Veteran status at nationals

It’s very nice hearing all these different views on number and length of races etc.  Just to put my position into perspective.  My very first Nationals was the 1972 Enterprise Nationals at Penzance with a fleet of 128 boats.  I think that was a 6 race series with 1 race per day, so really I have grown up with that format.  I guess it is only over the last 20 years or so that 3 day Nationals have become the norm for smaller fleets.  Shoehorning a Nationals over a weekend plus using either Friday or Monday as the 3^rd/4^th day can mean less time away from home and maybe less expenditure.  The host Club can also find that format beneficial by sometimes finding it easier to find the volunteers to run the racing.

In my case the shorter Nationals was fine several years ago, but with birthday No72 beckoning I just find the intensity too much hassle for the expense of travelling, entry and accommodation, knowing I am just going to be an also ran.  I noticed in the Tasar results this year; a gentleman not too much younger than me had previously won the Tasar nats 3 times but this time had a very modest finishing place.  I’m afraid time catches up with us all someday; maybe at different rates, but that clock is still ticking.

We sometimes have 3 or 4 races a day, but at Club level the competition is maybe not so intense and the courses are certainly smaller.  The races usually last about 45 minutes and that is no problem for me at Club level.

As an aside; In the recent Tasar Nationals the team lying 2^nd  at the start of the 3 race last day and could have won the event, broke their mast during the first race and that was that, no more racing for them and they plummeted down the results.  Bad luck I suppose as if the mast had broken in the last race then that would have been the discard and a top 3 result would have been guaranteed.

Originally posted by iGRF Kind of difficult to discriminate against vets when the entire demographic of the sport is 60+ isn't it?

Surely the key is to ensure there's a mix of methods throughout your Class calendar, as;
a) It will allow events to have their own individual character, rather that being 'more of the same at a slightly different venue'
b) members will vote with their feet and attend the events that suit them
c) variety IS the spice of life.

In my Finn I LOVE Chichester Harbour Race Week (Fed Week), with 1 race a day (not sure the 2 races on Wednesday thing worked) and plenty of time to catch up with mates etc. I also LOVE doing the RYA Rankers at WPNSA when we have 10 races over 2 days, all controlled by a sh!t-hot PRO. Awesome!

As for Nationals, I detest the 3-day Nationals format, that discourages long distance travel and risks a potential 30% (or more) loss of races due to weather - even if I do recognise that it can make it easier for some people to attend.
Bring back the 5-day Nationals I say..... 2 races a day, a wider variety of venues, it makes it worth it for long-distance travellers, gives added security for race loss and is fairer for our less physical racers (age etc).

Some interesting points. Tend to agree with Cirrus about the drive towards back to back/more races having some unintended consequences such as an increase in faffing about time. I guess the main point I was trying to make is that what's right for a big event like a nationals may not be right for small club sailing. We've got a bit of a split at my club where we've got 5 or 6 keen racers who do the circuit, and have come back to the club and persuaded the sailing committee to organise loads of back to back races. Turnouts have dropped, and we're finding that we're seeing more boats on the water for some informal mid week racing that some of our older guys have organised. This more informal approach seems to have worked really well in encouraging newbies to join in, as the experienced guys have got time to chat to the newbs between races etc. Interestingly, when you ask the new racers why they don;t want to join in with the main Sunday racing they say things like it looks complicated, the standard looks too high, there isn't anyone around to talk to, or they don't understand the start sequence. Horses for courses etc, but seeing this has made me in favour of reverting back to the old days of 2 or 3 decent length (45-60 minute) races with a longer break between the first two races for lunch and short break between the final two races. . 

Originally posted by lionel rigby 82 and still sailing dinghies is to be respected but Salcombe Merlin week is one race a day and even I could drag myself along for that.  I don't think Alan entered the Merlin Nationals this year, don't see his name in the results, but stand to be corrected. Yes I agree it is a decision for each class to make and I will be interested to see if the Tasar fleet would be interested in creayting a new slot for veterans.

There are actually two races a day but the 120 boat fleet is split into four flights so that you only sail one race a day. Seems to be popular as the recent ballot for the 120 places in 2019 saw 55 put onto the waiting list ie 175 wanted to go.