Greenwich Yacht Club’s third annual fundraising cruiser race took place on 10 May.
15 boats raced to Erith Reach and back in favourable conditions of a north-east wind. The “Start When You Like” race format enabled competitors to decide their own race plan. This involved assessing wind and tide conditions to set off on the outgoing tide, and arrive at the turning point at a good time to take advantage of the start of the incoming tide.
Trackers on board each boat enabled club members to follow the race on a big screen in the clubhouse.
Race positions were calculated on the basis of each boat’s elapsed time from start to finish, plus a handicap score applied to level up the relative performance of the fastest and slowest boats.
The winner was Loflyer. Skipper John Barnard accepted the winner’s trophy of a ship’s decanter from the Mayor of Greenwich, Councillor Linda Bird. His delighted crew, Timandra Harkness and Sean Collins, were alongside.
After the winner’s presentation, a raffle represented the bulk of the fundraising efforts. Several local and boating-related businesses – including Drury Tea & Coffee, Davy’s Wines, Thames Rockets, Thames RIB Experience, the Waterman’s Livery Company, British Marine (organisers of the Southampton International Boat Show) and Royal Museums Greenwich – plus some Greenwich Yacht Club members, donated a range of amazing raffle prizes.
Over £1,800 was raised for the RNLI Tower Lifeboat Station, which is moored by Waterloo Bridge. It is the busiest lifeboat station in the country, and is responsible for the stretch of the River Thames from Battersea to Woolwich. Royal Greenwich has the longest River Thames shoreline of all the London boroughs. Greenwich Yacht Club and its members are very proud to support the organisation and crews who could one day literally save their lives.
Next year is the Tower Lifeboat Station’s 25th Anniversary. GYC welcomes expressions of interest from organisations that could possibly sponsor next year’s race. Send an email to RNLI-2026@greenwichyachtclub.co.uk.
