ILCAs: Background and the Handover of 4 new boats on 26 Mar 22

Background Last year, Chris Turner awarded two youth sailors Academy ILCAs on contracts for a year. Both Josh and Tom soon got the bug and made excellent progress on Tuesdays and Saturdays with coaching from Graham and Jerry. Others joined in, Ferdy in one of the club ILCAs, Simon, Ben and Harvey in their own, and soon the Race Group had become the winter ILCA youth group. Issy has her own, so does Ed, though both participate in regional squads in other classes. Ferdy has bought his recently. Ben, Tom, Josh, Ed and Elliot are joining in the club Winter Heroes club racing. Tom is maximising coaching opportunities at Weymouth Academy.
Now, with the upgrade of the club ILCAs to brand new ones made possible by a grant from the George Eyre Trust, and the award of a further two Academy ILCAs to our youth, the ILCA group is building a more sustainable future. Essential factors, apart from our enthusiastic young sailors, are sponsorship from Chris, top class coaching, keen parental support and skilled support teams.
Handover Chris arranged delivery of 4 dinghies to his home in Uplyme. Our towing team brought the new club ones to the car park on Friday.

Guess who’s doing the work? Who’s posing? Photo Jo Law
Having arranged for the parents and youth members who are awarded the 4 dinghies to come for the handover, Sally got Jim and Dave to wheel them into place, collect the foils and all the bits from Dave’s car, unwrap the plastics and leave them ready.

Photos: Sally Now we waited for Elliot to come ashore and prepare Academy 63 for its new owner, placing it beside the other.

Not even stopping to change, Elliot appeared with his extended family, and he and his uncle got started. He had the advantage of having set up an ILCA previously, though not quite from scratch and the bags-of-bits stage.

Simon was on hand to help Harry, Olivia and Thomas watching initially.

Ben was well up to helping Freddie make sense of it all, his boom being already rigged, while Graham chatted to parents Katie and Durgan.

Ed assists with Harry’s sail while Simon keeps and eye, Dave too, and Olivia makes herself useful!

Graham has some tips from Chris on the latest kit

Frankie and Richard concentrate on copying Elliot’s kicking strap pulleys threading

Chris joins in while Ben sorts ropes with Freddie

Harry has mast up and Simon helps with outhaul

Frankie, Harry and Freddie with ILCA sailors Ben and Simon

Sally persuades Chris to join the photo, thanking him for his sponsorship.
Elliot will be continuing in the Race Group, while the other 3 start coaching with Graham on Tuesdays, joining in Simons group on Saturdays when he sees they are ready. It will be a while before they are ready to move to the Race Group and into club racing, Graham will mentor them. Tom and Josh will be helping further with rigging practice during the Easter holidays following Induction on 12 April and the first session on the water on 19 April.
Sally