At Aylesbury Sailing Club we have a regular racing programme open to Adults and Juniors alike, using single-handed or double-handed boats. The main racing formats that we currently use are handicap (also known as ‘points’) racing, class racing and pursuit races.
Points races use a handicapping system which allows different types of boat to race together competitively (see how this works here). We alternate between standard points races lasting about an hour and short points races where two short races of less than 30 minutes take place ‘back to back’ without the boats returning to shore between the races.
One of the races on most Sundays is a Fleet race where sailors race against others in their Fleet (Gold Fleet for the fastest sailors, Silver Fleet for the next fastest group and Bronze Fleet for the next fastest after that – which is also where relative newbies to racing start). The idea is to do well in your Fleet and gain promotion to the next Fleet until you win the Gold Fleet races.
Pursuit races see the boats starting at one minute intervals, with the slower boats going first and progressing through the faster boats so that the fastest sailors start last and have to try to catch and pass the other boats before time runs out.
Class races categorise the results according to each class of boat. So if you are sailing a Laser your results will be based on your placing with the other Lasers, a Solo will be racing the other Solos, a Laser Pico against the other Picos and so on. All the boats start at the same time but it is where you finish compared to the other boats in your class that counts.
The official racing season tends to run from April to November, but we also run some slightly more informal racing throughout the winter. There are usually three races each Sunday during the spring through to autum seasons, with some Sundays being a Trophy Day. Trophy Days are mini-regattas with three races taking place and the overall winner of the three races wins one of the club’s many trophies. We also hold some special single boat class trophy days on a few Saturdays during the year. You can see what is taking place on any particular day on our club calendar and on the racing calendar.
You can learn about how races are run, including the starting sequences and finishing procedures in this helpful Guide. Instead of shattering the tranquility of Weston Turville Reservoir with an air horn, we use a bell to sound the starting and finishing signals.
Racing is without doubt the best way to quickly improve your sailing skills and knowledge (see here), but we know it can be daunting for the beginner to start their first race. To make it easier Aylesbury Sailing Club has a Novice Class for those just beginning to race. Novices get their own special start time, out of the way of the other boats, and the rules are relaxed and slightly modified so that novices can concentrate on sailing the course with fewer technical things to worry about.
You can find out further information on the racing programme, instructions for competitors, results and more using the buttons below:
Aylesbury Sailing Club 