Bart’s Bash is an annual participation and fundraising event in aid of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF). This incredible event works on the assumption that sailing venues across the world host their races at weekends. Bart’s Bash unites sailors from across the globe to participate in one colossal global sailing event in memory of Olympic Sailor, Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson. Bart’s Bash is open to all sailing clubs, yacht clubs, scout groups, sea cadets, windsurfing clubs, individuals and any venue globally that can host a race and are inspired to take part. It's a day the sailing community remembers Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, a double Olympic medallist who tragically lost his life whilst training for the Americas cup in 2013.
How it works
The race details can be set locally by each venue, but are not onerous – many of the club venues may use one of their normal morning races as their Bart’s Bash race. If you'd like to hold a Bart's Bash event there's still plenty of time to arrange it. All you need to do is download the event guide at www.bartsbash.com/guide, sign up at www.bartsbash.com, measure a course and submit your results. It's as easy as that.
Why take part
The first Bart’s Bash inspired over 700 sailing clubs from more than 60 different countries to take part in their own individual Bart’s Bash race at their location, helping to encourage more people to get on the water and enjoy a day’s racing.
With the decision being made to remove sailing from the Paralympics, the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation have pledged to use the funds raised through Bart’s Bash 2016 to help promote and develop disabled sailing globally. The ASSF will be launching the next round of grants on the 1st of October. This year’s grants will be specifically for disabled sailing projects and will focus on clubs and centres who seek to promote the inclusivity of the sport via 3 main target areas:
a. Instructor training and coach development
b. Small equipment purchases such as winches or seats to facilitate greater use of equipment.
c. Coaching and instructional costs for schools/groups to attend regular sailing sessions.
Keep an eye on the website for more details. www.andrewsimpsonfoundation.org
How do I sign up
1. Venues- Option A: If you were registered in 2015 then log into your account and with a simple click of a button you can re-register for Bart’s Bash 2016. If you are short on time, send tim@bartsbash.com an email and we can do it for you.
Option B: Go to www.bartsbash.com and click on ‘REGISTER HERE’ follow the directions for venue registration.
2. Sailors- Go to www.bartsbash.com and click on ‘SIGN UP HERE’ follow the instructions for participants sign up.
Contact the Bart’s Bash team
We hope you find all of the information above useful. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us either on tim@bartsbash.com or on 0044 (0)1305 457077.
Don’t forget there is plenty more information and useful tips on how to make the most of your event and how to fundraise on our website www.bartsbash.com under the event information tab.