Grafham Training Pro-Am Sunday 3 Feb [Bob]

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Bob wrote:

The first race of the Grafham Pro-Am training initiatve got underway in the afternoon today. 9 Dart 15s lined up with one Dart 16 on a breezy afternoon for the amatuers to be pair up with the Pros (or hot shots), who were to help them round the first lap. We were a little short of hot shots as Stuart Snell has flue; Chris Black, Steve Petts and John Keyte were running the races on committee boat duty and Steve Sawford must have had an even longer lay-in than usual, because he did not show up! Never the less the pairings were made and we set off to race. Barcelona Bob (Rowntree) did his bit to redress the balance of Ams to Pros by christening his new Barceloa boat (1958)with an unfortunate capsize on the start line which was to take him some time to recover.
The rest of the fleet charged off in their respective pairs with the Pros nagging their Ams into sailing faster. It all worked out well. After a lap the first through the start line was, webmaster, Jonathan Perkins, hotly pursued by his Pro, Philip Howden. Next was the Dart 16 of Tom and Stu Tinner coaxed on by George Carter. This was a dramatic change from the morning race where the Tinners had spent much ot the time inverted from an early capsize. Martin Holmes was next through the line followed by his respective pro (yours truly) and then came Frank Sandalls and his Pro Mark Aldridge - this pair had crossed the fleet with a cheeky port start but got behind by taking the unfavouired side up the first beat. Sadly Proless Am, Keith Ball was last across the line due mostly to a pitch-pole on the way round. Once the first lap was completed the Pros were allowed to overtake their Ams and race to the finish. Generally the Pros managed to get back to their rightfull places and were able to urge the Ams on a little more on the way by. Keith did get a bit of help as race winner, George Carter, gave him some tuition on the last lap (next time we will make sure he also gets a pro)
Generally everyone felt they had got some benefit out of race and we look forward to the next time - on Sunday 3 March, when we will have mor Pros and hope to have even more Ams!!
Bob Carter, Grafham Fleet Captain
PS Grafham Dart 15 helm, Guy Humphies, had a one of the best excuses for not taking part. He was proudly displaying pictures of his new crew - a son born a few days ago 7 weeks premature and weighing in at 1Kg (and not much bigger than his hand. Congratulations to Guy & wife - we thing his new crew has some growing to do berfore taking to the Dart 15!!!

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George Stephen replied:

Having "chatted" very hard l;ast year for more training, I really do applaud the efforts being made at Grafham.

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Did the Ams who got help think they sailed better, and are likely to sail better next time?

Did the Am who couldn't be paired with a Pro feel that the other Ams really gained from the help on offer, and wants that benefit next month?

I think a response from the Ams might well encourage other clubs to try out the Grafham approach, and provide the Pros who participated with a thank you for giving their help (and perhaps encourage a few more on to the water in future?).

George

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martin holmes replied:

What a brilliant day on the water, all I can say is a big thanks to Bob and his team for organising the event. I for one will certainly be getting involved in the Sunday races.

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Jonathan replied:

I really think this is a cracking idea, and from speaking to the other 'Ams' present yesterday, I'm sure they will agree.

There's nothing like having someone watch you closely whilst sailing to give really useful feedback - thanks to Phil & George for the help they gave me, it was really useful.

But the good thing about this scheme is not just the one-on-one tuition, but the fact that it gives those of us more used to sailing at the back a chance to be at front - even for one lap! For me, that was the first time that I have been able to look back at the fleet behind me - a fantastic feeling and one that really motivates you to try harder next time. Plus you get the bonus of racing against the Pro's as they go past - and it makes you realise you're not that much slower, but just need to get a bit slicker at tacking etc. and keep really trying.

Another bonus is that it gives you a realistic target to aim for - I was very determined to be first round that lap, as I knew that I was competing against people with similar experience. So it all came down to how much I wanted to do it. Now I know that applies to all racing, and what I need to do in normal club racing is to set targets before & during each race - you know, can I get to the first mark before so & so, etc. The problem I've had in the past has been the lack of a suitably competitive situation - thats where you win both in terms of your sailing skill and (at least as important) in your motivation.

So a *big* thanks to all involved, and I'd recommend it to other clubs to try out.

You know, if someone was looking at what boat to buy, its a big plus for the Dart 15 fleets if we have regular coaching opportunites like this. This is one of the reasons why a boat that is nearly 25 years old will still be *the* boat to sail!

Jonathan

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Dartful Codger 3 replied:

Hi Grafham
I'm so glad your first D15 training session has already fired up the enthusiasm within the fleet, in spite of the absence of a few Pro's . I'm sure you can see that, as Jonathan said 'you're not that much slower' than the Pro's . It's more a case of tidying up your techniques really , and this is now hopefully a Dart 15 exercise in revival, not survival .
Words like motivation , keep trying , realistic targets , determination , competitive situation , are all very relevant to the plot , so well done to all of you , and make sure you keep it up . Hopefully Beaver will follow in your footsteps when we start our new season .
Cheers for now Paul 1961

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Frank Sandells replied:

What a good idea! Really enjoyed the Pro-Am race on Sunday. After sailing on survival tactics in the morning I felt a lot more in control in the afternoon ( thanks to Mark )and felt I picked up enough tips to keep me going till the next one, so thats a big thank you to all you Pro's who gave up a good afternoons sailing to help us Am's along. Frank 1762

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Stu Tinner replied:

I think the whole thing worked fantastically well. Both me and Dad feel we learned alot from George Carter. It really was a help being competitive in the fleet and having others around you to compare yourself with. I think where we go from here is to race more often to get the practice in.

I'd also like to say a big thankyou to everyone who took part, to Bob for organising the event, and to George for his fantastic help.
Stu
D16 2265

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Keith Ball replied:

Hi George,

Sorry, but only just now had a chance to post a reply & comment re. Last Sunday at Grafham.

I was the ?pro-less? Am to which you refer & would like to state that I did still benefit from the day. Bob has already correctly reported that George Carter sailed with me on my last lap but he also coached me on the beat back to shore. Additionally he spent time with a few of us Ams over lunch going over a number of things & answering all our questions.

Some of this advice must have sunk in as, despite my poor start, I did catch up & even briefly overtake Frank & Mark who, in turn, skilfully avoided me moments later as I promptly pitch poled in front of them! (The advice about sitting MUCH further back in the windy conditions we had, briefly got forgotten!)

Reading the other posts, it?s clear the day was a huge success for the Ams present & believe it can only encourage more to come out, boosting attendances & benefitting the fleet as a whole. The more boats that take part in any race, the greater the chance a helm will have of racing/comparing against someone else - wherever that may be position wise.

So a very big thank you to all involved last Sunday & look forward to our next sail.

Keith
D15 1937

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Mark Aldridge replied:

Something that sticks in my mind from the good blow we had on Sunday is the agression, determination and fitness of the guys up front...

I am no athlete, let's get that clear right now.

You need to watch the Carters, Snells and alike on the Dart when the wind blows to really see what I mean.

When hiking out these guys get the majority of their body off their boat, work hard at keeping the boat flat and sheet the main in 'block 2 block' on the beats. On the reaches they are hanging off the transoms alomst (Keith!) and are continually attacking both the wind and water ALL the time.

Accelerating after a tack is a matter of getting the bows pointing the right way and pulling that mainsheet in. This can be done whilst still facing backwards, but it is best to quickly release the main as you cross!

The close first lap showed me the wide berth some give to buoys too. This is a waste of time and getting closer will save valuable time and distance.

I remember reading excellent articles by Paul Smith and George Carter about sailing in heavy winds and I think they are on this site somewhere? They are well worth a read..

I agree with Jonathan in that we are a very fortunate fleet with Bob and co conjuring up and executing these 'training / fun' ideas.

Mark

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Bob replied:

Many thanks for all the kind words - looks like we have got a success on our hands with that one.
Thanks go to Chris Black who had the brainwave in the first place and who set a good course and presided over the proceedings for the committee boat.

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Anon replied:

Somebody has seen Stuart hiking out. Do you have photographic evidence??

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Anon2 replied:

Yes, sounds abit far-fetched. Perhaps Mark was just being kind!