Reply To: W
Hi Andy.
You make some good points. Sailing participation is a struggle in nearly all classes as I’m sure you know. As fixtures sec I’d be happy to hear of any feedback where you’d like to attend.
Organising a fixture list to keep everyone happy isn’t easy. As a class we are unusual in that we have a great International presence. It is sometimes easier to get our fleet to travel to France or Holland than it is to the coast or reservoir in the U.K. There is a pressure to organise a circuit with just that International audience in mind sometimes but I think we still need to keep an eye on our domestic sailors too. If not we don’t have any base to the pyramid. We don’t have many class status clubs in the U.K. With that in mind, I think Overy, South Staffs, Upper Thames, and Burghfield deserve an Open meeting status as long as they wish to host one. Although not having class status we fought hard to keep an Open meeting at Bristol as we had signs of a fledgling fleet there and didn’t want to lose an open in a strategic area. I’m afraid 4 of those falls into your Inland status that you aren’t keen on. Sorry, but hopefully you can see why they are on the calender.
Another challenge is fitting the domestic calender around the International calender. I’m afraid Weymouth was a victim of this year. The dates just didn’t work for us.
We have tried to slim down the calender this year to keep things simple and avoid very low turnouts. The beast from the east hasn’t helped us get off to a stunning start but we have time to recover.
I’d encourage you to change your mind on the Inland ban. The Inland Championships are coming up at Blithfield and it’s a great opportunity to sharpen up your boat handling on a decent water with a very friendly club. I guarantee that 5 x Races against a good fleet will have you ready for the seasons challenges. There’s an Ent fleet to join us socially to add to the atmosphere and Free camping and B+B’s a short stroll away (If you’re quick). An early start and only 2 x Races on the Sunday means we can all be home at a decent time.
Interesting that you enjoyed Sunderland. Why not give Filey a chance. It has the beach venue that you are looking for, it’s a lovely town for a weekend away and again has all the social advantages of being part of a Regatta. I’m sure you’d enjoy it. I’m sure we can get a decent turn out if we rally around.
As I say, I’m happy to listen to suggestions.
