Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Toddbrook Sailing Club

Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Toddbrook in 2015 © Mike Haynes

Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Toddbrook in 2015 © Mike Haynes

Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Toddbrook in 2015 © Mike Haynes

The young sailors of Derbyshire recently gathered again at Toddbrook Sailing Club for the third event of the Derbyshire Youth Sailing 2015 Series. With a light wind forecast for the day of racing, twelve optimistic sailors in ten boats arrived with hopeful expectations of some race-able breeze at some point through the day.

Boats were rigged and sailors changed and while waiting for the wind to fill in the sailors took themselves for a very pleasant stroll along the banks of the picturesque reservoir. The sailors and volunteers patiently waited until the afternoon and did in fact start a race but unfortunately the wind didn't stay and the sailors drifted around the course in extremely light and patchy breeze.

The sailors weren't back on shore for very long after the only race of the day as they took to entertaining and enjoying themselves with some activity on paddle boards and in kayaks. The clubs' volunteers all provided some initial tuition and made sure the sailors were safe. The club house is currently being replaced with a brand new building and despite the construction work the amazing volunteers at Toddbrook had the tenacity to continue with the event, set up a gazebo and provided excellent catering as if nothing was any different. The chefs were busy and the air was filled with wonderful smells as the food was prepared.

DYS Representative for Toddbrook Sailing Club, Jane Thorpe commented, "The sailors made the most of their day to enjoy themselves and we're really sorry that there just wasn't enough wind to put on the usual three races". Jane continued, "The rebuild and refurbishment of the club house and facilities is going to give us a base to be proud of and we're grateful for the enthusiasm of our club members as we managed some very successful temporary arrangements for the DYS event, which we really enjoy each year".

Toby Woodings, who crossed the line first in the one race of the day, said "There wasn't anything more anyone could do to put on more racing today. It was just one of those days you get every now and then. We always enjoy coming to Toddbrook, the foods really good and the club members are really friendly and we enjoyed using the paddle boards and kayaks".

Derbyshire Youth Sailing events provide a great, fun opportunity for youth sailors from any of the ten sailing clubs in Derbyshire to compete together and learn from each other to take their racing sailing onto the next stages. Novice youth racers aged from 6 to 18 are welcome to come along and give it a go. Supportive coaching can be provided to those sailors at the back of the fleet to help keep them in reach of the rest and allow them to develop their skills. In time, the novices soon gain experience and will one day be challenging the front runners.

For more information regarding Derbyshire Youth Sailing please go to our Derbyshire Youth Sailing website www.dysailing.org or you can also visit the National Schools Sailing Association www.nssa.org.uk or the Royal Yachting Association www.rya.org.uk with both of which DYS is affiliated.