The cow is drying up.

If people feed the trolls they will come.

hakuna matata ... bitches - Jean Girard

Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Bluto

There will always be the naysayers.
When a few people in our Fleet wanted to do a Nationals on our little lake, we were told that it couldn't be done.
Some members claimed it would be a failure and bankrupt our Fleet.
I assured them we would open a separate bank account and only spend the registration and raffle money from the event.
Well, we had a very successful H17 Nationals in 1994 and then again in 97 combining H16 Women and Youth.
Funny how the naysayers had so many ideas on how to spend the money we made from the events.
We ran an Alter Cup from a lawn with a ramp built off of a break wall.(couldn't be done once again)
Footnote: The ramp did get destroyed the day after the event ended.
We were told that there was no way we could fit a H16 Nationals on our lake. The 2004 16 Nationals were also very successful.
None of these events were easy to do,but things can happen if you pull together the right people and just move forward.

If you say it can't be done you will always be right.
Some old Chinese guy

Ever since #2 son moved to Brooklyn to begin grad school in August '06 I thought "wouldn't it be cool to drag a boat up and do the Statue race?" We returned home yesterday, from NYC, and after viewing the harbour from the Governor's Island and Staten Island Ferries, the Brooklyn Heights pier, and the base of the Verrazano Narrow's bridge...you guys ARE crazies!!! What's the width at the bridge? Maybe a mile? All those ferries are bookin' fast, along with tugs/barges (moving and moored), cargo and cruise ships, plus all the other (100' and under) activity. What if you did break something? Ground crew? Ha...out of the question. Not sure my heart would withstand the adrenaline boost from the Narrows on. You all have a new found respect from me! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Maybe it is just the current officers, and attitudes will change when new people take over.

That is the way it has been in every club we have ever belonged to. Usually, all you can do is work from within to get your own faction of people into officer positions so you can pursue your agenda. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

To My Fellow Sailing Competitors,

I have never raced a race just so I could win a Trophy.

( and Matt that is not why you have done so much for our sport either . You are “selling yourself short”, I know you to be a much better man then that, Sir. )

I’ve always entered and competed in the “Statue Race” to go and see Lady Liberty …. especially in 2002 !!!! I will repeat what I said earlier in another thread ….

“Once you have sailed around Lady Liberty, you will never view life the same …” (you will never again take for granted the freedom and the sacrifices of those that have proceeded us for granted )

With that said, it is a SERIOUS race w/ a lot of risks … You are the “Mouse among the Elephants” …. There are very strong currents …. Everything is bulkheaded, ie: washing machine conditions …. Safety/Safe Haven only lies outside the The Narrows/Verrozano Bridge ….

This is not an event to be entered into lightly !!!! …. And should be prepared for w/ the same diligence as any “distance” race … ex: New England 100, Chesapeake 100, Down the Bay, The Tybee … etc,etc.

As my sailing partner is my niece currently, who is 13yrs old this year … I have not entered this event lately …. But maybe next year when she is 14, I think we will go and see “The Lady” ….

( The next goal is to take her to Florence Italy … to see “The David” ….. )


Sail Safe, Sail Flat, Sail Fast
HarryMurphey
TheMightyHobie18/ #9458, Fleet54/Div11
P19MX/ #86, CRAC

PS: you may think me philosophical ... or crazy ... or even just plain stupid ....

Mary, You are right about that. It's true for most things. I witnessed my town government get completely changed by just such a strategy. It took a lot of patience and diplomacy, but was a real revolution! Matt, You are a true inspiration! I always admired you as a sailor of remarkable skill, but to witness your commitment to the sport in your schedule, and in your giving back as an official at events, the magazine, your work for NHCA... you amaze me! As for Pat, if you don't know he's a Fleet 204 guy. I belong to Fleet 448, but have been known to chant "204!204!204!" because they are perhaps the most successful cat club in the country. If you want advice on growing the sport, or how to run events, listen to Pat.

Historical Note/Question:

Does anyone else find it ironic that is was the French that helped us earn our FREEDOM w/ their fleet at "The Battle of the Capes" allowing George Washington w/ his army to capture General Cornwallis w/ his army at Yorktown ...

Then later gave us our greatest symbol of our FREEDOM ....

THE STATUE of LIBERTY .....

Harry

I find it VERY IRONIC!!!!!

The French have certainly changed since colonial days!!!

Back to the good old French bashing... Business as usual. boring ...

So have the Americans. I'm guessing obesity ran less than 30% in colonial times - as did energy consumption and consumer debt.

Stay on topic troll...

Hey, let's keep the "twinkie bashing" out of it, okay? I mean, what have those little cholesterol/sugar bombs done to you (besides obesity, diabetes, coronary disease, etc)?

The reason colonialists were so scrawney is that no one had the time to invent the Twinkie. They were too busy wasting time working on independence, building a nation, etc.

If they only had their priorities in order, they'd have enjoyed the Twinkie and Ho-ho long ago... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Quote:

"In the 2006 race, we made it to about 86 boats. Mistakes were made (allowing larger cats to participate that would capsize in the harbor and cause trouble with the coast guard)."

What kind of statement is that? Are you telling me that only large cats can capsize in the harbor and cause trouble with the Coast Guard? In a latter post, large cats are defined as anything over 20 feet.

If memory serves me correctly, either a RC30 or 27 capsized under a bridge and the mast was stuck in the mud. The sailors on the cat were very experienced and accomplished. It was unfortunate that the cat could be righted in a more timely manner. Was this a mistake by the crew, the club for not having more support on the water or not informing the crews of the strong winds and shallow waters around the bridge or the Coast Guard not knowing what to do to help the capsized cat? Is the water under the bridge shallow enough that this could happen to cats less than 20 feet? Who would not like to race against the larger cats?

In other posts, New York Harbor is described as a dangerous place for cats to sail. The allure of the race is a chance to sail around a national landmark that has some significant symbolism. In all probability if this race continues, another incident will occur and it will cause a problem. At least for the RC30, no one was injured other a few egos.

I was hoping one day I would be skilled enough to enter the race and to sail around Lady Liberty. From the way people portray the dangers, it is not worth risking lives in a dangerous port where the cat is a slow moving object in commercial traffic zones.

Regards,

Steve

AFAIK, the RC 30 did not have its mast stuck in the mud:

We saw it on the way into the harbor, not long after it flipped.

Here's a photo taken less than an hour later of the righting operations:


BTW, they were not the only boat to capsize in the harbor. A NACRA F18 capsized jibing around the statue - we passed them to take the F18 lead in the race.

The critical issue is not the size of the catamaran, it's the ability to self rescue in a short period of time.

Also, New York harbor is not "unsafe" for catamarans. It's a busy place. The currents are tricky. The wind is weird. You've got to keep your head out of the boat and pay attention to what's going on around you. Other than a close call with an anchored barge (I swear the thing was like a magnet), we had no problems navigating the harbor.

Mbounds, if the RC30 mast was not grounded then your statement on 7/5/06 was incorrect? If the mast was not grounded then why couldn't the experienced crew right the RC30?

"We were distracted with some spinnaker sheet issues after we jibed away from Staten Island, so we didn't see it go over, but Paul K. saw it blow over in a gust. He said it looked like nobody blew the spin / main sheet since neither was flogging as it went over. We ended up going by them right after it happened (like 20 ft away - not intentionally - that's just where the spinnaker took us ) and asked them if they were OK. The chase boat was already there.

After we rounded the Statue and came back, they were still there. A NYC Harbor Police boat was circling and they had the RIB from the club assisting in the righting process. They were definitely stuck on the bottom - almost turtle, but one hull up about 4 ft.

Late that afternoon, I saw them back at the beach with the sails down. The mast looked OK - even clean. "

In retrospect, they probably didn't ground the mast - the photo of them lying full turtle and the comment that the "mast was clean" and undamaged is evidence of that.

I don't care how experienced the crew was - you cannot right an RC 30 without outside assistance (see the photo on the proper technique to right a large catamaran). The fact that they did right it in fairly short order is evidence of their experience.

How many times have you sailed in the last 3 years Jacques???? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Easy to answer: I sold my boat last fall. Sailed a lot last summer, did the statue race and finished 5th on the beach (beating many I20s). This year, well, as I am busy with my building, I consider anything else like a distraction. I still sailed on the stiletto three weeks ago, but to be honest, my heart is not anymore into it. I do not even talk about the previous years when I was heavily into sailing and racing because of my officer position and because I love it.
I am doing the national corsaire in France next week (70 boats), the schooner race in october in Annapolis, so, you see, there is a life beside the club.

By the way, who are you, courageous anonymous?

They got it: 30 boats this year, nothing to be proud of.

I'm glad we didn't have anywhere near 100 boats this year, as the weather conditions (very light, storms threatening) would have made keeping track of a large number of boats impossible. I do remember the Objective 100 committee stating they were only responsible for the promotion of the event, not the actual logistics of running the event, so this wouldn't have been their problem. If you have a problem with the way the club is being run, come to a meeting and voice your concern.

Is the number of boats your sole criteria for judging an event?