Compared to last year the day started brilliantly it wasn’t raining or a gale blowing. It did start a bit cloudy from over the Isle of Weight but soon the sun came out and it turned into a wonderfully warm and sunny afternoon with a perfect breeze.
We had a trickle of visitors at the start both young and old and it picked up rapidly as the day progressed until the club was buzzing with excited people most of them wanting to have a go on a boat.
There were many different boats available to try. We had nine boats altogether ranging from a 16 foot catamaran for the brave and foolhardy to the smaller Pico’s. A sturdy Wanderer ploughed the waves to give the visitor of a more sedentary disposition a dignified and steadier ride.
A good BBQ went down well with the smell wafting over the Calshot spit inviting all to come and have a look -with sausages and burgers available -I think Sam burnt a few just to increase the smoke so it could be seen and smelt for miles, that was his excuse anyway!
There seemed to be lots of children about all wanting to get on a boat of some sort. It was fun to see the parents getting into the spirit of things- lead eagerly by their children and to see the parents left on the shore while their offspring happily jumped on a boat for a sail.
Three Rigid Inflatable Boats were on the water to provide safety cover and also the odd ride when available.
During the Open Day we were visited by Dr Julian Lewis, MP, Councillor Paul Woods, Councillor Alexis McEvoy, and Councillor Leslie Puttock, who is chairman of the Leisure, Culture & Youth panel.
Many people showed great interested in the club and its facilities and commented on its great location. It was pointed out that many club members also owned canoes and the fantastic opportunities on the Ashlett Creek side of the club with it’s often much calmer waters.
The very active and successful Friday club was highlighted giving the juniors and some adults the opportunity to hone their skills with racing, intermediate and novice groups. Calshot activities centre was promoted as a great place to gain the RYA level 1 and 2 grades for competent sailing.
A brilliant poster was on display showing photos from the last Family fun weekend only the week before this event. This showed us sailing/raft racing/building, snow boarding and generally having a whale of a time both on and off the water (it only rained once and that was overnight!) Overall the open day was a success. The aim to get as many on the water as possible, safely and without incident was thoroughly achieved and enjoyed by everyone. We highlight our club to all as being a friendly and good place to be. My personnel aim to get children off computers and into an active and mind expanding sport outside in the fresh air was well done.
As Sir Robin Knox Johnson said on his H20 show on Radio Solent “it’s safer than horse riding”
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