Claires Court competes in virtual sailing competition
Claires Court competes in virtual sailing competition
Keen sailors from Claires Court school have continued with their season by competing virtually while sailing lakes are closed in the current covid-19 climate.
The 11 to 18 year old pupils representing all secondary school years (7 to 13) would normally be on the water at this time of year but are competing with 32 other school teams using an online format. The online sailing competition is based on two-boat team racing where you must get your boats to the finish ahead of the other team.
Paul Robson, Head of Sailing and Outdoor Education at Claires Court, said: “We are really keen to continue to provide as much of a rounded education as possible while all schools are physically closed.
“Normally our pupils would be sailing and training year round, leading to competitions in the summer and autumn terms. We have been delighted to team up with a school network across the country through the British Schools Dinghy Racing Association (BSDRA) to compete so pupils can continue their competitions without the need to physically meet.”
Each week every school is scheduled a match against another school on an online portal from KSail, who have sponsored the event. A match includes five races against another school. A race will have four boats competing, which includes two boats from the two schools. To win a race your team can’t have a boat in last place, so this leads to sailors choosing to attack or defend their position whilst also trying to sail fast around the virtual race course. The winner of the match is the team with the most race wins.
Participants control a virtual sailing boat with their computer, phone or tablet. The online racing game changes the wind direction and speed during the race and across the course, so players use tactics and knowledge to decide the best route.
Results from all the teams competing from around the country across the week are available at events.ksail.co.uk providing a ranking for the teams.
For information about Claires Court, please visit www.clairescourt.com or follow the school’s social media pages to see more.
