 2019, weather permitting.

Each of the sites will be accessed using two Coastal-Pro MACV light hovercraft operated by Coastal Transit Services (Figure 1). Permission to operate the hovercraft within prescribed environmental conditions was granted by Natural England on 14th December 2018.

Full details are on the Notice to Mariners which you can find HERE

Notice to Mariners -

Hon Secretary — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 19:40:12 GMT

Please find attached a Notice to Mariners for the deployment of marine sensors in the Blackwater Estuary. Installation is scheduled to be carried out over 3 days and will take place between 3^rd and 13^th September 2019, weather permitting.

Full details are on the Noticeboard in the foyer or a pdf can be downloaded HERE

The Largest Invasion of Maldon since the Vikings

Vice Commodore — Sat, 10 Aug 2019 18:22:10 GMT

For those members who wish that Cadet week lasted forever and for all those potential members who would love to join the Yachts and Yachting RYA East Club of the Year 2019, have a look at the pictures on our BSC Facebook page to remind yourself what fun we had during Cadet week and what fun you could have as a member of Blackwater Sailing Club. Friday 2nd August 2019 will surely go down in history as the day we sent a fleet of over 120 boats and 180 people to Maldon. This is the largest invasion fleet since the Vikings invaded Maldon in 991 AD! Once the beachhead had been established at Promenade Park, our Cadets showed no mercy to the locals as they swarmed ashore and stripped the local kiosks of every available ice cream and box of chips. Once the job was done, the fleet withdrew to the safety of the Club to continue the remorseless hunt for food, now in the form of cake which was hungrily consumed down to the last crumb.
Pictures (c) Nicky Johnson who is now featured photographer on the home page of the website.
Have a look at the Album Cadet Week 2019 on Facebook for even more fantastic photos from our official photographer.
Bring on Cadet Week 2020 Registration 1st August 2020, Cadet Week 2nd to 6th August 2020. DON'T MISS IT - Put it in your diary NOW

Fantastic Cadet Week raises over a thousand pounds for Cancer Charity

Vice Commodore — Sat, 03 Aug 2019 08:37:10 GMT

Over 140 cadets, their families and numerous Club volunteers enjoyed a great cadet week at Blackwater Sailing Club while raising money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. Thank you to everyone who gave so generously during the week which meant that we raised an amazing £1072, which will enable two young people recovering from cancer to go on their first sailing trip with the charity. Thank you to Derrick Louis and his son Rafe who gave such dignified and personal presentations at the beginning and end of Cadet week. This helps remind us all that while you may take your health and that of your loved ones for granted, it is the most important thing in life. It is fabulous to be able to help young people who have suffered so much due to cancer, while enjoying the sport we all love - sailing.

Glorious Round the Islands RNLI Fundraiser

Vice Commodore — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 16:24:52 GMT

On Sunday 21^st July 84 boats set out from Blackwater Sailing Club on a warm afternoon to take part in the annual Round the Islands races. 54 entered the main dinghy race around Osea and Northey and 22 the short course around Northey. 8 cruisers joined in and raced around Osea. The entry fee was a donation to the RNLI and much to the delight of local Vice Chairman, Ken Harrison, we raised a fantastic £447.04 for our local lifeboat stations.

The 37 medium handicap boats started first in a gentle force 3-4 westerly breeze with a short port tack down wind leg to Ballast Hole which was very congested with the boats 10 deep. The fleet gybed onto starboard to a broad reach which gradually became a run as they passed south of Osea. Another gybe at the eastern end of Osea then a fetch becoming a beat around the north of Osea. The wind gradually backed to south westerly and freshened as the fleet passed through the gate over the Osea causeway. The shifty gusty wind freshened to force 4-5 at times as boats raced to the south of Northey.

The fast handicap started 20 minutes after the medium but some managed to hunt down and pass most of the medium fleet. It was great to see such a large fleet of boats out on the river and bodes well for our upcoming Cadet and Club week.

Results:

Round the Islands - dinghies:

1^st Mark Maskell and Nigel Sheppard - Fireball – Jubilee Goblet

2^nd Andy McIvor and Tracy Haigh – Laser 2000 - Vincett Wings trophy

3^rd Guy and Alison Welch - Snipe

Round Northey:

1^st Jamie Norman – Laser Radial

2^nd Kane Gooch – Laser Radial

3^rd Julie Nelson and Harrison Gooch – Mirror – Round Northey Spoon

For the full results click RTI Results

Notice to Mariners-Surveying

Hon Secretary — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 19:54:20 GMT

The survey vessel PROTEUS will commence surveying operations on 15th July for approx 13 days in 6 areas of the Blackwater.

For full details see the Notice in full HERE

The Sun Shines on New Members Mid Summer BBQ

Vice Commodore — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 13:59:29 GMT

On Sunday 30^th June, over 100 members came along to our mid summer BBQ and new members day in brilliant sunshine. Many had taken the opportunity for sailing in perfect conditions in the 9:45 race and then took advantage of the weather to sit on the patio for a drink while the food cooked. In a break from tradition, the new members who came along were treated to a taster sail on the river in one of the Club RS Quests, a Dragonfly trimaran or a Beneteau First cruiser. Extreme wind during our Open Day meant we hadn’t been able to offer taster sails then, so our new members appreciated the chance to get out of the water.

Many thanks to Alan Hoy and Sheena Berney for organising the event and to Mike Taylor and his team of master chefs and helpers for arranging and cooking a delicious BBQ followed by strawberries and cream.

Fabulous Fireball Open Meeting

Vice Commodore — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 11:32:09 GMT

The weekend of 15-16 June was one of the busiest of the year at the Club with a full programme of Cadet training on the river and the lake as well as Club racing and we also hosted a very successful down river Fireball Open meeting. 11 home boats were joined by 7 visiting boats from 7 different clubs. Competitors enjoyed five races in force 4-6 winds which produced perfect conditions for the heavy weather experts. Despite an OCS in race 1, consistency in the remaining races to count gave Blackwater team of Dave Hall and Paul Constable outright victory. In second place were Peter and Tom Kyne from Brightlingsea and in third place were Isaac Marsh and Squashed Olly from Northampton. For the full results click Fireball Open 2019 Results.pdf

Photos (c) Zoe Nelson

Cadet Week Registration is Open!!!

Hon Cadet Skipper — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 06:57:37 GMT

Salute our RS Feva National Champions 2019

Vice Commodore — Thu, 30 May 2019 17:58:53 GMT

Many congratulations to Blackwater Sailing Club Cadet Joey Taylor and his crew Terry Hacker who have been crowned RS Feva National Champions 2019 in a fleet of 94 boats. A strong contingent from the Club headed to South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club, Abersoch for the 4 day event from 25-28 May. Joey and Terry won the qualifying event and then went on to post an impressive 1,1,2,1,1,1 to become champions an amazing 22 points in front of the second boat! Thanks to fantastic performances from the other BSC sailors, Blackwater also won the prize for the top club. Sophie Johnson and Theo Aers won first mixed crew in 9^th and Nick Evans and Oscar Cawthorne came 14^th. Marnie Aers with Ellie Shelter and Jemima Cook with Abbie Wallace sailed very well to get into the Gold fleet and Ruby Andrews and Sophie Foskett came an impressive 7^th in the Silver fleet.

The RS Feva was only introduced to the club in 2016 so it is remarkable how quickly our cadets have mastered the class and risen to the top. This is testament to the close training collaboration with the Burnham Squiddies and all the hard work and support from their coaches and those at the Club.

Read Joey’s report on the championship RS FEVA Nationals 2019 report - BSC.pdf

Click for the overall Results

May Cadet Training Weekend

Hon Cadet Skipper — Wed, 22 May 2019 13:21:26 GMT

Light winds prevailed for our first full training weekend of the year, this gave the perfect opportunity for our new sailors on the lake to gain confidence under the expert tutorage of Nick O’Connor with his new glamourous assistant Kylie Gooch.

After being assigned their nick names for the year the Jolly Sailors made good progress towards their Level 2 badge.

On the river we had good sailing conditions on the Saturday with an unforecast Sea Breeze developed. On the Sunday we were met with a flat calm but the cadets still went out and managed to get to a Millbeach for an ice cream, the Laser group had fun with no rules racing. All our sailors were rewarded when steady F2 breeze picked up at 2pm which allowed us to get some sailing in for the last hour.

Here’s hoping for stronger winds for our next training weekend on the 15/16^th of June.

Photos Stephen Foakes, Nikki Taylor and Rob Carver

Rob and Zoe Honoured by the RNLI

Vice Commodore — Thu, 09 May 2019 17:41:59 GMT

Congratulations to Club Steward Rob Dean and Club Assistant Zoe Nelson who were honoured by the RNLI at a presentation evening at Maldon Little Ships Club this week. Blackwater Sailing Club got a big thank you from John Rogers for all the support they gave to MLSC by providing RIBS to escort their sponsored Row and Gig race on Saturday 5th January. This popular charity event raised over £10,000 for the RNLI. Rob and Zoe got a special mention for doing a brilliant job laying the marks and keeping the crews safe. Zoe represented BSC at the ceremony and was very proud to accept a special award from the RNLI for her and Rob in recognition of their hard work. Photos (c) Zoe Nelson

Open Day visitors blown away by the Club!

Vice Commodore — Mon, 06 May 2019 18:20:48 GMT

Two weeks after the warmest Easter for years, on Saturday 4^th May we chose the coldest May Bank Holiday on record for our annual Open Day and RYA push the boat out “Try Sailing in May” event. This didn’t deter more than 150 hardy visitors who came along to Blackwater Sailing Club to find out what we can offer. The day dawned dry and sunny, but we decided it was too cold and windy to safely offer our visitors sailing tasters, necessitating a change of plan. Our guests enjoyed tours of the extensive site finishing at our 7-acre training lake. Here many of our cadets and adults were demonstrating their heavy weather and capsize recovery skills. We also ran wet and wild RIB trips around the lake which were enjoyed by all. Before hypothermia had set in, guests were taken to the warm clubhouse where food and warm drinks were consumed. They were then able to watch our intrepid sailors taking part in a club race. The storm clouds built rapidly before the start and winds quickly built to a howling squall with 40 knot gusts which flattened most of the fleet. This quickly passed and returned to a steady force 5-6 and the race was soon underway with some spinnakers flying. Just after the race finished another squall hit causing more spectacular capsizes right in front of the clubhouse. Guests who had thawed out sufficiently took advantage of river trips on the Blackwater in one of our RIBs or the launch. This gave them a close-up view of the action and they all came back with smiles on their faces, if a little wet. We had static demonstrations ashore of the various boats sailed at the club. The membership desks were busy all day and over 20 new members signed up and another 26 took away details with the intention of signing up. A big thank you to the 60+ adult and cadet members who helped out and made this a fun day for our guests and thank you to all the visitors who came.

Fantastic Easter at the Club

Vice Commodore — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 09:00:00 GMT

The Club was the place to be over Easter with unbroken sunshine and cooling onshore breezes. Over 50 boats raced over five days and many more just took to the waters to enjoy a sail. The cadets had a very successful Frostbite series over Thursday to Saturday and on Friday and Saturday there were four races in the Britannia handicap series with long and short courses set. The Friday sailors decided to cruise around Northey on Friday rather than race and they then invaded Maldon from the sea with the intention distributing flyers for our Open Day. Unfortunately, they forgot the flyers so consoled themselves by emptying the ice cream and chip shops.

On Sunday there was general handicap racing and then on Monday the handicap Osea Cup race which this year was a race around Osea Island in the best wind of the holiday period. A steady stream of cruisers launched over the period with some tuning up for the start of the BJRC series next weekend. Many members enjoyed having a sail on the lake in one of the new club Optimists or just watching the Burnham cadets who were training on the lake on Friday and Saturday. Overall a fantastic holiday long weekend and it was great to see so many people enjoying being at the club soaking up the sunshine and sea air.

Easter Family Supper

Hon Cadet Skipper — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 20:48:43 GMT

After racing in the Frostbite series 40 cadets and 30 adults spent an enjoyable evening at the club taking part in the Easter Family Supper. Prior to the supper the cadets enjoyed a series of games organised by the cadet committee, these included an obstacle course egg race, pass the plastic cup using straws and a sack race. The Cadet Skipper was narrowly beaten by the Commodore in the sack race who is surprisingly agile for his age, the Deputy Cadet Skipper should have an easier race in two years time against the Vice Commodore.

The games culminated in the Easter Egg Hunt where teams of ravenous cadets roamed the dinghy park looking for the Golden Egg, which was finally found by Ruby Andrews and Rhiannon Webber, who had been tied together to make it easier for the younger cadets. If you find any eggs around the dinghy park can you please drop them off by the notice board.

After prize giving for the Cadet Frostbite Series everybody sat down to a delicious dinner crafted by Master Chef Steff and Sous Chef Alex assisted by Lisa and Sam. The Cadet Committee helped with serving and washing up before heading off to the disco in the Cadet Room.

Photos Kate Stewart and Rob Haigh

Cadet Frostbite

Hon Cadet Skipper — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 11:00:50 GMT

The Weather Gods smiled on Blackwater over the Easter Weekend for the Cadet Frostbite Series, with brilliant sunshine and a F2-3 gradient breeze from the NE supplemented in the afternoon by a sea breeze we had excellent sailing conditions. For the main Frostbite series we had a mixed fleet of 2 Fevas, 4 Teras, 3 Lasers and 2 Toppers. Competing, in the Topper/Tera Regatta fleet we had four boats out and we also had 4 boats in the Optimist fleet.

On Thursday with crack race office Marg Norman in charge we managed to get 4 relatively short races in, with an upwind start between Hilly Pool and Colliers and Don Aers and Simon Shelter policing the line from Red Rib the cadets made good use of the opportunity to get some proper race starts in. For Friday and Saturday the Frostbite Series was combined with the Club Brittania Series and we had two races per day over a longer course.

We must also thank all the adults that helped make the weekend happen, coaching from Mini Ribs, crewing Safety Boats, acting as race officers, helping on the ramp etc. Without you we could not put these events on and your help is invaluable.

Results

Main Series

1^st Place Sophie Johnson / Theo Aers (Feva XL)

2^nd Place Ruby Andrews / Sophie Foskitt (Feva XL)

3^rd Place Aimee Taylor (Laser Radial)

Topper/Tera Regatta

1^st Place Sam Glover (Topper)

2^nd Place Charlie Garlick (Topper 4.2)

3^rd Place Jessica Garlick (Topper)

Optimist

1^st Place Matthieu Bernard

2^nd Place Jessica Welch

3^rd Place Josephine Bernard

Photos Dick Garside, Paul Trickey and Rob Haigh

New Club Optimists for the Lake

Hon Cadet Skipper — Wed, 17 Apr 2019 07:25:42 GMT

There have been a few changes down at the lake, the cadet committee last year decided to scrap all the old club Optimists which were starting to look rather tired. We have replaced them with three brand new OptiQubes bought with money from cadet funds. These are the same boats as the cadets train on and will hopefully make sailing on the lake outside of training events a more fun experience.

The weather is looking good for the weekend so let’s get out and use the new boats. I will be down at the club Thursday to Sunday so can offer advice when I am not supervising the Frostbite Series.

Finally a big thank you from all of us to Marg and Drac Norman for braving killer mosquitoes to help set the boats up last night.

Optisprings Netherlands

Hon Cadet Skipper — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 20:59:41 GMT

We are pleased to report that BSC Cadet Nick Evans has just won the International Optispring Regatta, at Port Zelande, in the Netherlands. This year it featured seven races in gusty conditions with 220 competitors. The British contingent all sailed well and picked up the nations cup. Congratulations to Nick and the rest of the GBR sailors.

Topper / Tera / Laser Training Weekend

Hon Cadet Skipper — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 16:51:00 GMT

The weekend of the 6/7th of April saw BSC's first Cadet training weekend of the year. This was for our Topper/Tera/Laser sailors and was aimed at our older cadets with a minimum age of 11. This gave us the opportunity for Toppers to make a welcome return to the lake, where the sailors made good progress to completing their RYA Level 2.

On the river our Topper Tango group were working towards their RYA Level 3. Our two race training groups, Topper MG and Laser MG, were out practising race starts and roll tacks working towards their race training badges which are new for this year.

We had good wind on the Saturday. Unfortunately it was quite cold but our sailors managed to complete a full day. On Sunday the wind was lighter but it was warmer and we even had sunshine in the afternoon.

Registration is now open on the club website for the May training weekend when we will be letting the Optimists join in.

Fitting Out Supper

Vice Commodore — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 14:59:22 GMT

The Fitting Out Supper is our annual reminder that winter is receding, the days are getting longer and it is time to get your boats ready since the 2019 sailing season is upon us. On Saturday 2^nd March a good mix of members had a most enjoyable evening with a delicious meal at the club. After dinner, all were treated to a fascinating talk from Peter Taylor who is a Mate with the Maldon Barge Trust. Peter explained the history of their two Thames barges ‘Pudge’ and ‘Centaur’ and included some lovely old pictures and videos. He talked about the work of the Thames Sailing Barge Trust and their aims to preserve traditional vessels and skills for future generations. Large sums of money are required to keep these old barges going so donations or practical help are always appreciated. To learn more about supporting the trust or to look at the varied opportunities for sailing on one of their barges in 2019, please visit their website

After the talk, the raffle and 200 Club were drawn. We were delighted to donate the £157 takings from the raffle to the Thames Sailing Barge Trust to help them with their work. A big thank you to Sarah Bakewell and her team for organising a most successful event.

Club of the Year 2019

Vice Commodore — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 10:56:19 GMT

We were very proud to be chosen as the East Region finalist for the prestigious RYA Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year 2019 award. The Commodore, Vice Commodore, Cadet Skipper and Press Officer spent a nail-biting day at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace on Saturday 2^nd March waiting to see who would be crowned as overall winner of the award. They all attended a finalist’s lunch to meet representatives from the 11 clubs throughout the UK who had made the finals. Everyone there was a winner and this proved a great opportunity to chat to volunteers and exchange ideas with others who share the common aim of making their already great clubs even better.

At 4pm on the main stage, all the winners received their awards and the Commodore collected ours for Eastern Region Club of the Year 2019. The overall winner was decided by public vote and there were only 50 votes between the top two clubs. Having previously won the competition in 2014, Blackwater didn’t quite make the top step this time, but we would like to congratulate the worthy winners, Royal Torbay Yacht Club.

Thank you to all our members and friends who voted for us and a special thank you to our Publicity Officer, Chris Brown for all her hard work putting together and submitting the application.

Watch the video of the event here

GUNFLEET SANDS TURBINE MAINTENANCE

Hon Secretary — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 15:17:31 GMT

This post will be of interest to Cruiser owners although few are in the water yet!

A large maintenance vessel 'WIND SERVER' will be carrying out essential maintenance on turbines in the Gunfleet Sands Windfarm from 15 March for about 12 days subject to weather and sea conditions. A MINIMUM berth of 500 metres should be given to this vessel at all times. The full details are given in Notice to Mariners 1/2019 and you can view or download a copy HERE.

SUBSURFACE TOWED EQUIPMENT SURVEY

BSC Commodore — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 09:21:35 GMT

Starting on Friday 1st March 2019 survey works will be carried out along the River Crouch, Dengie Flats/Ray Sand and the River Blackwater.

On the Crouch the survey extends from Brandy Hole Reach in the West to the Buxey Sand in the East. On the Blackwater the survey extends from Osea island in the West to Colne Bar in the East.

The survey will be carried out by PLA Survey Vessel “MAPLIN” which will deploy subsurface towed equipment up to 200m astern of the vessel which will be marked with a tail buoy. When carrying out the survey the PLA Survey vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre and will display lights and shapes in accordance with the international Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (as amended) Rule 27 b. The vessels will maintain a listening watch on the appropriate port VHF working channel throughout the working period.

All vessels are required to proceed with caution past the survey vessel when work is underway and at all times when advised by Crouch Harbour Authority.

Survey work is due to be completed by 10th March 2019 but this may be extended as a result of prolonged periods of unsuitable weather or other operational requirements.

This notice will be cancelled on completion of the surveys.

Thanks to our fundraising Cadets

Vice Commodore — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 17:19:58 GMT

Congratulations to our cadets and their generous parents for this fantastic fundraising effort for the Andrew Simpson Foundation. This press release has just been posted on the Bart's Bash Facebook Page

Bart's Bash

10 January at 14:37 ·

⭐️ Great way to start 2019 ⭐️

A huge thank you to BSC Cadets for raising an amazing £400 for Bart’s Bash, your support for the Foundation is truly appreciated and we hope that you and the sailors had a great day at the pre Bart’s Bash training.

The money was raised by 39 cadets from the Blackwater Sailing Club in Essex, who took part in a river race training day. There were a variety of different boats out on the water including Optimists, Toppers, Lasers, Fevas and BSC Quests. The training was aimed at getting the cadets ready to race in Bart's Bash, but unfortunately their event had to be cancelled due to the forecast of stormy weather and force 6 gusts!

Their generous donation helps us to deliver on our mission of increasing participation in sailing and improving the lives of young people through the delivery of 5 key charitable activities.

Thank you again for your continued support!

#sailonbart Bart's Bash Facebook

Work Party not deterred by Gale

Vice Commodore — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 17:04:06 GMT

On Sunday 13^th January a new record number of almost 50 members turned up to help at our third work party. The near gale force cold wind didn’t deter members who swarmed all over the site making it look more like the set from ‘Ground Force’ than a sailing club. Loads of jobs got done, fences mended, trees pruned, roots removed, more engine storage racks built in the members workshop, bulbs planted and a skip full of rubbish cleared including old windsurfers and boards to mention just a few. The hunt for brambles continued, but they are now getting much harder to find!

A big thank you to Julie for organising us all and to Kathryn and her team in the galley for keeping us fed and watered. They provided an excellent lunch for the 41 members still there of jacket potato and beans with apple cake and custard to follow. Despite the hard graft, the work parties are really good social occasions, the happy atmosphere makes you feel better, although exhausted, by the end of the day. Thank you to all those who gave up their Sunday and came along to work together to get so much done. Our next work party is on Sunday 17^th February. Put it in your diary now – what a great way to get fit for the rapidly approaching sailing season.

A busy Festive Season at the Club

Vice Commodore — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 12:50:50 GMT

During December, members enjoyed a number of Christmas events at the Club. On Thursday 13^th December 77 members sat down to a delicious traditional Christmas lunch cooked by Bridget. This was followed by entertainment by our very own Blackwater Ensemble with many carols to sing along to.

Not to be outdone, the following day the Friday Sailors staged their annual 'Santa sail' on the Lake with festively decorated boats and members in fancy dress. Even our newest Members entered into the spirit. The only thing that marred the day was the behaviour of Santa’s reindeer. They looked very smart for about three minutes but then tried to eat each other’s antlers. To calm them down, the Grinch took Santa and his reindeer round the lake in a Quest. The lake sail was followed by the inevitable everyone brings a dish Christmas buffet extravaganza. Sailors and the excited spectators tucked in and swapped recipes. Someone did suggest the new Friday Sailors motto should be "never knowingly underfed!" Then an unexpected VERY special visitor arrived to distribute the secret Santa presents amidst much hilarity and every participant was rewarded with their very own 'I saw Santa at Friday Sailing BSC' sticker. Even the Vice Commodore got to sit on Santa’s lap and get a sticker. Did he get what he hoped for from Santa?

The final event of the year was Christmas cheer where members enjoyed lashings of mulled wine, mince pies and sausage rolls to get them in the mood for Christmas.

Many thanks to the social committee and the Friday sailors for all their hard work making Christmas at the club such a happy and enjoyable time.

Pictures (c) Nigel Butler and the Friday Sailors

What a Fantastic Work Party

Vice Commodore — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 15:14:45 GMT

On Sunday 2^nd December a record number of more than 35 members turned up to help at our second winter work party. The overnight rain cleared over to leave a pleasant and dry day which enabled us to get lots done. Repairs to the ramp were completed, tree stumps pulled out, brambles removed, sheds cleared out and the dinghy trailer part was emptied, strimmed, reorganised and left beautifully tidy.

A number of trailers which appeared redundant or abandoned were dragged from the undergrowth and put by the fence to the left of the double gates as you enter the site by footpath. Please would members check if theirs is among them – if not claimed, they will be disposed of or offered to a museum in the new year.

A big thank you to Julie for organising us all and to Kathryn and her team in the galley for keeping us fed and watered. There was a happy, friendly atmosphere at the club as everyone worked together to get so much done. Thank you to all those who gave up their Sunday and came along to help. Our next work party is on Sunday 13^th January. Put it in your diary now – what a great way to work off those excesses over Christmas.

BSC Finalists for RYA Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year 2019

Vice Commodore — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 14:46:44 GMT

We are very proud and honoured to have been chosen as the East Region finalist for the prestigious Club of the Year 2019 award. The RYA and Yachts & Yachting have again joined forces to recognise outstanding achievement of sailing clubs across the UK through the Club of the Year Awards. The 11 finalists now go through to the public vote with the overall successful club selected by RYA members, Yachts & Yachting readers and the panel. The Club of the year will be announced at the RYA Dinghy show on Saturday 2^nd March. We hope that our members and friends will agree that our selection recognises all the hard work by so many of you, our members, who freely volunteer your time to make our club so successful and such a great place to be. Special thanks go to our Publicity Officer, Chris Brown, who worked closely with the flags team to submit the application. We hope you may consider voting for your club and would be grateful if you could spare a few moments and follow the link to cast your vote.

Vote for Club of the Year 2019

Thank you

Laying Up Supper - The Lion House Rocks!

Vice Commodore — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 12:12:24 GMT

On Saturday 17^th November 110 members and their guests packed into the Lion House function suite at the Lion Inn, Boreham for our first black-tie Laying up Supper for four years. Everyone looked very smart in their finery and there was a great atmosphere as guests arrived and enjoyed a pre-dinner drink.

After a nautical grace from the Rear Commodore, everyone settled down to enjoy a delicious three course meal with friendly and efficient service from the house. During coffee, the Muhlhauser Trophy was presented to Sir Julian Berney Bt. for his log of cruises to and around the Canaries. Julian then gave a short talk about the significance of George Muhlhauser and his yacht ‘Amaryllis’ which we fortunate to have a model of at the club. After this, the raffle was drawn. Thanks to the generosity of members, we had some amazing prizes which were divided into five goodie bags for the winners.

Without further ado, DJ John entertained us with his mix of music and the dance floor was quickly full of people showing off their moves. The Friday Sailors were obviously having “The Time of their Life” and after an impressive attempt to drink the bar dry sampling every shot in the house, they took to the floor. Sadly, their attempt to recreate the iconic lift from ‘Dirty Dancing’ didn’t quite come off. Not to be deterred, they dragged everyone still sitting to their feet and formed probably the longest conga ever seen at the Lion House. This wound its way around the premises for some time and then the dancing continued late into the night.

All in all, a great time was had by all and evidence that there is still demand for a black-tie annual event if the venue is right. Many thanks to The Lion House and to Sue Sheppard and her team for organising a most enjoyable event.

Blackwater Remembers

Rear Commodore — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 09:52:18 GMT

We are proud to support the Royal British Legion 2018 poppy appeal to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World war.

Local RBL supporter Shaun Morgan has stationed 'George' the WW1 Silhouette Sailor at the entrance to the club and Heybridge Basin to help raise awareness for the RBL centenary poppy appeal. Shaun served as Lance Cpl 103/104Bn REME until he was medically discharged from the British Army with spine injuries. It is particularly fitting that his son who is in the Royal Signals, put our RBL statue in place.

The club was well established with a membership of over 100 when war broke out in 1914. At this time, many members volunteered for active service and some were never to return. During this period of Remembrance, please remember all those who served, sacrificed and changed our world. In particular, please join us in saying ‘Thank you’ to all those from Maldon, Heybridge and the sailing community on the river Blackwater who gave so much.

We hope you will give your generous support to the 2018 Poppy Appeal.

The Flags Fly for Trafalgar Mid-Week Lunch

Rear Commodore — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 10:28:40 GMT

On Thursday 18^th October 53 members sat down to enjoy a delicious lunch in celebration of Horatio Lord Nelson’s famous victory at Cape Trafalgar in 1805. Don Baines introduced the proceedings and following the Trafalgar Grace by the Rear Commodore, diners enjoyed a broadside of beef with mushrooms in red wine, Emma’s Yorkshire puddings, creamy mash, cheesy leaks, carrots and peas. This was followed by Trafalgar jam roly poly pudding with custard.

The Commodore then gave an entertaining talk about the colourful life of Emma, Lady Hamilton before she met Horatio in Naples in 1793 and the powerful bond that developed between the two after they first met. Former Commodore, Anthony Sinclair, proposed the toast to the Immortal memory of Horatio Lord Nelson, and to all those who fell with him and guests then “Spliced the Mainbrace!” with Lady Hamilton’s nip – a tot of spiced rum. Tea, coffee and slow matches followed to round off what was a most enjoyable occasion. Many thanks to Marilyn Sinclair and her team for continuing to provide these popular lunches at the club.

Photos by Nigel Butler

More Glory for our Cadets at the Dyer Cup

Rear Commodore — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 10:29:49 GMT

On Sunday 7^th October a cool force 3-4 NNW wind and autumn sunshine greeted the 39 dinghies and cruisers competing in our last all in race of the season, the Dyer Cup. Race Officer George set a long line extending south from Osea Road and achieved a remarkably orderly start for the down wind broad reach port tack start. The committee boat end was very busy, but others opted for a clear wind start towards Osea. Spinnakers quickly appeared allowing the faster boats to pull clear of the closely bunched slower boats. A gybe around Doctor and then a close fetch to South Doubles and hard on the wind to Hilly Pool. Bear away for a run down to Nipper and a final gybe for the beat back to the club line. The first boat home was the Spitfire in 39 minutes but a brilliantly sailed race by Marnie and Ellie in their Feva gave them an impressive victory over some of the club’s finest helms. Second, and winning the Fendick Cup was Terry Crook in a blaze.

This was a very closely contested race with only 4 minutes on corrected time between the first 21 boats. This wasn’t a day for the cruisers though, first home was Joe Leary and Breezy in 30^th place overall but winning the Copsey Cup for first cruiser.

A short Dyer cup course was set for younger cadets in toppers and optimists.

It was particularly fitting that the prizes were presented by 90 year old Peter Wilson, our oldest honorary cadet member who had made a special trip to the club for this event.

Marnie Aers and Ellie Shelter presented with the Dyer Cup by Peter

Results:

Dyer Cup:

1^st Marnie Aers and Ellie Shelter – RS Feva

2^nd Terry Crook – Blaze (Fendick Cup)

3^rd Phil Newman and Lester Apthorp – K6

Short Dyer Cup:

1^st Jessica Taylor – Topper

2^nd Stanley Johnson – Optimist

3^rd Jess Welch – Optimist

For the full results click Dyer Cup Results

Great Support for Macmillan Fund Raiser

Rear Commodore — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 10:09:55 GMT

The club held another very successful and well supported fund raiser in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on Sunday 7^th October. Early arrivals were able to fill up on bacon rolls before taking part in the Dyer Cup race, our last all in event of the season. Spectators were able to get first pick on the variety of stalls. These included a craft stall, home made and home grown produce, toys and books. Visitors and returning racers were able to enjoy a selection of delicious home-made soups, bread and cakes and then buy their Christmas cards from the RNLI stand and spend their money at all the other excellent stands.

Many thanks to all the members who donated items for sale and who came and spent generously. A special thank you to Marilyn Sinclair and her band of volunteers who organised and ran this event. A splendid £1208 was raised making a cumulative total of £8662 raised for this most deserving charity over the past 8 years at Blackwater Sailing Club.

For more information about Macmillan click here

Success and Fun for BSC Sailors at the British Youth Sailing Regional Championship at Grafham

Rear Commodore — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 17:31:41 GMT

Over the weekend 29-30 September a hardy bunch of BSC Cadets took part in the British Youth Sailing Regional Championship at Grafham Water. This was a six race open event over two days, with classes for Optimists, Toppers, Teras, Fevas, Cadets and Laser 4.7s and regatta fleets for the Optimist, Tera and Topper. Conditions were good over the weekend with a shifty F2-3 breeze on the first day which made some of the races a bit of a lottery, on the Sunday the conditions were better with a steady F3-4 for the racing.

BSC had a total of 12 sailors at the event, the biggest fleet was in the Optimist Championship Class where Nick Evans had a superb event winning the class with two Bullets, two seconds, a third and a fourth place. Further down the fleet Hugh Andrews had a successful campaign finishing 10^th overall and registering a bullet. Jess Haigh, Lucy Shelter, Dominic Carver and Osea Evans all had very good results and hopefully have all done enough to qualify for the RYA East Zone Squad.

In the Topper Championship fleet club stalwarts Lloyd and Jessica Taylor showed a strong performance, Lloyd finishing eighth overall with one second place.

Ben Haigh competing in his first Laser open event performed very well in what effectively was a national event finishing 63^rd out of 67 racers.

In the Optimist Regatta fleet Charlie Bourne had an exceptional weekend winning the event with two Bullets along the way. Hector Trickey in the RS Tera Regatta fleet had a good weekend finishing second overall.

The RYA Onboard Fun Fleet was a welcome addition this year and gave cadets who are not quite ready for racing the chance to improve their sailing skills, Katherine Carver had fun in this fleet and would recommend it for next year.

Overall, this is a really good event and is the perfect opportunity for BSC sailors to start their sailing adventures outside the club. We hope to see more cadets there next year.

Mooring Buoy Work Parties 2018

Hon Secretary — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 20:26:28 GMT

For the attention of all cruiser owners with moorings.

The following days have been arranged for you to come and recover your mooring buoy and swivel for the winter.

Saturday 6th October 0830 (HW 1100)

Sunday 28th October 1200 (HW1440)

Thursday 8th November 1000 (HW 1250)

Friday 9^th November 1030 (HW 1330)

I intend to have this as a team effort. Fitter members can come out on the workboat to collect buoys and take them to the slipway, where others can then take them to the wash down to be power washed. If anyone isn't occupied it's tea and coffee duties!

You will have to provide a winter marker buoy with your mooring number clearly marked, and 7 metres of suitable rope/light chain. If you can’t find your marker buoy, there are a lot in the container.

This line must be thick enough and strong enough to lift your riser chain to the surface in the spring when it is all green and slimey!

Please wear old clothing suitable for the weather, and a buoyancy aid or lifejacket if coming afloat.

Please remember that if your buoy is left out over the winter, your mooring tackle is likely to have half the normal working life.

No need to advise attendance, just turn up at a session start time.

John Clark Moorings Officer Ian Papworth-Moorings Officer 2019

BART'S BASH RACES CANCELLED

Rear Commodore — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 14:30:16 GMT

B.J.R.C. BART'S BASH RACES CANCELLED.
Following discussions between the Blackwater clubs, the organisers have decided to cancel the races scheduled for Sunday 23rd September. The forecast is still uncertain, but it seems a deepening low pressure is going to track right over us. While the winds may be deceptively light in the morning, they are likely to build rapidly from lunchtime with heavy rain and strong gusts. It was not felt to be sensible to have a large fleet of boats scattered around the Blackwater when this happens. Sorry for any disappointment, lets hope we can try again next year.

The Cadets Rule the Waves (again) after a Fantastic Regatta and Club Week !

Rear Commodore — Sat, 18 Aug 2018 16:14:24 GMT

Blackwater Sailing Club enjoyed another great Regatta and Club Week from 11^th to 17^th August. There were generally good sailing winds apart from Tuesday when the dying wind and spring tides meant many had to be towed home and the fast Cruiser race had to be declared void because no one completed the course in the time limit. The now customary thunder storm with torrential rain rounded off the racing on Monday. A wide range of social events were well attended during the week. The racing finished with the winning helms from each class competing for the coveted “Cock O’ the Club” trophy. This was sailed in toppers and was won by Optimist class winner Nick Evans with Laser class winner Matty Evans second. They easily fought off the challenge provided by many of the clubs’ top adult sailors. Numbers of competitors were a little down this year, mainly due to many of our cadets and adults travelling far and wide representing the club at national and international championships.

Here are a few statistics from the week.

1660 filled rolls sold by the galley

564 boats were launched and trollies pulled up and down the ramp during the week

520 packets of crisps eaten

450 chocolate bars eaten

444 people attended social events at the club

425 corks collected by the winning team during the cork race

320 bacon rolls eaten

207 competitors in club week

112 decibels hit by Belinda while performing opera at the Commodore’s Supper

110 different boats took part in club week

103 individual class starts

71 boats took part in the regatta

56 different rib crews during the week

47 times the canons were fired during the regatta

45.2mm rain has fallen on BSC so far this month following the driest summer for years

15 flags pulled from the end of the greasy pole by cadets on regatta day

11 different class starts

11 different class winners

10.8mm rain per hour on Thursday 16^th August

3 flags pulled from the end of the greasy pole by adults on regatta day

1 Cock O’ the Club – Nick Evans

Here are pictures of some of our winners, with thanks and credit to Guy Hawkins, Kate Stewart and Nigel Butler

CADET WEEK 2018 - WHAT A FANTASTIC EVENT !

Rear Commodore — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 11:29:52 GMT

140+ cadets signed up for Cadet Week 2018 and enjoyed weather conditions ranging from “Rather windy today” to “Please can we have some more” but that didn’t matter because everyone had a great time anyway!

Day 1 was in the “rather windy” category, so racing was changed to “go out and have some fun” for the experienced river sailors who wanted a challenge ….and boy did they. With smiles from ear to ear, some of the Lasers, Terra’s, Toppers, Feva’s, Fireball and 420’s, showed how it’s done in some adrenaline filled blasting! The set programme was torn up and the river training groups went down to the Lake in shifts to join the 30 plus Oppie training fleet, having a great day in the calmer waters. In the evening, after a fantastic Bangers N Mash dinner, the Lake once again became the centre of activity with the Zorbes providing another evening of fun as the cadets rolled their way around on the water like frantic slightly damp hamsters!

Day 2 Lake Games started the day with the six cadet teams paddling, swimming and other wise propelling, their hand-built rafts across the Lake whilst a refreshing rain shower kept them cool! But the sun came out although an un-forecast 6 plus wind meant that there was a halt to river activities after the first race …so some of the big smilers went out for a blast again and extended their personal limits even further! Meanwhile down on the lake training went ahead with new sailors making some amazing progress. Each lunchtime and evening Peta and her Galley Gang made sure all the cadets, the cadet team and the adult helpers were served up some amazing grub and today was no different with a trip to Italy for a superb Spag Bol! To ensure that was properly digested we then boarded the coaches to Madison Heights for a couple of hours of Monkey puzzle and Roller skating.

Day 3 – Down River Day on the River - but it was Field Games to start as the Cadet teams took part in Mass Rounders, Least Feet on the Floor and Human Knot. Then, despite the wind looking a bit light to start, it turned out to be a superb sailing day with 3 races held and all the river training groups in action. The bridge team led by Clem and Marg once again worked their magic. Throughout the week, new sailors were treated to a trip out on Nice Tri and Priscilla thanks to Darren and Rupert. In the evening it was the Grande Dinner and an Italian Pizza Van served up authentic wood fired pizzas - although Chef Luige (or was it Mario) was obviously trying to ensure our cadets and parents remained at a competitive racing weight. No matter because the Ice Cream Van made up for it with some yummy cones for desert. It was also the Cadet Talent Show where the standard of the acts just gets better and better every year! We had everything from dancers, a clarinettist, puppet show, stand-up comedians, animal impressionists and more! Sophie took the BSC’s Got Talent award with some fantastic singing.

Day 4 - The Tractor Pull saw the Cadet Teams attempting to show the Massey Ferguson is a light weight racing machine. However, the adult pull required engine assistance, once again demonstrating that a team of BSC Cadets can do anything! With the wind predicted to reach the “Please can we have some more” rating, everyone was happy when the sea breeze kicked in allowing a record 52 dinghies to head up to Maldon in an assault on the Promenade for Ice Creams. Operatic singing featured heavily on some boats creating a stir with the tourists. One of the most popular features of this years Cadet Week was the Day Sailing and RYA 4 Groups headed up by Belinda and Nigel in the Quests. Down on the Lake, the light winds meant the newer cadets could extend their new-found knowledge gained in the previous days to show off some very impressive sailing. In the evening it was time for the Cadets to Disco. A new addition this year was the photo booth and nearly 400 pictures of cadets in various disguises were snapped up.

Day 5 – Last Day. Fancy Dress was the name of the game and both Cadets and Parents came up with some amazing costumes based on the letter L with the Cadet Committee connecting as Lego. Resident Drag Act Drac, came up with Lawn Lady although he was possibly beaten into second place this year by Rob C as the Python Lumberjack. The wining Cadets Team were the Lion King(s) – you could have been in Disneyland! It was another light wind day but with the sea breeze helping once again, it was the Cock O the Cadets Race with all the winners of the previous days classes, racing in Toppers for this highly coveted trophy. Sophie managed to overtake Joey on the last leg to take the overall prize. The parents also took part in their own race which was won by a light weight Marcus. Meanwhile, some of the more experienced Lake sailors went over the wall for the first time for Ice Creams at Mill Beach. Amazing job guys!!!!!

A superb week of sailing and fun was made possible by the Cadet Committee, the Cadet team and the instructors with the support of all the adult helpers - a massive thank you to everyone involved!

With thanks to Kate Stewart, Nicky Johnson and Zoe Nelson for the photos.

Summer Work party Success

Rear Commodore — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 07:48:19 GMT

A massive thank you to the 38 adult and cadet members who gave up Saturday 21st July to help get the club and grounds looking good for Cadet and Club week. They toiled all day in the brutal heat and as the tide went out, a team waded through the mud to rebuild the rill, working until they dropped with exhaustion. Ditches were cleared, hedges cut, piles of rubbish and mounds round the lake were cleared and grass was cut. The patio and white benches were power washed and the boat park labels were all checked. Many other essential jobs were done during this and the winter work parties so thank you to those who have given many hours to the club to do jobs that we would otherwise have to pay external contractors to do.

Highlight of the day was when the warden hijacked a passing ice cream man and forced him to park by the club house. He was only allowed to leave when we had had ice creams all round!

LAKE FUNDAY CANCELLED

Hon Secretary — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 21:37:23 GMT

BLUE - GREEN ALGAE WARNING !

Members may have seen the reports in the press and on television regarding contamination of inland water due to the prolonged hot weather.

Due to the health risks the activities on the lake for the Funday on Sunday 22nd July have been cancelled. The lake will still be open for normal sailing.

It is suggested the following procedures are followed:

All users of the lake should be aware of the dangers and use the lake at their own risk.
Shower in fresh water (shower by the pavilion) after use and wash hands and clothing and if any water is accidentally swallowed, then the mouth should be washed out at once. The same applies to any eye contact with lake water. I would not advise anyone with an open wound to use the lake.
Dogs should be kept away from the lake for the time being for their own safety.

If you have any further questions please contact the Warden or email me at secretary@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk

RYA Training at Maldon Little Ships Club

Hon Secretary — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 21:56:16 GMT

Commodore’s Cruise Saturday 7 July 2018

Hon Secretary — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 22:35:27 GMT

The Commodore writes:

Waratah set off in the early morning with zero wind and motored to Osea Island and anchored off the pier. We were soon joined by 7 other boats who rafted up all on the one anchor! 4 more boats joined the fleet and bacon butties were enjoyed by all while we watched the start of the barge and smack race. There were about 25 craft in the race and it was quite a spectacle. Several members went for a swim off the back of Waratah.

The wind shortly arrived and we had a pleasant sail down river to Bradwell beach where we anchored up and were taken ashore by Rob and Zoe in the rib who provided a water taxi service. We then enjoyed BBQs and lots of Prosecco under hot sunshine and some of us took the opportunity to cool off in the sea.

Time went quickly and a we all enjoyed a refreshing easterly sea breeze and a run with the tide back to the club to round off a most enjoyable day.

What a busy but brilliant weekend at the Club

Rear Commodore — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 08:46:10 GMT

On the weekend 30th June - 1st July the club hosted down river Open Meetings for the Southeastern Area Championship of the Snipe class and the English Championship of the National 18 class in 15-25 knots of wind and brilliant sunshine. The weekend also included full cadet training on the lake and river for 84 cadets with race coaching on the river for Optimists, Toppers, Lasers and Fevas and a seamanship course in our RS Quests. There was also a full programme of club racing throughout the weekend. With careful organisation and some give and take, a great weekend was had by all and our facilities coped remarkably well in absolutely fantastic, warm sailing conditions.

Photos (c) Zoe Nelson and Nigel Butler

Commodore’s Cruise Saturday 7 July 2018

Hon Secretary — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 14:00:00 GMT

All cruisers and dinghies and day boats welcome.

Depart BSC at 08.15 - read on for the complete Passage Plan.

HW 07.19 therefore aim to leave BSC at 08.15

Waratah will be the Flag ship / service vessel and will leave at 07.45 and establish mooring at Osea Pier. Rest of fleet RV / raft up for refreshments in vicinity.
There will be a patrol boat to cover and provide water taxi service.
Radio channel 37

10.00 depart Osea for lunch stop. Possible sites – Bradwell beach , Thirslet spit, remain at Osea depending on weather.

12.00 Beach BBQ . Bring suitable food and drink but iced Champagne will be provided but bring own glasses.

Beach cricket match- Friday sailors v the rest (Commodore to umpire- unbiased of course!)

15.00 Approx depart for the BSC

17.30 Approx arrive back at BSC

Lift jackets / buoyancy aids must be worn at all times while on the water. Bring foul weather clothing and swim wear and towel.

Bring plenty of water to drink because de-hydration may be a problem if very hot day. Also remember the sun hat and sun block.

Bring camera as on the day there is a barge race offering good photo opportunities.

Fingers crossed for good weather to make it a most enjoyable day.

Any queries to commodore@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk

Work Party Saturday 21st July 0930

Hon Secretary — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 09:49:07 GMT

There will be a work party extravaganza happening on Saturday 21st July starting at 0930! Turn up and enjoy helping the club in the company of fellow members! Read about it in full HERE !

New Members Reception and Mid Summer BBQ

Rear Commodore — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 07:42:45 GMT

On Saturday 23rd June, 54 new members joined us at the club for the new members reception. They were introduced to the flags team and some of our committee members and club officers and were given the opportunity to learn more about how things work at the club. As the evening approached, Allan Hunt and his team fired up the BBQs and set to work cooking for the new members and over 50 existing members who joined us for the Mid Summer BBQ on a lovely warm evening. This year, we laid on a second sitting for our returning BJRC sailors coming back from a great sail contesting the Brown Cup. This proved to be very popular, Tommy Mills was so keen to get there that he sailed Geronimo up the rill almost 3 hours before high water! A very pleasant evening was had by all and the bar was kept busy. Many thanks to all those who helped make this event a great success.

Cadet Training Weekend 30th June 2018

Hon Secretary — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 20:22:26 GMT

Hi All. It’s time to get ready. Briefing is at 09:30 on Saturday.

Right Equipment - Right Place - Right Time. Please don't be late.
Please download and read the joining instructions and check out your training groups and adult duties.
Any questions to either Rob or myself. See you on Saturday!!
Skipper D Out

Wayfarer Day Cruise 9th June 2018

Hon Secretary — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 08:38:54 GMT

On Saturday 9th June keen wayfarer sailors went for a day cruise, although not necessarily in their Wayfarers! The commodore and Emma set-off first in Waratah and dropped anchor off of Osea Island where the vegetarian then started to cook the bacon. We were soon joined by Mark and Chris, Belinda and Allan, Sue and Ian and Lindsay and Steve. I think that Steve was very hot from crewing as he decided to go for a swim first - he didn’t even change into his trunks. He obviously missed the ‘swim at your own risk!’ memo. We did promise him that we would not post a picture of this, remaining true to our word!

From Osea we went for a beautiful cruise up to Bradwell Beach where we tucked in to many wonderful culinary delights prepared earlier. The only disappointment was when half a bottle of wine got spilled. There was talk of going for a walk but that’s all it remained - talk. After a few naps and much jovial conversation later we set off back to Blackwater Sailing Club, looking forward to a gentle broad reach return with the wind and tide behind us. Soon after Richard and I saw Belinda and Allan in the distance and remarked on how wide they were taking the river as they practiced using their spinnaker - strange that. We then got a message from Jack Spratt saying that Jessie may be in trouble? So we went to investigate. Jessie had first lost her jib halyard and then her boom block and was sailing using just the main sail (tied to the stern) and the spinnaker which was proving difficult; a tow was needed. Attaching them to Waratah was harder than it needed to be. I offered to throw the line but Richard remarked that he wanted it to reach them! So Richard helmed, adjusted the speed of the approach (we were under power) and threw the line himself, twice and failed. The third attempt, where I was allowed to help, worked. Belinda and Allan were then safely towed, although nearly cast-off at Northey, and managed to make it back to the club in one piece, no doubt grateful of the nap they’d had earlier! All in all a great day out, certainly excellent practice for the forthcoming Wayfarer Norfolk Broads Cruise in September.

List of things to remember for September:-

A Wayfarer

A spare jib halyard

A spare boom block

Swimwear

Wine stoppers……

Words by Emma Reeve

Round the Islands Races in aid of the RNLI

Rear Commodore — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 10:19:51 GMT

On Sunday 17th June we held our annual round the Islands races as a charity event with entry fees of £250 donated to the RNLI. 36 dinghies entered the main race around Osea and Northey island.

First Place: Fireball, Brian and Will Sargeant, Second Place: Fireball, Mark Maskell and Nigel Sheppard, Third Place, Fireball , Charlie Stewart and Stephen Humphrey

Wayfarer Cup: Steve and Jack Perkins

Cruiser Round Osea Race: First Place: Paul and Evelyn Su

Round Northey Race: First Place: Topper, Theo Aers, Second Place: Topper, Tracy Haigh

please see the Yachts and Yachting article by Chris Brown for a fuller report https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/206683/Blackwater-Round-the-Islands-Race

Photo (c) Kate Stewart

Well Done to Team BSC at the Feva Nationals in Weymouth

Rear Commodore — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 17:04:53 GMT

Nine Blackwater SC cadets competed at the RS Feva UK Nationals, held at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, from 26 to 29 May.

The cadets were: Theo Aers and Rhiannon Webber, Marnie Aers and Abbie Wallace, Ruby Andrews and Gemma Raymond and Sophie Johnson helming for Burnham SC sailor, Dylan Collingbourne, Joey Taylor helming for Hunts SC and Aldeburgh YC sailor Terry Hacker and Nick Evans - crewing for Hayling Island SC sailor, Kuba Staite. The Burnham Squiddies Team members were supported by renowned Feva gurus Jonathan Lewis and Flynn Davies who coach the Squiddies Team through the winter.

The event saw a wide range of wind conditions - with strong but steady conditions on the first day, followed by light conditions on the second day. This allowed for the Principal Race Officer, Ian Bullock, to complete all six qualifying races, after which the Championship divided into two fleets for the final two days. Unfortunately, the wind didn't really get going on the third day, and only one race was completed. However, on the final day, the wind gods woke up and delivered white caps in the harbour, with the maximum recorded speed of 27 knots, although it did calm down a bit as the day wore on. It meant that four races could be fitted in and this led to some tired sailors at the prize giving.

Sophie had a great event, finishing fourth overall and first female helm for the second year running, in the process securing no less than four second place finishes and a bullet - fantastic achievement. Sophie and Dylan had the same points tally before the discard as the winning boat and, after it was included, had the same points tally as the boats in the second and third places but lost out to them on count-back! The closeness of these results reflected the competitiveness at the top of the fleet.

Joey's performances got better and better throughout the event. He achieved no less than four top ten finishes, securing 13th place overall! A brilliant result for a helm competing in his first national event in the class.

Nick had something of a yo-yo: a difficult first day followed by an amazing second day with three top ten finishes; a UFD on the third day and a tough final day in the breeze, finishing 30th overall. Nonetheless both he and his helm were chuffed - and surprised - to be confirmed as National Junior Champions, for the 13 and under category.

In their fleet, Marnie and Abbie secured an excellent third place on the light third day and finished in 15th spot. Theo and Rhiannon secured a fantastic second place on the tough final day, and finished in 20th and Ruby and Gemma showed some real resilience and potential and finished in a very commendable 35th.

A full write up of the event can be found on the Yachts and Yachting website; see:

https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/205884/RS-Feva-Nationals-at-the-WPNSA-overall

Or watch the whole event here! :

https://www.facebook.com/rsfevagbr/

Congratulations to all sailors and thanks to your parents and the BSC Cadet Team for supporting you. It seems only a short time since the Feva was introduced at BSC with the aim of developing the class at the club and encouraging our cadets to travel to regional and national events as part of our champion club aspiration. This really has happened which is great to see. WELL DONE to you all from the flags team. You make us all very proud to be part of such a successful club.

Nigel Butler

Rear Commodore

Congratulations to BSC Sailor Nick - Off to the Optimist Europeans !

Rear Commodore — Thu, 10 May 2018 17:54:25 GMT

Nick Roll tacking - (c) Sportography.tv.

Many congratulations to BSC Optimist sailor Nick Evans! After being invited to the Optimist selections at Weymouth over the early May bank holiday, he has come away in 9th place out of 81 sailors. This means he has qualified to be part of the British Sailing Team going to the Europeans in Holland! You can read Nick's story here: Nicks Story

Here are some great pictures of Nick from the selections, 1) demonstrating his rolls tack, picture (c) Sportography.tv. 2) Rigging up 3) with GB Olympic 49er sailor Dylan Fletcher

The Sun Shines on our most successful Open Day Ever

Rear Commodore — Tue, 08 May 2018 09:03:11 GMT

295 visitors flocked to Blackwater Sailing Club on Saturday 5^th May for our annual Open Day and RYA #pushtheboatout “Try Sailing in May” event. The Blackwater was looking stunning under clear blue skies with glorious sunshine all day. 83 adult and cadet helpers from the club helped make this a fantastic day out for our guests, many of whom had never considered trying sailing before. 322 taster sails were provided during the day on our 7-acre training lake in our fleet of RS Quests, Wayfarers, RS Fevas, Toppers and Optimists. Even our local MP was spotted getting out of a Quest with a large smile on his face. As the tide came in, 56 people tried a taster sail on a cruiser, 126 enjoyed a river trip on one of our Ribs or the launch and many just sat and watched our club races. Sailing is thirsty work and our visitors managed to drink the bar dry after enjoying the food on offer throughout the day. Over 30 new members signed up on the day making this our most successful Open Day ever. A big thank you to all our members for your amazing welcome to our guests and thank you to all our visitors for coming to try sailing and see what we can offer. We hope you enjoyed a wonderful day. With thanks to Chris Nichols, Zoe Nelson and Nigel Butler for the photos.

Fitting Out Supper a Sellout

Rear Commodore — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 16:45:13 GMT

A sellout crowd of 92 packed into the main club-room on Saturday 10th March for our annual Fitting Out Supper. Despite the recent unseasonably cold weather, this event serves as a reminder to members that the sailing season is upon us and their preparations for a great season of sailing should be well underway. After a delicious three course meal, guests were entertained with a very humorous talk by local boy and Practical Boat Owner columnist Dave Selby. Dave enthralled the audience with tales of his exciting voyages and his many transatlantic crossings. He wowed us with tales of his amazing navigational feats, the highlight of which was running aground on Northey Island during the highest spring tide for twelve years. He demonstrated that it is possible to sail with a limited budget and his Sailfish 18 "Marlin" is testament to that. He has recorded one of the slowest passages in maritime history from the Blackwater to the Southampton boat show, known in the annals of sailing as "Marlin's Mission". Dave has recently published the sailors "must have" book "The Impractical Boat Owner". Dave generously offered this to Blackwater Sailing Club members at a specially inflated price. He also gave us the opportunity to buy illustrated mugs and drawings in support of his charity to raise money for research into the rare neurological condition which means he has to be admitted to hospital every four weeks. As promised, those privileged to hear Dave's talk learnt absolutely nothing about sailing, but anyone who wasn't enthused to give it a try should take up golf.