Author: Peter Ward

At a packed BJRC prizegiving dinner last week, Marconi’s cruiser racing owners, helms and crew were presented with their 2017 season trophies, glassware and championships. The Marconi Cruiser Cup (centre of image) was presented to BSC member Martin Scarth, who was also crowned local handicap series winner. The Bernard Payne half hull trophy also went outside of the club to BSC member Peter Copsey (2nd in top R) but other than the BJRC Chairman, Steve Sharpe, all the other faces in the winners image attached to this report are Marconi members. Richard Robarts and his crew on Blue Moon were…

East Coast Chandlery Marinestore recently commissioned a new trophy for Marconi Sailing club, who will award it to winners for outstanding achievements in sailing events. The trophy will be known as the Marinestore Shipway Trophy. ‘It gets it’s name from the Shipway Yard in Maldon, historical home of the shipwright John Howard, who built many of the local barges’ , said Eleanor Callus (Managing Director) who’s Marinestore offices are located in Shipways yard. On receiving the trophy, Peter Ward commented that the Marinestore Shipway Trophy will be a welcome addition to the trophies awarded by Marconi Sailing Club and that it would be awarded to someone for achievement in Keelboat /…

Last weekend, the first leg of the 2018 British Keelboat Sailing League was sailed at the Royal Southern YC on the Hamble. Marconi were represented in this youth event by Jack Collis, Jack Wardell, David Nickalls and Daniel Nickalls. The Marconi team were sailing together for the very first time in a keelboat, and j80’s rather than the j70’s that we’d lead them to expect. Never the less our team did well up against some strong competition. Thanks to our sponsors. Here’s David’s report from the event. On the weekend beginning the 28th of October the marconi youth keelboat sailing…

April 14th is the date set for Marconi’s start to the 2018 keelboat racing series. Next season we’d like to offer a greater number of Marconi members the opportunity to participate in the exciting racing format of the British Keelboat League. In order to do that we have teamed up with the Royal Thames Yacht Club, one of the key drivers behind the increasing interest in this form of racing in the UK, and have pre-booked the clubs fleet of J80’s that are afloat at Queen Mary’s reservoir near Staines. As part of the collaboration the Royal Thames have agreed…

It was done. The sailing sub had pre-selected the 12 most competitive sailors in the club that might be able to represent Marconi in a series of very long race days of, physically and mentally challenging keelboat races. Our entry was in. We were going for it. Let’s test ourselves as a club, against some of the best teams of sailors from across the UK in the 2017 British Keelboat League (BKL). The prize was clear. Increased profile for the club, involvement in a format of racing that we’d very little experience in, a great experience for the 12 selected…

The cruiser Autumn Series ended with the double points, no discard race, sailed in a westerly 25 kts gusting beyond 30 at times. A simple course of Marconi (P), Thirslet (S) increased in difficulty as the tide began to flood in opposition to the wind. 4 Boats came to the line, and Ned Kelly fully reefed and sailing much flatter than the others controlled the conditions best. Blue Moon, looking to wrap up the series was the only one to risk flying a kite. Although small, once it got to the masthead it remained under control until the first gust,…

Race Report 9 boats came to the start line at Radio Caroline and Sue Carroll (1st time Race Officer) got the fleet underway, downwind to Thirslet. Pinocchio (Colne Yacht Club) led the charge turning onto a very shy kite leg to Stone mark No9. Blue Moon (Marconi SC, late to the start) selected their headsail after a drop at Thirslet and rapidly overhauled Skylark and McGregor 3 (both MSC) who left it too late to change down in the shifting winds and then struggled to round the mark. Charlie Don’t Surf (CYC) gradually took the lead as the light winds…

Marconi Sailing Clubs British Keelboat League Team (BKL) were invited to train in a J70 on Solent Water by UK J Boat distributor Key Yachting this weekend. As part of their preparations for the next leg of the British Keelboat League in Cowes in two weeks time, team captain Tom Clayton, Michaela Dowley (helm), Bryan Spencer (mainsheet), Luke Lazell (trim) and Jack Collis (bow), familiarised themselves with the planing asymmetric J70 keelboat in a very exciting 20+ knots wind. Charlie Merchant, J Boats UK Brand Manager provided boat specific coaching from a support rib, and the Marconi team were super…

The Marconi British Keelboat team are preparing for their next leg of the competition, that will be held in Cowes during August, by inviting challengers to take them on in match racing during cadet week. The aim of the event, that will be run on the first Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings of cadet week, is two fold: To give club members the opportunity to try keelboat racing, and test themselves against our selected BKL team. To give our BKL team the chance to practice boat handling, pre-starts, tactics and rules within a competitive environment. The event will be…

Marconi sailing clubs keelboat champions, competed in the British Keelboat League competition this weekend at Burnham. Racing in a fleet of 5 teams, the Marconi sailors were aiming to come out on top to secure a place in the National final later in the season. Marconi’s team, supported by local companies Dinghy Rope, Billericay Heating, and TCS Chandlery, comprised of Tom Clayton, Tristan Walker-Hutt, Bryan Spencer, Jack Collis and Luke Lazell who last month won a highly competitive 9 race regatta to become Marconi champions and the right to represent the club in the British Keelboat League (BKL).   Since…