Cadet Training at Waldringfield Sailing Club
by Waldringfield Cadets 1 Jun 2013 21:08 BST
30-31 May 2013
Cadet Training at Waldringfield © Juliet Dearlove
On 30th and 31st May a fantastic fleet of 25 boats attended Waldringfield Cadet Squadron's half term open training. It can't have been the weather which caused the young sailors to turnout in such numbers as the previous weekend's bank holiday sunshine had given way to leaden skies but it might have had something to do with the quality of the training. The fleet was blessed with former Cadet luminaries such as Chris Videlo, Maddie Harris, Charlie Linsell and Emma White; a couple of parents with helpers but also Cadet National Coach Mike McNamara, who many parents commented had a way of holding their kids' attention which they had failed to master after years of practice as parents.
With this being Waldringfield, the focus for the 3 groups on Thursday was tides and windshifts but with lots of boat handling practice and instruction for the less experienced sailors. Practice race after practice race was reeled off. Emma White could be seen hopping in and out of boats - a teenager telling a youngster "there are no excuses" seems to work so much better than when it comes from an adult. And in the debrief sessions, video footage was used to analyse what went well... and, as Mac would diplomatically put it, "what we could still improve on". Mike Mac's finer points on when to cross the tide to maximise wind pressure on the sails left some wondering whether he'd sailed all his life on our quirky River Deben.
Friday promised more wind and didn't disappoint, and sun was forecast. The 3 groups suddenly needed sun cream, visors and hikers to replace the dry suits of a day earlier. Much progress was made particularly in the beginner group where spinnakers started to be flown despite the testing conditions and in the intermediate and advanced groups who after a long day on the water to together for some great racing down near Galleons Hard towards the end of the day. Everyone should feel they did well - conditions were testing and many of the smaller crews were faced with challenges for the first time.
All this training seems to be having good results - on the following day's RNLI pennant race to Felixstowe and back which involves the whole club cadets occupied the top 5 places in a fleet of over 40 boats. Ed Harris and Faye Chatterton were first.
Waldringfield's Cadet Squadron continues to go from strength to strength as one of the most active in the country. With several sailors qualifying for the Worlds in Belgium but also strength in depth and plenty of new young talent coming into the fleet of around 30 boats, the next big event is the Cadet Open on 22nd/23rd June. Sponsored by Anglia Factors, the kitchen, bathroom and interiors specialist of Martlesham in Suffolk, the Open promises yet again this year to be one of the best attended meetings on the circuit. Details are available from . Don't miss it!