2022 promises to be a bumper year for Offshore Racing, especially in Ireland with the much awaited Round Ireland Yacht Race no doubhtedly the highlight of the year ahead for many offshore sailors in Ireland.
With some boats plans well in advance for 2022, the ORA has a number of talks planned to aid preparations for the season ahead. All session and events will be advertised on the Offshore Racing Academy website, and Facebook pages, likewise on ISORA with a reminder article on Afloat.ie one week out from each event! Most events will be on Zoom as the providers for these talks and seminars are based outsideof Ireland.
The talks are as follows;
Introduction to Offshore Sailing seminar/discussion for skippers and crew Tuesday 22nd March 2022 1900-2100.
All your questions answered as to how to prepare yourself and your boat for Offshore Racing! Topics include;
Basic Boat Preparation
Crew Preparation
Safety Considerations
Managing sleep and watch systems
Navigation and routing considerations
New keel inspection requirements for 2022
Weather Analysis/Windy briefing by Christian Dumard. Tuesday 5th April 2022 1900-2100 on Zoom.
Windy is the most complete source of weather information available on the internet. In two hours you will learn how to use all the features and combine the different data available to get a quality forecast, whether you are sailing for a day or a multi-day trip. The course material will be sent to you at the end of the course with a series of exercises to practice.
Christian is a professional router and has worked for many skippers, including the Mini Transat, the Volvo Ocean Race, the Vendée Globe, the Atlantic Back Cruising and many other events. He accompanies more than a hundred cruising yachts every year during their crossings. He has participated in numerous races (America's Cup, Tour de France à la Voile, Admiral's Cup, ...) and has more than 100 000 miles of cruising experience.
Adrena/Expedition weather routing basics and information Tuesday 12th April 2022 1900-2100
This introduction session aim to showcase the differences between the two most popular routing software providers and provide answers to some of the myths surrounding routings and routing software.
It is hoped to give participants the advice on what program will suit them best the price considerations for both and also the necessary hardware and backup information for these systems to work on one’s boat!
Getting the most from your racing. 1900-2100 on zoom on Tuesday 29th March 2022
This more advanced information evening is for more in depth offshore racing thoughts and aims, this session will aim to cover.
Boat Preparation Cat 1 & Cat 2
Interpreting Rules
Managing Crew roles and rest patterns
Spares and boat preparation to avoid necessary repairs
Weight distribution and securing arrangements.
Use of weather and navigation routing for optimal performance.
These talks will be followed up later in the season by pre-race weather analysis and post-race performance debriefings that Kenny Rumball provided last year. These weather and post race de-briefs were hugely successful in allowing boats, crews and skippers to understand where some boats had made winning decisions and where other boats could have improved!