Trailer Cull
Saturday 19th May 2012
The Corinthian Otters will be hosting some important open events in the next few weeks - the Topper Traveller Event this weekend and the second qualification event for the 2012 British Cadet team over the weekend of the 2nd/3rd June. Car park and dinghy park space will be at a premium...
End of Season Championships
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th October 2011
Over 290 young sailors battled it out last weekend at the Volvo Gill Optimist End of Season Championships. The annual event is the last major event on the Optimist calendar and a chance for IOCA UK Worlds team members to compete against some top competition before they head off to Napier, New Zealand at the end of December.
RYA Volvo East Zone Championship
24th & 25th September 2011
More than 800 of Britain’s rising young stars of the future competed across nine venues throughout the UK in the prestigious RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships for Optimists which came to an exciting finish on Sunday 25th September at Grafham Water.
Otter Success at the Cadet National Championships
Friday 16th September 2011
The Cadet National Championships were held at Stone Sailing Club from 13th August to 18th August and a total of six Otter crews went to compete. On reflection the conditions over the week could not have been much better. Although one race was abandoned, races were completed every day, and this was the first ranking series to complete all the scheduled races.
Otters in Fevas
Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th September 2011
The Otters have three Feva crews campaigning for winter squad places and places for the worlds next year. Qualification is gauged over Grand Prix indicator events, the first was held at Hayling Island last weekend.
Otters at Hayling Island
Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd July 2011
The Otters sent five competitors to the RS Tera National Championships at Hayling Island over the first weekend in July, James, Kathryn and Ben Hutton-Penman, Zac Bikhazi and Lucy Greenwood, amongst a total of 87 competitors.
Alton Water Cadet Open Meeting
25th & 26th June 2011
The inaugural Cadet Open Meeting was held at Alton Water, just north of Colchester over the weekend of the 25th/26th June. One of our first year helms, Scarlett Anderson, crewed by Rhiannon Williams, made the short trip up the A12 to compete.
Otter Cadet Open Meeting
Saturday 4th June 2011
Saturday 4th June dawned a beautiful day with a brisk wind and the scene was set for what was hoped to be an excellent day’s sailing at the Otters 2011 Open. Unfortunately other sailing commitments meant numbers were not as high as hoped but those who did come experienced some tough competition.
Otters at the Optimist Inland Championships
14th and 15th May 2011
Some of Britain’s potential future Olympic sailors competed in the Volvo Gill Optimist Inland Championships last weekend (14th-15th May). Once again Grafham Water Sailing Club played host to over 300 Optimist sailors, 216 aged between 10-15 in the Main Fleet and 99 in the Regatta Fleet (8 years and older) who battled it out to be crowned Optimist Inland Champions.
Otters in the Chocolates at Parkstone
2nd and 3rd April 2011
The Cadet fleet re-convened at Parkstone in Poole over the 2nd and 3rd April, for the first event of the year. This was also the 1st of three indicators for the selection of the British team to represent team GB in Germany later this year, so the pressure was on.
Otters at the Optimist Spring Championship
Saturday 26th March 2011
The IOCA (International Optimist Class Association) 2011 Spring Championships took place last weekend, 26th and 27th March at Weymouth. There were over 210 Optimists entered.
Success at the 420 Championships!
Christmas then New Year 2011
While most of us were getting ready for Christmas, struggling with the snow, Henriette Brand was all set to represent her Club and Country at the 420 World Championships at the Yacht Club Argentina in Buenos Aries.
Burnham Optimist Open Meeting
Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th July 2010
We had forty-seven registered for the Saturday of our Oppie Open Meeting. The series was seven races and the fleets split between Race and Regatta.
Saturday was one of those balmy Burnham days with the land breeze from the west being countered by the ever increasing sea breeze. John Hardy, our Race Officer for the weekend, managed to get two races sailed before lunch.
GB Cadet World Championship Team
Tuesday 6th July 2010
The British team enjoyed their last chance to practise at Graffham before heading out to Poland for the World Championships. The team has elected both a Helms' Captain (Oliver Paliarakis) and a Crews' Captain, our own Scarlet Anderson. Scarlett is top left and Katie is bottom right.
RS Tera National Championships
Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th June 2010
This year there were seventy-four entrants at the Tera Nationals held at Netley Sailing Club in Southampton. Otters taking part included James Hutton-Penman, Hamish Eckstein, Flynn Davies and Zac Bikhazi in the Tera Pro fleet and Niamh Davies in the Tera Sport Fleet. There were two further sailors from the Burnham Sailing Club taking part, Josh and Jamie Aldridge.
Otter Cadet Open Meeting 2010
Saturday 19th June 2010
When scheduling an open meeting in June you expect to be hosting a beautiful, balmy sail on the Crouch. NOT TRUE. The 19th June was grey and blustery with black clouds building and passing through in big rainy squalls, with the wind shifting in as the rainstorms passed through and provided some very challenging conditions.
Otters at the Volvo Musto Inland Championships
Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th May 2010
A dozen Otters trailed their boats to Grafham Water for the Volvo Musto Inland Championships over the weekend of the 15th/16th May. It was an exciting experience for everybody; the conditions were tricky and the fleets were large - 90 entrants in the Regatta Fleet and 220 in the Main Fleet with the starts in flights of 45 boats.
Laura reporting on the Cadet Inlands
Thursday 8th & Friday 9th April 2010
With a forecast of light winds on the second day of racing, the Race Committee ran four races on the first day of the Inland Championships. With a fleet of 82 boats, everyone knew the competition would be fierce and the title of Inland Champion would be hard to achieve. The course of a triangle followed by two sausages (windward-leeward loops) was put into place and not long after the first race began.
Congratulations to Katie and Scarlett!
Thursday 8th & Friday 9th April 2010
The week following Easter the Otter Cadet Squadron visited Rutland for two days training followed by the National Inland Championships, which were also an indicator for the British team to go to the World Championships in Puc, Poland at the end of July.
Cadet World Championships, Argentina
22nd December 2009 to 4th January 2010
Wow, the Worlds in Buenos Aires were an amazing, once in a lifetime experience for everyone and which, for me, will be remembered as one of the best! The training began on the 22nd of December, the winds were light and the team did not go out until midday, which seemed to be the pattern for the whole event. This late start to the day reflected the entire atmosphere of the Worlds, off the water, relaxed and calm.
Cadets shaking out the Cobwebs
Sunday 17th January 2010
Several hardy Cadets, together with some visitors, braved the January weather for a day's training with Michael MacNamara, the UKNCCA national coach on the 17th of January. Suprisingly, conditions were near perfect, bright sunshine and a consistent 10 knot breeze allowed the participants the opportunity to shake out the cobwebs and work with some new crews.
Otters Shine at the Optimist End of Season Regatta
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October 2009
Over 300 competitors from around the country took part in the Optimist Dinghy End of Season Regatta at Rutland Water over the weekend of the 10th & 11th October. The competitors were split into two fleets with 230 more experienced sailors sailing in the Main fleet and 80 plus younger sailors sailing in the Regatta fleet.
Otter Success at the RS Tera National Championships
Weekend 19th & 20th September 2009
Four Otters, Zac Bikhazi, Flynn Davies, Hamish Eckstein and James Hutton-Penman, travelled to the RS Tera National Championships at Dabchicks Sailing Club. Zac, Flynn and James competed for the National Championships, using the smaller Sports sail. There were nearly 40 entrants from all over the country including a team from the Isle of Man. Five sailors competed in an Open meeting for the larger Pro sail - Hamish competed in this class.
Otters in Burnham Week
Saturday 29th August to Saturday 5th September
Although Burnham Week was originally designed for the adults, it is nice to see so many Otters and ex-Otters taking part in several classes, for example the 707s and Dragons. I was sailing in the 707 class and the event started with a very competitive first weekend, 14 boats in the class and 10-15 knots of wind. After a day's sailing, the ex- Otters were taking advantage of the Pimm's tent in the bar while the oldies complained about aches and pains!
Optimist National Championship 2009
8th - 14th August 2009
A number of our local sailors made the long trip to Largs in Scotland for the 2009 Optimist Nationals and were greeted with a variety of sun (a bit), rain, no wind, strong wind and all culminating on the final Friday when the winds blew 20+ knots and three inches of rain fell!
Otter Week 2009
July 2009
It's all over for another year and this year's Otter Week has been voted 'one of the best'! Otters aged over twelve years were invited to give their opinons at the AGM with comments and suggestions for Otter Week 2010. The new Flag Officers were elected and their first comment was that the outgoing Flag Officers, Alex Willsher, Emma Tavinor, Rory Page and Tamsin Witchard would be a hard act to follow!
HCC Burnham Optimist Open Meeting 2009
Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th July 2009
We had 50 entrants for the HCC Optimist Open which was sailed over the weekend under blue skies and a gentle breeze. The numbers were evenly split between Regatta and Race fleets. The Race Officer, John Hardy, set interesting courses for the children as the wind direction and tide made it challenging but we managed to complete six good races before the wind died and the tide took over after lunch on Sunday.
Optimist Inland Championship
18 May 2009
Arthur Brown - Regatta Fleet Inland Champion. We had a number of Otters brave the elements at the Optimist Inland Championship at Grafham Water, there were 235 entrants in the Main fleet and 100 in Regatta fleet.
A huge well done to Arthur Brown. Arthur scored two firsts and a sixth to win the Regatta fleet. Also well done to Louis Brand and Angus Eckstein, out there competing and finishing races which, given the conditions, was a great credit to both of them.
The Otter Easter Egg
Saturday 18th April 2009
A good day, it was enjoyed by all sailors of the Optimist fleet. We had about ten boats out including five sailors from the RYA winter Zone squad. 15-20 knots provided a challenge for the fleet, especially those who had not sailed through the winter. Duncan Ayre, as Race Officer, set a windward leeward course for us which kept us all on our toes, especially the downwind leg.
Cadet Inland Championships at Grafham Water
Wednesday 8th -Thursday 9th April 2009
There were ninety entrants for the Inlands this year, which were held over two days. The first day was bright and blustery and produced three different winners. Katie and Emily Kinver from Exe Sailing Club won the first race, Arthur Henderson and Matt Currell from Salcombe Yacht Club won the second and Hugo and Guy Pullen from Parkstone won the third, but through consistency with 13 points Hattie Eyre and I were over night leaders for the Otters.
Otters take up the Volvo Eco Challenge
Friday 20th February 2009
The Otters' ideas and efforts to help with pollution on the River Crouch have earned us a grant in the Volvo Eco Challenge. This project, which has been promoted by the Royal Yachting Association, is designed to make us think about the environment around us and how easy it is to spoil it.
Otters benefit from Ford Britain Trust
Thursday 11th December 2008
It was with great pleasure that Clive Page handed a cheque for £1300 to Stuart Munro from Ford Britain Trust towards a replacement engine for one of the Otter Spotter rescue boats.
The RYA awards Liz Chowienczyk
10th December 2008
Have you sailed with Liz? Have you visited the AHOY Centre? Did you go there recently to train in RIBs? If you can answer "yes" to any of those questions, you will know all about AHOY and be pleased to know of Liz's award from the Royal Yachting Association.
Otter Wins First RS Tera Inland Championship
Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October 2008
The first RS Tera Inland Championship took place on the 25th/26th October at Draycote Waters Sailing Club. The overall winner was a Corinthian Otter, James Hutton-Penman.
Otters at the Optimist Nationals
9th - 15th August 2008
There was a record entry for the 2008 Optimist Nationals at Pwllheli in North Wales with 447 entrants coming from the UK, Ireland, Malta, USA and Dubai (to name a few). The weather was mixed to say the least with no racing on Saturday or Sunday due to strong winds and only one race sailed on Monday.
Training for the Cadet Worlds
Wednesday 30th July 2008
Since the final indicator we have been busy getting as ready as we possibly can for the World Championships. Three days' training in Weymouth, followed by a further two days in Weymouth, followed by Flanders (for some) followed by the final two days at Grafham on 12th/13th July. All this, alongside passing (!?) GCSE and other exams, has kept life very hectic.
Trying for the Cadet Worlds Team
28th July 2008
This report follows the preparation the Otters in the team have been doing to get ready for Medemblik. The results of the final indicator selected the top eight boats for the GBR team, the top seven to be entered as the team for the 'World Championships Regatta in Medemblic, Holland' and the 8th boat acting as reserve. Two Otter boats with William Kennedy & Loni Lillienthal and George Ayre & Nick Sutton qualified in the top seven team positions.
Optimist Inland Championships
17th & 18th May 2008
The Otters had a good turn out at the Optimist Inlands. The event had a record entry with 240 sailors in Main fleet and 70 in Regatta fleet and almost all our sailors were in the top half of both fleets! Click on the link below for my daily reports...
Cadet National Championships
28th July 2007
Pwllheli Sailing Club and the UK Cadet Class association hosted an excellent National Championship. Sunshine and light to moderate winds meant that all 12 scheduled races were completed. With over 150 entries, fleets were split into flights and racing took place in a round robin series with all flights taking turn to race the others.
HCC Optimist East Coast Championships
14th & 15th July 2007
Strong winds and rough conditions certainly gave the Otter Optimists a hard time over the weekend of the 14th & 15th July when they combined with the BSC to hold the East Coast Championships but they were not daunted and it was the Corinthians Otters' own Fleur Page who was the clear winner of the Main Fleet. The whole event was a credit to the organisers with 88 entrants from 17 clubs in the eastern area.
RYA Training for the Otters
Saturday 19th May 2007
The Otter Optimists joined forces with Oppie sailors from the Burnham Sailing Club to enjoy a full day's training with
James Brown, one of the best RYA Optimist coaches on the 19th May.
The Alster Piraten visit the Otters
11th, 12th and 13th May 2007
Any visit between the Alster Piraten, (the Pirates) and the Corinthian Otters was bound to be something special; something more than a meeting of two sets of youngsters, enjoying fun on and off the water with some serious racing thrown in.
Oppie Start of Season at the Pond
Sunday 22nd April 2007
Sun, water, light winds enthusiastic children and a host of experienced parents made this a magnificent start to the season. We had two fleets start at the pond on Sunday 22nd April, one junior fleet of complete beginners with trainer Phil Aspinall and fleet manager Becky Bacon and a senior fleet with varying degrees of sailing ability being trained by Duncan Kay and managed by Marion Aspinall.
Easter Egg Open - Oppie Report
31st March - 1st April 2007
We had eight Oppies brave the elements on Saturday and nine on Sunday. The conditions on Saturday did not suit Oppies well with wind over tide generating reasonable sized waves that meant constant bailing was required.On Sunday the wind was with the tide but the wind was stronger, so still big waves and much bailing!
Easter Egg Open-Cadet Report
31st March-1st April 2007
Saturday was an afternoon start with the wind speed at 18 knots gusting to 27, so everyone was in for a busy time, especially the Rescue RIBs. About 70 children competed in the Otter Easter Egg Regatta, a good turn-out.
Easter Egg Open - Laser Report
31st March - 1st April 2007
Everyone arrived early on Saturday morning full of anticipation for the first big weekend of racing for this year. Most people wanted a steady breeze so that they could get back into the swing of things after the long winter break.
Musto Skiff Event
Saturday 9th December 2006
It was way back in the summer that the idea of an exhibition of Musto Skiffs was first suggested. Gradually the idea took shape; a good fleet of boats, sailed by the experts, the possibility of backing the winner of each race, the proceeds to go to charity.
Off to the Optimist Nationals
Saturday 5th August 2006
We left Burnham early as it's a long drive to Pwllheli Sailing Club where
the Nationals were being held for the second year running. We registered then
pitched our tent at Abererch Sands.
Sunday was the first sail after the briefing at midday- one race to determine
the group and coach I would be with for the week. That evening it was raining
so we had to eat our scampi and chips in the car!
Well done, Chris!
1st-2nd July 2006
January 2007 is likely to be a really exciting time for Corinthian Otter Chris Matthews who has been selected by the RYA to represent Team GBR at the Mirror Worlds in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
'Try Sailing Day' 2006
1st July 2006
An unusual convoy left the Corinthian on June 21st, making for Burnham County Primary School. Philippa Munro, Kay Tavinor and Chris Southcombe trailed an Oppie, a Cadet and an Otter Spotter to publicise the 'Try Sailing Day', arranged for July 1st.
Once they were set up in the playground, several Otters were on hand to explain to the interested children how it all works and what fun it is.
The parents could ask questions about safety!
Lookers Volvo Otter Int Cadet Open Meeting
24 & 25 June 2006
Twenty-six boats registered for the annual Cadet Open meeting held at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham-on-Crouch. After a half hour delay to the launch due to lack of wind, the fleet was towed to the River Roach.
Corinthian Otters Cadet Open Meeting
25th & 26th June 2005
The Corinthian Otters Cadet Open meeting consisted of 6 races over the two days, with a discard after 4. The weekend thunderstorms forecast earlier in the week had fortunately cleared by Friday night, leaving sunshine and a cool East North East breeze...