Venue Tips by Jim Saltonstall (accreditation to Sailjuice for this article). Torbay is a large bay, facing east and situated on the English Riviera. It is one of the most popular venues for major yachting events in Great Britain. The venue is serviced by three clubs: Royal Torbay Yacht Club to the north; Paignton Sailing Club in the middle; and Brixham Yacht Club to the south. All three clubs have an excellent reputation for hosting major events. They o ff er first class hospitality, a friendly atmosphere and a professional approach to the running of big events, both ashore and afloat. But book early to save disappointment, as it is a very popular venue. Race Areas The three race areas could operate easily at any one time: north, middle and south in the bay. However, if there is just the one major event going on at one of the clubs, then they normally plum for the middle of the bay, or the area nearest to the club hosting the event. North Race Area Wind Direction 330-040 degrees: 'Orrible direction for Torbay, with the wind coming over the top of a high land mass to the north it is all over the place. This is both a competitor’s and a race committee’s nightmare. Should you have to race in this wind direction, don’t forget to take the prayer book with you! The wind shifts over a wide arc - perhaps 80 degrees. Worse, the wind is very gusty as it comes over the top of the hill. Normally, the race committee will not race you here. They will take the fleet further to the south or east, away from the land for cleaner wind. 040-090 degrees: A clearer direction for the wind and also for the sea. The wind coming anywhere from the eastern sector will give you the roughest sea state, with big waves and swell having gathered momentum along the English Channel. It normally pays to go left up the beat for the wind, as there is more velocity on the left, as well as the header on starboard tack as you go in towards the shore, with lifts as you come out on port tack. 090-140 degrees: This is the clearest sector for the wind, whilst racing in the northern circle in the bay. The wind now tends to be more stable in both direction and velocity. So the tidal scenario will play more of a role in the decision making process, which we will address later. 140-270 degrees: We are once again land locked and back into the shifts mode, however, even this sector for the wind can be broken down into smaller sectors: 140-220 degrees: In this sector, the wind is not too bad in terms of direction and velocity, as you are quite some distance away from any high and mass. The shifts are over a narrow arc - 10 degrees, with not too much change in velocity. Know your numbers on the compass, highs and lows, as on starboard tack with the wind in this direction, there is no land for reference. 220-270 degrees: Use the shifts left-of-middle, where you will find more velocity in the wind. If you get too far over to the right too early, you will find less wind on that side of the course.
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