As we got to the riverside, the thunder rumbled ominously, the sky seemed to darken only over our little beach and we dared not look up for fear of raindrops in our eyes…
It’s a coordinated mission from both sides of the Helford River to get the tables and crates of refreshments to our remote little beach at Porth Sawsen so our first thanks go to Mark Mercer of Helford River Boats for ferrying us on their super Sea Truck.
“The team were fantastic and we had a Regatta to be proud of - it was everything we could have wished for”
As we disembarked and started to set up, last year’s Yellow Weather Warning was set to repeat itself as the rain began to drench us, the tablecloths and the raffle prizes. But then our wonderful friends from A&P Falmouth appeared and, in apparent testament to how lucky we’ve been to have their support, the sun began to shine!
And boy did the sun shine – as the beach (used with kind permission from Chris and Rosie Fawell) began to fill with friends of the charity, parents and children, laughter and a champagne cork or two filled the air.
“Thank you to the whole team for a wonderful, joyous afternoon. Events like this take a lot of hard word to organise but so worth it when we can see how much fun the children (and grown ups) had.”
Children’s Sailing Trust River Regatta 2024 was held on Friday 12th July, with competitive activities both on and off the water playing from 4pm to 6pm, the final 15 minutes reserved for awards. There were 80 primary-aged children booked to take part from local schools; Wendron, Grade Ruan, Flushing, Constantine, Mawnan Smith plus a group from our Home Educated pupils.
Long John Lucy (Lead Instructor) peeped the whistle in a way the children recognised as meaning ‘line up in your groups and listen to me’, while the adults looked on and so the boats took to the water! There was a wonderful mix of activities rotated between each team, allowing for a mix of skill sets and different personalities to have the chance to shine – from dinghy racing and kayak relays to quizzes, Megaboard inflating and the fan favourite, sea shanties, where each team had to create and perform their own original piece!
While all this fun was taking place, a selection of food and drinks were served, thanks to our event sponsors A&P Falmouth who paid for the event. CST have benefited greatly from being chosen as their charity of the year, 2023/2024, via fundraising and sponsorship but also sheer hard work as volunteers doing everything from cleaning and boat maintenance to running our Regatta Raffle!
This year’s raffle was jam packed with goodies, generously donated by Budock Vean, St Michael’s Spa, St Austell Brewery, Healey’s Cider Farm, Truro Cookery School, Finisterre along with many other worthy prizes – we’re so grateful because the frenzy of ticket buying on the day raised £772.20!
Final thanks go to all the staff, trustees and friends who volunteer their time to such things, Helford River Gig Club, Gear Farm for the yummy food, Ferry Boat Inn for use of their fridge, and each and every person who has supported not just this event, but the work of Children’s Sailing Trust.
“We are so lucky to have such a great team of hardworking management, instructors, volunteers, trustees and of course child participants. An organisation like this takes so many different skillsets to make it work and the symbiosis is no mean feat. I feel so proud to be part of such an enterprise.”
To finish off a wonderful evening, the winning team were announced to screams of joy as the elated team of ‘Blobfish’ from Mawnan Smith Primary School launched themselves from the audience to receive their gold medals and the coveted plaque, presented by Drystan Jones from A&P Falmouth. Drystan gave a short speech on how impressed by all participants, who in turn thanked his and his colleagues with thunderous applause and cheeky grins.
Every year the young people who attend our charitable sailing programme continue to impress us with their bravery, tenacity and progression, overcoming personal challenges and learning life skills to take with them on whichever path they choose going forwards. We’re very proud of each of them and look forward to welcoming some back as Assistant Instructors (and potentially members of staff) in the future!
