Page 41 - Yachter Autumn/Winter 2022

BEAULIEU RIVER RACE SERIES - THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO RACING
For many years I enjoyed spending my Sundays racing various dinghies
around the beautiful Shearwater Lake on the Longleat Estate in Wiltshire.
tried yacht racing.Whilst Dave and I are usually one of the last boats to finish, the handicapping system does mean we are sometimes officially placed ahead of one or two boats, on corrected time, which is a great feeling.
Although we have no line honours we congratulate ourselves on consistently being the only boat that has participated in every race since the Beaulieu River Race Series started last year.
We are very grateful to Guy for proposing the series and for being the Race Officer
for all the races. Guy, Zoe and their dog, in Ripple of Kyle, are the first boat out on the course and the last to leave.They do not even get to hoist their sails!
You can find all the details you need to enter and participate on the club’s website under the ‘Racing’ menu option.
I look forward to seeing new boats on the start line.
Mike Jones
I thought I had given up racing and moved over to cruising mode when Janet and I bought our first (and current) yacht, Second Chance. She is a Beneteau Oceanis 311, designed for ease and comfort, with no thought of racing capabilities.
Last year I saw the flyers for the Beaulieu River Racing Evening Series and was attracted by a few key words:‘friendly’, ‘novice’ and ‘ideal introduction to racing’.
I then started to get excited about the idea and asked my friend Dave if he would like to join me in a ‘campaign’. So we blocked out the dates in our calendars and turned up for the races.
Part of the enjoyment was being on a learning curve, which included learning from mistakes. One of our classic errors was accidentally Googling sailing instructions for a different race, which led to us having the VHF tuned to the wrong channel, so we did
not hear the course being read out and just had to follow the other boats around the course.
The racing has been fun and we like to think that we are starting to get a bit better. Participating in the series gets you out on the water at times you would not usually be there and it gives a purpose to your sailing.
The Sailor’s Supper after the racing is a key part of the experience, for Dave and myself.The meal after the first race, in 2021, was in a time when the Covid restrictions meant we had to eat outside; but everyone was buzzing after the race and exchanging stories of tactics that worked and those that didn’t. Now things are more relaxed and
we are allowed to eat indoors, with one large table, which makes things a lot more sociable.
I thoroughly recommend participating in the series, especially if you have not yet
RACING REPORTS 41