May sailing concludes at Bexhill Sailing Club

Bexhill Sailing Club's Social Committee usually organises entertainment on the last Friday evening of the month. On 29th May it was a lively and well attended Games evening. There was Backgammon, Pass the Bomb, UNO, Cribbage, Pictionary, plus a very noisy game that was being played by numerous people who may or may not have understood the rules! No matter what the outcome, the evening was great fun for members and their friends.

The 2026 Learn To Sail Course got underway on Saturday 30th May. The trainees arrived ready and eager to get on the water. The weather was kind and the trainees got their first taste of being afloat. They learned how to rig the boats, safety first with buoyancy aids, and what to do when capsizing. There was plenty of excitement too with the appearance of a massive jellyfish, which definitely got people talking!

The conditions were so good that there was even a chance for some free sailing, giving all Club members the opportunity to relax, practise their skills, their capsizing skills too ... yes we saw you Richard and Cristina in your Firefly having a cheeky swim ... and simply enjoy being out on the sea. But the biggest smile of the day came from seeing Barbara Palmer back on the water again, sailing with her husband Bob in their beautiful Miracle dinghy. It was wonderful to see them both out there doing what they love. Lots of happy faces, and a reminder of why we all love sailing.

The weather for Sunday Series races 3 and 4 on 31st May unfortunately wasn't so kind. A rhombus course was laid for Race 3, with the start line and the Beat towards Eastbourne. The broad reach out to sea and the run were tippy as the swell increased. The final broad reach was surfable for the more experienced sailors. What started as a westerly Bft3-4 soon became a Bft4-4 moving up to Bft4-5. Slow fleet's Dave Kerr (Lightning) and Rachel Wynn (Comet Xtra) were the first to retire, after 1 lap, when the wind picked up, shortly followed by the only Novice on the water, Pete Bennett (Laser Radial) after capsizing. What followed was a plethora of capsizes and retirements as the wind increased. It became clear to Race Officer Jo Adams that the race couldn't continue so she called time on the race. The safety of everyone on the water is paramount.

Rosie Norman capsized her Topper at the gybe mark on her last lap and got into difficulties because her rudder detached. Having drifted a fair distance towards Hastings on the tide that had turned, she was rescued by the safety boat and towed back to the Club. A row of sailors lined up in the water to assist Rosie back to the beach. Wonderful teamwork. After 2 recent incidents and the resulting Topper damage, Rosie has decided to retire her boat and try her luck in a Comet Mino for the rest of the season!

Another helm that capsized and got into a spot of bother was Richard Eagleton who was heading for shore after finishing. His Europe's daggerboard fell out so he was having difficulty righting the boat. A safety boat was in attendance, but as Richard was not too far from shore, Eve Fifield and Cristina Terrazas fearlessly swam out to assist. The 3 of them got the Europe upright and pushed her back to shore, where another team effort landed the helmless boat. These sailors know how to pull together when the going gets tough. Great to know that if you're in difficulty someone will be there for you. Surprisingly nobody had a taste for Race 4! So off to the showers to get warm, then to the Clubhouse bar to lick wounds and tell brave tales.

Only the Fast fleet results have been confirmed so far, with Colin Coard (Laser Radial) taking 1st place, fearless swimmer Eve Fifield (Laser Radial) 2nd and Richard Eagleton (Europe) 3rd. Unconfirmed results: Catamaran winner: Malcolm Brookes with crew Ken Edwards (Dart 18); Slow fleet winner: Bob Palmer with new crew Nicola Palmer (Miracle). After the freesail warm-up on Saturday it was lovely to see the Palmer's Miracle dinghy back in competition today.

That concludes May's sailing. Learn To Sail continues on Saturday 6th June. We hope the trainees will stay to watch Saturday Evening Race 3 which starts at 5pm. Sunday 7th June sees the first of the Summer Series setting off at 2.30pm. All wind and wave depending! For more information see bexhillsailing.club