Future of Opens

Remind me what we get to do.. Spend all day on the fecking water, back to back racing no lunch, get timed out if we're not up to the hotshots speed, no chance to make a repair between races ?

Or go to some event wall to wall jockeys with crispy sails and a crap handicap system?

Future? You have no future unless things change..

Edited by iGRF - 11 Jul 14 at 6:14pm

I dunno, is it really any different to deciding whether to travel or not based on the forecast on the BBC? I wonder if we're blaming the wrong thing? Its been a pretty dreadful summer weather wise.

The thing about running Opens is that they are the best (or worst) advertising your club can get, depending on how the club comes across. I don't think my club has run an open without a lunch break or imposed a time limit at an Open since I've been there. Sure we finish people a lap early if needed, and we've even been known to catch a straggler half way up the beat and ask them if they want to accept last place and turn round now for the next race, but never a time limit. And yes, we do sometimes fit in 5 races and a lunch break in a day, although 4 is more common.



Edited by JimC - 11 Jul 14 at 7:06pm

An open to all comers with no prior communications with a few key classes is pretty much a lottery. Recently we have had some nice meetings by building a liaison with a few niche classes. They give us a notice of intent and in turn they know we are expecting them and are prepared to run the event with their preferences in mind. Two or three class starts plus an allcomers.

Originally posted by iiitick ]Get a grip young Fuller and know your place!

I know my place, it's sauntering up the slipway after the race, to be greeted by a <insert relevant sponsor> girl offering me a beer and would I like it here or should she bring it to my table in the marquee..

Then after one or two cool refreshing glasses we re run the race as it should have turned out whilst explaining life to the sponsor girls and their future in it.

Nessa it is a worrying trend.  One of the things I like about the 300s and the 2000s is spending time with teh other sailors, including when we can't race.  But with an 8 and a 6 year old time on the water with or without them is precious.  The thing I really can't stand is turning up at an Open and finding a club not running racing when it could do (wind too light or too strong).