GCA Sailors Take on the Thames in Spectacular Tideway Challenge
Our young sailors took centre stage at this year’s Tideway Dinghy Derby, joining 150 competitors in a thrilling four-hour race along one of the world’s most iconic waterways.
Held on 20 June, the event saw 80 dinghies battle light, shifty winds and powerful tides over a 10-mile course on the River Thames, celebrating both a cleaner river and inspiring young people to get into sailing.
Seven GCA sailors lined up alongside experienced racers from across the UK, navigating beneath London’s famous bridges and past its landmark skyline in a challenge that tested skill, resilience, tidal racing.
One of the day’s standout stories was sixth-form student Elayra, who crewed alongside renowned ocean racer Pip Hare in a borrowed Enterprise dinghy. The 6 lads competed for the Thames Water sponsored Youth Prize, with Corneille delivering an outstanding performance to finish as the second ILCA sailor, ahead of many competitors with far more racing experience.
Organised by Ranelagh Sailing Club and supported by Laing O’Rourke, Tideway, Thames Water, Linklaters, LionTree and Northcross Capital, the race attracted a colourful fleet from across the country celebrating 80th anniversaries and return to the Dinghy Derby which was last held in 1977.
The event was about much more than racing. It brought together sailors, businesses and community leaders to celebrate the Thames and explore how more young people might access the life-changing opportunities that sailing provides.
Scaramouche Sailing Trust aims to take a lead in changing the tide and encourage more young people to get sailing with support from their own teachers and in their own schools.
