turnturtle

After taking a year out of dinghy racing I have had the chance to really look back over the last few years and see which races I’ve enjoyed and frankly, which were a waste of time and effort, or worse, a good day’s sailing ruined by racing.

So I sat down and wrote a list of my favourite racing memories and those which sucked.

The overriding discovery was that the majority of races I loved were fleet races.  From the one race I actually enjoyed in my Phantom which was effectively a match race with another Phantom sailor (I lost) to the RS100 circuit and even a little further back, the Musto Nationals in 2007 where I scored an illustrious DFL, but the experience of learning from some highly talented, generous people was probably my most cherished memory of that boat.

almost over the line in a fleet race- Jimbo GBR107

I loved all of these for the racing itself, whereas the majority of the handicap racing I had done I really couldn’t say I’d enjoyed that much- the notable exceptions being the winter handicap events like the Grafham Grand Prix.  These events most certainly have their place in bringing the sailing community together for some light-hearted, winter racing- bullshit protests and post-event scandals aside.

I’m missing the competitive racing and whilst I’d love to have another crack at racing a board against another board, I know this isn’t going to happen anytime soon.  So I’m looking at the options for club fleet racing at Draycote.

Now things have changed a bit since I last raced there regularly in 2009.  (I moved to South Cerney SC in the Cotswolds in 2010 as we were trying to group the new RS100 sailors from the area, sowing seeds for future fleet racing.)  Back in 2009 Draycote had 10 or so RS300s out every Wednesday.  Yes they were officially part of the ‘handicap fleet’, but when I was racing them I certainly didn’t really consider the rest of the handicap sailors as competitors.  I never bothered looking at the corrected times on the spreadsheet, I just knew how well I finished compared to the other 300s.  It was the fleet racing aspect that drew me back towards RS boats. Sadly most of these 300s have moved on and whilst the few that are left are great guys to sail with, they are most definitely handicap racing these days, so that’s of no interest to me.

One fleet which has taken off really well is the Lasers.  I might not like the boat that much, and I’m certainly too heavy to race one even vaguely competitively, but their fleet attitude and vibe is really good and they’ve got something special going on with near open meeting grade racing.  I’d definitely join in, although I’d have to buy a second hand boat built in the 90′s, fix my own XD kit and invest in an iSails training sail for only €209, rather than the overpriced ‘official’ piece of crap from the Northampton Sailboats just to make a point

But alas, I’m too heavy to join the fleet of 20+, so the only other singlehanded class racing is the Solo.  I’ve seen plenty around, they’re more than popular choices for a wide range of ages and sailor weights.  People say they’re ‘old men’s boats’.  Guys, honestly take a look around- dinghy sailing’s for old men, (and any women mad enough to join us bobbing around in the cold and wet).  There’s hardly any club racers in their twenties and thirties anywhere is there???  They all can’t afford it, can’t be arsed with it, find it boring, don’t want to crew or otherwise blame the boats but don’t pony up for anything else…. the reasons has been debated at length across sailing forums for years, I’ve certainly lost interest in the ‘issue’ now my own contemporaries are old enough to start trickling back into the sport.

Anyway Solos… there were some quite stunning wooden ones at South Cerney, some of the newer plastics at Draycote look purposeful and ‘sorted’  (industrial elegance is the new pimp, just see Russ Hopkins in a D-One for proof.)  Like most Solo-cynics, I’ve certainly seen a couple of right munters in my time; boats that should’ve gone the way of Guido several Novembers ago.   But it would be wrong to judge the class by those woodworm-infested ones and to be honest, if that was the only option I’d have financially to join the Solo fleet, then I’d suck up the weight disadvantage and get myself a Laser for far fairer odds.

So I’m trying out a relative modern Solo on charter for 3 evenings this year.  I think you need more than one sail to get a true picture of a boat and the racing it offers.  I’m reliably informed by my friends that I’ll hate it.  I’ll allegedly find it boring, awkward, half dead.  It’ll screw my knees up as it’s cramped, old and well ‘crap’, not to mention smashing my shins to pieces as there’s a weird pivoting thing where the daggerboard should be… all the usual stereotypes I’ve laughed at in the past.

However there’s a few things missing from the thought processes behind these flippant piss takes.

1) They’re forgetting I’m a bit more accomplished on my board now, and if I want a blast or a speed kick session when the wind’s over 12 knots, then I can knock most monohulls (moths aside) into a cocked hat these days.

2) They’re forgetting that I’ve got zero interest in clocking up motorway miles dragging a boat around as I have in the past.  If I’m going to the seaside, then please can I take my family, my boards and a relaxing time on last minute whim when there’s a good forecast?  No thanks to a lonely weekend booked months in advance just to turn up for racing that’s skunked or blown off for my narrow-windrange chariot-of-choice.  No thanks to trying to convince my family that a lovely holiday in Garda wouldn’t be marred by me knobbing off sailing for 3 back-to-backs every day while wife and children are left to their own devices.  No thanks to flogging all the way across the country to race on someone’s else shifty pond when I can do it on my own without taking a mast down!

3) I sail inland, shifty is as shifty does.  There’s no waves to put my knees out, and if it’s windy, then I’m on my board… sod dinghies in 15+ knots!    Secondly, I might as well choose a boat optimised for the style of racing this location delivers.  Nearly every club within a 60 mile radius of my house has an active Solo fleet.  Saying they’re not suited and recommending another (newer) boat, is like telling a Chinese man that he shouldn’t like rice.  2 billion of them can’t be wrong can they?  (Chinese rice eaters, not Solo sailors…)

Bottom line, If I like the racing, then next season we will see another Solo at Draycote for the Wednesday nights racing.  It’s all about the racing, not the boat.  And there’s good racing to be had if you want it and it’s against some pretty talented sailors (4 boats in the top 15 at the Solo Spring Champs!!!) I’ll keep my mind open, ears open, eyes open and who knows, I might actually learn something. :lol