THE LONG AWAITED NATIONAL 12 YOUNG PEOPLES SERIES

[sam293]

THE LONG AWAITED
THE FANTASTIC
NATIONAL 12 YOUNG PEOPLES SERIES
BEG BORROW STEAL AND DIG OUT YOUR BOATS HELMS AND CREWS
AND GET OUT SAILING

The SERIES is Open to EVERYONE under and including 25 on November the 8th 2009 (last event of the year) But don't fear, if you are 25 in 2009 you can still compete up until youth birthday for individual opens.
Both Helm and Crew Must be Under and Incuding 25.

Currently There are no Cups or prizes that I can award.
Hopefully if I am allowed to give out some glasses, there will be a prize for first overall at each open, and dependant on turn out first second and third overall in the series as well as first ac if there are a few db's competing.
All boats will be racing withing the National 12 Open so will follow the Si's dictated by that. Of course all boats must be valid Nat 12's
I have chosen open meetings spread over the country, so sorry if there is some travelling involved for most people at some time but i think its pretty evenly spread.
I have avoided July  and most of August as I know this is busiest exam time and Hopefully Have Manged to Avoid Most of the Uni Exams In keeping most of May and June free too.

so heres the bit youv all been waiting for
the dates (still subject to comfirmation)
3 EVENTS TO COUNT
ALL EVENTS ARE WITHIN NATIONAL 12 OPEN MEETINGS

April 25th Coaching at Spinnaker, not going to count but was hopeing it

could be a pre season warm up type thing.

May 2nd - 4th Salcombe
YC

June 6th - 7th Royal Harwich YC

June 27th - 28th Leigh and
Lowton Sc

August 29th - 30th Largs

September 20th
Henley

November 7th- 8th Northampton
Varied places and Varied Water so i hope you can all make as many as Possible.

Please say below if you are interested in comeing and also what events you are keen on comeing too would be great.
Hope to see loads and loads of old and new faces out this year
Sam

[OMSC]

That's a lot of travelling and 3 sea events will be challenging for the youngsters of OMSC. only one river and 2 inland, both on very large and consistent lakes. Dont forget you have a lot of 13-18 yer lods also wanting to take part. most have not travelled before, and all of these sailors sail 4 plank or AC boats.
to balance it a little more, can I suggest that the OMSC and the Trent valley opens also are included would give another river and a small shifty lake. the 2 events are on the same weekend so would only add one more date to the calendar, and would allow many more boats to qualify.

[Little Bo]

A word of caution which I'd asked to have included in the posting but seems to have been missed . . . . the main calendar is still not finalised and at least 1 of the meetings listed is still under discussion.  The definitive programme, including agreed youth events, will be published soon but please bear with us as we try to sort out the last few glitches.
 
My view is that 3 out of 6 would be a more realistic qualification criteria.
 
Jennie

[Moon Shallow]

Hi
thanks for publishing the dates... but i agree with omsc that perhaps on cud be on our home ground at olton as with probably have the biggest 12 youth fleet around at the momment and our boats are deffinately not suitable for the sea and we have not sailed on the sea before.
Thanks Moonshallow

[Chris Troth]

I think including smaller puddles and rivers would be good, especially since a lot of the bigger venues might be Gill Series events, which has a youth division anyway?

[tonyelgar]

I'm certainly game for some of those. I think that the list of venues has something to offer everyone, some of us have good sea boats which struggle on the rivers! And the spread across the country means that there are some in reach of most people, as travelling to venues always seems to be more of a problem esspecially for those who need taxi-ing. Good effort Sam293, once the calander is finalised i ll certainly be pencilling in some dates, probably the ones further south (being on the south coast largs is a long way!)
 
Tony

[GregPitt]

Really good job by Sam293. Can I just say sorry for asking what as happening when you had already posted the notice. I am really happy with having some events on the sea and some on inland waters. Though I think the guy at Olton seem to deserve to host a youth event. I would say that this would be a great excuse for the youngters to take to the sea, even as young as 13. Largs for example is one of the best places I have sailed in the UK, I wouldn't call it open sea but it would give someone a good insight into tides, waves and all sort of fun things like that!!!
 
I would also just like to make sure that if I go to one of these events I will not be exempt from the main fleet.
 
This is a really possative encouraging move by the class I hope as many people make the effort with the eries as possible.
 
Greg
N3473  

[John Meadowcroft]

Prizes will be sorted.  I promise.
Note that neither Salcombe or Harwich are sea.  They are estuaries, the water is salty, but they are closer to being rivers than being the sea.  Looks like a great series to me.
JOhn

[sam293]

OMSC, As already Said there are not 3 true sea events, largs is the only one which i would call sea, At 13 i was out on the sea quite a lot, you have to start somewhere. and  i wouldnt class any of the inland venues as particularly large or consistent wind wise.

and i think tim gatti proved that vintage boats still work well on the sea and the good ammount of ac boats were getting on the circuit proving that they are still very compatative.

My reasons for not chooseing omsc and trent valley are as follows, there are already 2 events that i would class as "up north" and it would involve rigging and de rigging of boats twice in a weekend, which i didnt think would attract lots of people.
The main idea of the series is to attract people from other classes into the n12 as well asencouraging our youth fleet. So iv chosen good sailing venues, rather than smaller ponds that some people wouldnt be so keen to travell too.

Little bo, Sorry for not making that point clear although i did put "subject to confirmation" and ther are three events to qualify.
Yes the gill series does have a youth devision but its not well advertised, and this way you get the chance to race in the bigger fleets of the gill series as well as smaller fleets of local opens.

really glad you are keen on it tony thanks for the great positive feedback, was beginning to get the feeling no one wanted to come. I know largs is a long way away but it is the only one that isnt a reasnaoble distance from the south coast so hopefully see you at the 5 others?

greg yes everyone will race as normal in the national 12 open, just if you enter  as u25, then the results will be picked out from the main fleet results.

John brilliant to hear that we can have some prizes thankyou very much, and thankyou for the very encouraging comments.

Graham Camm has very kindly offered us an opportunity for him to coach us, at the moment i havnt chosen a venue or a date, so any input would be great, i was provisionally thinking the saturday of the burghfield open 27th. There will of course be some cost involved. If your interested please let me know and i will try and arrange this.

Thankyou for all your comments and i hope to see as many of you out on the water at these opens as possible.
any more questions and comments please keep posting, this is a god topic

[ruaridh1987]

I think the series looks great.  I like the fact that there are a couple of northern dates which is something i really never expected when i saw the idea.  I will definately be attending those and will try to go down south for some river sailing.  seems a good varied series. well done and thanks for organising it.

[Moon Shallow]

Hi
Thanks for the info about "sea events" it has sort of settled me about the idea alot. But still dont think a paper dart that has previously sank is up 2 the job!!! But i was thinking if there is coaching available perhaps we could have this at the mere on a date... i can see the advantage of having it alongside an event, but we are so keen here at olton to do something and have said so a dozen times. It is a very challenging place 2 sail as everyone who has sailed there will back us up on, and looking at the other places it offers something different. It is easily acessable to all being nr birmingham etc. Also we are able to host dates that is not our ordinary 12 open day.  So please may the mere do something, we are keen.
Mere is currently home to 4 youthboats. and hopefully going 2 get more going as "The Pink Team" is trying to convince more youngies that 12's are COOL!!!!:P
Thanks MoonShallow

[OMSC]

Sam,
as an ex member of Leigh and lowton, and having sailed at northampton, compared the the Mere, I would say both are amazingly consistent and large, and do offer a very different challenge. I do concede to the estuary sailing on 2 venues though.  all I did was look at multimap.  I have travelled the midlands extensively this year on the enterprise circuit, and all the venues have been smaller than any on your list.
Olton mere will be giving out youth prizes this year in their open meeting, and would very much like to be considered for the circuit. The youth will be travelling whatever, certainly 2 boats. possibly as many as 5, along with at least one adult boat.
I think the general balance is very good which you have attained. the geographical spread is good, the variety is too. I guess we would just love to see the double bottomed boats come to us and race against a fleet of AC's on a water where the AC was designed to sail, and where a china doll has an advantage over a baggy or a crusader.
I certainly was not suggesting any event was unsuitable, just more a couple of smaller venues that still have the capability of handling 20+ boats be included on the programme.
in addition, as moon shallow has stated, you have a club with 10+ individals, all under 21 are falling in love with 12s and wanting to get involved. we have good facilities and a great sence of fun, and can give as good a social as any other small club along with accomodation and a huge welcome. let us be part of the youth resurgence in the fleet, as it was foxi and moonshallow that pushed for this youth series in the beginning.
oh, and I dont thing birmingham can be classed as "northern"!!!
I personally will be supporting the young sailing initiative by attending the events as a grown up although I am a long way from qualifying, encouraging and generally getting embarassed when the beat me.
Kevin

[sam293]

OMSC and members, i do have  a plan for your club and your very kinda offer of your lake for a day, now we have good interest for this and i have enough people interested in the series, i was considering a match racing type event at your club. would you be interested in this?
or a rs style sprint champs?

i think this would bring a new exciteing way of racing 12's into the scene, either way lots of quick short races, improveing  starts and start line tactics and race tactics and rule knowledge. there is always something to be learned whether your stepping into racing for the first time or your a salty veteran.
These kind of event work very well on smaller venues this is why im hopeing your keen on this idea.
i had no intention of leaving you out of the youth scene after all the effort the club goes to i thought it would be nice for you to hold a special event.

[Chris Troth]

An event along those lines would be very welcome. With things how they are at the moment, we can probably enter up to half a dozen boats (but the class is still growing at the club). "Team racing" the 12s would be very interesting, or a day of many short races with training in mind would be exremely beneficial. My aim is to travel as much as possible this year - but a home event would be super.
Thanks

[Tim Gatti]

Nice work Sam and congratulations after all the hard work involved in pulling this initiative together.  It's even got my son thinking about helming again - but I'd be much too old to crew for him in a youth series!!
Just a note about some 12's being viewed as 'unseaworthy' ... having been witness to a number of incidents in recent years where buoyancy arrangements have failed either through bags popping out or tanks leaking, I think it's important to recognise that although the Buoyancy Rules have changed in recent years - we are still responsible for making sure our boats are safe.  I wouldn't want to put my boat, myself or my crew at risk through sailing on a river, lake, estuary or the open sea with ineffective buoyancy. It's just tempting fate. Recovering a sinking hull also takes more effort from the rescue or safety crews.  I'd hope that any boat sailed in the Youth Series, or any other N12 event for that matter, complied with our basic safety rules - whatever its vintage.  It would only take one serious incident to get the Class a bad press and potentially undo all the recent hard work that's gone into trying to build its popularity. Tim.