From Steve Murphy
I attended the Southport 24 hrs endurance dinghy sailing race today. The event is staged on the relatively safe waters of the marine lake and attracts competing teams from all over the UK, many having competed several times before. This year there were 60+ teams taking part, which is slightly down on recent years, but still, the start made a fine spectacle. Team can sail GP14, Enterprise or Larks. There seemed to be more Ents racing today than other classes. The race is started in “flights” of 10 boats, teams numbers 1-10, 11-20 etc. at 1 minute intervals. Teams are allocated to flights based on previous finish positions. Crews change in a marked area roughly every 1-2 hours depending on conditions and time of day. The course is triangular and wind conditions today determined a long run start, long beat and a shortish reach. Laps were taking about 20 mins to complete today. The top teams take this event very seriously, for example the GB 470 squad entered a GP14 (see pic) no doubt seeking to win, but others seemed to be there just to enjoy the event. Teams were camping or planning to sleep in vans/minibuses adjacent to WLYC and SSC.
Having recce’d today, I am interested in entering a Colemere team in 2011. We could use my Ent and my boys are keen to crew. Ideal team size seemed to be 4-5 helms and the same number of crews. See link below for more information:
If you are a regular sailor and interested in being part of a Colemere team entering this event in 2011, then please let me know. One key role identified is that of a non-sailing team captain – again, please let me know if this appeals.
Steve Murphy
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