WSC
The Club organises the White Sail Challenge every other Wednesday over the summer.
It is not racing in the usual sense. Instead, boats participate in the Challenge by sailing a defined course around navigational buoys in the vicinity of Cargreen in a seamanlike manner, starting in their own time so that close encounters with other yachts are avoided. The ordinary International Rules for the Prevention of Collision at Sea apply rather than the more complicated Racing Rules of Sailing. This means that ordinary cruising-risks insurance is usually sufficient, but this must be confirmed with insurers first. As the name suggests, spinnakers and similar complicated sails are not used.
Boats of all sizes take part and this year there will be:
- a red course, open to all craft, runs between CYC Clubouse and the Saltash bridges; and
- an on request blue course, shorter, open to boats up to 22 feet including dinghies without engines, runs between the northern end of the CYC moorings and the red navigational beacon at Weir Point.
Courses are designed to take advantage of the tide and the red courses allow for deep draft yachts. Each course typically take about 90 minutes to complete and boats record their own times. Handicaps are applied and continuously adjusted during the Challenge so that they accurately reflect actual performance on the water and so that every boat has a good chance of doing well.
After each event, we meet up in the bar for refreshments whilst the results are worked out and experiences swapped.
To compete in the overall results, it is not necessary to sail in every Wednesday event. Longer day or overnight challenges are scheduled for weekends and the results from these can contribute to a boat's overall score.
Please give the White Sail Challenge a try. Sailors from other clubs are welcome to participate and if you don't have a boat there are opportunities to crew or hire a dinghy. You will find it great fun and a wonderful way to meet other sailors on the water and in the Clubhouse. You will also hone your sailing skills and explore parts of the river you normally pass by!
Here are the White Sail Dates for 2025
30 April hw 20:50 5.6m
14 May hw 20:00 5.2m
28 May hw 19:50 5.5m
11 June hw 19:00 5.1m
25 June hw 18:50 5.3m
9 July hw 18:00 5.0m
23 July hw 17:40 5.1m
6 August hw 16:50 4.7m
20 August hw 16:40 4.7m
27 August hw 21:30 5.3m
10 Sept hw 21:50 hw 5.7m
Longer events are planned for:
Cawsand Challenge Sun 29 June
Wacker Challenge Sun 20 July
Yealm Weekend Sat/Sun 16/17 Aug
Regatta Sat 6 Sep
For this year, if you already competed in at least one Wed last year, all you need to do is send the follow declaration to wsc@cargreenyacht.club:
I (name of skipper/owner) apply to participate in the CYC White Sail Challenge 2025 in (name of yacht, class & sail number). I confirm I have read and agree to comply with the Sailing Instructions for the Challenge, in particular paragraphs 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 concerning suitability of my yacht, adequacy of safety and emergency equipment, cover by third party insurance, and sole responsibility of skipper.
If you are new to the White Sail Challenge then in addition to the declaration, you need to email a 2025 YTC certificate.
For a perspective on the RYAs Yacht Time Correction (YTC) system, the basis of the White Sail handicapping, see the slides from Tony Heads talk (link below).
For more details see the Sailing Instructions (link below).
To take part or discuss the Challenge, please contact the Challenge Convenor on 07866680971 or wsc@cargreenyacht.club .
Downloads
Last updated 11:40 on 14 April 2025