Two weekends of close racing at the Warsash Spring Championships have stood some of Britain's aspiring young keelboat racing talents in good stead as they prepare for their next test at the RORC Easter Challenge this weekend (22-24 April).
The British Keelboat Academy, the RYA/UKSA's joint keelboat race training scheme, fielded two J 80s crews comprising development squad sailors in the Warsash Spring Championships - which for many was their first taste of competitive keelboat racing since making the transition from dinghy racing - while the BKA's National Squad sailors took to the waters in the impressive Farr 45 Kólga.
The first weekend of the Championships (9-10 April) gave the BKA sailors an induction to high speed and tight fleet racing, while this final weekend (16-17 April) proved a test of patience and tactics as light winds greeted the shores of the Solent and rendered Saturday unsailable.
Two races however were possible on Sunday afternoon, with the BKA J 80 development teams managing clean starts fighting against the strong tide. Both boats struggled with boat speed at times, but some solid tactical decisions allowed them make the most of the shifts to claw some places back through the fleet. BKA 2, helmed by Stephen Beckett and Ali Morrish (Solva/Edinburgh) in eleventh place.
Meanwhile, the BKA's National Squad sailors in Farr 45 Kólga were third overall in the IRC 1 category for the overall Warsash Spring Series. With a combination of slick crew manoeuvres and coordinated trimming, the weekends should be seen as a good starting point from which to approach the upcoming RORC Easter Challenge taking place in a few days.
Luke McCarthy, BKA Head Coach, commented: "On Kólga, the important things to get right during the Warsash Spring Championships were the fundamentals of the manoeuvres, communication on board and rig setup. Being joined by Lou Varney of the Rán Racing team as a coach for a training weekend as well as the second Championship weekend was a huge advantage as the sailors were able to quickly pick up the correct settings from him to ensure that the boat was always set up to maximise performance for the given conditions.
McCarthy continued: "It has been a great start to race season and there are lots of positives which can be taken. We always intended to use the training and first few race weekends to ensure that everyone had some good experience on the boat as a building block for the rest of the season. Overall, the team's manoeuvres, communication and rig set up have improved, all of which bodes well for the RORC Easter Challenge and the rest of the season."
The RORC Easter Challenge takes place over the Easter weekend (22-24 April). The event attracts a huge range of yachts that compete on tight races courses across the Solent. With seven races scheduled over three days, the BKA will be entering three J80s as well as Kólga.
The BKA's sponsors include X-Ray at 77 and Group Dental, plus a number of generous supporters and suppliers. For more information about the British Keelboat Academy and how you can help with fundraising visit BKA website at
www.britishkeelboatacademy.org<http://www.britishkeelboatacademy.org>, or follow the BKA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BritishKeelboatAcademy<http://www.facebook.com/BritishKeelboatAcademy> or on Twitter (@tweetbka).
