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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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