Page 26 - Yachter Spring/Summer 2020

26 RACING REPORTS
RACING WITH THE RSYC IN 2020
By the time you read this, we will have just completed the Frostbite series, 12 races in total, and will be celebrating the start of our 40th year running our popular double-handed series.
awarded to the winners in each class for each race and series.
From mid-May to late July we run
12 races in Southampton Water – an opportunity to relax after work on Thursday evenings.The twelve races are split into two series of six each – the Twilight and Summer Series. In these races we have separate classes for fully crewed and double-handed boats. On alternate weeks we have different formats of racing – one week it will be a pursuit race where the slower boats start first and the first to finish is the winner, and the next week it is ‘average laps’ where we do a few circuits round the same course and take average times round the course. All boats race using their club handicaps, which accounts for the performance of both boat and crew.
Our series racing finishes with the Winter Series – eight races in SouthamptonWater, two per day, on Sunday mornings starting in mid-October.This series again has classes for both IRC and club rated boats.
In addition to the series races, we also run two charity events.The first of these is the RNLI Race/Rally on 26th September. This is a chance for our racing and cruising communities to come together for an event in support of an organisation we all rely on.
Throughout the year from January to November, we offer keel boat racing for a wide range of interests.Whether your boat is 25 feet or 45 feet, whether you want to sail fully crewed or double-handed, whether you are experienced or new to racing, our racing programme has something for you.
If you are a member of RSYC, entry to our main series races is included in your subscription, and we offer a warm welcome to non-members, many of whom join us year after year. For all our racing you can enter individual races or a whole series.
If you prefer to help run races rather than participate in them, we have a vibrant race management team.As a member of the team, you will be given the training you need to support, not only our own programme, but also our very active participation in Cowes Week in early August.
Our racing year starts with the Frostbite
Series – 12 races in Southampton Water, two per day every other Sunday morning from mid-January to mid-March. Boats with IRC handicap certificates race separately from club handicapped entrants.We are one of the few clubs to offer racing at this time of year and it is a great opportunity to tune up your boat and crew for the year ahead.
In mid-April we start our series of nine races for boats sailing double-handed.These races are split into two sub-series – four
races run in the Solent, and five longer distance passage races, this year going as
far afield as Brixham.There is at least one
of these races every month from April to October. On the weekend of the 16th and 17th of May we race down to Weymouth on Saturday and back again on Sunday, with an opportunity to socialise on Saturday evening.
You can enter individual races, a sub- series or the whole nine races.Trophies are
FOR ALL OUR RACING YOU CAN ENTER INDIVIDUAL RACES OR A WHOLE SERIES.