Stokes Bay Sailing Club Catamaran Open - Preview
by Dave Roberts 6 May 2021 11:03 BST
22-23 May 2021
Stokes Bay Cat Open © Lorraine Budgen
Catamaran sailors from various classes are eagerly anticipating the first big catamaran event of the season, which will be at Stokes Bay Sailing Club, in the centre of the south coast. After losing so many events over the past year with the pandemic, there is even more enthusiasm than normal!
Some classes are including the event as part of their TT series and the Sprint 15 looks like being the largest class in terms of numbers. It is a few years since the Sprints last came to Stokes Bay and they will have their own start. At the faster end of the cat sailing spectrum are the Hurricanes who are sure to provide spectacular and fast sailing.
For fast single-handed racing, there will be a fleet of A Class cats - both foiling and classic modes, as well as a similar sized fleet of Unicorns. Both classes have recently held their Nationals at Stokes Bay.
Showing the full variety of catamaran sailing in the UK, there will also be the Shearwater fleet, F18 fleet and some Dart 18s, F20s etc. Club members will be racing in several of the fleets - Hurricanes, F18, A Class, Unicorns, Dart 18 and Sprint 15.
All cat classes are welcome and there will be both fast and slow handicap fleets; whilst any fleet with sufficient entries will have their own results. To accommodate such a variety of classes and speeds, there will be different courses, with a longer upwind leg for the faster cats and for the Sprint 15's there will be some reaching too!
There will of course still be some Covid restrictions in force, so all entries need to be completed in advance and payment received in advance. Entry details are on the club website, www.stokesbay-sc.co.uk/catamaran-open-meeting together with the NOR, Sailing Instructions and Course diagram. All on-water activity will be unaffected by Covid, but the usual evening social with a band will not be possible this year. However, an evening meal will be available on the Saturday in compliance with the Covid regulations at the time.
The weekend is shaping up to be the largest catamaran event to be held at Stokes Bay for some time and is one not to be missed!