2020 Sailing Programme
Unfortunately our 2020 Sailing Programme has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and we took the decision to suspend sailing in March. Sailing is now re-starting in line with Government guidance, which means that at present all we are able to offer is day sailing by members of the same household or “support bubble”.
The Sailing Committee are pleased to announce the dates of club organised sailing events in 2020. Please read on for details of the:
Summer Cruise
The planned 2020 Summer Cruise will be split into two parts: Quartette will be based in the West Country from Monday 1st June 2020 until Sunday 19th July 2020. RelaX will be based in St Malo from Monday 20th July until Monday 31st August. This will provide 13 weeks of cruising in total with opportunities to visit the Scilly Islands and Channel Islands, as well as popular mainland ports.
West Country cruise in Quartette
| Start | Finish | Days | Destination |
| Sun 31st May | Sat 6th June | 6 | Plymouth |
| Sat 6th June | Sat 13th June | 7 | Falmouth |
| Sat 13th June | Sat 20th June | 7 | Newlyn/Penzance |
| Sat 20th June | Sat 27th June | 7 | Newlyn/Penzance |
| Sat 27th June | Sat 4th July | 7 | Falmouth |
| Sat 4th July | Sat 11th July | 7 | Falmouth |
| Sat 11th July | Sun 19th July | 8 | Gosport |
We are using Quartette because she is more suitable for many of the creeks in the south west and it allows Relax to do one further race. There is only one weekend when we do not have a boat in the Solent which is the 18th and 19thof July, when Quartette will be on her way back from the West Country and RelaX will be racing to St Malo.
Inshore Skippers can be in charge for the weeks starting 6th June to 4th July, with a minimum of Coastal Skipper required for the delivery trip and Offshore Skipper to visit the Scillies.
The St Malo cruise in RelaX
| Start | Finish | Days | Destination |
| Fri 17th July | Sun 19th July | 3 | St Malo (Race) |
| Sun 19th July | Sat 25th July | 6 | St Malo |
| Sat 25th July | Sat 1st Aug | 7 | St Malo |
| Sat 1st Aug | Sat 8th Aug | 7 | St Malo |
| Sat 8th Aug | Sat 15th Aug | 7 | St Malo |
| Sat 15th Aug | Sat 22nd Aug | 7 | St Malo |
| Sat 22nd Aug | Mon 31st Aug | 9 | Gosport |
The St Malo-based cruise is for coastal and offshore skippers only. Inshore skippers would learn a considerable amount by sailing as mate to a more experienced skipper and enjoy sailing around the channel isles too.
Skipper assessors and trainers are on board some weeks and these could provide opportunities for upgrade passages and coaching for our less experienced skippers.
Summer Cruise Bookings:
Bookings will open at 1000 on Saturday 16th November 2019 for skippers only. Bookings open for crew at 1000 on Sunday 17th November 2019.
As usual with the Summer Cruise, a £100 deposit per person per week is required to confirm your booking and should be paid immediately after the Bookings Officer replies to confirm your place. If you have not paid the deposit within 3 days of being offered a place, it will be offered to the next member on the list. Each member must confirm their own place by paying the deposit.
Cost will be normal sailing fees (i.e. five summer weekdays and two summer weekend days, for all except the first leg) plus a small daily supplement towards the cost of charts. Places are likely to be oversubscribed, so please remember before booking that you will be liable for the full cost if you cancel with less than four weeks notice and your deposit will only be refunded if your cancelled place is filled by another member – or, of course, if the cruise is cancelled by the club.
More information will be published about each leg as plans firm up. In the meantime if you have any questions please contact Judith Hankey (cruising@phoenixyachtclub.co.uk)
Please refer to the Bookings Calendar to check crew already booked and the number of available berths remaining.
Racing Programme
We are entering RelaX in the RORC series again in 2020. In addition, we have included some of the JOG races, which give a good introduction to offshore racing, being shorter than the RORC races. There is also the Round the Island, which is sure to book up quickly.
For those who have not raced before, PYC takes a relaxed approach to racing, with opportunities to take part in foredeck, cockpit, and helming. We tailor our approach to racing to suit the needs of the individual crew member so if you are thinking of giving it a go then now is a good time to step forward. It is a great way to learn new skills, or strengthen old ones, that you can apply to the rest of your sailing career. We will be running some training weekends and you are encouraged to attend these before going on your first offshore race.
To check availability of crew places or book your place, consult the Bookings Calendar
| Date | Race | Format & Distance |
| 28 Mar | Nab Tower | JOG Cowes round Nab Tower (30 nm) |
| 8 May | Cervantes Trophy | RORC Cowes to Le Havre (160 nm) |
| 23 May | Myth of Malham | RORC Cowes round Eddystone to Cowes (230 nm) |
| 30 May | Round The Island (RelaX) | Round the Isle of Wight (50 nm) |
| 30 May | Round The Island (Quartette) | Round the Isle of Wight (50 nm) |
| 6 Jun | De Guingand Bowl | RORC Round the Isle of Wight, but extending the legs towards Poole and Chichester (160 nm) |
| 17 Jul | St Malo Race | RORC Cowes – Dinard – St Malo (150 nm) |
| 4 Sep | Cherbourg Race | RORC Cowes to Cherbourg (75 nm) |
| 19 Sep | Cherbourg Race | JOG Cowes to Cherbourg (75 nm) |
| 3 Oct | Cowes to Lymington | JOG Cowes to Lymington (20 nm) |
| 4 Oct | Lymington to Cowes | JOG Lymington to Cowes (20 nm) |
Training Programme
As an RYA Recognised Training Centre we are able to provide the following practical courses to our members: Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper and Preparatory courses for the RYA/MCA YachtmasterTM Exam.
In addition we provide a number of our own courses covering areas such as: Boat Handling, Spinnaker Training and Sail Trim.
A summary of the courses we will be offering in 2020 is shown below. For further information please contact Laurent Morlet our Skipper and Training Officer at training@phoenixyachtclub.co.uk.
| Date | Days | Course | Instructor |
| 16 – 17 March | 2 | Boat Handling (Quartette) | Peter Clare |
| 21 – 22 March | 2 | Boat Handling (Quartette) | Trevor Nichols |
| 21 – 22 March | 2 | Race Training | Laurent Morlet |
| 23 – 27 March | 5 | YM Coastal/Offshore Prep | Trevor Nichols |
| 28 – 29 March | 2 | YM Coastal/Offshore Exam | RYA Examiner |
| 3 – 5 April | 3 | Comp Crew/Day Skipper (Pt 1) | Laurent Morlet |
| 18 – 19 April | 2 | Boat Handling (RelaX) | Tony Riley |
| 25 – 26 April | 2 | Comp Crew/Day Skipper (Pt 2) | Laurent Morlet |
| 25 – 26 April | 2 | Sail Trimming/Spinnaker | Tony Riley |
| 27 – 28 April | 2 | Boat Handling (Quartette) | Peter Clare |
| 18 – 22 May | 2 | Coastal and Club Skipper | Trevor Nichols |
| 26 – 27 Sept | 2 | Boat Handling (RelaX) | Tony Riley |
| 19 – 23 Oct | 5 | Comp Crew/Day Skipper | Tony Riley |
| 21 – 22 Oct | 2 | Boat Handling (RelaX) | Peter Clare |
| 24 – 25 Oct | 2 | Boat Handling (Quartette) | Trevor Nichols |
| 26 – 30 Oct | 5 | YM Coastal/Offshore Prep | Trevor Nichols |
| 31 Oct – 1 Nov | 2 | YM Coastal/Offshore Exam | RYA Examiner |
Booking:
We are asking for deposits to be paid to confirm your training place at a rate of £20 per day, so a 2 day course will require a deposit of £40 and a 5 day course will require £100 to confirm your place. If you cancel, this deposit will only be returned if your place is filled and more details are available in our booking terms and conditions.
If you wish to develop your skippering skills then do read our skipper manual and read this article for more information. Get to know our boats and practise all the skippering activities under the tutelage of the PYC skipper you are sailing with.