John Taylor

I am looking for some clarification to this scenario. Prior to the start, Red boat is clear ahead and to windward of Green boat. As Red and Green boats approach the start line, at what position must Red keep clear as Green approaches to leeward. Pictures 1-3 demonstrates. Additionally, whilst maneuvering and if Green collides to leeward of the Red boat and in the vicinity of Reds transom area, who would be at fault? Regards JT Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3

You can change rigs when the wind conditions change. However, anything to do with the hull is unacceptable, unless the circumstances apply as previously highlighted. These restrictions apply across the classes under the umbrella of the MYA and DF Association JT

David You must use the same hull throughout a particular regatta. However, should you sustain damage which stops you participating with your yacht on the day, the RO can ask the fleet for their permission to use a different hull or appendage should you have them. For a series of different events, you can use different boats as long as you start and finish with the same hull per regatta. It is prohibited to change your yacht mid way through a regatta just because the wind speed has changed. JT

Calling All Service Personnel, Just published within the MYA Calendar is an opportunity for all service personnel (Military, Veteran, Reserve Forces and Emergency Services), to compete in the above regatta. The friendliest regatta within the racing calendar. It is an opportunity to come along and take part in 2 days of (IOM) racing and a chance to reacquaint with service colleagues. Please enter online and read the Notice of Race. I look forward to meeting you at Gosport MYC on the 4/5 November. Regards, JT

Raymond, Thanks for your comment. As your aware time has gone by now, my initial post describes the detail as it happened at the time. My actions described makes me think I was liable to take a penalty, the boats were side by side. From memory, I can’t remember anything that would challenge this decision.

Day 5 Results Congratulations to Craig Richards who become the 2023 (DF95) Globals Champion. Sailing consistently throughout the week, he topped the fleet by some 19 points. Runner-up was John Tushingham, who’s calm and thoughtful approach when racing just wasn’t quite enough this time to close the gap on Craig. Third place goes to the current US Champion Peter Feldman, a great result for him in his first visit to Fleetwood. Shaun Priestley was the top Fleetwood skipper coming 9th overall. Gordon Bayliff and Mark Rose also representing Fleetwood finished towards the middle of the fleet overall. As for me, I am pleased with my result (24th), after a slow start to the regatta at the start of the week. My thanks goes to Peter Baldwin, Derek Preistley and their race team. Plus, Maureen Preistley and all the ladies in the canteen, who have provided non-stop food and drink for the skippers and their families. What a great regatta and a wonderful sailing experience.

Day 4 Report The wind has reduced to a medium A-Rig westerly breeze. The pace has definitely slowed but the protests keep coming. At the top Craig Richards has opened a significant lead over John Tushingham, despite at round 16 which saw the inclusion of the third and final discard of the regatta. Mark Golison and Peter Feldman both from the US are next behind the top two as they hope to close the ever growing gap. Good performances from Mark Dicks and Shaun Preistley who both remain in A-Fleet. As for me, I have mostly spent the day in B-Fleet until Race 18 which saw me relegated to C-Fleet. An overall bad race right from the beginning. So now the pressures on tomorrow to recover myself quickly and to keep my position within the overall standings. There has been one retirement from the regatta coming from the Italian camp, unsure about the reason but we wish they have a safe journey. One note though, the course was changed during the day, converting the windward and spreader marks to a windward gate. This system has been used before with success. It means boats can choose which mark to round at the top of the course

As I understand the boat was near to the bank and was recovered quickly. There were 2 boats on fire, each warped the hull and deck, I believe it was caused by a faulty servo on one boat and a faulty switch on the other. Pictures available on Facebook JT

Day 3 Report More of the same as the previous days with the wind conditions. The fleet switching between the use of B and C rigs. Over the day there has been a lot of ‘General Recalls’ at the start as all the skippers fight to achieve a place on the line. When watching the racing during the first beat, it was like a dog eat dog’ world as boats would push to the limit of the rules when rounding the windward mark. More often collisions between boats would occur, in one A-Fleet race a 6 boat pile up caused irruptions between skippers. The result of which caused the race team to halt proceedings for a few minutes to re-brief country captains, to remind skippers of their conduct on the water, amongst other things. Unfortunately, in a separate incident one boat caught fire whilst sailing in the strong wind conditions, the hull ended up warped and was condemned later, but thankfully the skipper will continue on Thursday. At the moment it’s all change at the top again, as the skippers battle it out between themselves. As for me, we keep making progress as we have had some good results as well as ending today in A-Fleet. Wednesday is a rest day and the regatta will continue on Thursday.

Day 2 Report Strong north westerly gusts made conditions difficult for the skippers today. Using B-Rig the challenge was to sail as far up the lake as possible without getting caught up near to the bank and having to tack with on coming boats on stbd. On the running leg of the course boats would at times nose dive, or skippers would fight to keep their boats from broaching. As the afternoon session continued the skippers switched to C-Rig. Some close racing as the top skippers battled on, John Tushingham, David Potter and Mark Gollison have all spent time in B-Fleet, as the weather conditions became more demanding. There have been some good performances from members of the host club, Mark Rose continues to appear in A-Fleet despite having to make repairs in between races. Shaun Priestley is also made progress today finishing the day in A-Fleet. As for me, I’ve had a better day in between fleets, despite throwing an A-Fleet promotional place by hitting the finishing mark when crossing the line. I’m climbing the ladder and will start tomorrow in B-Fleet.

Day 1 A predominantly light and variable westerly breeze greeted the skippers for the start of the Global Championships. Racing began with a few of the GBR skippers (John Tushingham, Craig Richards and David Potter) all recording wins in their seeding round. The fleets initially sailed 3 laps of the course but after a reschedule, this was reduced to just 2 laps for the start of round 3. As racing continued and with 4 rounds completed today, current champion John Tushingham is leading the fleet from Craig Richards and David Potter. When you look at the current scores, the top 10 skippers have all had a poor race during the first day, which shows that when mistakes are made it can be costly. As for me, it’s been a tough day. Throughout the morning I struggled to find boat speed and after 3 rounds I was stuck in D Fleet. Thankfully, the westerly breeze increased and all skippers changed to B-Rig. In round 4, my boat suddenly released its breaks and I managed to sail myself from D - A fleet in consecutive races. However, prior to the A-Fleet race the wind decreased and the race officials allowed skippers to change rigs again. By this time I wanted to change my batteries so to minimise the risk of something going wrong during the up coming A-Fleet race. This probably proved to be a bad decision because by the time I was back at the lakeside, A-Fleet were on the water and racing. Playing catch-up from the beginning, I got to the windward mark with boats just in front of me. Suddenly there was a huge collision right in my vicinity, I took avoiding action to miss the collision, but ultimately put my boat into irons and couldn’t recover in time. The race was lost and relegation was confirmed. Therefore, taking the positives into tomorrow, we are starting in B-Fleet and it’s a new challenge.

Practise Day & Measurement. Today was all about getting registered and your boat being inspected prior to the start of the regatta. For me, this routine took a little longer than expected but we got there in the end. So 78 skippers representing 15 countries are at Fleetwood for the 2023 Global Championship. The furthest travelled skipper came from Tasmania to be here, a journey that lasted well over 24hrs and covered some 11,000 miles. The event will run for 6 days, the skippers will be split into 4 fleets of approximately 19 boats, with promotion and relegation to the next fleet a possibility for all skippers. As part of my preparations, I spent some of the day sailing in a few practise races. I quickly realised that the start for your race is so important, the key element is to keep visibility of your boat and at the same time avoid collisions. If you’re lucky at the start and with good fleet management, it is possible to build a successful race. However, I have also realised that this week I am but a small fish in a large lake. To be successful you must stay out of trouble or be eaten up. This regatta will be tough going but it’s also a great sailing experience to be enjoyed.

The official regatta ‘YouTube’ channel. Subscribe to follow the action, racing commences on Sunday 14th May. Globals, YouTube channel

Take a look at the following link: Rigging guide I hope this helps JT

When you consider at the time of the incident at the lakeside. I was on the final beat to the finishing line. Despite me hailing the back marker yacht, there was no attempt to alter course by both boats. In the event we both collided and tangled with each other. The rest of the fleet sailed by before eventually we both parted and then we finished last in the race. Frustrated with the scenario I asked for redress using my previous experience from last years IOM Championship. Attached is an extract from HMS 2022, but now after asking for clarification it appears I have been lucky. JT

Thank you John for the education piece. Regards JT

Thank you John for the education piece. Regards JT

The back marker was sailing on the running leg of the course to the leeward gate on stbd tack.

For my own education. Scenario 2 On the final beat to the finish line 3 boats were sailing on port tack but not in close proximity to each other. I hailed the back marker skipper from the fleet prior to me and him passing. The back marker was sailing on the running leg of the course on stbd tack. Despite my hails the skipper made no attempt to avoid collision with me. In the end we both collided and snagged each other for a period of time. I was given redress. Who has the right of way?

For my own education. I was caught up in a couple of infringements today. Scenario 1 Both yachts were on stbd tack heading for the windward mark when the leeward yacht hit me. Being the weather yacht I performed my penalty turn and carried on sailing behind the yacht I infringed. Both continued rounding the windward mark. We continued on the running leg of the course and rounded the gate mark with me still behind. During the final beat to the finishing line, I was fortunate to grab the lead and finish in first place. The skipper of the yacht I infringed earlier said that really I should not be in front of him. His statement confused me as I believe I took my penalty and finished the race fairly. Is the other skipper correct, should I remain behind him??

I feel a little disappointed having to make a choice of which Championships to enter. The Marblehead / 10R World Championships being so close to the DF95 Globals at Fleetwood. From a financial point of view the entry is Marbleheads - 340 Euro (£300) 10Rater - 240 Euro (£210) DF95 - £300 Total Cost - £810 (In just a couple of weeks) Missing the West Kirby Championships in 2020 was heart-breaking after the cost and commitment to qualify. So life moves on and you commit to the DF95 Globals, only to later see the news comes filtering through about another World Championship being run in the same year, actually its worse as they are weeks apart. I would like to see World and European Championships across the classes spread out more,(Maybe every 5 years). Or is it the case we sail to many classes and you choose your boat? Regards, JT

Martyn I’m unsure if you have read my comment further up this post. Your IOM being overweight is not all bad. Of course, we always aim to be at the minimum weight, but it’s not the end of the world. Keep persevering you will get there. JT

Hi Everyone, I have followed this thread with interest and although I tend to agree with some of the thoughts and science on the water, I don’t think it is all doom and gloom. I commissioned sometime ago for a Sushi (IOM) to be built. Unfortunately, the end result was the boat ended up over weight by approximately 50 grams with A-Rig fitted. The comparison of how much additional weight is in the IOM is simply a battery pack within the radio pot. Obviously, it is not ideal and any skipper would rather not have an extra battery pack weighing their IOM down. However, on the positive side, considering wetted surface area, the hull doesn’t sink to much more into the water, less than half a millimetre actually. Plus extra weight will allow the boat to keep the momentum going when other IOMs may have stopped in light wind conditions. We are not talking world beating, highly expensive IOMs here. Over weight IOMs are still competitive in the club and district level. They would also provide a challenge for talented skippers sailing overweight boats against other club members. Why do I say this. Please read my scores from the Joint Services regatta. On the first day (Up to race 11), the wind was barely on the lake and the fleet was drifting for much of the day. Admittedly my scores suffered. However, on the second day the wind gradually increased to a medium to strong A-Rig breeze. Apart from some bad sailing on my part, from race 12 - 27 my scores improved dramatically. Hence it is not all bad to have an over weight IOM as the attached scores prove. JT

Joint Services (IOM) Regatta Report This weekend for the first time since Covid saw the Joint Services (IOM) Regatta taking place at Gosport MYC. It was a pleasure to greet the 11 skippers representing the UK Military and Emergency Services, especially as the local club is only a short distance away from the previous home, of the 1st Submarine Squadron HMS Dolphin, HMS Alliance and the submarine museum. The 2 day regatta saw a total of 27 races competed, the first day was dominated by light winds and at time the yachts would drift around the course. Overall there wasn't a skipper who stood out, as the winner of individual races were being shared across the fleet. At the half way stage 4 skippers were competing for the top prize. The wind conditions on the Sunday were literally the opposite from the first day as a southerly strong blustery wind blew across the course. All skippers elected to remain in A - Rig with one person forced to drop into B-rig due to damage. This didn't deter Darin Wigg as he managed to successfully win a race despite using a smaller rig, after lunch he managed to make his repairs and carry on. In the late rounds of the regatta, 2 skippers found themselves in contention for the championship, but in the end Bob Connor won by just a point from Richard Aucott, who both represent the Emergency Services. 3rd place went to Darin Wigg, who was an invited guest and represents the host club. The Team Championship for the first time went to the Emergency Services, both Bob Connor and Richard Aucott collected their prizes. Finally the individual 'Navy Shield' was won by our most senior skipper John Cleave. My thanks goes to Paul Edwards and Gosport MYC, for running a fantastic event of which everybody enjoyed. As for me and the Sushi (IOM), it was a regatta of 2 halves with the second day being by far the best. My boat's performance in the strong breeze has given me hope, but their is still more work to do with this design yet. JT

Only a week to go before the Joint Services (IOM) Regatta to be held at Gosport. (8/9 October). If you meet the criteria and you want to be involved, then enter online via the MYA Website. It’s 2 days of IOM sailing with former colleagues, in perhaps the friendliest event on the MYA calendar. NOR attached and I hope to see you at the lakeside.