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My first race #54891
08/10/05 03:25 PM
08/10/05 03:25 PM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 141
Panama City Beach, FL
steveh Offline OP
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steveh  Offline OP
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Posts: 141
Panama City Beach, FL
My local catamaran club is having a race this Saturday and I'm going to enter my first race. This will be my second time out on my cat and the fourth time on a catamaran. My wife is crewing.

Should I concentrate on a) boat speed and tactics, b) not running into other boats or falling over, or c) making my crew happy she went out and want to do it again?

-- Have You Seen This? --
Re: My first race [Re: steveh] #54892
08/10/05 03:29 PM
08/10/05 03:29 PM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 241
Simi Valley, CA
jfint Offline
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Simi Valley, CA
Always amke the crew want to come back. When I was helping to teach new sailors on my team in college, I would always tell them not to worry too much about the rules and tactics. Just give other boats their starboard rights and try to sail the boat fast. I think they did better this way, there is simply too much to remember if your trying to be tactical you might forget how to sail. Just my opinion.


Josh Fint Prindle 19 "Accident Prone" Moro Bay Sailing
Re: My first race [Re: steveh] #54893
08/10/05 03:36 PM
08/10/05 03:36 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 149
Long Island, NY
Catius Offline
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Long Island, NY
Quote
a) boat speed and tactics, b) not running into other boats or falling over, or c) making my crew happy she went out and want to do it again?

Great question! I'd vote for b) followed by c). And you may add in front: d) Learning the basic racing rules even before you get on the water...(something of which I am myself guilty...I've spent hours reading the rules, but once a situation materializes on the water, it sometimes just doesn't click fast enough...fortunately my fellow club members have been fairly tolerant so far...). Lastly add e) for Enjoy the sailing!


Thomas Mystere 6.0
Re: My first race [Re: steveh] #54894
08/10/05 04:12 PM
08/10/05 04:12 PM
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 440
Graham, NC
WindyHillF20 Offline
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Graham, NC
Make sure you have a course chart on the boat. Know the start sequence. Review the rules of racing. Attend the skippers meeting. Don't yell commands at your wife. Have fun!!!

Re: My first race [Re: WindyHillF20] #54895
08/10/05 04:45 PM
08/10/05 04:45 PM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,451
West coast of Norway
Rolf_Nilsen Offline
Carpal Tunnel
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West coast of Norway
1: Stay out of trouble!
2: Have fun
3: Dont worry to much about tactics and boatspeed in the beginning.

Concentrate on the boats around you, see what they do and what pays off, and stay out of trouble. Nothing is worse for a new crew than to be in the middle of a "situation". Nobody is a world champ in the first attempt, so go out there to have fun. Later on, if you get serious about racing and develop ambitions, it still pays off to keep focused on having fun while practicing and racing. The day it's no fun anymore, you will probably quit racing..

(To stay out of trouble, some basic knowledge about the racing rules are neccesary, like port/starboard, windward/leeward etc)

Re: My first race [Re: Rolf_Nilsen] #54896
08/10/05 05:25 PM
08/10/05 05:25 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,528
Looking for a Job, I got credi...
scooby_simon Offline
Hull Flying, Snow Sliding....
scooby_simon  Offline
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Looking for a Job, I got credi...
Quote
1: Stay out of trouble!
2: Have fun
3: Dont worry to much about tactics and boatspeed in the beginning.

Concentrate on the boats around you, see what they do and what pays off, and stay out of trouble. Nothing is worse for a new crew than to be in the middle of a "situation". Nobody is a world champ in the first attempt, so go out there to have fun. Later on, if you get serious about racing and develop ambitions, it still pays off to keep focused on having fun while practicing and racing. The day it's no fun anymore, you will probably quit racing..

(To stay out of trouble, some basic knowledge about the racing rules are neccesary, like port/starboard, windward/leeward etc)


That about covers it.

If worried that you will forget Port/stbd in the heat of the moment; a subtle green/red sticker on the appropiate side of the mast as a reminder !


F16 - GBR 553 - SOLD

I also talk sport here
Re: My first race [Re: scooby_simon] #54897
08/10/05 06:43 PM
08/10/05 06:43 PM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 473
Panama City, Florida
Redtwin Offline
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Redtwin  Offline
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Panama City, Florida
Steve,
Email me and let me know the start times and stuff. I may be out on the bay Saturday and might want to check it out from a distance.

-Rob


Rob V. Nacra 5.2 Panama City
Re: My first race [Re: steveh] #54898
08/10/05 06:56 PM
08/10/05 06:56 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 290
Pensacola, Florida / Katy, Tex...
Cookie Monster Offline
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Cookie Monster  Offline
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Pensacola, Florida / Katy, Tex...
Good advice from everyone. A couple of things I might add. Don't set your goals too high for your first race. Don't sail too far away from the race course -- stay with the fleet as best you can. You'll learn a lot watching others. Also, try to stay in clean air. If you don't know what I mean, you'll find out at the start. And, like everyone else says, most importantly keep your crew happy and have FUN!


Don Cook ARC22 #2226 ADRENALIN
Re: My first race [Re: steveh] #54899
08/10/05 08:15 PM
08/10/05 08:15 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 353
Key Largo
barbshort Offline
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Key Largo
When your wife is your crew she ALWAYS comes first! Make sure she is happy and comfortable if you want to sail together for the long term. I've been crewing with my husband for 10 years now and going strong.

We race by a few rules we created for ourselves. I'm going to share 2 that might be appropriate as you begin racing together:

1 - What happens on the water stays on the water. That means no rehashing disagreements that may have ocurred once you hit the beach/keg/tiki bar.

2 - If we're not having fun it's time to go to the beach. It's just for fun, so if you're not having any it's time to call it day, there will always be more race days.

If all's going well and happy then your #2 priority is to stay out of trouble and not tangle with other boats while you learn boathandling skills and the rules. But those are simple compared to keeping the crew happy!

Have a great time and please post a recap of how it went! Enquiring minds will want to know!

Re: My first race [Re: barbshort] #54900
08/10/05 10:31 PM
08/10/05 10:31 PM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 141
Panama City Beach, FL
steveh Offline OP
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steveh  Offline OP
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Posts: 141
Panama City Beach, FL
Great points, y'all, thanks! Barb, points taken.

I've read Cat Sailing for the 90s all the way through, the boat handling chapter several times and the Nacra chapter a couple. I've got the port/starboard, windward/leeward, astern/ahead business and I've sailed monos before, so I hope I'm not too hazardous, but I think I'd feel more comfortable with a 9-mile run out to the barrier island than with a day around the buoys. Should get plenty of roll tacking practice in.

How are course charts read?

Rob, Carl Grey Park, north side of 98, east end of the bridge behind Gulf Coast Comm. College. Skipper's meeting is at 11. Sail on over!

Re: Course charts? [Re: steveh] #54901
08/10/05 10:38 PM
08/10/05 10:38 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 364
Andrew Offline
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Andrew  Offline
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Like, course numbers and stickers? Get the newest stickers, out this year, or copy someone's onto your boom (or a piece of duct tape) with Sharpie pen. A is always the most windward mark; B is a reaching mark which may be at the windward or leeward end of the course, on the left as you face A mark from the start line, and C is always at the leeward end of course. Match the number displayed by the race comittee to the course sticker, and don't forget to count laps as you go around the course!


Andrew Tatton Nacra 20 "Wiggle Stick" #266 Nacra 18 Square #12
Re: My first race [Re: steveh] #54902
08/10/05 11:58 PM
08/10/05 11:58 PM
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 12,310
South Carolina
Jake Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Jake  Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 12,310
South Carolina
Yes, keep your crew happy by not running into other boats or falling over and having good boat speeds or tactics!

Seriously...have fun. Expect to be in last so you don't put undue pressure on yourselves. Have a good time. Next time out, try to improve. It is a very enjoyable experience, but can be complicated if you jump in too deeply. You'll find that it doesn't matter where you place but how well you tell the story later that counts.


Jake Kohl
Re: My first race [Re: Jake] #54903
08/11/05 01:13 AM
08/11/05 01:13 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,012
South Australia
Darryl_Barrett Offline
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Darryl_Barrett  Offline
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Posts: 1,012
South Australia
7 basic rules of sailing

1. Make sure your crew has the boat rigged and ready to go when you get to the beach

2. Put the blame firmly on the shoulders of the person responsible for anything that goes wrong on the water I.E. the mutinous crew!

3. If you win it's all due to the superior sailing skills of a brilliant skipper.

4. If you lose - it's that "barge" of a boat, and the slack crew.

5. When you hit the beach after sailing, the crew should hand you a cold drink and say, "go and have a hot shower and get changed, I'll pack up and wash down the boat you've deserved it sir" (It's optional if they refer to you as "Sir")

6. When you get to the bar your crew has your place ready for you with several long drinks to choose from and are telling all the lesser sailors (and that's everyone who ever sailed) just how brilliant you are and how they should all idolise your perfect sailing skills, (you just stand there modestly,-but regally,- and slightly smile)

7. Hopefully you never wake up from this “Macho” dream.

Re: My first race [Re: Darryl_Barrett] #54904
08/11/05 03:58 AM
08/11/05 03:58 AM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 5,558
Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH...
Mary Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Mary  Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 5,558
Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH...
Wow, Darryl, you have perfectly described me when I was crewing for Rick for almost 15 years.

The only change I would make to your "rules" is that it is most important for the crew to scrub the hulls when you arrive at the regatta, not when the regatta is over.

Re: My first race [Re: Mary] #54905
08/11/05 05:13 AM
08/11/05 05:13 AM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 145
Cheshire, UK
Simon Offline
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Simon  Offline
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Posts: 145
Cheshire, UK
I have two rules of sailing:

1. "Have Fun. Winning comes second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth." By which I mean, no fun = no point, but then winning takes a lot of effort, forethought, afterthought, teamwork, & practice.

2. "Don't make mistakes and don't sail any further than you have to." See above.

As everyone has said, fun has to come first for recreational sailors and especially spouses, children, teenagars, newbies and anyone else you'd like to come back.


Simon
Shadow 067
Re: My first race [Re: Mary] #54906
08/11/05 11:27 PM
08/11/05 11:27 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,012
South Australia
Darryl_Barrett Offline
old hand
Darryl_Barrett  Offline
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Posts: 1,012
South Australia
both before and after MARY would be good!

And SIMON the saying of a true sailor is that

"its easier to get a new wife than it is a new boat"

and

"The honeymoon with a woman last about a year, with a boat is forever"

Re: My first race [Re: steveh] #54907
08/13/05 08:48 AM
08/13/05 08:48 AM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 552
B
brobru Offline
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brobru  Offline
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Posts: 552
Hey Steve,

One point not covered,

If you get in the lead, the whole game changes.

It could happen, I have seen it with new sailors.

Have fun!


regards,

Bruce
( still off Lake Erie, ate pearch and walleye last nite too)
St. Croix
Virgin Islands



ps; you 'may' run across a 'grouchy' cat sailor, just smile and wave at them..stay away from them on the course..

Re: My first race [Re: brobru] #54908
08/13/05 09:23 AM
08/13/05 09:23 AM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 5,558
Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH...
Mary Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Mary  Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 5,558
Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH...
Bruce, where are you on Lake Erie? Why haven't you come to see us at Put-in-Bay? Send us an e-mail if you are in the area, or call at 419-285-3505.

Re: My first race [Re: Mary] #54909
08/13/05 07:24 PM
08/13/05 07:24 PM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 473
Panama City, Florida
Redtwin Offline
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Posts: 473
Panama City, Florida
Steve,
I'm assuming your race didn't start at the scheduled 11AM. I left East bay around 9:30 and ended up having to stick around for about a half hour to see where that thunderstorm was going. When we knew it wasn't going to hit us, we headed out towards your side of the bay. We made it under the Dupont bridge and then the wind started getting really light. By the time we got to the paper mill, we were doing our best impression of a channel marker. There was not a single breath of air. The daily seabreeze didn't kick in until just after 12:00. We made it just past the PC marina and then decided to turn back. It turned out to be a great day of sailing once the breeze filled in; I hope your race went well.

-Rob V.
Panama City
Nacra 5.2


Rob V. Nacra 5.2 Panama City
Re: My first race [Re: Redtwin] #54910
08/15/05 01:53 AM
08/15/05 01:53 AM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 141
Panama City Beach, FL
steveh Offline OP
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steveh  Offline OP
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 141
Panama City Beach, FL
Well I'm hooked. So's my crew. I didn't yell at her and we had fun, which were two of three things I did right. As Rob reported, the breeze was very slow to build. We puttered around some on the water and didn't get started until after 2. And oh, what a start it was! 10-minute self-start, four boats, downwind start. Timer hits 0:30 and we're a good five boat lengths from the line, facing away from the line, in irons. I assume the other three boats got a good start, but I would have needed Madeye Moody's magic eye to see it. I couldn't even guess as to how far ahead the H20 was, but I ignored Don's advice and kept running off to the left when the others jibed right. Seemed like minimizing tacks and jibes was the better tactical choice, given our performance at the start, and we had good wind. Got to my wag of a layline and got to the leeward mark about three boat lengths behind the H20. That was thing right number three, everything after was not so good. Made the turn and they ran away double trapped with us sitting on our hull (in retrospect) pinching. Seems like pinching hurts a cat a lot worse than a mono. I did finally open it up about halfway up the leg, but by that time, the 20 had crossed the line. We did get things worked out a little for a while. Flew the hull some, made a couple good tacks and then almost ran over a guy with his kids in a 14ft daysailer. We were looking for the finish buoys on one hull. I was able to dump the main in time and drop below them, but that was scary. Finally made it across the line, very relieved, 15 minutes behind the 20, but ahead of the two H16s. Not sure how it's going to correct out.

We'll definitely be out again after we have to work out some coordination as to who's watching for traffic and who's looking for marks and I have to do something about those auto-recleating jib cleats.


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