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  • 18/10/2019 13:11 | Hon Cadet Skipper (Administrator)

    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. 


  • 30/09/2019 16:03 | Vice Commodore (Administrator)

    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.  

    Photos © Nigel Butler and Zoe Nelson


  • 30/09/2019 15:55 | Vice Commodore (Administrator)

    Sunday 29th 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


  • 23/09/2019 13:27 | Hon Cadet Skipper (Administrator)

    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


  • 19/09/2019 13:46 | Vice Commodore (Administrator)

    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 15th 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:

    1st        Nigel Butler     Solo - 5716

    2nd        Aimee Taylor   Laser Radial - 189660

    3rd        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:

    1st        Dave Wood                 2000 - 21647

    2nd        Charlotte Videlo           420 - 54997

    3rd        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 

    Photos © Zoe Nelson

    Slow Course start

  • 18/09/2019 18:30 | Vice Commodore (Administrator)

    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

  • 17/09/2019 22:01 | Hon Secretary (Administrator)

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

  • 13/09/2019 20:14 | Hon Secretary (Administrator)

    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 

  • 23/08/2019 19:40 | Hon Secretary (Administrator)

    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 3rd and 13th September 2019, weather permitting.

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

  • 10/08/2019 18:22 | Vice Commodore (Administrator)

    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 


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