After the crazy festivities of Christmas, and the bout of Arctic weather that we're currently in the midst of, it can feel like those lighter evenings, warmer days, and calm sailing trips are a lifetime away. But as we're almost nearing the end of January, we are suddenly starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel! With the possibilities of sailing trips churning around in our heads, we're also incredibly excited about readying ourselves for the biggest dates in the sailing calendar this year! So to make dreary January that bit more bearable for all of us, we have put together a guide to some of the biggest sailing events that will be happening in 2016.
Olympic Sailing - Rio de Janeiro: August
With the biggest sporting event of the year on the way, this year will see the Olympics take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sailing competition (the bit we're all in anticipation for!) will take place in Matina da Gloria in Guanabara Bay. These waters will pose a whole host of new obstacles to these world class sailors, with disputes over claims of polluted water and the complexity that this course will bring to sailors. But even those most experienced in these waters will have to be on their top game, as no day is the same in this bay. Over the seven days, all 10 Olympic sailing classes will be represented, including: men’s and women’s RS:X, 49er, 49er FX, men’s and women’s 470, Laser, Laser Radial, Finn and Nacra 17 (mixed). It's going to be an incredibly challenging, yet exciting sailing event with hopefully lots of world records to be made!
America's Cup World Series - Portsmouth: July
Slightly closer to home...This July we see the the most spectacular show in sailing return to Portsmouth, with the best sailors, fastest boats and a whole lot of excitement! As part of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup series, this event see's the competitors travel to locations all around the world on various circuits. This event will see world class sailors hit the water to defend their title and battle it out on high speed catamarans in Portsmouth, just one of the events that has been scheduled for 2016. Four to six events are expected to take place in 2016, with the overall ranking position from each circuit to determine their starting points score for their teams in 2017.
Pendennis Cup - Falmouth: June/July
The closest port of call to our very own shop, is the Pendennis Cup which takes place in Falmouth this summer. The Pendennis cup takes place every two years and showcases modern and classic superyachts battling against one another, whilst having to rise to the challenge of the ever changing and challenging sailing conditions that the UK. The last event took place in 2014 where 11 yachts competed over a four day period. If its anything like the last one, its set to be spectacular - the last regatta also culminated in a fantastic display of red arrows as thousands of spectators watched the spectacle!
Southampton Boat Show - Southampton: September
Taking place between 16-25th September, the Southampton Boat Show is one of the biggest boat shows in Britain, featuring the top brands and boats in the sailing world. With a whole host of events and special activities lined up for this massive event in the sailing calendar, whilst this isn't a sailing event as such, it's a great way to network, find new brands, and they'll be plenty of opportunities to get out onto the Solent for a cruise with numerous activities and experiences laid on for the event.
The prospect of these 4 sailing events will keep you going until it's time to get back into the water again! To keep up to date with all local and national boating events and news, float on over to the Mylor Chandlery Facebook, Google + and Twitter!
