I understand about the leeward mark... seeing it wasn't a problem, it was differentiating it so don't think biggeer marks are the solution, simply having the gate a different color or clearly different from the pin and finish buoy would be sufficient.
John I guess next year you just shouldn't be out in front so much!
One thing we did was use the 20 fleet rounding the windward mark to judge where it was. It's a lot easier to see boats putting up their chutes than the small mark... I guess the 20's don't have that option the first beat but by the 2nd you probably should have some F16s or other 20's.
Pretty obvious that Optis and Lasers should not be on the same course as cats... Lasers I could deal with but Optis NO WAY!
I think asking Rick to go out and buy new marks is crazy but it's great to offer advice like this to switch to the yellow marks the other course was using or etc.

Overall I would say this is by far the best tradewinds i've ever been to and one of the best regattas I attended all year (and I sailed about 15).. great job by all involved and kudos for accepting constructive critiscim!

Just relating my own experiences with the start/finish line setup that we had at TW. Thats all.

No ball kicking necessary.

It's like oil and oil. hahaha too funny.

I was thinking the exact same thing... and that is what is really scary.

I'd also like to say a big thanks to all the folks who help to put the race on. Really nice job.

I thought everything went really well.

My crew had a hard time seeing the marks but what's new? I just knew to go out to that group of three crab pots on the left and tack. If you go right and start getting in skinny water you went too far.

The offset mark would really be nice. It's hard to set well so please talk to your race committee about it. Should be 90 degrees and about 5 boat lengths = 100 ft.

One time when finishing it was really tough to finish and miss the mark and not hit the anchor line on the committee boat. Like threading a needle where the eye of the needle keeps moving. I asked Warren to widen it and it was better after that. So thanks to Warren for listening.

When coming down from A mark it was hard to figure out which mark was what. It got really hard when other boats got down there around the committee boat. It's hard to figure out which boat and which mark make the finish from a distance. A different color finish mark would have been nice.

People complaining about the swim rope need to get a life. I coasted over that no problem and landed perfectly everytime. I always went out in reverse and that made it easy. If I tried to turn downwind in there without rudders and that much wind I'd have been in a lot of trouble quick. A-catters might have trouble doing reverse... I don't know?

It's a great venue and a great regatta. I thought everyone was really respectful on the beach pulling the boats up as far as possible. That was nice.

I thought the trophies were cool too. Thanks Mary.

Mike Hill
N20 #1005

I'm not responding to anybody in particular -- just about the marks in general. To me it is funny that we have all gotten so spoiled about having BIG marks.

When my family was racing back in the 1940's and 1950's and 1960's, the marks were just little, skinny poles with a little tiny flag at the top. You had to be REALLY farsighted to see a mark. And that was on Lake Erie, that sometimes had big waves. And we didn't go by compass headings, either. Just spotting the mark was one of the difficult parts of the game.

I'm not saying we should do that again -- just that we are lucky to have such relatively big marks now. Most of today's sailors don't know what it was like back then.

HA Ha Mary. That is so true. In Toledo they used peach baskets on sticks when I started sailing. They weren't even orange. I remember when International Orange became available as a paint color. They painted the baskets and everyone thought that was so cool.

as far as the swim area rope is concerned, I can't see how it would damage a boat hull. It was pretty slimy to start with.

That, and the water was about chest deep there, so if you were really paranoid (or tangled up), you could step on the swim rope and pull the boat across. Don't ask me how I know this....

Hey Ricky, I'll say it again, great job all in all. I see you posted here that you will change the colors of the marks next year, can I interject and say DON'T change all the marks, just change the colors of the GATES?

You should already have a compass bearing to the windward mark (how else do you tell the mark boat to be where they are?), just post it on a board for us to see.

Thanks for listening, I think we should all take a moment to realize the RC for this event is actually looking for feedback, something that is VERY rare and should be very much appreciated.

Absolutely! You ask this question at most other regattas and you'll get lamb-basted.

Granted, the marks were 5' long, but they're only 2' in diameter. If a heavier weight were to be put directly below the mark (not the anchor), they'd stand more upright, even in a blow. I'm not saying you should run out and buy new marks.

Why couldn't we keep this positive?

Otherwise, this TW was the best I've been to, and will def. be back.

Are we supposed to get any help from anyone one on the committee boat? No offense intended, but the course is the course is the course regardless of what the chic on the bow of the committee boat (with the frothy cold mugs of sweet, sweet beer and big boobs)is pointing at.

Maybe I am wrong but the committee boat cannot offer any info while racing.(?)

Amen

Aso, I gotta tell ya, when Rick sets a course, he sets it according to the wind. He doesn't even know what the compass heading is.

And I also gotta tell ya that in all the years I have raced in small boats, I have never had a compass on the boat. And if the RC gave a compass heading, I wouldn't have a clue what it meant.

Why do you guys have to make racing more complicated than it already is?!!!

Complication = Highly competitive.
You should win or lose on skill not a crapshoot of guessing where the mark is.Compass headings take care of that.If you don't want to carry a compass,it doesn't matter anyway.
I wasn't there(wished I had been) so flame me.
Tawd

Compass heading to the mark only helps me find it if it's really difficult to see off the start line...but if the race committee is giving it to us throughout the series, or if they're moving the course mid-race, It will be one piece of information about the trend in the wind angle.

I don't always race with a compass on lakes and closed bodies of water - but I'm starting too. It's nice to have a number for each starboard and port tack to work out the wind patterns as the racing progresses.

+1. I think I may pick up that little hand held bearing compass for just that purpose

Bearings? Compasses? Angles?


Outta my skill set. I can feel my A.D.D. burning just thinking about concentrating that hard going to weather.

I'm pretty much with you there Karl. I was wondering the same thing. Maybe I have some new stuff to focus on.

On last sat i did races (small mono's) and the skipper had a very nice compass mounted. We (he) started to work out the wind angles/mark settings before the race...

we never once used the compass during the 2 heats we ran (1st and 2nd) before we broke the boat! I think it would have been a distraction, but if we couldnt see the marks i bet it would have been great!

ever since we had a fog fest in Dunedin during the Hangover Regatta 2 years ago (and we had about 15 boats without the ability to see, or even really guess where land was..) i carry a small $2.00 compass with me..