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Home | News | Racing Update
Home | News | Racing Update

Racing Update

Published 11:13 on 10 Aug 2020

We've just had another fantastic weekend of fleet racing with a very impressive 17 lasers racing on Saturday afternoon. Sunday was another day of champagne sailing and it's great to see so many members getting back on the water. Don't forget that the racing continues this weekend although the fleets will now switch from Saturday to Sunday and vice versa.

The RYA have also been busy as they have recently updated their guidance and will now permit double handed sailing with people from different households. However, the RYA make it clear that the responsibility now lies with the individual to determine whether it is safe to sail:

"It is the responsibility of the members concerned to ensure they follow the guidance on sailing & racing with participants from different households. Clubs should encourage safe sailing, but are not responsible for enforcing social distancing measures between members on the water sailing together in the same boat. However, clubs and/or Organising Authorities may deem it appropriate to impose limits on crew"

From the committee's perspective, we do not recommend double handed sailing due to the potential risk, but we accept the RYA's guidance and will leave it to the individual member to assess the risks, and make their own decision. We have updated our Risk Assessment (see attached) and this approach will be in place starting with racing this Saturday.

The updated guidance has also been extended to the rib support we provide, and we can now permit two people from separate households to be in the same Rib. PPE in the form of masks and gloves are also available in the ribs as required.

One of the problems we now face is that the popularity of the fleet racing is making it difficult for the Principal Race Officer (PRO) to manage all aspects of the race on their own, especially as an ARO is not permitted unless from the same household. We therefore want to encourage the PRO out of the OD box and into a rib for setting the course and a square start line and the overall management of the race, including standard rib support duties. This means that we also need an individual to act as a 'scorer', who remains in the OD box to start the race sequence and record laps and finishing positions.

The implications of this are that the PRO can be in a Rib with another crew member but that we need members to take on scorer duties. I've mentioned before the need for volunteers to assist with the race duties and this new approach allows more members to support the racing without requiring extensive experience. Let me know if you can help. Note that the lack of volunteers may result in racing being cancelled or inaccurate results due to a lack of duty staff and a high workload.

Finally, I hope you're enjoying the photos now being posted on FaceBook (and here) from Faye Cleaver, one of our younger members. Faye is about to start her second year at Gloucestershire University studying Editorial and Advertising Photography and is looking at different ways of specialising as a photographer. Please support her and feel free to like her work and don't hesitate to contact her if you see a particular photo you would like a print or copy of.

See you on the water!

Mark

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