March Newsletter

Dear members,

It seems like the off-season is drawing to a close so fast, and with only seven (!) weeks to go before our beloved racing returns for 2025, I'd like to catch you all up on what's been going on.

There's a couple of things that are still moving targets and I had hoped to tie them down before emailing you, but it's been too long since we last spoke so I hope you'll forgive me double-tapping the communications in the pre-season!

I've split this newsletter into two sections: the first will be relevant to all members, and the second specific to owners.

All Members

Trim Clinic (Sunday 25 May)

Last year, we were fortunate to have the RYA's Andy Wibroe visit to discuss the Racing Rules with members. This year, we will vary the format to lay on a Setup and Trim Clinic with a distinguished panel of seasoned Daring sailors.

We will meet at the Sir Max Aitken museum with tea, coffee and cake before racing on the Sunday. The running order of the morning will be somewhat reminiscent of Question Time, with audience-submitted questions, so if that sounds interesting, put it in your diary!

Yacht Club de France Dates

We are delighted to continue our relationship with our friends from the Yacht Club de France, and there are two weekends set for 2025:

YCdF Cowes Fixture. Similar to last year, our French friends plan to visit us on 21-22 June and we ask that owners reserve some places in their boats for our valued guests.
YCdF Brittany Fixture. In return, YCdF are inviting us to a return match at La Trinite sur Mer on 25-26 October. More information to follow in a couple of months time.

Cowes Classics

While the scope has not officially changed from Friday 30 May - Monday 2 June, members should be aware that it is now being run by a joint RTYC/RLYC team led by Tim Hancock of the Thames, and may become a 3-day event. I have represented to him my views, that I believe are shared with many, that I am afraid of salami-slicing the event (Cowes Dinghy Week?) but if anybody has a strong and differing view, please feel free to let me know.

Bermuda International Invitational Race Week (BIIRW)

Sadly, both the primary and the backup Daring crews have both had to pull out of Bermuda. As many of you are aware, the IODs of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club have consistently invited a boat to represent the Daring class, and we have delivered worthy performances over the years. While our inability to send a team this year is a massive shame, we fully intend to return next year should the invitation be extended. In the meantime, to maintain the relationship for the year, we've issued an open invitation to Rick Thompson and his wonderfully hospitable friends to visit us for Cowes Classics.

Coaching Weekend

We were fortunate to report at the AGM a continued healthy financial position for the class and I intend to re-invest some of this balance into worthwhile events.

Therefore, I'm delighted to let you know that we have arranged in principle for David Bedford and Duncan Truswell to support us with some coaching support on a coming weekend. They are two excellent coaches, known by some for their coaching support to the Cowes Etchells fleet.

We will exploit an existing committee vessel racing weekend and while exact dates and details are TBC, the outline plan is that they will support with a pre-race briefing; on-the-water video capture and immediate feedback; and post-race feedback and analysis over a beer/cup of tea at the host club. If the event is a success I hope that it will become a valued part of our calendar.

I intend that this is accessible to all crews who wish to engage with it, and the more you engage the more value will be reaped by the class.

Please feel free to provide early feedback to me on the concept, but more details will follow in due course once agreed with David and Duncan.

Owners

Race Entries

CCCA Race Entry

Entry fees for 2025 have been set at £110 for Cowes Keelboat Championship races, and £265 for Solent Series (rising to £305 after 19 April). The CCCA NoR has not yet been published but will imminently appear on the CCCA TeamApp site: https://ccca.teamapp.com/documents

To Enter:

Make a payment to The Daring Association for £375
(When published) complete the CCCA entry form at the link above and send to Jo Chugg.

The modest increase in CKC costs from £90 is because last year's CKC was partially subsidised.

Cowes Week and Cowes Classics Entry

These regattas are of course entered individually by the boat. Please do yourselves a favour and attend to the Early Bird dates!

Cowes Classics. Entries not yet open (see notice below) but we will make you aware when it becomes available.
Cowes Week. Enter here by 4 May (our first weekend) to benefit from early bird fees of £516/boat.

RTYC 250th Anniversary Regatta

From 11-15 June, RTYC are celebrating a major birthday and we are participating, considering the Saturday and Sunday racing to be a Cowes Keelboat Championship weekend as well as the Cory Cup. We are invited to race in a mixed fleet on Friday, too.

We plan for an informal, come-as-you-are drinks reception, provisionally on the top patio at ISC, on the Friday evening of the regatta, leaving Saturday free for the big regatta party. I hope to see you there!

However, as we are folding into a larger regatta and poor Tim Hancock has a lot on his plate, we will need to conform to the processes of the wider regatta in a couple of respects:

Entry. While fees have been negotiated as a class, individual boats will be asked to enter via the RTYC's regatta website at no individual cost.
Sailing Instructions. The racing for the Daring Class, while counting for all the normal trophies, will be run in accordance with RTYC's NoR and SIs for the wider regatta and not the standard CCCA documents. I expect the difference to be slight but please do pay attention - at the very least, communications and signalling systems are likely to change.

Lallows Price List

Please be advised that the Lallows price list has been updated for 2025 and can be accessed on the website here: MEMBERS AREA | Darings

I've had a look and the majority of services have increased by ~3% to 3.5% which compares favourably against the services inflation nationally. Storage has taken a slightly greater jump (8%) while I'm sure it's justified I will ask Lallows on your behalf what the influences are for those costs in future.

Schedule D

We intend to enable online form submission of Appendix D this year, accessible from a smartphone or computer, to reduce form-filling and form-signing. The true "content" of the declaration will be as per the original article in the class rules.

The document-based system will remain available to those who wish but is gently discouraged as a modernisation.

Items in Progress

A few critical NoRs and entry forms have yet to be published and I will endeavour to let you know when they are available. That includes CCCA and Cowes Classics.

Additionally, when I receive price guides from Lallows, we will let all owners know. Be advised that Island Divers are again approved for scrubbing in 2025 subject to the boat declaring their intentions to the Committee and their rates will be included in the Handbook. However, don't forget that if you use them for scrubbing you may need to contract a mid-season antifoul separately!

We will also be including service-level agreements for sail maintenance by our sail contractors in the handbook this year and if anybody has any suggestions as to useful content, please do advise.

Conclusion

I'm sorry it's taken me a while to get around to writing to you, but I hope you had a restful break! Please do support the work of the team over the next couple of months with AppD, entry fees, memberships, re-validation of handbook details, and all the other asks we may have of you. I can't wait to see you all again in May!

Yours aye,

Josh