Royal Air Force Yacht Club

Cheerful, willing and eager - the smiling crew of Chris and Vanessa Choules Sigma 38 “WITH ALACRITY” celebrate an outstanding victory in the Sigma 38 Offshore One Design Nationals over the bank holiday weekend. Despite stiff competition from several former Olympic class sailors scattered around the fleet, The Choules returned a consistent series of  four out of seven 1^st places over the 4 days and nights of the competition and proved to be one of the most popular winners for several years.

This year’s Sigma 38 nationals began with an overnight race from Portsmouth to Poole, won by

WITH ALACRITY, closely followed by 23 year old newcomer and first time skipper, Maddie Fenner sailing GALLANT,  another RAFYC boat, with the hardened crew of  PAVLOVA 111 snapping closely at her transom to take third place.  Such a tight finish after more than 12 hours of night time offshore racing helps to explain the resurgence of interest Sigma 38’s have enjoyed in recent years.

 After a rest period, the Sigma 38 fleet  enjoyed  two more days of tight inshore racing as part of this year’s Poole Regatta. A total of 13 Sigma 38’s and over 100 competitors took part in this year’s event. 

 Sigma 38 Offshore One Design is an award-winning, one-design racing yacht, designed and built in Britain in the 1980’s. Sigma 38’s owners enjoy a particularly active Class Association, currently in its 22^nd year. The 2009  Round-the-Island race saw some thirty boats dominating their division with similar numbers expected this year, demonstrating the enduring appeal of a classic design offering build quality and value for money, second to none.