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We host 6 Pursuit Races each year on the major bank holidays. Pursuit Races are free to DWSC members, and are also open to visitors from other Clubs for just £10.00.
Some of our Races are in support of charities such as the Air Ambulance and RNLI, and donations to these causes are grateful received.
The bar will be open after each race.
Datum 11.00am
Datum 11.00am
Datum 11.00am
Datum 11.00am
Datum 11.30am
Datum 1.30pm & prizegiving afterwards
The format of Pursuit Races differs from our usual Club racing. Read on below to understand the elements of a pursuit race and then come along to have a go. Pursuit races, just like Club racing, are for all abilities and levels of experience.
The race runs for a specific time; 100 minutes. All classes of boat have a “handicap” and we us the Great Lakes system which is optimised for the big lake clubs like us.
The slowest boats start first, and the faster your boat, the later you start, with the start time calculated from the handicap of your boat. The faster boats chase the slower boats, hoping to catch and pass them. The early starters try to keep ahead and when the clock stops, whoever is in front wins!
The course will be displayed on the front of the clubhouse balcony, not on the committee boat. There will usually be a RIB “pathfinder” showing the first boats where to go for the first lap too. If you are not sure you can remember where all the race marks are, there are waterproof maps you can buy in the shop.
In the wet bar, on the TV screen, you will find a live count down so you know exactly how long you have before you need to be on the water. This starts 45 minutes before datum. When you reach the committee boat for your start, there is a clock showing the time there too, in sync with the wet bar clock.
As you could easily be on the water for a couple of hours, wrap up warm and think about taking some snacks with you to keep your energy levels up, and a drink too.
The Datum is when the clock starts counting the 100 minutes of the race.
Some boats actually start before the Datum – Optimists are the slowest boat we have and go 21 minutes before the 100 minutes starts, so they actually race for 121 minutes. If you are lucky enough to have a foiling Waszp, you get to have an extra hour in bed- you start 60 minutes after the clock starts! Everyone else goes somewhere in between. A complete list of starts is further up the page.
There is a flag sequence on the committee boat before the first start, for the slowest boat which starts first, but after that you just go when the clock shows that it is your start time, so make sure you know when this is. There will be a horn for each start and there is a red flag that goes up at Datum. Normal race rules apply, so if you are over the line, you must re-cross the start line. Once you have started, it is just like any other race- sail around the course as fast as you can and keep going!
At the end of the race, 100 minutes after datum, a moving finishing line formed by 2 RIBs will drive down the course and finish you – there is no fixed line. Just keep sailing and you will be told when you have finished. If you have sailed well, you will have passed the slower boats who started in front of you, but the fast guys behind you will not have caught up… and you will win!
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