BATTLING THE WIND: 2025 MIYC Winter Trophy 2nd Leg

I'm coming from Ankara to Marmaris for the 2025 MIYC Winter Trophy 2nd Leg races to be held on February 8-9 in Marmaris.

As the aircraft approaches the Mediterranean coast, the fierce effect of the wind is felt in the cabin.

With whitecaps on the sea and the aircraft literally tossed about by squalls at low altitude, a very difficult but successful landing is executed in Dalaman.

The wind is very strong in the region and affecting a wide area.

MIYC is holding the Trio Cup races on Friday, February 7. There's a wind on the racecourse that doesn't drop below 20 knots.

The situation in the region has been the same for days. Let's see what tomorrow will bring?

Saturday, February 8

In the morning, there's no trace of yesterday's weather, but there's still wind in Marmaris.

Meteorology websites show in their updated latest forecasts that it will be challenging in this leg.

MARMARİS MUNICIPALITY QUAY

The activity at the quay catches attention while coming from the hotel to the Club.

With the practice that started during the race week, participants have moored their boats to the Marmaris Municipality quay.

Equipment is being organized, sails are being folded.

This practice has really brought the races into Marmaris. The people of Marmaris are closely following the boats and crews they saw racing offshore.

10:00 AM; BRIEFING TIME

Attendance at the briefing in the Club facilities is higher than ever.

Chief Race Officer Ezgi Kalaycı blows her whistle and begins her speech.

She introduces the Race Committee and Protest Committee Chairman Murat Suntay, reminding everyone of notable issues from the previous leg.

She mentions they are expecting northerly winds for 2 days, and once again warns about the rules regarding mark usage.

She issues warnings that the Technical Committee will check whether the required documents on the boats and advertising texts are in compliance with regulations.

OFF TO THE RACE COURSE

At the end of the briefing, first the committee boat and then the 28 competing boats head towards the Marmaris race course.

I'll be following the race from the committee boat for this leg. I'll be tracking and documenting whatever happens in that area from there.

Measurements are being taken in different areas.

There's no wind and it continues to disappear.

POSTPONEMENT, POSTPONEMENT, POSTPONEMENT

The announced race time is passing. The postponement continues.

The committee boat tirelessly keeps changing position, searching for wind.

It's obvious that the boat's crew is exhausted from the frequency of dropping and raising anchor.

So are our ears.

The referee boats taking measurements in different areas still can't relay the good news to the Chief Race Officer.

During this waiting period, some boats strike different beautiful poses for the race committee boat.

THE BORED TAKE A BREATHER AT THE MASTHEAD

The weather's too cold to swim, but you can climb the mast out of boredom.p>

"Hope is running out now" they say. The time shows 15:46 when wind measurement announcements from different positions indicate that the wind might be suitable for racing.

The committee springs into action, working to set the course.

With wind blowing from 250 degrees at 4-8 knots, the route for the first race is announced.

Route is MIYC routes ROUTE 5

At 16:20 ORC A and ORC B classes,

At 16:25 ORC C and ORC D classes cross the start line and begin racing.

Boats try their luck in areas where the wind spreading across the course shows variations.

The wind, quickly reaching 9 knots, allows the boats to race comfortably.

As the marks are rounded one by one, and the sun in the west slowly approaches the land ready to give its last rays, the boats racing against the hot air balloons present beautiful views.

When the race was completed;

Since the last warning signal limit of the day was at 16:40, there are no other races today.

At the end of the day's only race, there are protests. The race technical committee issues warnings to 3 boats (WINGS RACING-ADA SAILOR-WILD WEST) for not complying with advertising regulations.

Following the protest filed by WINGS RACING against VAKKORAMA, VAKKORAMA receives DNE.

TROPHY-DÖNER WONDERFUL

In the evening, MİYC Winter Trophy 2nd Leg awards will be presented at the club facilities.

There's döner on the menu this time.

Participation in such evenings during winter trophies would normally be regular.

This time it's very, very crowded.

Racers would typically spend Saturday evening at the restaurants on the waterfront.

But this time it's the opposite, everyone is here.

February 9, Sunday

No wind since morning. The raw exhaust smoke from the Rhodes ferry sailing at sea isn't moving an inch.

Let's see what happens?

Race Committee boat sets off at 10:00.

Measurements are being taken from different positions on the glassy sea. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

STORM LEVEL IN BODRUM

While there's no wind on our course, sailors in Bodrum weren't allowed out on the water at that moment because wind was well above the limits. Our Marmaris stays sheltered

in this geography.

Again, the committee boat and mark boats are cruising around the entire course.

WE TOURED THE ENTIRE BAY, COULDN'T FIND WIND

There's hardly a spot we haven't gone to or tried.

Postponement continues. Wherever the committee boat goes, the fleet follows. Searching and searching, with postponements we reach 13:45.

At this hour, announcements of 7 knots come through the radios from different positions.

The referees' preparations after this moment are worth seeing. Like a hospital emergency response team.

Fast, aggressive, action-packed moments are happening on the boat.

Meanwhile, "there will be racing now" balloons have been inflated on the boats. They're also circling around the Committee boat.

It's as if they're saying: "Come on, come on, come on!"

The course is announced; MIYC Routes - Route 4 E

A triangular course.

At 14:25, the start horn sounds for ORC A and ORC B classes.

The horn sounds, but VAKKORAMA, which received a protest penalty from yesterday, is experiencing another problem with another boat behind the start line.

Once again, the competitive ORC A class boat FARRAWAY-MIKNATIS YACHTING, despite all its efforts, cannot avoid being OCS (On Course Side).

At 14:30, when ORC C and ORC D classes also start, the entire fleet is on the course.

Wind is blowing from 320 degrees at 7-8 knots.

After the race starts, although the strength increases from time to time, there is no decrease.

Those heading towards Albatros and Netsel Marina waters are a bit luckier.

The wind is stronger in these areas.

It becomes a race where spinnakers are hoisted, and magnificent images are captured.

VAKKORAMA gives the first finish, but how it will reflect on the results is unknown.

The wind freshens considerably towards sunset. A 2nd Race is out of the question today.

When all finishes were recorded;

With the wind arriving much later than usual on the Marmaris course, only 2 races could be completed in this leg.

At the end of the day, protests were filed again. The protest filed by FLYER against MR. WHITE in ORC Class B was not upheld.

Similarly, FLYER yacht filed a measurement protest against STREKOZA yacht.

The ongoing procedure of this protest is being awaited with interest.

What will be the outcome; the process and cost of the measurement protest in ORC?

We also asked the Chief Umpire about the race.

EZGİ KALAYCI

(Chief Umpire)

"This week the wind challenged us.

On Friday during the trio cup races, we had an average of 20 knots of wind.

We ran 1 coastal race but we exhausted the wind, nothing was left for the weekend.

We waited for wind for a long time.

All boats were at sea together with the committee boat.

On Saturday, after 4:00 PM, we were able to conduct one windward-leeward race.

On Sunday, the wind came around 2:00 PM, but it was shifting a lot. We were only able to complete one triangular course."

FROM IRC TO ORC

We asked the commodore of Marmaris International Yacht Club, which transitioned from the IRC system to ORC with these races, about the necessity of the transition and how it was accomplished

EROL ALGÜL

(MIYC Commodore)

"My personal education on ORC began in 2018 when I wanted to participate with my yacht in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE / Spain race.

At that time, there was no ORC measurer in Turkey, or at least I couldn't find one.

I completed the measurement procedures in RHODES, which was the closest place to me, and entered my yacht in the race with an International certificate. In the following years, I continued to renew the ORC certificate

and race.

During this time, I was also on the MIYC Club Board and constantly talked about ORC, but neither I nor those around me had sufficient knowledge.

In 2023, this came up on the agenda again. That year, I had decided to enter the 151 Miglia race in Italy.

This time I obtained the ORC certificate from TYF and we were struck by how much lower the costs were.

Actually, the measurement/weighing costs in IRC were the main issue, and it could also be considered that ORC offered the opportunity to race with different systems together.

Most importantly, the emergence of experienced people in Turkey from whom we could get support paved the way for this transition.

At the beginning of 2024, we started working to train our measurers; during this time, the chief umpire needed to gain experience.

With the support of Rhodes Yacht Club, after organizing two different race events in Marmaris, we saw that the transition to ORC was possible.

When we saw during Marmaris Race Week that the cost of a measurement protest together with weighing was very high, the definitive decision for the transition was made.

The main work had to be done before entering 2025.

First, the race notices that had been customary for years would need to be adapted to ORC; preliminary work was done on this matter.

Of course, the transition of the entire fleet from IRC to ORC certificates is very important.

In the background, ORC test certificates were created for all boats in the fleet.

The fact that most of our racing fleet had IRC Endorsed certificates made our job easier (IRC Endorsed certificates can be converted to ORC Club certificates)

Taking the values in these certificates into account, boats were ranked and divided into groups as APHD and CDL, and these were compared with IRC. Looking at the situation,

APHD appeared to be the most suitable for our fleet, but of course this work was not enough - like the endorsed certificate in IRC, we had to focus on making our fleet ORC International.

For this, we carried out the measurements by selecting times when weather conditions, availability of measurers, and boat requests were all suitable. While these were being done, we held meetings via Zoom to inform the crews.

Meanwhile, our correspondence with ORC central management continued. All of this continued until the end of 2024.

Now we were ready for the first Trophy race of 2025. The first race as ORC would be organized by BAYK, all eyes were on it, we followed it closely.

As MIYC, we also completed our first Trophy race, and we are being subjected to untimely and prejudiced correspondence, just like some of our friends experienced; they are within the system

and when they learn how it works, they will see that the real task is to be on the field with the intention of racing.

Our work continues to advance our fleet and eliminate any doubts between boats.

We particularly established the ORC Turkey group with ORC management; there are a few of us here, but for quick responses to issues, we communicate here instead of

corresponding via email.

During this process, Kerim, Şükrü, Levend and Barış from our side continue to provide support..

As is the case throughout Europe, whether it's IRC or ORC, any club can choose what they want, or we can organize races with both systems together."