Ramsgate Week 2022 is now over. From a sailing point of view, the conditions this week have been challenging– with record breaking temperatures, strong winds, little to no wind and high humidity to name just a few of the conditions that crews have had to contend with over the past 6 days of racing.
From Sunday – Friday visitor numbers to the town of Ramsgate have been consistently high. The positive response and feedback regarding St Lawrence College’s sponsorship and involvement in this historic regatta has also been brilliant to see.
Before we reflect on the successes of the week and the performances of all involved, we cannot do this without acknowledging an incident that happened on the water on Wednesday, 20th July which sadly led to the tragic death of a much loved and respected member of the racing fleet.
The entire St Lawrence College community send our condolences and prayers to his family, friends and crew. On Thursday, 21st July after a short morning service on the quayside to reflect on the tragedy, it was decided that the sailing would continue and so the racing got back underway in very light wind shortly thereafter.
The St Lawrence College sponsored yacht ‘Kabluzo’ ended the week strongly with a 3rd place in the QE Cup on Thursday and a 4th in class on Friday for the Gold Cup.
Rob Smith, owner of the Kabluzo, reflecting on Ramsgate Week said:
We’ve had a great week of sailing. We have performed much better than we thought and have come 3rd overall. Next year we will have a better rating and will look to build upon our performance.
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the sponsorship from St Lawrence College and the polo shirts have looked great on the crew. The crew themselves have been fantastic, especially considering some of the conditions they’ve faced.
Looking ahead, we want to encourage young sailors to the sport and will explore taking St Lawrence College pupils out throughout the year, where possible. And for Ramsgate Week next year, we will be happy to make an extra space on board so a member of the St Lawrence College community can join us for every race!”
