The 37th Bloody Mary Pursuit Race took place in freezing temperatures, snow flurries and gusting northerly 25 knot winds. Cited in Yachts and Yachting as one of the top sailing 5 events in the world. Despite the appalling conditions in the week leading up to the event and on the day itself, 61 boats entered.

For the full report and pictures on the Y&Y website click here.

News from Ellie Williamson, RYA

ALL JUNIOR AND YOUTH SQUAD TRAINING CANCELLED 9-10 JANUARY

Regretfully, due to the exceptional current and forecast weather conditions for the coming weekend the RYA Youth and Junior department would like to announce that All Junior and Youth Race Training Scheduled for this weekend (9 & 10 January) is cancelled:

In making this decision we have considered several factors:        

• The current conditions of widespread snow and ice on the ground and in some cases partially or completely frozen lakes and reservoirs.

• The road conditions nationwide are poor due to snow and ice and with the current forecast of low temperatures and the potential of further snow on Sunday afternoon this looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.     

• The local conditions at many of the venues are poor with access to sites and site safety a major concern.    

• The projected forecast for the next few days is for extremely low temperatures, with strong or moderate N/NE breeze, with a significant wind chill factor, possibly as low as -10.      

•  There is also the possibility of snow showers over Friday evening and the weekend meaning it could be unsafe to travel home from training venues.

We trust you understand our reasons for taking these decisions. The junior calendar is extremely congested, and it is unlikely that we will be able to reschedule all the weekends to a date that will suit everybody, however, we will look at the possible options for re-scheduling the training and discuss this with individual squads in due course.

Please find below  detailed update on the status of this weekend’s zone squad training camps:

National Squads
Optimist Joint Squad Training, WPNSA - CANCELLED
National Junior Squad Toppers, Cardiff Bay YC - CANCELLED
National Intermediate Junior Squad Topper, HISC - CANCELLED
RYA/UKCRA Spitfire, WPNSA - CANCELLED 
Laser Standard RYA Volvo NYS, WPNSA - CANCELLED

Zone Squads - North/West
Windsurfers, Rutland SC - CANCELLED
North Topper, Northampton SC - CANCELLED
North Optimist, Staunton Harold SC - CANCELLED
West Optimist, West Kirby SC - CANCELLED

Zone Squads - South/South West
Windsurfers, Bristol Corinthian YC - CANCELLED
South West Toppers, Frampton-On- Severn SC - CANCELLED
South Toppers, Farmoor Sailing Club - CANCELLED
South West Optimists, Roadford Lake WS - CANCELLED
South Optimists, Spinnaker - CANCELLED

Zone Squads - East/South East
Windsurfers, Alton Water Sport Centre - CANCELLED
East Toppers, Stewartby Water SC - CANCELLED
South East Toppers, Island Barn SC - CANCELLED
East Optimists, Royal Burnham YC - CANCELLED
South East Optimists, Bewl Valley SC - CANCELLED