God Save The Queen – Long Live The King
Following the Loss of Her Majesty The Queen we will all experience significant sadness as Her Majesty has been such a driving force for us all. Therefore the Class will be in a state of Mourning until the Funeral on the 18th of September and will respectfully reduce all activity accordingly.
It is the intention of the 420 class to continue with the Warsash Grand Prix but amend activity as a mark of respect.
We have been in contact with and noted the initial guidance from the RYA.
The decision to continue is based on the Warsash Grand Prix being a qualifier event for the 420 winter teams and squad selector, therefore, the Class and the RYA feel there is a material impact to sailor selection for the upcoming season. As such the Class and WSC have agreed to continue with this event over the weekend of September 10th and 11th 2022.
The official Government advice for sporting fixtures on their website is for any events in continuation, is to adopt a period of silence and the wearing of black armbands as a mark of respect.
As a Class, we would like to mark the occasion with a formal 2 minutes silence at the briefing and we have arranged for black sail head ribbons to be flown by all boats during the competition.
We will also require all sailors and boats to be presentable on and off the water.
- please wear appropriate clothing at all times during this event in all locations on and off the water.
- Remove anecdotal writing or stickers on boats.
- Sails should have class insignia, GBR, Union Flag and Sail number only with a black ribbon adorning the head cassette.
- Hulls should be clean and presentable with Bow Numbers correctly aligned. Sponsor logos and an appropriate boat name are allowed.
- The class will not be supporting any social activity and we ask that evening meals are respectful of the environment and others during this period of mourning.
- We may ask that you attend a class or club requested activity in addition to that of the 2 minute silence held at the briefing. This will be notified via the Warsash GP6 What’s App group.
Her Majesty personified the phrase “Keep Calm and Carry On” and globally set the standard for what is often referred to as British spirit. As such the expectation is nothing less than to continue with our pursuit of excellence as a class on and off the water.
I ask as Chair and personally that we act as ambassadors and conduct ourselves respectfully with decorum at all times.
Most clubs will continue with a level of sailing program however, the mood of the sailing fraternity will be a sombre one, as such we will be cancelling the prize giving. Trophies and prizes for this Grand Prix will be awarded at the next event.
Thank you
James George
James George
420 Class Chair
