Entry now open for 40th Paxton Lakes RNLI 24 hour Race

Paxton Lakes Sailing Club would like to invite you to join in the 40th running of our annual 24-hour race to be held on the 10th and 11th July 2010. This race is held every year to raise much-needed funds for the RNLI. and this year is looking to be bigger than ever. Money is raised by sponsorship either as a total or on a per lap basis. To date we have managed to raise over £50,000, which has been used for many things including buying a new engine for an Atlantic 21 Lifeboat stationed at Great Yarmouth. The sailing club has a good sheltered sailing area with two islands and plenty of grounds for camping and caravanning. It is an ideal adventure opportunity. Camping and sailing in the dark, without the risk of getting lost, for youngsters up to the age of 70+.

There will be cooked meals available throughout the event along with snacks and the all important caffeinated tea and coffee. With the World Cup reaching its finale on the same weekend we will also have a big screen showing the 3rd / 4th place play off and also some of the British Grand Prix along with displays from RNLI and music to keep us going into the night.

The race will be held under the ISAF rules, RYA rules and PLSC instructions. Boats are restricted to a mono-hull design with a maximum length of 17’6” and an official PY handicap or club handicap. It is a team race where teams typically vary from three or four for a single-handed dinghy up to say ten for a double-handed dinghy. Race duties, such as time keeping and safety boat, are carried out by team members. This year we are once again including a Juniors Race within the main Event. This will be for teams whose members are aged 18 years and under. This is a great opportunity for youngsters to experience the fun of night sailing.

I do hope that you will be able to enter a team. Entry forms are available online. We appreciate that it is often difficult to set a team in advance so we do accept that teams can be changed on the day. The level of interest in this year’s event means we are having to set a limit on the total number of teams so early entry is a must and completed forms should be returned to the address shown below no later than 26TH June. If you have any queries please feel free to contact me by whatever means you prefer (letter / phone / email). I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Prizes will be awarded for 1st team, 1st visiting team, 1st local team and 1st junior team. There will also be additional one off prizes this year, these will be announced on the day but are likely to included fastest lap during specific times, biggest “moment”, best crowd pleaser. For further information on Paxton Lakes SC visit our web site www.paxtonlakes.org.uk