South Bank Sailing Club Blog

Following successful events at Ranelagh and London Corinthian it was time for our leg of the Tideway! As if conforming to the South Bank ethos, both guest clubs arrived at a leisurely rate and the briefing and start times were pushed back accordingly (it turned out this was no doubt for the best). The final start sequence bell was rung enthusiastically by Peter at 11:20 sharp. It was an awkward start for Henry, who had to return across the line after a capsize mishap before the start (he later said his takeaway from the experience was to avoid gybing as his first manoeuvre of the day – solid advice!). An otherwise uneventful start saw almost all boats barrelling down the river with the tide and substantial breeze (and wonderful sunshine to boot). The breeze had grown so much in fact that John and Bob decided to avoid the risk of ruining their day with a gust-induced swim. We felt a little under dressed as we passed the Royal Barge Gloriana heading up and down the river. The win...

Picture this… Graceland on the radio as we pull in to the sun dappled yard of the Hustler yacht station in Ludham Norfolk.     Weighed down by dreams of open (mostly) tideless water, stable winds and half the wine section of a Norfolk Tesco’s, 5 intrepid Southbank sailors embarked upon two of Percy Hunters finest “lovely ladies”, namely Hustler 1 and Hustler 3. Constructed between the 20s and 30s, these custom built and designed 24ft gaff rigged mahogany speed machines were to carry the eponymous sailors of Jane SH, Elaine, Sina, Tommy G and Commodore Ben on an epic adventure. Leaving on Saturday afternoon, the teams of Ben, Sina (adopted English lady) and Jane, took on the evil might of the US-Maltese coalition. What was meant to be a familiarisation sail turned into a 4 hour prosecco fuelled “race” with an abandoned pub stop-off and a SBSC style BBQ to finish off the evening. Sunday was an early rise, the teams staying together for a fun b...

7 dinghies started Sundays venture under a somewhat gloomy sky.   The armada comprised 5 lasers (Amy, Elaine, Sally, Henry C and Ian), a 420 (Ben and Sima) and an enterprise (John and Jane).   After much discussion regarding the conditions: wind approx 4,   NNE to NE – course was prescribed as two bouys upriver and 4 laps with a starboard lap   around the markers.   The lasers all opted for full sails. The start – 11.45am    Amy was first over the line followed closely by Henry and Sally; Ben and Sima were last over but quickly caught up. The 4 lasers tacked it out for the lead round the first lap completing it with Henry half a length in front of Amy followed by Elaine sneaking just in front of Sally – though Sally quickly reversed that in the next leg;   – the J&J were 5th with B & S 6th in the 420 and new boy Ian putting in a respectable effort at the back. The wind picked up during lap 2 – the safety boat requested an extra lap for the race...

Notice of Race: 24th Sept 2017 @ Southbank Sailing Club The club will be hosting the final stage of the Tideway Championship 2017 following successful races at Ranelagh and London Corinthian Sailing Club. The notice of race can be viewed here: SBSC Tideway Championship 2017 Notice of Race

The Thames barrier was up. The current was kind. The wind was building. 12 boats were launched under a rather ominous grey sky. Jamie proudly unwrapped his sparkly new boat. A sight to behold. The boats were started just as Ranelagh sailed past. This did not amuse the race box as it made spotting our boats much harder. Renato completed lap 1 first. Closely followed by Steph and Allan, then Jamie in his beautiful new boat. Fourth round the buoy was Graham and his son Peter. Jane was spotted having a tricky time with her rudder. Lap 2 was finished in the same order as lap 1. Only more spread out. The rain tried to start. Ranelagh luckily disappeared back home. Anna retired and The Joker capsized in front of the race box. Lap 3 finished with Renato streaks ahead of the fleet. Amy had gone up the positions to fourth with The Koes closely behind. Once Henry fixed his rudder they gained speed. Chasing Amy down the penultimate leg. The Douglas Duo were now lieing sixth with seventh nowhere to...

                                       It felt quite windy especially after yesterday when there was absolutely no wind. Four boats on the start line. Allan, Steph and bump, Renato, Henry C and Christina. Three lasers and an Enterprise. After a briefing by Allan the sailors were off to complete the 5 laps set. I was left to track down a small child to ring the start bell. Having found rather a lot of children the bell was forceful rung and the race started. A fierce battle was fought on completion of lap 1 between Allan and Renato. Renato won. Just. Lap 2 saw the fleet of four begin to spread out. Renato followed, not so closely now, by Allan, then Henry and Christina. Lap 3 began in earnest. Henry hot on the heels of Allan and Steph. Christina sailed brilliantly, bringing up the rear.                                 I think the wind may have dropped a little for lap 4. The sailors may disagree with me. But it certainly felt less breezy on the race box balcony. By now Renato was clearl...

Bank Holiday Monday was a beautiful day and boy (buoy?) did we make the most of it! The adventure was to travel from Putney to Greenwich. We packed four power boats – the Koes even squeezed Moppet in their rib – and started out towards Central London. There was some discussion about the speed limits on the river…. there was more discussion about the speed limits on the water, with the PLA…and then again with the Police. Who knew what a hot topic it would be? I think the policeman took a fancy to Sara as he asked for her name and address. It was fantastic to motor past all the London sights and see them from a different angle. The swell under the bridges also added to the excitement. Lunch was at The Trafalgar in Greenwich; we had the best table under the sun. The motor back was lovely, the breeze on the water was a relief. We all helped haul the boats off the water and declared we’d had a smashing time. Swallows and Amazons! Jane