admin Date , April 19, 2025 Sailing Previous Blog Wednesday on the Work Party Comments (0)
After a long winter of dry land and dry wetsuits, Easter Saturday saw the triumphant (and occasionally wobbly) return of the Cadets to the River Thames. The wind had clearly missed us, arriving in full force with a strong and gusty north-easterly, eager to play with anyone foolish enough to unfurl a sail.
Seven Toppers, one Feva, and an Optimist hit the water. The aim? Some fun sailing, course re-familiarisation, and ideally keeping the pointy end facing forward. The reality? Capsizes galore, squeals of joy (and the occasional shriek of surprise), and the general chaos that only a group of enthusiastic Cadets and a frisky wind can produce.
By 2pm on Saturday the 19th, nine brave Cadets had arrived for their first proper session of the year. Sunshine beamed down as if to say, “What could possibly go wrong?” After a brisk safety briefing and some good-natured faffing with rigging lines and buoyancy aids, the flotilla launched into a surprisingly fresh breeze.
Once the warmup was out of the way—consisting mostly of sailing in semi-intended directions and discovering just how quickly a boat can flip—everyone regrouped for a biscuit and squash break. Nothing like digestives and orange squash to restore the spirit (if not the core temperature).
From there, it was a two-horse race between Finlay and Lyla, both clearly fuelled by a mix of adrenaline, Easter chocolate, and pure determination. Hannah was sailing fast—when she was upright. She capsized multiple times but kept right on going, earning the unofficial “Never Say Die” award. Meanwhile, Sian and Kiera were locked in a fierce battle for fourth place, exchanging positions each time a gust took an unexpected liberty with the sails. But it was Lyla who held her nerve, harnessed the wind, and left everyone in her wake to claim the trophy. Victory was sweet—and not just because someone found a leftover Creme Egg in their buoyancy aid. All helped by Guy and Steve in the Safety Boat and Holly running the Box and providing the biscuits.
