Catapult TT at Stokes Bay SC
UKCRA Open Meeting: Sept 10th-11th
Home Page
Sailing Programme
Cruising
Tactics and Rules
The Boat
|
Invited classes are the Tornado (holding their Nationals) Shadow X’s, F18’s, Spitfires and Catapults. Other cats (up to 21' foiling cats) will be welcomed. If there are enough Catapults, we should get our own start. Stokes Bay SC is a popular club that has a long pedigree of cat sailing and it recently won the accolade of Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year.The Dart 18s held their 2016 National at Stokes Bay, with 60 boats racing, voted one of their best ever. Courses. The Club plans modifed trapezoid courses, to have a moderate beat and two square reaches and a downwind leg. Further decisions can be made on the Saturday morning briefing if necessary. Schedule of Races A maximum of six races will be sailed Saturday 10th September Briefing 1130 Race 1 1300 hrs Sunday Racing on Sunday will not start before 1030 Subsequent start times will be given by the Race Officer. Registration in the clubhouse on Saturday 10th September from 09:30 hrs, and Sailing Instructions will be available. Two races must be completed to constitute the Catamaran Open. When 3 or fewer races are completed, a boats score will be the total of her race scores. When 4 or more races are completed, the worst score will be excluded. Prizes will be awarded depending on the number of entries after the conclusion of the last race. Entry fee: £30.00 plus Catapult's £5 race fee. All enquiries to Debbie Wood – phone: 023 9258 1513, e-mail: administrator@stokesbay-sc.co.uk Parking There is a Gosport Borough Council car park adjacent to the Club, £5 a day for cars. Boats usually rig up on the beach, and visiting boats are usually left on the beach overnight. However, if you’re not happy with this arrangement (especially if it’s windy) you can put your boat in the Club’s compound. It’s a bit more difficult parking a camper van as there is a height restriction barrier of 2.2m as you enter the car park. There are a few parking spaces (about 6) for camper vans by the Club, on a first come first serve basis. Camper vans can also park in the smaller car park about 500m west of the Club during the day. You are not supposed to stay overnight in the car park, but some people do, and no-one is known to have been evicted in the middle of the night (yet!). An alternative is the Kingfisher Caravan Park http://kingfisher-caravan-park.co.uk . For those who prefer a B&B or hotel the Club website (www.stokesbay-sc.co.uk/) lists a wide variety. For more choices see www . discover gosport .co.uk/stay. Social Arrangements Hot food and beverages are available at the Club How to get there The Club is situated on the Promenade, Stokes Bay Road, Gosport PO12 2BL. From the M27 leave at Junction 11 (Fareham Central) and follow signs to Gosport along the A32. Continue for approximately 3 miles until you come to two roundabouts. Go straight over the first one, keep in the right-hand lane to the second. Take the third exit off the second roundabout to Alverstoke and Haslar (Military Road). This long straight road brings you to a roundabout (with the Cocked Hat Pub on the left and car showrooms on the far right). Go straight over nto Gomer Lane. Carry onto the next small roundabout and go straight across. You will now see the sea. Follow the road along the promenade eastwards. You will see Stokes Bay Sailing Club on the right next to a large car park. Stokes Bay's shingle beach faces SSW, so prevailing SW winds are unobstructed (and can be expected to increase through the day.) The tides will probably affect only lighter-wind sailing, and the tactical challenge lies in keeping boat speed in the steep chop kicked up by moderate breezes, upwind and reaching. If you have time before or after the racing days, Stokes Bay opens the Solent for cruising, across to Cowes and the Medina River (see here) and the attractive inlet of Wootton Creek (here) Going right, you can explore Southampton Water and the Hamble River, and quite close to the left is the America's Cup water off Portsmouth, and the interest of Portsmouth Harbour (here) (The harbour entrance can be tricky, where the tide can be brisk and the wind briefly obstructed, but the harbour opens out into smooth water. Local attractions If you fancy a pleasant stroll, the promenade stretches along the entire length of Stokes Bay from Browndown to Gillkicker Forts. Although the forts are no longer open to the public, the outside of these buildings are still an interesting reminder of early sea defences. Grass fields adjoin much of the walk, and this is a very popular spot for dog walking or ball At the Royal Navy’s Submarine Museum let former submariners walk you through where they would work, eat and sleep onboard HMS Alliance. Peer into the only surviving X-craft to have seen action during WW2 and climb inside the Royal Navy's first submarine Holland 1. To really make your visit go with a bang visit Explosion! - the Museum of Naval Firepower. Sited at the former armaments depot at Priddy's Hard, Gosport, this museum tells the story of naval gunfire from the 18th century to the present day. Those of a more sedate disposition might prefer shopping at the Gunwharf outlet shopping centre which is located in Portsmouth close to the Historic Dockyard. The centre has many shops, restaurants and entertainment including bowling and a cinema complex. So, whatever your preferences, there is plenty to see and do in the area.
|