The weather has given us an incredible summer and in the searing heat, there is no better place to cool down than out on the water.
Sidmouth Sailing Club has enjoyed a season packed with races, activities and events.
We salute all the amazing sailors and volunteers for all their amazing hard work and, as you can see from this picture special, the enthusiasm for enjoying water sports remains as buoyant as ever.
Recreational sailing at Sidmouth began in the 1850s; the first Sidmouth Regatta was held in 1857. Races were held for three visiting yachts and six local fishing boats similar to the luggers, which are still sailed at Beer today.
In the 1920s it was still mainly the twenty or so boats of the fishing fleet, which occasionally raced and these boats would have formed the nucleus of the Corinthian Sailing Club.
In 1936, Sidmouth Sailing Club was formed but its development was interrupted by WWII. After the war the Club was re-started and in 1947 Fireflies and Redshanks (a Sidmouth one-design class) were adopted as club class boats. This was a turning point in the growth of sailing at Sidmouth as previously any boat launched from the beach with a sail was eligible to race.
In the early 1960s, the 420 became popular and the Smith brothers, Fraser and Chester, were probably the club's most successful sailors: Fraser won the 420 nationals in 1970.
By the mid 1970s, Scorpions had become established alongside the 420s and about fifteen of each class would take part in club racing. But it was not until 1985 that the club had its first Scorpion National Champions when Jon Turner and Nick Keast won the event at Hythe. Peter Harper won the event in 1990. Both Peter Harper and Nick Keast have won the class nationals subsequently.
In the 1990s, Mirrors were established as an adopted class at Sidmouth. The club's most successful Mirror helm was Chris Balding who won the 1997 World Championships in Canada sailing with Nicki Harper.
The club has hosted many open events (including the annual Sidmouth Regatta) and a number of prestigious championships since the 1980s.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here