This year the Byte Nationals again take place within the GJW Direct SailFest Regatta which has for 2014 moved east to the fantastic Solent setting of Calshot Spit, on the southern shore of the New Forest.
The race team, SolentXtra, have been brought in for the event and combine Olympic experience from 2012 with a wealth of local knowledge from the Warsash based PRO, Peter Knight. The safety team, again led by a 2012 'veteran' combines the skills of Warsash SC, P1 safety crew members and the featured charity for the event, the UK youth Marine Training Academy.
The cost of £69 is very reasonable for such a professionally-organised event. Included in this is personalised coaching advice from a leading dinghy helm following observation of performance during the Nationals races.
SailFest is developing into a true festival, with local clubs and organisations getting behind the event and of course the input this year from locally based Garmin with their great new VIRB Elite action cameras. (Garmin are sponsoring the Garmin Summer Series, of which SailFest is the final event.) SailRacer will be putting a camera on at least one Byte each day to capture the race action in HD quality video to play back on the big screen after racing.
The Byte Nationals results will be taken from the 2-days racing (total of 6 races with 5 to count) over the weekend of 23 & 24 August, but GJW Direct SailFest is itself a 3 day event, plus an optional training day on Friday 22nd August. In 2013 it was Byte sailor Mike Radford who actually won the Raymarine Long Distance Pursuit race held on the Bank Holiday Monday, so certainly worth staying around for the third day!
Accommodation on site at Calshot offers a choice of twin or triple bedded B&B with sea views to every room. It has been arranged with Hampshire County Council (who manage the Calshot site) that competitors may extend their stay from as early as Thursday 21st to the following Saturday 30th, or any number of nights within that time (minimum of 3 nights). Not quite ensuite, there are an equal number of shower-rooms on the opposite side of the corridor to bedrooms, keeping bedrooms dry. The breakfast included in the B&B package retails at £10.95 for non-residents so will certainly set sailors up for the day. More accommodation details here: SailFest Accommodation
Calshot Activities Centre has a bar with patio overlooking the Solent and evening meals are available to order in the cafeteria next to the accommodation block. More detail here: SailFest Meals
The shore-side schedule has been arranged this year to allow sailors to take part in the other activities on offer after racing (as well as sessions for families and friends during the day). Calshot Activities Centre boasts the only velodrome south of London, together with extensive indoor climbing walls, archery, skiing and of course water-sports. See further details on the event website.
All entries before Sunday 10th August will be entered into a prize draw for one of the Garmin VIRB Elite cameras, eight of which have already been handed out during the summer series. Find out more about the camera here: VIRB Blog
So get your entry in now to have a chance of winning £350 worth of the latest sailing tech! Byte Nationals Entry