For those of you not going to the Nationals we have a week of sailing at Brightlingsea Sailing Club, the event is called Pyefleet week and its a real family week, class racing for many fleets including MERLIN and so far we have 7 Merlins signed up, a mixture of old and new. For more information go to www.sailbrightlingsea.com.

I can thoroughly recommend it, especialy if the wind blows (bit obvious that!)

Pencil us in for the week - the CVRDA and Vintage Merlin event follows on nicely at the end!

Excellent - welcome aboard.  The more the merrier.

The good think about having a fleet is that we won't be clashing with those silly boats that go down wind by reaching from side to side.  (My how quickly one can change sides as an ex RS400 sailor!)

If you go to www.sailbrightlingsea.com and go to the forum and look at the link to Pyefleet Week the Merlins will be sailing as a class the same side as the Fast Handicap/fireball etc etc.We will add in a Merlin start which will be as a handicap using the Merlin Class handicap system. If you sail an older Merlin you will also get the chance to sail in the slow handicap on the opposite side (morning/afternoon). You will also see there is class racing for other dinghies making it possible for whole families to compete.
Our target is 10 Merlins and i think we are well on the way to make this happen.

And on the website are the pointers to accomodation: http://www.sailbrightlingsea.com/accommodation.asp

Although, if you are into camping you will need to get here: Lakeside Caravan Park, Promenade Way, Brightlingsea.
Tel: 01206 303421(site) or 01206 307576 (home). Book up a site as soon as possible, because although its a fairly basic site, it is only about 50yds from the dinghy park and clubhouse! So its the only sensible place to be during Pyefleet Week and the CRVDA event just afterwards.

What do you mean by "On the same side"?
Pyefleet week is spread over 6 days of class / fleet racing. The racing for each class is alternate AM and PM: 3 days you will be racing in the morning, and 3 days you will be racing in the afternoon. That way you get the maximum variation of sea breeze vs land breeze, tide coming in vs going out, early start after the night before vs a nice long lie-in.

So "one side" is AM first day, PM the second. While "the other side" is PM the first day and AM the second. You can enter your class, and as long as they are racing "on the other side", you can also race in the handicap fleet: that way you get 2 races a day (and no chance of a lie-in), rather than just one.

Of course, experienced Pyefleet sailors realise there is more to the week than just the racing! So they find the lie-in vital to maintain the morning to next morning activities!

Thanks for that explanation, never was very good at putting words together! What ever type of boat you sail you will be given a warm welcome.

Could someone send me all the details for Pyefleet please? 
I've finally booked the campsite and the leave!

Older boats don't forget the Vintage wing and CVRDA event over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The best thing to do is go on the web site

http://www.sailbrightlingsea.com

click on forum, then events or click on Pyefleet Week when in the home page.  Hope this helps.

If you have booked the leave and the campsite already, then that is about it!

Turn up an hour or so before the start on Sunday (10:30 start) (or Saturday 14:00 if you want to enter the Pre-week pursuit race for a spot of practise).

Look for the other very wide looking clinker built boats, and follow them!

(By the way, one local rule to be aware of, the narrower clinker built boats are BODs: Brightlingsea One Designs. They have right of way at all times!).

Did Pyfleet week many years ago in Fireballs, great week - second only to Chichester Harbour Federation Week, which alas clashes with the Nationals this year - so I will be doing Fed week (again).