It's back... one year to go! Will you be smelt in Carnac?

Definitions of smelt:

1. Extract (metal) from its ore by a process involving heating and melting
2. Past and past participle of smell
3. A small silvery fish which lives in both marine and fresh water and is sometimes fished commercially
4. A collection of Scorpion, Merlin, Enterprise, Lark and Twelve sailors enjoying a holiday with some racing, some socials, and plenty of food, drink and good company.

I doubt many of you were feeling relieved about the return of a small silvery fish, or there would be much interest in metal extraction on a sailing website so of course it is definition #4 that we are talking about. It is indeed back and it is exactly 1 year to go!

The important stuff:

• When – 27th to 30th May 2017 (bank holiday weekend and school half term)
• Where – Carnac YC, France
• Who - Scorpions, Merlin Rockets, Enterprises, Larks and National 12s
• What – sailing, socialising, sunshine, beaches, food, drink, friends, all the really tough things in life
• Why – do I really need to answer this one?

What happened last time

144 of us (plus significant others, families, trolley dolleys, groupies and anyone else wanting a holiday) attended the inaugural event in May 2014. The sun shone, the wind blew, the wine flowed and everyone had an amazing time. Everyone who came last time said they would be keen to come again and a good number who missed out last time said they wouldn't make the same mistake twice so it seemed stupid not to do it again.

The aim for next time

I don't want to go to hospital! But otherwise take all the good bits of last time, add in some new ideas and have some fun – it is a holiday after all.

Some more useful stuff

The event website is currently being updated and will be online soon, along with the NOR so people can get themselves entered. In the meantime those on facebook can get updates on the event page – search for "Carnac 2017". We are in discussions with the ferries and local campsites over special rates for competitors and will update everyone as and when these are confirmed. Other accommodation details can be found in the usual places, the club website and local tourist info are a useful place to start though.

The sailing

The format will be similar to last year but with a few tweaks. Saturday will see a pursuit race and a handicap race, for older boats classic handicaps will apply and these races won't count towards the main series so anyone struggling to get there after school / work on the friday won't miss out. Sunday to Tuesday will be class racing with start times varying to suit people's needs (late the morning after crew's union and early on the last day for anyone needing to get back).

The social

The club will be laying on their fantastic food and drinks like last time, and we have a mix of old favourites and new entertainment in various stages of planning to hopefully suit everyone. More details to follow but if nothing else you will be on holiday in a French resort with 150+ like-minded people, it will be good!

What next

Put the date in the diary, book your time off work, and make sure you have a boat / helm / crew or let us know if you are struggling to find one. We'll let you know when the website is ready so you can enter and any other info we think you might need.