Page 45 - Phonebox Magazine October 2006

Emberton Park Sailing Club
Each year Emberton Park Sailing Club hold a ten-hour Endurance race in memory of Des Allen-Rowlandson, a member of the Sailing Club for many years. As this is a fun event the club uses it to support a local charity, this year it was the MK Christian Foundation.
The race is open to two handed boats with a minimum of four people per team. The team members change over whenever they went in for a pit stop ala Le Mans 24 hour race. This can cause much entertainment for the spectators as someone always falls over in the haste to swap over.
As the mist lifted over the lake the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor Brin Carstens got the race underway at 10am on 10th September. The wind was very light and the boats slowly made their way round the first lap, led by the team Ent'tertainment, followed by Scouts About, Forever Hopeful, Party Nuts and Blackshadow. Navigating the course was taking an hour a lap, so to send a crew on a second lap would be condemning them to another hour in the boat, but most of them entered into the spirit of the event and carried on, at least it wasn't
raining and the sun broke through making it quite warm.
Meanwhile the teenagers with the Christian Foundation had a terrific time in the canoes, this was overseen by John Sweet, the clubs Vice Commodore and once some of the canoeists got wet, they went for a swim as well.
Ent’tertainment continued to lead and made some quite slick changes from one crew
to another, often only
changing one in the
boat, which kept the
continuity going. The
wind was beginning to
pick up as the race
progressed, and apart
from the leading boat a
few positional changes
were taking place, and
the crews were enjoying
the day, so no one was
really concerned about where they were in the race. The VIP's lunch was served in a small marquee by Marie Collins and her helpers.
Whilst the tea and cake tent was manned by the MK Christian Foundation, and burgers etc were being served up by club members, and still the sailing went on. As more experienced crews came to the boats so the positions changed, and a computer programme with a result sheet every two hours was able to show crews how they were progressing. But with the Ent'tertainment boat having the best all round crews there was little the rest could do to reel them in, but everyone tried their hardest. Councillor Paul Watson, Mayor of Olney and his wife, Dorothy joined in the fun and having shed their chains of office each crewed for the junior team for an hour.
With the wind beginning to drop again as the sun went down, it was decided to finish the race an hour early, so Councillor Paul Watson rang the finishers off at 1900hrs, and joined the rest of the club members for a well earned supper, but not before presenting the Trophies to the gallant teams and a cheque for money raised to the MK Christian Foundation.
The Winners of the Charles Wells Trophy: Ent'tertainment, Mixed Ability Trophy – Forever Hopeful, Junior Trophy – Party Nuts, Novice Trophy – Scouts About. e
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Phonebox Magazine 49
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