Dinghy delight: Sailors rewarded for fine year on water

Chris Merryfield-Day, with daughter Katie Merryfield-Day and the Petworth Youth Band, played music while members of the dinghy section arrived.

There were prizes for the Optimist fleet, some of whom had hotfooted it from a birthday party.

Prizes were awarded for the Optimist race fleet and the Optimist junior race fleets and for the turbo regatta.

The Topper youth sailors were awarded certificates by Martin Orton to mark their progress, with some moving into Fevas this year and others joining squads as they develop their racing skills.

After a Chinese buffet, the evening progressed to the club race series awards. This year more than 45 people had been placed in one or more race series, with each being awarded an engraved glass to commemorate their achievement.

When the trophies were awarded, the most successful team were Chris Grosscurth and Emma York who had been most consistently placed over all the summer series.

Phil Allen won prizes for long-distance races, Derek Jackman for best-placed Solo, and Helen Green won prizes in multiple competitions, each with a different crew.

This year the midweek sailors celebrated the achievements of Terry Moore and Simon Allen who were awarded prizes for their contributions to their group.

Two prizes were awarded to recognise contribution to the dinghy section.

A new trophy named after long-term and much missed members of the dinghy section Malcolm and Sylvia Pye was awarded to Jo Dipple for her co-ordination of the midweek sailors’ group.

The Abate trophy was awarded by Mark Green, rear-commodore dinghies, to Clive and Claudia Bush for their considerable efforts in developing the Optimist fleet at Chichester YC.

Green presented flowers to Biddy Colebourne for her continued work as section secretary and running the tea bar, and to Meryl Deane, who worked hard to organise the prizegiving event.