RTIR - Advice for non-combatants please

shmoo

shmoo

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By a stroke of bad planning (late departure actually) our annual pilgrimage from the East Coast down to where you can see through the water will see us in the IOW area around RTIR time.

What is an innocent civilian to do?

Do they come for days before and stop for days after filling all berths for miles around? Are there practice laps? What about cunning ruses like nipping into Yarmouth while the race is actually on?
 
This is the LNM from Portsmouth, maybe of some help re scheduling etc.

Most crews head back in to Cowes for their tankards /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif


QUEENS HARBOUR MASTER PORTSMOUTH
LOCAL NOTICE TO MARINERS
No 19/09
Round The Island Yacht Race: Saturday 20th June 2009 Central Solent - Traffic Restrictions
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Queen's Harbour Master Portsmouth in conjunction with ABP Southampton(Notice 11 T- 2009)and the Cowes Harbour Master that the ‘Round the Island Race’ will start from Cowes between 0730 - 0910 on Saturday 20th June 2009. About 1700 yachts are expected to take part in the Race. In order to control the congestion that is likely to arise in the Central Solent, during the start period and throughout the day, the following procedures will be adopted.
The start line will be the Royal Yacht Squadron westerly transit line. The outer distance
Mark will be an inflatable orange pillar buoy secured to the Williams Shipping Buoy for the
day.
Due to the number of competitors taking part, the various class starting times will be
staggered to take place at 10-minute intervals between 0730hrs and 0910hrs.
The anti-clockwise course around the Isle of Wight will be from Cowes west-about and back
to Cowes. Turning marks for the race are at the Needles Lighthouse, Saint Catherine’s
Point and Bembridge Ledge Buoy.
In order to separate the competitors from any commercial traffic movements intending to
pass through the Central Solent, or bound to or from the Port of Southampton, during the
starting period, where possible Masters of vessels not directly involved in the event
are to arrange to be clear of the start area by 0700hrs and are not to enter the start
area until after 0930hrs or when the bulk of competitors have cleared the area.
It has been agreed with the organisers that all competitors awaiting their class starting time
will proceed to designated holding / waiting areas, to avoid congestion in the main
navigable channel. All competitors will be equipped with VHF radio and will keep a listening
watch on Channel 37, in the event that a recall or postponement becomes necessary, for
example, for the passage of a large commercial vessel through the area.
Whilst the main bulk of the fleet of yachts is expected to pass the Bembridge Ledge Buoy
between 1600 and 1900 and the peak finishing time at Cowes is likely to be between 1700
and 2100, it should be noted that the earliest finish could be around 1030 and the finish limit
time is 2230. Hence, there will be increased levels of recreational activity within the Central
Solent area throughout this period.
Should the weather forecast indicate light airs, the finish line may be adjusted to be in the
vicinity of Bembridge Ledge.
All spectator craft not taking part in the race are to keep well clear of the start area. Further information and updates on the ‘Round the Island Race’, both ahead of and on RaceDay, is available at www.roundtheisland.org.uk
Cancel this Local Notice To Mariners Sun 21st Jun 2009 (13 days)
Mon 8th Jun 2009
Semaphore Tower
HM Naval Base, Portsmouth. S O Hopper
Commander Royal Navy
Queen's Harbour Master
 
berthing should not be a problem as long as you stay clear of cowes all weekend and osbourne bay the night before.... if you want to watch the race yarmouth is a good bet either on a buoy outside or walk down to hurst narrows to see the fleet go through. (yarmouth is £10 off mooring fee's monday - thursday at the moment.
 
Only Cowes gets really busy - you should be able to find a visitor's berth in other places, except perhaps Yarmouth, but that's only because Yarmouth is often full, RTIR or not. If you want to watch the RTIR from the water (and everybody should, at least once) good places to be if you don't mind being up early are tucked into Gurnard Bay, off Newtown Creek, in Totland or Alum Bays, behind Hurst Point or in the Needles Channel (in which case you might have to stay out until the tide eases). If you're a late riser, be somewhere in the vicinity of Ryde or Osborne Bay from about 1400 onwards. As long as you don't panic when you're in close quarters situations with loads of other boats, you'll enjoy it.
 
The vast majority of the boats are Solent based, so the harbours don't fill up with visitors because of the race, that's just normal.....

The crowds leaving the Hamble at 5 am have to be seen to be believed.....

Otherwise, just avoid Cowes on the friday and saturday nights and you'll not notice anything different.
 
As one of the competitors who will be around the start line at 9:10, and with luck be back by 10:30 pm, it would be appreciated if you could avoid deliberately mixing it with those flying the RTIR flags (especially day-glo green). Although perhaps 1400 crews know that they have no real chance of competing for honours, races within the race do develop and the competitive spirit can build throughout the day. However, if by chance you do get amongst us, do feel free to explain to any that respond with "I'm racing" when you are the stand on vessel that whilst they have a right to be there, so do you (and everybody else) and normal rules of precedence apply. The RTIR is a great race but does bring out the worst in some otherwise perfectly reasonable people (not including my Skipper of course).

Mark
 
Put into Chichester harbour and find one of the many quiet anchorages there [perhaps not East Head, which gets very crowded] , or there are marinas and visitors buoys if you prefer to be near one of the attractive villages.

Alternatively, try Portsmouth Harbour. Very quiet and pleasant up to towards Fareham or lots of interesting places to visit in Portsmouth and Gosport, especially if you have children with you.
 
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...if you could avoid deliberately mixing it...


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Don't worry. By miles...

We often go via St Kat's just to avoid the Solent, and that's without the race!
 
I confess to a moment of disappointment. Reading that you plan to be at the startline at 9.10 and back by 10.30 I thought that that was one quick boat you were going to be sailing until I noticed the letters "pm" after 10.30. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Weather permitting, I would anchor just inside Hurst the night before. You will then get a fantastic view of the start while having a Saturday morning fry-up breakfast in the cockpit. And, that wonderful smell of bacon cooking will waft over the hungry competitors turning them insane. By the time I go past you will be finished and thinking of eleven'es.
 
It was only on the third round of previewing that I added the clarification, but it would be fun to go around quickly one year. A couple of years ago one of the big boats went around twice on the day and we didn't see her on either lap!
 
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We often go via St Kat's just to avoid the Solent, and that's without the race!

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I think you might have real problems if you went via St Kats this time!
 
Beating to windward on the south south of the island into 1600 boats running with spinnakers flying (and hence mostly out of control) or goosewinged (out of control and blind) would probably constitute "mixing it" as well! In these circumstances my counsel would be to give more credence and space to shouts of "S*!t there's a boat coming towards us" whether you are stand on or not.

However, if it is not your intention to go south of the island please do let us know - we wouldn't want to be keeping a look out unnecessarily:-).
 
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We often go via St Kat's just to avoid the Solent, and that's without the race!

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I think you might have real problems if you went via St Kats this time!

[/ QUOTE ]Yeah, going via a docking facility in London does seem rather a long way off course !
 
Shaung,

If you hear us respond with "we're racing" it is for the avoidance of doubt should appearances suggest the contrary.

Hope its a great day!

Mark
 
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By a stroke of bad planning (late departure actually) our annual pilgrimage from the East Coast down to where you can see through the water will see us in the IOW area around RTIR time.

What is an innocent civilian to do?


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A nice big coil of cheap polypropylene rope with old plastic milk container floats every hundred feet or so should provide loads of entertainment for remarkably little outlay.
 
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