Sonata World Series

(Background from a Race Officers perspective)

All the teams taking part in this very competitive series are being trained at Brixham Junior Sailing Club and should know better.

The skipper of BB is coached by his grandson Tom, who is a member of the BJSC. The results to date clearly show that these one to one sessions are the most effective.

The skipper of AP learnt all he knows from association with BJSC (he’s the boss) and most of his crew are training there.

SA Skipper and chief bosun practice in BJSC Wayfarers, with the support of four junior members in each boat and three full manned rescue boats.

So as can be noted, all the teams are well served with training and practice, HOWEVER this does not seem to carry forward to the actual racing.

One competitor who was late for the start made the excuse that they “didn’t hear the guns”, but when told that all signals were announced over the radio, complained that they had theirs on the wrong channel. Then there was a dispute about the actual start time despite a whole previous season starting at the same time. (In defence there had been two races started at an alternative time). (The secret, built-in damp-proofing on this boat does not apply to the skipper or crew)

Another claimed that he couldn’t race because a vital piece of equipment was missing from his boat. (This was later acknowledged to be a ‘corkscrew’).

Yet other excuses for not competing was “it was too wet” to go out on the water.

The efforts of all boats in the fleet to camouflage their boats from the race officers, one by repainting the hull a deeper blue, to try to hide in the waters of Torbay, another endeavour was to camouflage “apiano” by changing the spinnaker to a black and white sail that looked like a piano keyboard. “Alto” made the most unashamed concealment effort by actually changing the name of the boat.

At Race headquarters these alterations have caused confusion and (in some cases an attempt to drown their sorrows in drink). How any of these craft ever achieve a result is a wonder, both to the race officers and to other sailors in the area.

There are some very cheeky comments from the Sonata fleet, to the race officials at the “post race briefing” in the bar. The Race control teams are considering applying to the RYA , the ISF, RORC, and the MCA (and Don Darius, Fine wines and harpic substitute) to allow the implementation of Pink, Blue and White cards, to be held up to signify suitable a reprimand should the RULES be broken, or the race officials abused.

(Red and green as used in nautical terminology would mean nothing to these competitors)