THE Royal Dart Yacht Club are to host the 42nd Squib National Championships, the biggest it has held, at Dartmouth from July 7 to 13.

'This is the biggest national championship that the club has hosted,' said Peter Johnson, Squib captain. 'We are hoping to have about 100 boats lining up at the start line out in Start Bay – it will be a spectacular sight.' 

The event will bring over 200 crew and their families into Dartmouth, which will be a welcome boost for the town.

The last time the RDYC hosted a major Squib championship was in September 2009 when the South Coast Championship was held there and 39 boats took part.

It was a lively and successful event and visiting competitors had some spectacular sailing.  

The RDYC has a fleet of around 20 squibs which can be seen moored on the trots near the clubhouse.

But why are they so popular there? 

'Squibs have excellent buoyancy and are ideally suited to sailing in Start Bay, where winds can whip up and swells create some lively conditions,' said Kit Noble, Rear Commodore for sailing at the RDYC. 'We saw such conditions at the South Coast Championship in 2009, a year where one seasoned sailor described the waves as mountainous and another described it as challenging, and yet all the boats enjoyed safe, exhilarating sailing. This is largely due to their heavy keel and 50 per cent ballast ratio, which makes them very stable.'

The RYDC is delighted that ICAP has agreed to be the title gold sponsor. 

ICAP is the world's premier voice and electronic interdealer broker and provider of post-trade risk and information services.  

'We are delighted to have such a high-profile company on board,' Commodore Mike Moody said. 'Without such sponsorship these national sailing events could not take place. We also have some brilliant local sponsors. We are especially grateful for the facilities and services for visiting boats offered by Darthaven Marina Services, one of the silver sponsors.'