As already publicised, the legendary Pete Barton will be leading the training.  We now have two coach boats for one-to-one tuition lined up for the Saturday, with video debriefing.

Schedule:
Aim to arrive by 9:30 a.m. on the Saturday for rigging and registration.  There will be access to the club for dropping off boats on Friday evening up until 5:30 p.m. There are plenty of local b&b’s – if you look for one in Perry, it’ll be in easy walking distance of the club.  Details are on the GWSC site at www.grafham.org under “where to stay”.  The nearby pub is the Wheatsheaf, which also does decent food.

Saturday consists of theory sessions, practical demonstrations and on-the-water exercises, with a few short races for good measure. Newcomers to the fleet will learn about boat handling, set-up and tweaking tips for how to get the best out of the boat; while for the more experienced Laser 4000 sailors there will be a focus on racing tactics/strategy/on water drills etc.  Later, in the bar or over dinner, there’s a chance to meet the fleet, get the low-down on key Laser 4000 venues, or pick the brains of the more experienced helpers.

Sunday takes the form of a mini open meeting, with three upwind / downwind races, including coaching on the water, more videoing and debriefing afterwards.  It will be more relaxed than at a normal open meeting, and hopefully by the end of the weekend all newcomers will be up to the challenge of the open circuit. At the very least you’ll vastly improve your boat handling and start to get the most out of your boat. Don’t worry if you haven’t got a crew or if your regular sailing partner can’t make it, as we can normally pair you up with someone, particularly if you let us know in advance.  

All this at the bargain cost for the weekend of £20 per boat for members of GWSC and £40 for non-members, it really is a lot of training for not much money.  Don't forget, you have to be a class association member to take advantage of the training, but you can easily join via this site.

I’ll be acting as local co-ordinator again, including matching up spare helms/crews. If you need a sailing partner for the week-end, please contact me with some details of your sailing experience, weight and whether you prefer to helm or crew.  You can send me a message via this site, or better still, phone me on 01933 223528.

Please would all those thinking of coming post below, so we can get an idea of numbers.

Fran

We should be there

Neil & Charlotte - 4343

We were planning to bring three boats but as I've only sailed our boat once and the other two haven't sailed theirs at all yet we've decided to get some local coaching over Easter instead.

Hopefully next year our confidence will be higher and we'll be able to join you all.

Keith

This promises to be a great weekend with a big dose of everything Laser4000. Hopefully we will touch on the whole spectrum from initiation to advanced race technique - something for everyone and we have the cover to be flexible as necesssary.

Main points to cover are always;
Simple tuning - to be able to get on the pace
Simple bimbles - so systems are efficient & reliable
Simple boathandling - reliable manouvers
Simple 'gears' - various fast modes, when to use each and the transitions between them
Simple tackticks & strategies - some golden rules for playing the fleet & the course

As you can see, I like to keep it simple!

So we will have a good look over a boat(s) on the shore and do some quick shore drills to give us a starting point before going afloat. Afloat, amongst other things, we will focus on boathandling & technique for straight line speed with several short course excersises/ race drills. I hope to take a load of video & stills for analysis after sailing (and future DVDplayback/youtube!). We may split into groups as necessary.

Any special requests/queries please post here so I can ensure we include it over the w/e.

Cheers,
Peter

Gus and Jan will be keeping it simple at Grafham in 4497  

Adrian and I will be there in 4094.  Is it really a 9.30 start as we were hoping to pack the boat up at Rutland on the Sat morning...

we are coming sorry for late reply.


james and ella

gbr 4383

I'm hoping the following report (composed by Carolyn Morgan) will shortly appear on Y&Y website -- if it doesn't, can anyone else help me achieve this?

Sailing legend Pete Barton coaches Laser 4000s at Grafham

Ten Laser 4000 crews benefited from a weekend of coaching by Pete Barton, sailing legend and multiple National champion, organised by the Class Association to kick off the season.  Boats ranged from front of fleet veterans like Chris Gould, through to back of fleet stalwarts such as myself, plus several crews who had just bought their 4k, including one from Holland.  

Saturday was grey and breezy, with winds ranging from F3 to F5, and occasional rain showers.  After a shore briefing on boat handling tips, plus demos of tacks and gybes, the crews were put through a series of exercises on the water, tacking, gybing, hoisting and dropping on the whistle, with the added pressure of Pete following in a rib commenting on trim, trapezing technique and settings.  After lunch the focus was on racing techniques, with a series of short races with quotas for tacks and gybes providing a strenuous workout for crews.  A video debrief provided individual and group feedback, and Grafham SC hosted a meal.

Sunday was sunny, but the breeze took a while to fill in, so Pete briefed the group on upwind and downwind strategy, plus some insider tips on sailing at Garda (where the 4k Europeans take place 14-17 July).  We joined in with club racing, then had our own short race series, with more on-the-water coaching, before a debrief and prize giving.  A great weekend to blow away the cobwebs and get the 2010 season to a good start.

The 4000 Class Association also announced a Newcomers Trophy for the 2010 Open Circuit: with prizes of Magic Marine harnesses, rash vests, tool bags and cash for first and second places across any 3 of the Open Meetings – for boats that have competed in no more than 3 previous Opens.  More details on the class website at: http://www.laser4000.org.uk/2010/03/08/newcomers-trophy-2010/

The fleet is currently growing, with a new committee, a new supplier and low second-hand prices attracting more young sailors to the class. At the Rutland Tiger Trophy the 4000s were the largest asymmetric fleet, with 18 boats taking part.

Carolyn Morgan