SOLENT RACING Race preparation, crew, and equipment You may think that when you line up to start you’ve got as good a chance as most of the fleet for a good place in the race. You’d be wrong! Most races are won before the start thanks to the work the skipper and crew put in to prepare themselves and the boat to do well SOLENT RACING on the race course. Some of that preparation may begin months or years beforehand in preparing the boat so it has the speed and reliability to win, and preparing the crew so that they can handle the boat efficiently in all PREPARATORY SIGNALS CONT.conditions and circumstances. Other preparation takes place just before the race when the skipper and crew learn the SIs, check the weather and tide, arrive at the course early, and make the strategic decisions. Getting crew Having a good crew is always important and it often takes weeks or months to develop a crew’s skills and ability to work together. Finding crew can be difficult - although the more successful you are on the race course the easier it is! A good place to start is your local yacht club and others in the area. Post a note on their message boards and websites, and look around for online forums. The bigger events, such as the Round the Island Race and Cowes Week, have forums on their websites where you can advertise for crew and crew can advertise for a boat. Once you’ve found a crew, make sure you sail, and preferably race, with them before the big event. Training should cover the boat layout and its gear, safety procedures, and boat handling in all the important manoeuvres and sail changes. Skipper’s check list Your actual check list will depend on the type of boat, length of race, and course location but for a typical Solent race make sure you consider: • Have sufficient crew, all the sails you’ll need, with all the gear in working order, including safety equipment, and get afloat well ahead of start time with plenty of time to sail to the course area. • If you keep your boat afloat, has the bottom been scrubbed within the last two weeks? It’s amazing how many boats you see racing which have dirty hulls. • Race information - Make sure you have a copy of the sailing instructions (SIs), an up-to-date racing chart of the area (Solent buoys may change position and/or name from one year to the next so get a 2023 racing chart now), and the times of High Water for the day, with a good tidal stream chart for the area - the more detailed the better. • Bottled water and something to snack on, and the right sailing clothing for the conditions. Don’t forget a hat and sunscreen. Watch the weather trends for 3-5 days ahead of the event, and start studying it in detail in the 24 hours ahead of the event. Go afloat with an up-to-date forecast and study how any changes expected during the day may affect the strategy for the race. Preparing for offshore racing If you’re heading offshore you’ll need more food and drink, and more clothing plus more detailed weather and route planning ahead of the race. You may also need to add safety equipment, depending on the category of the race. Offshore races can be tough on both boat and crew so make sure the boat and its equipment are in top class order and always sail with a crew that has sufficient experience among it to deal with a long race or with bad conditions. 17 solenthandbook.com