A Night To Remember - YCC and WSC Celebrate 177 Years of Sailing!

Published 10:41 on 29 May 2014

Despite an uncertain forecast, some 50 Norman sailors raced across the Channel to Weymouth this weekend, in conditions which ranged from pleasantly breezy leaving Cherbourg on Friday evening to calm mid-Channel, to 30 knots within minutes around 8am Äì for one boat the first sign of the wind coming was a mini-tornado!The pace had been set by Philippe HasneÄôs Open 60 ÄòFujiÄô which arrived on Friday evening after a 6-hour passage, in good time for an aperitif on deck followed by MarcelÄôs Äòboeuf bourgignonÄô and some excellent cheese. Times recorded on Saturday morning were slower, of course - 13 to 15 hours on corrected time. It was great to see old friends back here again, but also to meet sailors from F©camp and Granville who had heard about the event and were very taken by the welcome everyone received at our club - which on Saturday night also included Christchurch, Lyme Regis and East Dorset Sailing Clubs, for whom Tracey was also working her customary magic in the galley. The only club a bit under-represented was our own..Steve and Josie Dadd had taken the challenge of feeding 50 hungry French men and women personally, and without their hard work the event just wouldnÄôt have happened; SteveÄôs skills as a barbecue chef, and JosieÄôs in making delicious salads, were such that our guests kept coming back for more, so that the Vice-Commodore even had to cycle to the shops in the rain for more supplies! Euan also supplied the gazebo which the weather eventually made necessary to keep the cooks and cooking dry.The Äòpi®ce de r©sistanceÄô was provided by new member Cheryl Wise, who very nobly volunteered to make a cake, and what a wonderful one it turned out to be Äì to the extent that at first no-one dared venture to cut it! Eventually it was cut by Sylvie and Anne from YCC, and Euan from WSC; Cheryl then provided the expertise to divide it up into delicious portions, one of which was already being eaten on Sunday evening by YCC president Jean Le Carpentier back in Cherbourg! A huge thank-you to everyone who worked so hard to make the event almost as memorable as last yearÄôs party in Cherbourg Äì and of course the next one isnÄôt far away, so make sure youÄôve booked the weekend of 20th-22nd of June off so that you can join us Äòover thereÄô!Steve FraserCruiser Class Captain

Last updated 15:13 on 28 July 2025