Qingdao Weta Sailing - 2009 Autumn Regatta
by Jeppe Mortensen on 5 Feb 2010
Crews enjoy some Qingdao waves - Qingdao Weta Sailing - 2009 Autumn Regatta SailWeta Jeppe Mortensen
The 'Qingdao Weta Sailing - 2009 Autumn Regatta' was recently held on Fushan Bay, outside Qingdao's Olympic Sailing Center. The regatta was in several ways a first:
-the first ever Weta trimaran regatta in Qingdao.
-the first ever dinghy regatta in Qingdao with boats exclusively owned by private individuals.
-the first ever one design dinghy regatta in Qingdao with non-Olympic class boats.
To accommodate some owners' last minute Saturday engagements and to take advantage of the anticipated better Sunday weather, the regatta had three days before been moved from Saturday to Sunday. That turned out to be a good decision.
The temperature doubled to 10°C (50°F), wind was in excess of 12 knots at race start, and gentle waves made the conditions ideal for the very mixed skill levels on the six participating boats.
Each Weta was sailed double-handed and the participants were a great mix of boat owners, regular Weta sailors, and some who had never sailed the Weta trimaran before, but were 'called in' when two skippers needed a crew.
With only two laps per race and the course kept short, the intensity was maintained in each race that lasted approx. 15 minutes.
A practice race was held to give everyone a chance to familiarize themselves with the starting sequence and the course. After that, three races were held in quick succession, and everyone could then get back on land before the cold could get to their feet and fingers.
There were a few collisions, but the boats held up great. Safety for participants and boats was emphasized during the skippers' meeting, but in hindsight the racing rules could have included a greater incentive to stay clear of each other!
The regatta was very well received by our local 'Weta warriors', and everyone learned a lot while having great fun in the process. Feedback has been very positive and people are now highly motivated to get on with regular monthly Weta races during the 2010 sailing season.
2009 Autumn Regatta Results:
1st _ 3 pts _ w029 _ Fei, Steven
2nd _ 6 pts _ w198 _ Tobisaka, Araki
3rd _ 10 pts _ w278 _ Tony, Hou Shuai
4th _ 12 pts _ w266 _ Robert, Alistair
5th _ 15 pts _ w269 _ Alan, Sven
6th _ 17 pts _ w305 _ Henrik, Arcangelo
Qingdao WETA Sailing: www.sailweta.com
Regatta photos: http://sailweta.zenfolio.com/2009-autumn-regatta
Weta Trimarans: www.wetamarine.com
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/65536
