Clyde Cruising Club celebrate their own Torch Relay 

Clyde Cruising Club attracted over 100 people to their Sail for Gold event at the weekend (9 June).

The club held a very successful open day which allowed local non-members to come along and try sailing for the first time and also for members of the club to encourage others to get out on the water.

The event took place at Bardowie Loch and welcomed both adults and children to take part in dinghy sailing free of charge for the afternoon.  

A great number of members from the local club all pitched in to help make the event a great success. Hugh McLean was the beachmaster for the day and coordinated all of the sailing activities. He received fantastic support from all the club members including some of the club’s young instructors.

Andrew Mawer, a young instructor at Clyde Cruising Club Dinghy Section, organised the club’s own version of a torch relay out on the water. It proved to be a very enjoyable way of getting people sailing as well as getting people into the Olympic spirit.  

As well as actually going sailing there were a number of Olympic themed games, quizzes and activities taking place on the shore. The weather on the day was almost as varied as the activities taking place at the event. With a great mix of sunshine, light winds and gusts there was something to suit every level of sailor and the people who were watching on the shore.  

“The event was a great success as we had loads of help from our club members. Lots of non-members came to the event so it was great to see lots of new faces out on the water” commented Jenni Kirk, instructor at Clyde Cruising Club Dinghy Section.

Sail for Gold is a programme launched by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and is supported by RYA Scotland. The programme aims to provide a framework for clubs, centres and marinas to organise on and off water events in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For more information about Sail for Gold events taking place please visit www.rya.org.uk/sailforgold or www.ryascotland.org.uk