Gul Final Fling at Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club - Preview

There are many tales from the past of great events long gone and over the past few years visitors to the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club have been looking back with one event standing out above all others. When talk of a possible resurrection of this event reached the YachtsandYachting.com forums, some people posted their happy memories.

"I remember the then Moth national champ whizzing past us on pretty much every leg, only to wipe out every time he got to the corner." - craiggo

"The really mental one was 97, not that I attended that one, I just helped patch up the demolition derby that returned back to Shields." - turnturtle

For the uninitiated the Final Fling was an end of season open event held on the open sea south of Plymouth's breakwater. Big breeze and bigger waves were a regular feature, the event was regularly held as autumn gales funneled up the English channel. Fleet sizes were large throughout the 80's and 90's with many classes such as the larks and B14 attending in big numbers. Unfortunately the new millennium saw dinghy sailing decline and with it the fortunes of the then host club and the event was cancelled and left to gather dust.

The return of the Final Fling started slowly, brought back from those good memories an event that put a smile on everyone's face. "Wouldn't it be great to bring back the Final Fling?" a phrase said by more than one Plymouth sailor over the past few years. But talk comes cheap and it wasn't until by chance that a group of lark sailors found themselves in the Mayflower bar on Plymouth's Barbican that the spark that for the momentum to get the event back off the ground was ignited.

With the rumours about the events return circulating the internet, Local surf and sailing clothing manufacture Gul offered to come on-board as event sponsors. So this year the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club set the wheels in motion and just before the dinghy show announced that the Gul Final Fling will be held on the 24th & 25th October 2015. A few months later the name Final Fling was trademarked this will allow the club to grow the event over the next few years with the aim to be the premier autumn open event. This year the event will provide a thrilling conclusion to the Lark classes "Great 8" travellers series and we expect to see a large variety of other classes take on the challenge that this event will provide.

For a limited time a discounted entry of £20 is available to those who enter online at www.facebook.com/sailplymouthuk The event is open to all dinghies with a PY of 1200 or lower. The Notice of Race can now be found there or on the YachtsandYachting.com event calendar here.

After the racing on Saturday night will be a special party in the RPCYC clubhouse where everyone is welcome. Come and join us to whether to relive the good old days or to be part of something new, Something big, a rebirth, the one, the only Gul Final Fling.