Welcome to the Maritime Mix – London 2012 Cultural Olympiad by the Sea. As the host for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events, 2012 is a special year for the area.

It’s a year we wanted to celebrate by creating an exceptional programme of cultural work reflecting the diversity of creative talent to be found in the region, complemented by the best from the UK and around the world.

Here you will find world class outdoor theatre, mass choral performances, Earth science and the arts, panoramic video projections, music, dance and street celebrations. Most are free, and many involve local participants as well as professional artists from both the disabled and non-disabled communities. I am also pleased that some of these events have been recognised as part of the UK-wide London 2012 Festival.

None of this would be possible without the commitment of the artists and producers involved, the communities they have worked with and the huge support of Arts Council England, Dorset County Council and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council. Thanks also to Relays, the Legacy Trust UK project in the UK. Collectively their efforts have made it possible for me to say: welcome to the Maritime Mix-London 2012 Cultural Olympiad by the Sea. Enjoy!

Check out Maritime Mix – London 2012 Cultural Olympiad by the Sea www.maritimemix2012.co.uk

The 2012 sailing venue will be working with The Chalk Legend a large Dorset community-based music and dance project inspired by London 2012. With the WPNSA being a hot spot for medal racing this summer, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in partnership with Dance South West, Dorset Music Service, Panoscope & Artsreach have also chosen to find a path to make 2012 memorable through a mix of music and dance. The group devised The Chalk Legend, a large scale music, dance and multi-media event which will culminate in a spectacular presentation at the Academy.

The inspiration for The Chalk Legend is rooted in the past of Dorset, taking as its starting point, the discovery of the decapitated skeletons of young Scandinavian men, made during the construction of the Weymouth relief road, in 2009. A

The WPNSA will be hosting The Chalk Legend on site during Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of May heralding the start of the summer months with a project that has received the ‘London 2012 Inspire Mark’. The performances are directed by Richard Williams, with designs by Jane Janey, choreography by Neil Brown, and lighting design by Fridthjofur Thorsteinsson. Costumes and props have been made by students from the Arts University College at Bournemouth.

Award winning composer Stephen McNeff, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s former Composer in Residence, is writing a series of musical works that start at the village hall scale and work upwards to an astonishing presentation at the WPNSA involving over 300 instrumentalists, singers and dancers as well as featuring two international solo singers.

Tickets are £9 for adults and £5 children.

For further information please visit:

www.chalklegends.com

The lasers are now underway with their second race of the day visit web link for results

The Fayre is a wonderful opportunity to meet and chat to a wide range of local wedding specialists and suppliers, who will all be gathered under one roof, for one day only! Anyone looking for their dream wedding cake, ideal photographer or ultimate wedding car can come along, see what’s on offer and plan their perfect day.

Dorset’s newest Wedding Fayre (at the venue for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) promises to be a very special occasion. Doors open at 11am for the fair and close at 4:00pm, with admission £2 (free with flyer), which includes a glass of bucks fizz on arrival and canapés.

The highlight of the day will be the two bridal fashion shows at 12 noon and 2.00pm presented by Valerie Honeywill of Wedding Whirled and featuring dresses from Oxfam and Girls of Elegance and suits by Moss Bros. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early and take a seat near the catwalk – so that they don’t miss the beautiful gowns on show.

Our wedding soloist Naomi Mulroy will be entertaining throughout the day and there will also be a “first dance” performance on stage. A dedicated ‘groom zone’, interactive workshops and crèche will help to ensure that brides and grooms simply can’t afford to miss this event! As an added bonus, couples can enter into a competition to win a wedding at our venue.

Refreshments will also be available in our cafeteria that boasts a stunning view of the Jurassic coast.

For couples yet to find the venue to hold their wedding reception this is also an opportunity to have a look around the Spinnakers Function room to see what it has to offer. There are still dates available for wedding receptions in 2012 and 2013, so whether you are planning an intimate dinner for or a large party, we are sure to be able to help and will even give a 20% room booking discount if the booking is made on the day.

For further information please visit our website www.wpnsa.org.uk or contact Claudia Webb on 01305 866000 or email Claudia.webb@wpnds.org.uk.

Sailors will test their mettle against one another in the waters of Weymouth Bay, getting to grips with the kind of conditions faced by Finn class gold medallist Ben Ainslie and other champion sailors.
The yacht racing programme has been backed by the chief of the Weymouth and Portland academy, John Tweed, who said the event would offer some of the most competitive racing around.
He added: “Sunsail is seen as a leader in quality yachting events and I know that this worldwide renowned brand fits with the commitment to excellence that the Academy prides itself upon. I am anticipating that the new 2012 racing programme will be extremely popular and I look forward to hosting a real mix of big boat sailors at our award-winning venue which will see some of the most competitive racing ever this coming summer in Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay.”

In March (1st to 4th) the first leg of the programme will get under way, with the Chase the Gold Regatta pitting crews against one another in a race between Portsmouth and Poole. Once they’ve crossed the finish line there will be the opportunity to race in-port at the RNLI College. The second leg will see competitors racing to Weymouth, and it’s hoped the sailing will give the sailors an appetite, as a gala dinner will be laid on at the academy. But once appetites have been satisfied there’ll be more racing to get on with. The final day will see competitors fight tooth and nail for a medal, ahead of a glittering ceremony.
In May the Gold Medal Regatta will see sailors descend upon Weymouth to compete over two days (4th to the 6th) in a bid to be named champions of the town. Once the event is over, competitors may want to look into arranging some corporate sailing on the Solent for their workmates.

Simon Conder, UK Head of Marketing, said: “The new Medal Racing Programme is an exciting addition to the Sunsail Racing events programme and is a fantastic opportunity for amateur sailors to race and train from the prestigious Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.”

Mr Tweed is amongst the highly distinguished international speaker panel invited to Estoril, Portugal for two days of discussing key topics from the world of yacht racing, as well as presenting many new initiatives and ideas. The WPNSA is part of a series of talks from high profile yachting experts including; Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race – Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of Offshore Challenges Thirdpole so instrumental in Ellen MacArthur’s successes – Global Ocean Racer, Dee Caafari MBE and Jim O’Toole, CEO at the World Match Racing Tour, as well as Jerome Pells, International Sailing Federation, Secretary General.

John Tweed will share with the Forum delegates a personal insight into the UK venue which will host the sailing disciplines of world’s largest sporting event on the planet during 2012. This will cover the history of the 2012 sailing venue, logistical processes undertaken to host the Olympic and Paralympic sailing competitions, sustainable projects to boost interest in sailing on site, the unique opportunities the venue offers for arena style sailing events and a lasting positive legacy on the local area post Games such as the economy, internet services and transport links.

John Tweed, Chief Executive of the WPNSA:

“Having previously sat in the audience at the World Yacht Racing Forum and listened to both past and current greats of the sailing world debate the merits of industry, it came as a great honour this year to be a member of the high profile speaker panel. I am very much looking forward to sharing our story of the Academy’s success, development and on-going opportunities for post Games with the Forum delegates and value my role as an ambassador for UK yacht racing to the international audience”.

Chris Edwards, one of the C-FLY design team and who is leading the way in a new dimension of high speed sailing, explained his reasoning for selecting the venue which is hosting the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

‘C-FLY can reach up to 40 knots in the right conditions and therefore we require a very large expanse of water to conduct our trials. We recognised the WPNSA as having one of the most extensive and sheltered harbours in the UK that is available for sailing. This gave us confidence that we could complete the trials in a controlled environment.’

‘Launching from the Academy gave our team direct access to the test area using the extensive slip ways. We could also head out on the water at any time of day due to the slipways being accessible at all states of tide and wind, which ultimately gave us excellent flexibility for our testing.’

After crossing Portland Harbour at speeds above 25 to 30 knots, the trials were continued outside the harbour in Weymouth Bay. This provided conditions for open sea trials in the English Channel, a real test for any craft. Encountering waves of 1.5 metres, C-FLY demonstrated her exceptional sea-keeping and ability to continue hydro-foiling safely at speed, a clear aim of this project that seeks to solve the difficulties of sailing at very high speeds both safely and in comfort.

For your chance to view the sea trials of the C-FLY in Portland Harbour please visit: