ILCA UK Chair blog #108

Oct 14

Just some ramblings this week after an eventful couple of weeks for my sailing. First there was the Masters Nationals at Hayling Island (see reports below) that suffered extremes at both ends of the wind spectrum, allowing only five of ten races to be completed. This was followed by even worse wind at the European Masters in Vilamoura, where we had only three races (and no discard) in the ILCA7 Grand Masters, from ten races scheduled. Overall frustrating but worth reflecting on.

There is no doubt that luck plays a part in our sport. I got lucky on the second beat of one of the light air races at Hayling. Mid-fleet at the bottom gate in less than 5 knots, I worked the right side of the course hard and managed to pull up to a respectable seventh. Peter Sherwin led for two laps in the same race and dropped to 20th on the last run (there was certainly some bad luck there) whereas James Baxter picked off the gusts of the last two downwinds to climb from 35th or so to 5th (probably with a little luck too). Then in the first race in Vilamoura, I was lying in 2nd for most of the race in very light conditions, only for the race to be abandoned due a race committee error (a moving robotic mark!). When we eventually did the first race, I was 23rd – a big difference in a three race, no discard regatta! But this sailing, a sport where we have no control over the outside elements. While maybe more prevalent in our sport, competition produces unpredictable results and we must accept this as a “rub of the green” (see blog #60 for more on this). If you have raced for a long time, you will have won some and lost some due to luck. “Two ifs and but and we would all be world champion…..” but I think disappointment can be used as a compelling motivation to move to the next level.

It is worth remembering that while sailing conditions can be very difficult, they are outside the control of the race management team too (and very frustrating for organisers who have spent so much time trying to make a prefect event). It is easy for sailors (or supporters back ashore) to criticise individual decisions of the race officer without understanding the full context. The race officer has many sources of input from very experienced sailors to those with local knowledge and has to make the best judgements they can based on all that information. And judgments are not always correct with hindsight but we all need to respect this.

When it comes to safety, it is the race officer decision on whether to race and certainly in continental European that legal responsibility appears to be more profound. On one of the windy days, the harbour authority actually closed the entrance to the harbour, due to strong winds and big waves. Even when the wind abated, it is a big decision to allow us to race when other ports in Portugal were closed and you are allowing several hundred sailors over 55 to go afloat! And we were reminded that day of the need to be vigilant as one sailor got hit by the boom and knocked unconscious into the water. While he was fine in the end, it was a reminder that we must look out for the safety of others while afloat – redress is given in a race if you stop to help a competitor in distress.

I wanted to mention that ILCA6 event at the Inlands will have separate racing for men and women. We are trialling this based on the results of our survey 18 months ago where we had 108 responses (with many detailed comments), mostly from sailors active at UKLA events. A small majority wanted to “sometimes” race on women only starts – we have never tried this in the ILCA6 (we did last year for the ILCA4). It is a subject with strong feelings on both sides of the argument, probably reflecting a broader debate in society. Many women want to race in bigger fleets against men to maximise the opportunity to improve although it is also pointed out that international events have women only starts. But many women also find men are too aggressive on the start line. I understand both sides of the argument and I am simply reflecting the messages we have received as a class. We remain committed to any initiatives that will help increase participation levels for women. Fiona, chair of ILCA UK WAGs (Women and Girls) sub-committee will be assessing the feedback.

Finally we have the upcoming Inlands and Masters Inlands. Both represent a great opportunity to sail inland on flatter water with (perhaps) more emphasis on shifts, why not come and join us?

Snippets

ILCA UK events

Q5 WPNSA 19-20th October - BOOK or VOLUNTEER -closes tonight

Q6 WPNSA 26-27th October - BOOK or VOLUNTEER

Masters Inlands Rutland SC 26-27th October - BOOK

Inlands Grafham Water SC 2-3rd November - BOOK or VOLUNTEER - This event has limited number of entries

Save the date - ILCA Open and National Championships Plas Heli 9-15th August 2025

ILCA UK Winter Training

ILCA UK are offering many opportunities for winter training 2024/2025 - See our calendar for more

Regional Open Training for ILCA 4,ILCA6 and ILCA 7

ILCA 4

ILCA 4 Regional Open Training is a six-week programme for sailors under the age of 18yrs. Sailors are expected to have experience of club sailing , be confident in sailing in strong winds and comfortable managing full days in inclement/cold weather. Sailors are required to sign up for the six weeks to ensure continuity and getting the best from the programme.

The training programme will take place across three different regions.

Twelve places are available for each region. The ILCA 4 programme is now open for sailors to sign upon the ILCA UK calendar; a great opportunity to develop skills and meet other sailors in your region.

ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 Regional Open Training

Now open for sailors to sign up on the ILCA UK Calendar. The format will be 6 weekends running between October and March. Four of the weekends will be hosted in each region, with two joint camps when all of the regions will join together, one at WPNSA and one at Draycote SC

ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 training will be open to all ages and entry will be on a per-weekend basis. An excellent opportunity to continue to develop sailing skills in your region.

National Training

National Training will be available following the October qualifiers in WPNSA. National Training is open to sailors who come in the top 50% male and top 50% female in at least three of the following events