Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

Mixing it up

by Mark Jardine 21 Sep 2021 21:00 BST
Wacky Races © Hanna-Barbera

As we head towards the end of September, I've been thinking about which events, and days out sailing, have been the most fun this year. There are a few to choose from, and overall it's been a good year for time on the water.

As regular readers of my newsletters will know, my home club is Keyhaven, nestled behind Hurst Castle in the Western Solent. It's a very tidal club with all racing times based around high water, with salt marshes, and small creeks spreading out from the Keyhaven River out to the Solent itself.

We're lucky to be able to start from a line just off the club for evening racing, meaning the time between launching and starting can be remarkably short (with some literally leaving it to the last minute), and we can also have traditional course racing out in the Solent relatively unaffected by the tide.

On the early August Bank Holiday weekend, Jon Harvey, one of my fellow Scow sailors at the club, came up with the idea of a navigation race, which he named the Four Lakes Race. The idea was simple: two laid marks at either end of the far navigable creeks, one rounding to port and one to starboard, and you're allowed to choose which mark to round first. Additional to that, you were allowed to use any means of propulsion, apart from an outboard engine or similar.

Considering this race was thought up the day beforehand, it proved very popular with 25 boats taking to the start line. It was clear that the race instigator Jon had put a lot of thought into how to tackle the course when we noticed that he had his sails down and a set of good oars in rowlocks on either side of his Scow... this was going to be quite a challenge.

To add to the drama, exactly on the five-minute hooter a clap of thunder rolled and the heavens opened with a massive downpour. The tension was palpable as everyone lined up, wondering which way others were going to go.

Sailing with my youngest son, at the start gun he helmed while I paddled furiously to try and get an advantage. Our strategy was to sail downwind to the eastern mark, then sail upwind in the Solent, through the main entrance of Hurst, then tack up to the crabbing bridge western mark and take the north passage downwind, with a bit of paddling assistance, back towards the club.

It was clear early on that Jon, and our club Commodore Andy, had decided on the opposite approach, rowing up the north passage, sailing downwind to the Eastern mark through a combination of creeks only accessible at high water with the centreboard up, then a combination of sailing and rowing back to the club.

The race was brilliant with Jon's rowing setup leading to a comfortable victory, while we took second place using the opposite course. We cut corners, running the boat along one shingle spit, we got the paddle out whenever we could, and sailed hard at other times. In the Open fleet one of our youth sailors won in an RS Tera. We all agreed we had to do more races like it... well, apart from the Finn sailors with fixed rudders who steered well clear of the whole thing.

In many ways, it reminded me of a scaled-down version of the Three Rivers Race that Horning Sailing Club hold annually on the Norfolk Broads. This is a 50-mile overnight race on the Bure, Ant and Thurne rivers, with two buoys set in the Ant and the Bure which you can round in any order. Added to this is the obstacle of three bridges at Potter Heigham and Acle where competitors must drop their masts. A combination of river cruisers and dinghies take part, and it has become a 'must-do' event.

It made me think of how an event like this could be scaled up. How about an offshore race where you could choose the order of buoys to be rounded? Another Keyhaven event made me think races could go even further...

The youth section at Keyhaven then in early September held a 'Treasure Hunt' orienteering race, with checkpoints in various locations, each given a value ranging from 10 points for the simplest and 40 points for the ones perceived to be the hardest. There was a checkcard that needed to be punched at each checkpoint to gain the points. There was a time-limit of 1.5 hours, after which you lost a point for every minute you arrived after that time, increasing to 5 points for every minute if you were over 5 minutes late. The winner was simply the one with the most points.

The kids came back buzzing from this and, just like the adults in our Four Lakes Race and those who've done the Three Rivers Race, I'm sure this would appeal to grown-ups as well. It's a great bit of fun which gives us new and interesting challenges which aren't the normal windward-leeward races. They do take a bit of setting up, but if it gets more people out on the water then it's surely worth it.

There's no reason paddleboarders and kayakers couldn't get involved in these kinds of races, which will bring more of a club's community out and may well draw them into the regular racing, which they may have been reluctant to do before.

I know the events I've discussed here aren't the only ones, and we'd love to hear about the ways that you're 'mixing it up' at your club. Tell us what's worked and what hasn't, whether it's drawn more people on to the water, and if those who've taken part have ended up doing more activities at the club as a result.

If you're looking for ways to diversify sailing at your club, then why not give what you've read above a go?

Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor

Related Articles

The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted today at 11:00 am
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
An evening with the Scaramouche Sailing Trust
Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy (GCA). But they've shown it can be accessible to everyone, with amazing results. Posted on 2 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
Project FEAR is in the final few days
Charity circumnavigation almost over, in record time, with a record total raised Jazz Turner is expected to reach home (Brighton Marina) on Monday 30th June or Tuesday 1st July. She has sailed round the British Isles - all round Ireland and the Shetland Islands - without any assistance in 27 days so far. Posted on 28 Jun
Funding for clubs transforms sailing opportunities
During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from UK clubs about their experiences During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from a range of UK clubs, walking through their case studies, and then heard from experts in finance who talked us through the opportunities and pitfalls of acquiring funds. Posted on 26 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Project FEAR turns southwards
Charity circumnavigation progress report from the Shetland Islands Last month I didn't even know that Muckle Flugga existed. Yet today, the very name of the island brought tears of emotion to my eyes, as I heard Jazz Turner scream it out in victory, in a video she took when passing the lighthouse. Posted on 22 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s. Posted on 15 Jun