Racing

The 2012 Flying Scot North American Championship Regatta (“NAC”) is being held in the Midwest, affording EYC sailors an opportunity to compete without having to travel very far.

The NAC will be hosted by the Carlyle Sailing Association at Lake Carlyle, IL on June 23-29. For more information, see http://www.csa-sailing.org/nacs/nacs2012.html.  You can save $40 by registering prior to May 20.

In conjunction with the NAC, Flying Scot Inc. is offering a significant discount, as much as $3000 per boat, on new Flying Scots equipped for racing.  Free delivery from Maryland to the NAC is included, but you don’t have to be an NAC competitor to buy a boat.  For more information contact EYC member Ryan Malmgren, who is coordinating a possible group purchase, at [email protected].

This will be only the third year of Laser racing at the EYC, but Lasers have already proven a favorite racing class for EYC teens and adults.  As in past years, Laser races will take place on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons (at the same times as Flying Junior races).

The EYC has purchased Laser Radial rigs for all its Lasers.  The Radial rig consists of a shorter lower mast section and a smaller sail.  The overall effect is to reduce the power of the rig by approximately 1/3.   The ideal crew weight for a Laser is about 185 pounds; for a Laser Radial, abut 140 pounds, but even smaller sailors can easily sail a Laser Radial.

The Radial rigs were purchased primarily for use in lessons, but will be available for racing too.  Laser Radials will race together with Lasers, scored as a single fleet.  When racing an EYC-owned Laser, sailors may choose to use the regular Laser rig or the Radial rig, depending on their own weight and skill level, and on wind velocity.  Smaller sailors may find that they go faster with Laser Radial rig, despite (or in fact because of) its reduced sail area.

Also, the EYC has acquired an additional Laser in 2012 to bring its Laser fleet to a total of ten.

The EYC’s fleet of Optimist dinghies is one of its most popular racing fleets.  The Optimist can be raced by EYC juniors ages 7 through 15, although most EYC Optimist racers are ages 8-13.

In 2012, the EYC is expanding Optimist racing opportunity in several ways:

*  The EYC’s Optimist fleet will be increased to twelve, up 50% from our 2011 level of eight.  In 2012, we will add four used Optimists, one donated by Joel and Suzy Dykman, one purchased by the EYC’s Larry Lewis Memorial Fund, and two purchased using EYC general funds.

*  The EYC will double the number of weekly Optimist race dates.  In 2012, we will hold Optimist Races on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings.  This is in addition to the existing schedule of Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings.

*  The Optimist races will be divided into three separate series.  The June Optimist Series will be for all racers through age 15, and will include all races in June.  The Optimist Blue Fleet series (Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings, July 1 through August 9) will be limited to competitors who have not yet reached their 12th birthday as of July 1, 2012.  The Optimist Red Fleet series (Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings, July 3 through August 11) is limited to competitors who have reached their 12th birthday but have not yet reached their 16th birthday as of July 1, 2012.

By splitting the July-August series into two age groups, for any given Optimist competitor the EYC preserves the same number of weekly races dates (two) as in 2011, while more than doubling that competitor’s chances of drawing a boat on any given day.  In addition, the EYC believes that separating the competitors by age will lead to more skill level parity among racers on each race day, which will lead to more enthusiasm for racing among juniors.

The Optimist Regatta will be expanded to a two-day event in 2012 (Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, July 7-8) and will not segregate racers by age.

However, even with this massive expansion of Optimist racing opportunity, the EYC cannot guarantee that there will be enough EYC-owned Optimists for every EYC junior who wishes to race an Optimist on any given day.  Therefore, any parent who wishes to guarantee that their junior will always have an Optimist to race should purchase their own Optimist.  The EYC has dry slips available for private Optimists.

If you have any questions about Optimist racing at the EYC in 2012, contact the EYC’s Race and Regatta’s Chairman, Bjorn Hooper, [email protected]

For all EYC Flying Scot racers, here is an article with good, fundamental advice on sailing your Flying Scot fast.

http://www.flyingscot.com/documents/Race/KelleyGoughArticle.pdf

If you race, in 2012 please make racing at the EYC better for everyone by making a conscious effort always to follow the racing rules.  When some sailors don’t know the rules, or worse, choose to ignore the rules, racing at the EYC is made less fun for all of us.

If you compete, please learn the fundamental right of way rules and perform penalty turns when you know you fouled another boat.  If you learn after the race that you were in the wrong in a right-of-way incident, tell the race committee that you are withdrawing from the race.

To help motivate other competitors to obey the rules, if you have been fouled, please protest the boat which fouled you.  Protesting another boat which has fouled you is not an unfriendly act; it’s just a necessary part of the game in a sport which depends on competitors, not referees, to enforce the rules.

Knowing the rules is a big advantage for racers, because the rules are the basis for all boat-on-boat tactics.  You can’t be a good sailing tactician without a good understanding of the rules.

Parents, please help your junior sailors understand the importance of following the racing rules.  A book on the racing rules makes a great gift for your junior sailor!  Winter is always a good time to study the rules.

Resources for learning about the racing rules include Dave Perry’s book Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012, and U.S. Sailing’s nine-minute video entitled “Animated Handy Guide to the Racing Rules of Sailing” which can be viewed for free at  http://raceadmin.ussailing.org/Rules/Animated_Handy_Guide.htm.

If you are interested in serving as a judge to hear protest hearings arising out of the EYC’s series races and regattas, please contact EYC Race and Regattas Committee chairman Bjorn Hooper [email protected]

The 2012 Flying Scot North American Championship Regatta (“NAC”) is being held in the Midwest, affording EYC sailors an opportunity to race without having to travel very far.

The NAC will be hosted by the Carlyle Sailing Association at Lake Carlyle, IL on June 23-29.  Lake Carlyle is about an hour’s drive east of St. Louis, easily reachable in a day’s drive or less from Ephraim, Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago.

If you are a Scot racer but have never before traveled to the NAC, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.  The racing and the friendly camaraderie make it worth your while.  For more information, see http://www.csa-sailing.org/nacs/nacs2012.html

EYC Flying Scot sailors should consider racing in the Flying Scot Midwestern Championship Regatta, March 18-23, 2012, at Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans.

The Midwinters are a great excuse to get to a warmer clime and to test your skills against some of the best Scot sailors in the country.  Or, if you prefer more relaxed racing, you can compete in the Challenger Fleet and compete against some people who are not among the best Scot sailors in the country.

In either case, you can enjoy SYC’s southern hospitality and excellent new clubhouse, featuring a third-floor balcony, bar and dining room with race course views, swimming pool, great New Orleans-style meals, and more!

For more information see the Notice of Race at www.fssa.com/node/6918

As the EYC’s racing program grows, we see more and more EYC parents who want their children to race successfully.  Here are a few thoughts on helping your junior race with success.

First, recognize that the definition of “success” may vary from one junior to another.  How does your junior define success?  Getting around the race course by herself?  Winning?  Learning and improving?  Having fun in the boat with friends?  Once you know how your junior defines “success,” you will be in a better position to help.  Each race has only one winner, but there are dozens of races in a season, and most juniors recognize that improvement over the course of a season is a significant achievement.

ENCOURAGE.  Your child might need encouragement just to show up, or a reminder that racing opportunities exist.  Learn the EYC’s racing schedule and make sure your junior shows up on time and raring to go!

EQUIP.  Make sure your junior is equipped with the personal gear she needs to race:  sailing gloves, proper clothing or foul weather gear, nonskid shoes, a watch with a countdown timer (Flying Scots only), and a PFD which isn’t too nerdy-looking and fits right.

FIND A RIDE.  Help your junior get a position crewing for another skipper.  Crewing is a great way to learn and to make new friends, but some juniors are too shy to ask adults or others if they need crew.

RIG.  If your junior draws an EYC-owned boat to race, help your junior rig that boat.  Making sure the rigging is right and that your junior is on time for the start is half the battle in junior racing.  If you are not sure of the finer details of rigging, ask other EYC members or staff to help you and your junior.

CHEER.  Stay to watch the races, cheer your junior on, and socialize with other parents and grandparents.  You might even be offered a ride on someone’s spectator boat, or a cocktail!

SAIL TOGETHER.  Sailing can be an excellent family sport.  If you are a proficient sailor, your junior can learn from you (just make sure to keep it fun).  If you are a beginner sailor, you can crew for your junior, a rare opportunity for your junior to play the role of the knowledgable teacher while you are the learner.

LEARN.  Even in the off season, you can encourage your junior’s interest in sailboat racing, and help him learn, with sailboat racing books, DVDs, and magazine subscriptions.  Check our the store on US SAILING’s website at www.ussailing.org

BUY A BOAT.  Nothing tells your junior that your are committed to his sailing success like buying a racing sailboat.  Lasers, Optimists, and Flying Scots in good used condition are less expensive than you think, hold their resale value, and will repay your investment many times over, by making sure your junior always has a boat to race.  Racing a private boat means your junior can be confident that his skills and determination, not his boat, determine his race results.