Sailing Section

The National PSUK Dinghy Championships have been won 4 times by members of the Sailing section.

Members also take part in offshore type sailing, using charter yachts of up to 40ft long, taking part in racing events with some members using their skills learned to charter their own boats for holidays.

The team has sailed in waters around the UK including taking part and winning the 3 Peaks Yacht race ( some years ago) We have won the PSUK Offshore sailing Championships on 5 occasions since 1997.

The Team represented the British Police at Cowes Week in 2005, this as a result of winning the PSUK Championships in 2004, coming 2nd in class from a fleet of 54 yachts.

In 2005 the team again won the PSUK Offshore Sailing Championships held in Scotland, as a result a team are again representing the British Police at Cork week during July 2006. Winning the class.

In June 2006 the Nottinghamshire Police sailing section are hosting the PSUK Laser and Dinghy Championships at Notts County sailing Club, nr Hoveringham.

Some members of the sailing section have taken sailing qualifications in their own time and we now have persons within the section who are qualified Yacht Masters, Coastal Skippers, Day Skippers, this opens up the possibility of these team members being able to skipper their own yachts.

Most recently the PSUK Offshore 09. Please click on the link in relation to the report and also some photo's and video clips.

Please excuse the unsolicited mail, but we have a very good link with the ‘Devon and Cornwall Police Sailing Association’ and we would be pleased to extend this to other forces. I am inquiring as whether any consideration could be given to us having a link on your web site or advertising in news letters.

Our rates for Police Sailing Associations are 20% less than our list price, and our Yachts and Service are particularly well maintained.

Fixtures

This is being hosted by Germany. using 22 ft yachts, day sailors, similar to the laser SB3 but with a cabin, competitors draw lots each day for the boat, it is a five day event with accommodation ashore, entry fees include boat charter, accommodation, lunches and some trips according to the web site. the crew number has to be selected prior to the first race with the numbers of crew remaining the same for the series of races, 3 or max 4 crew with 2 reserves allowed.

entry has to be made before the 15th Feb 2010 for the event in September 2010. ball park figures for the entry is about £500 a head with transport and beer on top.

I am interested in taking a team but as always leave and cost issues need to be considered. if interested have a look at the web site, non sailing partners can attend for a price. http://www.policesailing.org.uk/

If you are interested let me know, I would be looking at having 3 on board the boat purely limiting it due to my weight with 2 reserves to enable a swap round to get the best weight on board for the conditions on each day.

Dependant on those interested I would select the crew for the positions I believe the individuals have the skills in, and providing their share of the entry money is with me prior to the 10th February 2010.

short notice but this was posted on the police sailing web site some time ago however I did not see it until Dick Sivers e-mailed about it.

I think Notts Police should go one better and become Police World Champions as well as National Police Champions.

I have pulled all the email addresses off policesailing.org, so I would appreciate you passing this on to your dinghy reps if necessary and of course on to your dinghy sailors?
Just to let you know that the Cheshire open regatta will be held at Winsford Flash Sailing Club on Monday 6th September 2010.
As per previous events, briefing will be at 10:30 for first race at 11:00.
There will be three races with one discarded result.
Prize giving will be at around 16:00.
The club will be open on Sunday until around 19:00 for those who want to travel up the day before. Please do not arrive before 17:30 as there is club racing on and members will be moving their boats around.
Regatta is open to all single hulled dinghies with a recognised PY number (However the flash is not deep enough to accommodate Flying Fifteens or similar fixed keel craft).
All entrants must have the relevant insurance and buoyancy aids must be worn at all times whilst afloat.
Usual rules and conditions apply.
Entry fee is being kept at £10 for single crew and £15 for double crewed boats. At least one member of the crew must be Police officers or staff.
Feel free to email me for any further info.

The Notts A Team skippered by Pete Walters won the Police Offshore Sailing championships 2008. The fifth time on the trot.

Report regarding the Sailing team taking part in Skandia Cowes Week 2007 in J109 fleet. Cowes 07 Report

Julian Davies writes a report as the novice sailor for the PSUK offshore champs. 07 if you want a laugh!!! Report

Police Sport UK Offshore Sailing Championships 2007. Won by Notts for the 4th time in succession. Report. (Word Doc.) Large Doc. including Photo's may take time to download. To see a couple of Photo's of the event click the link. Offshore 2007 Photo's

July 06 Notts Sailing Section representing the British Police at Cork Week 06, Winners in Class, see report. Cork week

The above event was hosted by the Warwickshire Police and took place in and around the Solent and Isle of Wight.

The teams arrived at 1700 on Sunday 21st May 06. There were 23 teams from Police forces of England / Scotland / Wales. Each team comprising of between 5 and 8 persons.

Each team had chartered a Sunfast Sunsail 37 from Sunsail at Port Solent and on being allocated their yacht got down to checking it out and getting their kit aboard.

Monday- Severe gales forecast, race eventually abandoned for the day, Notts team, went to Portsmouth to see the round the world boats come into Gun Wharf Quay.

Tuesday- Still very windy but after the briefing at 6am we made our way out of Portsmouth onto the Solent. The race was to be out of the Solent across to a buoy outside Poole, around the Isle of Wight to finish near Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.
Start time. 9am expected time to complete the course of 70 miles 0100-0300 Wednesday morning.

The race started at 9.10am with a good start made by Notts who led the fleet to Cowes, we then had a tacking battle with the team from Wales who pulled slightly ahead briefly but were overtaken by Notts by the Needles who lead the fleet out of the Solent and across to Poole. The conditions were blowing between a force 4 and force 6 with large sea’s the boat taking waves over the top. By Poole we were about ¼ of a mile ahead of the next yacht from Devon and Cornwall, we then went surfing downwind around the rear of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, achieving over 13 Knots due to the wind increasing and the tide pushing us in the right direction. Despite some of the crew suffering sea sickness we carried on increasing our lead to about ½ mile by the time we got to the far end of the Isle of Wight. Lack of communication between the skipper and navigator gave ½ this lead away as we nearly missed a mark of the course and had to make a large course adjustment.
We then started the leg back into the wind near Ryde and back towards Cowes, we maintained our lead and at 20.46 hrs crossed the finish line in first place the wind had increased to a force 7 gusting force 8. All the yachts finished within 45 minutes and made our way into Yarmouth for the night. The race officer from Sunsail was surprised that we had completed the course as quickly as we had, some 4 hrs prior to the earliest expected time. We had logged 76 miles.

Wednesday- due to the wind strength and a forecast force 9 gale, racing was abandoned on Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday- Race 1, Start at 0910 due to finish near Cowes. We started with a down wind start and after the first mile pulled into the lead and maintained this around the 1st and 2nd mark. The wind had dropped to almost nothing, we headed to shallow water to avoid the foul tide and became becalmed although still in the lead.
The wind filled in from behind, the teams at the back then sailed away towards the next mark well ahead, we just sat in a hole in the wind whilst other yachts sailed around us and away. We eventually finished the race in 14th place.

Thursday Race 2. Round the cans. We led this race start to finish beating the next yacht by 300 yards. Perfect sailing conditions force 3 to 4.

Thursday Race 3. Round the Cans. A poor start was made by the skipper but by the first mark held 2nd place with the chase on to catch the leading boat from Dorset.
By the 3rd mark we were in striking distance, Dorset made a tactical error allowing us to just get into the lead, there followed a tacking battle to the finish line giving us a finish in the lead by a boat length.

As we had completed 4 races we were then allowed to discard our worst result. There fore we were counting 3 first places and leading the event by 8 points.
We spent the evening at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Cowes, a BBQ organised by Warwickshire for the teams.

Friday, Race back to Portsmouth.
The wind was back up to a force 5 gusting 6-7, racing was postponed until midday as the wind was due to decrease. At 11am we made our way to the start line, the wind had not decreased, at 12.10 we started the race knowing we need a 5th place or better to ensure victory. We made a clean start keeping out of trouble but ended up in about 10th place at mark 1. We maintained this position at mark 2 but on the short leg to mark 3 into the wind made some good tactical decisions and made it into mark 4 in 5th place. By the next mark we had overtaken the Welsh team and were in 4th place. The three leaders were some distance ahead but on the next leg we managed to reduce this lead to 4 boat lengths. We then heard that the race had been shortened the finish being at the next mark. We were sailing with the wind using the large waves to surf the boat, we managed to overtake Devon and Cornwall finishing 3rd behind Cleveland and in 1st place the Met Police ‘A’ Team.

The prize giving was held at Port Solent Yacht club, the prizes being presented by one of the competitors John Burbeck , the Chief Constable of Warwickshire.

Notts Won the event with 6 points, Met A 2nd with 11 Points and Leicestershire Police 3rd with 16 Points.

This is the 3rd consecutive year the team from Notts have won the event, in the past 5 years the team has won the event on 4 occasions.

Pete Walters (Skipper)
Alex Piggott (Main sheet trimmer/tactical) First time on the event.
Simon Judge (Winches)
Rick Priestley (Winches)
John Neaverson (Navigator)
Andy Diggle (Mast hand) First time sailor.
Helen Neaverson (Foredeck)
Paul Pilsworth (Foredeck)

As a result of the above the team will again represent the British Police at an international event, we are considering taking part in Cowes Week 2007.

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