Entering a Club Event or Regatta Online

The Notice of Race is out for the regatta, or the social secretary has put the laying-up supper on the calendar, and you want a place. If your club takes entries online, entering a club event online is done from the event's own page on the club website, whether you are a member or a visitor from another club. This guide walks through the form, paying, what arrives by email, and what to do if your plans change.

Find the event and read the documents

Open the club's events calendar and click the event. Alongside the description, date, time and location, the event page lists any Event Documents the club has added: the Notice of Race, the Sailing Instructions and anything else, such as an entry form or course chart. Read these before you enter, especially the Notice of Race, which sets out eligibility and the entry terms.

If the club is taking entries online, the event information panel shows a Register Now button, with the starting price for paid events and a count of entries so far. If the event is full or entries have closed, you will see Registration Closed and the reason. Sometimes an event looks full only because other people are part-way through paying; the page will tell you if so, and a place frees up within 30 minutes if their payment is not completed.

Entering as a member

Sign in first. Your name and membership are filled in for you, so you only answer the questions about the event itself:

1. Press Register Now. The form opens, headed with the event's name.
2. If the event has more than one price option, such as adult and junior, or with and without supper, choose one under Select Option. Each shows its price and how many places are left.
3. For boat entries, choose one of the boats saved on your profile under Select Boat, or enter a different one. Boat name, sail number and helm are filled in from your profile, so keeping your boats up to date saves typing here.
4. Answer any questions the club has added for this event and upload any documents it asks for, such as an insurance certificate.
5. Tick to accept the terms and conditions if the event has them, then press Register for a free event, or the Pay & Register button (which shows the amount) for a paid one.

Entering as a guest

Visitors can enter events the club has opened to non-members. At the top of the form you will see "Registering as a guest", with a link to log in if you are actually a member. Guests enter their full name, email and phone number, and can add their address and yacht club.

Before anything is registered, the website checks your email address. You are sent a six-digit code with the event's name in the subject line; type it into the Check your email screen and press Confirm. The code lasts 10 minutes, and you can ask for a new one with Re-send code. Once it is confirmed, the entry carries on as normal.

If an event is for members only, guests see a message saying so, with a button to sign in.

Multi-day events and series

For a regatta over several days or a series of evening races, the form asks Which days will you attend? You can tick individual days, each showing how many places are left, or tick The whole series to enter every day at once. If the club has set a whole-series price, the form shows it along with how much it saves compared with paying day by day.

The series price only applies while every day can still be booked. Once any day is full or has passed, the form tells you that each day is charged separately.

Paying, and the 30-minute hold

For a paid entry you are taken to a secure Stripe card payment page. While you are there, your place is held for you for 30 minutes, so nobody can take it while you find your card.

• If you pay, you return to a Registration Confirmed page.
• If you go back without paying, a page tells you your place has been released and no charge has been made. You can enter again whenever you are ready.
• If you simply close the window, the hold runs out after 30 minutes and the place is released. Nothing is charged.

Free events skip the payment step: your entry is confirmed immediately.

Your confirmation and receipt

Once your entry is confirmed, you receive a "Registration Confirmed" email. It lists the days you entered, the date, time and location, your price option, the amount paid and, for boat entries, your boat details. For paid entries a receipt is attached as a PDF, and members will also find it under My Invoices in the members area, marked as paid.

The confirmation email also sets out the event's refund and cancellation policy. Keep it: that is what applies if your plans change.

The day before the event, or before each day you have entered for a multi-day event, you receive a reminder email headed with the event's name.

If you can no longer make it

Contact the club. Entries are cancelled by the club rather than from your account, and what happens to your money depends on the event's terms and the club's decision. The club can cancel an entry with a full refund, a partial refund or no refund.

When your entry is cancelled you receive an email confirming it. If a refund has been made it says how much, and that it normally takes 5 to 10 working days to reach your card.

If the club changes the event

Plans change on the club's side too. If the date changes, or you are moved from one day of a multi-day event to another, you receive a "Date changed" email showing your old and new day. If the whole event is cancelled, everyone entered is emailed, along with details of any refund. Members also see these messages in their notifications in the members area.

Common questions

Can I enter my partner or children too? Your club account is one household login, and family members do not have separate accounts. If an event has a junior or family price option, choose the one that fits; otherwise ask the club how it would like additional people entered.

Can I pay by bank transfer? Online entries are paid by card. If you need to pay another way, ask the club before entering.

Where do results appear? After the event, the club publishes results on its Results page on the website.

More from the members' guides

See also paying your club subscription online and keeping your club profile up to date so your boats are ready for the next entry form. If you run events for your club, read from Notice of Race to results and the event management feature page.