Well we certainly had the weather for it this year!
What glorious sunshine we were blessed with for our 2026 Annual Inter-schools Regatta (although a little cloud cover wouldn’t have gone amiss!) but that Vitamin Sea really did boost the appreciation of just how lucky we are where we live.
Looking out at the children getting stuck in with the water activities in the natural Cornish environment really brought home how much of an opportunity we afford them – an opportunity that so many young people miss out on.
Our regatta is a culmination of all the hard work put in over the sailing season, celebrating the wins big or small, and awarding medals to all in recognition of what each child has achieved personally and as a school group. There is of course an overall winner on the day – and that group not only get their special gold medals (handmade from recycled plastics by Helston-based One Blue Eye) but the glory of the wooden plaque, held aloft by delighted students who scored highest across all the activities.
This year the winning school was…
Mawnan Primary School!
From sailing relays to kayak races, it was definitely the parents who made the most noise, cheering loudly and shouting instructions from the shoreline! For many of the adults, it was the first time they’d witnessed their child demonstrating these skills – feedback is mainly on the difference it’s made at home and in the classroom in terms of confidence and enthusiasm – so this is a great chance to see the physicality of the sport.
Everyone fell silent when it was time for the finale, though – the children take the sea shanty competition very seriously and this year, the teams stepped efforts up a gear to perform the most original ensemble. While some were a little shy, everyone was impressed by the singing, improvised percussion instruments and general talent all round. We even had one small team entertain with an instrumental shanty with violin and accordion!
As always, the children did us proud and we hope they feel just as proud of themselves for all they’ve achieved, whether as simple as putting on a wetsuit for the first time, learning to rig a boat, or overcoming a fear of water. Well done all.
Our regatta is quite the logistical nightmare – located on a remote beach with no facilities, it spectacular in its location but with no running water, toilets or phone signal, it takes a special team to make it work.
We’d like to thank all those who helped make this year’s regatta happen, from the bottom of our hearts.
Thank you to all those behind the scenes; Christopher and Rosie Fawell for year-round use of the beach, Ferry boat Inn for accommodating our freezer needs and Mark of Helford River Boats (pictured) with our Sea Truck taxi service! So, so appreciated.
Event Sponsor: Polurrian
Without corporate sponsorship, the regatta simply wouldn’t happen, so we are grateful for their support and look forward to working with them more in the future!
Our incredible volunteers:
We’ve always had a great team around us, supporting our watersports activities to ensure everything happens safely. But we’d also like to give a big shout out to our ‘Port Navas Ladies’ who went above and beyond this year, on a baking marathon to deliver the best sausage rolls (sorry, Gear Farm) and sweet treats; slaving over hot stoves and lugging it all to the beach for an even hotter service was nothing short of miraculous. It also meant we were able to turn our event around into a much-needed fundraiser, selling food and drinks to all beach visitors.
Our raffle prize givers:
Our ever-popular raffle was full of fabulous prizes thanks to our fundraiser Anna’s campaign of networking. Companies are inundated with raffle requests year-round, so we truly appreciate those that were able to donate a prize, big or small, including:
ALCHEMY TILES
MOR MAID
CORNISH SEAL SANCTUARY
BOJORROW PLANTS
ST EWE EGGS
ONE BLUE EYE
TREBAH GARDENS
ORIGIN COFFEE
It was our first year presenting the regatta as a fundraiser and we are thankful to say it was very well received with lots of ‘keep the change’ and interest in signing up for more information. We’re on a mission to get our charity back to pre-covid days, embedded in the community, for the community, so prepare to hear much more about our mission from here on out. But let’s start with the fabulous total we raised from our little gathering on a hard-to-get-to stretch of shore on the Helford River:
£1698.85!!!
And finally, thank you to you – everyone who supported the day in their own way, whether you managed to get to the beach or not. We rely on the support of our friends and local community to continue providing opportunities for young people in West Cornwall, teaching them life skills to put them on a positive pathway in life.
The 25/26 schools’ sailing programme is now over as they break up for the summer, back with a new cohort in September but well done to this year’s charity-funded primary school students from:
Our charity relies on your support.
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The local children will thank you!
