The season begins in early May with a short time trial followed by a raft-up of boats on the Main Wharf, and ends with a short time trial and presentation of the Season prizes in the Athol Hobbs Room in late September.
It sounds simple, but getting the perfect “zero” score is deceptively difficult, and you will find yourself developing your knowledge of the river and perfecting your boat handling skills to achieve it.Įvents usually start at 2 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, and after finishing the event, participants proceed to the Club mooring in Freshwater Bay for some well-earned socialising before returning to the Clubhouse for the announcing of results commencing at 5:30pm. The navigator is responsible for timekeeping using any preferred method including modified clocks, stopwatches, and more recently various phone and tablet apps.Ī one point penalty is applied for every second that a boat is early or late at each checkpoint, so that the boat with the lowest number of points lost wins the event. The ‘team’ comprises of a skipper and a navigator, it is the role of the skipper to drive the boat, a knowledge of the river marks and speed restrictions is important. Each boat starts individually at an allocated time and completes a set course around ‘Checkpoints’ on the river. Time Trialling is a test of accuracy rather than speed, and requires that you arrive at checkpoints located a known distance apart at precisely the right time, based on your nominated speed of between 5 and 15 knots. Time Trialling provides you with a great opportunity to use your boat, big or small, on the river during the cooler winter months.