Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2013/January 2014 | Page 18

Expansion
plans for
Small Ships

A

breakfast meeting of sponsors
and guests at the Royal London
Yacht Club, Cowes, preceded the
popular 10th Cowes Small Ships
Race. Talks were held to see how the event
can be expanded in future years before a
group of around 40 youngsters from the
Island were among over 200 young people
who took part in the event, that sees up to
25 Sail Training vessels take part in a race
around the Solent.
Half of each crew have to be between
12 and 25 years old, and most had never
sailed before. The Cowes Small Ships Race
is organised by ASTO (Association of Sail
Training Organisations), with generous
help from several Isle of Wight charities,

members of the Royal London Yacht Club
and the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Anthony Churchill, Cowes committee
chairman of the Cowes Small Ships
Race, said: “We hope to get more people
from Island secondary schools and
disadvantaged schools involved next year,
so hopefully around 100 Island youngsters
will be taking part.”