Club racing / event circuit balance

   I sail in Bray CO WICKLOW.
We have a very low turnout for club racing - about 4 boats on average! You could say we are starting from next to zero - except that we have a bunch of Ent sailors who travel a lot, and when we do a training session for Lasers we get 10 boats.
Our open meetings are planned  to break even - revenue accrues from increased bar takings.
Gordon

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Delicious Digg Facebook Furl Google MySpace Newsvine reddit StumbleUpon Translate Twitter Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
gordon Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 07 Sep 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1037	Post Options Post Reply Quote gordon Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Club racing / event circuit balance Posted: 25 Jan 06 at 3:01pm
	I sail in Bray CO WICKLOW. We have a very low turnout for club racing - about 4 boats on average! You could say we are starting from next to zero - except that we have a bunch of Ent sailors who travel a lot, and when we do a training session for Lasers we get 10 boats. Our open meetings are planned to break even - revenue accrues from increased bar takings. Gordon
	Gordon

m_liddell Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 27 May 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 583	Post Options Post Reply Quote m_liddell Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 06 at 3:00pm
	I can't see myself ever having the desire to: take my boat apart trail it miles and miles put it all back together again sail take it all apart again trail it back miles and miles put it back together again and all this with the possibility that the wind may be crap and the whole thing will be a waste of time! I guess for some single handers this process is far easier but for a double handed boat it is a serious pain. I want my sailing to be as hassle free as possible to maximise time on the water. It all depends on how serious you are about racing and if you sail in a small class with no local fleet.

Shingle Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 11 Jul 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote Shingle Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 06 at 2:53pm
	Its now all about fleet size, if you have an open at the expense of Club racing you may only get 20 boats. Club racing would have generated more income over the bar etc, and these people are paid up members. The Club I'm a member of has followed a policy of less is more. If you are going to have opens then make them good ones. Opens are used as a means of generating revenue and the target is to lose no more than three weekends a year. As all the help is voluntary this is quite enough. But obviously there's a balance to maintaining a presence in the sailing community.
	Drink Feck girls!

Black no sugar Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 04 Dec 04 Location: Somewhere between Brighton and Lancing Online Status: Offline Posts: 3941	Post Options Post Reply Quote Black no sugar Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 06 at 2:47pm
	I think it boils down to personal preference. Some people enjoy the buzz of the circuit so much they don't actually belong to a club, and still sail every week between April and November. It means a lot of miles with your boat on tow, and a like-minded or very understanding partner (or partner as a crew, or no partner at all, delete as necessary) Club racing is more sedentary obviously but if you're part of a competitive fleet, it has its thrilling moments too. All competitors are (or should be) very familiar with the surroundings, the course, the tidal effects etc., so in theory, racing is done on skills alone On the other hand, nothing prevents you from getting the best of both worlds: race at your club, get better and, every now and then, join an open meeting to have fun and get to know other guys! Still, no opens at your club... it must be a little boring at times. Where do you sail, btw?
	Lancing SC

gordon Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 07 Sep 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1037	Post Options Post Reply Quote gordon Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 06 at 2:37pm
	A group at my local club have written a Strategic Plan. This seems to assume that dinghy racing is mainly about club racing. Organising open events and preparing club sailors for travelling to open meetings and championships does not get a mention. This seems very strange and quite the contrary to my own experience. Surely the whole point of owning a dinghy is that you can trail it round to events. How do other dinghy sailors see this. Is club rcing still the core activity in dinghy racing, or merely a training/learning experience for the open meeting circuit? Gordon DAVIES
	Gordon