Thorpe Bay Yacht Club

Tel: 01702 587 563

In 2008, the Sprint 15 una-rig National Championships are being held at Thorpe Bay Yacht Club, in the warm waters of sunny Southend-on-Sea. It is a special year for the Sprints because 2008 is the 30th anniversary of the boat and it is also the 60th anniversary of Thorpe Bay Yacht Club.

We have every reason to celebrate. Not only do we have a versatile boat, we continue to have strength in numbers. Being such a significant anniversary, a big entry is in prospect. This is a fitting tribute to all those that have contributed to our growth over thirty years.

It is also fitting that Thorpe Bay is hosting these Nationals. TBYC has a fleet of 24 boats and has become a major club for Sprints. It is good to be recognised in this way, especially as there is going to be a high local entry.

A special programme of events has been planned, as you will see below. We are celebrating our 30th anniversary and encouraging the younger sailors to take part by offering free entry to Sprint 15 Association members who are under 23 and in full-time education provided they pre-enter.

The traditional fun events will follow the championships. The Thorpe Bay Yacht Club has a strong group of Sprint 15 sailors, led by Duncan Ford, who do fun cruising in their boats. So Duncan will be helping us with the Fun Sailing activities. We propose having a cruise to Island Yacht Club on Canvey Island. As many of you will already know, Canvey is where it all started with the Prout brothers, who were the first people in the world to mass-produce catamarans (Shearwater, Swift, etc). The IYC now has a growing Sprint 15 fleet of its own.

The second trip will take us across the Thames Estuary. We will take in the Mulberry Harbour wreck, the SS Montgomery from WW2, a Napoleonic fort, and a trip up the Medway. These trips will be with an accompanying rescue/guard boat and are dependant of favourable weather conditions. We may have to shorten or reschedule them if the weather is not favourable but we will do what we can – even if it is just sailing & training in the bay off the club.

After the hectic 3 days of racing (Saturday, Sunday, Monday), Tuesday has been set aside for non-sailing pursuits and offers the opportunity for other members of the family to take part. This includes a visit to Rayleigh Go-Kart track in the afternoon where we will stage our annual Go-Kart Grand Prix. This has now become almost as serious as the sailing and last year we had 23 competitors take part and 6 Clubs had teams of 3 or more. It is a great spectacle for the spectators as well. Will Kevin Dutch be able to retain his crown by beating off the challengers from Shanklin, Draycote & Carsington? We hope to keep the whole family amused during the fun sailing programme, with such items as treasure trail, quiz, pier walk, evening meals /get togethers, driving to meet up with the sailors at their cruise destinations, etc. You can take part in as much (or as little) of this programme as you like.

The 30th anniversary is a special celebration for all of us. For more than a year, the Thorpe Bay fleet has been eagerly awaiting these Nationals and we are thrilled that we have been chosen to host this special event. You can be assured of a warm Thorpe Bay welcome.

Sprint 15 Nationals Programme [PDF File]

Sprint 15 Nationals 2008 Entry Form [PDF File]

Sprint 15 Nationals NOR [PDF File]

Andrew Hannah 07855 28979
Howard Hawkes 07973 388553
Chris Maloney (class captain) 07754 102680

Sprint 15 Association Encourages Youth Sailing

The Sprint 15 Association have decided to encourage young catamaran sailors to take part in the both the Class National Championships by offering completely free entry to Association members who are under 23 and are in full time education. This represents a combined saving of £115 for a young member who takes part in both events and pre-enters by the required dates. Details are as follows:

Sprint 15 Sport National Championships at The North Devon Yacht Club (Instow) 27-29 June. Normal pre-entry £40 if entered by 31 May.

Sprint 15 Standard format National Championships (& Fun Sailing) at Thorpe Bay Yacht Club (Southend) 16 -18 August (Fun Sailing 19-21 August). Normal pre-entry £75 if entered by 14 July.

For further details watch out on www.sprint15.com

Bob Carter
Sprint 15 Association Events Secretary

TBYC Information

Sprint 15 class at Thorpe Bay has a fleet of 24 boats, of which 17 are active racers. Meanwhile there are a few who prefer to cruise and potter. Thorpe Bay is home to the three Sverdloff brothers, each of whom is a Sprinter: Gary, Keith and Gerald. Kyle Stoneham is our young hope, whilst John Long, formerly Grafham, is our man of experience. Some members are willing to lend their boats, thereby helping to keep the fleet active.

Thorpe Bay Yacht Club is two miles east of Southend pier, on the north shore of the Thames Estuary – 15 miles north west of Whitstable which is on the other side of the estuary.

Racing takes place over the extensive mudflats. We race on saturdays and sundays, 12 months of the year. The club has four support boats and the Committee Boat is a thirty foot catamaran.

Thorpe Bay YC is now a favourite venue for Sprint open meetings. We alternate biennially with Marconi SC for the first TT of the summer. In 2008, Thorpe Bay will be the venue for the 30th Sprint 15 national championships.

The club is open six days a week, {not mondays, except bank holidays and the Sprint nationals}. Professional chef, bar staff and secretariat.

Catering

Thorpe Bay has an excellent chef and you can expect good quality meals at reasonable prices. The Club house will be open throughout the championships and most evenings. We propose having a BBQ prior to the AGM on the Saturday (please buy your tickets from the Club before racing on Saturday), and a 30th anniversary dinner with an after dinner entertainer, Adger Brown, on Sunday. All competitors get a dinner ticket with their Nationals entry but extra tickets can be purchased – see details on the entry form.

Camping & Parking

You may park your campervan or pitch your tent in the green field that is adjacent to the club boat park (see picture). You will also be able to park your car, boat and trailer here – see the aerial photo on the association website. This facility is free, but please let us know of your intention to camp when you pre-enter so that we can plan on the numbers. There is a seafront cycle track, so you might like to bring a bicycle as well. The club will be open for breakfast.

The men’s changing room, showers and toilets have been completely refurbished. They are also available for use by campers.

Accommodation

For those of you that are online, there is plenty of accommodation listed on the Sprint 15 website, see ‘clubs’ link, Thorpe Bay. Alternatively, members can contact Southend Borough Council (01702 215620) for a list of B&Bs, hotels and self-catering. However, early booking is strongly advised.

Southend Tourist Board’s Accomodation List

There are many more in Southend-on-Sea and Westcliff-on-Sea.

Andrew Hannah

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