UKLA Chair blog #66
I had two decent races at Queen Mary on Sunday in very gusty conditions ranging from 12 to 25 knots and I was reminded once again how physical an ILCA can be in these conditions and what a great workout it can be – some frostbiting as part of your physical training this winter?
So no overall theme to today’s blog.
UKLA training in Dec - a number of masters have asked about training during the winter and there is a dedicated masters group on 9/10 Dec at WPNSA, Grafham and Ullswater. Maybe get a couple of mates together to ensure we have enough numbers? See the calendar for all training.
On 6th Dec at 7pm we are having our first virtual training of the winter – Starting in Big fleets with Mickey Beckett. Please register here. This winter the sessions are open to members (if you are not a member please join here for 2024). Last year we ran three sessions which are available here to anyone Setting up your ILCA for performance, ILCA technique for upwind/downwind in light and heavy air and Getting your tactics right
As we head into a quieter period for UKLA in terms of events, we have launched work on quite a few projects and initiatives. One of these is around our regional activities and Grands Prix and you may recall we had a forum on this a couple of weeks ago. We discussed having a meeting of Regional reps to refine the role of the regional structure, how to promote and make it easier for people to find events from UKLA channels, and to determine what support UKLA can provide.
Another initiative with to try and make our entry process less burdensome on our volunteers – I know the system can be a bit clunky for sailors but it is worth reflecting on the numbers – we had 11 National events in 2023 with 1,487 sailors racing and even if 5% of those have queries or issues, it is a lot of work. As another example on the Saturday morning on the first autumn qualifier at WPNSA there were 29 sail number changes – imagine the impact these have on tally sheets and results. It is why our entry cut-off in usual three days before the event.
UKLA Training
Winter training dates for Dec - UKLA Calendar
UKLA Announcements
Eurilca has announced details of the 2023 EurILCA Team Racing European Championship – it is open on a first come first served basis. Details here
UKLA core working hours over winter are Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 1-6pm
Entries are now open for the first Euro Masters event of 2024 in Malta, taking place from January 12th to 14th. SailCoach is offering a three-day coaching program tailored for masters. More info here
RYA are running ‘Sporting Parent’ workshop on Monday 4th December at 7.30pm. Click here to join the meeting (Meeting ID: 324 339 881 766 Passcode: gjnQPn)
Upcoming open meetings and club events / news
Race reports