In Lieu of a formal notice of race, the details of the forthcoming combined International Moth and International Canoe Open at Draycote Water Sailing Club are as follows:

Entry Fee (two days): 15

Dates  Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 October 2007

Times of Races:  Saturday, first start scheduled for 1pm with a briefing at noon followed by two further races back-to-back.

Sunday, three further races back-to-back with first race at 10.30 am or as soon afterwards as the course can be set up (club bosuns start work at 10am launching committee boats etc)

Series; The event counts within the International Moth Grand Prix series and within the International Canoe Premier series.

Provisional plans: The racing will be run by a different team from previous years drawn from the Laser 2000 fleet (Tim and Elizabeth Fillmore - it being up to them to decide who is PRO!). The plan is to aim for three races each day of about 45 minutes for the first boat with a GP finish after that (all boats finished on the same lap as the leader), hence the start/finish line will be a mandatory upwind gate every lap. As the faster boat in winds over 10 mph, Moths will probably start first and sail a trapezoidal course using the same windward mark as the Canoes which will go off second. Asymmetric Canoes will then sail a windward leeward course with the standard ICs following the Moths round the trapezoid. Sailing instructions will be available at registration in the Club Office which will be open from about 10 am onwards. The course will be confirmed at the briefing.  Try to register early to avoid a rush just before the first race. The Club Secretary is doing me a favour agreeing to do the registrations which are normally dealt with by the host fleet (just me and the odd mate!)

Hospitality: It is hoped on the Saturday all competitors and their guests will be able to stay for an evening meal (ordered and paid for at registration) in the club bar at about 6 pm or as soon after the racing as practical. The club bar will stay open on Saturday evening. The Club wet bar has facilities for breakfast on the Sunday but it would be wise to indicate your plans to the staff when you collect your evening meal. Camping is possible in the Water Board field adjacent to the club (pay about 3 at registration). Cars and campervans can be parked and occupied overnight in the Club car park for free, but from about midnight the water board gates will be locked. No dogs are permitted in the Water Board grounds.

Parking and Launching; Most competitors will have been before and the arrangements are the same as usual. On arrival please follow the signs for open meeting competitors, drive along the road which goes above the club house beyond all the club boat parking and out through the gate at the far end of the club to the open meeting launching area. Here you can rig and de-rig, launch and leave boats and trailers overnight. Sometimes the Water Board insists that all cars are removed to the club car park, at other times they let you leave your car parked on the grass above the road near your boats. Please follow any instructions on the day, but please keep the through road clear of cars and boats at all times (park on the grass) as it is the access route for emergency vehicles round the perimeter road and to the pumping station etc. The automatic gates into the club grounds are closed at dusk (about 6.30 pm on Friday and later on a Saturday) but after this time you can get out (but not in again) by driving close up to the gate from the inside of the club grounds. So on Saturday once you have left the club you may not be able to drive back in unless a friend drives a car up to the gate from within the club grounds!  

Hazards! After the wet summer the water level in the reservoir is quite good, but there is some weed, enough to hamper a foiling Moth about once or twice in a race if you are unlucky (my experience last weekend). The fish in the lake are big at this time of year and they give the foils of a flying Moth a good thump when inevitably you hit them. The fishermen are more of a problem when they drift in their boats close to our racing marks, then wonder why we sail near them!! Club rules list them as obstacles around which we have to keep clear (luckily they mostly stay near the bank!) One area towards one corner of the lake where we are very unlikely to be sailing has a ring of small buoys with flags to indicate a shallow water area. The rest of the lake is mostly deep enough to turn turtle without getting a mast stuck in the mud. With 650 acres of water there is room for everyone. On Saturday the water will also be used for sail training and junior sailing and there will be normal club racing taking place on the half of the lake not being used for our open meeting race course round orange inflatable buoys. If the wind turns out to play in baby bear quantities (just right) it should be fun, just be there and join in the social get together on Saturday night.

The Prize giving; Communication with competitors in the visitor's launching/packing up area is never easy as there is no public address system and from past experience at this venue, getting everyone together to hold the prize giving is like herding cats! So please assume the prize giving will take place about an hour and a half after the last race, in the club bar. Delays in past years have resulted in even the winners being missing and on their way home which never looks good to the host club. The aim will be to hold the prize giving ASAP after racing, though in past years with a GP finish it has sometimes taken a while to sort out anomalies in the results. With boats lapping and even double-lapping other boats the race recorders have their work cut out and mistakes do occur; I know as I will be part of the race team for the Laser 2000s the previous weekend!

Colin Newman,  IC GBR 295 and International Moth GBR 4065 (so which boat do I sail myself, one day one, the other the next!?)