Northern RS Tera Sailors get ready for a busy summer!

It's just a couple of weeks until the RS Tera Northern Circuit begins its round of summer open meetings. Now in its 4th year, the circuit has become a firm favourite with the very many RS Tera sailors who are based in the North and the Midlands and has seen entries grow and grow year on year.

This year the summer circuit takes in 4 inland waters, starting with the Northern Championships at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May. This is a fantastic venue for the champs, not only is it an amazing stretch of water, the club also has a reputation for knowing how to put on brilliant events which hit the buttons for racing and socialising. It's also great to be going there as this is a club which has really start to take the RS Tera to it's heart, with main fleet racing offered to the class at Bass Week in 2014 and the club now having it's own fleet of boats. Entries for this event are now open and the on-line entry system can be accessed via their website. There is optional coaching on Monday 4 May for those who are interested, and RS Tera North Coach Bernard Clark will be on hand throughout the weekend to help those who are newer to the class or to racing.

Just two weeks later the club moves on to the place where the first Northern open was held - Ripon Sailing Club. Another 2 day meeting, on 16 and 17 May, with the promise of another great social and yet more on-site camping. North Coach Katy Phillips will take the helm of the coach boat for this event, with Bernard Clark in the Committee Boat as PRO. Advent Catering's Duncan and Vicky, who run the galley at Ripon SC, are primed and ready with supplies of Carrot Cake and Brownies to keep everyone's energy levels up! We have some super sponsors lined up for this meeting.

June sees the fleet move North, to another 'big' stretch of water and the venue for the 2014 National Championships - Derwent Reservoir SC. The dates for this are 6 and 7 June and once again the coach boat will be out - with Bernard in charge - to help the fleet get the most out of the weekend. Derwent has provided all sorts of weather conditions for the Tera event in the past and we look forward to the chance to sail on big courses, and Kath's great food in the galley!

The final meeting of the summer series takes place at South Windermere Sailing Club on 11 July. South Windermere has to be one of the prettiest venues we visit on the Tera circuit, with lakeland fells spilling down to the water, and the excitement of the train and ferry making stops across the lake from the club. Coaches for this event will be Bernard and Katy. Anyone who competes in 3 of the 4 summer meetings can qualify for the series and we will have our prize giving for the series at the end of the SWSC open.

So that's the summer sorted... but what about the Autumn? Look out for a new event - 12 and 13 September - Leigh and Lowton SC - and a new 'cross border challenge' in the form of the Hadrian Trophy for the best combined result from the Northern and Scottish Championships (Scottish Championships take place at Dalgety Bay on 5 and 6 September) -more details to come in due course but put the dates in those Tera diaries now!