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Another sailing season over; but the next one just around the corner. 2008 has seen, the now familiar, mix of extreme weather and winds. Again it feels like for a large part of the year there was either no wind or it was blowing an absolute gale! In spite, or perhaps, because of this we have had some great racing in often testing conditions. As you'll see from published results for the fleet, there's been an on-going tussle between myself (and Philip) and Quentin Tupper. Often included, although not qaulifying for the results, was Martin Ibbotson who was never far behind and often in front. Ray Baskerville was also in contention on the occasions he chose to leave his Mirror in the dinghy park and sail his Miracle instead. During the summer months, commitments on the Miracle Open circuit and the Miracle National meant that we sailed at Beaver infrequently. I notice from the results hat the summer & August points saw John Baxter and Derek Bath included in the top three. Unfortunately, however we haven't seen many new faces on the start lines on Sundays or Wednesday evening. Whilst the Club membership has remained fairly static, the numbers racing, particularly in the Handicap fleet have decreased. Can anybody answer the eternal question "How do we get more people out ther racing?" If anybody has any answers / new ideas, I'd be more than interested to hear. Come Racing? If you’ve ever (or never) considered taking part in the racing then 2009 is the year to give it a go. Numbers at the start line are the lowest they have been for years – so there’s plenty of room on the water and not too many other boats to worry about. 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, no doubt, included later in this yearbook, if you’re interested). 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. Jon Aldhous Fleet Captain Miracle 3794 & Solo 2128
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