SAILING:DESPITE TWO particularly harsh winters, the idea that sailing is a summer-only sport is becoming more and more a myth. More than 160 young Optimist sailors are training in West Cork this week, but the mid-term break is also a forerunner to spring, when various youth and junior championships are held well in advance of exams.

The depths of the “off-season” is also when hundreds of crews around the coast choose to keep up their weekly racing, as evidenced by the capacity turn-outs for dinghy and keelboats fleets at principal national venues.

And those numbers are set to swell further when the spring leagues begin. Along with their October counter-parts, the main sailing-season extends to more than seven months.

But what of the winter series and what can be gained from an hour or two per week from the sailing equivalent of nine-holes of golf?

“The aim is for practice and seamanship rather than results,” says Fintan Cairns, organiser of the Viking Marine series on Sunday mornings in Dun Laoghaire. “Its short and we can adapt to the conditions so people are in before lunchtime, no matter what.”

Typically, more than two-thirds of the 57-boat entry sail each week, so with an average of five or six people per boat, around 250 to 300 people take part per race.

Unsurprisingly, weather plays a significant factor in the winter-racing, a point that is high-lighted to owners and skippers when they enter: life-jackets are mandatory on all boats at all times.

Cairns cites the American experience of cancelling racing when winds reach 20 knots, but there was an outcry as people started losing seamanship skills.

“We don’t find too many days that are heavier, but we have to expect days of more than 20 knots in winter and from that experience the fleet gets practice in,” he says. “There aren’t as many boats out in winter so there’s plenty of sailing-room.”

According to coach Maurice “Prof” O’Connell, winter sailing is ideal for introducing new crew into the team or an opportunity for existing crew to try a different role on board their regular boat.

“Its important to remember that while it’s a not championship or an event with a serious prize dependant on the result, its still a coaching and learning opportunity,” he says. “That way the crew isn’t under as much pressure so they don’t feel rushed which is how mistakes happen.”

O’Connell also cautions against assumptions of other boats on the winter race-course that may not be regular summer sailors and are treating a series as their main racing interest.

“There’s a need to assume the unexpected, especially in tight situations: adopt a bigger margin of safety even if you’re the ‘right of way’ boat.”

Increasing the margin of safety in all situations is vital as boats converge relatively quickly in windy conditions so crew must be ready.

Safety considerations are, as ever, to the fore and good communication is vital. However, this is often over-looked.

“I suspect crew-briefings are the exception rather than the rule, except in the more settled teams, but should always be part of any preparation,” says O’Connell. “This is all the more so in winter sailing when conditions are colder.

“Winter fleets often have crew that aren’t regular sailors, so there’s a need to have a good look-out at all times and crew prepared.”