Our SB20s have been on the water throughout Camping Fortnight, and it’s been fantastic to see them getting so much use! From sailors stepping aboard for the first time to our experienced racers honing their skills, there has been a real mix of sailing and, most importantly, plenty of enthusiasm for keelboat sailing.
Tutor regatta
On Tuesday evening of Cadet Week, our tutors swapped teaching for a bit of racing themselves! Four teams of 4, with a mix of experience, took part in 4 short 12–15 minute races around a windward-leeward course.
The first race got off to a flying start, with some excellent starts and close racing throughout. Unfortunately, Dave Nickalls’ boat got a little too friendly with one of the marks, allowing Charlotte Ferneyhough to sneak around for the first win of the evening.
(Thanks to Dave Ball for some fantastic drone footage)
As the teams settled in and found their rhythm, the racing got even closer. Dave, Pete Hitt and Sam Hefford found their groove particularly quickly, taking the next two race wins. In the final race, Dave was over the start line early, leaving Jason Clarke, Charlotte and Tiegan Crick to battle it out, with Jason taking the win.
With some impressive consistency and plenty of improvement in teamwork throughout the evening, congratulations to Jason Clarke, George Kidd, Mia Morgan and Dave Hewes, who took the overall win in the Tutor Regatta!
Shark sailing
On Wednesday and Friday of Cadet Week, it was the Sharks’ turn to get out on the SB20s. Each boat had 3–4 cadets and a tutor on board, giving everyone the chance to get to grips with keelboat sailing. Despite some challenging conditions, with light winds and a constantly shifting breeze, it was a brilliant opportunity for the cadets to learn about the different roles on a keelboat and experience the differences between sailing a Laser and sailing as part of a team.
For some, it was also their first time sailing with a spinnaker — and they picked it up incredibly quickly! It was great to see how confidently the kites were being hoisted, set and gybed throughout the training sessions. There was also plenty of teamwork (and karaoke!) on board. Sailing with friends, learning from each other and figuring out how to work together as a crew made for some really enjoyable sessions. It’s fantastic to see so much enthusiasm from our Sharks and to see the next generation of keelboat sailors starting to get involved.
Open sailing
During the second week of Camping Fortnight, we made the most of the evening high tides with some keelboat sailing sessions open to everyone. We had one boat out on Thursday evening and four boats out on Friday, with a brilliant mix of sailors on the water. We had Sharks keen for more SB20 sailing, experienced racers, members who had never sailed a keelboat before, and sailors who had sailed the SBs a few times and fancied a refresher.
It was a gorgeous evening on the River Blackwater, with the sun slowly setting and the wind in the perfect direction for some downwind spinnaker practice all the way along the estuary. It was a great reminder that you don’t need to be an experienced racer to get involved with the SB20s — whether you’re completely new to keelboats, want to brush up on your skills, or fancy having a go at racing, there’s a place for you on the boat.
Race training
Throughout the year our racers have competed in a number of British Keelboat League (BKL) competitions and we’re delighted that two Marconi teams have qualified for the BKL finals on the 25-27 September. With the finals approaching, our racers spent Friday and Saturday getting some extra time on the water, working on hoists, gybes and drops, as well as trying to squeeze a little more boat speed out of the keelboats.
We wish both teams the very best of luck at the finals — and hopefully all that practice pays off!
Next steps
It’s been brilliant to see so many sailors getting out on the water this summer. A huge thank you to everyone who has got involved, whether sailing, crewing, launching and recovering boats, setting up races, or helping out behind the scenes.
Our next SB20 sessions are:
- 12 & 13 September – Race Training
- 19 September – Open Training
For more information and updates, join the SB20 group chat in the MSC Community.
We’d love to see even more people out on the water!
Hannah Bard
