January has been regatta month, with three terrific regattas so far, and one more to go (the 2.4 Nationals). Ray Smith has written an excellent article about the Stonehaven Cup and the Cadet Centenary Regatta (you can still find it on our website) – I also wanted to share some of my personal experiences.
My role during the Stonehaven Cup was sailor registration, which gave me a terrific opportunity to meet the sailors and get a feel for how the regatta was going. I personally enjoyed the regatta very much – so good to see young people enjoying their sailing and having fun in boats. Here are some of my observations.
• This regatta had more competitors than any other Stonehaven Cup in the entire 94 year history of the event. There was a wide range of sailing abilities, but everyone was clearly learning a lot – at both ends of the fleet.
• The coaches were learning from each other – and enjoying meeting each other.
• Past Commodore Paul Woodman (President of the Quest Association) did a great job of ensuring both the seasoned sailors and new teams felt welcome
• Boating Manager Colin Burgess and the sailing office staff made sure the event ran smoothly, and helped several teams having issues with their boats
• The icy poles brought in by the Club Captain and ferried out to boats on the really hot day were appreciated by sailors and volunteers alike
• At the presentation it was terrific to see sailors taking photos with their teams as well as with other teams, in the club and on the beach. They clearly wanted to remember the event. The Navy teams needed to leave early, and enjoyed the informal presentation in the downstairs café before the main event in the Bayview Room.
We hear there are even more boats coming next year – the Quest class and the Stonehaven Cup clearly have a terrific future.
Commodore Niesje Hees