Classic and Vintage Racing Dinghy Association Spring events

The long harsh winter is fading in the memory as the spring starts to take hold, and the mind of the classic dinghy sailor turns to all those jobs he (or she) promised not to leave until the last moment again this year…

With the CVRDA season kicking off at Bristol Avon on Sunday 10th April, there is just a little time left to varnish those decks, jet wash the slightly mouldy GRP hull or evict the rats and mice from the cockpit. Bristol Avon Sailing Club is a delightful river club based a few miles west of the historic city of Bath. You are never more than a few yards from the shore (and the unwary may find themselves rather closer than they might have liked) or from other boats, so a relaxed camaraderie is the order of the day. Racing is keen, though, with a few inches gained in one place leading to 10’s of yards further round the race course. Tacking and gybing skills, left to rust over the winter, will be well honed by the end of the day. You can cool off after all this hot work with a relaxing pint at the well stocked bar afterwards.

From Bristol Avon, we head east to Kent for our next event, at Bough Beech, Edenbridge, on 30th April. What better way to celebrate the aftermath of a Royal wedding than by going sailing and being away from televisions for the day. 2010 saw the first visit to the club by the CVRDA, and the warm welcome made us keen for another visit. With 250 acres of sailing room, there is a chance to really let big boats stretch their legs, spinnakers flying, spray everywhere – last year was a windy one, and we can hope for more action this year!

Our third meeting of the spring is the Nottingham Old Boats Weekend, on 21st and 22nd May at Nottingham SC. Based on the wide, slow moving River Trent at West Bridgford, it is possibly the best river sailing the country has to offer. With a whole weekend to enjoy, this will be one of the highlights of the CVRDA year. There is ample parking for motor homes and lots of camping space too, so the Saturday evening festivities won’t need to be cut short by having to drive anywhere.

Our final spring meeting is the traditional jaunt down to Roadford Lake in Devon, spiritual home of the CVRDA. Held over the 3 days of the second May Bank Holiday (28th–30th) , this event will see a great turnout, especially among Classic Finn sailors, as Roadford has the biggest fleet in the country! The sailing area is vast, and 18 foot Jollyboats often have a wild time down the long reaches. There is a big camping area, and with all those big Finn guys around, you can guarantee a good party of an evening.

As spring turns to summer, we have events at Bosham, Thames SC, Clywedog and Whitefriars, where we will be holding our National Rally. Moving into the autumn, we will be hosted by Hunts and Banbury. Details to follow!

The CVRDA caters for all dinghies designed before 1965 and built before 1985. More information on all these events and the rest of the 2011 programme can be found on the Classic and Vintage website.