Bosham sailors enjoy new-look junior week
Some 100 youngsters were fortunate to be able to compete in Bosham 2020 in gentle breeze and plenty of sunshine.
Bosham2020 replaced the popular, annual Bosham Sailing Club Junior Week and was designed to be fully coronavirus compliant, meeting the Royal Yachting Association and government guidelines.
With competitors limited to 100, boats sailed included Optimists, Toppers, Fevas, 420s and Lasers. The week was divided into a Junior event and a Senior event with all youngsters assigned into defined bubbles to ensure social distancing.
Gone were the daily group briefings; instead Whatsapp and Instagram let everyone know what was going on when and who was winning the races.
As a special treat, gold medalist olympian Sir Ben Ainslie sent a video message to competitors.
On the water fun was had by all and yet again Bosham Sailing Club proved that it has a unique, enduring spirit.
All fleets enjoyed some great and competitive racing but at the same time managed to relax with lots of jumping from boats into the sea for a refreshing dip and cool off. Away from the water fun was had with various competitions including best fancy dress, best Tik Tok and best photo.
Katherine Rose, Rear Commodore Cadets, said: “We are so proud to have managed to host this amazing week of sailing despite the challenges of coronavirus.
“The last few months have been particular tough for youngsters so giving them the opportunity to have some fun in a safe and secure environment has been the driving force behind Bosham2020.
“It has been truly lovely to see everyone having such a great time on and off the water. The spirit of Bosham has really shone through!”
The racing programme covered 75 individual races run and was run by Principal Race Officer Simon Radford, who said: “I was really impressed by the quality of the competitors all of whom sailed impressively in scorching sun, light breeze and a strong tide.”
Winners: 420s - Honor and Fred Langhorne; Laser - Radial James Curtis; Fevas – Isobel and Allegra Massey; Topper Gold – Zac Shepherd; Topper Silver – Sam Colegate; Optimist Gold – India Eastwood; Optimist Silver – Felix Gladman.