DSWC, Twilight Sailing and 49ers
31-May-07
It’s been a couple of years since Ed introduced me to the concept of sailing in London… no, not on the Thames, but in the old Millwall Dock, formerly the hub of the British trade empire, now home to skyscrapers, executive flats, and last but not least the DSWC, a rather cool not-for-profit trust-owned community sailing and watersports centre. I can’t emphasise what a great place this is – it’s basically non-exclusive, open to all ages and walks of life and funded by the trust and (I think) grant money. They also get local kids involved in the centre through their Youth Afloat program, so it’s really community facing.
But the real reason I go there is for the Twilight Sailing, which runs every Wednesday night over the summer. It’s an idea nicked from the Aussies – basically, you are all supposed to whizz round a sailing race course, downing a tinnie for each marker bouy you pass. This continues until sundown, at which point, in typical Aussie style, you all dock your boats and go have a massive barbie and get even more wankered.
Sadly, the public waterways laws over here are a bit stricter than they are in Oz, so instead of drinking out on the water, you just race your boats until sundown, then rush to the barbie and get pissed really quickly before closing, which is more the British style.
Still, it’s pretty cool sailing a boat on this massive dock, surrounded by the Canary Wharf towers and various other skyscrapers, as the sun sets behind the buildings, and you scramble to control the boat as another insane gust of wind nearly capsizes you. Yes, the presence of all those tall buildings makes for some very interesting wind patterns. Last night, me Ian and Chloe really thought we were going in the drink at several points….
Needless to say, the barbie is bloody excellent as well. And all this for 20 quid! It really is a great experience, and not the kind of thing you expect to be able to do in ole landlocked London.
I am now thinking of joining, and finally getting round to doing my RYA-1 and RYA-2 qualifications (been sailing since I was 11 without any qualifications at all!). They also do tidal / river sailing training, and the big Yachting qualifications as well.
However, I think ultimately I want to be able to learn how to sail one of these babies…. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 49er, a rather quick and somewhat unstable 16 foot skiff…. bit of a bugger to control, as this video demonstrates…