Elite Virtual Regatta Coaching at Lymington Town Sailing Club

eSailing © Virtual Regatta

Like many sailing clubs around the country, here at Lymington Town, we have adapted quickly to life behind the screen when it comes to our racing. We are currently holding Virtual Regatta sessions 3-4 times a week and additional coaching to help newcomers quickly get up to speed and feel confident about joining in the racing.

We have entered the RYA Spring Club Championships next month and, as such, need to find a Club Champion to put forward - so we will be hosting our own Club Championships next week sponsored by www.timeonthewater.co.uk

In preparation for the Club Championships, and as part of Time on the Water's sponsorship package, we recently held an elite coaching session led by British Olympic Coach and club member Hugh Styles. The Zoom session was well attended and used Virtual Regatta as the coaching tool to host three races, and just about every fleet in the Club was represented. Some sailors chose to watch whilst others wanted to race.

Prior to the start of each race Hugh talked us through the venue, including expected land effects, weather conditions and wind shift phasing. He also showed us how to check for line bias and test for optimum VMG pre-start. During the races Hugh was very good at not only sailing his own boat but with some nifty camera work to keep track on what everyone else was doing. He was then able to offer valuable insights to both the wind patterns and tactical situations as they were developing.

Post-race there was a video debrief, carefully running through the key incidents and decision making points in the race. As if needed, banter between the sailors was encouraged to liven up the chat and ensure Hugh hadn't missed any significant altercations!

Well done to Nigel King, Phantom sailor and himself an elite coach, for winning the mini-series, with RS200 sailor Matt Perkins following closely behind.

Thanks again to Hugh Styles for taking the time to come and help us. If you are interested in any of the coaching packages Hugh can offer either on or off the real water and to both individuals or clubs please visit his website, www.timeonthewater.co.uk

The benefits of Virtual Regatta at your Club

Whilst we've found there have been some control issues with the Virtual Regatta app these can be mitigated if you close down everything else on your device and boot everyone else in the house off whatever gaming or streaming they are doing at the same time! The VR rules engine is not something you would want to rely on afloat either, especially sailing through the middle of ghosted out penalised boats! Otherwise we've found it a great way of keeping our sailors engaged and a reason to keep meeting up and checking everyone is OK. Contact us if you need any advice on setting this up at your Club if you are not already doing so.

Overall Results: (three races, 1 discard)