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If you're looking for something special to do to celebrate the
Queen's Diamond Jubilee or would like to add a new dimension to your
summer cruise this year then why not sign up for the RYA's Passage to
Portland event.
It's a great way to celebrate the Queens
Diamond Jubilee and the forthcoming London 2012 sailing events over the
Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend (2-5 June), whilst enjoying your summer
cruise.
The weekend's celebrations centre on a British
Street Party themed event at Portland Castle which follows on from a TV
screening of the Thames Jubilee Pageant earlier in the day.
This
unique event gives you with an exclusive opportunity to tour the
Olympic and Paralympic sailing venue ahead of the Games, get a
behind-the-scenes look at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta and hear all
about the British Sailing Teams' preparations for London 2012.
There
will also be the opportunity to watch the sailors racing in the regatta
with commentary from double Olympic gold medallist, Sarah Ayton.
For sail and motor cruisers
Aimed at sail and motor cruisers,
participants will make their own way, by boat, to Portland, where we
have pre-booked berths for three nights at Portland Marina.
"Places
are filling fast, so now really is the time to book if you don't want
to miss-out on the opportunity to celebrate the two big events of the
year with us", explained Passage to Portland coordinator Celia
Edgington.
Passage to Portland isn't just for boaters
from neighbouring ports, it's open to everyone. There are already a
number of boats coming from the West Country and the East Coast, so why
not make the most of the double bank holiday and integrate Passage to
Portland into your summer cruise like Andy Beharrell.
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On board his Sadler Starlight 39 'Charmary', Andy Beharrell and his
five-strong-crew will be making the most of Passage to Portland when
they sail down as part of their summer cruise. We asked him a few
questions about coming to the event.
How long will it take to get to Portland from your home marina?
My home port is Tollesbury on the East Coast so I anticipate it will
take around 4-5 days but I'm allowing about 10 days for the weather and
to hopefully have a chance to cruise around the Solent a little on the
way.
I am using the event as a good excuse to start
taking the boat round Britain, so from Portland I plan to carry on
heading west and will winter the boat either in the West Country or
hopefully quite a bit further north. In 2013 I then hope to complete the
trip round Britain through the Caledonian Canal.
Why did you decide to come along to Passage to Portland?
I
am a keen dinghy sailor (as are all my crew) and also sail a GP14 so
have followed dinghy racing a lot over the years. I have always raced a
lot as well as cruised and so will be following the Olympics closely.
The opportunity to see the Olympic venue and watch some racing (albeit
not the Olympics itself) was one that was too good to miss. And of
course as my excuse to start my round Britain trip.
What are you most looking forward to?
Watching the racing and touring the Olympic venue.
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