HI, Rick,
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<br>I've temporarily misplaced my copy of Cat Racing; For the Nineties.
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<br>We've got a big group gathering on Long Island's East End for sailing and Lobster this Sunday. My sailing friends are finally coming around to an Idea of yours I've been quoting to them for years. Namely, that if we play some games, we'll be able to play together without discouraging the beginners as much as if we race alla time.
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<br>So now when they're ready to try, and we've got a pile of newcomers on the beach; *NOW* I can't remember your chapter "Renaissance" too clearly, Rick. I know you mentioned dodgeball and relay races, but I'm sure you had other great Ideas.
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<br>Our event is this Sunday, would you please post or send me a *very brief* (Like even just a list of names of games, even!) recap to jar my memory?
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<br>Thanks for all you've done, Rick!
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<br>Sincerely,
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<br>Ed Norris<br><br>

Hi Ed,
<br>Thanks for the nice words -- it means a lot to me. However, Mary pretty much wrote that chapter -- I just like to race and to hell with all the fun stuff!
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<br>some ideas:
<br>1) have a light-air capsize and right contest (close to the beach so help is near, if anyone gets in trouble). Good way to put fears to rest about going over.
<br>2) Have a capsize clinic in shallow water
<br>3) Have a paintball war just like the Battle of Lake Erie with Admiral Perry. (that could hurt at close range) You can tell this was my idea, not Mary's
<br>4) Ball Tag. With marks lay out a large area or box on the water that all boats must stay inside. Use a volleyball or something like it and the one that is it has to hit another boat. The boat hit is "It" and must do the same (like the kid's game). This could be a great to learn boat handling.
<br>5) Have a treasure hunt with clues in different places.
<br>6) Scavenger hunt.
<br>7) Picnic Trips
<br>8) Cruises, or even overnighters.
<br>9) Hull-flying contest (great photo-ops)
<br>10) Waterski behind a sailboat. It can definitely be done, but old-style, wide waterskis make it easier, or you may just use a daggerboard.
<br>11) Drag race -- each boat must pull someone behind on an intertube
<br>12) Backward Race -- have a start line up wind, and a finish line down wind. At the start everyone heads to windward and starts to sail backward
<br>13) Anchor Start. Crews must swim to the boat, unanchor and take off on the course
<br>14) Surprise Race. Regular course except everyone has a balloon with instructions in it. During the race the RC will fire off a sound. At that point the boats break their balloon and follow the instructions to the finish, i.e., the course may be reversed (thus the leaders are last and the last place boats are in first)
<br>15) Relay Race - divide boats into teams and have a boat waiting at each mark. The baton can be a beach ball or volleyball.
<br>16) 720 Race - this is one I use in my Sailing Seminars. The first boat in each class to each mark must do a 720 (and if they foul someone during the 720, must do another). Course 7 is a good course for this one. This allows the back-enders to get the lead quite often and gives them a better feeling about their sailing.
<br>17)Team Racing- my favorite. Split up all the boats into two teams (being sure that not all the better sailors are on one team). To score & points -- football season is here at last -- all your team mates must cross the finish line before the last boat of your opponent. Strategy would be to escort your team's slower sailors and get them across the line asap, while at the same time blocking out the faster sailors on the other team. All rules can be used. Can't go back to previous leg to block. Once finished, no blocking.
<br>This is another drill we use in Sailing Seminars -- it really gets your head out of the boat -- you know where every boat is at all times.
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<br>At any rate, there are a few.
<br>For the rest of you, if you don't have the book, you don't know what you are missing.
<br>Good luck and have fun,
<br>Rick<br><br>Rick White
<br>Catamaran Sailor Magazine
<br>email: rick@catsailor.com

Thanks, Rick, and Mary Too!
<br>And I heartily second your remark about people not having the book. I bought it long before being ready to race with the big boys - - I'm still not ready! - - but I got SO much out of it that I loaned out to a newbie on our beach, who loved it, swore to buy his own copy... and then winter came (Winter: a strange meterological phenomenon restricted to areas of the US north of the Mason-Dixon line. Temperatures are said to plumet in these unfortunate regions. Although the following must be apocryphal, it illustrates how cold the unfortunate sailors in these climes must feel; they claim (don't laugh) that perfectly good sailing water actually hardens to a solid. Indeed, some veteran sailors actually fool newcomers to the sport by telling them that it is possible to build a kind of 'car' or rigid framework that slides across this hardened water, the fabled "Ice Boat")
<br>Anyway, he kinda disapeared, and I think he's still got my book.
<br>Thanksagain, Rick and Mary!<br><br>

Rick,
<br>I haven't read your book.....but by how it sounds.......you ( and the others that helped write your book) have some great ideas......good to see that new ideas are being injected into the sport to keep it alive and make it more fun as well as challenging.
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<br>I look forward to the day I can finally get my cat sailing.
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<br>James Long<br><br>

Ed,
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<br>We've run most of the games Rick mentioned below and they work for a great time. We also do crew swaps where the top skippers must crew for the newest drivers. It makes for an interesting mix up and a good learning experience.
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<br>My favorite fun race , however, is kite racing. Run a regular style race but you must keep a kite flying off the boat at all times. It is not as easy as it might seem and works best with a very small course.
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<br>Matt<br><br>