Practice makes perfect

Over six hundred sailors will be out racing in the Solent competing in the RORC Easter Challenge this weekend and the predicted weather could give them some feisty and thrilling conditions.
However, on Thursday morning Cowes was bathed in Spring sunshine with little signs of the atrocious weather that has spread across the UK.

Toe in the Water were out training. The Archambault 40 is crewed by injured service men and women, and this weekend they are lead by solo round the world sailor and multiple world record holder, Brian Thompson.

"The practice day started off with bright sunshine and about 15 knots but as the clouds rolled in the breeze got up to about 25 knots. Along with most of the crews racing this weekend we will be using the RORC Easter Challenge to improve our boat handling.

It is great to see the Toe in the Water crew getting so much pleasure and benefit from sailing, it lifts my spirit just as much as there’s. The boat has been very well prepared and today was a very successful practice session. Once the sunshine faded away it was a little cold so we will be wrapping up warm for the racing tomorrow."

Solent weather expert, Graham Sunderland, racing on Peter Franks’ J 125 Straight Dealer had this to say about the weekend weather:
"If there was ever a case for looking at weather reports rather than forecasts this weekend is a prime example. There is quite a lot of conflicting information coming out from weather forecast models. We could see 30 knots or as little as 10. Competitors should be using the last available data, preferably just before racing."

The RORC Easter Challenge is the first inshore regatta of the RORC season. Sixty-four yachts will be competing in five different classes. Racing starts tomorrow, Good Friday, after 1 p.m.

For daily updates visit the Royal Ocean Race Club web site: http://www.rorc.org