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