I know one guy who had to get HIV and Hep tested after stepping on a syringe on South Shields beach... well that was the story he said anyway, probably just had a dirty night with one of the girls from the Scottish Unis.

I guess that was personally topped-off by an event Craiggo ran out of Elton SC - nothing wrong with the club itself, boats were a bit dodge, but the key issue was one of my team mates getting shot by the local scallies and spending the rest of saturday evening in A&E somewhere in Salford.  Not pleasant.

ANUSC '99 IIRC... can you believe that was 15 years ago?

 

Haven't been there for a good few years now, but used to go regularly in the 1980's & 90's for events.

 

- Always met by a miserable man at the entrance who told you all the things you were not allowed to do as you were only a visitor.

- Always charged the highest amount for an open

- Spend over 1 hour sailing out to the course and same back in if it is in the bay and the tide is coming in/out.

- Run aground if sailing in the harbour

- Have to use the visitors bar which only ever had one barman serving who was incapable of remembering an order.

- Then stuck in traffic trying to get off the Island if it was a sunny weekend.

 

I'm going to be very interested to see what happens at the Moth Worlds this year if there is a bit of a soutwesterly blowing, they had enough problems at Weymouth a few years back, and that's a much easier place to launch and sail from than HISC when its windy.

 

Yes that brings back happy memories..

almost as good as the sign posted outside the front door of the Royal Lym YC for the easter regatta for many a year in the 90's which said "no entry for regatta competitors"

Luckily they later started to see sense and replaced it with something along the lines of 'Sailors in wet kit please use the changing room entrance' which was largely what they were trying to achieve with the original sign

Still apart from that, and the horrendous tides it always was a great start to the season and there's a mountain of memories that have come from the easter regatta, which sadly seems to have gone to the great regatta knackers yard...

About 100 years ago when sailing with my Dad in a small class (Leader), for some reason we had our Nationals at the Royal Corinthian at Burnham on Crouch.

 

The class was made up of normal family people who had brought their kids for a holiday as well.

 

At the opening reception, the Commodore told everyone, that children were not allowed in the clubhouse when the Bar was open, and that in the evening you had to wear a Jacket and tie.

 

Funnily enough no-one went back into the club until the prize giving at the end.

 

The sailing was also tedious as well, launching at low tide so mud everywhere, then basically sailing up and down a ditch, sticking in the middle or the edge depending on the tide, and a bit of reaching up and down the Roach.

 

After 4 days we couldn't wait to go home.

The only traffic jams we got stuck in were at west wittering.

Some places have great water but no atmosphere.

You had to pass Pfizers pharmaceutical plant where all sorts of effluent was put into the river. We managed to get in a pickle tacking up the river and capsize, my brother swallowed a lung full and was ill for 2 weeks.

Also the sound of the dogs that were kept for experiments was off putting. Sorry to offend any vivisectionists.

Anyway, , Pfizers is closed now (like everything else in Kent), so its a much nicer race.