Burton Week talkback

[Mikey C]

I figured I would start this thread in light of the vote on the frontpage (and the fact that it wont let me vote no!)

I felt the week was lacking slightly this year, and would be interested in knowing peoples opinions on how to go about improving it, so that our 70th isnt a washout...

A few opinions I have gathered so far are that the two race days are not quite working at the moment, with people wanting to be off the water by a specific time, or just plain not on the water so long (crazy, its the championships...)

We should be finishing on a downwind leg, or on a short reach to the line so we all finish within easy reach of the finish line to reduce the delay between races as much as possible.

The two races should be much shorter courses with more rounds - the large laps we sail are quite dull really, and i think really the Burton Cup should be the only one with long legs as they stand. At the end of the day, most of the races have setlled into a bit of a procession after two rounds anyway, proper short courses would liven this up a bit.

With the postponements at Abersoch and if I remember rightly Looe and Tenby both to allow the wind to settle/develop we lost valuable 'holiday time'. If we move the starts back to one or two o'clock, the mornings would be freed up somewhat to allow people to do other things, and allow the wind to sort itself out.

Off the water comms were lacking a little - Where was Meds (or suitably loud equivalent) shouting across the dinghy park letting us know what was going on. I admit to not having a clue most days and a lot of people were the same. Also, a few social events were pushed back, and people not told turning up on time, to be told it was put back an hour.

Anyway, I'm not knocking the people who put in time and effort, just suggesting how to take it forward.

Heres to Porthpean, Pasties on the water and cream teas off it.

Mike C
N3489 Radical Edward

[Graham Iles]

I can't remember where it was but I remember one venue where we finishedthe first race half way (ish) up the beat and then started from about there too. I thought this worked quite well as the gap between races didn't involve sailing or waiting around for too long. Of course this wouldn't sort out the reasons for this years long waits if the wind wasn't steady its very hard to have a fair start (be it line or gate).

I assume the race officer is given target race times and number of laps in his advice, I don't know what these are but my suggestion would be that the winner should finish after about 2 hours on a one race day and just over an hour if there are two (or more) races scheduled.

Format - possibly the most difficult question - in theory the current format should work well if the PRO is given and listens to the right advice - since I have nothing to do with this I can't comment on what actually happens. My one suggestion would be that the PRO is given the discretion to sail the Burton Cup at any point in the week except Sunday. This means if the wind's good early in the week and scheduled to go bad we can get it in, or if its bad on tuesday or whenever he can set another more interesting course then. I don't know if the RRS would allow this, I don't know whether we can amend this in the NOR or SIs.

It was me that suggested we give the race officer some targets for timings too. This was in part to help the social schedule run on time and in part to make sure the week doesn't get to filled with waiting around. I think at Abersoch the information was actually pretty good - the postponements went up on time and were long enough to allow you to get away from the beach if you wanted - We should definately stick with the policy of avoiding one hour postponements. Equally if the decision is made early i.e. before the time boats are scheduled to be released get the flags up then. I'd also suggest that if the PRO can't get a second race in within an hour of the last boat finishing the first race he shouldn't bother - if we're waiting that long we probably don't want to be there any more. I'd also suggest that (if running to schedule) we should be off the water by 4-4:30. I know at Abersoch they had their own deadline of 6 because that was when the safety boat drivers were paid to, and we used all that time.

Although Burton Week is the Championships and so should be focused on Big Fleets, Big Courses, and Big Races it has got to be fun. A lot of people give up a quater of there holiday to be there, and for those with older families (e.g. Iles, Johnsons) it probably one of the few times in the year when the whole family is together - it's nice to be given time to beat up your siblings.

[davidg (Guest)]

These comments are intended to be constructive and by no means critical!

We didn't sail at Abersoch this year because it involved an unappetising drive to Salcombe for the following week and followed an unsatisfactory Burton week the previous year from a family point of view mainly due to the weather.

My observation would be that Championships held in the first two weeks of August are always going to compete with alternative holidays, be they the two Salcombe weeks or Cowes week, whereas if they were toward the end of the school holidays there would be less competition for time.

I am not sure that the two races a day format works, especially if the PRO does not get the second race off pretty quickly after the first race finishes.  Although the shorter races are intended to appeal to family sailors with younger crews, in reality they can be tired, wet and unmotivated after a prolonged wait between races, I wonder if the traditional 6 race format still works better for families especially since the off water time can be more reasonably predicted.  I also really wonder if 2 discards are appropriate for a championship.

Shorter legs and offwind finishes leave no room for grand strategies, i.e. going big high or low on the reaches or big left or right on the beats, which I think is what makes championship racing unique, this is also what I don't like about P courses!  A gate start works well if the race is long enough for the cream to come to the top.  Also is it right that a short race carries the same points as the Burton?

I have sat in on various conversations about the relative merits of a Family week vs. a more serious week, I think that the most important thing for families is clear communication about timings.  If the racing is dumbed down the event will no longer attract the quality of sailors that we have.

Regards,

David
N3461