THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SEASON 2018

                                                   2018 BEGINNING OF A NEW SEASON

The sailing season is quickly approaching.  I have been working with Fred Molnar, Chris Hoffman and Don Radcliffe on the new course charts and we are excited about the changes we have instituted.  The charts are printed and I am handing them out and may be putting them on your boat, so don’t be surprised if you find one in your boat cabin.

While many of the courses from last year are on the chart this year, I have tried to make some of the courses less ambiguous.  We also decided to change the name of our event.  Catalina Tuesdays started as only Catalina boats racing on Tuesday evenings.  In the past few years, there have been many different makes of boats that have been enjoying their time with us.  In order to be more inclusive of all cruising boats, we are changing the name to “Tuesday Night Sailing”.

For past participants, you know what Tuesday Night Sailing is all about.  For non-participants that may be interested, these nights are all about improving your sailing (and racing) ability.  The quickest way to improve your sailing is to race against similar boats.  All cruising boats are heavier and beamier and usually slower than the lighter racing boats.

 I write a blog about each race.  In this blog I point out tactics used and some racing rules.  Do not worry, if you break a rule I may write about it but your boat will NOT be mentioned.  It is all about education, not shaming or embarrassing.  We usually meet at Crow’s Nest after the race (upstairs) for dinner and discussion. On the last Tuesday of every month, we have a barbecue at the yacht club and get to know each other a little more.

In sail boat racing, it does not matter if you are competing for first place, the middle of the pack or just trying to not be dead last you are competing and improving your sailing skills.  With this in mind, it is important to follow all rules and round all marks.  If you decide to not round a mark or not take a turn to exonerate for a penalty, just announce on channel 69 that you are retiring. It is no big deal! Racing is racing and pleasure sailing is pleasure sailing.

One difference this year is that we will try to consistently place a buoy for the line so we have a proper start line, this mark may be removed after the start.  When the buoy is removed, and the finish is at SM we will define the finish line as an extension of JLH and the start mark. If the course indicates finishing with SM to one side or the other, the finish line may be the LINE FORMED by JLH and start mark.   We are also planning on having a boat sight the line for every race so that we have proper starts with no one starting too soon.

One last word about the blog.  I consider myself a novice sailor who is willing to share little nuggets I learn about sailing on the blog.  I definitely to not know everything there is to know.  There are many in our group that are accomplished sailors.  I encourage active participation and comments in the blog.  If I am wrong on a rule, tactic or results of the race, please comment on the blog.

I will see you out there on “Tuesday Night Sailing”.

Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair A Dice