Although some work still needs to be done to her, Wealdens new boat the Drascombe Lugger (Kindly donated by Anne Frewer, one of our sailors) took to the water on Wednesday 17th March, at the hands of Steve Thomas and David Mckee….
It was quite a windy day and although getting her to tack well looks to be an ‘acquired skill’, the Lugger appeared to be very stable and is already starting to look like a good addition to the Wealden fleet.
After the success of the Drascombe Lugger which had been donated to Wealden Sailability by one of our long term sailors, it was decided after several discussions to buy a 2nd Drascombe, but this time a brand new Drascombe Longboat.
When they found out about it, the Friends of Pepenbury said they were very keen to help, so we were more than pleased, at the official launch on the 9th Oct, to name the new boat “Friends of Pepenbury”.
It was also quite appropriate to see the new Pepenbury boat sailing alongside the original one, that had been donated in the very early years of Wealden and has been a great part of the fleet ever since.
What a joyous occasion took place as over 50 WS Racers and their support crews and volunteers were welcomed by the Trustees to celebrate their achievements during the year. Special guests were Gina Marsh and Eileen McCormick who had kindly agreed to present the new trophies which the Trustees had decided to create in memory of Bob and Brian, two stalwarts who had been at the heart of Wealden Sailability, from its outset, and major contributors to everything the charity has become.
The Peter Hazlewood Trophy was presented to Mike Blatchford by WS President, Brian Stanley; the Bob Marsh Trophy was presented to Mike Blatchford by Gina Marsh; the Brian McCormick Trophy was presented to Mark Cayzer by Eileen McCormick; the Spring and Summer series’ Podium places were presented to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed WS Racers by Nigel Lamb, the WS Trustee responsible for Racing (Except David Mason – 2nd in the Spring Series – who was sorting out a leaking roof, nevertheless heartily applauded! Ed); and the WS Qualifers in both Series were presented with their Qualifier Certificate by Fleur Bryant who, together with Peter Ashwell, assist Nigel Lamb to organise WS Racing’s events throughout the year. The WS Racers support crews and many of the WS volunteers who help the WS Racers on race days, both on and off the water and in the clubhouse, were a very enthusiastic audience to the presentations
Here is a slide show of photographs taken by David Barker of the gathering and the presentations:
The Trustees and we hope that everyone associated with Wealden Sailabilty has a very comfortable and healthy winter and we look forward to seeing you all in April 2020…..only 142 days to go!! Nigel, Fleur and Peter
This year Wealden Sailability lost two of its biggest supporters when Bob Marsh and Brian McCormick died. The Trustees decided that a great way of remembering these lovely people and brilliant sailors, as they were, is to establish two new racing trophies in their names.
So, from 2019 onwards, WS Racers are competing for the Bob Marsh Trophy and the Brian McCormick Trophy.
Having been presented in 2018 with the Peter Hazlewood Trophy, this means that WS Racers are competing for three cups – across the whole season – a well as the Spring and Summer Series.
Winners of these Trophies for 2019 Based on the best 12 finishes in the 21 races sailed
Peter Hazlewood Trophy – The best sailor (single or double handed)
Bob Marsh Trophy – The best single-handed sailor
Brian McCormick Trophy – The best double-handed sailor
MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE AND MARK
The Trustees recognise that the composition of the WS Racing fleet has recently changed and is likely to change in the future, and hence the criteria for assessing the winners of the Trophies may change. If so the criteria will be announced at the start of the new season.
Click here for full details of all the WS Racing Results for 2019
It was with great reluctance that the Trustees took the decision to cancel the final day of this year’s Racing calendar. As I write this report, rain is falling outside (And the central heating is on! Ed) and there is hardly a breath of wind, so it looks like the forecasters were spot on.
As in previous year’s, the result of the last race of the Summer Series could have changed the result of who was going to be on the top step of the podium! That is now academic and our congratulations go to Martin Norman who has a final low-score of 13 points from his best 5 finishes. (I do hope that his sister in Australia will be delighted with Martin’s success! Ed)
Martin has been sailing a Martin 16 dinghy for most of the Summer Series, often accompanied by his trusty crew Sebastian, but more recently he has been seen out on the water in a Liberty and a 303 (What versatility! Ed).
The Podium for the Summer Series
Plus there were 10 more Qualifiers for the competition:
In addition to congratulations for the 13 Qualifiers, a HUGE well done to each of the other 10 sailors who entered at least one Race during the Summer Series (from 8 August until last week). In total there were 110 entrants in 10 races – having had to cancel 3 due to poor/dangerous sailing conditions.
