With the 2024 racing series ready to open it is time to refresh your memory of the sailing rules as applied at ASC. The notice to competitors contains some important changes for 2024. The main changes have been highlighted in yellow so that you can easily identify them. Please take a moment to read them.
Sunday racing will start on 31st March with the start of the Spring Series, and it will continue on the same bass until October. Races will start on every Sunday not before the following times:
- 11.00 – Points race. All the boats start together, race for around 45 minutes and then the results are calculated using the PY rating system which takes into account the different speeds of different boat designs (for example a Laser/ILCA 7 is a faster boat design than a Solo, which is in turn faster than a Comet, which is faster than a club Quba boat etc) to work out the result on corrected time. Points are built up over the series of races (1 point for first place, 2 for second, 3 for third and so on) and the lowest aggregate score at the end of the series is the winner.
- 12.40 – Class race. The boats are grouped into classes who race each other for about 45 minutes. Each class group has its own start with 3 minutes between the starts. This year the single design classes will be (i) Solos and (ii) Comets. All other boats will race in a Handicap class where their results will be sorted out using the PY rating system. There will also be a separate novice class for new and less experienced sailors (see below), who will start 3 minutes before all the other boats.
- 14.00 – Long Points. This is the same format as the Points Race above, but the difference being that this series runs all the way from March through to October. With 24 races in total it is the longest series run at ASC and rewards the dedicated and consistent sailor. The races are still around 45 minutes long (sometimes a bit shorter) so it is the series which is ‘long’, not the races. Often there are fewer boats in this last race of the day and it is an ideal place for novices to sail their first race or two.
You do not have to race all three races on a Sunday. Feel free to pop in and do only one or all three, depending on how you feel and what the weather is like.
At least once a month there will be a Trophy Day when instead of sailing for one of the above points or class series there will be competition for one of the club’s many trophies. The format for trophy days will be a series of 3 races, all run in a points race format, with the results of the 3 races being used to decide the trophy winner.
New for this year is an expanded series of Double Handed Races. These will be run on a number of Saturday afternoons and are intended to be a very informal opportunity for those who like to sail one of the double-handed boats with a friend to do some racing against each other. Do not worry if you do not have a double-handed boat but want to take part. Get in touch and we will try to provide a boat for you to use, or partner you up with someone else.
Racing is simply the best, and certainly the quickest way, to improve your skills as a sailor (see Why Race?). If you have never raced before and feel anxious about starting we have made it easier for you by introducing a novice class. You can read a full explanation of this below.
You can find all the dates in the Race Programme or in the Events Calendar.
Aylesbury Sailing Club 