POETS

If you are free on Fridays in the sailing season then why not try POETS (Push Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday) which, as you can imagine, refers to sailing on a Friday a day which is considerably quieter than a weekend at UYC and appeals to many cruiser members who enjoy both the social and sailing events which are available.
We have our own relaxed approach; we meet at 12 noon for a packed lunch, set the course and start racing between 1.30pm and 1.40pm. We also have three suppers during the season in the clubhouse, which are open to all UYC members, with the kitchen providing the main courses with members providing the desserts.
Our racing format is different from the traditional in that there is no massed start, no race box timing, and the boat handicap varies from race to race! How do we do it? There are 10 minutes in which to start and the competitors time themselves from start to finish. The courses are set to have long legs with a variety in points of sailing to make the races interesting and challenging. This more relaxed format attracts many cruiser and day-boat competitors last year over 20 boats competed in the series. We have two race series the Points Series of 13 races using the racing marks in the north end of the lake, and the Island Series of 6 races using the full length of the lake. People of all sailing skills and type of boat have the chance of doing well because the handicaps are adjusted as the season progresses. The handicaps of the leading boats are tightened and those of the lower order are eased by up to 3% after each race, which means that the leaders have to try even harder to stay ahead next time! The end-of-season handicaps are rolled over into the next year.
We also organize Masters Week a 5-day event in July when we have a daily race for cruisers under POETS race format, Tiffin (tea) after each race and a prize giving supper in the clubhouse on the Friday evening.
The POETS season is from late April to late September. For 2023 there is an informal POETS meeting on Friday, April 21 and the first POETS race is on April 28. If you have a cruiser or day-boat and are free on a Friday why not come and join in the fun, you will be very welcome? I would be pleased to answer any specific POETS queries you may have. Just contact me John Easterby jandleasterby@tiscali.co.uk
ABOVE: POETS racing

Last updated 19:02 on 13 November 2023