Dinghy development: length of your class national champs

Print Page | Close Window

length of your class national champs

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12066
Printed Date: 08 Jul 25 at 4:39pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: length of your class national champs

Posted By: sawman
Subject: length of your class national champs
Date Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 8:12pm

When I first started sailing national champs usually lasted a week. In the modern world is this still relevant?
I know some modern classes have shorter champs. Do these shorter champs attract more sailors?
In classes that have shortened their national regattas, did the change increase the turnout?

answers on a postcard....

Replies:

Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 6:45am

If you check most Mationals that last a week they usually only do 1 race a day or maybe 2 so you get a 7-10 race series.

Classes with shorter nationals tend to have more races a day over a shorter time period so you get the same number of races.

I would not be surprised if some of the more traditional classes look to move to this format more as a reduce costs measure for competitors.

-------------
Paul
----------------------
D-Zero GBR 74

Posted By: Neptune
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 8:49am

Musto Nationals - Thursday - Sunday, perfect length not too many days off work. RS nationals used to be similar. Anything shorter is just an open meeting, anything longer and you start taking up too much of peoples leave.

-------------
Musto Skiff and Solo sailor

Posted By: JohnJack
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 9:37am

The Scorpion Nationals is a week long event, there was a consideration to drop it to 4 days a few years ago, and I think it did go to a vote. However most the places we hold Nationals you tend to need to book accommodation by the week rather than the night so makes little difference to time/cost commitments if you reduce the number of days. (Most of our Open events are over two days anyway, some three)

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 11:03am

Firefly Nationals are 7 day, and I've not been since 2009. Lightnings are 2 day, and I go pretty much every year. One I can justify, the other, not. We always promise ourselves that we will go, then run out of holiday time with "real" holidays. Maybe next year!

-------------
Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

Posted By: Noah
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 1:11pm

Fireball have been Sunday - Friday for many years with a lay or reserve day normally on the Weds. For '16 we're going to try Thurs - Sun and keep the same 10 race series - no lay day. We'll see what it does to the turnout.

Edit to add that the family have come with me to all major champs so far, both UK and abroad, with only a couple of exceptions. The Bread-knife views it as an opportunity to explore new locations.

-------------
Nick
D-Zero 316

Posted By: rogerd
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 4:04pm

I could never justify a week off to go sailing to my wife so was quite happy to go for long weekend Nationals when I sailed Hornets.

Posted By: sawman
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 9:23pm

Originally posted by Noah

Fireball have been Sunday - Friday for many years with a lay or reserve day normally on the Weds. For '16 we're going to try Thurs - Sun and keep the same 10 race series - no lay day. We'll see what it does to the turnout.

Edit to add that the family have come with me to all major champs so far, both UK and abroad, with only a couple of exceptions. The Bread-knife views it as an opportunity to explore new locations.

it will be interesting to see what happens with the new format

-------------

Posted By: maxibuddah
Date Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 10:30pm

Phantom and d-one are three days

-------------
Everything I say is my opinion, honest

Posted By: simon hiscocks
Date Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 10:44pm

The 49er's have run a kind of flexible solution for a few years, no one has complained but equally no one has really taken advantage of it either, it works like this;

day one Thursday - training with a coach

day two Friday - mini series of up to six races with discards etc over all result from the day goes into the over all scores like one race.

day three and four - Saturday and Sunday 3 or 4 races a day standard racing format includes the friday score, discards as normal ( you can still discard Friday )

The idea being you can do a four day holiday and get a lot out of it, or just turn up for the weekend and do a two day event with no real penalty. The Friday also has the benefit of being a sort of practise day and by the time the races mean much you have a good day of mistakes out of the way.

Not sure it makes a lot of odds to the numbers, but no complaints and we still do it!

-------------
www.shocksailing.com

Posted By: iiiiitick
Date Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 10:59pm

I did the Tasars once. 2 races on Friday, 4 on Saturday, 4 on Sunday. 2 discards but you could discard Fridays races. Not fair but not a bad solution.

Posted By: Tom J
Date Posted: 03 Jul 15 at 1:46pm

Surely one of the benefits of a longer nationals is that you have a good chance of a range of wind conditions. As a typical UK weather system lasts no longer than 72? hours a week long championship is likely to give you 2 or 3 completely different sets of conditions and you are more likely to get a more representative result, regardless of the number of races run.

I'm not saying someone winning a shorter event doesn't deserve it or wouldn't have won a longer one as well as those guys are usually up there regardless but there are lots of people throughout a fleet who favour one condition over another and if one condition dominates an event then is it genuinely a measure of the relative performance of each sailor?

It is a Nationals after all so one would hope that it was given a little extra effort than it just being like any other open.

Posted By: chrisg
Date Posted: 03 Jul 15 at 10:21pm

Have signed up for the 300 nationals which is 4 days next week. Seems about right to me. I can "spare" 2 days holiday and as the planets aligned with work and everything else going on this year I'm going to enjoy my first nationals for about 15 years and the first in the 300. I'm sure most people go aiming to win, I'm just aiming not to come last in every race and get in everyone else's way.

Location plays a part too. I couldn't give two hoots about sailing in Portland harbour but I love the area where our nationals are this year but have never had the chance to take the boat, until now. Getting excited now!

Posted By: chrisg
Date Posted: 13 Jul 15 at 9:44am

Well, mission accomplished. I didn't come last and don't think I got in anyone's way. Only really had one day of my favoured conditions but the event was really enjoyable nevertheless. Well done to Dave Acres, the new national champion!

I've concluded that 4 days is a great length for an event. Any longer and I wouldn't be walking this morning! 2 days of crouching in the bottom of the boat and 2 days of hiking has given my knees a real workout!

Hoping Steve will do another of his legendary write ups.

Posted By: gordon
Date Posted: 15 Jul 15 at 11:40am

There are events that can combine family or work commitments with good racing.

Two examples:

the Stars go to Nice every year between Christmas and New Year. Because of local wind conditions they sail early in the morning (first gun 07.00!) and are back for 11.00

in my local club we open the summer season with the Midsummer Twilights - 3 evenings of racing with first gun at 19.00 (just south of Dublin we can sail till 22.00).

-------------
Gordon