Never been to an Open Meeting?

But think you might like to give it a try? Paul Brotherton explains the steps

Q: Having only sailed at my local club with my son in my Enterprise, I am keen to go to one of the local open meetings. Trouble is, I have never been to any other sailing club, and I’m totally in the dark as to what the form is for entering and sailing at such an event?

Fear not. I am certain that if you go to one of the smaller, local open meetings first, you will be given a warm, friendly and enthusiastic welcome - especially if you tell them that you’ve chosen their club for your first expedition away from home!

But, first-things-first - you will need to be a member of the Enterprise Class Association, have your boat measured and be fully insured for racing away from your home club. I suspect that your own club rules will already insist on all of these things. But if not, none of them are difficult to organise. Give your insurer a quick call and check that you have the necessary cover to trail the boat on the road, and to race.

Then you need to contact the Enterprise Association - you can find the contact details in madforsailing’s Resources Class Directory. Call the Secretary and tell them that you’d like to join and get your boat measured, so that you can race at Open Meetings. They will tell you everything that you need to know, and after paying a small membership fee you will receive a membership pack that normally includes a year book and details of the class measurers.

Next, you need to get in touch with the nearest class measurer. They will help you through the process, which is usually straightforward, and at the end of it you will have an Enterprise measurement certificate and a membership card. Hang on to those pieces of paper, along with your insurance documents, because you’re going to need them all.

Now you need to choose your first Open Meeting. The year book usually has a list of events and contacts for the season’s events - alternatively you can look in madforsailing’s Event Calendar to find the right regatta.

When you’ve decided where you want to go, phone the club holding the regatta and ask them for:

· Directions to the club
· The time the club will be open and what time the first race starts
· Any local accommodation details you may require
· What paperwork you will need for entry - this is where you will probably require your class association membership card, measurement certificate and insurance details - though requirements do vary from club to club.

Sometime before the big day, de-rig your boat and then do a practise re-rig. As this is something you do not do all the time, take note of how long it takes and any tools that you need to do the job - then make sure you’ve packed them!

It now ought to be possible to schedule your time to include travel and rigging time, and perhaps to find and check into any accommodation if you want to do this before you sail (some Open Meetings start with one race on Saturday afternoon). But you should also allow yourself one and a half hours after the boat is ready, to have a cup of tea and study the papers you will get on entering the regatta.

These will include the sailing instructions, which are basically the same thing that you use at your local club. These need to be read through thoroughly, from front to back, and anything to do with starting, the course, local restrictions or exclusion zones should be underlined and then re-read until you fully understand it. It’s a good idea to bring a clear plastic waterproof folder with you, then you can take the instructions afloat, if you need to check anything on the water.

If you have any questions, ask one of the club’s members if there is anyone they could recommend for you to talk to - I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised at the reception you will get. There will more than likely be a Skipper’s Meeting or Briefing, where the race management will be discussed, and if you have any questions unanswered this is the time to ask.

Make sure that you get changed and launch in plenty of time, and don’t forget to take at least one litre of water for each of you on-board, if you are out for more than one race. Get to the start area and identify the start line and the marks you will be racing around and mentally rehearse the order. This is probably both the most exciting thing and the biggest challenge about racing away from your home club for the first time - finding the marks and sailing the right course on a totally new piece of sailing water!

If you are nervous about the start in an unfamiliar place, perhaps against more boats than you are used to racing, then do some timed runs on starboard tack up to the start line. Now you should be able to identify a safe place to be one minute before the start. After the start gun remember to keep a good lookout for other boats, especially when on port tack. The priority after this is to keep checking where the next mark is - let’s face it, it is better to be going slowly in the right direction, than quickly in the wrong direction!

When you get back ashore, take the time to look at other boats and to talk to the other competitors. My guess is you will catch the bug and be entering the Nationals before you know it. Have fun and good luck!