Round the Island advice

[JamesDavis]

Its my first Round the Island race after 7 years of weekend cruising in my Rival 32. I used to race a Dart 18 (18 ft cat dingy) with 100 plus boats in a start line but the idea of a serious race with 1600 other competitors fills me with a little fear. I know I used to feel sick before important starts but I loved it. Anyone got any sensible advice (other than do'nt go or hang around at the back)?
PS: I never used to do very well but I did feel that racing improved my sailing skills.

 

[bedouin]

Best advice I can give you - don't take it too seriously, be prepared to give other boats plenty of room at the critical times (e.g. Start, passing Hurst Castle, and rounding the marks).

It's supposed to be a fun event - not one where every second counts so don't try to enforce every last nuance of racing rules (or even expect the others to know them). Treat it like a big cruise, and treat other boats with the courtesy you would when cruising, and you should have a great time.

 

[Mike_02]

I have taken part in the race a few times as crew and now as skipper and in my experience there is one thing that is more important than anythign else.(saftey aside).

Practice...!!

I have crewed in this race where we only met the night before.....so at the first tack we had people crushed in the cockpit as everybody rushed for the winch or to tail.

I got really fed up of this so when i got the chance to do it in my own boat i changed it.

I had at least 2 days training for all the crew.

As a result on the start line when i was looking for other boats and had no time to worry about what was going on in my own i was able to shout tack or gybe and everybody knew what and where to be. it worked so well that i now always do it.


it is times like the start when the skipper is extra stressed that he cannot watch the crew and acdients happen.....!

So again my strong advice is to train and allocate jobs to your crew.


Good luck

 

[Twister_Ken]

Clear air. nm

§

 

[Chris_Stannard]

Best advice on your first try, apart from getting a bit of crew parctice in, is start well out away from the Island. All the gungho types will be in there. If the wind is its usual South West this should give you a long tack into Gurnard Bay and if you are lucky you can then get onto port and hold it all the way down to Sconce.

Be ready for idiots who think the Rule of the road is that Big Boats have right of way over small, or have no idea that there are any rules in the first place, and yes you may well find them in the Round the Island.

Apart from that have lots of sandwiches and chocy bars handy and lots of soft drinks. Suggest no alcohol until you have finished but then have a good party.

Enjoy your day and look on your first attempt as a recconaissance for years to come.

Chris Stannard

 

[Oldhand]

Get in there and mix it, shout like hell when you have right of way!

 

[JamesDavis]

Many thanks for your replies. Advice taken

 

[david_e]

Use Euro tactics

Wear a blue beret, get the crew rigged out in hooped shirts, fly a nice big French cruising flag together with UK courtesy flag and start on Port at the best end ignoring all cries of Starboard with a pouting of the lips and a shrug of the shoulders. When well clear and in the lead, quietly change flags.

 

[tome]

I can speak with some authority on this subject. I did the race in 85 in my gaff cutter 'Norma Jean' and managed a creditable last place (out of something like 1178 boats).

The crew arrived straight from a stag night still wearing black ties, missed the start (asleep), but caught up with the fleet at the Needles. We were well placed until the helmsman fell asleep and woke up half way to France with the IOW somewhere vaguely to the north. I was determined to collect my tankard, so forced the crew onwards to Cowes despite a near mutiny.

We weren't the last boat in, but finished in a time of 13hrs 30mins exactly after which all boats were time expired! Had we realised this, I would have collected a magnum of champagne.

Does this help?

 

[Twister_Ken]

From horse\'s mouth

http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20020512101445ymnews.html