History Part 2

Eric Vieler, a local man and, one of the early committee members, actually objected to the club at the beginning on the grounds that he wanted it all for himself!! He went on to be a committed member of the club for many years after. As time rolled by AYC built up experience in hosting racing events of all kinds. The club had many club races and "Opens" for power, ski and sailing.

In 1977 and 1978, following the success of the Open Meetings for ski-racing, when Mike Hullett was Ski Captain, A.Y.C hosted the first ever World Ski-racing Championships in 1979.

The event was sponsored by Sperry Univac, and at that time they were the second largest computer company in the World with a turnover of £200M. Allhallows hosted international teams from Great Britain, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Austria, France and the Netherlands.
The event was made up of three legs - Allhallows, Whitstable and Welsh Harp, London. At Whitstable the teams encountered unpredictable sea conditions which can vary dramatically depending upon wind and tide. Allhallows had a triangular course with acute turns testing the teams' ability to change from one water condition to another. Finally, the Welsh Harp or Brent Reservoir is a 170 hectares of open water, marshes, trees and grassland less than 10 miles from the centre of London. This venue provided maximum speeds, overtaking and racing in close proximity.

Read More