Squadron beaten by the city

All in a good cause for the RYA Sailability regatta

Over £6000 was raised for charity at the annual RYA Sailability regatta, held in October. The fleet, made up of 13 identical Sunsail Sunfast 37's, battled it out in the Solent in an attempt to win first place, and the Sunsail Sailability cup. Many yacht clubs took part including the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and Sea View Yacht Club from the Isle of Wight. The House of Commons and Lords entered two boats crewed by MP's, the RYA and the British Marine Federation. The Flying Fifteen Association, who have made Sailability their chosen charity, supported the event along with several local companies.

Three races were run in a light SE breeze with cloud clearing around lunchtime giving way to glorious sunshine. The first race lasted just over an hour with a close finish followed by the second, which saw a cluster of 8 boats flying their spinnakers together in close competition. On the final race the fleet was more spread out with decreasing winds forcing a shortened course. James Howells skippered the winning boat for HP Investments, the House of Lords secured second place and the Royal Yacht Squadron finished in third position.

Mike Randall, who skippered for Sea View Yacht Club's crew, commented: "This was the first year we have entered the regatta and it was a fantastic day, you couldn't have booked better conditions. The whole event was a great success and we look forward to coming back next year."

The regatta was kindly supported by Sunsail who gave a discounted charter rate, and Hyde Sails who donated prizes. Boatability donated a 23ft wheelchair accessible dory for the day, which was skippered by Geoff Holt, a well-known sailor with disabilities. The boat was used to take photographers out to follow the fleet in the Solent. Some great images were captured by photographer Terry Mair, and can be viewed on the Boatability website.

Robyn Griffith Jones, a Trustee of the charity, who gave out prizes at the end of the day, said: "A huge thank you to all the crews who took part in this year's RYA Sailability regatta. It was a great event - all about having fun and raising money for the charity. Everything raised today will help to buy specialised equipment, fund training programmes and get even more sailors with disabilities out on the water."