Sussex Yacht Club announces that it will organise the 30th Royal Escape Race for 2006. Many of you will have competed in the race before, and I welcome you again this year. For those who are competing in the race for the first time, I am pleased to welcome you to what I am sure will be a fantastic weekend with good racing and great parties.

The first Royal Escape race was held in 1977 as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations and had some forty entries. It has now become a well established annual yachting event attracting 100 entrants.

Having donated £6,628 to our charities in 2005, this year our charities will again be Sussex Sailability — a charity very close to home which encourages disabled people onto the water, and the Ellen MacArthur Trust whose aim is to support, empower and enliven children suffering from cancer or leukemia by introducing them to the joys of sailing on the sea. We shall again be organising our sailing day for Sussex PHAB (Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied) at Brighton Marina on Sunday 21 May.

I would like to thank all those volunteers and helpers here and in France who make the whole event possible.

To all competitors, I wish you good racing, fair winds and good partying.

Robert Grierson
Commodore, Sussex Yacht Club