Beautiful Bosham boasts brilliant Optimist Open
by Sarah Shepherd 20 Jun 2021 12:02 BST
13 June 2021
On Sunday 13th June, Bosham Sailing Club was delighted to host its annual Optimist Open event. After the 2020 event was cancelled due to Covid, this year's event saw record numbers, the sun shone and all youngsters had a truly glorious time. This was Bosham Sailing Club and Chichester Harbour at their best.
The Optimist dinghy is sailed by youngsters from 8 to 15 years old and covers the very amateur sailor to the highly competitive national sailor. Bosham catered for everyone, and whilst there were numerous members of the British Sailing Team participating, there were also many for whom this was the first major event. Above all, everyone had great sailing and a large amount of fun and enjoyment.
The 90 boats were divided into two fleets, a Main fleet for the more advanced, competitive sailors and the Regatta fleet for the younger, more novice sailors. The Main fleet sailed in the main Chichester Harbour channel just off the Thorney Reach whilst the youngsters were much closer to shore.
Sailing conditions were tricky with light winds and strong tide, compounded by the fact that the tide changed during the day. The Main Fleet managed to complete four races whilst the Regatta Fleet completed three races. An armada of boats arrived to join the event from Hayling Island Sailing Club, which was a true sight to see, whilst other competitors came from south coast sailing clubs including Parkstone, Lymington and Hamble. One competitor came as far as Wales!