Entering regattas

[flaming]

I'm getting confused by the Cowes week entry.

In the IRC classes there are currently 65 boats entered. Compared to last year's total of about 150. The early bird entry closed on Friday, so entries are now full price. Wasn't an especially large discount, but every little penny....

But it got me thinking, why haven't people entered yet?

I mean, Cowes is not a weekend regatta, it's a week's commitment. Your crew will need to take holiday, you might need to book shoreside accommodation... Are there really a significant number of owners who haven't yet made the decision to sail at Cowes? Surely most boats know their summer programme well in advance of now?

Or is it just not being organised?

 

[j80]

I'm getting confused by the Cowes week entry.

In the IRC classes there are currently 65 boats entered. Compared to last year's total of about 150. The early bird entry closed on Friday, so entries are now full price. Wasn't an especially large discount, but every little penny....

But it got me thinking, why haven't people entered yet?

I mean, Cowes is not a weekend regatta, it's a week's commitment. Your crew will need to take holiday, you might need to book shoreside accommodation... Are there really a significant number of owners who haven't yet made the decision to sail at Cowes? Surely most boats know their summer programme well in advance of now?

Or is it just not being organised?

Maybe because this year Fastnet is 2 weeks earlier this year and slower boats will finish on the 8th or thereabouts - i.e. 2 days before Cowes week. Some who are doing fastnet who usually might do Cowes week might decide that they will give Cowes week - or the whole commitment a miss this year or see if they just want to enter a couple of days after Fastnet experience? I think one of the reasons - including weather - for the date change was to allow those want to race in Cowes Week time to get back to the Solent after the race - but even if i wanted to do a couple of days on my own boat after Fastnet - really need to fit some work in between sailing

 

[lw395]

I wonder if they're just being a bit 'Islawight' about updating the list of entrants?
The Squibs only have 12 showing at this point? Only 25 XODs?

Maybe they've just lost the plot and people have better offers? I'm not going this year, doing a dinghy Nationals instead. But if I was going, £35 to delay committing until August might be worth it, as business can throw things at me sometimes.

 

[olly_love]

It always used to take some time to update,

we entered later than usual this year as was struggling to get everyone to comitt

 

[flaming]

I wonder if they're just being a bit 'Islawight' about updating the list of entrants?
The Squibs only have 12 showing at this point? Only 25 XODs?

Think it's instant. Certainly was when we entered.

Maybe they've just lost the plot and people have better offers? I'm not going this year, doing a dinghy Nationals instead. But if I was going, £35 to delay committing until August might be worth it, as business can throw things at me sometimes.

True, and makes sense for a day boat but for boats who need to pull together 7+ crew and arrange accommodation etc... Surely you make the decision to go to a week long regatta much further advance than this? And if you've made the decision to go, why wouldn't you enter early and save a few quid...?

 

[lw395]

I'm always amazed at the number of last minute entries we get to our dinghy class events. People have lives which prevent them from committing early. Which is a shame because if you could advertise a guaranteed fleet of 15 boats already entered, you'd probably persuade another twenty to come along.

 

[flaming]

Which is a shame because if you could advertise a guaranteed fleet of 15 boats already entered, you'd probably persuade another twenty to come along.

Very true. I think for a lot of dinghy classes there is a bit of a windguru effect. As in, if the forecast looks pants am I better off giving it a miss and getting some brownie points at home painting a fence or something than hitching up the boat and driving 3 hours to sit in the clubhouse looking at a windless reservoir etc. Which then drives late entries and, as you say, people looking at the entry list and deciding not to bother because the entry is small...

Not sure it applies to yachts in the same way though.

 

[lw395]

What were the ratios of late entries like last year?

Maybe it's like some dinghy events, where some of us don't decide which boat to take until we've seen a forecast?
Only got one yacht? INKSPE!

I do wonder if messing with the calendar has had an effect? In days of yore, people would do at least afew days of Cowes to practice/shake down for the Fastnet. This year, one boat I know of is doing the Fastnet then cruising untl the Autumn. Among the smaller boats, many people have Cowes as basically a Lads' week, then the rest of August is more 'Family'.
It's concerning that the dayboat entries look low, don't these boats have to enter early if they want moorings for the week?

 

[flaming]

What were the ratios of late entries like last year?

I didn't go last year, so I'm not sure, but I think it was about the same in previous years...

 

[flaming]

I have to say I'm starting to wonder at what point the organisers start pulling class starts... Currently 2 J80s, 2 in HP30 and 2 in sportsboats...

 

[olly_love]

Round the island only has 799 entrys at the moment,
very low compaired to a few years back,

 

[flaming]

Round the island only has 799 entrys at the moment,
very low compaired to a few years back,

I think that's not too bad actually...
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?502444-RTIR-only-900-entered&highlight=rtir

Last year it was 100 more a month later....

 

[flaming]

RTI now looking pretty good. 1060 with 3 weeks to go, 1204 was the total last year. IRC looks like it's going to beat last year, 320 entered to date, 341 was last year's total.

Cowes though.... 74 in the IRC classes. That's very light...

 

[olly_love]

RTI now looking pretty good. 1060 with 3 weeks to go, 1204 was the total last year. IRC looks like it's going to beat last year, 320 entered to date, 341 was last year's total.

Cowes though.... 74 in the IRC classes. That's very light...

Really Surprising tbh,

a lot of the First 40 Charter boats haven't entered which is odd as they are normally the first lot,

Wonder what will happen to the classes perhaps just 4 or 5 of them?

I suspect the change with the fastnet has caused it.

 

[flaming]

Really Surprising tbh,

a lot of the First 40 Charter boats haven't entered which is odd as they are normally the first lot,

Wonder what will happen to the classes perhaps just 4 or 5 of them?

I suspect the change with the fastnet has caused it.

Most of the First 40 charter guys are doing the fastnet, Maybe they don't think they can make it back in time...? There are a few fastnet boats entered, but anything expecting to take 4 days or more, so finishing on Thursday is really going to struggle to get back from Plymouth and turned into inshore mode in time for Saturday. Can't really blame CWL I think, they chose the dates to avoid a week of spring tides and the dates are published years in advance RORC then changed their dates... I do wonder if RORC would have been better going 2 weeks earlier instead of 1 to help Cowes, but then as discussed before it's quite clear that RORC doesn't give 2 hoots about inshore racing...

Hopefully they will still keep the 8 classes... IRC racing is best when the splits are small, not the fleets big. I note that the NOR states the SIs will be published on the 5th of July, so I guess we'll see then...

 

[Muddy32]

Most of the First 40 charter guys are doing the fastnet, Maybe they don't think they can make it back in time...? There are a few fastnet boats entered, but anything expecting to take 4 days or more, so finishing on Thursday is really going to struggle to get back from Plymouth and turned into inshore mode in time for Saturday. Can't really blame CWL I think, they chose the dates to avoid a week of spring tides and the dates are published years in advance RORC then changed their dates... I do wonder if RORC would have been better going 2 weeks earlier instead of 1 to help Cowes, but then as discussed before it's quite clear that RORC doesn't give 2 hoots about inshore racing...

Hopefully they will still keep the 8 classes... IRC racing is best when the splits are small, not the fleets big. I note that the NOR states the SIs will be published on the 5th of July, so I guess we'll see then...

RORC is, and never has been about inshore Racing. Started when Offore racing was more fast cruising not about folk sitting on the windward rail of big dinghies.

Two hoots means a postponement or someone OCS.

 

[flaming]

RORC is, and never has been about inshore Racing. Started when Offore racing was more fast cruising not about folk sitting on the windward rail of big dinghies.

Two hoots means a postponement or someone OCS.

Agree, kinda, but then they still run the IRC nationals as an inshore event.

 

[lw395]

RORC is, and never has been about inshore Racing. Started when Offore racing was more fast cruising not about folk sitting on the windward rail of big dinghies.

Two hoots means a postponement or someone OCS.

Clue is in the name, it's not RIRC is it?