Royal Dart Yacht Club to host 42nd Squib Nationals

The 42nd Squib Nationals will be held at Dartmouth from the 7th-13th July 2012 © Mike Wynne Powell

The Royal Dart Yacht Club is pleased to be hosting the 42nd Squib National Championships at Dartmouth from the 7th to the 13th of July 2012 and is delighted that ICAP has agreed to be the title Gold sponsor. ICAP is the world's premier voice and electronic interdealer broker and provider of post-trade risk and information services.

"We are delighted to have such a high profile company on board, " Commodore Mike Moody said. "Without such sponsorship these national sailing events could not take place."

"This is the biggest National Championship that the Club has hosted, " said Peter Johnson, Squib Captain. "We are hoping to have about 100 boats lining up at the start line out in Start Bay – it will be a spectacular sight."

The event will bring over 200 crew and their families into Dartmouth which will be a welcome boost for the town. The last time the RDYC hosted a major Squib championship was in September 2009 when the South Coast Championship was held here and 39 boats took part. It was a lively and successful event and visiting competitors had some spectacular sailing.

The RDYC has a fleet of around 20 Squibs which can be seen moored on the trots near the Club house. But why are they so popular here?

"Squibs have excellent buoyancy and are ideally suited to sailing in Start Bay where winds can whip up and swells create some lively conditions, " said Kit Noble, Rear Commodore for Sailing at the RDYC. "We saw such conditions at the South Coast Championship in 2009 year where one seasoned sailor described the waves as mountainous and another described it as challenging and yet all the boats enjoyed safe, exhilarating sailing. This is largely due to their heavy keel and fifty percent ballast ratio which makes them very stable."

"We also have some brilliant local sponsors, " said Mike Moody. "We are especially grateful for the facilities and services for visiting boats offered by Darthaven Marina Services, one of the Silver sponsors."

Other Silver level sponsors are Knight Frank, the world's largest privately owned global property agency and consultancy which has an office in Exeter; Totnes-based Specialty Fasteners and Components, a market leader in fastening technology; Valeport, the leading UK manufacturer of hydrometric and oceanographic instruments; and Darthaven Marina Services.

Bronze level sponsors are Caterfood, the Paignton based family firm that sells frozen products throughout the South West; recently merged Wollen Michelmore solicitors which have offices in Dartmouth, Paignton, Torquay and Newton Abbott; Dart Harbour Navigation Authority; and Hempel Paints, the world-leading coatings supplier for the decorative, protective, marine, container and yacht markets. Other sponsors include Coast and Country Cottages who have self-catering accommodation across South Devon and the Newton Abbott based office of Linden Homes, a leading UK homebuilder.