Mermaid 'OLYMPICS' 2010

On the weekend of 17 / 18 July we enjoyed the best Mermaid ‘Olympic' Regatta in several years.  All thirteen boats were entered, including nine entries by 2010 Cowes Week helms.  Winds were strong, requiring reefed mainsails on the Saturday afternoon.  Peter Hunter and the race team proved a valiant and much appreciated race committee on ‘Billy Whiz', loaned very kindly by Dickie Davies for the event.  The wind shifted regularly on the Saturday but Peter set excellent courses throughout.

Richard Prest took the Mermaid Bowl, with Dickie Davies second and James Mitchell coming in third.  Will Caws picked up the much sought after ‘Stephenson Coaster', awarded to the helmsman obtaining best points without getting a ‘gun'.

Full results

SVYC v Army Sailing Association (ASA)

The Army Sailing Association was hosted by the Club for the annual ASA v SVYC Team Racing Challenge on Sunday 4 July.  This year the Army's Col Alex Tucker had to work very hard in order to find available sailors for the match due to worldwide military commitments.

On the day two teams from each side took to the water under the control of David Quekett and his race officials on Penguin.  David set a standard windward leeward course for the teams who completed two races before a late lunch ashore.  Whilst the ASA put up a very convincing assault on the trophy, it was clear from the outset that SVYC were not going to let the prize slip out of their hands easily.  The first race went to SVYC and although the ASA tried as they might to disrupt the Sea View team on the second contest, the home team kept their cool and secured a home victory.

At prize giving the Secretary thanked the Army for making the effort to come down to Seaview to contest the trophy this year at a time of high operational tempo.  David Quekett then presented the home team captain, Mike Randall, with the trophy before all competitors gathered for a post contest photograph. 

The ASA's team captain, Lt Col Julian Bunce (red oilies!), then thanked SVYC for their hospitality and encouraged his team members to spread the word amongst their colleagues in the hope that more servicemen might attend in 2011.

SVYC v The Bar YC

Sea View Yacht Club entertained the Bar Yacht Club (from London) on Sunday 9 May to a day of team racing in the Seaview Mermaids.  After a full briefing and team tactic talks from John Turner (SVYC Captain) and Alex Charlton (Bar YC Captain), six boats from each side took to the water for the morning session.  SVYC took the first few races but the Bar came back with a resounding victory in the last morning pursuit, leaving the score at 3-1 in favour of SVYC.

During the lunchtime break there was concern that the Bar were going to present a forceful legal case in their favour, but this was quickly quashed by the offer of further light refreshments, and the match was able to proceed under normal Racing Rules!

Back on the water the Bar YC tried everything in their book to prevent SVYC from increasing their lead, including questionable piracy on the high seas.  However, SVYC held firm and gave up only one of the 4 afternoon races to end the day victors with a 6 - 2 win.  

The photograph shows the both teams with Alex Charlton from the Bar YC begrudgingly presenting John Turner with the coveted ‘Long Spoons', first presented in 1992.

The Royal Thames Yacht Club Race at Seaview

Seaview Yacht Club was very pleased to be able to host the Royal Thames Yacht Club over the weekend of 24 / 25 April.  RTYC had decamped to the South Coast to spend both days sailing in the famous Seaview Mermaids.  This oldest of all Yacht Clubs has very close relationships with the Island, most notably sailing its J80s out of Cowes, but on this occasion it was East Wight and in particular the Sea View Yacht Club enticing them to the Island's shores.

Thus, early on Saturday morning the ‘Cumberland Fleet' (carrying a variety of committee members)) sailed from Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth to Seaview to pick up moorings prior to engaging in a competitive day of fleet racing in the Mermaids.  Competing for the prestigious ‘Committee Room Challenge', 9 boats with 3 crew a piece sailed 4 windward / leeward courses throughout the day, interspersed with lunch ashore.  The weather could not have been better for the visitors and the modest SE F3 breeze allowed the crews to hoist spinnakers and sail with full rig.

Competition for the first 3 places was fierce but Peter Tracey (Moorings Committee), sailing in ‘Sheen', the yellow Mermaid, looked set for glory from the outset.  Easily taking the first two guns of the day he appeared unassailable at lunchtime.  However the wind dropped noticeably in the afternoon and this seemed to favour Tom Montgomery (Young Members Committee) in the light green boat.  Indeed Tom came first in both afternoon races and at the end of the day won the overall honours of the ‘Committee Room Challenge'.  In third place was Tim Fooks (Cruising Committee) with the Wine and Cigar Committee taking fourth with Richard Powell.

Tom Montgomery with Clive Hunt (SVYC Vice Commodore), Peter Tracey and Tom Fooks

At the end of an exhausting days racing for the RTYC, the ‘Cumberland Fleet' bade a fond farewell to Seaview and headed over the Solent to Gunwharf and well deserved Club dinner in Portsmouth.

Sunday saw the expert J80 crews from RTYC descend upon Seaview to test their arm against the best of SVYC in a series of Team Racing.  The SVYC team was led by James Mitchell, and the on the water captain for the RTYC was Richard Hill with all the prior preparation being carried out by Keith Gwynne Jones.  The wind had veered into S -SW F4 and Richard Prest (PRO for both days) set committee boat further off shore to allow the fleet to beat towards land.  The morning heralded ‘two-boat' team racing with nine races scheduled.   The first win went to the Royal Thames, the following two races went to Sea View, then it was back to the Royal Thames for the forth win.  The remaining five races went to Sea View. Then all came ashore for a well earned lunch.

 Two Sea View boats lead two from Royal Thames

The afternoon was ‘three-boat' team racing, and proved a much closer competition.  With four races competed, races one and four went to Sea View and two and three went to Royal Thames. At the end of the day, the win, decided by points scored, went in the end to Sea View Yacht Club.

In all, the weekend had been a great success.  The visitors from the Royal Thames had enjoyed the Mermaid racing and Sea View Yacht Club had been delighted to host them on what turned out to be a most pleasurable couple of days sailing on the Solent.

ISAF Match Racing 17/18 April 2010

Despite the attempts of Icelandic volcanoes to restrict international travel at the weekend, four foreign teams managed to make it to Seaview to take part in the Mermaid Match Racing Championships.  This was the seventh successive year that Sea View Yacht Club has run these international championships which are now well established as an annual event with an ISAF grading of 3, suitable for those sailors working their way up the rankings to get keen international competition.  This year the four international teams joined five from Great Britain.  The planned 10^th team, from New Zealand, were unable to make it!

Racing began in a light breeze on Saturday morning, but as the day progressed the wind picked up to a steady F2 from the SE and the day's racing was easily completed within the allotted timescale.

Sunday proved to be another morning of light breeze which eventually disappeared altogether by lunchtime, but not before the competitors had managed to get a result.

At close of play on Saturday Ali Hall (GB) and his team had been in the lead, but the final races saw him drop to 3^rd, being pipped to the post by Mr Organic (aka Nick Cherry) (GB) in 2^nd resulting in the overall winner being Robbie Allam and his team.  The Club takes this opportunity to thank Richard Prest (PRO) and all AROs and umpires for a most successful competition.

Sea View Yacht Club's fleet of Mermaid keelboats were designed for racing in East Wight waters by Arthur Robb forty-five years ago.  It is a three-man keelboat with a conventional spinnaker. Hulls were replaced in GRP within the last fifteen year.  With different coloured hulls and spinnakers it is possible for spectators to enjoy the racing on the unusually sheltered but interesting waters off the village. 

The Mermaids are raced on most days throughout the summer by many different organisations, and along with ISAF Grade 3 Match Racing, other events include the Inter Services Championships and the Prince Philip Cup.  Further information and details on the availability of the boats can found on www.sail-Mermids.com.

SVOD Winter Drinks Party - Thursday 4 February

Were you there?

Audsley Best Log Award

At the recent Cruiser Class Dinner in London, Penny Lakin presented the Audsley Best Log Award to David Darbyshire, for his highly informative record of sailing in North and West Brittany during the summer. The previously winner of this award was Alan Donaldson, who logged an epic 4500 miles in Scandinavian waters in 2002, getting as far as Murmansk in the Russian Artic.