Classic Dinghy Regatta at Thames Sailing Club this weekend
by Melanie Hardman 16 Jul 2009 02:55 NZST
18-19 July 2009
The next CVRDA meeting is the Vintage Regatta at Thames Sailing Club and is the premier annual sailing event for the club. Thames Sailing Club was established in the 1870s and is the oldest river racing club in the country.
The club is steeped in sailing history; and the original Victorian clubhouse is still in use, further to this Thames Sailing Club is also the home of the mighty Thames A Raters. These large dinghies with 40 ft high masts designed to catch the wind above the trees that line the river were the first sailboat designed specifically for sailing on the river. Amazingly the boats that you'll see being raced hard over the weekend racing include a number dating back to the turn of the 20th century and one, Ulva built in 1898 in Kingston! They will be sailing in their own class but expect to see all of the 8 currently restored wooden raters sailing.
Thames SC also hopes to see representatives from the vintage section of the Albacore, Merlin, Firefly, Leader fleets to name but a few!
On Sunday 19th July, as with 2008, the regatta will also be promoted as a spectator event that offers the opportunity to see up close a range of classic dinghies racing hard. Thames SC will provide live commentary on the Sunday and will also have a 'form' sheet that spectators can print off that tells them a little about each boat type.
Click here for full details regarding racing, details for spectators can be found here.