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Yacht Racing at Royal Harwich Yacht Club

Racing is a great excuse to get out on the water. Not only is it a brilliant way to get all your crew practicing some key skills, it is a good way to become involved with the sailing community at the club. The yacht racing at RHYC is about offering an opportunity to all sailors to get out on their yachts to give racing a go and have some fun. It is a friendly and relaxed fleet and always happy to chat over rules or tactics at the end of a race. There are often two fleets: Spinnakers and white sails and a mix of racing in the river and out in Dovercourt Bay. 

If you have questions about any of these events contact Liz Neville, RHYC Yacht Racing Class Captain.

Yacht Events 2023

If you have questions about any of these events contact Liz Neville, RHYC Yacht Racing Class Captain.

RHYC Events Here is a summary of the events planned for 2023.  Please see the Club Diary for dates and times.

TUNING FORK – April.  OPEN EVENT – Free.

The warmup for the season! Boats are back in the water and this event is a good focus to make sure everything is back in place and in working order.  This year there will be 2 or 3 short races, each starting in Dovercourt Bay. Prize giving back at the club afterwards.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. May, June, July, August and September.

Hugely successful events last year with over 20 boats taking part in some events.  Yachts start at different times depending on handicap and the aim is to chase the boats in front (and avoid being caught by the boats behind) as you sail a course around the Orwell and possibly the Stour cans before the 3 hour time limit is up. At that point boats make a note of their location and this determines the placings. Everyone meets back at the bar afterwards and final positions are worked out. Great fun and a couple of post race bbqs will be arranged this year.

Handicaps will be tweaked from one race to the next with the aim of getting as many boats finishing at the club line around the same time! Over time this will create a club handicap for boats racing in this event. 

Catch me if you can 20 May 2023 read the full report here 19 yachts taking part in the first of the series, in glorious sunshine.

Catch me if you can 10 June 2023 read  the full report here of the second in the series with 60 sailors onboard 16 yachts taking part.

Club Regatta in August: OPEN EVENT.   NON MEMBERS – this is a great opportunity to come and sail at the club in either or both a Catch Me If You Can or a yacht race – one on either day.

Sunk and Bell race in October: End of season finale. Perhaps the last jaunt before putting your boat to bed for the winter. Weather permitting, this race usually sees the fleet heading out in to the Dovercourt Bay for a 3-4 hour race.

Laying up supper and prizegiving Saturday 11th November Come and relive the fun of the season in the warm and dry and perhaps collect the odd glass trophy!

Other racing on the river:

Haven Combined Clubs This racing is organised jointly by various clubs on the river including the RHYC and aims to appeal to a wide range of sailors. There are two classes : relaxed and experienced. All are welcomed regardless of experience and if you just fancy giving it a try, your first race is complimentary!

A committee with representatives from each club oversees a points series of eight races as well as an off-shore  series of four races. Each club takes responsibility for running a couple of the races.  There is a relaxed fleet and an experienced fleet with separate starts. The races in the points series typically last about 3-4 hours and are based around the Dovercourt Bay and in the river Orwell and Stour. They are on Saturdays spread over the season.

The offshore races in 2023 will go to Lowestoft, Burnham, Ostend and one round trip race out to Roughs Towers and Cork Sands. Please note that the Ostend race is classed as category 3 race which means all yachts competing will need an AIS transponder and to have had a keel inspection carried out by a surveyor whilst the yacht is in slings.

For detailed information go to the https://www.havenseries.co.uk/ or speak to Liz Neville , RHYC Haven CC representative.

EAORA

If you fancy some longer races check out the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association