Itchenor Sailing Club host 95th anniversary celebrations for the Solent Sunbeam class
by Rebecca Oldfield 22 May 2018 13:07 BST
26-27 May 2018
Itchenor Sailing Club host the 95th anniversary celebrations for the Solent Sunbeam class © Mary Pudney
A special regatta weekend of racing and an anniversary party has been planned for the 95th birthday of the Solent Sunbeam Class this weekend at Itchenor Sailing Club in Chichester.
The celebrations will include taster sessions from 3pm on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May with an anniversary party being held at the Club on Sunday evening.
This pretty, classic, three-man keelboat which was designed by Alfred Westmacott in 1923 has been continuously sailing in the Solent for 95 years and has its base at Itchenor Sailing Club. The very first Sunbeam – Dainty, No. 1 – is still actively raced today as are several boats that were built in the early 1920s.
A traditionally trained naval architect from the Victorian era, Westmacott responded to a commission from three Hamble-based yachtsmen to design a racing dayboat by producing a boat that was not only pretty but one that could handle the boisterous conditions of the Solent.
32 Sunbeams sail from Itchenor ranging from 95 years of age to new all-GRP and newly epoxied yachts, yet all racing on level terms in a one-design fleet. Regular racing is highly competitive with no restrictions for tides on most weekends and Thursday evenings from March to October.
The enduring nature of the Solent Sunbeam is summed up by a long-time owner, Mike Williamson: 'Helming a Sunbeam is serendipity. You leave all your problems ashore, and surrender to the sensuous joy of reacting to what she tells you.'
To find out more please visit www.itchenorsc.co.uk or call 01243 512400.