Courses are set each day and are announced at the morning briefings. On any given day, we may choose to set one or more courses depending upon the prevailing and anticipated wind conditions.
The start line is defined by round anchored buoys that will display the course open/closed flags. The course is one way only from the buoys with flags towards the big triangular end marker buoys.
Course Open Times
The course(s) are scheduled to open at 10:00 and close at 16:00. Exceptions to this are the first day of Weymouth Speed Week when the course(s) open at 11:00 and Sunday and Friday when the course will close earlier to allow for prize giving if weather conditions are not improving for high speeds.
If exceptionally good conditions are being experienced the organisers will endeavour to take advantage of these by extending the normal session a further 30 or even 60 minutes. In this event yellow flags will be prominently flown by the support boats. In addition, Tannoy announcements will be made in the launch areas. Similarly, if the forecast winds and tides look exceptional then an early morning start may be declared, check the event notice board before leaving the academy each night and follow the Event WhatsApp group.
Flags
The meaning of the flags flying on the course buoys or rescue boats are as follows:
· Red flag - the course is closed.
· Green flag the course is open.
· Yellow in addition to green flags flying means that the course is open and staying open beyond the advertised time.
Harbour Courses
On a harbour course a “start gate” is used, this is two round dumpy buoys about 20m apart as shown in the diagram below. Competitors need to pass between, or as close to the buoys as safely possible. An arc of triangular buoys is positioned just more than 500m away as a visual guide to competitors to show the end of the course.
These courses have several advantages:
· they are relatively quick and easy to set up
· wind shifts of 20 degrees or so can be accommodated without the need to reposition the course buoys
· competitors safely “fan out” from the start line as they sail their fastest wind angle with respect to their craft type and style.
Beach Courses
As the name implies beach courses run along the edge of the harbour in the lee of Chesil Bank when south westerly and westerly winds blow and where the smoothest water can be found. This area is shallow and competitors, especially those using foils, must always remain aware of the water depth. In the image below the shallow areas are clearly visible. The active area of a beach course can extend from the land out across the harbour sufficiently far that competitors can sail the course either in shallow water or further out in deeper water. The start line is marked with a triangular buoy placed prominently on the beach with round dumpy buoys, with flags, positioned in a straight line out across the harbour. The end of the course, just over 500m away, is indicated with a straight line of triangular buoys parallel to the start line
When the tide is such that it is not possible for all craft to sail close to the shore the course will be widened and a system of an inner and an outer course will be used with additional outer marker buoys (as in the diagram) both use the same extended start line. Competitors on the shore side will be allowed to return to the start using a centre “lane” of the course. They must follow the briefing instructions and be extra vigilant to ensure they do not impede speed runs in progress.
For either course at the end of day, when all the GPS data is collected, our software will analyse the track and find the point where the competitor crossed the start line. From that point a 500m arc is defined, the run is completed when the competitor is 500m from their own start point. Thus, each competitor can sail their preferred course angle, even if it is not square to the lines of buoys at the start.
General Points on Sailing the Courses
It’s in your interest to start your run 100m or more from the start of the course and keep sailing fast well beyond the course end marker buoys to ensure the best possible run speed is obtained. Competitors must continue beyond these course markers, so they can safely turn and return to the start line without impeding other competitors. It is NOT acceptable to go up the active course the wrong way. Competitors will be warned, and if necessary, removed from the competition if they do this.
If an extended start shore course is used, other than the depth of water, there is no restriction on who sails where, the diagram assumes that the majority of kite and fin sailors will use the shallower water, but they may if they wish sail further out.
One of the questions that we are frequently asked is. Why does my GPS show a faster 500m speed than you have published? The reason for this is that the results we generate are for the course set on that day. The faster run is most likely to have occurred because the run in to, or run out of, the course was faster when compared to the other end of the run and the 'best' 500m was therefore not entirely on the designated course, but slightly before or after the course.