The 2009 season started slowly as usual with a few hardy souls venturing out for the Spring points series, the wind and weather was often less than kind. The end of the series saw just one competitor sailing the necessary ½ +1 of the possible races to qualify for a result. Quentin Tupper continued similarly throughout the year taking first place in all three of the major series for the year. 

The Summer points series saw many entries on the individual results sheets, but again only Quentin qualifying for a series result. Throughout this series there were over 40 dinghy/helm combinations competing, thankfully not all at the same time. Perhaps more would have persevered if the weather had been a little kinder.  During the Summer and Autumn series it was great to see a number of new competitors on the start line in many different classes of dinghy.  No matter what class of dinghy you own you can come and race it, from the more traditional Optimist, Enterprise, Miracle and Graduate through to the Buzz, Tera and Topper Magno.  

2009 also saw resurgence in catamaran entries, both Sprint (Dart) 18, but predominantly, 15 were seen in greater numbers than over the last few years – I suspect that this is a trend that will continue into 2010.  For the monohull classes in the Handicap fleet, 2010 will hopefully see more Streakers (single-hander) on the start-line; especially as I’ve just changed from Solo to Streaker myself. There could be some good racing with this class this year, as I know of a number of helms planning to compete adding to the established few.  For the crewed dinghy, I hope to see more of the Miracles currently in their berths out competing on the water, and hopefully joining us out on the Open/National championship circuit.

Come Racing; Go on give it a try  So you’ve completed your sail training, you now know your tilller from your mainsheet, a beat from a run; and you can successfully navigate a course set by your instructor.  What next? Well, you can of course continue to attend the training sessions or perhaps, get out on the water independently and set yourself some achievable targets in terms of a course.  This is a natural progression, but how long will it be before this simply ends up as reaching straight from one side of the lake to the other and back again? – We’ve all done it.  But then what? I would suggest that the next natural progression is to come along and join in the racing on a Sunday or a Wednesday evening. I make the comparison between sailing and driving; the instruction you receive leads to gaining a qualification (the driving license or RYA certificate) but this is only an introduction, you only really start to learn once you get out there and try along with everybody else.  If you’ve ever (or never) considered taking part in the racing then this is the year to give it a go. The handicap fleet sailors will welcome you, no matter what your choice of dinghy.  And if you’re in any doubt about any aspect of sailing, then I’m sure that any one of us will help or know somebody that can. 

On the choice of dinghy, don’t feel that you have to have an expensive, race tuned craft before you can start to race. We started racing only a few years ago, in our first Miracle which was purchased for a couple of hundred pounds. This served us well for three or four years and would still be with us if we hadn’t decided to move up into the Open circuit and National championships. 

In handicap fleet racing it’s not simply the first dinghy to cross the finish line that’s the winner. There’s some mathematical calculations to be performed after the race has finished that ensures that every dinghy is handicapped accordingly, producing a “level playing field” (further detail on the maths is included later in the yearbook). So it’s possible, and it’s happened frequently, for a dinghy to be well down in the finishing order but come out first on the result sheet! 

Most new racers choose to start their first few races at the back of the pack, slightly after the start signal (as we did only a few years ago). This allows you to observe what goes on “from a safe distance”.  As the confidence grows so you can move yourself closer to, then in with the rest of the fleet – and then move out to the front! 

Alternatively, if you would prefer to experience your first race(s) from the comfort of somebody else’s dinghy while they helm, that can usually be arranged – there’s often a shortage of crew for the two-handed dinghies.  Just come down to the club on a racing day and have a chat either with myself or one of the other helms down there. Don’t forget to bring your gear though – you might be out on the water sooner than you think. 

However you decide to go about it - Enjoy the Sailing!