The Course Manager
Richard Cornah
For those about to enjoy the Wilson Trophy for the first time, racing takes place on the Marine Lake at West Kirby. West Kirby looks out across the Dee Estuary towards the coast of North Wales, roughly 4 miles away. The estuary is very tidal – over 9m range at springs – so that our tidal classes can only race for about two hours either side of high water.
In order to provide boating facilities that were unaffected by the tide, a second sea wall was built to hold in an area of water that forms the Marine Lake. It was completed in 1899 and after a partial collapse of the original wall it was extended to its present dimensions of 1000 x 200m in 1985.
The Marine Lake has many features that make it ideal for team racing – the promenade provides a perfect viewing platform and we have flat, tide-free water like an inland lake, but with the benefit of better coastal wind patterns.
At the Wilson Trophy we use the standard ‘s’ course, with the first windward mark to starboard. The races are short, with a 3 minute starting sequence. We normally operate with five flights of boats, so that from its starting signal, a flight has 12 minutes to sail round the course to the finish, return to the jetties, change crews and sail back to the starting area to arrive in time for the 3 minute starting sequence. The course therefore has to be set near to the jetties to minimise the change-over times, which means that things can get pretty crowded at the Southern end of the lake, particularly when you add a dozen umpire RIBs to the 30 Fireflies. Much depends on the skill and consideration of the competitors in keeping clear when not actually racing, and both are usually shown in abundance. On the plus side, the concentration of all the racing in front of the grandstand makes for great viewing.
The promenade and lake wall lie roughly in a NW direction and the best sailing conditions – and the easiest from the course manager’s point of view – are winds from the North West or the South. The course legs can then be set at the optimum length, leaving plenty of room for competitors to sail to and from the jetties. Westerly to South Westerly winds blow across the lake so the width begins to be an issue – not helped by the presence of the old swimming baths and surrounding rock armour. The beats and runs have to become shorter, with correspondingly longer reaches, which are rarely the most interesting part of a team racing course.
The course manager’s nightmares (apart from the recurring one of no wind at all) usually feature anything from Easterly back round to North West, which brings the winds down the roads facing the promenade, leading to inevitable flat spots and shifts. A South Easterly will be a little better as it blows over Caldy hill (which rises behind the Club House) but winds from this direction are often lazy, choosing to go round the hill – first one side and then the other, giving continual 15-20 degree shifts.
The Course Manager’s top tip is to watch the other teams on the water to see how the shifts are playing. Because the wind is coming in to meet the land immediately behind the lake, even an onshore wind will tend to shift between 10-15 degrees periodically – and the state of the tide can make a difference.
Because of the continuous starting sequence, the course has to be set for the average wind direction; some fine tuning can be done to cater for more persistent shifts, with priority being given to the first beat and run. More significant moves have to be done in stages to cope with flights of Fireflies appearing every 3 minutes, and the umpires join in to help if we have to make a major rotation of the course. Everything is done to minimise any breaks in the racing – if there is a pause it will usually be because we are waiting for a new wind direction to establish itself.
If you have any comments about the course lay-out or mark positions please speak to the Course Management team when you come ashore – we cannot always see changes on all parts of the course if conditions are unstable and any input is appreciated – do not leave it until the evening when we cannot put it right!
For the 60th Wilson we are looking forward to working with six flights instead of the usual five, since this increases the time for transfers and should give us a little more flexibility with the position of the course. See you on the water – and keep your fingers crossed for those North Westerlies.