Saturday July 23 and the weather was perfect; the sun shining with a gentle southerly breeze at The Point, Rye Harbour, as Rye Harbour Sailing Club (RHSC) opened their doors to have a FUNdraising Fiesta. Sailing dinghies were rigged and ready to go. People had the opportunity of a taster sail on a Drascombe Lugger, cruiser or dinghy. A total of 27 people took to the water all wanting to have a go at sailing. One couple said “Even though it got a bit misty out to sea we still loved it and will come back again in fact can we join the sailing club.” The Sheppard family were also delighted to be at the event giving it the thumbs up!
The afternoon rocked to the sound of sea shanties and more from The Rye Bay Crew. The BBQ was a great success and the 25’ bouncy slide kept the younger visitors happy whilst others were attracted to the variety of Arts and Craft stalls.
At the end of the day we raised £916.35 a really great result for the club to put towards a new shower block. We have been awarded £75,000 from Sport England to help us build a new shower block with facilities that will be accessible to all. But we need to raise more money before we can start the project. At the same time RHSC Sailability, a new charity, is being set up to get people with disabilities out on the water, but without the new shower block we will not be able to become the truly inclusive sailing club that is part of our vision for the future.
It’s great to see so many people come along to the club and have a go at sailing, enjoying the experience and at the same time helping to raise much needed funds for our project. Thank you to everyone who came on the day to make it such a successful event. Also a big thank you to Active Sussex, Community Games who supported us with a grant to help run the event.
Photos: RHSC