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CBYRA Race Week 2000! The first Race Week of the new millennium and we're ready to go. The boat has been gone over, we added a few go fast items. The bottom was scrubbed. The delivery crews set, the slip reserved, food packed ... several
hundred dollars latter we're ready to what, Rock-n-Roll, no ... DRIFT!
That's right, after three days only one boat was ever scored in one race.
And in that race several boats, including ours, was scored as DNC while others
were scored as DNF. Would someone explain that to me, please?
Now for, I don't know, 20 years or so I've been telling anyone and everyone
the simple facts about the Chesapeake Bay. Number one, first and foremost, on
the Chesapeake Bay the wind goes "out to lunch" every day. Any committee that
holds a race near noon on the Bay is asking for trouble. It's common knowledge
and most skippers are prepared to set their anchor as soon as they start to
move backwards. So what does CBYRA do? CBYRA, who has a rule that a race must
average 2 knots VMG, CBYRA, who insists on 6 mile courses, starts the racing
at 11:00 am.
Notice I said, "2 knots VMG", not boat speed. Figure it out for yourself. If the course is 1.5 miles, windward-leeward, and you have to do 4 legs
thats 6 miles. But wait, it's windward-leeward, tacking upwind and jibing
downwind. In light air you'll tack and jibe through 90 degrees so the course
is actually 8.48 miles and the first boat has to finish in 3 hours.
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That's an
average speed of 2.83 knots SOG (speed over ground). And we are expected to
do this while the wind is "out to lunch".
But wait, we can get really stupid. Most sailors learn early on that when the
wind gets light you look for a cloud and if you can't find a cloud, head for
shore. If there is any wind it is likely to be under clouds or near the shore.
So what does the race committee do? Move the fleet to the center of the Bay,
of course!
Along with all of that the committees we had made mistakes in every
race they tried to hold. This added to the frustration level, but probably
didn't affect the outcome and you can't fire volunteers.
So, my advice to CBYRA is; 1) Start the first race at 10:00 am, 9:00 am would
be better, but you'll never get the drunks up that early (self included).
2) Set shorter courses in light air. We'd like the race to count towards
high point, but failing that we'd like to race. So lets make a rule. If the
wind is less than 5 knots we set a short course. And 3) get out of the middle
of the Bay, at least when the wind is light.
No one can guarantee a race, but these simple changes would have helped
during race week and will help future regattas.
I feel much better now!
Thank you, Mike Madden
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