Newsletter 11 02 26
Published 17:00 on 11 Feb 2026
Welcome to WKSC Newsletter
A round up of Club news this week... including sailing, training and upcoming social events. Also included are links to current boats for sale.
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A View from the Bridge
Dear Members,
A change of tack this week — our Commodore is taking a well-earned week off from editing View from the Bridge, and I have willingly stepped into his big shoes.
For those who do not know me, my name is Jonathan Atkinson and I am currently the Vice Commodore at West Kirby Sailing Club. Since the creation of an additional Rear Commodore role at WKSC, the Vice Commodore position has evolved and now acts as an Assistant to the Commodore, working closely with Chris due to the expanding scope and growing complexity of the Flag Officer roles.
This week has been a typically busy one at WKSC, with highlights including a fascinating Thursday Talk by Steve Longmore, who was back by popular demand. This time Steve mused about the mysteries of the multiverse and the probability — or more accurately, the extreme unlikeliness — of us all actually being here. Another full room of enthralled members trying to comprehend the meaning of life!
Next week, Stuart Wood will be giving us all an insight into the Manchester Ship Canal on Thursday night, starting at 7:30pm. Suitable for all ages, so please come down, support the Club, and learn — a lot!
Over the weekend, Liverpool University hosted the BUSA (British Universities Sailing Association) Northern Qualifiers with support from WKSC. We welcomed 16 university teams over the two days. The Northern Qualifiers are one of five events around the country, with the top four finishing teams qualifying directly for the Finals. Teams placed 5th to 8th in the regional qualifiers move to the playoffs to compete for the remaining spots in the BUCS-BUSA Team Racing Championship Finals.
Thankfully, the weather gods were smiling (sort of), with no interruptions from either too much or too little wind. After some close and competitive racing, the four qualifying teams were, in finishing order: Manchester Purple, Newcastle Brown, Durham Black and Queens University Belfast. These were followed by Sheffield Gold, Durham Red, Durham Purple and Lancaster Red, who move to the playoffs to compete for the remaining Finals places.
Well done to all the qualifiers and to all of our gallant competitors who livened up our weekend at WKSC and provided a great spectacle of team racing.
Whilst the event was very efficiently hosted by Liverpool University, it goes without saying that without the expertise and hard work of Chris Hoppins and his team in running and managing the racing, umpiring, and the many volunteers at WKSC — including the Beach Team ensuring boats and crews were ready to sail; the Team Racing Team preparing the Club Fireflies to the highest standard; House, preparing and serving our visitors gorgeous breakfasts and lunches; the Captains Team providing ribs for our umpires; and of course Tim and the bar team keeping us refreshed — it would not have been the success it was.
Our guests were an absolute delight to host from start to finish and are all welcome back anytime!
This week we have Radio Sailing on the lake on Thursday, with Illusion Racing on Friday.
On Sunday we have all dinghy classes taking part in Arctic Lake 11/12 — please keep warm!
Anyway, its time for me to sign off… normal service will be resumed next week!
Jonathan
Sailing and Club Calendar - What's on this week
Radio Sailing Thursday 12 February, 14:00
Thursday Talks & Tunes: Stuart Wood Thursday 12 February, 19:30 - 21:00
Illusion Friday 13 February, 14:00
Training Saturday 14 February, 10:00 - 13:00
Six Nations Saturday 14 February, 14:10 - 19:00
Arctic Lake 11 & 12 All Dinghy Classes (L) Sunday 15 February, 11:00 FOOD AVAILABLE
Six Nations Sunday 15 February, 15:00 - 18:00
RYA VHF Radio Course 15 Feb 2026 Sunday 15 February
Gentlemen's Lunch Wednesday 28 January, 12:00 - 14:30
News & Notices
Thursday Talks and Tunes - Tomorrow - Thursday 12th February 19:30 - Manchester Ship Canal
Following the success of Stuart Wood talking about the SS Daniel Adamson, a beautifully restored steamship, he's back this week to talk about the Manchester Ship Canal. We will pass round a donation bucket again, so please bring a bit of cash.
All welcome. Please come along, grab a drink and a seat, and enjoy the evening.
Lake Licences - Hot off the Press
We have just been informed by the Council that their efforts to secure a sub contractor for the north end of the lake have been delayed and consequently they have agreed the continuation of an en bloc agreement with WKSC for the 12 months to 31 March 2027.
This is good news for you, our members, as you will benefit from an economic annual licence that we can offer you per boat, compared with buying a licence per person from the Council.
More information to follow but in the meantime please do not buy your Lake License from Wirral Borough Council.
If you have any queries on the above please do not hesitate to contact me.
Jonathan Atkinson
Team Racing - BUSA Northern Qualifiers
16 university teams visited WKSC last weekend for this event, hosted by our members - Liverpool University SC
The wind cooperated, the event went off without a hitch and all the sailors enjoyed the racing which is the main thing. I hope you were able to watch some of the racing - it is always a spectacle on the Marine Lake. Many thanks to all of the members who helped before and during the event.
The top 4 teams go forward to the BUSA Finals at Queen Mary SC in April.
Results:
1st Manchester Purple (WKSC members)
2nd Newcastle Brown
3rd Durham Black
4th Queens University Belfast.
Congratulations to them all.
Kay Eggleton
Rugby 6 Nations in the Main Room - This Saturday & Sunday
All the matches will be shown at the Club.
Safeguarding
The RYA have produced some useful guidance regarding using the changing rooms. the poster attached can be seen in all our changing facilities, please take some time to review it.
There should be no usage of cameras or filming at any time within these spaces. If you have any concerns please contact safeguarding@wksc.org.uk for support.
The Galley
Helen returns this week - Click here for the menu
Sailing Matters
SAVE THE DATE REMINDER:
FRI 17/7/26 ROUND HILBRE RACE
SAT 18/7/26 DEE SC REGATTA
SUN 19/7/26 WEST KIRBY SC REGATTA
MON 10/8/26 - FRI 14/8/26 WKSC SAILING EXTRAVAGANZA WEEK
Please note:
The 2026 Sailing Programme is available as a PDF on the website under Sailing. You need to Login to get it.
COMING UP:
Thursday 12th February 17:30 - 19:00 Mirror Group Working - (varnishing)
Sunday 15/2/26 Arctic Lake 11 & 12 11:00 Start All Dinghy Classes under code flag W)
followed by a Prize Giving in the club house. Food Available.
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BUSA TEAM RACING - NORTHERN QUALIFIER AT WKSC last weekend.
I got to watch only a little of the BUSA Northern Team Racing Qualifiers last weekend but great to see enthusiastic University teams enjoying the competition in reasonably good conditions - on Sunday; a decent breeze with patches of blue sky showing up. Saturday wasnt so pleasant but better to finish is good conditions. Manchester UNI finished top of the tree. Liverpool and Manchester Universitiy Sailing Clubs are Affiliate Members of WKSC SC in case you didnt know.
BUSA Northern Qualifiers last weekend ( pics Alan Jenkins)
CULMINATION OF THE ARCTIC SERIES NEXT SUNDAY
There was no club racing last weekend but this coming Sunday 15/2/26 sees races 11 & 12 of the Arctic Series - the last two races of the series FOLLOWED BY A PRIZE GIVING for the series in the club house. Food will be available to warm you up after racing. Im not going to tempt fate by mentioning the current weather forecast for Sunday and anyway its far to early in the week for an accurate forecast for Sunday BUT as mentioned previously its very close at the top of the leader board so even if conditions turn out to be a bit hostile there should be plenty of competitors and certainly worth watching. And theres food on afterwards too
…. have I mentioned that already ?Yes - ( silly old fool ! )
420 Winter Championships at Draycote
Neil Marsden and Merle Nieuwland (CBYC*) won the 420 Winter Championships at Draycote Water SC (Nr. Coventry) last week-end. Patrick Bromilow and Tom Kelsall finished 5th overall. Just one place lower Olivia Creasy was crewing from Harry George of Lymington Town SC. Third in the Open Female category came Isobel Sandow and Edie Rogers. First in the Under 17 Mixed Category Eve Bromilow and Tom Underwood. There were 37 boats competing. Well done to all concerned for flying the flag for WKSC. *CBYC = Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.
The Mirror Project
Hows it going Tony ? I could say we are plodding along but that might attract snorts of derision to which there would be a response like Oddball in Kellys Heroes (one of my favourite films) … There you go again with those negative waves! The reality is that there is a frustration felt when things dont happen quick enough but there has been a lot of progress. Im not going to brag but I am going to say THANK YOU to all of those who have worked on, are working on, have shown enthusiasm in many different ways (and continue to do so) - every little helps. Even to the doubters I say Thank You - you spur us on ! Remember the target 15 x Mirror Dinghies on the water at the beginning of the season.
Welcome to Steve Rooney - the latest member of the WKSC Mirror fleet and of course hes one of the Introduction to Racing Gang !!!
Bought his Mirror last week-end.
Where? - not here and not yet
The Golden Series (continued)
The Jubilee Pursuit Race this year planned for Saturday 5th May. This is one of those crazy races when anything can happen. Why is that ? Conditions on the tide are very variable. Why is that ? The estuary is 4.5 miles wide. The tidal range means that within a very short period of time theres rush of cold water into the estuary. That must have some effect on the local weather conditions (wind direction and velocity) and experience tells me it does. You can be lucky or unlucky because of that. And then theres the PY handicaps which of course will be wrong if you turn out to be unlucky or right if you are lucky… And then theres the race officials - Will they start the race on time and finish the race accurately at the end of 90 minutes the elapsed time of the slowest boat upon which all other staring times are based…AND finally theres YOU. Will you start on time, sail the right course and the best course to sail with respect to tidal flow and sail your boat well…… WELL thats all to seen and only if you compete.
The Jubilee Pursuit Race 5th May 2026 - the second race of the five race GOLDEN SERIES - open to all boats.
Next week the description will be of - The Mostyn Race.
Thursday Night Talks.
Have you been to any of these yet ? No - you have missed out on some great talks. Yes - well done - theres more to come before the sailing season really gets underway. You might want to put in to your diary that on Thursday 5/3/26 Mike Hartley (Rear Comm. Sailing) and Tony Marston (Sailing Sec.) will talk about Gardening (?) boats in gardens, boats on the water, boats SAILING ….Something along those lines.
The following Thursday 12/3/26 David Taylor (assisted by me if really necessary) will conduct a real protest hearing between Liz Potter and Tony Clark (the protestor) in front of you the audience. There will be a break followed by a theoretical protest of a real situation that occurred on the lake where a reaching start from the south end led to the first mark (mark 7) of the course. What happened at mark 7 Tony ? You will have to attend on Thursday 12/3/26 to find out !!
COMING UP:
Theres some interesting races coming up and because the handbooks are not expected till later on in March, I will take every opportunity to remind you of these events. They are in the Sailing Programme which is on the website.
The week-end after next, Sat 21/2/26 HW 13:13 9.31 Mtrs and Sunday 22/2/26 HW 13:54 9.09 Mtrs theres a Tidal Special on both days. SIs nearer the time but start times 12:00 and 12:30 respectively. Theres likely to be two races each day.
Tony Marston
Sailing Secretary.
Training
Click here to book your Training Courses
The First Aid Course is suitable for any adult and is especially important for instructors whose First Aid certificates have expired or will soon expire.
Events
Thursday Talks and Tunes
Just turn up on the night, grab a drink, take a seat and enjoy the evening. The event starts at 7.30pm.
Hilbre Annual Dinner - 28th February
Everyone welcome.
Helen's Sunday Roast
WLYC 24 Hour Race 2026
What is the 24hr race The Southport 24 Hour Race, hosted by West Lancashire Yacht Club (WLYC), is a prestigious, annual dinghy sailing endurance event on Southport's Marine Lake, combining intense team racing with a massive community festival, attracting clubs from across the UK for a non-stop test of skill, strategy, and stamina, featuring boat classes like Enterprise, GP14, and Firefly. Last won by WKSC in 1968
Race Format Duration: The race starts at 12 noon on Saturday and finishes at 12 noon on Sunday, running continuously through the night. Location: The race takes place on the enclosed waters of the Southport Marine Lake, which contains two islands. Teams: It is a team event, with most entries consisting of around 18 sailors per boat. The race is a test of teamwork and endurance. Also needed is good shore-based team to support and encourage the sailors. Crew Changes: Teams operate in shifts (typically one to two hours) and can only change crew in a specially dedicated docking area. Competitors are not permitted to sail for more than one team during the event. Scoring: The winner is the boat that covers the greatest distance (most laps) in the 24 hours. Lap times are tracked, and the relative performance of each lap is calculated based on the average duration of all laps completed within specific time intervals. Boats: The race is sailed in classic dinghies, with recent events including the Enterprise, GP14, and Firefly classes. Categories: Various categories exist, including 'Unrestricted', 'Masters', 'Ladies', and 'University' teams, which compete for special prizes. The event, hosted by West Lancashire Yacht Club (WLYC), is a major social gathering in the UK dinghy sailing calendar, with loud music and large number of spectators. The event is set up on the Friday afternoon and normally kicks off with a party in the evening.
Check out the link to last years videos of the event.
Please join the WhatsApp group to express your interest. Our ultimate goal would be to have two teams, one for taking it seriously for which helms and crews are needed, the other one would be a more relaxed team to get as many people out to experience at least one lap of the lake and to feel the buzz of the event with no pressure.
We need you
Helms
Crews
Shore Team
Help fundraising
Sponsors
No age limitations Juniors welcome (especially for light winds!!)
Snooker
Fixtures
25 Feb Wallasey YC - Away
04 Mar Dee SC - Home
18 Mar Hoylake SC - Home (Billiards)
Wednesday Winter Quiz - Every Wednesday 8pm
Absolutely everyone is welcome. Get a new team together or turn up and join one. The quiz is a great way to stay social over the winter months.
Other Information
| Boats for Sale |
Boats for sale - Click here to view all Boats for Sale on the website. |
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Last updated 19:02 on 11 February 2026