Bantham Sailing Club, based on the River Estuary at Bantham, has just had it’s annual Regatta Week.

A small volunteer run club, originally founded in 1933, which runs sailing races for approximately 7/8 weeks through the summer, and cadet and community sailing groups from May until the end of September, aimed at getting local people and kids sailing in the beautiful Bantham estuary. The highlight of the club’s season is a Regatta and events in the weeks running up to, and over, the August Bank Holiday.

On August 18 they managed to hold their ‘Round the Island Race’. This race has not been held since the mid 1960’s. An attempt was made last year, but the winds died at the last moment and the race had to be cancelled.

This year, however, the sailing gods and the weather were on the club’s side. The conditions were perfect. The race involved getting all the boats down river into Bantham Bay, sailing clockwise around Burgh Island and crossing the sand spit that joins the Island to Bigbury at the height of the tide so the boats can make it across.

There were twenty boats of various kinds and 34 sailors competing, with a number of rescue boats, race officers and volunteers from the club all supporting the effort.

All the boats managed to complete the race successfully and navigate their way back up the estuary. Four of the competitors were young sailors from the Bantham Sailing Cadets division and were sailing at sea for the first time.

The winning boat was Nipegegi, a beautifully restored 1960’s wooden Wayfarer, that would have been a new boat the last time this race took place. It was helmed by Will Hodshon with his crew of Suzanna Hodshon and their son Gabriel, the youngest sailor to compete at the age of eight.

Bantham Boat ‘Tern’, sailed by Graeme and Shelia Fairly, was second, and Yawl ‘Gamma of Aune’, sailed by Will Southcott, Edward Kain and Tim Hall, came in third.

On Sunday 21, the Bantham cadets raced the Under 16’s race in Toppers. All the kids have been working hard learning to compete and had a very competitive race, in good conditions.

The cup went to 15 year old Emily Hoar, sailing a great race.

The Bantham sailing Club Regatta took place over Tuesday and Wednesday, August 23 and 24, with beautiful weather, a total of 30 boats and 45 sailors racing.

Successes were had by David Stone sailing Bantham Boat ‘Kitty’, Felicity Hall sailing Classic Bantham Boat ‘Fizz’, Nick Hall won the Toppers division and the Laser winner was Greg Hoar.

The rest of the Regatta week was filled with an excellent quiz night, children’s crab catching contest, a duck race, Sailing Club picnic with kids beach races and a sandcastle building competition.

The Regatta week wrapped up on Bank Holiday Sunday with a tightly fought rounders match on the river bed at low tide, followed by a well attended sunny prize giving hosted by the Bantham Village Store.