Any news on Burton Week 2009

[thedodger]

Well?? The meeting was on the 27th September, when are us lot going to find out what's occuring?

[John Meadowcroft]

Burton Week 2009 will be held at Thorpe Bay YC from Saturday 23 May until Tuesday 26 May.  7 races will be scheduled over 4 days including the Burton Cup provisionally scheduled on Bank Holiday Monday 25 May.  There is already great interest in this event from many people who have either not attended Burton Week before or who have not attended in recent years.  Please come along and enjoy what will be a great long weekend of National 12 sailing.
Thorpe Bay YC is near Southend in Essex and previously held Burton Week in 1965.
Kevin Iles is a member of Thorpe Bay YC and will be working hard to make sure that we get the regatta that we want.
Southend has lots to offer non-sailors, including an Air Show over the bank holiday weekend.
Some useful links
Thorpe Bay YC http://www.tbyc.org/
Southend Air Show http://www.southendairshow.com/
Southend Tourist Info http://www.southend.gov.uk/content.asp?section=364
We are developing a website for the event and will hope to be launching it soon.  Watch this space.
kind regards
John Meadowcroft

[student sailor (Guest)]

the dates of burton week this year will prevent anyone with exams from coming it is the first week of my university exam block and i guess very similar to anyone with a-levels, gcses etc...
it seems like a bit more thought could have gone into this...

[chalky]

If anyone thinks the plan to change the Burton Week format was made without considerable thought they are surely mistaken. The dates coincide with half term (suffolk) and we are planning ahead already. We should support everyone who organises our racing or perhaps they will not bother in future. For us the change in format is much more appealing, but equally appeciate other peoples views.
Good luck with the exams, I might think of you when we are sailing at Thopre Bay...
 

[David_Wilkins]

I'm in full agreement with Chalky - I'm certain that the event will appeal far more widely than a full week. Unless the whole family is into sailing it can be very hard to justify a week of valuable anual leave for any sailing event.
I've no doubt the champs will be very well organised and be a big success.

Cheers

[thedodger]

I will work with Phil & David to make sure we get as many of the Spinnaker boats there as possible. Might be a problem for our students, but you can't please everyone all of the time! I am sure Tom, Ellie, James and the others will try their best to be there. Guess that means Rosie and I will be planning to be there. Simon 3454 'Jammy Dodger'.

[Barry]

As an ex-12 owner and ex-resident of Southend-on-sea I see this as a huge postive for the class. Thorpe Bay YC (I've never been a member but have sailed there a number of times) is a good club off the maninstream Nationals circuit with a good tidal window and good sailing. Well done to the N12 class for organising an event there - I'll start looking at the second hand list again!
My only reservation is it over the same weekend as the Air Tattoo - traffic and parking could be horrendous - get there *very* early.
Does this mean even more !2s for NWNW?
Barry
ex N33xx (forgotton the number!)

[sam293]

to have burton week over exam and revision time is a really bad idea,it is infact not half term that week for most of the country, and uni students dont have  a half term. completly excluding young people from the champs like this will not help the class in any way, there are a lot of classes out there that we can compete in the whole years events.  we are already struggling to get young people into the class (as one of them) i doubt il be able to make burton week next year either!i do think more thought should have gone into this and the whole class should of been consulted not just the comittee.

[thedodger]

I've just spoken to Tom Walworth (my son), he says that the dates are effectively excluding anyone doing exams from the Championships. As we had all discussed getting as many Spinnaker boats there as possible that makes us three down immediately, those being exactly the guys and girls we need there to keep the class going in the future.
While we all respect the efforts all involved go to to organise and plan N12 activities, my view is a drawing board and a revisit is needed in order we do not exclude a goodly portion of the fleet.
Simon W 3454

[philipcosson]

Calm down, there won't be any exams on bank hliday monday at least
Phil

[sam293]

im sure as we all want to pass our  exams we will be working and revising.

[Antony (Guest)]

I am not on the Committee, but i am 100% sure that John Chalker is right that there was plenty of thought before this plan was agreed as the best way forward.
Tom W (for I suspect it is he not prepared to use his real name) and others need to appreciate that those that are running things are very focused on trying things that increase the number of 12s sailing at all the events including Burton Wk.  It is obviously the big downside of late May that it does not work if you are taking exams in the following week or two.  On the other hand this was discussed over a long period, including at the AGM.  There were so few students/late school age people there that i am assuming that for some reason August does not work for them either... so I am struggling to see when the week could be held that would attract 12s. 
Look on the bright side, if you cannot do Burton Wk in 2009 then make sure that you do at least one week of 12 sailing in the holidays, Salcombe, NWN and others have a seperate 12 class and start, and make it clear to the Chairman that you would have loved to come to TB were it not during exams. That at least gets boats on the water having fun, and gives those in charge an idea of what they lost/gained from the changes that were made in 2009 as they plan 2010 and beyond.
I hope that in 2009 we see a much better turnout at Burton 'Week' (say 60 boats) and maybe 5-10 more boats at the major holiday weeks...  Jo and I are certainly thinking about doing a week in the summer if we can get the organisation to fall into place.
Antony
N3514
p.s. Sam, how did you find out when 1/2 term was outside your own county as it proved really difficult/time consuming?  It is 1/2 term that week for (as far as i could tell) all of London and a lot of the places where other 12 parents live as efforts were made to check this.
p.p.s Good to see how many posts you can get in one day.  I guess the cold grey weather helped!
 

[gerry ledger]

I did the Burton at TBYC in 1965 and hope to be doing it again in 2009 and so will several Up River boats. I think its a good idea to try somthing different.so lets not knock OUR committee till we have tryed it

[Jeremy C]

From a teachers perspective!
Because of public examinations (ie GCSE and AS & A2 levels) are national exams 1/2 term in the summmer is identical across all parts of England and Wales(end of 22/5-31/5). I cannot speak for scotland as they have a different exam system, but what I think that Sam is saying is that though it is half term many students will be studying for their exams in that period and study will be important! However, it is also important at that time of year that students do in fact take a little time to relax so the conscientious could in fact decide to have an intense few days racing and chillling then spend the rest of the half-term week (5days) on a carefully timetabled revision programme. It is important to have a balance and cramming is never the best way to achieve good exam results.

I do think that this a fabulous opportunity for 12's to get to Burton Week with the minimum of holiday loss (1 days holiday is al that is required) and it will be an intense and fabulous event. There will four days of socialising to go alongside the racing and with all the recently experienced BW party events included it should be a real blast!

As a newly elected member of the committee I can assure you that we did consider all aspects including the fact it would be during exam period, our aim was to try provide a length (4days), time and location, that would attract a greater number of boats to what is always a fantastic event, with a breadth that would be all inclusive to the different types of 12's sailed -DB- Admirals cuppers and Vintage.
More detail will follow and as has been stated by Meds I am working to build a Burton Week specific website that will explain all in some detail- from venue to measuring to socials.
So watch out, book early, as its coming......!
 
Due to the timing George and I are also looking at doing something Like Northfolk week or Salcome next year to expand our 12 sailing.
 
Jeremy

[Mike S (Guest)]

Two thumbs up from Alex and I.
Mike
N3491