Wow... A cross between Kentucky Blue Grass an Sensimilla, a little harsh....

I am going to have to agree with Undecided on this one.If we are talking about things that could have been better (and there wasn't many things) those marks may have been 5' tall but if you look at the pictures on racebook you will see they were laying on there sides which made them about 2' tall.The weather mark really wasn't the problem has you say get a bearing before the start.The problem was coming downwind to the gate there were four 2' tall orange marks all in close quarters two pins and two gate marks that all looked exactly the same coming in on a layline it was hard to tell what was what especially if you didn't have anyone to follow.Normally I am used to the finish marks being a diffrent color or obvious diffrent shape than the gate.No big deal just something to think about.An offset mark would have been really nice.I love it when someone pipes up about a situation when they were not even there and have no idea.Anyway thank you Rick and Mary this was are first Tradewinds and it was a near perfect regatta we hope to come back.
Thanks,
John

Again, as Tomko said, the event was terrific and I don't want to detract from the incredible amount of racing and fun we had...do it all again just like last year with no changes and I'm definitely coming back regardless!

These are small issues...but those marks were smaller than I'm accustomed to. Frank and I won the first race largely because the fleet lost track of A-mark and overstood. We were looking and looking for it and I just decided to tack because I was nervous we were going to miss it...turned out to be a good move as we were right on the layline.

It was definitely difficult to make out what was start line pin, finish line pin, or gate because they were almost the same colors. I missed a few laylines coming into the gate because I had targeted a start or finish line pin. The non-spin course had the larger yellow marks that we are most accustomed to.

Jake really summarized it best and you can BET we will be back next year. The changes made for 2010 were huge and really enhanced the experience for us. All I ask is please don't solve the visibility of the gate issue by moving the start finish line to the middle of the course, I'd rather deal with sorting out the marks at the bottom.

Dave

why not have beautiful girls handing out beers (much like the water cups for marathon-ers) while sitting on top of the gate? no one would ever miss a gate again?

Its no secret that my eyes suck. Bailey's eyes aren't the best either but NEVER has Bailey not been able to sight the A-mark from the starting line. You couldn't ask me to see a barn from 200 feet away. I regularly think that there are islands in front of me. Ask Bailey what happens during the T500 when I thought that the jetty that was a mile away suddenly appeared in front me.

BUT I'm not the only one that expressed issues with the marks! Its not an unreasonable request to have marks that are visible from a reasonable distance away. Like Jake said - we majorly overstood the first upwind leg, along with half of the N20 fleet because we couldn't see it. Fact.

And as for the "sign of aging", here's what Sam over on SA had to say about it. Note: He's not even out of college yet so if you want to bag on my age - go for it. Bag on him too.



As for you Schneider - your continuing insistence to butt into conversations that revolve around events that you don't have the sack to show up for really shows that you are truly a peanut gallery master. Your comments are loathe, trite and petty. You bring NOTHING of value to any topic where you have no skin in the game. While my opinions might not be shared by my fellow competitors (as if I really compete with them, I'm just there for the comraderie) but at least I was there. I paid my entry fee. You're just a pathetic man who feels that he's so much smarter than the rest of us SOB's out there and that you can do it so much better.


So if you show up at Spring Fever you can try to make me think otherwise - which I seriously doubt because you don't have the cajones.

The seperate start/finish lines was confusing as hell. Especially when a gal on the bow of the comittee boat is pointing to the start line and you think you need to finish there. Then you rip a chunk out of your daggerboard because you snagged the anchor line on your way past because you made a last minute decision to go the wrong way.



BTW- Nobody here is barking orders to Rick or anyone else. The topic is "Feedback from Tradewinds?" One would expect suggestions on what they'd like to see changed.

OK, I will use the Yellow Marks next year on the Spin course. I always used the Neon Orange because they ARE easier to spot. But, what do I know. Bigger. Again, you have to be kidding! Have you priced marks lately? One gigantic mark, as you are suggesting costs almost more than what the regatta's total income came to.
Rick

Karl, you own the confusion about the seperate start finish line. It was clearly spelled out in the SI's that the finish line was on the starboard side of the committee boat and there was even a picture. Complaing about a seperate start finish line is like complaining about missing the offset. As for the gal on the committe boat pointing at something... she could have been poiniting at a sea monster for all you knew. And some how it's the RC's fault you caught the anchor line?

We all might be getting a little too prissy for this game.

I have bad eyes and didn't have too much trouble seeing A mark from about 1/3 of the way up the course (even with Bailey driving) which gave us plenty of time and opportunty to tack short on the right and overstand on the left

The gates and finish marks all being the same relative size (coming downhill) and color did make for the occasional double take when trying to bang the corners, but that's easily fixed by using orange for the gate and yellow for the line.

It was pretty flat / protected water, so I don't know if those giant offshore tetrahedrons are necessary, especially if they would drag their anchor in higher winds.

Now, if my prescription lenses were overboard, I would not have been able to see the marks. But I would have had trouble seeing land from there as well...

Compass headings? Jeeze, do you expect us to be all "nautical" and stuff? Can't you just paint white lines and arrows along the bottom for me?

If nothing changed from this event to next year, I'd still have a great time. But I'm not there for the pickle dishes (or the Sasquatch/Mankini episode). It's a fun event with plenty of people I like to visit with. That it's in the tropics during the dead of winter makes it that much more enjoyable.

To keep Rick and the organizers from going broke, I'd be in favor of the pre-register/pre-pay thing with a late fee strapped to on-site registrations.

I mean, for people who spend thousands on this hobby (boat, fuel/lodging, etc) $50 for a 3 day regatta in the Keys ain't bad.

Even if I didn't end up sailing it, it would be a 'donation' to a good cause (next year's event) right?

I understood it, right up until the last second when like I said, the gal on the bow of the committee boat was pointing at the other side, and it was obvious because she was not looking in another direction, she was looking dead at us and motioning to her left. She was either trying to kiss with a total stranger, or I don't know what. It is my fault, and I'm not saying otherwise I guess. Just not a setup that I'm accustomed to and that was the only issue I had with it. And no, its not the RC fault I caught the anchor line, its also mine. If I were to take a phsyco-babble guess at it, it would be the combination of being in a strange area, with even stranger people , while on a new boat, with a fucked up thumb that hurt like a (censored), that probably drove my confidence into the crapper and not stick with what I thought was right at the time. It was a fuckup plain and simple.

So, easy killer.

Stick man is my hero.

Understood.

Ding doesn't do Fups

At a regatta I attend up here on Lake Lanier, they put the multihulls on the same course as the lasers, thistles, and optis.

The thing is that the optis were the last start - we were the first. We did our two laps and by the time we were finishing, the optis were in their start sequence. The finish line was like how it was during TW and so the 40 or so optis were lined up like ducks across the finish line while I'm doing 20 knots to the finish. Scary stuff.

The RC didn't even notice us finishing.

Oh come on... is that really what you think about me?

A sick-o would have noticed how big the eyes were on the little Opti guys. Don't ask me how. . .

I'm not sure how your example applies to the Tradewinds having a seperate start finish line, or am I missing another point you are trying to make?

The example you've sited also sounds like a long standing dingy regatta that a few multi's got an invite for. We've all attended one of these and we all pretty much know what to expect. It's rare that a dingy PRO will fully understand the issues of putting multi's on the dingy course straight out of the box.

Mark, You gonna put up with that?
The funny thing is , you two are so alike it's scary.

Dude, you're the Area D rep. you're my hero!