ILCA UK Chair Blog #130
Finish boat at National Open 2
Another great weekend at the second National Open at WPNSA and thankfully a bit warmer than the first one. We had three fine races in the Bay on Saturday and still managed to be ashore around 3pm and the race team wisely decided to stay in the Harbour on Sunday (who wants a 1-hour beat before 10 o’clock and any racing). Overall, there was a super feeling at the event – well done to all the sailors, volunteers and helpers.
I thought Jon Emmet’s video of National Open 1 summed up ILCA UK is all about. Here it is.
Also we also had three really good write-ups from that first weekend:
2025 ILCA UK National Open 1 at the WPNSA - ILCA 7 fleet report
2025 ILCA UK National Open 1 at the WPNSA - ILCA 4 fleet report
2025 ILCA UK National Open 1 at the WPNSA- ILCA 6 fleet report
Finally have you seen the tracking? Here are the links - ILCA UK National Open 1 ILCA UK National Open 2
On Thursday, James Foster did a nice debriefing of the racing using the tracking data, see here. ILCA7 briefing. ILCA4 briefing.
We will have race reports next week but in meantime here is a video of National Open 2.
Sometimes it is a challenge to determine what to write in these blogs on a Monday. One of the ILCA4 parents asked about that as we were packing up and the reality is that themes often emerge from conversations like that. In that case we started talking about the culture of our class. That culture started to be redefined when Rob Cage took over as class Chair and as a committee, we have worked really hard to build on that. Having the committee aligned really helps re-enforce that culture at multiple points at events like we have had over the last two weekends. It defines how sailors interact with each other and how the irregular poor behaviour is handled. It defines how parents and volunteers interact with each other and race officials and jurors communicate. We are not perfect, but a strong culture keeps us on the right track.
If you’ve been following our weekly blog over the past couple of years, you probably understand that culture. It’s about the strength of our community, our passion for ILCA sailing and the class and about working together. We’re a mix of youth sailors just starting out, seasoned masters with decades of stories, and everything in between. From British Saling Team members to club sailors. But what unites us is a shared love of ILCA sailing, top competition and great racing — and a belief that everyone should feel welcome on the start line. The culture is one of helping out, whether it’s a parent helping on the beach, experienced sailors offering tips after a race, volunteers that are the heartbeat of ILCA UK. So if you ask me what the culture of ILCA UK is, I’d say: it’s friendly, it’s open, it’s about improving and making the most of the opportunity, no matter your expectations on the race course.
Snippets
The next ILCA Women’s Coaching session, led by Ellie Cumpsty, is at King George SC on 17th May. Further dates at Parkstone YC, Stokes Bay SC and Draycote Water are being finalised. Keep an eye on the ILCA Calendar for details as these sessions sell out quickly.
Our sponsor Wildwind are hosting a Women's ILCA Clinic led by NED sailor Maartje van Dam from May 4th.
You will see our calendar starting to fill up. For Masters sailors, the 2025 SUZUKI ILCA MASTER EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS at Hayling Island in June is now open. This is a great chance for GBR sailors to sail a European Championship on home waters. If you are a competent club sailor, why not come along? Or maybe you have been out of sailing for a while, well its not too late to come to this! We have the ILCA UK Masters Nationals the weekend before and a Masters event in Parkstone in early May
2025 ILCA Handbook is now available online.
ILCA UK Events
Entries to Masters Series at Parkstone
You can now renew your membership for 2025. Not a member yet? JOIN NOW
See our calendar - last winter training is available to book.
ILCA UK training - all remaining training for winter/spring is now open. BOOK here
Entries for the 2025 RYA Youth National Championships are now open
ILCA UK have two National Opens at WPNSA on 11/12 Oct and 18/19 Oct - the latter clashes with the U21s Europeans so discretionary points may apply for the qualification ladder but not for the first weekend (we moved from 25/26 Oct to 11/12 Oct to avoid a double clash). Masters Inlands date is confimred for 25/26 Oct.
Other news
ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - ILCA 4 fleet report
ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - ILCA 6 fleet report