THE GUERNSEY BOARD SAILING ASSOCIATION

The racing season runs from April to September. Most races are held at Ladies Bay.

Pursuit races

Pursuit racing is held on Thursday evenings at Ladies Bay, with a skippers meeting at 18.30 followed by two races of between 20 to 30 minutes each.

Competitors' handicaps are adjusted after each race, with the top one third of the fleet increasing 1 minute and the bottom third decreasing 1 minute (down to a minimum of zero).

Course races

Course racing is held on Sunday mornings at Ladies Bay, except on those occasions when an alternative club event takes precedence. Skippers meeting 10.30 followed by two races of between 30 to 40 minutes each.

Slalom

Occasional slaloms may be held on an ad-hoc basis when wind is sufficient. These may be at Ladies bay or Vazon Bay.

General

Pursuit, course and slalom races are open to visiting sailors. Fourteen day GBSA membership is available for visitors at a cost of £5 which includes third party insurance cover.

Pursuit racing is especially suitable for beginning board sailors, provided only that you have the ability to sail around a set course involving reaching, running and beating.

For pursuit and course racing, a majority of competitors still sail Mistral IMCO one-design boards, but some sail “formula” boards. There are no restrictions on types of boards allowed in weekly races.

Scoring basis for pursuit and course racing leagues: Eight races per series. Best six to count (two discards). Points scored per race equal to the place gained. Lowest total score wins the series.

Organisation of GBSA weekly racing competitions is generally informal, but competitors are expected to know and understand the fundamental and right of way rules as set out in Part 1 and Part 2 (pages 7 to 14) and Appendices B1 to B3.2 (pages 48 to 52) of the ISAF Racing Rules 2009 to 2012.