RACING
Come Join Us!
Sailing is challenging and fun. Sailboat racing is even more so!
At South Winds Sailing Club (SWSC), our emphasis is on the enjoyment and just plain fun of sailing… all aspects of sailing. We enjoy racing as a way to enjoy friendly competition, practice the art of sailing, significantly enhance boat-handling skills, and to quickly learn more about sailing. It has been said that you can learn more about the art and science of sailing in one season of racing than in many years of casual cruising. Even if you identify yourself as a daysailor or a cruiser, racing will improve your skills, your effectiveness, and your enjoyment of all forms of sailing. Give it a try!
There is friendly competition and community involvement in every race at SWSC. Our races are competitive, but casual enough that everyone can enjoy. Of course you could enjoy raising some Dacron and gliding across the water on a beautiful breezy day, but randomly bouncing around the lake will only thrill you so far.
Racing around a set of marks (the buoys and other objects that mark the corners of a sailing race course); navigating a defined course and competing with other sailboats; enhance your skill and abilities in sailing more than you would believe. This translates into more fun and confidence when you are sailing around a lake or cruising on beautiful open waters. Consider joining us for some great fun this year. You can find the race schedule by clicking on the tab 'Race Schedule' above. See you on the water!
Don't have a sailboat? That is perfectly OK! SWSC welcomes people with no sailboat to be members; including those who have never sailed at all! Crew, from novice to “Rock Star”, is always welcome for the skipper who is competing in the (Skipper Of The Year) SOTY series. Please select 'Contact Us' from the left and mention 'sailboat racing crew' in the comments.
Fleet Structure
As in the past, we will be racing an "A" fleet and a "B" fleet. The "A" fleet is composed of the more experienced racing skippers or those who just think they are. While still a friendly bunch, expect to hear the word "STARBOARD!" yelled at you followed by an evil chuckle. The "B" fleet is ideal for those who are new to racing or have a new sailboat, and do not want to have "STARBOARD" yelled at them so frequently. The "B" fleet is a great place to learn racing skills and to exchange techniques with the "A" fleet skippers. Especially since you are not a direct competitor to them, they will be more than willing to give you great advice for local lake conditions.
This year, for the “Special” races, we will have a “staggered” start. “B” fleet will start 10 minutes before the beginning of the “A” fleet starting series (thus a total of 15 minutes before “A” fleet actually starts). During the “B” fleet’s 5-minute starting period, NO “A” fleet boat can be in the start area! Any “A” fleet boat that enters the start area during the “B” fleet start period will be DSQ’d for that race. This will give the newer racers an opportunity to have some starts without having to be in the sometimes intense “Scrum” of an “A” fleet start.
At SWSC we give you more than a pat on the back when you do well on the race courses. Winners get a beautiful plaque or trophy to proudly display on your wall or shelf. Our primary award is for the winners of the Skipper of the Year series of races. The skippers who get the highest score and second place are awarded trophies and/or plaques for their respective fleets ("A" or "B").
For the special races run during the year, like the 4th of July race or Turtle Rock, there is only one set of trophies, awarded to the winner and 2nd place finish without regard to which fleet in which that boat sails. (The “B” fleet gets a 15-minute earlier start in these “Special” races, and and their finish times count toward “B” fleet SOTY. There are just one set of trophies for that “Special” race.) All of these trophies (“Regular” and “Special” are awarded at the Commodore's Ball in November.
One more thing to keep the "B" fleet for those new to racing, winning "B" fleet Skipper of the Year or “B” fleet Second Place moves you automatically to "A" fleet for at least one year.
Leveling The Field (i.e. Handicap and Scoring)
We will be using essentially the same scoring and handicap system as last year.
Handicaps will start with the Portsmouth Yardstick but we will adjust handicaps after each day of racing based on finish time(s). All handicaps of boats that raced that day will be adjusted by up to 40% of that day’s difference, based on each boat’s course completion time compared to the first place finisher. Over time this will cause the handicaps for every skipper / boat combination to become closer and create more competition for everyone. (You can race with multiple boats during a single year). Skipper / boat combinations that raced in 2010 will start with an adjusted handicap based on the 2010 races in which they participated. All others will start from the base Portsmouth Yardstick.
Scoring will be based on percentage of time after handicap adjustments. The winner will receive 1 point for first place and each boat thereafter will receive points based on how close to the first boat’s adjusted time that next boat finishes (adjusted time). Example: 1st boat time / 2nd boat time = 2nd boat points. That similar calculation continues for each boat that finishes. DNF or DSQ is counted as a zero.
Example: 20 minutes / 21 minutes = .95230 for second, 1.00000 for first.
20 minutes / 32 minutes = .62500 for third, 1.00000 for first.
This handicap scoring system allows all boats to be competitive whether they are a flat-out racing boat or a comfortable cruiser. So come on out and participate. All you have to do is submit your form online (click on 'Race Form' above) or mail the printed, completed form to SWSC (select 'Join Us' from the left and you will find our snail-mail address). We do the calculations for you. The scoring system is rather simple with points awarded for the order the boats cross the finish line and how closely they come behind the lead boat.
Race Committee Boat (RCB) = Club Rewards
Have you ever wanted to put on a three cornered hat and rule the seven seas from the helm of the fastest clipper schooner in the world? While we can't give you that, we can offer you a temporary rule over Lake Allatoona and rule over the sailboats participating in a SWSC races. (If you can figure out how to rule over the power boaters during race days, we will give you an extra special trophy at the Commodores Ball.)
OK, so I exaggerate just a bit. The Race Committee DOES rule the races on a given day, within the Racing Rules of Sailing and the local rules established by the SWSC Regatta Committee. For each Race Committee during the 2011 racing season at SWSC, there WILL be a Regatta Committee member on board to lead, instruct, coach, and help other race committee members learn how to conduct a sailboat race.
For 2011, we are making a significant change… There will be NO Requirement for racers to take Race Committee Duty to qualify for SOTY! Race Committee duty will be handled by the Regatta Committee, primarily by the Fleet Captain, with occasional coverage by other Regatta Committee members. We want to encourage other SWSC members to participate in Race Committee Duty, so we are offering rewards such as FREE Membership in SWSC for a year for those members who participate. Detailed rules, such as how many RCD’s are required to qualify for rewards, will be published later. So, Come On Out and guide the races from the water!
Sportsmanship, Tactics, and SWSC Racing
SWSC emphasizes the fun and enjoyment of sailing. While good sportsmanship is a key element in all sailboat racing, it is particularly important at SWSC events. We do wholeheartedly encourage friendly competition. Conversely, we are intolerant of any unsportsmanlike conduct.
It is perfectly acceptable to engage in Friendly “cat-calls” or Friendly Chuckles at an opponent’s expense. Derogatory remarks, obscene language (we are a family-oriented club), “fighting words”, or any such behaviors are not acceptable. Another example of unsportsmanlike conduct would be an experienced racer yelling, “STARBOARD!” at a novice when the experienced sailor is NOT on the Starboard tack. That kind of unsportsmanlike behavior will be cause for Disqualification (DSQ) from the race at hand, and if egregious misconduct occurs, that would be cause for DSQ from all that day’s races or even for the entire season.
On the other hand, Tactics, along with boatspeed and finding the shortest (or best) distance to travel in completing the course, defines sailboat racing. When you remove the verbal “clutter”, Tactics is simply using the Racing Rules of Sailing to legitimately put yourself at an advantage and/or your opponent at a disadvantage. In this spirit, we at SWSC strongly support (require) both the voluntary taking of penalties for any violations of the rules, as well as the filing of protests against anyone who violates a rule and does not quickly and properly take the appropriate penalty.
The Regatta Committee (the governing body of racing at SWSC) wants to encourage participation by all, and so will exert every effort to both direct people to and directly provide information and even instruction in sailboat racing.
Skipper Of The Year Winners…
As a part of SWSC’s emphasis on the fun and enjoyment of all aspects of sailing, we have instituted a policy change regarding repeat winners. Any person who has won Skipper Of The Year for any 3 of the latest 5 years will be ineligible for sailboat racing competition at SWSC until that condition no longer exists. For example, if a person wins SOTY in years 1, 3, and 4, they will not be eligible for SWSC competition in year 5, but would be eligible in year 6 (as they cannot win, nor even receive scores, in year 5). This is done to strongly encourage the more experienced (and more skilled) skippers to take time to help others become better racers and sailors. This rule will NOT be in effect for 2011, but WILL be in effect in 2012 and later.
Now for some important bullet points that I know even the experienced racers will read:
- Race Committee Duty (RCD) will not be required for SOTY qualification in 2011.
- There will be no SOTY points awarded for RCD. However, RCD participation by ANY club member can result in special SWSC rewards for those individuals.
- Special Races (one race in a day, usually long-distance races) will be included in SOTY scores, except for Turtle Rock.
- “Regular” (multi-race) days will be scheduled for 4 races. Every effort will be made to conduct all 4 races each of those days.
- If not cancelled by the Regatta Committee member leading the Race Committee, those races will be held. Such Race Committee cancellation of a race or races cannot be appealed. This does mean that some races may be conducted in high winds, rain, fog, night, cold, heat, and other inclement weather conditions.
- Note that any boat NOT meeting and displaying conformance with Coast Guard equipment requirements for the conditions at hand, and starting a race, WILL be disqualified (DSQ) for that race. For example… we will not check running lights during day races in conditions that are not “restricted visibility”. However, at night or during rain or fog, for example, the Race Committee will check each competing boat for proper lights (or emergency lights if regular lights fail).
- In some conditions, the Race Committee may elect to REQUIRE the wearing of PFD’s by all crew and/or passengers not inside a fully-enclosed cabin. If so, this will be announced before each race or declared for all races that day. Any boat not complying will be DSQ’d. If not required by the RC, then it IS the individual skipper’s responsibility to decide if his/her boat requires PFD’s at any given time. Note that NO crew or passenger may ever, during any SWSC event, be directed NOT to wear a PFD if that person wishes to wear one.
- It is the duty of each skipper to determine if the conditions are appropriate for his/her boat to enter and/or continue in any race. The skipper must put the safety of his/her passengers, crew, self, and boat (in that order) before ANY other considerations. Any such decision is solely the responsibility of each skipper. (Note that “passengers” [Fee-Paying persons on board] may only be carried by those possessing a currently-valid Captain’s License.)
- A Minimum of 12 total races (regular and “Special” races – except Turtle Rock) will be required to qualify for SOTY. There are a total of 25 Races Scheduled, so qualifying with 12 races should not be difficult even if you must miss multiple races days.
- No Race(s) can be “dropped”. All races started will count toward SOTY points. Any DNF’s (started, but did not finish) and DSQ’s (Disqualified) will count as a zero in calculating final SOTY scores. A “DNS” (Did Not Start) will NOT be counted in the average.
- To reiterate… If you have eleven races total, that does not qualify. If you start 12 races, have 10 first place finishes and one DNF and one DSQ, you do qualify and your average is 0.83333 (10+0+0)/12=0.83333
- The final SOTY scores for each skipper will be the AVERAGE of all races started. Note: We will not be using “Totals” or “Totals minus dropped races”, we will use the average of ALL started races for that skipper/boat combination.
- Trophies are awarded to SWSC members only. Scores will be kept for members of SWSC only, and only during times that they are dues paid members in good standing. This policy may be suspended for “Invitational” or “Open” events if any are held.
- In the event a SOTY race is canceled (Usually only in case of severe inclement weather), at the discretion of the Regatta Committee, the makeup race(s) will be the next day, Sunday. Skippers meeting at 13:00. If that race or series of races is again cancelled, there will be no further make-up.
Fees & Times
The racing fees are $5 for each race day, per boat, regardless of the number of races. Fees are collected for all race days where a trophy is awarded. Most of the races are scheduled on Saturday mornings. We meet at the Harbor Town Marina bath house at 11:00 AM for the skippers meeting. Our goal is a prompt starting time of 12:00 on the water. Make-up races (if any) have a skippers meeting at 13:00 on Sunday, with the race starting time as soon as possible. See the tab 'Race Schedule' above for more details. Special races that occur on a Sunday (Memorial Day Regatta, for example) have the Skippers Meeting at 10:00 AM.
Racing Tips For Sailboat Racing
For racing tips from other racing website, see Links
