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.

Olympic Silver medalist Keith Musto and Natalie Jobling were both honoured and commended for their distinguished contribution to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA). Each served as a director at the sailing academy for periods of 9 years.

Keith Musto’s life in the sailing world began when he was just 15 years old and led him to become a world class sailor. In 1964 Keith won both the Flying Dutchman nationals and Europeans; and later that year he went on to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, winning a silver medal in the Flying Dutchman Class. He was also reserve in the Flying Dutchman class for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. As well as Olympics, Keith won medals at the 1963 and 1969 World Championships again in the Flying Dutchman class, and gained a bronze medal in 2008 Vintage Yachting Games Dragon class. As a director of the Academy since 2002 he has been continually involved with the development of the academy both in and off the water. In September 2010 Keith took up a challenge together with current Olympian, Nick Asher, and as a result of a sailing competition won the Academy a ‘powerPerfector’; a piece of equipment that makes a continuing contribution to reducing the Academy’s electricity costs.

Natalie joined the board in July 2002 and was vital in the early stages of the development of the Academy. She brought a strong legal knowledge to the Academy having held positions as Director of Legal Affairs at the Ford Motor Company and Director of Legal Affairs and Company Secretary at FCE Bank. Natalie and her husband, Tom, both campaign an SB3 very competitively. Throughout the important period of the development of the Academy Natalie’s expert legal advice was always available.

As a highlight of the Tullet Prebon London Boat Show, Keith and Natalie were both awarded for their service to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy with glass plaques, beautifully engraved. In Keith’s case this was with a truly fitting Flying Dutchman, whilst Natalie’s had her beloved SB3 engraved on the glass. The awards were presented by the Chairman of the WPNSA, Edward Leask. Edward is a former Olympic sailor himself and has had a lifetime’s involvement with the marine sporting world; representing GBR on the water and being involved with the development of the Academy since its inception through to present day as the official 2012 sailing venue.

Edward Leask, Chairman at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, commented; “Congratulations go to both Natalie and Keith on devoting nine years of their lives as Directors of WPNSA, which over that period has moved from being a temporary premises to now hosting the 2012 Olympics.”

On receiving this heartfelt recognition Keith Musto added; “Thank you so much for the awards. It’s been an absolute privilege to watch the venue grow from a very simple holey slipway that reached the water at low tide springs and a very old building that eventually was knocked down and converted. To watch the Academy develop over the years to what it is today is tremendous. We’re so lucky in the UK to have that facility not just for the elite sailors but also for beginners and for education. It’s a wonderful spot and the envy of every other sailing nation.”
Image 1: From left to right: Natalie Jobling, Edward Leask, Keith Musto and John Tweed

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:

http://youtu.be/MHhWQ64Uqt8

A large fleet of Sail Training vessels will race to Portland in the summer of 2012. On the second weekend in June, 300 young people from Dorset and London will gather in West India Docks to prepare for the London to Portland Small Ships Race. 25 vessels ranging from 100 year old pilot cutters to modern ocean racing yachts are due to take part in an offshore race from London to Portland, and each boat will be crewed by young people from 12 years upwards.

The charities running the vessels use Sail Training to provide life changing opportunities for young and disabled people from across the UK. Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) is working together with the Association of Sail Training Organisations (ASTO) to organise this spectacular youth event.

The ships will depart London on 11^th June, 2012 and race to Weymouth and Portland, arriving on 15^th June, 2012.  On the 16^th June, HM The Queen’s representative in Dorset, the Lord Lieutenant, Val Pitt-Rivers will start another race within Weymouth Bay by firing a cannon from the Nothe Fort. The races will be followed with a prize-giving at the Academy in the evening of the 16th.

John Tweed, Chief Executive at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, commented, “This is a first class opportunity to link young people from Dorset with London in such a positive youth adventure.  The sailing will be just a small part of the overall experience; the young people involved will also gain valuable life-skills to benefit them for a long time afterwards.  It’s a very exciting project and one we’re very pleased to be on board with.

The event has been strongly supported not only by the Sailing Academy working closely with ASTO; we have also received enormous help from Portland Marina and Portland Harbour Authority.

The spectacle provided by these remarkable vessels will be a great opportunity for people in Weymouth and Portland to come and enjoy – and start to build excitement for the very special sailing events taking place a few weeks later.”

There are 60 places available for young people from Dorset to take part in this adventure. Schools are being contacted about this opportunity, but anyone interested in taking part should contact ASTO on 02392 503 222.  To find out more about Sail Training, take a look at www.uksailtraining.org.