ISC/Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria Sailing Exchange
Published 11:26 on 16 Apr 2024
At the start of April, Effie Grant and I represented ISC for an amazing opportunity as guests of sailors of our age from Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria yacht club.
This 3-day event was kindly organised by ISC member, Michael Ewart-Smith at the suggestion of his friend Jorge Cantero from Gran Canaria. Michael assembled a British team from ISC, Winchester College and Sherborne School who sail at Bembridge and Sutton Bingham.
Pablo (think of him as RCNGC's equivalent of Ryan) arranged a regatta for us in RCNGC's 18ft keel boats called Ideal 18s. The Ideal18 has a large mainsail, self-tacking furling jib and large symmetric spinnaker and, as most of us were dinghy sailors, this was a new type of boat for the British and Gran Canarian sailors.
Racing in 25 degrees and 10-16kts was in shorts and T shirts. We had one day of practice racing and then windward leward fleet and team racing. It was close and it was amusing to see the locals being ticked off for failing to take advantage of the local knowledge and wind bends around the sea wall!
Our RGNGC hosts could not have been more welcoming. The club was beautiful with a 50 meter salt water swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym, paddle tennis courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, sea swim area and the formal restaurant. All for its 1,200 members! We had free use of the club and were impressed by their wall of fame featuring 18 RGNGC Olympic sailors with a tally of six gold medals. A very successful club.
We all stayed with host families near the club and they looked after us very well, showed us around and took us into town for ice creams.
On one of the evenings we had a beautiful Spanish dinner at the club and the Brits exchanged club pennants with RCNGC. ISC's pennant should be hanging there to welcome any visitors from Itchenor in the future.
We now need to think how we might return the favour to our generous hosts.
Huge thanks once again to Michael Ewart-Smith for making this happen.
Archie Leaver
Last updated 11:26 on 16 April 2024
