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Junior Race Week
Junior Race Week 2020 (August 17-21) was one of the first officially organised events in the sailing calendar. Sailing Manager, Vicky Leen supported by Event Safety Officer Joff McGill, RlymYC Junior Race Committee, Dinghy Class Fleet Captains and volunteers ran a ‘no frills’ event for 84 boats, 110 sailors over three days supported by 60 volunteers. The largest fleets were Oppies, Teras and Fevas with a respectable number of 420s and Aeros, four 29ers and six Scows. The Aero and 29er made a welcomed entry into the Gold fleet for the first time.
Race Officers Malcolm McKeag (Gold), John Whyte (Silver) and Peter Schofield (Scow) with their excellent race teams delivered lots of short races within a 4-hour window in the three days out of five days weather allowed for racing. With regimental precision groups of 6 boats were sent down the slipway in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines. Daily competitor and safety briefings were held socially distant outside. No registration, parties or prize giving this year. WhatsApp and WebCollect, communication and event management technology, kept race teams, competitors and parents connected and informed. ‘Bridge’, Heather Burrell expertly maintained communications between race teams, safety and shore.
2020 Junior Race Week was a family affair with siblings, ‘bubbles’ or adult and child racing together. WJS lent boats to boost entries, the Sea Scouts, Keyhaven SC, Berthon and LTSC lent ribs and families volunteered.
This year's Gold Fleet coalesced into two fleets: Fast Handicap (20) and Fevas (16) - it made for much better racing for the sailors and easier race management. Race Officer Malcolm McKeag ran Average Lap Racing which means everyone started together, went round the track as many times as possible and the race was stopped after 20 (or so) minutes. Elapsed time divided by number of laps sailed produced the final corrected time. Many finishers were just one or two seconds apart. 12 of the 20 were either Lasers or Aero 5s, so evenly matched on the water that they were invariably close together round the track.
The show ponies this year were the four 29ers: fast when upright – a tricky and demanding little boat, a miniature of the 49er Olympic dinghy. Most of the sailors new to the beast sailed in three days of close-to or beyond the limit breeze, sometimes gusting 18-20 knots - happily from the SW. Gold Fleet Safety was busy. The lead 29er went round three times to everyone else’s two. Well done Sam Webb and Nick Evans.
The Fevas, sailing on a slightly shorter inner circuit, had some brilliantly close racing with four different winners of the eleven races sailed. Behind the leaders there was continual place changing often all the way to the finish line. Dirk Rogers and Cameron Bignold-Kyles showed themselves as the boat to beat on Day One.
The first day of racing for the Silver Fleet (Optimists 13, Teras 24) was challenging but courage did not desert the young sailors some of who were on a steeper learning curve than they might have anticipated. Race Officer John Whyte kept competitors busy and happy on Day One with three races in 12-14 knots SW winds. A fourth race was not run as the fast ebbing tide was reducing the depth in Crooked Lake to get the boats home. It was noticeable that some crews were very tired after a third race. Silver Fleet enjoyed great close racing on the last day adding four races to give a 10-race series. Oppie sailor Freya Hutchinson battled it out with Jonny Rogers to take first place while Max Tait won the Tera class.
After the first day of racing just to the East of the Starting Platform, Scow Race officer Peter Schofield set up the committee boat at the entrance to Crooked Lake – the windward leeward course delivered excellent 20 minute races. There were three races a day with ‘Gapper’ Scow 319 sailed by Hughie Pemberton in the lead after two days of racing. On the last day after the initial windward leeward races and a race around the island Scow 319 was in the lead. Sapphire sailed by Maisie Chamberlain-Hyde, Olivia Impett and Crista Millar was steadily improving and won the next three races, the last of which finished on the club line. This gave Sapphire the overall win but mention must be made of Praline Scow 412 who having had a difficult two days came good with a third place in race 5.
The last day … breeze 13-15 knots, course axis 210o from the river entrance towards Hurst, the sun shining, The Solent a-shimmer, in the distance the Needles and as far as the eye could see youngsters in dinghies having a ball. What’s not to like?
I do hope the sailors enjoyed this new junior racing format as much as we did. Here’s to 2021!
Shireen Crowe
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