Programme of events
(This is what we are aiming for – we can but dream!)
Friday
Afternoon: Setting up tents, boat rigging, free sailing, registration.
Evening: Trip to the Old George, South Cerney, for dinner. Or Take Away fish and chips
Saturday
Morning: Registration, boat rigging, free sailing.
12.00: Lunch
13.00: Pursuit Treasure Hunt with a Le Mans start
15.00: Sail Past for the cameras
18.00: 2011 Annual General Meeting
19.00: Barbeque
Sunday
9.30: Registration
10.30: Briefing
11.05: Start of 1st race
12.00: Lunch
12.50: Start of 2nd race
14.35: Start of 3rd race
15.30: Tea and cake
16.00: Start of 4th race
18.00: Concours d’elegance
19.00: Pizza Supper
Monday
10.15: Start of 5th race
11.15: Start of 6th race
12.00: Lunch
13.00: Grand 90 minute Pursuit, for a separate trophy.
15.00: Time to pack away!
16.00: Prize Giving and Farewell Tea.
The Nationals this year move to Whitefriars in the Cotswold Water Park. With a short journey from both M4 and M5 this is a very accessible venue.
The Classic and Vintage Racing Dinghy Association’s main event, the National Rally, will be coming to the Cotswolds this year. Whitefriars Sailing Club is a few miles south of the ancient Roman town of Cirencester, between the pretty villages of Ashton Keynes and South Cerney, with their Cotswold stone houses and (more importantly) country pubs.
Whitefriars Lake is smaller than the locations generally used for the National Rally, but its central location, relaxed ambience, ample camping space and countryside ‘feel’ make it an ideal location for classic boats and their sailors to meet up.
The weekend will start on Friday afternoon, with a chance for early birds to rig up and test out the waters and put tents up before retiring to a local hostelry for a well earned pint and supper.
Saturday morning will also be a chance to rig boats and tents and get to know the water (and in some cases, the boat!) before an afternoon spent chasing treasure, comparing boats and generally having a good time! Early evening, we will hold our AGM, a brief, relaxed affair, generally, and most problems get sorted out on the forum first. We will follow this with a ‘bring your own stuff to burn’ barbecue, with heat, rolls and salads supplied by the club.
Sunday will be the first day of (more or less) formal racing. The plan is to hold 4 races, with the first start at 11.00am, and the last start at about 4.00pm. Following the last race, we shall have the traditional vote on which boats we like the most, before settling down to a Fish and Chip supper with lashings of ginger beer – or possibly something stronger if you’d like. We will be joined on the water by the club racers (those who haven’t been lent a Classic) but they are very nice people, really!
Monday, we will have the lake to ourselves in racing terms, and the 1st race will set off at about 10.30am, with another following before lunch. This will complete the 6 race Nationals series, but following lunch we will set off on a grand pursuit around the lake, with the slowest boat setting off first, to be hunted down (or not, as the case may be) by the faster boats starting after.
The weekend will end with a tea and prize giving, before we wave you away with a tear in our eye.
Boat eligibility: Boats must be 20’ long or less, and monohull, to fit Whitefriars SC regulations. To fit cvrda rules, boats must be of a class designed before 1965 and built before 1985. Lost Classes (boats which have never or no longer have the support of a Class Association) must be designed and built before 1985. The lake is quite deep except for some strategic spots, so it is possible to launch and sail Flying 15’s and other small keelboats.
Prize Giving: We will be dividing the fleet into 4 categories for the prize giving: Vintage, Classic Old and Lost Classes, which will include all eligible boats with no current Class Association organized racing.
Handicapping: We will be using modified 1965 handicaps, with adjustment for ‘State of Tune’ made by the handicapping committee as laid down in the cvrda handicapping instructions.
Registration: You will be able to enter on the day, but entry forms will be available on the cvrda website nearer the date of the event. You will need to sign to say you have 3rd party boat insurance to the value of £3,000,000.
Sailing instructions: These will be handed out on the day, and will also be available online nearer the date of the event.
Costs: The entry fee for the long weekend will be £30, which will include competitor camping, the rolls and salad at the Barbecue and the Monday afternoon tea. Supper on the Sunday night and lunches will be charged extra, approximately at cost. Extra mouths will be charged £5 for the weekend, which will include camping and the food included above.
Food: We have very limited cooking facilities at Whitefriars SC. We have 2 large barbecues, which will be available for use all weekend, including for cooking bacon for breakfast, if you so wish. We also have a very small hob, which might well suffice for cooking fried eggs to go with the bacon, but you’ll have to wait in line. On Friday night, the plan is to eat at the pub (location to be decided). Saturday evening, you will need to bring meat/veggie alternative to cook on the barbecue, but the club will supply rolls and Salad. Sunday evening, we will be sending out for a Fish and Chip supper. Orders will be taken at registration. We will supply ploughman’s style lunches Saturday, Sunday and Monday, at as low a cost to competitors as we can manage. Cornflakes and milk will be available for free at breakfast time each morning, but anything more fancy will need to be brought with you! Afternoon Tea (scones and jam, anyone?!) will be available at the prize giving. We are licensed to sell beer, cider and wine, and I will personally ensure we have plenty in stock!
Places to Stay: As well as camping on site, below are a couple of links to websites listing B&B’s and the like, if you prefer a little more pampering:
http://www.cotswolds.info/accommodation/cotswold-waterpark-lodgings.shtml
http://www.cotswoldwaterpark.org/accommodation.htm
http://www.waterpark.org/leisure/hotels_bbs.html
Entry Form: 2011 Nationals info and 2011 WSC nats entry form in pdf format. Please print off the entry form and sent with your cheque.
Bookings
This event is fully booked.