For the August Bank Holiday the Catapult fleet heads back to the delights of Bridlington on the Yorkshire coast. Brid, as the locals call it, is situated at the northern end of a beautiful sweep of golden sand that stretches for miles from Flamborough Head all the way south to the mouth of the Humber. The sailing waters are protected by the Smethwick Bank, giving relatively flat sailing water.

  The Racing Programme will be part of the RYYC Open Regatta.

  The race schedule is
  27th August Saturday 10.00 Registration opens
                                   13-00 race briefing
                                   13.55 Warning signal for race 1
                                   Race 2 will follow ASAP after race 1

    28th August Sunday 10-55 Warning signal for race 3
                                   Beach for lunch.
                                   14-25, warning signal for race 4
                                   Race 5 will follow ASAP after race 4

    29th August Monday  10-55, warning signal for race 6
                                    Prize giving ASAP.

To whet your appetite, just think of miles of golden sand, camping behind the dunes and sheltered sailing in the bay .... just add a nice sea breeze and you have perfection!

     The entry fee will be a very reasonable £30 including the Association's prize levy. Camping will cost £5 per night with use of the Club facilities.

  (Below: the wide sandy beach at Bridlington, with sailing at any tide.)  

 
How to get there

 The Club is situated near Blyth Park static caravan site a mile or so south of Bridlington town. Approaching Bridlington from the Hull or Beverly direction on the A165, turn right at the first roundabout for Wilsthorpe. Keep straight on until you approach the sea, and swing right towards the dinghy park as it comes into view. If you are approaching on the A614 from Driffield or York, turn right at the roundabout in Carnaby, which then takes you to the Wilsthorpe roundabout where you go straight across.

  Accommodation

  The RYYC has its own camping field for tents, caravans and campervans just behind the clubhouse. Camping costs £5 per night. Electrical hook-ups are for RYYC members only, but if any are going spare you may be lucky. If you wish to arrive early or stay after the event, it would be wise to contact Chris Maw, the Rear Commodore of the dinghy section, on 07817 869129 or chris.maw@bigair75.fsnet.co.uk.

There is B&B and hotel accommodation galore in Bridlington, which is an Edwardian resort town. A Google search for Bridlington accommodation throws up a number of sites like www.realyorkshire.co.uk, www.bridlington.net or www.bridlington.co.uk.

  The social side

  The Club usually lays on a DIY BBQ on Saturday evening. There will be sausages and burgers for sale, or you can bring your own meat, or fish etc. The Club bar will be open. Then on Sunday there will be a pie and chips evening – all at ‘reasonable’ prices.

  The Club canteen will be open on the Sunday and Monday serving breakfast and offering sandwiches for lunch, which you can pre-order in the morning.

  Local attractions

  There is plenty to do for all the family. Bridlington offers all the traditional attractions of a seaside resort. Behind the town lie the relatively undiscovered Yorkshire Wolds, beautiful chalk downs that meet the sea at spectacular Flamborough Head.

Just round from the Head is the famous bird sanctuary at Bempton Cliffs, where there are colonies of puffins, gannets, razorbills and guillemots. Nature lovers can also enjoy Hornsea Mere and Spurn Point further down the coast.

The stately homes of Sledmere and Burton Agnes (close by, and very atmospheric) are well worth a visit, as is Castle Howard (‘Brideshead’) just a bit further afield. Alternatively you can walk the ancient streets of Beverley or York or visit Hull Old Town which houses the Museums Quarter, and where you can see the merchants’ houses alongside the River Hull, including that of William Wilberforce. Just a step or two away is the Deep, the largest oceanarium in the world.

So get your tent packed or your accommodation booked and head for God’s own county of Yorkshire!