Bowmoor Sailing Club

Bart’s Bash

BOWMOOR Sailing Club took part in what is hoped will prove the world’s biggest sailing race – Bart’s Bash – on Sunday (September 21).

Bart was the name friends used for Andrew Simpson, the Beijing Olympics gold medal-winning sailor who tragically drowned while training on the Swedish America's Cup challenger vessel Artemis in San Francisco Bay. The Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation has been created to continue work with youngsters. The charity organised a global sailing race and fundraising event in which thousands of sailors at sailing clubs around the world joined a race to set a new Guinness World Record, raise money for charity, inspire the next generation and remember Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson.

Bowmoor had a total of 53 boats in the race, 17 of which were Grandmasters (over 55s), 12 Masters (45-54), one Apprentice Masters (35-44), three Standards (16-34) and 14 Youth (U16).

There were nine two-handed boats so a grand total of 62 Bowmoor sailors took part.

The race was verified by ex-club members Joan Tyrrell and Dave Goulding.

This was especially poignant for Joan as her son Kieran learned to sail in Optimist dinghies at the same time as Andrew and the two families met several times at Bowmoor for open meetings.