Junior Champion Helm (Gary Darch Trophy) and the Junior 5-4-1
What if there was a trophy just for Juniors this year? One that you are competing against each other, just for you? What if there was a challenge you could do at any time of the year and have your own leader board?
Say Hi to the Gary Darch Junior Champion Helm Cup and the Junior 5-4-1 challenge…………….
So what is the Gary Darch Cup? Well each year the club runs a series that runs for the full year as part of our Sunday racing. The 2pm race (most Sundays) is the Champion Helm and is the most prestigious trophy at the club. A few year ago to encourage youth racing, Gary Darch kindly donated a trophy and this year if any junior (under 18 on 1st January 2025) take part in the 2pm race their score goes towards the Junior Cup! This is just for you……
The race is a pursuit race and lasts for 80 minutes. Basically the start is staggered based on your boats PY (you get given your start time at lunchtime), slower boats start first and the faster boats try to catch them up. The aim is that as boats start at different times based on their PY ,the boats finish closely together. If you are new to pursuit racing, just let us know and we will make sure you are well briefed and that the safety boat guides you out on the water the first few times.
The race is a pursuit race and lasts for 80 minutes. Basically the start is staggered based on your boats PY (you get given your start time at lunchtime), slower boats start first and the faster boats try to catch them up. The aim is that as boats start at different times based on their PY ,the boats finish closely together. If you are new to pursuit racing, just let us know and we will make sure you are well briefed and that the safety boat guides you out on the water the first few times.
If you want something a bit different, also consider the 5-4-1 challenge.
The 5-4-1 is a open challenges which can be undertaken by any member in any boat as many times as they like on any day throughout the year. The basic rules are as follows:
- It is self timed, you do the run, record your time and whatsapp it into the club admin
- It is adjusted for PY.
- We score based on a running leader board closed at the end of the season (5/10)
- Courses can be reversed in the event of a different prevailing wind direction (person decides)
The courses are as follows:
- X-5s-4s-1s-X OR
- X-1p-4p-5-X
Speak to the Senior Coach (Andy Todd) or a member of the training team if you would like to know more.
Last updated 11:08 on 25 November 2025