ZAPCAT RACING – BLUE SHEETS YARMOUTH RUN A SUCCESS
Due to a last minute pull out of a major sponsor, the Sandbanks Grand Prix was cancelled this weekend. Though a huge thanks has to go out to James, Blue Sheets’ owner who at short notice while also working at the Southampton boat show arranged for boats and friends to meet up for a rally over the weekend over to the Isle of White for a bit of fun, to still give teams an outing, and even put some money behind the bar for everyone as a good will gesture.
Saturday provided gorgeous blue skies, and even though the teams would loved to have been racing, turned up at the hamble for a bit of light hearted fun, and some much needed hours in the boat. We had an array of crafts joining us from RIBS, jet skis, as well as the Zapcats. The plan was to go over to Yarmouth from the Hamble, take our time, and stop off for a bit of boat swopping on the way, and get over there in time for some lunch, while showing the boats off to all the holiday makers on the beaches. Apart from an early swim from Aaron on his jet ski, who usually races with Nial in Blue Sheets 3 the run over was great fun with boats trying out new tweaks against each other, and lot of friendly banter.
Arriving as a flotilla into Yarmouth attracted a lot of attention from a packed marina, as the beautiful weather had bought everyone over to the island for the day, and everyone was very interested in the boats, and what they could do on the water. A quick pub break was enjoyed by all, even more so due to the money behind the bar generously provided by James as a good will gesture for the racers for making an effort to still get out on the water. The break also gave all the racers a chance to chat about the season so far, their views, and ways the racing could be improved. We even had a bit of celebrity spotting in the marina with Bear Grylls showing off his Antarctic expedition RIB.
The teams then went up to the needles to try and find some waves to play on, and get some great photos, before heading back to the hamble. The day provided a great opportunity for the teams to see each other’s boats up close, drive each other’s boats, and swap ideas and tips on getting them running better.
The day was a great success, and a good time was had by all the teams that took the effort to come out, with some new faces for the 2011 season turning up as well. A huge thanks has to be given to James for arranging and making the event happen, and I’m sure it won’t be the last time such an event will be held!
Author: Rob Martin (Blue Sheets 1)
Article and picture courtesy of Blue Sheets Racing. For more information on Blue Sheets and the Blue Sheets racing teams please visit the Blue Sheets website.
