South Bank Sailing Club Blog

Last Updated 12/8/21   The committee meet regularly to review the RYA and Government Covid-19 guidance as the situation develops. Updates will be communicated to the club before any sailing activities. We currently require any visitors to check-in by scanning our QR Code with your NHS Covid-19 App, or manually signing in with your contact details outside the clubhouse. Members are asked to observe social distancing and wash their hands / use the hand sanitizer gel provided.

How can sailors pass half a month stuck in their homes? At Jerome’s urging, we set out to cross the virtual Atlantic in “Sailaway – The Sailing Simulator” The game runs 24/7 – so when you’re awake and your computer is on, you can trim your sails and watch the weather. But when you’re busy, out or asleep, you must rely on careful planning and a very rudimentary autopilot if you don’t want to fall behind! After a number of two-day practice races, Gary, Henry, Jerome, Joe, Mike, Peter and Tracey all set off from Birmore Island, Ireland, to Gull Island, Newfoundland at 8pm on the 21st April. The group had chosen to use everyday 38-foot pleasure cruisers for the race rather than high performance racing yachts. These do around 6kts in average conditions, and can edge up against 9kts in extreme conditions, so 1660 NM was going to be a long sail. A first few days on a gentle run saw the fleet diverge, perhaps due to differing interpretations of the need to navigate a great circle. J...

We’re in lockdown, and we can’t sail.  …Or can we?

Jakob caught the action round the buoys in this video (remember when we could sail?!) Watch the video here.    

Goodwin 3, Sunday 8th February 2020. With the wind from the SW and the air sparkling in occasional sunshine, four Lasers & two Solos took to the water on Saturday afternoon last.  Bunched at the start, all boats remained close until stretching out at the second buoy – the gaps would continue to grow throughout the race. A three-buoy course had been laid, with buoys B & C on the Fulham bank.  It was the type of course that could penalise sailors who, for whatever reason, lost time in rounding the marks.  Both Renato on the first lap & Sara (later on) found themselves slipping back in the field, with a challenge to recover lost ground.  Not so Jakob, Henry & Allan who all gradually extended the gap back to the others.  Henry led briefly, but, for most of the race, Jakob was in the lead.  The first lap had taken a little over ten minutes, so the race was lengthened by one lap, from five to six.  The wind freshened during the final 12-15 minutes of the race.  Another l...

Sunday 29th December 2019 – Downriver race. As Ratty said to Mole, “Believe me, my young friend, there is  nothing –absolutely nothing –half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”  And on a bright and warm Putney morning with a stunning river ahead of us, I couldn’t agree more.  Further on in the masterpiece that is Wind in the Willows, an often overlooked passage also came to mind, not verbatim I must admit but certainly enough to reflect upon (I will get to the race report in a minute…) There, sooner or later, the ships of all seafaring nations arrive; and there, at its destined hour, the ship of my choice will let go its anchor. I shall take my time, I shall tarry and bide, till at last the right one lies waiting for me, warped out into midstream, loaded low, her bowsprit pointing down harbour. I shall slip on board, by boat or along hawser; and then one morning I shall wake to the song and tramp of the sailors, the clink of the capstan, and the rattle of the an...

RACE REPORT In the race box:  Joseph Cabon & Elaine Agius In the safety boat: Jen Black & Sara Bennett SBSC sailors shared the river with the rowing club next door, who were having a series of short races, with rowers dressed in Christmas costume. There was really good wind from the west; 11-14 mph with occasional gusts of up to 31 mph.  An elongated triangle course was laid with (in theory) two long reaches & a short run.  Originally six laps long, the race was reduced to four after the first lap. Ben & Sina in the Albacore led virtually from the start, remaining in front on the water throughout. Close behind, & seemingly tied to them with short elastic, was Renato in a Laser radial.  The elastic snapped on the third lap when Renato lost ground tacking to avoid the football club no-go area, and from then on there was a bigger gap between Ben & Sina and Renato.  Allan was third on the water all the way.  Further back there was another short elastic – this t...