Commemorating Queen Elizabeth the First's immortal Armada speech at Tilbury Fort in August 1588, this 35 NM challenge against wind and tide is a new event in 2019
Co-hosted with Erith Yacht Club, this event caters for both competitive racers and more social sailors who wish to extend their skills in a longer sail. Taking a cue from events such as the London Marathon, entrants are encouraged to raise money for the charity of their choice - we suggest you fundraise via www.justgiving.com.
The event is open to members of Thurrock Yacht Club, Erith Yacht Club, Gravesend Sailing Club, and Greenwich Yacht Club.
Full information is available in the Notice of Event.
Established: 2019
Course: Erith YC - Thurrock YC
Briefing: 0800
Start: 0900 delayed to 1000
HW: 0704
Wind: E 1-2
“We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.”
Yes, the weather was great for sitting on a beach watching yachts bob about, but not so great for competitive sailing. With light easterly winds forecast the event committee made the difficult decision to start the race 1 hour later than scheduled, and to shorten the course to a short “sprint” from Erith to Thurrock. The winds were simply too light to safely transit the Tilbury Docks area under sail alone.
Despite the conditions, 11 boats from three clubs made the Erith start line, with a number of Thurrock boats having made their trip upstream the night before. The ebb tide was running at its peak and the boats all stayed a respectable distance upstream, doing their best to get some way on as the count down commenced. The start showed the Erith boats displaying some local knowledge of their home patch, leading the fleet out into the Long Reach.
Unusually there were few shipping movements to interrupt the fleet, and they certainly created a picturesque site as they spread out from Purfleet to the Dartford crossing, the boats competing more against the conditions than each other.
The wind gradually built up to a barely respectable Force 2, and it was almost an hour and half before Valencia crossed the line at Thurrock. The final boat crossed 45 minutes later. Beers and barbecue commenced soon after!
So the event didn’t quite live up to our ambition for a longer distance challenge, but it was a great day and we all made new friends with members of other clubs. Unlike the 1588 version, this Armada will return!
| Line Honours: | Valencia |
| First Overall: | Valencia |
| First Erith boat home: | Valencia |
| First Thurrock boat home: | Sparkle |
| First Greenwich boat home: | Shuda |
| Highest Handicap boat to finish: | Solvik |
The official race video can be viewed on the TYC Youtube channel.
The support boat took a number of photos which can viewed on the TYC Facebook page. High resolution copies are available for a minimum £10 donation to the RNLI on our dedicated justgiving page.
Armada Challenge - 24/08/2019 at 1000
| Rank | Boat | Class | SailNo | Club | HelmName | PY | Elapsed | Corrected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | Beneteau First 325 | GBR3529T | EYC | A. Thomas | 965 | 85.53 | 1.29.00 |
| 2 | Sparkle | Minstrel 680 | 4 | TYC | M. White | 1254 | 112.59 | 1.30.06 |
| 3 | Shuda | Bowman 26 | 17 | GYC | S. Olaffs | 1127 | 105.15 | 1.33.23 |
| 4 | Southern Knight | Colvic Sailer 32 | TYC | D. McLean | 1198 | 115.50 | 1.36.41 | |
| 5 | Marlin | Jouet Tarantelle | EYC | N. Pikesley | 1055 | 102.01 | 1.36.42 | |
| 6 | C'est La Vie | Leisure 27 | GBR4387L | EYC | D. Mapp | 1029 | 100.12 | 1.37.23 |
| 7 | Linnet | Mirage 28 | 412 | TYC | T. Jackson | 1092 | 108.05 | 1.38.59 |
| 8 | Us 2 | Sabre 27 | GBR4956L | TYC | T.Baker | 1208 | 122.22 | 1.41.18 |
| 9 | Solvik | Westerly Nomad | 272 | TYC | M. Newman | 1254 | 135.02 | 1.47.41 |
| 10 | Solar Eclipse | Sundream 28 | EYC | J. Cusick | 1037 | 115.09 | 1.51.02 | |
| 11 | Midas Touch | Jaguar 25 | 1288 | TYC | G. Earley | 1108 | 136.37 | 2.03.18 |
Need crew for the Armada? Find them on our dedicated Tendrr Page.
Entry Form and Risk Assessment