With the 2009 season now well under way, now is the time to think about trying to improve your starting, maybe get your boat set up properly or just finishing a few places higher in a race than you normally do. A great way to do this, and for those new to the class, get to meet other Fireball sailors, is to come to a UKFA training event.
The focus of this year's events will be sharing knowledge : How do those guys right at the front always do well out of the start line? What rig settings should I use? How do I stop the spinnaker sheet catching on the end of the spinnaker pole when I put it away? Come to a training event, and you'll probably find out.
Draycote Water Training Weekend 11th and 12th July
The main event this year will be the training weekend at Draycote on July 11th and 12th. We're changing the format of the weekend a little this year. On Saturday we will work in small groups, focussing on improving particular skills needed to get around the race course. We will try to fit in with everyone's individual requirements, and ask you to fill in a short survey in advance so we can sort out groups etc. There will also be an opportunity on Saturday for anyone who wants advice on setting up their boat to get rig settings and possibly some basic control line systems working at their best.
On Sunday, there will be a chance to put those newly gained skills into practice with a 6 race short course series, in which we hope most of those who have been coaching on Saturday will also compete. Prizes will be awarded both for individual performance, and for a "team" prize with a buddy system. We will also be videoing the racing, and after racing there will be a full debrief and discussion of what was good and what went wrong during the race, and more importantly why.
Saturday
Sunday
Costs
The cost for the on the water activities for the weekend will be £40 per boat, sadly we can't afford to include beer or food at this low price! Places are limited and to make sure we allocate the right resources we need everyone to enter in advance. Please fill in the entry form and questionaire and send it to Ian Priest.
Training morning at Shoreham Sailing Club Open Meeting Sat 27th June
If you can't manage a whole weekend away, but want a few hours to perfect that roll tack or spinnaker hoist, we are also running training mornings before some selected open meetings.
The first of these for this year will be at Shoreham. The plan is to arrive on the Friday night and then start pretty early on the Saturday morning and get a few hours practice in whilst everyone is fighting with the traffic on the A23. Content will be flexible dependent on weather conditions and what people want to achieve, but the focus of these events will be to help club sailors who are just stepping out into the open meeting world get more from their sailing.
Again places will be limited, so if you wish to attend, please email or phone Ian Priest (details in contacts section) in advance. There will be a small charge for this training to cover the use of the club's powerboats as coach and safety boats, but we will keep this charge as low as possible.
More morning training events of this type will be announced during the year, so keep an eye on the website for details.
Ian Priest, UKFA Training Officer
