Spinlock IRC Welsh National Championship - July 2020 Update

Spinlock IRC Welsh National Championships © Spinlock IRC Welsh National Championships

After a great deal of work in conjunction with RYA Cymru Wales, and our event partner the Royal Dee Yacht Club we have decided to go ahead with this year's Championships, in a "stripped down" fashion, but still provide interesting and challenging racing in a variety of formats.

To comply with government regulations that exist at the time of writing, we have made some changes to the format of the event which are listed below and reflected in the Notice of Race (NOR) which can be read here or click on th eimage on the right.

The main change is that all classes will use bridge starts, to avoid the need for committee boats and reduce the numbers of race management volunteers. We will have one rib for laying a mark to assist with course setting.

We recognise that short handing sailing is more demanding, and courses will be set with longer legs to allow for crew manoeuvrings!

We are proposing a more laid-back regatta, for competitors to get out on the water with friends and family and enjoy some fun racing, in a less formal way.

The entry process is open, and we have significantly reduced the entry fees, and look forward to welcoming as many boats as possible to our event.

Class Structure:

IRC 1 and 2

Racing from a Bridge Start (PSC Line) around the fixed marks, plus one Inflatable mark at the discretion of the race officer. The fixed courses may be used, and there may be a coastal race one day.

IRC 4

Cruisers scored using NHC racing one or two races per day around the fixed and geographical landmarks. Races may be two laps of the same course, scored as two races.

IRC Coastal Class

These races will be managed by ISORA and will race around the bay, 20-25 miles using both geographical landmarks, fixed and virtual marks. Timekeeping will be by YB tracker

Crew Numbers

As this is an "organised activity" we are able to take advantage of a Welsh Government regulation that allows us to have more than two households on a boat, but social distancing of 2 meters must be maintained between households. In order to facilitate this, and recognise its harder on some boats, the following crew numbers will be set to ensure fairness. This will be reviewed if new Regulations allow.

IRC boats - the IRC certificate crew number, divided by two (rounded down if applicable) plus 1.

Example: IRC crew number 7 would allow 4 crew on the boat

NHC Boats - 3 crew members for boats up to 9m and 4 above 9m

We have to demonstrate that we are complying with regulation, and the above should facilitate this. This is similar to the formula used in Regattas currently held in England.

Ashore

On the Pontoons:

Again, this year berthing on the Plas Heli Pontoons is free for competitors during the event. Spaces are limited so it will be on a first come basis. Please adhere to the pontoon protocol for the use of the pontoons.

On the Deck and Bar:

Plas Heli will be open as normal, and we propose to not organise any formal social activity, but hope we can all enjoy the facilities for après sail. Jugs of beer will be provided for daily prizes, and just the perpetual trophies awarded to minimise costs allowing us to reduce our entry fees.