Start the 2024 Racing Season with the Spring Series
The Medway Yacht Club is hosting the 2024 Spring Series, a five-race series Sundays 14, 21, 28 April, 12, 19 of May with a prize-giving after the last race.
Eligibility & Classes
The racing is open to keel sailing boats of MYC members and non-members as bona fide guests of the club. All entrants will have to have obtained a Yacht Time Correction (YTC) handicap from the RYA. There is a single YTC/IRC class, denoted as Class 1, for all competitors in the Spring Series. The courses are carefully chosen to ensure, as far as possible, that no advantage or disadvantage is given to boats across the range of the YTC handicaps because of the tidal streams. The Class 1 warning signal is at 09:55 for the start on the Upnor Line in front of the Medway Yacht Club.
Entry Form for Spring Series
– click here to download the Spring Series Entrance Form
Communication
The main communication for the Spring Series will be via the Spring Series WhatsApp Group to which you will be added once you have submitted an Entry Form for the Series If you would like further people to be on the WhatsApp group or taken off, please email Cruiser Racing Class Captain This WhatsApp Group should only be used for items related to the Spring Series.
All racing information throughout the year can be found on our cruiser racing page click here to visit Cruiser Racing – Medway Yacht Club.
Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions
The Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions can be downloaded from here:
– click here to download the Notice of Race
– click here to download the Sailing Instructions
– click here to download the Minimum Equipment List
Should competitors have any questions or queries after submitting their entry form and having read the NOR please contact the office – office@medwayyachtclub.com.
Results & Apres Racing
The provisional results for each race are calculated as soon as possible after the last boat finishes and broadcast to the WhatsApp group. Further discussion on the race takes place in the MYC club house after the race and the results are uploaded to Sailwave. It is rumoured that a presentation or two may be made to boats or people who are new to the fleet, have assisted in the Series or who have otherwise made themselves the boat of the race.
Results on Sailwave
The previous problem with Sailwave code reporting has been resolved by using the same code values as with the 2023 results.
Last year’s results 2023 Spring Series Results
Which Boat is Improving Most
We know it is about whether we can beat each other in our racing but an important predictor of our future is whether we are improving on our own performance. The following table has been prepared on how well boats are performing against their YTC in the races to date.
| Brigand | Chips | Ruby | Freya | Zephyros | Aquila | Toucan | Mercury | Forecast | |
| YTC | 1053 | 979 | 958 | 924 | 923 | 904 | 902 | 772 | |
| Race 1 | 97% | 85% | 121% | 96% | 96% | 104% | 100% | 105% | |
| Race 2 | 90% | 109% | 97% | 97% | 112% | 95% | 106% | ||
| Race 3 | 117% | 91% | 95% | 104% | 93% | 114% |
To design courses which are fair to both high and low YTC boats, we have a model of the river. We look for courses that do not advantage high or low handicap boats, given the current weather forecast and state of the tide. The model uses a polar diagram which is adjusted by the relative YTC of the boats.
The percentages above are based on the actual time achieved by boats related to their predicted time in the model. In race 1 the average time achieved by the fleet was 105% of the time predicted by the model. The 5% can be taken as inaccuracy in Windy weather forecast. Hence, all the percentages have been reduced by 5% so that their average is 100%. The same for race 2 and 3. For Mercury in race 2 the model has been extended to the MYC line as that was their time given. For the other boats, the model has a finish at 25 in race 2.
The biggest improvement so far has been Ruby Tuesday between race 1 and 2. Well done Ruby Tuesday. The continued improvement by Mercury is the next biggest improvement and is one to watch. There is a clearly a fight going on between Aquila and Zephyros who seem closely matched and who keep turning out performances close to the model.
Race Reports
2024 Cruiser Class-Spring Series 14 April Race 1 by Joe Bolton
The season has begun for Medway Yacht Club cruiser class racing fleet. Not all the boats are in the water yet after the winter overhaul, the seven yachts on the start line for the first race on Sunday 14th April enjoyed a good start to the racing season with a light generally westerly wind. The race was down stream with the last of the ebb and back with the start of the incoming tide. The shortage of wind led to a simple downwind and upwind course.
Chips, a beautifully updated Scampi 28 had the best start being on the line at the gun with spinnaker pulling well and established a good lead from the go. Others in the fleet were less polished after a winter ashore and took a bit too long to get to the line or to get their spinnakers up.
The Swan Club 42, Mercury tacked her way downwind, and fairly quickly worked her way through to lead around the turning mark, buoy 15. Chips was close behind with Dehler 34, Zephyros and Elan 333, Aquila enjoying a little close reaching between the forts on the way down river. The Robber, Brigand, who also made a very good start, was ever present on the run downwind only slowly slipping back from the larger yachts on the beat back.
At buoy 15 Zephyros and Aquila were very close with Aquila rounding first, then came decision time for all the fleet trying to guess where the next area of wind was coming from, a frustrating time with header after header or no wind at all, then some useful gusts which could take a boat well forward until that puff left and again there was no wind. On the way upriver between 15 and 23 the tide seemed to be still running out, but it was wind we are all seeking with some trying the south shore, then back to the north shore and vice versa. Zephyros and Aquila made up some ground on Chips on the way to 23, however, the wind came in and Chips, who was still a distance ahead, made the most of this new wind establishing a reach and more gap to the above to mentioned boats by the race finish.
Mercury did what she does so well and sailed away at seemingly very quick speeds in the light upwind breeze not being seen again by most of the fleet after rounding 15.
Toucan, Beneteau First 31.7 enjoyed a good race having been slightly slower off the line than the leading boats and remained in close proximity throughout.
Between 23 and 24, the wind came in and we in Aquila had a wonderful beat back to the Medway Yacht Club Line with Zephyros close behind.
| Race | Fleet | Name | Rating | Start | Finish | Special | Elapsed | Corrected | Result |
| R1 | YTC | Chips | 979 | 10:00:00 | 12:34:28 | 02:34:28 | 02:37:47 | 1 | |
| R1 | YTC | Brigand | 1053 | 10:00:00 | 13:07:30 | 03:07:30 | 02:58:04 | 2 | |
| R1 | YTC | Aquila | 904 | 10:00:00 | 12:41:38 | 02:41:38 | 02:58:48 | 3 | |
| R1 | YTC | Zephyros | 923 | 10:00:00 | 12:45:37 | 02:45:37 | 02:59:26 | 4 | |
| R1 | YTC | Mercury | 772 | 10:00:00 | 12:20:22 | 02:20:22 | 03:01:49 | 5 | |
| R1 | YTC | Toucan | 902 | 10:00:00 | 12:55:30 | 02:55:30 | 03:14:34 | 6 | |
| R1 | YTC | Ruby Tuesday | 958 | 10:00:00 | 13:36:42 | 03:36:42 | 03:46:12 | 7 | |
| R1 | YTC | Irene | 928 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE | |||
| R1 | YTC | Freya | 924 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE | |||
| R1 | YTC | Tattarat | 1086 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE |
The first win and bottle of wine went to Chips. Congratulations and also to the Robber, Brigand, both of which are the smaller boats in the fleet and ended up 1st and 2nd proving you don’t need a large quick cruiser to achieve good results on the River Medway.
Being third across the finish line requires that we write this short report with the benefit of being able to post a photo of Aquila during the run downriver close to Zephyros.
We were delighted to have Ruby Tuesday racing with us. We hope you enjoyed it and will come out racing for the rest of the series.
The cruiser class racing fleet are a friendly group who enjoy a competitive race and a beer in the bar afterwards. Members of the fleet are available to help and to give advice to anyone thinking of joining in the racing and we look forward to seeing at least another three members of the fleet racing with us when they are launched.
The race 1 course was: Start: Upnor Line, 15(S), 23(P), 24(S), Finish: Upnor Line. Lowtide was at 11:10 and the tidal range was 75% of the spring tide range with mean neap being 0% and mean springs 100%. The wind forecast was between 5-7 knots from the west.
2024 Cruiser Class-Spring Series 21 April Race 2 by Jamie Blair
A 13 nautical mile course around the navigation marks was set with the start line at Medway Yacht Club. In the period before the start the wind appeared only at 10 knots in the lee of the hill to north but the prospect in the gusts was going to be up to 25 knots.
Six yachts ranging from the Clubswan 42 Mercury with Ross Eldridge and team, some fresh from the Cape 31 regatta in Cowes, to the 30ft Scampi Chips with Robbie Stewart and team started in one start. With the tide flooding in all morning and the course downriver the south shore looked like the place to be. Chips took this route closely followed by “Zephros” (Dehler 34) with Tim French at the helm. The rest of the fleet stayed in the deeper water for this first part of the race. As the river turned to the south Mercury was first to fly a reaching kite and as expected accelerated away from the rest of the fleet. The remaining five boats retaining their white sail format crossing the tide to the shallow water off Hoo Island and continued in the shallow water to keep cheating the tide to Buoy 24. This mark was the first mark of the race and heralded the first beat through Pin Up Reach to buoy 23. Mercury with her deep keel kept to deeper water whilst Chips kept on port tack from the mark rounding taking advantage of the flood tide coming in Yantlet Creek to claw to windward. Zephros and Aquila (Elan 333), Jo Bolton, felt that the opposite shore would work better but sadly lost distance to both Mercury and Chips. Long Reach was a close fetch to buoy 16; Chips was overtaken by Aquila with all boats steering to the north shore to find shallow water. Buoy 16 was a right turn to go up Half Acre Creek to Otterham Fairway buoy. Wind was gusting 20 – 25 knots now up the transom. The leg was reasonably short so no spinnakers were flown. The beat out of the creek against the tide saw Chips follow Aquila round the turning mark and continue on port tack in shallow water. Mercury was some distance ahead going up the two mile beat to the north with a rounding at buoy 13. With her draft it meant short tacking to get to the deeper water in the main channel. Aquila tacked off but Chips and Zephros continued in the shallow water. Ruby Tuesday (Hanse 320) and Toucan (First 31.7) had dropped back from the group of three but were giving it all. Chips overtook Toucan for a short while to buoy 13 but was passed in the last tack to the mark.
Back upriver now with the tide behind us and a long leg to buoy 18 with the wind behind saw spinnakers flying on the front four boats. The speed over the ground gave some exciting moments. A short dog leg to buoy 17 meant the spinnakers were dropped and the leg up Long Reach under white sails. The last leg was another down wind leg so for the front four boats out popped the spinnakers to the finish at buoy 25. Ruby Tuesday and Toucan were sailing with white sails only. Mercury was nowhere to be seen, taking line honours, and the three boats who had raced together finished with Aquila ahead of Chips and then Zephros.
Using the YTC Rating system the results for all six boats were calculated together either with a spinnaker rating or a white sail rating. Chips won on corrected time with Zephros second and Aquila only 16 seconds adrift. Mercury took fourth, Ruby Tuesday on corrected time took fifth ahead of Toucan.
| Race | Fleet | Name | Rating | Start | Finish | Special | Elapsed | Corrected | Result |
| R2 | YTC | Chips | 979 | 10:00:00 | 12:06:39 | 02:06:39 | 02:09:22 | 1 | |
| R2 | YTC | Zephyros | 923 | 10:00:00 | 12:07:22 | 02:07:22 | 02:18:00 | 2 | |
| R2 | YTC | Aquila | 904 | 10:00:00 | 12:05:00 | 02:05:00 | 02:18:16 | 3 | |
| R2 | YTC | Mercury | 772 | 10:00:00 | 11:56:45 | 01:56:45 | 02:31:14 | 4 | |
| R2 | YTC | Ruby Tuesday | 958 | 10:00:00 | 12:28:50 | 02:28:50 | 02:35:22 | 5 | |
| R2 | YTC | Toucan | 902 | 10:00:00 | 12:23:40 | 02:23:40 | 02:39:17 | 6 | |
| R2 | YTC | Brigand | 1053 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE | |||
| R2 | YTC | Freya | 924 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE | |||
| R2 | YTC | Irene | 928 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE | |||
| R2 | YTC | Tattarat | 1086 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE |
The race 2 course was: Start: Upnor Line 24(P) 23(S) 16(S) Otterham Fairway(P) 13(P) 18(S) 17(P) MYA 1(P)
Finish: Bouy 25(S). High tide was at 12:20 and the tidal range was 65% of the spring tide range with mean neap being 0% and mean springs 100%. The wind forecast was between 14-15 knots from the NNE.
2024 Cruiser Class-Spring Series 28 April Race 3 by Joe Bolton
Sunday 28th April felt more like an Autumn Series Race. In grey, wet and windy weather 5 boats went racing. A strong westerly wind against incoming tide set the scene for the whole race. The course was set taking in Zulu 2 as the turning mark, back to 19, just downstream of Kingsnorth Jetty down to 15, off the oil jetty and back to the MYC line.
With the forecast indicating 20 plus knots of breeze, Aquila and Toucan decided to use their spinnakers for the first few reaches only and lost ground to Zephyros and Mercury who used their downwind sails to good effect and with great control on both these yachts.
Freya prepared for the gusts to come and had a reef in the main from the start.
Mercury rounded Zulu 2 and was away upwind, followed by Zephyros and Aquila not so far behind at this point that the result was established. At times Aquila felt the gap to Zephyros was closing a bit but not enough and Zephyros sailed extremely well upwind to win the race from Mercury on corrected time.
Toucan and Freya were further
behind by the race finish.
With gusts of 25 and occasionally 28 knots at times No 3 headsails and full mains was more than enough for the close hauled legs.
Our thanks go again to Philip Clarabut for acting as our excellent race start officer.
| Race | Fleet | Name | Rating | Start | Finish | Special | Elapsed | Corrected | Result |
| R3 | YTC | Zephyros | 923 | 10:00:00 | 12:29:46 | 02:29:46 | 02:42:16 | 1 | |
| R3 | YTC | Mercury | 772 | 10:00:00 | 12:09:00 | 02:09:00 | 02:47:06 | 2 | |
| R3 | YTC | Aquila | 904 | 10:00:00 | 12:32:17 | 02:32:17 | 02:48:27 | 3 | |
| R3 | YTC | Toucan | 902 | 10:00:00 | 12:47:11 | 02:47:11 | 03:05:21 | 4 | |
| R3 | YTC | Freya | 924 | 10:00:00 | 13:12:35 | 03:12:35 | 03:28:25 | 5 | |
| R3 | YTC | Brigand | 1053 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE | |||
| R3 | YTC | Ruby Tuesday | 958 | 10:00:00 | DNS | DNS | |||
| R3 | YTC | Chips | 979 | 10:00:00 | DNS | DNS | |||
| R3 | YTC | Irene | 928 | 10:00:00 | DNE | DNE | |||
| R3 | YTC | Tattarat | 1086 | 10:00:00 | DNS | DNS |
The race 3 course was Start: Upnor Line 25(P) 15(P) 12(S) Z2(P) 13(P) 16(S) 19(S) 15(S) 24(S) Finish Upnor Line. Low tide was at 10:20 and the tidal range was 80% of the spring tide range with mean neap being 0% and mean springs 100%. The wind forecast was 14 knots knots from the West with gusts frequently into 20 knots plus..