• Wayne & Deb (black spinnaker) beating yet another boat

  • Learning the ropes (sorry, sheets)

  • Embarcation - it's very crowded on the slipway

A new adventure

My knowledge of sailing derives from Swallows and Amazons so I know some of the jargon, but not necessarily when to use it….

Wayne and Deb were up from Whitby for the Bassenthwaite Regatta – along with a lot of other people: I have never seen a campsite so crowded. Bass Lake seemed pretty crowded too; when you don’t know what is going on the large numbers of small boats appear to be milling around aimlessly and it is all very confusing.

I hadn’t realised just how good they are at their chosen sport, but by the end of the week they had assembled an impressive collection of trophies, glassware and other prizes (Ian was hoping to snaffle one of the bottles of whisky, but was disappointed in this).

Wayne & Deb (black spinnaker) beating yet another boat
Wayne & Deb (black spinnaker) beating yet another boat

Wayne kindly took time out from winning races to give me a feel of what it’s like.

Embarcation - it's very crowded on the slipway
Embarcation - it's very crowded on the slipway

Maybe I need a waterproof camera because photos from the shore don’t do it justice, but we were going fast, honest, and I wasn’t just sitting there, I was allowed to pull ropes and things, one of which raised and lowered a sail somewhat to my surprise.

Learning the ropes (sorry, sheets)
Learning the ropes (sorry, sheets)

Bass Lake & Regatta 067

I even got to hang over the side just like a real sailor! Unfortunately we had to go back all too soon so that Wayne & Deb could win one more race. It was fantastic fun while it lasted. (Thanks Wayne xxx)

We watched the last race and spent the evening in the sailing club bar.

3 thoughts on “A new adventure”

  1. Brilliant adventure.
    I used to love dinghy sailing. I had an Enterprise (the blue sailed ones you can see in the piccy), but I think they can be a bit pedestrian. I like the look of their dinghy… far more racey. RS200? Takes far more skill, and looks great on the water.

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