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Family Sailing Holiday Report

Children and grown-ups get to play all day on this Sail, Surf and Cycle holiday. Last August the family Parker headed for the sun as David Parker reports.

Finnikounda, in Greece's south-west Peloponnese, is an ideal location for a family activity holiday. If you want to encourage anyone to go sailing, this is the place to do it. The hotel is next to the beach, the boats are on the beach, and the village is a short walk away along the beach. And just above the beach is the swimming pool. It's a very nice beach by the way.

The activities on offer are dingy sailing, windsurfing and mountain biking. There are children clubs which cater for babies and youngsters up to 13, and there' s tuition for all the activities on offer. RYA qualified instructors supervise the sailing and windsurfing and you will, if you want to, finish this holiday with an RYA qualification.

This is also a very safe place for a family holiday. As one guest put it, "the reason we came back this year is that this is the safest place I know to bring my children and where they can have the freedom to do their own thing."

Club land

This type of activity holiday has a great deal to offer singles, couples and families. We looked at it mainly from the latter perspective and the children's' clubs were a major factor for many families when deciding on this particular holiday.

The Starfish Club is for little ones four months to two years, costs £150 per week and the club aims for a service of one qualified nanny (NNEB or equivalent) per two children. It's an optional extra and the basic cost of taking a child under two on one of these holidays is an administration fee of £25.

The Sea Urchins Club, which caters for two to five-year-olds, and the Surfbusters Club (5-13 years) run 9.30-5.30, six days a week, and are free. For a supplement of £90 (£135 for two weeks) there's also an optional Hot Shots Club for those 8-13 year olds who want to learn to sail or windsurf. Qualified instructors who can take the youngsters through to RYA Junior awards run this.

Babysitting services are available and children's' trips are organised in the evenings once a week if parents want a night out alone.

Our own children Elena 5, Jack 4 and Amy 2 were in the Sea Urchins, the youngest group. We thought this was an exceptionally good club capably run by Sue Maidment who took time to get to know the children and gain their confidence from the start.

The crèche is well equipped, cool and spacious. Our children couldn't wait to get to the club every morning where they had alot of fun and were extremely well looked after.

Part of the daily routine includes swimming in the pool and in the sea, going to the park and having ice creams and treats in the village. The crèche has off-road pushchairs including a single and double buggy. For 'quieter' times in Sea Urchins - and to get out of the sun - there are videos to watch or creative indoor activities such as making fancy dress costumes.

There's one development we'd like to see and that's a play park on site at the hotel- i.e. a climbing frame/slide/swings. This would be a real advantage because in the heat of the day it can be quite a long walk to the park in the village.

Some parents felt that, initially, youngsters who could swim and who weren't in Hot Shots weren't getting out on the water enough. Marion and Guy Jones from Winchester have two children, Hannah 10 and Liam 8. Guy commented: "The first week here our children went out onto the water once. We complained about this which took the edge of the first week. It's only since the beginning of the second week that they've actually been doing what we thought they'd be doing all along. The staff now seem to be putting an awful lot of effort in with the children and they seem to be enjoying themselves a lot more."

But all the parents we spoke to agreed on one vital aspect of this beautiful location with its non-tidal waters. The hotel, beach and village felt very safe for children day and night. In southern Greece you can also rely on the weather and shorts and tea-shirts are all you'll need.

Busy relaxing

While the children are being looked after, the adults can take full advantage of the RYA tuition at this RYA approved centre. Nigel and Suzanne Brown have two sons Nicolas 10 and Andrew 4.

Suzanne particularly liked the informal hands on approach of the holiday. "With other charter companies we've been with they rig everything up for you and send you

off, then de-rig it. The benefit of the RYA courses is that they make you do things for yourselves which means you learn more."

Nigel also pointed out that at this centre everything is extremely convenient. "I like it all being together - at other places we've seen that the hotel is away from the beach or the sailing centre." Also because everything is close-by it's easy to keep an eye on the children if you wanted to pop in and out of the clubs between sailing sessions On this holiday you can qualify for your level one and level two dinghy sailing or level one and level two windsurfing. The youngsters in the Hotshots club can get RYA Junior levels stages 1-3.

Boats for all

The centre is well equipped with over thirty boats, fifty windsurf boards (plus seventy rigs) and twenty mountain bikes. I counted twelve Picos, six Laser 1s, two Laser 3000s, one Laser 2000, two Topper Buzzes, one Hobie 16, two Dart 16s, two 505s, one Laser Stratos and three Wayfarers, plus a 2000 and a Hobie under repair. Although quite old, the Wayfarers are all serviceable, and most of the other boats are new and reasonably well maintained.

Groups on courses take priority for boats, but in practice we found that there were plenty to go round, and all the guests were usually able to sail what they wanted to. I managed to sail all the boats during our fortnight, and most enjoyed the Hobie and the Wayfarer - my wife, Jenny, preferred the Picos.

The variety of the activities on offer also means older children can go off and do their own thing giving them independence while still being on a family holiday. Nathan and Ingrid Blau with son Stephen aged 14 came to Finnikounda last year. This is the first

place they've ever been to twice. They're particularly impressed with the standard
of tuition here and the fact that there's something for everybody. "But if you
don't like the activities you can still have
a standard beach holiday," said Nathan.
As parents they felt happy for their son to go into the town at night with other youngsters. "You can let young teenagers loose and not worry," said Ingrid, "it's the ideal thing about Finnikounda."

For Terry and Collette Francis with sons Martin 19 and Peter 16 it was also a return trip to Finnikounda from the previous year. The main reason they also came back was because of the safety of the resort. The centre's moved up the beach since they were last here which they say has reduced the sailing area and launching area - which can get a bit congested. They recommend putting a lookout tower on stilts - the 'Beach Boss' is at sea level and a raised observation point would expand their field of view. There are, though, enough support and rescue boats on site and sufficient staff to man them.

Dedicated staff

One thing all the holidaymakers we spoke to enthused about was the terrific staff Neilson had running the activities. "I'm amazed at the outstanding quality of the people who run this," said Mark Blatchly on holiday with his wife Julia. "The staff are genuinely

enthusiastic and really do love being here and being helpful."

Julia thought the holiday would be a good way to introduce her husband to watersports. He became a proficient windsurfer during his time here and both enjoyed the mountain biking. They told us as soon as they got back they wanted to book the same holiday for next year.

However, as a GP Julia highlighted one

problem brought up several times during our interviews. "For people who need

antibiotics or any form of medical attention it's virtually a whole day out to one of the larger towns," she said. "There have been two or three people who needed changes in their medication. It might be useful to have medical expertise visit the site." With the vigorous activities on offer a physiotherapist or masseur would have certainly have been a very popular visitor to this hotel.

I hurt my ribs one day and most people could proudly show you a few cuts and bruises from the day's activities, some had cuts which got infected. Pico-knees were a favourite - not a Chinese dog but something to do with sand in the bottom of a little yellow boat. Julia had badly blistered hands from trying to hoist jamming spinnakers. Neilson point out in their brochures that it's a good idea to bring sailing gloves. Also we'd recommend that before going out in any of the boats you check them thoroughly. Equipment gets used heavily and is not always left by previous users in prime condition.

The daily routine

The day usually begins with a mountain bike organised for eight o'clock in the morning. Then there's a briefing at ten o'clock after breakfast. Following this people meet up with their instructors for theory talks and to organise the morning's activities which usually go on until 12.30.

To get the full flavour of the holiday, Jenny did an RYA level one dinghy course, while I took level two. Some of the theory talks

were brilliant, the staff using inventive ways to liven up subjects. Once you've seen a bucket of water poured over someone's head to demonstrate sail theory you won't forget it.

After lunch at two o'clock there's another briefing, followed by an afternoon's sailing and tuition with another bike ride at 5.30. There's never any pressure forcing anyone to be anywhere at any time. It's all extremely relaxed and you can drop in and out of groups as you wish. Most people found it beneficial to join a group and stick with it. Built into the schedule are free days, Wednesday and Sundays, when you can put into practice new skills or try and refine rusty ones ... or just read and laze by the pool.

There's also taster sessions where you can try an activity with an instructor to see if you like it. Fridays offered a daysail to a beach, and a picnic, which I joined on the second week with a Wayfarer, taking along a couple who hadn't sailed before - we had an excellent sail.

On Saturdays there's normally a regatta, but ours was cancelled because of strong winds - apparently a rare occurrence. Steady 'cross shore' winds rule here, which is good for most dinghy sailing and windsurfing - if anything the breezes area little light for the more experienced windsurfers.

Not only are the staff dedicated instructors during tuition periods, they also work hard organising evening trips, après sail activities and entertainment such as lighthearted "booze and betting regattas" on the beach.

In general there was a bit of a feeling that while the energetic Neilson staff couldn't do enough for you, the hotel didn't exhibit the same level of motivation, and niggling problems took a long time to get fixed.

Most people were happy with their rooms but felt an extra £20 per week for a fridge was a bit over the top. Guests felt some rooms lacked storage. We also found the hotel expensive for food and drinks. For special occasions, such as welcoming
new people in or saying goodbye to the leavers, special meals were organised. However, for a family these tended to be
a much more expensive night than going into the town. For example a Fanta and portion of chips for the children at one of these set meals cost £3.00 each! We
found you could rely on getting better substantially better value taking the short walk along the beach.

Finikounda itself was described to us as being "just the right size and just the right distance away." This sums it up perfectly
as it's small enough to retain its charm of being a Greek village by the sea but large enough to offer a reasonable selection of shops, restaurants, tavernas and bars. Take time to explore the restaurants -
We'd recommended Pyscho's, Joannhe's

or Mama Tunas - at the latter they'll invite you into the kitchen so you can see what's on the menu. They make children very welcome. The village also has two very good bakeries (great for snacks), a supermarket and smaller shops along the main street.

Take to the hills

The mountain biking is run by Clive Andrews and Simon Evamy and you've got to have a go at this. And watch out for the Clive and Simon show at a mountain near you. These guys should take their bike talks on tour. They are an extremely entertaining double act. If you've been beaten up by a Pico all day, setting off into the Greek hills is the perfect antidote. My own regret on this holiday is that my rib injury prevented me doing more mountain biking than I actually did.

We saw all shapes and sizes, all ages and persuasions going on the mountain bike rides. If they can get you on a bike they'll find you somewhere to ride it. The equipment is first rate, and the bikes were much better than most of the holiday makers had been used to back home.

There are beginner rides, intermediate rides or day rides to towns like Methoni and Koroni. The average ride is between 5/10 miles, the longer ones work out at 25-30 miles. Rides could be tailored to any particular group.

The rides are a great way to explore the countryside and villages by the sea. "We get people who come along for the sailing and end up going home and buying a mountain bike'" said Clive. (He's right - on our return to the UK I bought a mountain bike.) The schedule is arranged so you don't have to choose between biking and sailing, you can do both. If you don't want to go on an organised ride then you can borrow the bikes and do your own thing.

You don't need to be super fit for these rides either but as Clive points out "If you've got a little bit of fitness there are more rides which you might enjoy. Just bike to work a few times before you come here and get a few miles in. " The pace is dictated by the slowest in the group and there are café stops along the way.

And it's often not who you'd expect who like to venture off-road into the hills. "You get quite a lot of teenagers coming along who might be up for the mountain biking," said Clive, "then their mums have a look. And they say 'No mum - you won't enjoy this,' but the mums have a go and absolutely falling in love with it."

So take your pick. You can Surf, Sail or Cycle. But whichever activity you go for there's one thing you can rely on in southern Greece - gorgeous weather. The trouble is those warm, clear waters are going to completely spoil you for sailing back home …

Henri Lloyd Dinghy & Sportsboat Collection 2008

Henri Lloyd used their intensive marine clothing industry knowledge whilst working alongside the world’s best dinghy and inshore racing sailors to produce a new Dinghy & Sportsboat Range which was launched in 2007, known as the Stealth Dinghy Collection.

This exclusive collection ranging from Rash Vests and Buoyancy Aids to Dry suits, was developed and designed alongside our range ambassadors Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield and through Henri Lloyd’s association with Sportboats, including the Melges 24 and Laser SB3 classes. The knowledge gained through Henri Lloyd’s association with the America’s Cup has also been an invaluable contribution towards the technical development of this range.

Named Stealth, the products have been designed to give the wearer the extra edge needed while competing against other sailors in racing environments. Certain items within the range have been adapted with more technically advanced features to enhance the performance of the garment – creating the category Stealth Pro.

For 2008 the range has been extended to include a new Women’s Spray Top, Junior Dry Suit and a selection of Rash Vests.

The hero product within this range is the Women’s TP1 Stealth Smock. This product is a technical replica of the men’s version, but has been designed and tailored to fit the female figure. The smock is constructed from Henri Lloyd’s own technical TP1 fabric, which is 100% waterproof and windproof, it is also breathable and is also very lightweight, therefore easing movement around the boat. Additional features include Dartex cuffs and neck seal, fully adjustable neoprene waist band and a fast draining quick access front stow and sleeve pocket.

The Junior TP1 Stealth Dry Suit has exactly the same design, features and attention to detail as the adult’s version, but for 2008 both suits have been further developed and certain features have evolved. The neck and cuff seals have been upgraded to a 3mm neoprene to help with insulation and durability. The seals have been thermally bonded to the fabric therefore improving comfort and fit. The Dry Suit design also benefits from bat wing waist adjusters and internal braces for a more customised fit, whilst the seat and knee areas have been reinforced with 500D condura, reducing wear and increasing longevity.

Also new for 2008 are the Stealth Rash Vests. The contoured fit rash vests have been designed to give additional protection whilst on the water and have the benefit of being extremely quick drying. They can be worn with your hiking shorts or can help prevent chaffing and aid insulation when worn under a wetsuit. This 4 way super stretch top can also be worn over a buoyancy vest to close down loose straps and reduce friction. With a UPF factor of 30+ they will provide essential protection against the sun's harmful rays and are available in long, short sleeve, and women’s and junior sizes.

A collection of Henri Lloyd accessories required while dinghy sailing including gloves, balaclavas, hats and neck gaiters completes the range.

Tom triumphs in the Terrigal weather

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Special ProjectsIncreasingly the SailRacer technology and underlying expertise is being used and licensed for sailing projects. An excellent example is the RYA's initiative to progress the PY Scheme using web collection and analysis of actual timed results. SailRacer is proud to be involved with this innovative project, providing its powerful results database and analytical systems. Please contact us to discuss any special web based projects you are looking to implement.

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2008 RYA Zone Championships

Patience was the key for the 1,000 youngsters competing in the 2008 RYA Zone Championships
©Peter Newton

Patience was the key as 1,000 youngsters across England, Scotland and Wales took part in the 2008 RYA Zone and Home Country Championships this weekend (27-28 September).

Sailors in the Home Countries enjoyed some sensational racing with those events taking place at Largs (Scotland) and Pwllheli (Wales) completing their full scheduled complement of six races.

But across England, it was a different story as this weekend’s Indian Summer spell made patience a virtue at the other Zone events.

Having endured long delays on Saturday, the West Zone (Blithfield) enjoyed a better day two to see them end the weekend as the only English zone to succeed in completing their six race series.

The North (Scaling Dam) and South (WPNSA) zones had enjoyed a champagne opening day, getting in four and three races in respectively for every class, but they struggled on day two and only three of the seven classes at WPNSA were able to get another race in today while just one further race was completed at Scaling Dam.

After drawing a day one blank, and despite best efforts all round, the South West Zone (Chew Valley) was also unable to get any racing in the can today while after succeeding in nailing one race yesterday, the South East (Bewl Valley) were also thwarted in their attempts to add to that tally.

All dinghies (except the Optimists) managed to get a further race in today at the East Zone event (Dabchicks & West Mersea) however the windsurfers successfully completed a seven-race series.

The annual RYA Zone and Home Country Championships are considered a key event for young sailors wishing to be selected for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads.

But Duncan Truswell, RYA Junior Racing Manager, was quick to stress that those who have seen limited racing in their Zones this weekend will not be disadvantaged in terms of their possible squad selections.

He said: “There has been some great racing around the country this weekend but it was obviously unfortunate that quite a few sailors did not get as much racing under their belts as they would have liked or hoped. The race officials at all the venues did their utmost to get as much racing in as possible but it was just not to be for some of them as the breeze refused to play ball.

“However, whilst the Zone Championships are seen as an important event in terms of squad selection they are not the be-all-and-end-all for those selections and the High Performance Managers (HPMs) and coaches in each of the Zones will take into account open training, key competition and performances over the summer, as well as other impending end-of-season class association events, in their selection decisions. The fact that you were at your Zone Event will be viewed favourably.”

RYA South Zone Championships (WPNSA)

The South Zone enjoyed the sunshine but not the lack of wind
© Paul Wyeth

Optimism was high that following Saturday’s three races, the four knots of breeze that greeted the 320 sailors Sunday morning would hang around long enough for all classes to add another two races to their series.

However, with Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour acquiring an increasingly glasslike appearance just one further race was completed for the Topper, Dragoon and Laser 4.7s with the windsurfers, Optimists, Mirrors and Fevas all returning to shore on the same scores they finished with yesterday.

Despite scoring a discarded 19th in the sole race today, Spinnaker’s Matthew Hall (Warsash) held on to his overnight lead to clinch the Topper title by the narrowest of margins from Weymouth’s Sam Barker. Both boys finished on eight points overall, including one race win apiece, but Hall got the nod on account of scoring one more second place that Barker.

Sebastien Samways (Hailsham) and Daniel Channing followed up their three straight opening day Dragoon wins with a discarded second today to secure top spot in the catamaran class. Adam Butler (Christchurch), 2008 RYA Youth National SL16 champion, and Niki Boniface ended with a race win to finish second overall.

Laser 4.7 RYA National Junior Squad Selection Event
© Paul Wyeth

With the Laser 4.7 competition acting as a selection event for the RYA National Junior Squad, 2008 Topper World Champion Elliott Hanson (Prestbury) snatched a final race victory to leapfrog overnight leader Ollie Cooper (Chiswick) and take the class win by just one point.

Itchenor SC duo Hugo Sloper and Emma Spruce took the Mirror title having finished first and second respectively with different partners at the 2007 South Zone event. They claimed two wins and a discarded second to finish a point ahead of Tom Lovesey (Sarisbury Green) and Millie Pugh (Parkstone). Hayling Island SC pair Tim Gratton (Guildford) and Chris Taylor (Stokes Poges) also picked up two victories and a discarded second to win the Feva class.

Scott Wallis (Wellow) claimed Optimist victory courtesy of his opening day (8), 1, 1, with Robert Baddeley (Cookham) a point behind in second.

In the windsurfers Nick Sylvester (Truro) won the 3.5 fleet with three bullets, Guy Dixon (Horton Cum Studley) came first in the 4.5 fleet with a day one (2), 1, 1, Adam Grayston (Truro) claimed the 5.5 title having also sealed three race wins, Ross Bromhead (Buckland Brewer) won the 6.5 class and Louis Morris (Saltash) topped the 7.8 pile.

Results...

Volvo RYA South West Zone Championships (Chew Valley SC)

With flat calm waters and absolutely no racing possible on either day, Chris Atherton, HPM for the South West, thanked the sailors and parents for their patience and praised the efforts of the race officials and volunteers in frustrating circumstances.

He said: “Everyone was very patient and understanding and really mucked in. We had lots of other things going on of interest to educate sailors and parents alike and other fun things and everyone really got into whatever was going on. All the volunteers and the Principal Race Officer worked tirelessly to get some racing on but it just wasn’t to be. No-one’s attitude could be faulted at all.”

On Saturday, Olympic silver medallist Joe Glanfield entertained the 130 youngsters at Chew Valley, going around the dinghy park talking to the children and helping the Cadet sailors learn more about rigging up their boats before then conducting an hour-long talk and answering a host of questions from sailors and parents.

Volvo RYA South East Zone Championships (Bewl Valley SC)

Only one race at Bewl
©Mark Lloyd

Frustrated in their attempts to add to the one race they managed to sail yesterday, the South East Zone eventually conceded defeat at Bewl Valley with the breeze refusing to get up above two knots today.

Whitstable YC sisters Meia and Elin Harnett secured the sole race win in the Mirror class with Cambridge’s Tim Lachlan-Cope and Theo Clarke taking second and Mali Harnett (Whitstable) and Isabelle Bruton (Lysted) third.

Hayling Island SC’s Syd Mclean claimed Optimist class victory ahead of Jamie Webb (Beaconsfield) in second and Helena Coombs (Cobham) third. Meanwhile in the Toppers Jack Spence finished at the head of the fleet followed by Oliver Machell (Billingshurst) and Louis Knevett (Seaford).

Olympic silver medallist Nick Rogers joined sailors on the water at Bewl on Saturday before treating the 100 sailors and their parents to a unique insight into life as a World Class sailor.

Results...

East of England Co-op Volvo RYA East Zone Championships (Dabchicks & West Mersea YC)

Toppers revelling in superb conditions on the first day
© Paul Wyeth

It was the windsurfers who shone at Dabchicks completing a seven-race series with three sailors claiming seven awesome straight wins.

Thomas Addison (Folkestone) romped to 7.8 success with his clean sweep while Dani Conroy (Hythe, Kent) and Zara Petts (Folkstone) achieved the same on the 5.5 and the 3.5 respectively. Two races wins and a fourth from her three races today saw Hattie White (Sudbury) take the 6.8 title while Henry Bloodworth (Tadworth) tied up 4.5 victory with two firsts and a second.

With all dinghies bar the Optimists adding one more race to their overnight scores, George Meredith (Peterborough) wrapped up the Topper title with a race victory with James Rushton (Salhouse). Felixstowe brothers John and Alexander Page won the Cadets from Corinthian Otters duo Katie Barr and Arthur Brown.

With no further racing in the fleet today, Dabchicks’ Harry Gozzett won the Optimists with Jake Braybrook (Burnham on Crouch) second and Joe Girling (Norwich) third. Josh Girling (Colchester) won the Fast Handicap fleet and Matthew French (Colchester) the Slow Handicap.

Olympic Laser gold medallist Paul Goodison was the guest of honour on Saturday.

Results...

RYA West Zone Championships (Blithfield SC)

West Zone sailors saw a full series of six races completed
©Don Stokes

Blithfield were determined to make up for lost time and succeeded in sailing four races today to complete their full series.

Matt Venables (Sutton Coldfield) made light work of sealing Topper class victory scoring 1, 2, 1, 1 today to finish on eight points with Lucy Yeates (Warrington) second on 15.

However it was much tighter at the top of the Oppies as James Hazelwood (Warrington) edged the class win from Martin Wrigley (Hereford) after finishing tied at the top on 10 points.

In the double-handers, Barnt Green duo Joe Taylor and Rebecca Rowe took the Cadets by storm winning five of their six races and finishing second in the other. Alex Lloyd (West Berholt) and Jack Moore (Stone) matched Taylor and Rowe’s feat to ease to Mirror success.

Results...

RYA North Zone Championships (Scaling Dam SC)

Close racing for the Optimists at the North Zone Championships
© RYA

Having enjoyed a belter of an opening day, the North Zone endured the same frustrating fate as many of the other Zones today as they waited on a postponement for some breeze at Scaling Dam.

However, one race was enough for Notts County SC’s Andrew Kilburn (Arnold), who had been tied at the top of the leaderboard with Callum Lambourn overnight, to seal overall Optimist victory on countback from Arran Holman (Burton Overy, Leics). Kilburn finished second in today’s sole outing to end on eight points as Lambourn (Alveston) came in third.

Ripon SC’s Tom Britton’s (York) second place today was enough to see him move from second spot into pole overall and claim the Topper class crown by a point from race five winner, and Scaling Dam sailor, Kieran Hill (Whitby). Britton’s clubmate Samantha Towers (Harrogate) finished third on countback, tied on the same points as Hill.

With five windsurfer fleets, Ruben Lansley (Barton Upon Humber) and Josh Leadbetter (Earlshilton) both romped to sensational fleet clean sheets on the 4.5 and 7.8 respectively to end the Championships on the minimum four points while the other three windsurfers heading their respective fleets all finished on five points in total; Sarah Jackson (Over Peover) won the 3.5, Joe Bennett (Rotherham) the Bic Techno 6.8 and Emma Lambourne (Barrow Upon Humber) the 5.5.

Results...

RYA/WYA Zone Championships (Pwllheli SC)

Perfect conditions at Pwllheli
© RYA

It was as good as the perfect weekend in North Wales as three races were completed on each day with a steady 10 knots from the north today following yesterday’s eight-12 knots of puff.

Cardiff Bay YC’s David Pain (Penarth) was untroubled on his way to Optimist class glory picking up three straight wins on Saturday before adding a 3, 2, (4) today to seal overall victory by 10 points from nearest challenger Llandegfedd SC’s Myles Jackson (Bettws Newydd). A 1, 4, 3 today for Mumbles YC’s Joshua Burgess (Caswell) saw him leap up to third place in the final standings having sat in eighth spot overnight.

In the Toppers, overnight leader, Sara Jackson (Bettws Newydd), Myles’ big sister, made no mistakes in hanging on to her lead to wrap up the Topper title, scoring 2, (4), 1 to finish on eight points overall with second-placed Jack Preece (Newport) on 14 and Robyn Cox (Holyhead) third on 17.

RYAS Zone Championships (Largs SC)

The RYA Scottish Zones at Largs had a great entry of 94 boats and boards, including a 20 strong Regatta fleet plus 19 windsurfers.

Breezes were mostly light and shifty on the Saturday, and there were also mixed conditions on Sunday, from sunshine to squalls, so the competitors’ skills were fully tested over six races.

There were healthy Regatta fleets for beginners to racing, as well as main fleets. The Topper Regatta fleet mustered a healthy 14 boats, and the lead was hard fought between eventual winner Joanna Barrie and second placed Iain McLaughlin. The Topper Regatta fleet welcomed the first ever OnBoard team to enter a Zone Championship, bringing a four person team from the Low Port Centre, Linlithgow.

Concentration at Largs ©Alan Henderson/Fotoboat

In the Optimist Regatta fleet, Rachel Mawer made a last race comeback to snatch the class from the class’s leader up to then, Angus Johnstone. Mawer took the title on tie break after her last race win.

Biggest fleet was the Topper main fleet, with 35 boats. Andrew McGowan showed good form on both days to win, while Jamie Noyes showed more consistency on the Sunday to take second, from Jack Evans. Newcomers Emily Robertson and Alastair Kent both showed great promise in fifth and sixth.

In Optimists, Callum Airlie took the most emphatic win in any class, counting the perfect score of five wins. In the Handicap fleet, Radial sailor Lauren Wilkie found the stronger breezes to her liking on Sunday, improving from third up to first overall, overhauling overnight leader Nathan Forrester, who took second just a point behind. Christopher Dowson took the Windsurfing class from Amy Kenmuir, both sailing Techno 7.8s.

Report - Karenza Morton, RYA

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RYA Skandia Sail for Gold Olympic Regatta - Finn

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RYA Zone Championships - Optimist
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RYA Zone Championships - RS Feva
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Mirror National Championships Entrant
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First Class

RYA Youth Nationals – 29er

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RYA Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) Online System

For many handicap racing is the mainstay of their sailing, so it is great to see the RYA throwing its efforts behind moving this sector of the sport forward through the use of the web. SailRacer is proud to be at the heart of this new online iniative. This article recently appeared in Yachts and Yachting and gives an excellent background to this exciting project.

Let’s face it, we all enjoy a fair race and if you are looking to mix it with different classes, then most sailors look no further than the Portsmouth Yardstick Scheme (PYS). Over the years it has set, well... a yardstick in producing a fair handicapping system for racing between different classes; whether dinghies, multihull or cruising yachts.

In recent years though it has also come in for a fair amount of flak, people argue that it is dated, inflexible and in this age of foiling, asymmetric kites and myriad new classes, PYS no longer produces a fair and accurate handicap.

Everyone has their theory on how the PYS can be improved, but the man actually tasked with dragging the PYS into the 21^st century is the RYA’s Bas Edmonds. He’s spent the last year or so looking at ways of improving the system, and his solution looks set to revolutionise the much maligned system.

A brief history of PYS

In order to understand where PYS is now, it’s important to understand where it came from, and the Scheme really does have a marvellous history behind it. The system was pioneered, unsurprisingly, in Portsmouth harbour and was the brainchild of one Zillwood ‘Sinbad’ Milledge.

Milledge was noted as a brilliant eccentric, famed for permanent pipe smoking and wearing open toed sandals and no socks year round. He first started tinkering with the yardstick in the 1930’s and the system was eventually adopted by the RYA in 1952.

Bas Explained: “The point is that back in the 1950’s, classes were fewer and more straightforward: A Firefly was a Firefly, you didn’t have to worry about whether it was in one man or two man configuration, whether it was in spinnaker or no spinnaker configuration and so on.

“As boat design has developed, so too has the PYS and there have been numerous minor adjustments to the system in order to move with the times and take into account the latest developments, however recently it has become clear that we need to make some radical changes in order to keep the system relevant to the pressures of modern racing and the demands from those sailors.”

Current Issues and solutions

In 2007 the RYA polled over 300 clubs around the UK to ask them, the users, what they thought the PYS was doing right and, more importantly, what it wasn’t! It was from this that the RYA identified two main issues with the current system; these are: accuracy of data, the flexibility of the system in dealing with developments within classes.

Speed and flexibility

In the past data has been collected via club returns, which are posted to the RYA at the end of the season, this means there is an inevitable delay in adjusting numbers which can be frustrating.

It also means that PYS is vulnerable to sudden developments in classes which dramatically increase the speed of boats. Foiling is the obvious one, and while the RYA is more than happy to issue a trial number for a new type of boat, without the returns this is difficult and inaccurate.

The classic example of this could be seen at 2008 Bloody Mary pursuit race, where Graham Vial’s foiling Moth sailed to a comprehensive victory, only to be disqualified because his boat did not have a permanent Portsmouth Number.

This was in part because data on these new boats simply could not be collected quickly enough to formulate a stable and accurate number.

Accuracy

Bas explained: “Traditionally, every March boats are issued with a Portsmouth Number for the season ahead. At the end of the year, clubs are asked to send in their returns where part of the data collated includes recommending any adjustment to the numbers used from their experiences of regattas that season.

“If clubs consistently recommend that, say, the GP14 needs a more favourable Portsmouth Number, the Portsmouth Yardstick Advisory Group will adjust it accordingly based on the data received.

“On the same note, if a club only uses the numbers as published by the RYA, and recommends the same numbers for the following year, then again this lack of adjustment is registered in the PN list published.”

For a PN to be raised or lowered there needs to be consensus across clubs over the year in order for a number to be adjusted. For example: The PN for the GP14 is 1106, if 80% of clubs returned 1106 as their recommended PN for the following year, then those clubs that have carried out a number adjustment and recommended either higher or lower than 1106 would absorbed into the mean average.

“Now, the problem is that adjusting numbers can be a very subjective matter. You need someone within the club who is completely neutral to suggest adjustments, but there is every chance club politics will get in the way. This leads to a general lack of adjustment” Bas continued.

“It’s also very complicated for the average sailor to sit down and actually work out what the adjustment should be. This means that generally clubs are not recommending any adjustment to numbers at all, so the whole system is remaining static.”

RYA Portsmouth Yardstick Online Project

The Solution

The RYA has been looking for a way of removing this subjective element from the equation and take the pressure off clubs when it comes to making adjustments.

The answer to this is to head into the digital age and let a computer do the number crunching.

Bas explained: “By working closely with Simon Lovesey of SailRacer Database Technology, what we have done is link the Portsmouth Yardstick in with a dedicated race analysis website which is simple to use and leads the clubs through the results process with a minimum of fuss.

“In order to stay on the theme of keeping it simple, we have tried to keep the whole race analysis process to between 3 and 4 minutes per race which was important to us to get clubs involved.

“In order to do this we have introduced an automatic upload from a number of popular race results packages; such as Sailwave, HAL, Sail 100, meaning that we get results back on a week to week basis.

“Under the old system of annual returns, the RYA only collected four very basic items of data, all of which could not be validated by the RYA. By actually having the raw data of a race result, this allows for much more detailed analysis of results, and far greater flexibility and speed.

“It also means that the Portsmouth Yardstick Advisory Group has much more confidence in the data being returned by the clubs using the system.”

Once clubs have entered their results, the website tabulates all the results on a day to day basis. This means that developments within a class can be picked up almost immediately and real time numbers can be recommended for a specific event if required.

This means that instead of having to wait 2-3 years for a new class to generate enough data to be included onto the PN list, it could be given an accurate number within 2-3 months depending on the popularity of the class.

Another criticism which is neatly dealt with under the new system is the performance difference of boats racing in different water conditions. Everyone knows that some boats are suited to certain water conditions and that within some clubs there is the stigma that you, ‘have to own an XX boat to win there!’ The new system is sophisticated enough to pick up on this.

This would mean that the club rating for an Optimist racing in rough seas off Brighton would be different from one sailing on a small lake in the Midlands. The programme would be able to calculate an accurate adjustment within minutes.

The programme can then give you a recommended adjustment of numbers race by race if you so desired. This means that club officials don’t have to make a subjective adjustment of Portsmouth Numbers.

The new scheme is still in its infancy, but the potential is clear to see. Factors such as weather conditions and crew skill can be brought into the calculation and handicaps can be issued on a much more site specific basis.

In addition to this, participating clubs will have a readymade results programme where they can post race reports and pictures.

Bas is excited about the developments, but sounds a note of caution: “We are taking a softly, softly approach to introducing the scheme, there is bound to be teething problems and niggles that we need to iron out.

“The programme goes live in January, but we are taking things one step at a time and for the first year the onus will be on getting a better quality and volume of results, after that we can start really maximising the potential of the programme.

“As always, the success of this is also down to the clubs themselves. Whatever new technology we introduce, we can’t do anything without regular results coming in from clubs.

“We need them all to get onboard to ensure that the Portsmouth Yardstick continues to flourish.”

Stirring words to all those critics of the venerable yardstick. To paraphrase the legendary Zilwood Sinbad Milledge: ‘Stick that in your pipe and smoke it’ seems to be the absolute mot juste on this occasion.

www.pys.org.uk

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Online Ticketing for 2009 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta

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Catamaran Sailing
Well debate going on this at the moment, ISAF in their wisdom have just dropped Cats (Tornado Class) from the Olympics.

catamaran sailing is certainly different than dinghy sailing, but wrong to say any one is better than the other, horses for courses

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We have several different flaours :

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Family Sailing Holiday Report

Henri Lloyd Dinghy & Sportsboat Collection 2008

Tom triumphs in the Terrigal weather

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2008 RYA Zone Championships

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RYA Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) Online System

www.pys.org.uk

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Children and grown-ups get to play all day on this Sail, Surf and Cycle holiday. Last August the family Parker headed for the sun as David Parker reports.

Finnikounda, in Greece's south-west Peloponnese, is an ideal location for a family activity holiday. If you want to encourage anyone to go sailing, this is the place to do it. The hotel is next to the beach, the boats are on the beach, and the village is a short walk away along the beach. And just above the beach is the swimming pool. It's a very nice beach by the way.
The activities on offer are dingy sailing, windsurfing and mountain biking. There are children clubs which cater for babies and youngsters up to 13, and there' s tuition for all the activities on offer. RYA qualified instructors supervise the sailing and windsurfing and you will, if you want to, finish this holiday with an RYA qualification. This is also a very safe place for a family holiday. As one guest put it, "the reason we came back this year is that this is the safest place I know to bring my children and where they can have the freedom to do their own thing."

Club land

This type of activity holiday has a great deal to offer singles, couples and families. We looked at it mainly from the latter perspective and the children's' clubs were a major factor for many families when deciding on this particular holiday. The Starfish Club is for little ones four months to two years, costs £150 per week and the club aims for a service of one qualified nanny (NNEB or equivalent) per two children. It's an optional extra and the basic cost of taking a child under two on one of these holidays is an administration fee of £25.

	The Sea Urchins Club, which caters for two to five-year-olds, and the Surfbusters Club (5-13 years) run 9.30-5.30, six days a week, and are free. For a supplement of £90 (£135 for two weeks) there's also an optional Hot Shots Club for those 8-13 year olds who want to learn to sail or windsurf. Qualified instructors who can take the youngsters through to RYA Junior awards run this. Babysitting services are available and children's' trips are organised in the evenings once a week if parents want a night out alone. Our own children Elena 5, Jack 4 and Amy 2 were in the Sea Urchins, the youngest group. We thought this was an exceptionally good club capably run by Sue Maidment who took time to get to know the children and gain their confidence from the start. The crèche is well equipped, cool and spacious. Our children couldn't wait to get to the club every morning where they had alot of fun and were extremely well looked after.

Part of the daily routine includes swimming in the pool and in the sea, going to the park and having ice creams and treats in the village. The crèche has off-road pushchairs including a single and double buggy. For 'quieter' times in Sea Urchins - and to get out of the sun - there are videos to watch or creative indoor activities such as making fancy dress costumes. There's one development we'd like to see and that's a play park on site at the hotel- i.e. a climbing frame/slide/swings. This would be a real advantage because in the heat of the day it can be quite a long walk to the park in the village. Some parents felt that, initially, youngsters who could swim and who weren't in Hot Shots weren't getting out on the water enough. Marion and Guy Jones from Winchester have two children, Hannah 10 and Liam 8. Guy commented: "The first week here our children went out onto the water once. We complained about this which took the edge of the first week. It's only since the beginning of the second week that they've actually been doing what we thought they'd be doing all along. The staff now seem to be putting an awful lot of effort in with the children and they seem to be enjoying themselves a lot more." But all the parents we spoke to agreed on one vital aspect of this beautiful location with its non-tidal waters. The hotel, beach and village felt very safe for children day and night. In southern Greece you can also rely on the weather and shorts and tea-shirts are all you'll need.

Busy relaxing

While the children are being looked after, the adults can take full advantage of the RYA tuition at this RYA approved centre. Nigel and Suzanne Brown have two sons Nicolas 10 and Andrew 4. Suzanne particularly liked the informal hands on approach of the holiday. "With other charter companies we've been with they rig everything up for you and send you
	off, then de-rig it. The benefit of the RYA courses is that they make you do things for yourselves which means you learn more." Nigel also pointed out that at this centre everything is extremely convenient. "I like it all being together - at other places we've seen that the hotel is away from the beach or the sailing centre." Also because everything is close-by it's easy to keep an eye on the children if you wanted to pop in and out of the clubs between sailing sessions On this holiday you can qualify for your level one and level two dinghy sailing or level one and level two windsurfing. The youngsters in the Hotshots club can get RYA Junior levels stages 1-3.

Boats for all

The centre is well equipped with over thirty boats, fifty windsurf boards (plus seventy rigs) and twenty mountain bikes. I counted twelve Picos, six Laser 1s, two Laser 3000s, one Laser 2000, two Topper Buzzes, one Hobie 16, two Dart 16s, two 505s, one Laser Stratos and three Wayfarers, plus a 2000 and a Hobie under repair. Although quite old, the Wayfarers are all serviceable, and most of the other boats are new and reasonably well maintained.
	Groups on courses take priority for boats, but in practice we found that there were plenty to go round, and all the guests were usually able to sail what they wanted to. I managed to sail all the boats during our fortnight, and most enjoyed the Hobie and the Wayfarer - my wife, Jenny, preferred the Picos.
The variety of the activities on offer also means older children can go off and do their own thing giving them independence while still being on a family holiday. Nathan and Ingrid Blau with son Stephen aged 14 came to Finnikounda last year. This is the first
place they've ever been to twice. They're particularly impressed with the standard of tuition here and the fact that there's something for everybody. "But if you don't like the activities you can still have a standard beach holiday," said Nathan. As parents they felt happy for their son to go into the town at night with other youngsters. "You can let young teenagers loose and not worry," said Ingrid, "it's the ideal thing about Finnikounda."
For Terry and Collette Francis with sons Martin 19 and Peter 16 it was also a return trip to Finnikounda from the previous year. The main reason they also came back was because of the safety of the resort. The centre's moved up the beach since they were last here which they say has reduced the sailing area and launching area - which can get a bit congested. They recommend putting a lookout tower on stilts - the 'Beach Boss' is at sea level and a raised observation point would expand their field of view. There are, though, enough support and rescue boats on site and sufficient staff to man them.

Dedicated staff

One thing all the holidaymakers we spoke to enthused about was the terrific staff Neilson had running the activities. "I'm amazed at the outstanding quality of the people who run this," said Mark Blatchly on holiday with his wife Julia. "The staff are genuinely
	enthusiastic and really do love being here and being helpful." Julia thought the holiday would be a good way to introduce her husband to watersports. He became a proficient windsurfer during his time here and both enjoyed the mountain biking. They told us as soon as they got back they wanted to book the same holiday for next year. However, as a GP Julia highlighted one
problem brought up several times during our interviews. "For people who need
antibiotics or any form of medical attention it's virtually a whole day out to one of the larger towns," she said. "There have been two or three people who needed changes in their medication. It might be useful to have medical expertise visit the site." With the vigorous activities on offer a physiotherapist or masseur would have certainly have been a very popular visitor to this hotel.
I hurt my ribs one day and most people could proudly show you a few cuts and bruises from the day's activities, some had cuts which got infected. Pico-knees were a favourite - not a Chinese dog but something to do with sand in the bottom of a little yellow boat. Julia had badly blistered hands from trying to hoist jamming spinnakers. Neilson point out in their brochures that it's a good idea to bring sailing gloves. Also we'd recommend that before going out in any of the boats you check them thoroughly. Equipment gets used heavily and is not always left by previous users in prime condition.

The daily routine

	The day usually begins with a mountain bike organised for eight o'clock in the morning. Then there's a briefing at ten o'clock after breakfast. Following this people meet up with their instructors for theory talks and to organise the morning's activities which usually go on until 12.30. To get the full flavour of the holiday, Jenny did an RYA level one dinghy course, while I took level two. Some of the theory talks
were brilliant, the staff using inventive ways to liven up subjects. Once you've seen a bucket of water poured over someone's head to demonstrate sail theory you won't forget it. After lunch at two o'clock there's another briefing, followed by an afternoon's sailing and tuition with another bike ride at 5.30. There's never any pressure forcing anyone to be anywhere at any time. It's all extremely relaxed and you can drop in and out of groups as you wish. Most people found it beneficial to join a group and stick with it. Built into the schedule are free days, Wednesday and Sundays, when you can put into practice new skills or try and refine rusty ones ... or just read and laze by the pool. There's also taster sessions where you can try an activity with an instructor to see if you like it. Fridays offered a daysail to a beach, and a picnic, which I joined on the second week with a Wayfarer, taking along a couple who hadn't sailed before - we had an excellent sail. On Saturdays there's normally a regatta, but ours was cancelled because of strong winds - apparently a rare occurrence. Steady 'cross shore' winds rule here, which is good for most dinghy sailing and windsurfing - if anything the breezes area little light for the more experienced windsurfers. Not only are the staff dedicated instructors during tuition periods, they also work hard organising evening trips, après sail activities and entertainment such as lighthearted "booze and betting regattas" on the beach. In general there was a bit of a feeling that while the energetic Neilson staff couldn't do enough for you, the hotel didn't exhibit the same level of motivation, and niggling problems took a long time to get fixed.

Most people were happy with their rooms but felt an extra £20 per week for a fridge was a bit over the top. Guests felt some rooms lacked storage. We also found the hotel expensive for food and drinks. For special occasions, such as welcoming new people in or saying goodbye to the leavers, special meals were organised. However, for a family these tended to be a much more expensive night than going into the town. For example a Fanta and portion of chips for the children at one of these set meals cost £3.00 each! We found you could rely on getting better substantially better value taking the short walk along the beach. Finikounda itself was described to us as being "just the right size and just the right distance away." This sums it up perfectly as it's small enough to retain its charm of being a Greek village by the sea but large enough to offer a reasonable selection of shops, restaurants, tavernas and bars. Take time to explore the restaurants - We'd recommended Pyscho's, Joannhe's
or Mama Tunas - at the latter they'll invite you into the kitchen so you can see what's on the menu. They make children very welcome. The village also has two very good bakeries (great for snacks), a supermarket and smaller shops along the main street.

Take to the hills

The mountain biking is run by Clive Andrews and Simon Evamy and you've got to have a go at this. And watch out for the Clive and Simon show at a mountain near you. These guys should take their bike talks on tour. They are an extremely entertaining double act. If you've been beaten up by a Pico all day, setting off into the Greek hills is the perfect antidote. My own regret on this holiday is that my rib injury prevented me doing more mountain biking than I actually did. We saw all shapes and sizes, all ages and persuasions going on the mountain bike rides. If they can get you on a bike they'll find you somewhere to ride it. The equipment is first rate, and the bikes were much better than most of the holiday makers had been used to back home.
There are beginner rides, intermediate rides or day rides to towns like Methoni and Koroni. The average ride is between 5/10 miles, the longer ones work out at 25-30 miles. Rides could be tailored to any particular group.
	The rides are a great way to explore the countryside and villages by the sea. "We get people who come along for the sailing and end up going home and buying a mountain bike'" said Clive. (He's right - on our return to the UK I bought a mountain bike.) The schedule is arranged so you don't have to choose between biking and sailing, you can do both. If you don't want to go on an organised ride then you can borrow the bikes and do your own thing.
You don't need to be super fit for these rides either but as Clive points out "If you've got a little bit of fitness there are more rides which you might enjoy. Just bike to work a few times before you come here and get a few miles in. " The pace is dictated by the slowest in the group and there are café stops along the way. And it's often not who you'd expect who like to venture off-road into the hills. "You get quite a lot of teenagers coming along who might be up for the mountain biking," said Clive, "then their mums have a look. And they say 'No mum - you won't enjoy this,' but the mums have a go and absolutely falling in love with it." So take your pick. You can Surf, Sail or Cycle. But whichever activity you go for there's one thing you can rely on in southern Greece - gorgeous weather. The trouble is those warm, clear waters are going to completely spoil you for sailing back home …

SailRacer Results System Powerful results management	Meet the Team SailRacer Results SystemEmbed the power of the SailRacer results system in your website, with data just filtered to your class, club or set of events. It is very easy for you to upload your results, with direct links from results software such as Sailwave, Sail 100 and HAL. Other formats are also supported, with the ability to paste results from Excel, Word and HTML web pages into the ADD results system. One of the key benefits is you only need to upload your results and reports to SailRacer, and they will automatically appear on multiple websites. SailRacer Results System Overview
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RYA Portsmouth Yardstick Online Project	Special ProjectsIncreasingly the SailRacer technology and underlying expertise is being used and licensed for sailing projects. An excellent example is the RYA's initiative to progress the PY Scheme using web collection and analysis of actual timed results. SailRacer is proud to be involved with this innovative project, providing its powerful results database and analytical systems. Please contact us to discuss any special web based projects you are looking to implement. For an article on the RYA Portsmouth Yardstick project Click Here
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