The racing season at Eyott runs from March to October and forms the mainstay of the club’s on the water activity. This racing is run in a way to be accessible to all taking part. Even a novice sailor can expect to finish one of their first races despite being in the same race as highly skilled helms in considerably faster boats. Sailing at Eyott is a particularly safe venue to learn to sail. The water is almost always flat, the shore is never far away and you don’t have to worry about being swept out to sea.
If you’re new to sailing or haven’t even started yet then racing is an easy way to improve your ability, as you will learn from the more experienced sailors.
If you’ve raced a sailing dinghy before then Eyott is a bit of a special venue. The races normally involve sailing from the start line at the club house in the narrow Fenn Creek, with it’s more shifty winds and short tacking, out to the broader River Crouch where the wind becomes stronger but steadier giving a range of conditions in the same race. In the main river the tide is strong enough to effect decisions on the best route to take to the next mark. Typically we have 1 race per day which lasts for 80 minutes. At present our fastest boat is a Streaker and slowest is a Mirror, staggered starts with the fastest starting last ensure we all finish about the same time.
Due to the restricted water of the creek the maximum length of boats is limited to 13ft.
