Thorpe Bay Yacht Club

Tel: 01702 587 563

Dear Parents,

I had a two last minute requests from parents, who are looking for a Pico for their cadets to sail with on cadet week.

I would also be grateful for a couple of spare main sails and jibs, we have a boat offered, but her sails are not available (owner abroad).

If you have a boat which is not being sailed by cadets and you would be willing to offer it, please email or ring me.

Borrowing a Pico is not associated with high risks, nevertheless I feel that such agreement should be directly made by the parties on a basis that if damage occurs, it will be rectified.

Thanks very much:

Kind regards:

Andras

Andras Gal

3 Lasers traveled to the lovely Fishers Green Sailing Club on Saturday 27th June for their annual Laser Open Meeting. Forcast was light winds, heavy showers, sun, heavy wind, thunder and lightning and yes we had it all !
Chris Tillyer was always at the front in the mix as usual and somehow always seemed to be on the right side of the shifts and came away with 3 bullets, one up from 2nd last year, well done Chris great sailing in very testing conditions;
Thorpe Bay overall results were;
Chris Tillyer 1st
Rick Paxman 5th
Jeremy Doran 11th

Dear Cadets and Parents

Next Pico Race is on Saturday, 25 June
Start is at 14:20
Proposed meeting time in the dinghy park: 13:00

Report on the Pico race today: 19/06/2016

11 competitors signed up for our Pico race on the beach. A few more joined on the water. The majority were racing, some were sailing by and watching.

Initially there was hardly any wind, beautiful sunshine, warmest day of the season, probably. I thought we will have a fun day, but there will be not much of sailing. I was wrong.

Course and starting signals were published on the YouTube and on the club’s website and printed on paper on the Cadet’s board and an other copy circulated in the dinghy park / beach.

After a short briefing I attempted a short demonstration on sail setting, but this failed, as the wind was too light to move the sail.

The fleet launched and the sailors made their way towards the racing area, which was set near mark 3, to avoid the mooring boats. Nick and his crew kindly set up the course with 4 pencil marks with their RIB. We made a couple of rounds with Polly to tow some cadets out to the course. The wind caught up gradually.

We did two races, 10 and 12 minutes each. The course was beam reach each way, with two gates at each end. The East gate served as a start and finish line as well. We put Polly to a mooring nearby to show the starting signals and keep an eye on the start line.

A few boats did a cracking start, they waited close to the line, got going right on time. They finished on the podium – not surprisingly. Some tried to approach from the distance, but it was difficult to get the timing right that way, they were a little behind, but bravely caught up a bit later.

By the second race the wind shifted from South a bit to West, sailing to the west side of the course got a bit more tricky. Good close hauled technique paid off. At the start getting too close to the leeward pencil mark was a problem, some lost ground, could not cross the finish line, had to tack to gain height.

There has been some great examples of tight mark roundings, others sailed well beyond the mark, unnecessarily. There was some tight racing around the marks, this made it more interesting. One of the Pico’s with two cadets did really good speed, was about to overtake a Pico sailed by parents but then they chose to go leeward, and experienced the effect of the wind shadow, disappointingly.

Learning points:
Starting technique
Beam reach speed: sail setting, balance
Mark rounding
Wind shadow

Results will be published soon on the cadet’s board in the clubhouse.

Next Pico Race is on Saturday, 25 June
Start is at 14:20
Proposed meeting time in the dinghy park: 13:00
similar course planned

Our YouTube channel: TBYCPicofleet

See you on the water next week:

Andras

Dear Cadets and Parents,

Pico Race Sunday, 19 June, 2016 – Tomorrow

Start at 11:20

Proposed meeting in the dinghy park: 10:00

Briefing on the beach at 11:00
Short demonstration of sail setting on the beach
Launching
Please, stay around the race course, do not sail away to Spain!
Warm up, try the course
Two short races, about 10 minutes each
Free sailing
De-brief and prize giving in the dinghy park after washing the boats.

Parents, please, consider helping (4 pencil marks, starting boards to Polly)
Committee boat: Polly – cadets not sailing and parents welcome to join
I would welcome some help with tracking the race and results

Please, see our YouTube channel:

TBYCPicofleet

Course plan: 2 gate reach course 23 04 2016 2 – Improved version
Start signals

See you on the water:

Andras

 

 

 

This Saturday I am assure the rain will have stopped, the sun will be out and the winds fair… a great day to get out on the Water.

 

If you are able you can race on a shortened course in the Club Racing at 10am, if you are learning to helm you can sail from the beach in your OPen Bic, Terra or Pico, younger cadets can come and join in the Oppie fun on the beach from 9am. See you on the beach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtDxox2fuCs

Dear Cadets and Parents,

This is a reminder for the Pico Race Training.

– 3 days over the Bank Holiday Weekend
run by Andras Gal and Nick Alston

Briefing times at the beach:
(please, be changed and have the boats on the beach, rigged)
28th of May, Saturday 15:00
29th of May, Sunday 16:00
30th of May, Bank Holiday Monday 17:00

Program of day 1, Saturday:

1. Briefing at the beach
2. Demonstration of trim and balance
3. Going afloat and sailing to the training course
4. Warm up: figure of eight course
5. Start practice
6. Mini races
7. De-brief

Please keep an eye on our YouTube channel: TBYCPicofleet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtDxox2fuCs

Please, see my previous post with the details
(email / post on the TBYC website) 22/05/2016.

See you on the water:

Andras

Andras Gal
Pico Class Captain

Dear Cadets and Parents,

Please, see the Pico Spring Series Results in the Clubhouse notice board.
Congratulations, we have great results.

We plan the prize giving on cadet night Friday 17 June 2016.

With Nick Alston we plan to run a 3 day Pico race training over the bank holiday weekend for cadets.
This is going to be fun, relaxed atmosphere, no pressure.
We will support cadets with different level of experience and competitiveness.

Parents and adult Pico sailors are welcome.
Cadets with different boats, BIC, bug, RS Tera, Optimist, Topper, Laser 4.7 and other boats sailed by cadets are welcome.
Meeting in the dinghy park, changed and rigged.

Meeting times as follows (same time as the club race starts):

28th of May, Saturday 15:00
29th of May, Sunday 16:00
30th of May, Bank Holiday Monday 17:00

It is going to be a similar experience to the recent Pico races.

1. briefing on the beach, short demonstration of skills
2. warm up with reaching back and forth around two pencil marks, tacking
(figure of eight course, similar to the first few Pico races this season)
3. starting practice
4. mini practice races
5. debrief

The 3 day program is going to build up skills. We would like you all to come to all 3 days, but we understand that this is not possible for everyone. Cadets are welcome to join in any day.

Expressing interest, signing up would be helpful to us, but this is not mandatory.

See you on the water.

Kind regards:

Andras

Andras Gal
Pico Class Captain

http://www.finnworldmaster.com/torbole-2016/torbole-2016-news/item/574-perfect-conditions-launch-finn-world-masters-with-eight-races-in-torbole

Click on the link to see how fantastic Allen Burrell is doing in Italy.

Next Saturday 21st May is the beginning of the Summer Saturday Series. 

This is calling all Cadets to join in with the adult racing using a special Cadet Buoy.  

 

 

The races will be approximately 50 minutes long and use a shorter course. Perfect for 11 to 15 year olds! Any class of dinghy, helm and crew or single handed.

 

Cadets: All you need to do is turn up at least one hour before the race and (optional) find me. I will help you understand the course, brief you on the number of laps and even get you on the water!

Remember there are club Picos and a RS Feva available on a first come first served basis.

 

So, let’s have a big turn out for our first BIG RACE on Saturday 21st May. This week’s race starts at 11.03 for Cadets.

 

Your guide, but I will explain it all on Saturday.

Cadet course

• There will be an optional briefing 1 hour before start.
• The race will be a windward leeward course starting at the committee boat. It will be the second start with the Fast and Slow Monohulls at ‘Start time’ plus 3 minutes.
• First check the number of laps on the blackboard at the top of the slipway.
• Once on the water, go to the Committee boat and look for the last number on the BACK of the boat, which indicates D on the diagram.
• On the starting signal, you will cross the line and beat to the CADET BUOY, which is a special orange buoy marked with CADET. This will be your windward mark.
• Check whether a Red or Green flag is displayed on the Committee boat; Red means leave marks to port, Green means leave marks to starboard.
• Run or reach down to the course. You must NOT go through the line on the downwind leg (as in the sailing instructions).
• Beat up through the line to the Cadet buoy and continue until the displayed number of laps are completed.
• As you cross the line the committee boat will record your time. They will not give you a signal. Your race is then finished.
• Remember to ‘sign on’ and ‘sign off’ using the CADET sheet in the Bosun’s hut.

 

Dear Cadets and Parents,

Please, see our YouTube channel for the trapezoid course for Sunday.

TBYCPicofleet

 

Next Pico race 8th of May, Sunday, start at 13:20
Proposed meeting time is 12:00 in the dinghy park.
Similar structure, as previously.
Demonstration of close hauled sailing by the jib on the grass, if enough wind.
Demonstration of lying to (standing still).
Otherwise dry practice.
I am thinking about a trapezoid course (modified triangular course).