Before half-term, a group of four intrepid girls made their way to Weirwood Sailing club for the annual schools sailing regatta. This is the first time the school has had not one but two pairs competing in a sailing event, so it was a truly pioneering moment! After a short briefing which followed the event registration, the girls kitted up and headed down to the launching area to rig their boats. On launching it was noted proudly that their boats were two of only a few to have even been rigged correctly out of the entire fleet, giving them a strong advantage sailing upwind.
Some advice about the rules of racing and tactics for starting were given before launching and sailing off to the starting area. Shortly after arriving at the start the race sequence began and the girls were away. The course that had been laid consisted of 4 marks to round covering all points of sailing and after the first race the boats all began to improve their sailing strategies. With moderate conditions and some high gusts of wind most crews took at least one dip in the reservoir, but the girls righted their boats without any trouble and persevered round the course.
After two races in the morning the sailors returned to shore for lunch before heading back to pontoons to rig up once again for the final afternoon race. However, a massive squall came over just as the boats were about to relaunch bringing much stronger winds and pouring rain. This caused the organisers to end the event slightly early, but with many sailors having busy lives they all took it on the chin and got ready to head off to their evening activities.
The two teams from BHG were Courtney and Niamh from Year 10 who placed 6th overall and Orlah and Tilly from Year 7 who placed 7th out of 23 teams. This was a fantastic result considering the girls are all new to racing and this was their first regatta sailing together. And, thanks to the parents they looked very smart in their matching Burgess Hill caps with their names embroidered on the back!
