A smashing weekend at Erith Yacht Club

Torch Day at Erith Yacht Club © S.E.A. Mees

Friday 21st to Sunday 22nd July 2012 will be remembered by many at Erith Yacht Club as one of the most exciting weekends ever for them and their great stretch of sailing water on the London River.

Friday found excited and surprised Erith Yacht Club members welcoming a sturdy band of Alternative Torch bearers from across the river. This was a cause for early opening of champagne to celebrate the runners' fantastic achievements and to embrace this Olympic weekend for EYC.

On Saturday 21st July Erith Yacht Club hosted a terrifically successful taster day when a massive 96 people attended to try out the Olympic sport of sailing. A large proportion of those attending came as a result of seeing the EYC stand at recent local shows. It follows several recent highlights for the club – OnBoard status, a presentation of its archives and Heritage Day.

However, on Sunday 22nd July 2012 EYC hosted nothing less than the Olympic Flame itself. Toppers, Laser keelboats and club dinghies were prepared for the water, their young crews waiting patiently with great excitement, amidst musical entertainment of Olympic standard. The crowds gathered in beautiful sunshine for the momentous occasion. As the escort flotilla set off, the wind could not have been more perfect, a gentle breeze in exactly the right direction on the sparkling Thames.

Aaron Reynolds, EYC's Youth Captain and former RYA Thames Valley Region Sailor of the Year, carried the torch in Havering and across the Thames to Erith Rands. An enthusiastic crowd bid him well when he first reached the Erith shore during his escort to Erith Yacht Club with a Fire Boat and the flotilla of EYC dinghies crewed by children, all part of the RYA Onboard scheme. New, specially commissioned sails sported the Olympic themes for the day.

For the journey to EYC, Aaron stood proudly at the head of the Fire boat with the torch and flame held high, waving and smiling broadly. He was greeted by cheers and the sounding of whistles and drums. Via the pontoon at EYC, he mounted the steps of the still very new Erith Yacht Club, built with Olympic legacy money just 2 years ago, to be greeted by the EYC Commodore and the Leader of Bexley Council. The building of the new Erith Yacht Club is a culmination of club effort leading to an initial grant of £2.35 million of Olympic Legacy, followed by several other large inputs from various bodies. Speeches, music and historical entertainment continued with direct reference to the famous EYC member, Alan Beckett, MBE, inventor of a patented anchor. His design was highly commended by the Admiralty and was used to secure the Mulberry Harbour sections during the Invasion.

The torch was handed over to the next torch bearer, Alan Jones who descended the steps of EYC to a way lined with the young flotilla sailors.

The event continued, cakes were cut and everyone soaked in this hugely important and exciting event for the club and for the sport of sailing in the community. The youngest member there was only days old and wore a suitable "team GB" outfit; perhaps the oldest was a well known figure in the sailing world, George Reynolds – grandfather to the torchbearer.

The sailing results for Sunday 22nd July 2012: everyone was a winner.

Understatement of the day came from Dudley Davies, a past Commodore of EYC, and proud of recognition for the club by the RYA through his new Lifetime Achievement Award. He said he thought the day was going "pretty well". Top statement of the day came from a lad of around 9, waiting to go on the water to escort the torch in one of the dinghies and having clearly expressed understanding of the importance of the event, he continued – "It's smashing, this is, just smashing."

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