Medway Keelboat Regatta, 2-3 June 2022
Category: Keelboat racing
Medway YC Autumn Series starts 24 Oct
Members of local sailing cubs are invited to join in the racing at MYC. As Autumn gets into gear and the less hardy look to laying up their boats for another winter the Cruisers and Racers have the Cruiser Class Autumn Series as a final hurrah before the season end.
This year’s series is going to be different to previous years with a mixture of longer and shorter races spread over 6 weeks starting on Sunday 24 October, The first two races (24 and 31 October) will be longer, starting at 09:30 with a time limit of 15:30 so make sure you allow for being on the water for most of the day. In a break from previous years these two races will start from the MYC Club line with courses from the 2021 MYC Cruiser Class Course Sheet. November’s races (7th, 14th, 21st & 28th) will be shorter in-river events starting at 09:30 and finishing from a Committee Boat.
No matter what sort of Cruising or Racing Yacht you sail there is a class for you to enjoy racing if your boat complies with ORC Cat 4 requirements and the MYC Minimum Equipment Level.
MYC intend to run 3 classes:
Class 1 for boats with a 2021 IRC Rating,
Class 2 for the less serious racers using the RYA NHC handicap system
Class 3 for the more cruising boats with no spinnakers also using RYA NHC Handicaps.
Visitors can be allocated a free mooring for the duration of the series and should contact the MYC Office on 01634 718399 for more information or contact the Cruiser Class Racing Captain on cruiser-racing@medwayyachtclub.com
Full details can be found in the MYC Yacht Racing page https://www.medwayyachtclub.com/boating/racing/keelboat-racing/yacht-racing/
Swale Regatta, 25-27 June 2021
Nigel Stevens writes: The plan this year is very much a do what we can approach given the way Covid has dominated much of our lives for the past year or so. Despite the formal documents (below) we are really trying to keep the fun spirit of the regatta alive so would really encourage entrants from nervous first time “racers” as well as perhaps the more seasoned skippers. If people approach it with the attitude that it is long weekend of cruising in company then they hopefully won’t be disappointed.
Unfortunately the Swale Regatta website has crashed and we haven’t been able to get it back in time, so all entrants are asked to drop me an email at Nigelstevens8071@hotmail.co.uk with some basic details and I can get back to them as necessary.
Beware of Wreck on Segas SC moorings
Peel Ports have been notified of a sunken vessel on the Segas Sailing Club moorings at the following approximate position: 51°24.017’N. 000° 33.842’E . This is roughly opposite Gillingham Marina. The wreck is believed to be a red motor launch/cruiser, 22-23ft long, which is occasionally visible at low water is now marked with an unlit, yellow ‘pellet’ buoy denoted “Wreck”. When practicable an attempt to recover the vessel will be made and once complete a cancellation to this notice will be promulgated. Until the obstruction is removed all mariners should keep clear of the area. Peel Ports NtoM 18/2021 refers.
Latest Covid19 guidance from RYA
The RYA has issued fresh, detailed guidance for clubs: https://www.rya.org.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/clubs/RYA%20C19%20gov%20guidance%20QAs.pdf
Keep Racing (Virtually)
Free offer for RYA affiliated sailing clubs: keep your members engaged whilst following government guidelines on social distancing.
Virtual Regatta (eSailing) Inshore provides players with an opportunity to race against friends, fellow sailors and real-world Olympic champions. All UK players will automatically be entered into the exclusive GBR eSailing National Championship, racing the same challenges, seasons and playoffs as the eSailing World Championship and ranking both nationally and globally.
UPDATE: The free 12 month VIP pass for clubs was closed on 1 April.
REYC Mary Cup Race, Sat 14 Sept
Fancy racing? Come out and join in.
ROYAL ENGINEER YACHT CLUB – MARY CUP RACE 2019
Run alongside Medway Cruising Club Gala on Saturday 14 September 2019. The first start is at 1000 hrs BST. The race is open to all comers! There are prizes for all classes. Entry forms, click here, are to be returned by 12th September. Sailing Instruction please click here. Please let us know if you wish to join in so that access at low water can be arranged.
UPDATE: There were six entrants and the winner was MSBA fan Clinton Lyon.
Blackstakes buoy gone for good
The cylindrical yellow buoy on the south side of Saltpan Reach has again been removed by Peel Ports without notice, this time permanently. The Blackstakes buoy was a racing mark, located to keep boats well away from the LNG Terminal, as we are constantly exhorted to do by Peel Ports. As in 2016, the unexpected removal of the buoy has caused unnecessary inconvenience to clubs which race in the Medway estuary. Enquiries by Medway YC and the MSBA elicited the response from Peel Ports that the buoy was considered “not commercially viable” and today a notice to mariners was belatedly issued. The two adjacent commercial mooring buoys (Saltpan Nos. 8 and 9) have been given a fresh coat of yellow paint (see photo) but this does not mean they are a replacement for Blackstakes. There has been no explanation of why the clubs were not notified in advance of the buoy’s removal.
Medway yachtsmen compete in Jester Challenge
The Medway has been the nursery for famous sailors from Drake, Adams and even Nelson. Several of our local sailing/yacht clubs have intrepid solo yachtsmen who think nothing of crossing oceans in boats that many would nowadays consider barely suitable for a Channel crossing. As part of the Jester Challenge, two members of Hoo Ness Yacht Club have just completed crossings from Plymouth to Baltimore in South-West Ireland: Tom Fisher in his Elizabethan 33 “Arctic Smoke” and Bernie Branfield in his Achilles 24 “Mischief”.
Mischief 
Arctic Smoke
Medway Regatta, 25-27 May
The 2019 Regatta will be held over the late May Bank holiday starting on Saturday 25th and concluding on Monday 27th May. The event will include the annual Medway Barge Match on Saturday and the Classic and Vintage International Championships. The racing is competitive and fun and is open to both the serious racer and those who want to compete in a more relaxed manner (class 3). There will be racing in three cruiser classes and three one design classes. We are introducing prizes for best visitor and best club team so plenty of chances to go home with a prize. On Sunday we will race the Medway Challenge Race for those who wish to compete in a single race again with prizes for best visiting yacht and best club team. If you cannot make the whole Regatta why not cruise to MYC on Saturday race on Sunday and cruise home again on Sunday. The Medway and Swale Boating Association is sponsoring the event and has negotiated a 50% discount for boats from MSBA associated clubs, marinas and other organisations entering this race as long as entries are received before midnight on Tuesday 7th May. Full details can be found at www.medwayyachtclub.com. We will be happy to find free moorings for visiting competitors.
Please note that the Medway Dinghy Regatta is another event, now called the Wilsonian River Challenge, and will be held on 1+2 June.