Cruising Conference 2007 "Go faster Weekend"

This was to be our second cruising conference but the first where we were to bring our boat and have our boat's set up checked and our sailing coached. I've sailed a lot in the passed when we had a GP14 but in recent years we've had very little sailing and Linda has had even less experience spending most of the time we go afloat usually in calm conditions in the lake district keeping our two girls amused and the dog under control, hence our keenness to attend this years event to refresh passed skills and learn new.

We arrived late on Friday afternoon after a slow journey through Nottingham's rush hour traffic and getting lost trying to find our B&B, after rigging our boat we joined the others for a drink in the bar at Nott's County Sailing club followed by a meal.

The following day we started with a lecture and demonstration of the correct boat set up. This was an item we have never checked properly and was pleasantly surprised when we set about checking our boat, the only real problem we had was the rig tension being too loose and like a few of us found out, missing chocks around the mast, after tightening up the rig all the other measurements were OK, this we thought was a good start to the weekend, how wrong we were to be. After a coffee break we launched and this is where our troubles started, either the wind had increased or from the side of the lake we hadn't appreciated the wind strength so with the boat in the water we decided to reef the main sail and replace the genoa with the jib. We then set off across the lake only to find the reef on the clew end of the sail had come undone then trying to sort this the centre fixing for the toe strap came away, the rudder blade came up and the downhaul got jammed so we couldn't get the rudder blade down, fortunately Simon came along side and with his and Ray's assistance they bought us back to the jetty to get ourselves sorted out. First lesson learnt the hard way Check and Double Check the boat is ready to go BEFORE you set off and any knots tied from the last sail are still tight. We set off again with Linda making a frantic leap into the boat as it left the jetty, only just making it into the boat rather than the water. We spent the next hour or so trying to get accustomed to sailing after a break of some 10-months and trying to show the instructors after making such a bad start we weren't the complete beginners we had probably looked like. We made it up to the top of the lake in one piece and settled down into a series of tacks, trying to follow the other boats, we still felt badly out of practice and after a while Simon came alongside and put Ray aboard to guide us in the finer points of tacking and gybeing before heading back to the clubhouse for a debrief and dinner. Simon suggested we moor up to a buoy as the jetty was getting full, this we did successfully only to drift into the bank with the buoy and the weight on the lakebed.

Following another fine lunch we all set out again, this time with a bit more confidence and apart from a slight mishap with our roller furling which we quickly got sorted we were all at the top of the lake trying to follow the leader. Shortly after Simon decided to swap the crews about on some of the boats so Linda was taken on board the rib and Ray joined me, Linda later joined Matt Sharman and soon learnt it's the crew's job to protect Matt from getting splashed by the waves. I, meanwhile was getting coached by Ray who was later swapped with Charles, probably as he had found sitting on our compass a bit uncomfortable, we now spent the rest of the afternoon tacking and gybeing before again heading back to the jetty to pull the boats out of the water for the day. Back on the jetty I met up with a very wet Linda and both agreed we had benefited from being split up and had pick up a lot of new points and refreshed others. After packing the boats up and getting changed we all met up for another debrief where everybody agreed it had been both hard work and beneficial, there followed a discussion on tall tales and kicking straps before we all headed to the bar. As previous years the followed an excellent meal, thanks must again be paid to the kitchen team for producing such a good meal.

The next morning we all met up again, prepared our boats then had a talk first by Matt on stowing gear in a Wayfarer and how this can if in the wrong place slow the boat down and ideas on what to take or more importantly what to leave at home if on an overnight cruise and camping trip. Simon gave a talk on sailing slowly giving ways on how the boat can be slowed down by sitting near the stern, reducing the sail and lufing up, then it was off to the small lake, for the go faster weekend go slow sailing. After the previous days experiences we made sure every thing was OK before we launched, this time we were full of confidence and had a short time up and own the lake practicing our tacking and gybes before playing follow the leader, only this time the leader would speed up then slow down and we had keep a boat and a half apart. Today we couldn't do a thing wrong and kept the required distance from the lead boat, Simon had to resort to stopping and sailing backwards to loose us. After a coffee break we were to a have race, all be it very light hearted with a very vague course and start line, we were at the wrong side of the lake for the start so we were never really in the fleet and just contented ourselves with our own little race with one other boat. We had a really good sail after the previous days near disastrous sail and left Sunday afternoon full of confidence and making a promise to ourselves to make a point of getting out on the water a lot more in the future.

Thanks must be paid to all the instructors who gave there time and in our case their patience on Saturday. As previous events we left with a long list of jobs and modification we need to do on our boat and an even bigger list of thing we need to buy.
Iain & Linda Lewis W2992 Take a Bow

A different perspective

Sorry, but I have to admit that I didn't enjoy the start of the Cruise Faster weekend at Notts County Sailing Club. I arrived mid-evening to be presented with a fish and chip supper and then had to endure pleasant conversation, singing (accompanied by Sue parry on guitar), far too much to drink and a very late night. But having 'volunteered' to help I thought it important to show a lead whatever the personal cost.

The next morning was not that good either! Some might say "self inflicted". I would say "All in the line of duty". Anyway, duty called and the group gathered around the boats, some armed with rig tension gauges and tape measures, others with worried expressions. Ray Scragg took the lead and Simon volunteered his boat for scrutiny - good job, as there were indeed a few good learning points to be had there! Ray is a very gentle teacher, but there was soon no doubt about the need for sufficient rig tension and chocks at deck level to hold the mast rigid. Onwards instructors and the other visiting boats were checked. Most it has to be said were not far out - evidence perhaps of preparation? Instruction in action Sooner or later there had to be some sailing and in a decent force 4 reefs were tied down and genoas replaced with jibs. Simon's plans were for the instructors to sail with victims - sorry pupils and give pointers on techniques.

I joined Simon in the club rib to oversee, before being placed with Bob and Jim for some boat handling coaching. Afternoon saw us all back on the water and time for some of the crews to swap around. I helmed the club Wayfarer and wondered just how much nagging I could inflict on my poor crew. Sit in, sit out, watch the tell tales, etc, etc. I was designated lead boat and others were briefed to follow. Tack followed tack as I remarked that it was the first thousand that were the worst. Heading back to shore and tacks became gybes and I have to admit that even I was learning.

Oh God! Not another evening of socialising? Oh well in for a penny…. Excellent meal Simon, but too much pudding! Superb service by the kitchen crew, for which many thanks. Sunday was to be a busy day for the club, so we were allocated the 'little lake'. This actually proved ideal for the type of training as the fleet was always together and easily marshalled. But first a bit of shore side instruction on stowage, rig balance and the opportunity for a few questions from the floor. Our first brief from Simon was a follow-my-leader, but with the added complication that crews were to put new found go faster techniques into practise to sail slowly. This was to reinforce the lesson learned on good practise by demonstrating how effective bad practise was. There followed an odd procession of boats in close company (sometimes a little too close) tacking, gibing, stopping, sailing backwards around the lake. The morning weather was not too warm, but the atmosphere across the lake soon warmed up.