Round The Island race?

[Barton Seagoon]

Are any other forumites doing the Round The Island Race this year? I have a crewing place on a friend's Moody 38 this year, having wanted to try this race for several years. Will I see any others of you out there among the throng?
(to be clear, I mean the Isle of Wight, rather than any race round some other island, of which I concede there are lots of interesting ones out there)

 

[jaminb]

I am considering it as a first time skipper! I have crewed a few times but always with an experienced skipper.

 

[mrming]

I’ll be there, usually in IRC 3-something. ?

 

[Praxinoscope]

Must be coming on for 35 years since I did the RTI, we always enjoyed it, when we entered, but never got placed better than 202, but at least we always finished.
Still got the engraved pewter tankards on a shelf.

 

[capnsensible]

Must be coming on for 35 years since I did the RTI, we always enjoyed it, when we entered, but never got placed better than 202, but at least we always finished.

I got a ninth in class once and my mother saw my name in the Telegraph results page.

 

[Never Grumble]

I'm doing it but unlikely to be seen, we'll be so far behind in our bilge keel yacht, first time I've ever done and as skipper too.

 

[capnsensible]

I'm doing it but unlikely to be seen, we'll be so far behind in our bilge keel yacht, first time I've ever done and as skipper too.

One race I was on a friends Prout 33 catamaran. Not exactly a racing machine. Very light airs start and until the tide tuned, we drifted back over the start line for a bit. Along with hundreds of others. The Hydrofoil that still hurtled through until it did a crash stop sank a yacht very near us. Luckily o one killed.
Eventually around sunset, the race was shortened to Bembridge Ledge. We finished and being a cat went and parked on Brading beach and drank rather a lot. As you do.

 

[ridgy]

I'll be there helping out a friend on his Contessa 28.

 

[laika]

I’ve been assigned navigator duties on a friend’s boat in the 2016 tempest and the 2018 drift. In both cases we’ve had a reasonable result due to simple persistence. We’re doing it again this year (we’re in Iscrs group 8) and I suspect that we’ll do rather worse in “normal” conditions where most of the rest of the field doesn’t retire. On the plus side, this time I’ve actually read the RRS.

I personally wouldn’t fancy skippering in that start line melee ( yay for being crew) but despite being a dyed in the wool uncompetitive cruiser the RTI is brilliant fun that I would recommend even to those like me for whom sailing isn’t all about racing.

 

[Stemar]

RTI is brilliant fun that I would recommend even to those like me for whom sailing isn’t all about racing.

Big +1.

I did it a couple of times on a friend's Sunfast 20 and enjoyed it so much I considered doing it on Jissel, but I reckoned that, if I get round before the cutoff in a Snapdragon 24, I've probably won on handicap!

 

[awol]

....... the RTI is brilliant fun that I would recommend even to those like me for whom sailing isn’t all about racing.

I wonder what it is about the RTI that engenders such enthusiasm when club racing of cruising yachts is suffering. Is it that the numbers are above some critical mass where taking part rather than a statistically unlikely victory is enough? Racing the family tub used to be quite normal and, to my mind, was a lot of fun and we sailed what we had - no special black sails or (semi-)professional crew. Pity that we can't bottle the RTI enthusiasm and spread it around.

 

[Frogmogman]

I wonder what it is about the RTI that engenders such enthusiasm when club racing of cruising yachts is suffering. Is it that the numbers are above some critical mass where taking part rather than a statistically unlikely victory is enough? Racing the family tub used to be quite normal and, to my mind, was a lot of fun and we sailed what we had - no special black sails or (semi-)professional crew. Pity that we can't bottle the RTI enthusiasm and spread it around.

If you want to get occasional racers to participate in club events, one of the key things is to have a handicapping system available that is inexpensive, widespread and works well. It’s why I support the recent initiative by the RYA and RORC to develop the YTC rating system. Here’s an article on it from the latest Yachting World.

 

[awol]

If you want to get occasional racers to participate in club events, one of the key things is to have a handicapping system available that is inexpensive, widespread and works well. It’s why I support the recent initiative by the RYA and RORC to develop the YTC rating system. Here’s an article on it from the latest Yachting World.

Pity that they illustrate it with rows of moveable ballast on the rails and what looks like carbon sails.

 

[flaming]

If you want to get occasional racers to participate in club events, one of the key things is to have a handicapping system available that is inexpensive, widespread and works well. It’s why I support the recent initiative by the RYA and RORC to develop the YTC rating system. Here’s an article on it from the latest Yachting World.

View attachment 136845

I don't disagree, but illustrating it with a picture showing boats with expensive racing sails really doesn't talk to the people you need to talk to though, does it.....?

 

[flaming]

Are any other forumites doing the Round The Island Race this year? I have a crewing place on a friend's Moody 38 this year, having wanted to try this race for several years. Will I see any others of you out there among the throng?
(to be clear, I mean the Isle of Wight, rather than any race round some other island, of which I concede there are lots of interesting ones out there)

I'll be there. Missed last year as I was self isolating, which was annoying....

Hoping for a windy one!

 

[The Q]

Interesting they are using YTC, I've got a couple of Excel pages of the YTC and earlier versions of that from Professor Wolstenholme.. it's all explained here..
Statistical Modelling | Linda Wolstenholme
Also included on my spreadsheet is the American PHRF handicap system. Many hours of work went into that spreadsheet!!!
The Basic YTC version is YTC F=(2091-(407*d)+(86*d^2)-(30.5*L)-(59.6*(SA/L^2))-(810*(SA^(1/3))/D^(1/4))*(1-0.003*kf))

I was trying to work out the handicap of my one off tiny keel boat, so the comparison boats were in three groups,
Similar size and style boats,
Broads keel boats I'll be competing against,
And a third group of boats from the USA and UK that I could find a D-PN or PN for, that were about the same LWL.

As it is our handicapper has accepted the results For my boat...

 

[Mudisox]

Just make sure you don't get stuck o the island shore, on port tack, with a SW wind as no one will let you get out. Especially the Sunsail boats!
One reason I have given up. Better to watch anchored inside Hurst and go round another day quietly.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Bring back PY thats what I say! It worked well for years, enabled any sailing boat in the harbour to enter, had a shed load of adjustments which were easy to calculate, it was a simple system which gave a base rating for nearly every production boat, which could be adjusted to suit a particular configuration, and didn’t cost the occasional racer anything. Just seems to be a case of continuously trying to re- invent the wheel.
I accept that there may be a case for some additional adjustment categories to cover items that weren’t around when PY was originally developed such as fully batton mains, and Kevlar sails, the increase in boats with sail drive etc. but these could easily be incorporated.
I agree with ‘flaming’ #14, thé picture illustrates a fleet of obvious racers, if you are trying to encourage the average cruise sailor to join in the racing then show a few cruisers competing.

 

[Stemar]

Better to watch anchored inside Hurst and go round another day quietl

There's a mark off Seaview to keep boats off Ryde Sand, and I've anchored inside that a few times to watch the world go by. Maybe not as much fun as watching the boats who only think they know where the Varvassi is hiding, but I didn't have to get up so early

 

[dunedin]

I wonder what it is about the RTI that engenders such enthusiasm when club racing of cruising yachts is suffering. Is it that the numbers are above some critical mass where taking part rather than a statistically unlikely victory is enough? Racing the family tub used to be quite normal and, to my mind, was a lot of fun and we sailed what we had - no special black sails or (semi-)professional crew. Pity that we can't bottle the RTI enthusiasm and spread it around.

Suspect that, like Cowes week, it is indeed partly the numbers of boats, and the range from the super pro multihulls to small cruisers that gives the feeling of a special event.
But also perhaps the route - a passage race round a big island, not another windward leeward or round the same old buoys?