Sunday 24 April 2011

Waiting for Wind; Easterregatta in Sneek

It's Sunday the 24th of April and I'm on the Sneekermeer waiting for wind.


As RO for the Easterregatta at my local club the KWS. The lake is like a mirror most of the time, only a few wisps now and then. Certainly not enough to start the 8 classes participating in this event.

I imagine every Race Officer has days like this. Hanging around ashore at information or on the starting vessel, waiting for wind. Sailors coming by or phoning in, asking what is going to happen. I'm trying to get a picture what the afternoon will bring, but it does not look hopeful. Perhaps something in the second half is what the wind-gurus are telling me.

We did have two races yesterday. My team is fairly new and we made a couple of (small mistakes), resulting in two requests for redress. In one start we had an individual recall for one boat, but were a little late in signaling X. According to the tape it took us 13 seconds. That was because we couldn't directly identify the boat involved. I've changed the procedure so that the signal is now the first thing done before we worry about the sail number. The request for redress was not from the OCS-boat, but from another who decided to return after the late signal. That boat wanted redress because it took us so long to signal.

The PC denied the request. It was the boats own decision to return - even though he was not OCS - so the criteria for granting redress were not met.

The second request was from a boat who we did identify as OCS (in another class) and the signal was 4 seconds after the starting signal. In fact we identified 5 boats on course side. One returned immediately, a second after 40 second, but the requesting boat after more then two minutes. And - you already guessed what happened - we missed seeing him return. In a multi-class event like this, it is very hard to make a distinction between boats that are coming to the next start and boats who return after OCS, but in this case we just stopped looking after two minutes. Another procedure that needs adapting., I guess.

I'm typing this post on the computer of the starting vessel, looking out now and then trying to see if anything is coming. Nothing and less.

I guess we have no choice but to keep waiting for wind.......

2 comments:

  1. Tja, en gisteren was het superweer.
    Ben met Nienke door Balk (mastkoker slopen) de luts door geweest en de fluessen doorgekruisd.
    Tegen acht uur waren we terug in Langweer.
    De wind viel pas tegen die tijd weg. Een fantastich mooie dag, zelden zo'n mooie zeildag en deze heerlijke temperatuur. Groeten en sterkte op het snekermeer. -jan-

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  2. Did you have any luck at the end of the day Jos? At the Braassemermeer we squeezed out one race on Sunday at around 16.00/16.30. We can't complain about the weather though. Who's ever seen an Easter weekend this good?

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