Rutland, England
Mike Garvey led this event with Tina Scott, Ros
Scott, Jane Windsor and Paul Jackson all
from SolentXtra, as well
as support from the local members at Rutland.
The Event is for 10 – 14 year old sailors who are on the various high performance coaching programmes of the RYA and this is the culmination of the winters training bringing many to a national level regatta for the 1st time as well as those who aspire to join the national squads.
We were responsible for running the windsurfing at the event. We had a total of 69 boards in 4 classes (11 Techno 4.5, 17 Techno 5.8, 24 Techno 6.8 and 18 Techno 7.8). The 4.5s and 5.8s raced together as did the 6.8s and 7.8s, on a windward / leeward course with two windward marks and a separate finish to one side of the start line. A trapezoid was an option but with only one mark layer available and awkward wind directions for Rutland it was not a viable alternative. Multiple laps are the only way to achieve target time when leg length is reduced by the shape of the reservoir/wind direction.
The challenge of this event as far as race management was concerned was the very long tail in the fleet and having multiple laps with 69 sailors and keeping track of them all.
The weather gods were kind for the event after a month of high winds and rain the sun came out for the weekend which in such a pretty location was a big bonus for competitors and race management alike. The wind on the Saturday was from the north 11 knots to start but slowly dropping off and very fickle. We managed to get 2 races in back to back before giving the young sailors a rest and then out for the last race of the day which was delayed for a while as the wind danced about faded and then filled in. Eventually we managed to get the 3rd race in when it filled in to a mighty 6-7 knots from the NW.
The Sunday was fair too but with more breeze 12 – 18 knots from the SW so more challenging for the sailors. Again we had 2 good races before a short rest and a final race by which time the sailors were tired, especially as the wind had increased and for those that fell in the water, which was icy cold and an added discomfort.
The experience of the team made the race management relatively easy and there were minimal problems getting the results correct and posted quickly. An excellent event for everyone and the team has already been asked to do the event next year!
Pre-Event
Mike Garvey is leading this one with Tina Scott, Ros Scott, Jane Windsor and Paul Jackson all from SolentXtra.
On the 12th and 13th of May at Rutland, Mike will be running the windsurfing at this event. He has a total of 69 boards with sailors aged between 10 and 14 years (11 Techno 4.5, 17 Techno 5.8, 24 Techno 6.8 and 18 Techno 7.8). The 4.5s and 5.8s will race together as will the 6.8s and 7.8s, probably on a windward / leeward course with two windward marks and a separate finish to one side of the start line. A trapezoid is an option but with only one mark layer available and precious little water in Rutland at the moment, this is unlikely. Multiple laps is the only way to achieve target time when leg length is reduced by the lack of water in the reservoir.
The challenges of this event as far as race management is concerned will be the very long tail in junior fleets such as this and also managing 6 races over the weekend with a maximum of 4 on Saturday if the RYA want the two groups (4.5 & 5.8; 6.8 & 7.8) to race separately. Target times will become very important as will tracking the fleet on short courses with multiple laps.
