Article by Keith Persin The Dart 15 training day was held at Thorpe Bay YC on 21st April. The sun was out in full and the wind was very light, which for me at least was ideal as I’d just bought my Dart (1551) the Wednesday before, having never sailed a Dart. The aim of the day according to Nick Dewhurst, our trainer, was to give us more confidence to compete, pick up some useful tips, and have fun! The day began leisurely enough with everyone chatting, enjoying the sunshine, whilst preparing their boats. Then we’re called to line up the boats with military precision. Hrmm I thought, not sure about this. The boats and the trainees varied enormously in age, but whereas all the Darts were pretty similar the trainees came with varying degrees of experience, shapes and sizes. With all the boats lined up we began one end and inspected each boat with Nick, Pete Sherwin and other experienced sailors pointing out any potential problems, and suggesting improvements. As it turned out the boats were lined up for a purpose other than to look pretty. This became apparent when we were asked to look along the line of the masts and one stuck out a mile from the others. This brought a few smiles, but the problem was quickly diagnosed as a bracket on the mast fitted upside down. With the tide in after lunch, the plan was to race many one lap races around a very short course approx 300m between markers. Nick would be on the safety boat shouting instructions, whilst a number of experienced sailors helped on board. I was somewhat relieved when Duncan Ford came across and said he was there to help. It wasn’t long before the first race had started and the 16 boats were off. Well at least 4 or 5, the rest were spread around the vicinity. Good friends and keen competitors, Martyn Ellis and Gerald Sverdloff collided, and as Gerald began to take on water he was forced to withdraw early. With the remaining boats beating up to the first mark, Duncan was instructing me how to sail backwards in order to recover from being in irons somewhere behind the start. The format was excellent, with such a small course there was little hanging around before the next race was off, so we had plenty of practice starts. I was somewhat surprised to see Theresa Ryall taking an opportunity to practice capsize procedure as she mentioned over lunch she would happily skip that part. But as the winds picked up a few others also joined in the practice. As the day went on the boats started closer together, with Nick on the safety boat shouting tips. Whilst on a dead run he shouted over “move forward”… “let off the down haul”, moving forward I found the tiller fully extended and hence difficult to steer. Attempting to let off the down haul, with boats around me, at risk of jibing, and approaching the next mark I can’t print what I thought, but I’ll practice that next time. Towards the end of the day I actually managed to get into the thick of it, and after a good start was sandwiched between Elliot Fougman in the oldest boat (127) and Richard Harrison vying for the lead. The next thing I knew the boat suddenly started to lift and my instant reaction was to let go of the sheet, which fortunately, or unfortunately was cleated. With just one hull in the water and only the tiller in my hand I was lucky to come down again the right way, and was more than happy to finish 3rd. The day was truly exciting especially on those broad reaches, and it was capped off with an excellent meal and debriefing session in the bar. I am now looking forward to getting out again and competing in my first race. My thanks to Nick Dewhirst and Pete Sherwin who came over to give the training, and all the members at Thorpe Bay who helped out and made it such a great day.  Thorpe Bay Teach In Attendees |
