With apologies to Chris Turner who penned the excellent, and apparently very effective advert for HISC, which I am shamelessly ripping off...
Draycote Water is a big reservoir in the Midlands, just south of Coventry, reasonably handy for the M1, M6 and M40 motorways. We have a large fleet of Fireballs, albeit not as large as it once was - well that's austerity for you. There are now around 25 boats in the boatpark and we get racing turnouts of 5 to 12 boats depending on the weather and time of year. We sail all year round and the club is open for cruising 364 days a year. For most of us though, it's the 2 or 3 races on Sundays and maybe the Wednesday evening race during the summer which really appeal. The fleet is an even mix of boat types and abilities, so there's generally someone of your level to race against. We also run Gold and Silver fleets, so you still get to compete if your boat is a bit old or your technique a bit suspect.
We have 650 acres of water and plenty of space at the edge of it for parking the boats. The lake is unusual in that it is near the top of a hill, so is largely unscreened. This gives us a pretty steady breeze, particularly for the prevailing South Westerly. We race round-the-cans couses, for those excellent 3-sail reaches, and have our own class start. We also have a professional rescue service in operation every day, which is very comforting on those odd occasions when everything goes greeny-blue. Plus good showers, changing rooms (getting a refurb in 2015), bar, wet-bar and chandlery
There is no waiting list for membership or boat-park spaces. Membership fees can be paid monthly by direct debit, so it doesn't hurt too much - my full adult membership and boat fee comes to £30 per month all-in. And most importantly of all, the fleet here is a nice bunch of guys and gals and there's always someone to race against (and give you advice or lend you a rig-tension gauge if you need it).
New members are always very welcome. If you'd like more info, check out the fleet website at http://www.draycotewater.co.uk/fleets/fireball , club website at http://draycotewater.co.uk/ or just get in touch with me (details below).
For a taste of what it's like here, watch last month's excellent YouTube video. This was just ordinary club racing - no special event stuff - so what you see is what you get:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCdMPlOnueI#t=12
If it looks good, that's because it is!
Mike Deane
Fireball 14778
[email protected]
