Sonata National Championship at Helensburgh Sailing Club - Preview
by Mike Heath 18 Jul 2015 16:18 BST
25-28 July 2015
Helensburgh boat 'Scruples' sailed by Chris Tait and his crew will be hoping for success at the Sonata nationals © Peter Booth
Upcoming sailing spectacle on the Clyde
Next weekend (25th July) Helensburgh Sailing Club will be hosting the annual UK National Championships of the Sonata class of small keelboats, with contestants from as far afield as Dorset and Northern Ireland. Local interests will be represented by several crews from Helensburgh, Cove and Loch Lomond sailing clubs.
The event should be quite a spectacle from the seafront with around 30 brightly coloured boats and sails competing over 4 days, Saturday – Tuesday, on the waters between Helensburgh Pier and Geenock. Boats carry a crew of four, each with a specific sail handling or steering task to perform.
Running the event is a big undertaking for the local club, and it will be all-hands to helping with organising the races and feeding and entertaining the crews ashore. Three sponsors - Artemis Fund Managers, Babcock International Group, and CraftInsure Boat Insurance – are also providing support for the event which is much appreciated by the organisers and competitors alike. Everyone is looking forward to some fine weather, steady winds and excellent racing.