Phantom Class Forum
Events => Open meetings => South West Travellers => Topic started by: The Belgian on October 14, 2018, 01:22:04 PM
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Hi all,
It's that time of year to start thinking about next year's opens. As said and I have heard no disagreement, we should only hold opens at clubs where we have more competitors than volunteers, so minimum 10.
As Phil said a couple of days ago March is bloody freezing. Wimbleball usually has a low turnout and Island Barn only had one visitor this year. So I propose we drop both and start the season in April at Bowmoor unless we have a commitment of 10 boats for one of them. ( I like both clubs, not personal !! )
At the AGM it was widely agreed to use already established regattas for opens so POSH and Weymouth as both are quite popular.
Downs ( again I like, so not personal !! ) usually a low turn out and as brought up before could do better in the Eastern region. I see no point going there with just 5 boats on the start line so we need 10 to commit...
Shoreham is border line and a few travel a long way to sail at my home club. I would love to entertain you all on and off the water, but will drop it if little interest from the fleet. I sail there every week so makes no odds to me and happy to go elsewhere.
Personally a change would be nice Weston SC, Maidenhead SC
Broardwater SC where we have had travellers from for example and never been.
Draft so far
April 13th Bowmoor
May 11th -12th POSH
June ??
July 13th -14th Weymouth Regatta ( at Castle Cove )
August ??
Sept Nationals
Oct 19th - 20th Salcombe
Nov Burghfield ??
I hope this all makes sense and as our chairman said it's not easy. All I'm trying to do get numbers up on the start line and promote our class.
As I said last year if anyone else is keen to takeover as rep I'm happy to stand down before I lose all my friends !!
Comments and ideas please
Ivan
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Lyme Regis regatta is normally 1st weekend in August?
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Lyme Regis is probably the best venue going in my opinion Rich. Works for the Natioals always a very high turnout. I went there for a Phantom open in 2015 in the August reggatt and was the only visitor with 2 home boats. That's why I have never put it on the calendar.
If your up for it with me then we need 8 more to commit. Should be an easy sell to wives and partners !!
Ivan
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From other comments it just seemed to fit the bill of a pre-organised event, in our region, in the right month.
If you like Ivan, I can post your provisional Calendar on the SW Area Phantom FB page and gauge interest in Lyme for August? And if there are no takers, we'll just have to go somewhere else.
But what a cracking list of venues for a travellers series - Paignton, Weymouth, Salcombe etc.
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Hi Ivan
I still think Shoreham should be June and with less events and no double booking we should get better turnouts. Last years conflict with Island Barn and Wimbleball was also not helped by the freezing (the beast from the east)and very windy forecast which was why Wimbleball cancelled and island barn had such a low turnout.
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From other comments that sounds like some may like to attend lyme and anything you can do Rich to encourage that would be good.
If we lose March and have one a month thats 7 excluding the Nationals and I don't think we should have less than that Gordon, what we need is to get more new Phantom owners out racing each other. I'm getting slower and need the competition !!
Ivan
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Lyme sounds amazing unfortunately it always falls on the weekend when I’m on my way back from abersoch so I can never attend
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So I'm not the only one putting on unavoidable clashes, the regatta organisers do it to. Have a word with LRSC Olly and get them to put it on a week later. I wonder how many others have the same problem. Don't they know how important you are, you are the competitors after all...
Ivan
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Not very Ivan haha
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Just as a heads up, depending on tides, Creeksea will be around the first weekend in June.
There are a few east that do South and South that do that Eastern event along with some of the midlanders
Ivan - guess it would be good for you to have a chat with Bob Portway to hopefully avoid a clash?
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Next year Abersoch Week is 21st - 26th July.
If Lyme follows the same calendar as previous years it will be 3 & 4 th August.
So it doesn't clash, but it is the weekend after. Would that still be too close for people?
Other pre-arranged events that spring to mind in the South in August are Poole Regatta, Falmouth Regatta and Chichester Fed regatta. I think they may all be week long affairs though.
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Will try and avoid any clashes with the eastern region Phil. Could you please PM Bobs contact details.
Thanks
Ivan
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As you say Rich all a week long, I think Salcombe have a week in August too. I remember a couple of years ago Olly suggested a Phantom holiday week in Abersoch, I think I was the only one to reply to his post, so a non starter.
Maybe it would be best have no Phantom open in August especially if it clashes with Salcombe regatta. 7 Phantoms there now and they travel...
Ivan
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Hi All
POSH may be a problem anybody recognise the slip on this link.
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/pictures-show-how-storm..
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2019 Salcombe Yacht Club regatta is 11th to 17th August. I have my accommodation booked...
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Hi All,
In anticipation of very high turnouts in 2019 how about we join the Eastern fleet in Creeksea for a joint open. Having been there and loved it in 2015 with 30 boats there would be the possibility of 45 - 50 boats !!
It's a club like no other and mega friendly who's up for it ??
Ivan
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Hi All
Ivan has done a great job this year trying to encouage us all to attend Open Meetings. He has even turned up at events when he was not able to sail himself. But unfortunately attendance has generally not been good.
This is not a Phantom phenomenon, many other classes are suffering with poor attendance at Open Meetings. Everybody's time is precious, there are family commitments, cost of travelling, the list of excuses is endless and I don't think that it will change overnight.
Why do clubs want to run Open Meetings? Some do it to make money, but surely this does not work if there is poor attendance. Some like the kudos of inviting visiting sailors to their home waters, but this seems to have lost favour. For many people it is just easier to sail at their home club than go to all of the trouble of travelling.
My suggestion for 2019 would be to go for quality rather than quanity. Cut down the number of events with the hope that more people will make the effort to travel for the few that there are. With that in mind, and looking at Ivan's earlier dates I think that we are almost there:
March - no event (it's still too cold).
April - Bowmoor on 13th.
May - POSH on 11th/12th.
June - this could be a good date for a joint meeting with the Eastern gang at Creeksea. Only we want to make sure that it is not too close to the Inlands on 1st/2nd.
July - Weymouth on 13th/14th.
August - no event, it holiday season and there are plenty of alternative regattas as well.
September - Nationals at Lee-on-Solent.
October - finish the year with a bang at Salcombe on 19th/20th.
Unfortunately for me, a lot of these events are in the West which may limit my attendance, but I will certainly try to get to some of them. Its a shame that we may have to drop other venues, but I agree with Ivan that there is no point holding events where there are only half a dozen entrants.
These are my thoughts - what do other people think.
Chris 1211
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Hi Ivan
Before Ivan took over as rep we discussed just having a mini series of Lee, Shoreham and Downs as we had just had a very low turnout at Shoreham and the thought was to many events.
So I think the reduced program is a ood idea and for other non phantom series events using email, text and social media to try and encourage a group to attend an event like Lyme so your not billy no mates at a handicap regatta. We have a great boat we need to show it of more.