Travellers

The topper in Cambridge will have been going to the zone champs at Grafham - the place was rammed with Oppies, toppers, lasers, cadets.  But I saw a couple of other dinghies on the A14.  The solo open at Hunts was well attended considering the forecast.  This weekend we're expecting more than a handful of visiting moths and Lightnings.

I am just about to move from a club with a no dogs policy to a dog friendly club. However, the no dogs thing is, I suspect, a product of them sailing on a drinking water reservoir and United Utilities requiring such a rule be enforced. There are no dogs allowed on the footpaths surrounding the lake either.

Edited by Sam.Spoons - 28 Sep 16 at 1:27pm

Getting out and sailing against different people in a different place improved my sailing no end.
Unless you are lucky enough to have several boats of the same class who you can learn from at your home club, doing a few opens is the best way to raise your game. With the exception of coaching events that is!
But these days I realise I'm probably not going to get much better, so I'm only interested in events at places I like.

Very much in that same place as RS400atC @7.38.

Travelling is a lofty aim these days; two kids, no time in the week to go to the club and pack the boat up (OK there are exceptions) and family obligations at the weekend means open meetings need months of pre-planning and usually involve a very, very early start and late return.  It's 2-3 times max per year, 2 last year, this year I am still optimistic about getting a second trip in!

The 40mins-1hr of packing the boat up and un-packing at the other end (if I want to sail the weekend after) adds an unwelcome flourish to some hours spent closely inspecting the western M25 and/or M4 and, when the roads are moving, the totally s**t middle lane driving that dominates on the weekend in the south of England (so you're either hemmed in to the inside lane or unable to do anything but join them with a boat on the back).  Added to that, I freely admit, I am much more choosy about weather conditions these days and have abandoned multiple trips over the last ~4-5 years due to bad forecasts; bad for me being sub F3 conditions. If I'm going to end up folded into the bottom of a boat staring up at the burgee wondering "why?".. I may as well do that 15 mins from my house, than drive 3-4 hours (or more) in a day and go through the pre and post routine.  That is probably age and the fact I've done it too many times to mention in the past.

Its a shame because all the positive comments about opens and sailing with others on unfamiliar bits of water are all 101% true and most of the time I really enjoy the sailing and off-water banter/beer, but it's some years since I went somewhere completely new.