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North by North West

by Dougal Henshall 16 Aug 2015 18:05 BST 16 August 2015
Even before the last 29ers had departed, many of the Fireballs Worlds fleet had arrived, had unpacked and were sat in the sunshine waiting for their turn in the measurement marquee © David Henshall

In the past, International competitors heading to take part in events in the UK could well have been forgiven in thinking that the sailing world started and finished on the central south coast. No one can deny Weymouth (well, Portland actually) its Olympic Regatta credentials and Hayling Island has long been a first choice 'go to' location for top tier events.

Now though there is very much a new kid on the block and what is more, one that looks well able to attract the best events away in a North Westerly direction from those more established locations. On the picturesque Llyn peninsular in North Wales are two very special clubs that can often be sailing within sight of each other. The South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club at Abersoch, with the benefit of a huge sandy beach, manages to combine a top Championship venue with a seaside holiday atmosphere. Just a handful of miles to the east, Pwllheli Sailing Club, co-located with a large, deep water marina, offered the same as its neighbour, but with a bit more in the way of big event organisation.

The first discussions about developing the Pwllheli site into a location suitable for the hosting of world class events, goes back as far as the ultimately unsuccessful bids made by Manchester, aimed at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Had Manchester been successful, the bid made clear that Pwllheli would have played host to the Olympic regatta. Certainly, the Selection Committee for the Games were more than satisfied that the area could support up to five separate courses in the bay area in front of the club. However, a great deal of work would have been needed to develop the existing Pwllheli Sailing Club into an Olympic regatta centre, much in the same way that the Sailing Academy evolved at Portland.

Although the Olympic focus would eventually swing away from Manchester towards London (and Weymouth), it was increasingly apparent that being able to host major sailing events was becoming an ever more a fruitful revenue stream, not only for the clubs, but for the wider economy in the area. Early on in the new millennium, the first decisions were made to expand the facilities at Pwllheli to create a venue that would not only match, but in some ways better those down on the South Coast. At first, consideration was given to expanding the existing facilities based within the Marina, but it quickly became clear that to really be a success, an all-new building complex would be needed, close to and overlooking the beach area. Here the natural topography happily played a part, as the route from the proposed area down to the wide and sandy beach provided an easily managed control 'choke point'. Unlike other large venues, where boats and sailors can be widely dispersed, the route to the beach became the idea spot for key functions such as tally boards.

With nearly £9 million of funding support now in place from the Welsh Government, a number of major infrastructure projects all kicked in together at Pwllheli. The road feeding the Marina and proposed site for the Club had to be re-routed, pontoons in the Marina needed providing/upgrading whilst construction started on a new, futuristic building that would be the focal point of the area. From the outset, the intention was that the new facility would be far more than just a sailing club, instead the building would be multi-purpose and very much a part of the local community, where it could be used for everything from 'food to funk' (a catering exhibition to a musical event). Of course there are those who either do not like the architecture, which at first sight can look industrial and unsympathetic to the local environs, to those who are trying to judge the site before it is finished. However, the modernist layout soon reveals itself to be very clever indeed and once the large, drum like central feature is softened with the usual array of sailing club decorations and full of people (factors which help enhance the initial acoustics), Plas Heli, as the new site is known, could become a very popular venue of the Championship circuit. That said, the new building is still something of a 'work in progress', having only been handed over by the builders as the first set of competitors arrived for the inaugural Championship.

There were no half measures for this, as the first boats to arrive were for the Optimists, with 450 boats being a stern test for even the most well sorted of venues. No sooner had the Oppies departed, than the 29ers arrived, with some 200 boats from Nations right across the globe competing in their World Championship. These two events together were to show that in places, the new building was still something of a 'work in progress', in others that the architects had clearly missed a trick or two (such as the lack of drainage on the changing room floor and a serious miscalculation on the number of toilets needed; both these shortcomings have been identified and are being addressed).

That both these events were a clear success merely highlights the potential at Plas Heli. That said, both these fleets are youth boats. A new and sterner test for the Centre will come across the next fortnight, with the first 'adult' Championship now about to be staged. More than 100+ Fireballs are expected for the 2015 World Championships, making this the biggest adult, non-Olympic International class event to be staged in the UK in 2015. Clearly the Centre staff are rapidly finding their feet, yet their cheerful 'can do' approach to the problems, as they arise, seems to be able to overcome most issues. Little wonder then that the Commodore of Pwllheli Sailing Club, Bob Lowe, is wearing the widest of smiles. Getting such a capital project such as this, albeit at this point just to 'barely finished' status has been a major achievement. To then run successfully a Europeans, followed by a World championship would be a red letter day in anyone's book. To then cap this with a second World Championship, just a week after the closing ceremony of the previous event, is nothing short of amazing.

Bob Lowe and his team have undoubtedly been helped by their location. With nothing in the way of commercial traffic out in the bay, easy launching from the beach, a lack of natural hazards, such as Hayling's infamous Bar, relatively tide free racing all with the stunning backdrop of Snowdonia, Plas Heli really does offer an attractive and viable alternative to the crowded and 'overplayed' South Coast. The co-location of the Centre with the large marina also makes the venue attractive to bigger boats, with the IRC classes being as welcome as were the Optimists.

Increasingly, event venues have found that they need to be able to offer more than just a place to go sailing. On this score, as on many others, Plas Heli already scores highly. But, much of their reputation will be built not on how they managed the Youth events, but on the success of the upcoming Fireball Worlds. Host that successfully and Plas Heli can really say that it is 'open for business'.

www.plasheli.org

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