Welcome to the wonderful world of accessible single-handed keelboat racing!
Many of you will have seen the RVYC 2.4mR fleet out training and racing in Cadboro Bay. We thought it was time to officially introduce you to the boat and encourage you to come down for a look and a chat with the fleet members… and maybe even for a sail! Try it once and we promise you will enjoy many hours of sailing in this lively, tactical boat.
The 2.4mR is a one-person sloop-rigged keelboat, 13’ 8” long. Created in 1983 by Swedish designers using the classic ‘Metre’ rule, the boat is the little sister of the international 6m, 8m and 12m (of the America’s Cup fame). In 1992 World Sailing recognized that boat as an International Class. Since then, World Championships have been sailed every year with 60 to 100 boats competing. The biggest fleets are in the Scandinavian countries, Italy, England, Germany, Australia, the USA and Canada.
The 2.4mR is a sophisticated racing thoroughbred, with the sensitivity of a dinghy. The sailor sits facing forwards and handles the sails and steering from this position. Each sailor may adapt the controls to suit their individual needs and preferences. Some sailors steer with a hand-operated tiller, while others use foot controls, and there is plenty of options for relocating lines, and adding extra fine controls or purchase. This unique adaptability enables able-bodied and disabled sailors, both genders, and people of all ages and body types to sail the boat competitively. No distinction is made in many events and sailors from every category have achieved podium results in open events. A sailor really is just a sailor in the 2.4mR! In 2000 the boat was selected to be the single-handed Paralympic Boat, with Canada’s Paul Tingley winning gold in Beijing 2008.
The fleet at RVYC is 17 boats strong and growing every year. The boats range in age from one to 15 years old and the fleet makes a considerable effort to work together so that everyone’s boat is set up properly and can compete. Our fleet members include many club racers, dinghy sailors, along with top performing Paralympians, international and national champions in various classes. Each year, we participate in the three RVYC small boat regattas (Frozen Assets, Spring Dinghy Championships, and Fall Dinghy Regatta), organize a fleet championship and Pacific Coast Championship and host an Inter-fleet event to crown the Club Champion of Champions. For the first time in 2020 we ran a team racing event which was a learning experience and a whole lot of fun. For those wishing to compete farther afield, a five regatta CanAm series runs in Florida through the winter, with a summer version run in Ontario. For the international traveller, European Championships and many national regattas will welcome you.
But don’t let all this high-level racing talk put you off. If you want to work on your skills, we race on Saturdays and practice skills or sail for fun on Wednesday afternoons. On practice days, there is a brief conversation before sailing to determine our focus, which may be just to go for a sail around to Willows Beach. Feedback and sharing is the name of the game and we never have to worry about putting together a crew! (Dinghy sailors may find themselves thinking ‘someone should trim that jib’… and then realise that person is themselves!).
To learn more, come down to P dock....talk to any fleet member listed in the Annual... or email Info@rvyc.bc.ca