what boat do you race, what sort of races do you do?

[Birdseye]

It would be interesting to read a bit about the racing that posters on this board do, and their racing background.

Let me start. Mostly I race my own boat a Starlight 35 with a crew made up of pals who are boat owners. That means we race in winter when their boats are laid up. Occasional racing on other boats, for example some of the Falmouth week races this year on a big cruiser. But all pretty amateurish stuff and that isnt false modesty - I enjoy racing but am not any good at it.

My races are all club level, usually two or three hours long and mostly around the channel marks in the Bristol Channel.

Started sailing with a bit of racing in dinghies at university in the 60s.

So how about you?

 

[Racecruiser]

Hi all and happy new year!

Feeling quite good today - no hangover and a few hours with my boat partner knocking some jobs off the list, particularly satisfactory as we got a drink and a bite in before the rain!

Anyway we sail our Elan 295 from the River Hamble with an IRC rating 0.923 (here's to a reduction in 2016) mainly in JOG in offshore and inshore series where we get some race wins but somehow the series trophies have eluded us so far. So the races are anything from 2/3 hours to overnight and into the next day depending on course and conditions.

In our JOG Class we're up against some useful opposition including Laser 28, Impala 28, Sigma 33, X302, Dehler, Oyster 26 and a few one-offs including a handy half tonner and a well-sailed RTI-winning 1939 Laurent Giles.

The season is quite long and involving so we don't enter spring or winter series these days. We may do a bit of Royal Southampton 2 Handed this year and/or the odd Solent IRC race. Oh and a bit of cruising but that's often bringing the boat back directly or slowly from a cross-channel race.

Edit - if anyone wants to join us shout out! We're not looking for rockstars but one or two all-rounders who like to enjoy their sailing and want to sail well.

 

[Woodlouse]

This last couple of years has been mostly a 12 metre. Otherwise classics in the med or what ever I can get a spot on. Unfortunately I'm not in the uk enough to do much there and if I am then I'm off cruising.

 

[H4B]

I race my Westerly Fulmar at my club and locally at regattas and have owned for 11 years . IRC rated 0.881 with some useful recent sails. This last year we have dual scored all our races IRC and NHC( ending the season at .980 from the base of .909 peaking at 1.007 mid season) .
We have a lot of fun and do well in the right conditions.
I have fitted a Selden bow sprit and now tend toward A sails off the wind. It suits our crew skill level and we enjoy more 'cock up free', faster sailing.
To be honest its not the boat I really want but the favoured alternative wouldn't suit by preferred berthing situation and would be by far the fastest in the fleet and to my mind defeat the idea of promoting participation and being part of the club. A move along the coast could actually result in less sailing .

I would like to get involved in some of the short handed/solo events in the future but they appear to be increasingly organised around faster boats rating > 1.000

 

[Judders]

I co-own Magic, one of nine active Impala 28s based on the Hamble.

In the four seasons to date we have done one or two short course series per year, usually at either end of the season and trying to do one on the Hill Head Plateau and one in Southampton Water which in my view is a better sailing area. The middle of the season will usually be focused on the JOG inshore series.

When we bought the boat, everything was IRC focused but as the local fleet has grown, short course racing has become more one design focused. Currently we have no IRC short course racing in the 2016 programme.

We intend to do some JOG offshore in 2016.

 

[roblpm]

I hate it when it does that. Editing a post for spelling always results in it deleting it if i do it on my phone.

Anyway.....

Parker 275 on the Forth.

2 seasons.

First season: 2 sailors who had never raced. 3 mates who had hardly ever sailed. Consistently last on Wednesday night races.

Second season: Consistently not last!!

2016: With new sails and some help from others at the club we are hoping for some top half finishes!

 

[bobgarrett]

We race a cruiser - a Dufour 365 - from Chichester Harbour doing both "bay races" round the cans in Hayling Bay and a little further in "passage" races into the Solent when we race there on a Saturday and race back on a Sunday.

The club "Chichester Cruiser Racing Club" has a very wide range of yachts so 2 fleets with different handicap systems: Alpha was once IRC but now uses VPRS (like Poole clubs) which is a fixed system, and Beta use a progressive system based on the NHC system. We race from early spring to late autumn with a break in the summer when most have sailed away South.

 

[yoda]

Race my Nic 345, largely singlehanded racing along the south west coast out of Plymouth. Also some 2 handed or fully crewed coastal or cross channel races. The IRC fleets locally are too competitive for my relatively infrequent racing and therefore I stick to NHC. For me it's good to push myself and then enjoy the social on completion.

Yoda

 

[r_h]

In the past my racing was inshore – notably Farr 45s, when the Solent fleet was active, then Etchells, Quarter Tonners etc – though I still spent a lot of time offshore cruising.
More recently, I’ve started doing a lot of long-distance double-handed and solo, including Round Britain and Ireland in 2014 and the AZAB (Azores and Back) last year, as well as the RORC season, including the Fastnet.

 

[mrming]

I race a small swing keel First on the East coast. Have been racing all my life. We had a half tonner in the family, and I used to be a decent dinghy sailor in my yoot.

I spent years racing on other people's yachts before finally getting one. Totally underestimated the "management" side of it (crew training and organisation). I now look at the skippers on the successful yachts I crew on with renewed respect.

We've spent the last 3 seasons learning the boat, and learning to sail in the series of tidal ditches that passes for the sea around here. Things are starting to come good now and although we lack consistency we're winning the odd race and usually in the hunt.

We have a great rivalry with a local quarter tonner and the ambition is to get good enough to beat them more often than they beat us.

 

[Ingwe]

I currently race a Sun Fast 3200 in Plymouth. We do a mix of racing ranging from round the cans racing on a Friday night, most of the local crewed coastal races and then the odd short handed offshore race. Am currently a bit time limited due to work but the aim is to also do some longer offshore races eventually eg the AZAB and the Transquadra.

 

[flaming]

Whilst I have dabbled in offshore racing, it's not really for me, I'm a round the cans type.

So almost all of my racing is Solent based yacht stuff, with a tiny bit of smaller boat stuff thrown in from time to time, but I really love the teamwork and social aspects of getting 8-10 people to gell and get a reasonable sized boat round quite a tight course.
Almost all IRC racing, mainly because of the absence of a decent OD...

 

[savageseadog]

I try not to be too selective, I race all the other boats in the fleet.

Seriously............................ I race a Prima 38, I do round the cans and offshore but tend to do better at offshore races due to a lack of experienced crew, another issue is the Prima's a bit big for the fairly restricted waters we race in.

 

[Georgio]

I have mostly done round the cans one-design racing, about 12 years as racing crew and now about 10 years as skipper. However in the last few years (since doing the AZAB) I have been more interested and taking part in 2-handed and now singlehanded racing that brings a new challenge. I have a Contessa 32 (having sailed them since a boy) and after all that time I seem to get it going ok.

Looking forward to doing more single-handed racing this coming season.

 

[Hayling]

I do the Hayling Island Sailing Club 'Sundowner' series on Thursday evenings from April to June plus the RtI and a few local day races.
Had a Beneteau 31.7 but like all bad workmen have just replaced my 'tool',
with a Varianta 37 for a bit more comfort in my dotage.
Thoroughly recommend the Sundowners for a bit of midweek action to blow away the cobwebs followed by a pie, a pint and excuses in the bar!
All welcome, send me a PM for info.