SSC 24hr Sail
This year being the 10th Salterns 24 hour sail for Children in Need, the event is being supported and attended by more celebrities from the world of sailing than ever before, from both the local area and further afield. Some of these include (shown in order of appearance.)
Lt. Colonel Stuart Jardine OBE: Stuart won his first British title at 16 and has gone on to clock up many more. He dominated the Firefly and 12' National classes for several years and has more recently done the same in the J24 and XOD classes. In 2006, 50 years after Stuart first won the XOD class at Cowes, we entered the same team of Stuart, Ado and Jane P-P, a remarkable feat. He has been to 4 Olympics, where he won races, but sadly never a medal, sailing in the Star Class. He is a fantastic helmsman, but readily admits that he is the worst crew in the world! Now 75 years young, in August this former Olympic sailor and tireless supporter of sailing at all levels won the fiercely-contested Cowes Week XOD title for a record 7th time. Stuart sealed his 2008 series with a blazing 3rd in a windy and carnage-strewn final race from a fleet of 81 entries, including champions past and present (among them a certain Ben Paton, who he will be starting this year's 24 hour sail with at 4.30pm on Friday 14th November) This victory deservedly won him the honour of the Seahorse magazine's Sailor of the Month.
Ben Paton: Ben presented the certificates at the end of the 2005 24 hour sail as one of the country's top Laser Radial sailors, having begun his sailing career at the Salterns. He will be returning to start off this year's event at 4.30pm on Friday 14th November having fulfilled his dream, as the 2007 Laser Radial World and European Champion. Ben has now moved into the 49er class, a double-handed skiff, and is embarking on an Olympic campaign.
Major Adrian Jardine: Adrian (Ado) Jardine, a dominant figure in the XOD class in Lymington, has been to 3 Olympic Games in the 5.5m class, culminating in the winning of the bronze medal in Mexico 1968. Ado will be around from 8.00am on Saturday 15th November, complete with bronze medal, to join in the Bronze at Breakfast session and hopefully some of the fun during the rest of the day.
Nigel King: Nigel, a celebrated yachtsmen from Lymington, has sailed over 90,000 miles since falling in love with the sport at the age of 18. This journey has included involvement with Volvo Ocean Races, Olympic trials, the Jules Verne Trophy, and some of the world's top skippers such as Ellen MacArthur and Mike Golding. Nigel made the decision in 2004 to campaign for the Vendee Globe and recent projects include writing regular articles for Yachts & Yachting and involvement in La Solitaire du Figaro, one of the most competitive solo fleets in the world. Nigel will be around on Saturday 15th November and is prepared to take children (and adults!) for sailing trips on the Salterns.(click image for website)
Major Tony Hibbert MBE MC : Major Hibbert was actively involved in fighting during the Second World War, he was Brigade Major to the 1st Parachute Brigade at Arnhem, was taken prisoner when the bridge was overrun but managed to escape with the help of the Dutch Resistance. Just before V.E. Day in 1945, he was involved in keeping the Russians out of Denmark in 'Operation Eclipse', which he describes as,'an unfolding drama in the last 10 days of WW2 in Europe, in which we saved Denmark and perhaps the world.' Following the war, Major Hibbert became a very successful businessman, and was the founder of a certain Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington in 1961. He and his wife moved down to Cornwall in the eighties to run the beautiful Trebah Gardens near the Helford River. We are honoured that Major Hibbert will be joining us on Saturday 15th November to present the certificates at the end of the 24 hour sail. It is an amazing opportunity for us to meet an incredible man who we all owe a lot to, not just for the Salterns but for his days fighting in Europe over 60 years ago.(click image for website)
And more...who knows what you might see or who you might meet down at the Salterns on the 14th and 15th of November?