Well the spring bulbs are starting to sprout, even if the winter frosts are still about. That can only mean one thing,… time to start thinking about the season ahead.
Here at Pwllheli Sailing Club we’re already at work recovering from the winter storms, which destroyed our racing start hut and its contents.
The remains of our starting hut
Work is in place to secure a new shed, the PC has been rebuilt, and a replacement speaker and new starting horn have been obtained. The metal slots and accompanying course cards have been recovered along with the flags which have been washed ready for racing.
Washed Flags
All we need now is a frame to hoist them on, a vhf and anemometer… and of course man power to reassemble everything so that our race officer, Robin Evans, has a safe haven to run racing from.
Robin at the starting hut in 2024
Our full racing schedule has been published ( CHPSC Racing Schedule 2025) and is on the club website in the racing section along with course cards and everything you need for racing. Club racing starts again on the 5th April with one long race around the bay in conjunction with an ISORA coastal. Open to cruisers and racers alike, it’s the perfect opportunity to get refamiliarised with your boat. The longer legs of the bay race allowing for a gentler transition through manoeuvres for those new to racing or with new crew looking to learn. And don’t forget, if you want to sail but your boat’s still in the yard, other boats may need your experience and an extra pair of hands. Just let us know and we can hook you up with skippers.
Sunday 6th April starts to warm things up a little with two round the cans races of about an hour long each. These races have shorter legs with more manoeuvres to test crews and skippers alike, the ideal opportunity to practice ready for the Easter series and of course the IRC Welsh National Championships.
Our IRC championship runs from the 2nd to the 4th May. This year we have a new race management team with Nigel Biggs joining as race officer for IRC with the assistance of Mike Butterfield as principal race officer and jury for protests. Meanwhile, cruisers, racing under YTC handicap, will be well looked after by race officer Robin Evans.
And after some great racing, we have some great socials planned. Taking advantage of the bank holiday on the Monday 5th, allows for a championship grand finale on Sunday evening - definitely not an event to be missed! Get your entries in early to avail of the reduced entry fees, as prices rise the closer we get to the event.
With the RORC rating system reopened for the year ahead, now is time to get your sails measured and rating certificate secured. For those racing in IRC you’ll need to book any measuring with our local RORC approved measurer, Eifion Owen.
Sails laid out in preparation for measuring in Plas Heli
For those entering the cruiser class, you’ll need a YTC rating. It’s free! All you have to do is enter details about the make and model of your boat online. (https://rorcrating.com/ryaytc ) You can measure your own sails and simply enter those measurements with the boat details, or again, ask Eifion, who can also measure for YTC ratings at £25 per sail measurement.
Need help? Come into the club and ask. There are always plenty of sailors and skippers about willing to offer advice. We all want to encourage as many people out on the water as possible.
Trophies presented to YTC Cruiser Blue Sky at the Christmas party 2024
Not confident racing against other boats just yet? Why not try the commodore’s challenge, around the St. Tudwall islands and back, or the Tremadog Triangle, around mark numbers 2, 8, 10 and back, both courses starting and finishing at the outfall buoy off Gimblet Rock (mark number 0). Sail the courses whenever you fancy. Once finished, let us know how long it took you to complete, together with your boat name, handicap rating and whether the rating is IRC or YTC and we’ll add you to the leaderboard and a chance to win some trophies.
We look forward to seeing you in the club and out on the water very soon.
