Weymouth
Sailing
Club

The peace of the Channel was welcome after the pre-carnival bustle of Weymouth, even though the WSW wind was less than forecast, meaning bursts of engine mid-Channel to keep going - very necessary at springs. It was interesting to be at sea in what I call 'normal' conditions, the wind filling in from the right soon after leaving the harbour at 0530, and the visibility good under light cloud which kept the temperature down, making for a very pleasant sail down to the shipping lanes.

A giant Naval Numeral Nine, the Squib class flag, greeted fourteen members of Weymouth Sailing Club on the Royal Yacht Squadron start line and the sight of a fleet of 100 Squibs celebrating the 50th anniversary of the fleet. What an amazing sight to see the fleet gather and start the race with a strong tide pushing them onto the line - one or two boats who got their timing wrong facing in the wrong direction, and then some hours later to see the fleet under spinnaker completing the course.

Weymouth Sailing Club has now acquired a Club Squib, Artful Dodger, available for use by suitably qualified Club members.

The purpose of the Club Squib is threefold:

To provide Club-sponsored sailing and training opportunities open to all members.
To encourage and promote one-design National Squib racing at WSC.
To encourage new Squib sailors into the fleet at WSC.

Another very foggy trip back to Cherbourg was worth it in order to meet up with the crew of ‘Gwaihir Venturi’, a Dufour 34, and set out for Saint-Vaast and our second Tour des Ports de la Manche together. The first evening in Saint-Vaast meant catch-ups with friends from Le Havre and Granville, and it soon felt like no time had passed since our last meeting. This time, though there was the added interest of the World Cup for the various nationalities represented on the water.

We've been to Tore, Sweden, (65 54.1N, 22 39.1E) to take a photo of the yellow buoy that marks the northern limit of Baltic navigation and to get the certificate.
Although we're within 40 miles of the Arctic Circle it's warm, and the winds has been light and variable and we've motored quite a lot.

Day skipper course on Mojo J 120

Ade - our Instructor called a briefing session several weeks before the course to identify expectations and reinforce the theory we had learned during the evening classes run by Kathy.

The fog was hanging around all week, though (FLW*) 'the forecast said it would clear', and at 0530 on Friday morning there was good visibility and a SW breeze, so off I set, imagining a pleasurable sail across to Weymouth to conclude a very pleasant month in France...

Again light winds were the order of day at last Sunday's one-day mini regatta. Racing started on time for a windward/leeward course with a SSE wind no more that 6 knots.

Following a similar event last season, seventeen Club members presented themselves for Squib training on 27th May, Bank Holiday Sunday, determined to have a jolly good day out. The weather forecast promised thunderstorms and an overcast sky but the weather Gods smiled benevolently and, instead, we enjoyed glorious sunshine and light winds.

These essential items typify the weather for the last few weeks as the anticyclone continues - wintry nights and glorious sunny days, with capricious winds to boot. The forecast for la Weymouth was flat calm, though clearly sufficient libations had been poured for the gods to smile on us; as the boats gathered for the start, a breeze filled in from the east and we were off upwind to la Truite in the passe de l’Est, then to bear away a bit for Weymouth on the kind of reach which makes sailing the Channel such a pleasure.