Rutland Water

Jim Saltonstall looks at one of Britain's most popular inland venues

Rutland Water Sailing Club has been one of our most popular inland racing venues since it opened some twenty odd years ago. With easy access off the A1 via the A606, the club offers good facilities for hosting major events, both ashore and afloat, and is a popular spot for inland championships. There’s a large clubhouse with good catering, numerous slipways for launching and grass frontage into the water.

But accommodation in the area is at a premium, the club will hold the latest details of camping and caravan sites, B&B's and hotels available in the area. There is also a limited amount of accommodation available at the club, but you’ve really got to book early to get in! There are also plenty of good pubs and restaurants in the surrounding villages, the nearest large town being Oakham, just to the north of the reservoir.

Race Areas

There are two race areas at Rutland, the main racing area being in the ‘main pool’ at the eastern end of the reservoir. The second is immediately in front of the clubhouse, that’s to the west along the southern arm of the reservoir.

Main Pool

Wind Direction

330-030 degrees: The shifts coming off the north shore are the order of the day, so pre-start try to establish your tacking angle for the conditions at the time. Then you need to try tracking the windshift pattern to identify the arc of the oscillations and their timing. The shifts in the leeward mark/starting area are normally over an arc of 10-15 degrees, but this can be wider in lighter winds. The northern shoreline is quite high, so as you progress towards the windward mark, the shifts become more frequent and over a wider arc. Expect it to be shifting within a minute and over an arc of 20-30 degrees - that should keep you on your toes. When the wind is in this northern sector, it normally pays to work the shifts more up the middle of the course, aim to be making your final approach within 100 metres of the mark.

030-090 degrees: When the race committee starts you off the end of the peninsular, with the wind in the north-east sector, it normally pays to go left up the beat. That’s because as you approach the northern shoreline on starboard tack, you move into the area of wind convergence along that shore, with more wind velocity. There should also be headers on starboard tack as you go towards it, with lifts on port tack as you come away.

090 degrees: With the wind now in the east, when you start off the end of the peninsular it still pays to go left up the beat, for the extra wind velocity on the port side of the course - as above. The shifts are not too bad as the wind is coming off the low dam wall, and not off any relatively high land.

090-160 degrees: The wind is now coming from the south-east sector off the land, and it normally pays to work left of middle up the beat. There tends to be more wind that side, away from the divergent wind zone in the top right hand corner of the beat. I've seen lifts along the southern shoreline on starboard tack - which can make the right pay. This is one you’ll need to check out before the start, to see if the starboard lifts exist, and whether or not they would pay against boats coming into the mark on port tack with more wind. I’ve seen both work, depending on the exact position of the windward mark in relation to the shore.

160-220 degrees: It’s shifty off the southern shoreline, which is relatively high. Once again, we need to know the timing of the shifts, as well as the arc of oscillation. They will be less frequent and over a narrower arc in the starting area, compared to the windward mark area. It normally pays to work the shifts up the middle of the track with your final approach on the starboard layline.

220-270 degrees: The south-west sector wind means that we are now once again looking for more wind on the port side of the course, along the southern shoreline in the convergence wind area. We are also looking to be headed as we go in on starboard tack towards the shore, with lifts out on port tack near the shore.

270 degrees: As we look up the beat we have more wind on the port side of the course still, but also some shifts to contend with coming off the peninsular. It normally pays to work the shifts left of middle up the beat. The other issue with the westerly wind is the waves, which can be very rough in the leeward mark area with all the backwash coming off the dam wall. This is worth noting from a boat tuning point of view, more fullness and twist is required in this area, with flatter sails and firmer leaches as you sail into the flat water to windward.

270-330 degrees: The north-west wind is normally very blustery, gusty and shifty, so it’s very much eyes out of the boat, using both the gusts and the shifts to your advantage. It normally pays to work them up the middle, or just left-of-middle.

Secondary

The secondary race area is just off the club and slightly to the west, between the peninsular and the southern shoreline.

Wind Direction

330-040 degrees: The race area is quite narrow here, from north to south, so the wind from the north is quite shifty. It’s crucial to know your highs and lows, you must be on the lifting tack when you leave the start line and use the shifts all the time on the beats. The final approach to the windward mark is best done on the starboard lay line.

040-100 degrees: It pays to go left up the beat, because of the divergent wind zone on the southern shoreline.

100-180 degrees: The south-east wind once again gives us less breeze on the southern shore, but lifts along the same shoreline on starboard tack - just as with the main pool area. So the advice is the same, check it on the day, it will depend very much on where the race committee place the windward mark.

180 degrees: Very shifty off the southern shore now, so use them all the time. It is critical that you know your highs and lows on both tacks so as to use the shifts up each beat. Do not bang the corners, you may come out smelling of roses on one beat, but try the same on the next beat only to find yourself down the tube and around the 'S' bend!

200-250 degrees: When the wind comes from the south-west sector, it pays to go left up the beat. There should be both wind convergence along the southern shoreline, a header on starboard tack as you go towards the shore, and lifts on port tack as you come away from it.

250-280 degrees: The wind is now coming straight along the southern arm of the lake, particularly from 270-280 degrees. So the shifts are now more stable as the wind is coming off the western shoreline some distance away. There is still more velocity on the port side of the course due to the wind convergence area, so it is best to work the shifts up the port side of the course.

280-330 degrees: Back to the blustery wind sector; with less wind along the peninsular shoreline, work both the gusts and the shifts left-of-middle for more wind. But watch out for lifts on starboard tack along the peninsular shoreline, which may bring you out at the windward mark first - check it out pre-start.

Other Sources of Information

Tourist Information Office

Leicestershire, phone: 0116 2998888

Club website

Map