Regatta week or championships?

I still really value a week long championship. I feel it needs to be more than the regular open meeting two days. 

I've been digging into this topic for a while now and the Championship 'scene' - for want of a better term, is slowly being  a bit clearer, though I'd be guarded about saying that it is now understood.  It seems that the class stalwarts, fan boys, call them what you like will always attend. Then the potential hopefuls, who have aspirations to get 'something' out of attending will be there. It looks like these two groups will enter and turn up, irrespective of location and weather. What is far harder is to determine the behaviour of the middle - here location, dates, weather....plus other 'soft' factors will all play their part and can go a long way to determining if there's a bumper or lean year.

Regatta Weeks are far more straight forward - like the retail trade, location, location and... location, then dates - plus again the soft factors - a group may well decide en masse to do a certain event and what a hoot that can be. 

Good luck though to anyone who thinks that they have the answers to this - a championships can be fun, a regatta week can have hot, almost intense competition.....maybe both are enjoying subtle changes in their offering that just reflect the changing nature of how (and what) we sail!

D

Our regatta week races have a 90 minute target time, and the courses provide a sense of destination.

For the moment I prefer regatta racing, but I will continue to do the odd championship if I like the venue.

Well... obviously FED week! No camping on site though. 

Also Chichester YC Dinghy Week up the harbour. 

Going along to Devon and Cornwall there are quite a few week long town regattas. St Mawes, Fowey, Camel, Salcombe. 

Mozzy - you got that one right - and then some! Worse still is an early afloat, then a wait out around the Committee Boat until the early afternoon, general recalls, the race abandoned when the wind shifts on the first beat, more delays while the course is relaid…. a shambolic race, then more waiting around until late in the day the call is finally made to give up trying to get a second race in. A long sail back in sh*te wind and drizzle and by the time you're back, packed away and in the bar, you really do wonder what the **** it is all about! As said before, there's no 'f in' fun!

D