Welcome all to WYC.
We hosted an on-line briefing last night but recognise that some did not receive the notice and missed it ... unfortunately the Zoom recording failed so these notes are a substitute for the briefing; there will be no briefing on Saturday morning.
This will be the first event for both classes and the club since the lockdowns and as we are operating under covid restrictions some things will be different from usual. There is a limit on outdoor gatherings of 30 and we have 90 competitors so we will not be holding a physical briefing so for those who missed the Zoom briefing so the following notes will hopefully provide some additional useful information.
The WYC Covid-19 Response can be reviewed here:
Boat Parking: We have cleared the whole beach to the west of the club ramp for event competitors which is more space than is necessary for 45 boats to please take the opportunity to spread yourselves out.
The key things that will affect competitors are the use of the changing rooms; the capacity is restricted to 6 and so competitors are encouraged to arrive changed or change on the beach; the weather looks warm so we hope people can be creative to minimise the use of the changing facilities.
The club bar will be open but there are no formally organised social events; table service will be operating in the normal way that you should all be familiar with by now. In the evening it is likely that many of the restaurants and pubs will be busy so competitors are encouraged to book tables ASAP.
Food will be available at Keiths Coffee Hut in the forecourt of WYC.
Hard copies for the SIs will not be made available at the club to reduce contact points; a copy is attached and if you need a hard copy please print this off and bring it with you. The regatta notice board will be located outside in the club forecourt.
A tally system will be in place and tally numbers have been allocated and are listed in the attached documents.
It is our intention to host a prizegiving, separately for each class, but we will have to be mindful of the 30-person limit.
Comments from the Race Officer:
- Bridge will show any signals while sailors are ashore – we will be using the D flag to release the competitors to sail; sailors are not allowed to go afloat until D flag is flown – no race signal will be made for at least 45 mins from the D flag being posted.
- We are using a tally system for the event – this is for your safety and the race team cannot come ashore until all competitors have tallied. There is a fine payable to the RNLI for infringement.
- Identification – CB (Big white catamaran), pin end (black bouy), rounding marks(Orange cylinders), replacement marks (Black bouy)
- Hazards and prohibited areas – Oyster beds and cages these are a prohibited area and sailors who do sail inside that area will be disqualified, they also represent a significant hazard to your boat. The cages are not visible at high water, but they will damage you boat; crab/lobster pot lines – various places in the Bay the marker floats are noticeable but unavoidable in terms of laying a course., apart from the usual day trawlers we have no notified large shipping movements in or out of the harbour. Falling tide in the later part of the day.
- The course area is Whitstable Bay directly offshore from the Club - tide and wind conditions likely to mean a longer sail out to the course area, I would recommend you leave 15-20 mins from launch to starting area
- Before each start we will show the compass bearing to the first mark and anticipated number of laps. Number of laps planned for each race is 3 – triangle, sausage, triangle.
- The course diagram and notes show that boats must go through the start/finish gate on each upwind leg, and you MUST NOT go through this gate on a downwind leg.
- Looking at forecasts and timings I do retain the option to shorten the course if I have all sailors on the same lap and/or I can whiskey flag tail enders and give everybody a fair and recordable finish.
- Race starts are 5, 4, 1, go – there will be a 1 min gap between the go signal for the Tasars and the warning signal for the Merlins.
- Starts and turn arounds will need to be run tight if we are to run to 3 race schedules particularly on Saturday - with a falling Neap tide and a safety window for recovery of RIBs etc. I will need to finish the last race no later than 4pm.
- I will use the AP between races to manage timings for course resets etc – although I do try to get the course adjusted as the previous race is finishing. The AP coming down will also serve as an extra notice that a race sequence is due to commence.
- You will see from the SIs we will start all races under Black Flag and yes while we have the option to do a general recall on a Black Flag this will be problematic for the Merlins who are starting second – it will be difficult/impossible to go into a general recall for the Merlins and do a reset and start before the Tasars come round for their 2nd lap. In Black Flag start it is not necessary for me to identify everybody over the line – therefore I will identify those that I can.
- I will also use a W flag for tailenders – generally I don’t like to time competitors out of a race and at least with a W flag every sailor gets a recordable finish. If you are W flagged, please head back to the start area.
- Weather - Looking at the forecast conditions – wind will be light, and the tide will be pushing sailors over the line, sailors need to be aware of this and factor it in their starting.
If anyone has any further questions, then your key contact points are:
Merlins : Huw Reynolds 07740 871685
Tasars : Rick Perkins 07763 133399
Race Officer : Tom Bruton 07850 498446
