How about a Rib fun day?
The following suggestions are for consideration and can be adapted to our situation:
The competition
The competition takes the form of a time trial around a set of marks (our racing marks plus others) and the fastest time wins. I have a suggested plan which I don’t know how to put into the forum? It was used at the Southampton Boat Show last year. The buoys are set between 2 and 4 boat lengths apart so that skill and control, and not necessarily speed, are the most important factors. Each competitor should have two runs, one as a practice run and one as a ‘hot lap’. Both runs should be timed and the fastest to count.
Penalties
• Touching a buoy – 5 seconds
• Missing a buoy – 5 seconds
• Failing to complete the stop exercise – 5 seconds
• Flooding in reverse – 5 seconds
• Instructor/Competent adult discretion – 10 seconds + (i.e.: crashing through gear changes, missing MOB or any other misdemeanours the Instructor/Competent adult deems necessary)
Classes
To be agreed – juniors – adults – wrinklies ?
Personnel
To organise the event we will need as a minimum (competitors of course)
• Shore-side person to brief each competitor and answer queries
• Start/Finish Judge
• Timekeeper
• Instructor/competent adult for each boat – probably only one if we use the Rescue Boat
• Marshals/instructors to ensure running order is adhered to
• Safety boat with competent personnel if only one boat is being used for competition.