Yacht Racing Practice Weekend
Booking details
No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.
No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.
Joining Instructions: Please click here for event joining instructions
Recommended Reading: Sailing magazines, RORC website, ISAF website, any books or magazines on yacht racing
Event Prerequisites: At least RYA Competent Crew with some sailing time
Minimum Age: 18+
Holiday Insurance: We would advise ALL our customers to ensure they have suitable holiday insurance in-place. Yachtsman’s insurance is available from a variety of souces like Topsail Insurance and can cover things like cancellations and personal effects cover.
This event is for any competent sailor who wants to get additional practice in before a race! So as long as you are at least RYA Competent Crew trained, or have suitable sailing skills, are fit and agile and can adapt quickly during a race this may be the event for you.
This practice weekend will give you a taster of offshore sailing, close quarters sailing amongst other yachts (par for the course in the Solent!) and will improve your tacking and gybing skills, along with giving you an edge at the helm and generally a flavour for what it takes to go racing.
The weekend will cover a general skills review and practice/refresh, typical racing techniques, safety considerations and drills, crew positions and jobs, communication and hierarchy, technical brief and strategy, weather monitoring and considerations and other elements which will all make up a safe and run race.
This practice weekend is designed to hone existing skills, look at where you may need to focus, be that on practical skills, your own fitness or working together as a yacht racing crew.
It’ll involve some long days and possibly even an overnight sail, so no marina stops! It’ll be a taster of a mini offshore race in itself, which may include bad weather, or focus on areas like the start line, sail handling, tactics and race sailing techniques.
This event runs in a single format:
These weekends will typically be scheduled in the weekends leading up to RORC offshore races
These weekends are a great way to see if competing in an offshore race is for you, or for gaining a bit more confidence before a big race. You’ll have to get involved, as this is no pleasure cruise weekend. It’ll be pretty full-on and will aim to give you a good guide as to what you can expect, or where you need to focus on to achieve your goal.
You’ll be part of a yacht racing crew who will be steely-eyed on gaining results, from that perfect start over the line, to impeccable sail handling, fast tacks and gybes that leave your fellow competitors in your wake.
These weekends are also quite a lot of fun and a great introduction to a different type of sailing. Forget cruising, now you are racing!
Your race Skipper will take you on an intensive training weekend where you’ll learn about race procedures, safety and how to react to quick tacks and gybes, the communication needed on board and how to act as a close-knit race team! It’ll also be a guide to the challenging waters around the Isle of Wight and offshore, including hazards and features, plus tactics to be employed on race day!
No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.
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A fantastic weekend of sailing, almost 130 NM in all, with a relaxed, but fully engaging skipper. Great set up and brilliant on the admin. Thanks Stef, Tom et al!
Nick BI did a weeks coastal skipper course getting ready for my yacht master and I have to say it was one of the best training weeks I’ve had - our training instructor was superb, exactly the sort of person that you want. He could inspire, provide discipline and impart knowledge as well as let you learn through your own mistakes. Tom and Steph run an excellent operation there and I highly recommend it. They’re flexible and very helpful when it comes to your journey into being a qualified sailor.
Nigel Frith