Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The 1720 class has followed the lead of some other sailing classes and taken the plunge into the world of virtual racing writes Robbie English.
The Rope Dock 1720 VR April League started three weeks ago and has received 40 entrants. Given that each race on the Virtual Regatta platform is limited to 20 entrants, two fleets have been created to accommodate the large number of competitors. Each fleet is randomly selected each week and adds an extra dimension to the racing. The boats used for racing are changed each week also, to keep it interesting and everyone on their toes.
A large fleet makes for a crowded racecourse and some close racing
With such a large fleet, the race course has become a congested place! However, this has made for some tight racing as it can be hard to pull away from such a large pack. Results can vary wildly, and has made for an incredibly close leader board. After three weeks of racing, the lead at the top of the board change hands three times. Our current leader is Daniel Raymond, who has found a consistent form that has taken to the top on 63 points. He is followed closely by Darragh McCormack in second on 67 points and Killian Collins in third on 73 points. However, a 10-point lead can we whittled away very quickly!
Close racing makes for a jam-packed mark rounding. Here we see a typical leeward gate approach!
So, it’s all to play for heading into the final week of racing, which will be on Tuesday night at 20:00. A thank you must go out to our league sponsor, Rope Dock, who have very generously supplied us with the prizes for the league. Who exactly is going to get them, is yet to be determined. Results can be downloaded below.
