Firstly, the date of Merlin Week 2018 will be:
 
 8th July 2018 - 13th July 2018.
 
Secondly, at SYC we have been round the houses exploring various options for Merlin Week entry
2018 and beyond.  As have your MROA. committee. 
 
Some of the alternatives are:


 
Pre-qualification
     by ST or prior Merlin Week entry, in various permutations/guises. 
 
Ballot.
 
Additional
     ‎start for a "Heritage (!) fleet".
 
Altered
     race format. 


All
of them carry advantages and disadvantages. 

 

In
all recent years, come the actual event, the week has in fact, not been quite full.
There are invariably no shows. (Whom we will cross-examine for their reasons in the future.
And if these are not valid, we may take measures). In short, all who are committed to the week,
have raced. We have thus reached a view based on this premise. 

 

We
concede that 2018 may be different and perhaps 2019 too. But even so, taking all
factors into account we conclude that we can do no better than first come first
served, based on RYA best advice. The event is above all, family oriented, and Corinthian. 

 

For example, a
ballot may exclude one part of a friendship or family group. Pre-qualification
by ST/Nationals is not egalitarian. It also discriminates against class elders
who have historically done their time on the circuit. ‎Salcombe is their
remaining fixture. Pre-qualification by previous years' Merlin Week attendance helps not at all either. 

 

Altered
race format/additional ‎race. This is a non-starter from a race box
perspective. The existing format is plainly popular and works. 

 

So, first come first served it is, entry via the SYC website. We
will however move the entry date to the first Saturday in November we hope, to make life
easier.  ‎This year, entries will open on Saturday 4th
November 2017 at 09:00 sharp.    NOT before. 

 

We
appreciate this decision will disappoint some but we do seek your understanding that we
have given all the options very serious thought.  However unfortunately,
no entry system is perfect, when demand exceeds supply. We are doing our best.

 

We
are grateful to everyone who has come up with ideas, suggestions (pithy and otherwise!) and
undertaken behind the scenes analysis.  
 
Many thanks indeed. 
 
Graham. RCS SYC. 
  

How sturdy is your website!? 

A "Heritage " fleet looks interesting as my crew will have completed his GCSEs by then! 

I share Chris Kilby's concerns about the robustness of the site – especially since it is likely to be inundated with bots from Viagogo and other high-tech touts: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/mar/10/ministers-to-criminalise-use-of-ticket-tout-harvesting-software.

 Rather than opening the SYC website to start accepting entries at 9am, could this be delayed until later in the evening so as not to prejudice those who do go to work.  Especially considering it may take some time to have an entry accepted. 

 

Well said Jennie

I believe that this particular issue has already been discussed and a decision made to move the entries to a weekend time slot. Although this is not an official announcement. But what about those that work evenings and weekends? Alas, there is no perfect answer.
Every effort has been made to resolve the issues that surround Salcombe Week entries and discussions held at great length between the MROA committee and SYC committee-trust me, I have the lengthy email chains to prove it!

How about repaying only 50% of the entry fee up to say May and then nil thereafter - unless there are serious issues.

There is never a perfect way of rationing something where demand exceeds supply and the first come first served system will be as good as any.
 
For any other Merlin sailors who want to have a Salcombe experience but can't get a place for Merlin week, we already have 3 Merlins entered for the Regatta week in August and entries are now open via the Salcombe SC website.  Julian Harms was threatening to join us as well though hasn't yet entered.
 
Andrew