GSC Blog
We are RYA’s Community Club of the Year 2024!!
Gresford Sailing Club has won the RYA Community Club of the Year title in recognition of its commitment to making the sport accessible for all.
The RYA Club of the Year Awards supported by Gallagher were presented in front of a packed audience on the main stage at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show supported by Sunsail at Farnborough International on Saturday 24 February 2024.
Gresford SC was named RYA Community Club of the Year and thanks to sponsorship from Suzuki Marine, Rigiflex andExtreme Trailers, won the prize of a new safety boat to support its on-the-water activities.
The Community category celebrates those who provide meaningful, welcoming and inclusive opportunities, with Gresford SC one of four finalists for the title from a total of 14 exceptional clubs shortlisted for the 2024 awards.
Chief instructor Simon Jones said: “We couldn’t believe it when we were announced as the RYA Community Club of the Year! We were so excited and to win a new safety boat on top is fantastic, we will certainly make good use of it to support our junior sessions and training. It was really generous of the award sponsors and it will be a brilliant asset for the club.
“We really appreciate all the hard work that our members have put in over the years to get us to where we are now. It is wonderful for everyone involved with the club to achieve this national recognition.”
Leading the way
Volunteer-run Gresford SC is located on The Flash on Old Wrexham Road, between Wrexham and Gresford, and since its inception more than 60 years ago the club’s ethos has been to provide low cost and affordable sailing for local people.
Adding his congratulations, RYA Cymru Wales CEO James Stuart said: “We are delighted to see this award for Gresford SC. Sailing is all about engaging communities and creating that sense of belonging, and this is what the club does so well. We are about to launch our five-year strategy, Together on our Waters, which aims to see as many people as possible enjoying our amazing sport. Clubs are so important in realising this ambition and Gresford SC is leading the way.”
The club runs both informal sessions and racing, and as an RYA Recognised Training Centre provides courses and activities for all ages. The club also has Stand Up Paddleboarding and a model boat section, and is an RYA Sailability venue providing opportunities for people with disabilities to get on the water.
The quality of its provision for children and young people aged 8-18 is RYA OnBoard recognised for developing sailing and life skills, with weekly sessions and through partnerships with local schools, the charity All Afloat and Scout groups.
Members are now looking forward to getting back on the water for the start of the main season in March.
Discover Sailing
Have you ever wanted to dinghy sailing? Perhaps you used to go sailing and would like to take it back up. Come and see us at GSC on the following days to have a go and join in the fun.
14th May Sunday 1030 Social Sailing for all, a chance to crew and helm some of our club boats, If the weathers good we will have a BBQ on site so bring you bangers and burgers.
16th May Tuesday
1830 -Social sailing
17th May Wednesday
1030 Model boat session including DF racing.
1830 Dinghy Racing, come and try dinghy racing with one of our experienced helms.
18th May Thursday
1830 Social dinghy sailing
19th May Friday 1800 Friday night Juniors, Sailing instruction for our junior members, bring your child along and see how they can learn to sail safely with us, who knows you might catch the sailing bug too!
20th May Saturday
1030 Dinghy racing
1400 Model Boating session including DF racing.
There is a small chance you may end up getting wet, so please ensue you bring a change of clothes and a towel. we have hot showers and changing rooms on site 🚿
This is the last weekend to vote!!!
Gresford Sailing Club “Probably the Smallest Sailing Club in the World”,
is a Finalist for the prestigious RYA “Club of the Year 2023” Award.
Please vote for us, follow this link:
https://awards.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/gresford-sc/
So how did, “probably the smallest sailing club in the world”, get to be a contender for this prestigious national award?
Why should the Kids have all the Fun?
We started “Engaging Mums”
• Providing Child Friendly Informal Adult Training on Saturday mornings led to new sailors joining our Frostbite Race Series
• With increasing confidence “Novice Parents” quickly became “Willing Helpers”.
• Willing Helpers are now becoming Assistant Instructors
“If it works for a lone parent it can work for anybody”
S4C At The GSC
An S4C film crew came to Gresford SC last week to film a piece for the HENO show in January.
A cold bright day with thick ice on the Flash so no sailing. The Modelers put on a display of their models and played with Eddie’s new toy a small hovercraft (Dear Santa…..)
Martin and Bethan from Ysgol Penrhyn New Broughton were interviewed about the All Afloat Schools programme and Chris was interviewed about our nomination for RYA Club of the Year, then as the sun was setting Carys one of our juniors was interviewed too. Loads of film of the frozen Flash and our Modelers discussing their models.
We will update you when we know when the Heno show is going to be aired in the new year.
Gresford Sailing Club “Probably the Smallest Sailing Club in the World”, is a finalist for the prestigious RYA “Club of the Year 2023” Award.
Please vote for us, follow this link: https://awards.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/rya/
“Probably the Smallest Sailing Club in the World”
We are a finalist for the prestigious RYA “Club of the Year 2023” Award.
Please vote for us, follow this link: https://awards.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/rya/
So how did, “probably the smallest sailing club in the world”, get to be a contender for this prestigious national award?
Part 1: History
Gresford Sailing Club was established by Arthur Jones and Reg Gibbs in 1959 with an ethos that “Cost Must Not Be a Barrier to Participation”. We sail on the 6-acre Flash near Wrexham. So far as we know this is the smallest lake used for a dinghy sailing club anywhere in the world.
Very much at the “Grass roots” of the sport Gresford Sailing Club is not elite and it is certainly not at the forefront of technical innovation.,
Prize-giving 2022
A very cold & frosty morning greeted us at The Flash. Chris Jones literally broke the 6mm of ice with the dory. This & lack of wind led to Chris’s decision to cancel the last Frost Bite Series race.
Simon Jones (Commodore) thanking all in attendance for what has been a very good year for the club.
We managed to train 5 dinghy sailors this year, 2 to RYA level one & the other 3 to the higher level 2. Simon then presented level two certificates to Alex, Donna & Mia.
Dinghy Winners-
Frost Bite Series: 1st Lee Wheatley 2nd John Young 3rd & 1st Junior Isla McKeown
Presidents plate: Simon Jones
Presidents plate crew: Peter Barker
Ladies Trophy: Heather Bennet Williams
Commodores cup: Alan Rogerson, 2nd place Dave Hopkins
Summer series: Simon Jones, 2nd place Alan Rogerson
Enteprise trophy: Lee Wheatley
Capsize cup: Peter Barker
Wednesday Evening: 1st Lee Wheatley, 2nd Place Dave Hopkins
Arthur Jones Trophy: David Jones
GP 14 cup: Rob Beswick
Rookie trophies: Donna McKeown, Mia Young
Junior Endeavour: Freya Bennett Williams
Bermuda Trophy (Safety Boat): Steve Locke
Model Winners-
The model section has gone from strength to strength with Dave’s coaching & race organisation skills. We have several new members participating, some are ex dinghy sailors which is always a bonus.
Marblehead Class : 1st Alf Bridford, 2nd Bill Jones, 3rd Eddie Edwards
One Metre Class: 1st Eddie Edwards, 2nd Bill Jones, 3rd Barrie Finneren
DF 95 Class: 1st Dave Bradley, 2nd Keith Pizzey, 3rd Ian Barraclough
DF 65 Class: 1st Dave Bradley, 2nd Keith Pizzey, 3rd Bob Andrews
Most Improved Rookie Racer: Alan Dixon
Regularly Participating All Round Modeller – Alan Dixon
Best Tug Pull – Ray Jones. (He succeeded in towing an ‘O’ Boat with crew very successfully).
Most Prolific Rookie Builder – Alan McLellan
Weatherman Walking at GSC
In case you missed it BBC Wales has kindly provided the segment that was filmed at The Flash this summer
GSC on The BBC
There’s a small segment filmed at GSC during tonight’s Weatherman Walking Children In need special on BBC One from 8pm!
Gresford Sailor Elin Breaks Records in the Round Britain & Ireland Race
Elin Jones from Gresford Sailing Club and her Skipper Lou Boorman from Pembroke have been awarded the Royal Western Yacht Club’s Endeavour Cup for their part in the RWYC’s 2023 Round Britain & Ireland Race. They are the youngest team ever to compete in the race, finishing 6th overall in their first offshore race. Lou, who celebrated her 20th birthday a few days before the race, is the youngest ever skipper. Elin at 19 is the youngest ever female participant.
The Endeavour Trophy is a special prize voted for by all the competitors in the race. The decision was unanimous.
The RB&I is a 2 handed sailing race starting from Plymouth with mandatory 48 hour stopovers in Galway, Lerwick and Blyth before returning to Plymouth. At over 2000 nautical miles long the race has been described by Sir Robin Knox Johnson, himself a 4 times winner, as “The toughest race in Northern Europe”.
It was not all plain sailing for Elin and Lou; on the first day they had battery problems and navigated to Galway without any electronic aids, using paper charts and Elin’s grandad’s old hand-held GPS. During leg 2 to Lerwick they were riding Storm Alex for 5 days from St Kilda to Shetland. By the time they reached Muckle Flugga, the northern tip of Shetland, the waves were over 10m high. Light winds plagued the next 2 legs. The tide stopped them rounding Flamborough Head for 5 hours. On the last night of their race their genoa halyard broke. They carried on by hoisting the genoa with the spinnaker halyard. They celebrated their finish in Plymouth at 22:48 on 26 June with Champagne and kebabs.
Elin & Lou have raised over £3,000 for Alzheimer’s in memory of Elin’s Grandad and Lou’s Grandmas all of whom died with the condition.
Elin started sailing at Gresford Sailing Club at the age of 8 in Optimist dinghies, before progressing through RS Fevas and Toppers. Gresford Sailing Club is RYA’s Welsh “Club of the Year 2023”. We will have more details in next month’s Essentials Magazine.
Gresford Sailing Club 