Stewartby Sailing » Youth Sailing

2011 Junior Autumn Mini Starts – Sat. October 22nd

Karl Pountney — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 09:22:08 +0000

We’re pleased to announce the return of the Junior Autumn Mini-Series (JAMS for short) this autumn. Starting on Saturday 22nd October, the series runs for 4 saturday afternoons until November 19th. The handicap series is open to all juniors members sailing in any recognised junior class (Topper, Topper 4.2 and RS Feva).

Key Dates: October 22nd, October 29th, November 12th & November 19th
Start Time: 12.30pm, competitors to meet at the Race Hut.

Please read on for further details:

At a Glance

Number of Races: 4 races per day, 16 races in the Series.
Races to Count:8 races to count towards the series.
Entry Fee: None. It’s completely free!
When to arrive: The start is at 12.30. Please arrive at least 1 hour beforehand so you can set-up your boat and change
What to wear: You’ll need a wet-suit or drysuit from the end-of october. Keep warm and you’ll enjoy yourself much more.

Racing Format

Starting at 12.30 each Saturday, there will be 4 races per day. The format will be the same each week.

Race 1: Sausage (3 laps)
Race 2: Triangle (3 laps)
Race 3: Triangle & Sausage (4 rounds)
Race 4: Triangle & Sausage (4 rounds)

We aim to keep the races very short. If the conditions don’t allow the number of laps or rounds to be completed in a reasonable time, we’ll display the white/blue ‘S’ flag and shorten the course. When you see this from the committee boat you should finish the lap/round and sail across the line.

Start/Finish Lines

The start line will between an orange inflatable and the committee boat. The line will be across the wind making the first leg a beat.

The finish line will be indicated by a small orange buoy placed in front of the committee boat. When you complete your last lap/round you should sail in front of the committee boat and between the committee boat and the orange buoy. You will get a hoot as you cross the line. The wind will be across the side of your boat and you’ll be finishing on a reach.

Contact Information

The Junior Autumn Mini-Series event is jointly organised between the Sailing School and the Racing Coordinator. If you have any questions please contact Steve Ivory or Karl Pountney for further details.

For

Local Sailor wins Stewartby’s 2011 Topper Open

Karl Pountney — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:39:54 +0000

Two clear wins in the afternoon races saw local sailor Joseph Mullen take first place in this year’s Topper Open Meeting. The event was a zone squad qualifier as well as a Traveller Series event so the 39 boat field was exceptionally strong. All our 15 youngsters put in creditable performances. Harry Janes’s consistent results led to 9th place overall. Dan Frossell 15th; Annie Stylianides 18th; Beth Parish, Liam Howcroft and Luke Wilson 20th, 21st and 24th respectively.

Full results are now available in the results section of the website. Race Report will follow in due course.

Junior Coaching

Steve Ivory — Thu, 19 May 2011 08:52:10 +0000

This years dates have been updated and can be found on the Youth Sailing page

Coaching Resumes

Steve Ivory — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:51:27 +0000

Although coaching was due to start slightly earlier, the abundance of working parties in March and the added complication of a Powerboat meeting has meant that the coaching sessions planned for this year will be starting this coming weekend, Saturday 2nd April. Following requests from members, this year we are introducing adult coaching/improver/refresher sessions. Read on for further details.

The first session on Saturday 2nd of April will be for Adults only, Junior coaching will return the following weekend. The Junior Coaching Group can expect e-mails if they are on the mailing list.

The Adult sessions are aimed at those members who may have recently taken a course or who did a course some time ago and are feeling a bit rusty. Members looking to improve their racing skills would also benefit. The sessions will be run by Sailing School instructors and coaches. The sessions are NOT aimed at complete beginners, anyone wanting to learn from scratch should take the RYA level 1 & 2 courses. We will tailor the sessions to the requirements of the participants. As we will not be bound to a set syllabus we will be able to concentrate on the areas you would prefer. There will be a charge of £20 per person per session which will run from 0930 to around 1600. The galley may well be persuaded to open if we get sufficient numbers. For the first session though a packed lunch will be required although we will of course have access to microwaves and kettles.

Future sessions will incorporate both Junior and Adult coaching, don’t worry we will keep you separated!

If you would like to attend or have any queries then please contact Steve Ivory

We’re Collecting “Tesco for Schools & Clubs” Vouchers

Karl Pountney — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:14:42 +0000

For further year the Tesco voucher scheme currently in operating in main stores, Tesco Express and Petrol Stations has been extended to not-for-profit clubs. We have a collection box in the clubhouse your vouchers which we are putting toward equipment for the Sailing School to support Junior and Youth sailing this summer.

You can also hand your vouchers in to Steve Ivory or Rosie Norman (Galley), or send them to: The Sailing School, SWSC Sailing Section, PO Box 369, Stewartby, Bedford, MK43 9PG.

JAMS Final Weekend

Steve Ivory — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:32:42 +0000

The final week of JAMS racing didn’t start too well. Anyone on the top of Ampthill hill couldn’t see the lake as they approached as all was shrouded in fog. Thankfully things improved as the start time approached and racing went ahead as scheduled. What a days racing we had too!

The full results can be found here.
Gallery has been added here.

The final four races and still all places were up for grabs right down to the last race! The series leader Joseph M. was away giving the chasing Harry J. the chance to snatch victory. Beth , Marcus , Liam & Phil all had a chance of a podium spot. Surprisingly Liam and Phil didn’t appear at the start. Liam kindly lent Frankie his boat and Phil surfaced at lunchtime ( there is no record as to whether he remembered his lunch this week!) and once he realised he still had a chance, rushed off to get changed in time for the afternoon races.

The day started looking good for Harry with 2 bullets in the first races. Sam recovered from a poor start in race 2 only to find himself and Beth caught in a nasty header just before the line which nearly dumped the pair of them in to the committee boat. Somehow they both squeezed over the line before the trailing pack caught them.

The real drama was saved for the afternoon. In race three Harry was being chased by the very quickly improving Aaron. Harry rounded the last mark just ahead of him but Aarons light weight enabled him to sail straight under him for the line and there was nothing Harry could do about it. Well done Aaron on your first win. Sam and Beth finished neck and neck again.

A second place wasn’t a disaster for Harry, he just needed to win the last race to claim the trophy. However, gear failure, in the shape of an exploding mainsheet block left him mid fleet and cursing his luck. Up at the front we had another new winner in the shape of Phil, so well done to him as well. His first win also saw him snatch 3rd place on the podium from Beth in a dramatic final race. The last race was notable too for the extremely gallant gesture from Sam who hung around at the last mark so that Frankie wouldn’t finish last! Well done Sam.

The series has proved very popular and very competitive. Those further down in the final standings should not be too disheartened, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Up front we have some very experienced sailors but there was never a race with more than a minute or two separating first place from last. Congratulations to all of you who have taken part it’s very pleasing to see how well you are coming along and we will do our best to get you sailing even better next year!

There was a short prize giving in the clubhouse afterwards. Congratulations to Joseph M , first winner of the JAMS. The trophies themselves will be awarded at the Christmas buffet lunch. Pictures will follow as soon as Steve has a refresher course from Karl on how to upload them!

JAMS Final Weekend

Karl Pountney — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:36:16 +0000

Well done to those who took part. The full race report and photos will be available soon.

Meanwhile, the full results can be found here.

JAMS Week 3

Steve Ivory — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 17:45:32 +0000

Week 3 of the JAM series and thankfully the horrendous weather of the previous week had abated considerably just in time for Saturday racing. Out of 11 starters the results show six different names appearing in the top three places which is an indication of how well our Juniors are coming along.

Steve was left to run the races on his own although assisted in the morning by Ruth and Jake. Karl was busy on a safety boat course but will hopefully return for the climax of the series.

Series leader Joseph M. was away, giving the trailing pack the opportunity to close the gap. At the start of the day only 2 points separated the next 4 places. The results of the days racing did little to separate the podium places and competition is just as close with almost any one in with a chance of grabbing a podium spot! Steve spent most of his lunchtime explaining the changes in the standings between trying to grab the odd bite of his sandwich. I should imagine Joseph M. will be examining the results anxiously.

All the starts went off well and places were generally decided on the beats. Harry J. put in a solid performance with three wins but got caught up in a windward mark jumble which left him in 5th in race 2. Beth P. also had a good day with two 2nd and a 3rd. Notable performances also came from Phil Z. Who bagged his first win of the series (well done Phil) he also remembered his lunch for the second week in succession! Congratulations are also due to Oliver T who grabbed 2nd in race 3. Aaron F put in a stunning performance to claim 4th in race 3, having only learnt to sail at Summer Camp. Frankie C soldiered on and was consistent in her tired old sailing school boat without getting disheartened. Marcus F managed 3rd and 4th in the first two races but faded in the afternoon session. Liam H and Sam B had an up and down day, although Sam did claim 3rd in race 3. Izzie S and Katie P kept in touch despite using their smaller sails.

All in all the series has been very competitive and well attended with around 11 boats attending each race day and given a good indication of the coaching plan for the Winter months. Well done to all of you taking part, it has been really encouraging to see how enthusiastic you all are and how well you are progressing.

JAMS Week 2 Results

Karl Pountney — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:09:45 +0000

The Junior Autumn Mini-Series’s second week took place on a breezy afternoon on Saturday 30th October. The fleet this week stood at 11 which is just great. The racing was close with series leader Joseph Mullen facing strong competition from Phil Ziya and Marcus Finch at times. Race 3′s drama unfolded at the finish when Beth Parish capsized on the finishing reach and lost 4 places. Thanks goes to parents Gerry Howcroft and Robert Finch for manning the rescue boat.

The Series takes a break for 1 week returning on Saturday November 13th. First Race Starts at 11.30.

JAMS Series Results

Junior Autumn Mini Series

Steve Ivory — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:27:46 +0000

At the last minute we have decided to run a mini series for the coaching group. Karl has kindly agreed to run it as an additional series and also act as Race Officer. It will run over 4 weeks with 4 short races each day. 8 needed to qualify.

Dates for races. 23/10 – 30/10 – 13/11 – 20/11. Start time for first race 1130 am.