Spring has sprung for Shadowfax Racing!

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for your continued support during the Winter. We kicked off the start of the new season with drinks at the fantastic Ranelagh Sailing Club in London and we're busy behind the scenes too, spring-cleaning the mighty Shadowfax and finalising the Summer fixtures: we hope to see you on the coast soon.

We are still keen to hear from crew who can help out with our Summer schedule, either on the boats or from the shore. Provisional schedule is given below and also features on our website:

Taster Day Sunday 23 April
Sunday 18 June 2017
Saturday 24 June 2017
Sunday 2 July 2017
Saturday 8 July 2017
Saturday 22 July 2017
Sunday 6 August

If you think you might be available for any of these dates please complete this survey to let us know what you might be able to do.

What is your availability? - Click here

Charitable donation

We are delighted and grateful that fellow sailor Gregory Nasmyth has generously supported Shadowfax Racing for 2017, enabling the charity to continue our work with young people. We first met Gregory, his wife Samantha and the team of Jarhead two years ago at one of our fundraising events. Since then we have raced alongside Gregory as part of the Middle Sea race and are delighted that he is also donating one of his own yachts to helping children in the Mediterranean learn how to crew and to develop their relationship with the ocean. Shadowfax Racing relies on the support of the yachting community and Gregory's donation will ensure that many more children from inner cities get the opportunity to thrive in the competitive team environment that being part of a racing crew offers.

L. O. L.

Any romantics over the age of 35 may be thinking this newsletter is being sent with “Lots Of Love”. Any younger and you’ll likely have hopes of “Laughing Out Loud”. But as a Shadowfax Racing supporter you know that it’s actually about an amateur boat racing campaign that provides LEARNING, gives OPPORTUNITY and teaches LIFE SKILLS.
LEARNING: The volunteer sailors are keen to impart all they know to inspire and challenge the trainees.

OPPORTUNITY: Being offered the chance to get out of the city into a new and very unique environment, trainees become motivated to extend the experience, or to seek new opportunities elsewhere.

LIFE SKILLS: With the opportunity and learning, our trainees will gain confidence both on, and off, the water.

Ranelagh Sailing Club drinks kick off Shadowfax Racing season

Between us we raised £326!!

A big thanks to the Ranelagh Sailing Club – and Brian in particular – for the support they show us. It was a great night, with lots of old and some new faces turning up to support and become more involved with the sailing program this year. Special mention to the Worboys family whose luck was in scooping up some coveted raffle prizes including “A Seaman's Guide Pocket Book of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea” (I’m sure that’ll come in useful). A big shout out to the great bar staff Pete, Ollie and Matt – you were like a well(ish)-oiled machine guys! Thanks to the combined efforts of the drinks and raffle ticket sales we raised a fantastic £326.44, which is a brilliant start to what we plan to be Shadowfax Racing's biggest and best season to date!

What's Next?

1st & 2nd April - Winter Working Party

There will be a fun-filled Shadowfax Racing working party on the 1^st/ 2^nd of April in Hamble, to make sure the boats look their very best for the new season: a burger lunch will be supplied! Drop us an email to info@shadowfaxracing.org.uk if you want to come along, the more the merrier!

Sat 7th October - Shadowfax Racing Ball

Many of you have been asking if we will be holding another ball this year. The good news is the answer is YES!

We have decided to move the date to the end of the season so we can focus on getting the training season organised and the ball will be a big celebration, after what we expect to be our biggest and best season yet. So get the date in your diary and look our for more details coming over the next couple of months.