On Friday February 3rd we will be hosting our own version of Burns Night with a piper, Scottish dancing, the Ode to the Haggis and a special menu (click Read More). Be sure to book using our new clubhouse phone number: 01326 231606!
Many club members were saddened to hear that Colin Brown had recently passed away. The club would like to offer our deepest sympathy to his family. Here is an obituary written by his son Matt with contributions from friends and a picture of Colin at the helm of his Drascombe Coaster “Aziz”.
Tomorrow night, we will host a RECOVERY PARTY welcoming the arrival of our French boats. Champagne will flow & Pimms will be poured between 7 & 8pm. Don’t forget to buy your raffle ticket which might give you chance to win a bottle of Champagne.
The Cornish Food Hub will be serving up their legendary food starting from 5.30pm. So get ready for a feast fit for champions! The main bar will remain open long into the night. PLUS: Prepare to have your spirits lifted by the sensational sounds of Cornish band, the Stowes
The real action begins on Friday as the race kicks off in a blaze of glory! As is traditional before the race there will be a morning breakfast served before the competitors leave – details & timings to follow.
You can find the entry forms, Notice of Race, and Coastguard forms for the race here. Make sure to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, as French customs require the forename, surname, date, and place of birth for all crew members prior to the race. Rest assured, the dedicated L’Aber Wrac’h Committee has gone above and beyond to ensure a seamless arrival in France.
Mark your calendars, folks! The L’Aber Wrac’h Champagne Reception is an event you won’t want to miss. We can’t wait to see each and every one of you there!
We look forward to seeing you at the following events scheduled for Spring and Summer.
Easter Bank Holiday Monday (10th April)
All day BBQ and Children’s Beach Scavenge with Easter Egg Prizes!
With Live Music from 1.30pm with Will Eason and Joe Hurworth
Bank Holiday Monday (1st May)
Another bank holiday, another fantastic BBQ!
Coronation Bank Holiday Monday (8th May)
All day BBQ to celebrate the King’s Coronation
With Live Music from Akoustek Band at 1.30pm
Liz Fenwick book launch (Saturday 13th May)
Join us to grab yourself a copy of Liz’s new book ‘The Secret Shore’
Bank Holiday Monday (29th May)
Again, another BBQ for a buzzing bank holiday
L’Aberwrach Champagne Reception (Thursday 22nd June)
Drink champagne and dance along to the fabulous Cornish band, The Stowes!
Falmouth Week Regatta Teas (Sunday 6th August)
With Live Music from the Tiger Tales Band
Odds and Sods (Saturday 19th August)
Join us to listen to the fabulous Cornish Male Choir on our balcony
Please keep an eye on our social media feeds and our website for regular updates about all of these events organised by your Social Committee.
The 62nd Helford to L’Aber Wrac’h race was held on 23rd June 2023 This year we had thirteen yachts, 6 French and 7 English, taking on the challenge of the Channel crossing, with 11 boats crossing the finish line.
The wind was changeable, starting with a good breeze on the nose, which then went Westerly and variable near the French coast in the morning, the ultimate boat taking 3 hours to go six miles.
The 1st five yachts finished within within 32 minutes of each other, a credit to the handicap committee. Only two boats retired, one motoring on to L’Aber Wrac’h, seeing seven pods of dolphins and two whales on the way and the other returning to Helford.
The prizegiving was held at the Yacht Club des Abers with a speech by David Kerlan, Mayor of Landeda & L’Aber Wrac’h and Rob Hewett, representing HRSC. Rob and Sue Hewett presented the prizes.
RACE RESULTS – The Winners
1st Calypso Jean Francoise Caraes
2nd & Sundancer Trophy for 1st Helford Yacht – Xenia Paddy Royall
3rd Atahualpa David Guillam
Marie Jo Trophy was awarded to James Christie on Xenia, as the youngest competitor in the race.
The Bobby Martin Trophy for the 1st Yacht under 30” was awarded to Chris Clark on Grand Cru
Thanks must go to Daniel Dagorn, for the Prizegiving photographs and the YCA for the Race reception. Also to Rob Hewett, Anthony Jenkin, Johnny Walker, John Mills for Race Organization, and those who arranged and helped with a great Champagne reception.
Now that the winter is over, we will hopefully enjoy a far better summer than last year which will enable us all to get out onto the water and have lots of fun.
We have new Stewards who started at the Club just before Easter and we wish George and Linda Dykes the very best in their new venture. As we all know working here at the Club and keeping everyone happy is a challenging job! If you have any comments or suggestions please pass them on to our Vice Commodore, Heather Ibotson. May we take this opportunity to remind Members that only food purchased from the Stewards may be consumed on Club premises.
Training courses at the clubhouse are back on the agenda so please sign up to learn new skills or to refresh existing ones. The initial course run this year was the First Aid course on 2nd April. Please keep an eye on the Club website and emails for future courses.
We have now provided some facilities for children in the end room of the clubhouse so the whole family can now come down and enjoy time together at the Club. Parents are reminded that children do need to be supervised at all times please.
The ever popular adult dinghy training on Tuesday nights will continue. Wednesday evening keelboat racing needs a lot more support this year. Handicap, 707 and white sail racing can all be accommodated so please come along and join in. Dinghy racing on Thursday evenings has a strong and active contingent and is very competitive and will no doubt thrive again this season. Junior sailing will take place again on Friday evenings and is, as always, very well supported.
During the winter months Yoga classes have been held at the clubhouse and these will soon be joined by Art and Spanish classes. Please look out for notices about these and possible other classes on the website and emails.
Now is a particularly good time to join the Helford River Sailing Club as the joining fee has been reduced to £10 so please encourage your friends to join.
We have an active social calendar planned for this summer as you will see later on in this Newsletter. Notable amongst the events are the L’Aber Wrac’h Champagne Party on Thursday 23rd June and the Falmouth Week Helford Regatta Day on Sunday 7th August. Please come along and support your Club and our new Stewards.
Finally may I wish all Members a very happy and fun-packed summer both on and off the water and I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible down at the clubhouse.
Mark Buckley – Commodore
Check out our brand-new Summer Menu at HRSC! the Cornish Food Hub have outdone themselves with this fantastic offering of tasty meals.
Book at table now. Call our clubhouse on 01326 231606