It's winter up here in NJ/NY. We're waiting for spring, and it's already itching. Some folks are fixing their boats, some are working on upgrades, some are hanging out in this forum, but we're all basically just keeping busy.
In our club (SHBCC), we just decided to make our Statue of Liberty Race this season something really special. It's our clubs' 30th anniversary. So just for the fun of it we pulled together this invitational video clip . We're hoping to see MANY of you at the start this year. Sailing New York harbor and rounding the Statue of Liberty is a "once-in-a-lifetime-must-do-can't-miss" event for every catsailor . We're inviting you early cuz we know your season will be booked up before you know it! Here's the links to the clip:
2006 Statue of Liberty Race Preview Clip

There's lots of information about the race on our website.
Preregistration is at http://www.fleet250.org, go to >>Race Menu >>Statue Race >> Pre-register

Book your calendars for the Statue Race on Sunday July 2nd in Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club in NJ. See ya!

PS - Many thanks to Stefan Ewald who managed to produce this clip from some shaky footage of the 2005 race, many thanks to Kenny Vu for providing the pictures. Also thanks to the folks of Extreme Raid 500 M'Iles in France and the eXploder Sailing Team in Poland for gratiously allowing us to use some of their footage.

Great way to promote the race!

The web site is fantastic! The video is so good for it's purpose I almost registered! It is another one of my dreams to sail that race...Scheduled to work that weekend

Great video. I would suggest mentioning two additional selling points of your race. First, you have a special exception to be able to round close to the statue. Secondly, it is one of the very few open class events in the area.

Very good idea.

Matt

Thanks Matt. It's also worth mentioning that traditionally we have an "outing" for the larger cats the day before the Statue Race (that would be July 1st this year). We sail to the Ambrose Lighthouse , off the tip of Sandy Hook in the Atlantic, and back. This is the last beacon before ships enter NY Harbor. If you remember Francis Joyon's record for his (last) cross Atlantic Crossing on IDEC a few months ago, the Ambrose Lighhouse marked the official starting line of his trip. So if you come down for the weekend, there's definitely enough sailing to do...

This is a race my skipper has been asking me to sail with him for a few years now - He has sailed it many times and swears by the experience (Ken Hilk, DE - Div. 11). This year, I will make a bigger effort to get there. Sailed Sandy Hook 2 years back - closest I got to the experience...time to buck-up. Look forward to being there. B

Great promo!! It looks like I'll be able to make it this year, always one of my favorites. The Ambrose race is icing on the cake. This is one race where you can meet people from all over the country. Very cool. Ed

This race is well worth the time and effort to make it there! I am planning a trip to Europe this summer around this weekend so that we will be able to be there, and last year Nate postponed moving and starting a new job so we could do it in '05 as well!
Chris
www.acceleratedchaos.com

Thanks to this video, we've added this event to our schedule for 2006.

Question, just what is the deal with sailing around new york? Is it as bad as I've heard people say about the water?

Good question. It's definitely not turqoise water like in the Keys. The answer can be very subjective depending on who you're talking to, but id you want to stick to the facts, go to the site of the Department of Environmental Protection . You should also know that New Yorkers have been holding the annual Manhattan Island Swimming marathon for years now, and the swimmers seem to come out of it without green or purple appendages...I've personally been swimming in the Hudson several times and I found it just fine.

One of the things we do caution for at the skippers' meeting is to watch for driftwood, especially in the harbor. Stories about dead bodies floating on the water on other hand are somewhat exaggerated or date back from the 1980's

It's them Jersey whitefish that I hate getting stuck on the blades...

-Mike

We are getting a team together from Texas to come this year, I grew up on Manhattan Island and back then('81) there was raw sewage being dumped in the east river. Today I am going on faith that it is clean enough to sail through, I do not intend to capsize and will wear clothing that sheds water so as long as I do not get too much spray in the face I am expecting to live through it. If the Department of happy water of New York city blesses it then I believe them,

Greetings,

I would like to know more about the expected conditions for the race. What is the typical water temperture and wind speed range? Is the water dirty with high amounts of algea, bacteria, oil or jellyfish? Does one need to have a wetsuit, drysuit, or spray top to endure the conditions? Is a GPS unit needed to navigate the course? Do the smaller and slower catamarans (e.g. H-16, SC-17 or P18-2) usually finish the race? Are power boats available for towing if one wishes to abandon a very long race due to weak wind conditions?

Average water temp: 63-67 degrees.
Wind speed range: Varies a lot, even during the day.
Water quality in general is fair. See my previous post.
Clothing: It can be a long race. Assume wetsuits.
GPS units or other electronics are not allowed. See our website re. visual marks.
We have limited chase boats available that are primarily dedicated to emergencies (injuries, illness and material failures).
Smaller boats like Hobie Waves and 16's frequently participate in the race. It happens that they get turned back but more often than not they finish the race.

We do not recommend that complete novices try the race. We also call the race the Statue of Liberty Marathon. Teams should responsibly plan and prepare themselves and the boat: food, water, sun protection, make sure your boat is sea worthy. Good conditions may allow you to finish in 4-6 hours. If the wind doesn't cooperate, count on being underway for a longer time. We also reserve the right to turn back stragglers (detailed racing instructions will soon appear on our website .)

Hope that helps.

What is the reasoning behind not allowing gps units? I remeber hearing at the skippers mtg that if you miss the hook on the way back you'll be in the open ocean.

On the same line, I'm planning to come. I'm planning to race. I will be taking a GPS, VHF Radio, and Cell phone on the boat with me. If you have rules against them then perhaps we can seal them somehow so that I am DSQ'd only if I use them for a non-emergency purpose, or I will race "for exhibition only". But anymore I would not consider doing a "offshore" race without what I consider to be reasonable safety gear.

I look at this in much the same way as I look at RRS Fundamental Rule number 4 - Decision to Race "The responsibility for a boat's decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone"

And finally, just some food for thought... At my club we used to have similar rules about electronics. They used to be expensive to the point that they were not generally available. Now that they are "generally available" to the average competitor, we would not consider taking on the responsibility as a club of discouraging sailors from carrying equipment that could be construed as reasonable safety equipment.

Jamie Diamond

Not allowing GPS is a bit of a surprise to me too - what's the reasoning behind that?

Just to add to my previous post... This sounds like a really great race. The whole family thinks it sounds like fun. I should have closed the previous post with the thought that I believe this race will be worth doing whether my finish "counts" or not.

Jamie Diamond

I believe the SI's prohibit using the GPS for the Race... So, I carried all of my saftey gear and did not use them during the day. If you feel that you need to use the GPS for some saftey reason, then you are retiring from racing and just need to DSQ yourself at the finish.

It's not a big deal and it certainly is a level playing field.

Its a fun race with 70 boats, boat trafic, NYC skyline, and the Statue.... Bring a camera... the pic's are priceless!

Mark, that would be my plan too. I would carry the gear, and plan to not use it. It would only be used in the case of personal safety or in response to a rule 1.1 situation. If I used the gear for something other than a rule 1.1 situation I would withdraw ("disqualify myself") by reporting to the RC or OA after the finish. I would be happy to work something out to mark or seal the electronics so that it would be evident if they had been used.

My take on personal safety gear is:
1 lifejacket, wear it all the time
2 knife, be able to cut yourself loose
3 whistle, be able to summon nearby help
4 radio/cellphone, be able to summon help at a distance
5 GPS, be able to tell the help you are summoning where you are.

I believe in keeping the above gear on me, not simply on the boat.

We'll be bringing the "Tybee kit" and yes it will include a GPS.

1) I have never sailed, let alone been to NYC
2) The commerical shipping traffic will pose navigational issues
3) This is an offshore race

I think the rules to exclude GPS's are silly in this type of race. Just my 2cents.

I looked around the site for the SI's but couldn't find them.

What other gear is not allowed? Can we use tackticks? Weather radios? Paddles?

ok, I jump in

Here is the paragraph regarding safety in the current SI's

Safety and Security:
1. Per USCG instructions, you must stay outside the security zone around the Navy pier. The security zone is marked by white buoys that are 500 yards off the pier. There will be a course mark (yellow buoys) at the security zone SE corner which has to be left on port going to the statue, on starboard on the way back.
2. Also, you must not pass within 150 yards of the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island.
3. All participants are required to wear PFDs or lifejackets at all times.
4. Each participant sails at his or her own risk.
5. The race committee will use CH 3 (USA). Any competitor may carry a portable radio, cellular telephone or GPS for emergency use only.
6. We strongly encourage everyone to bring adequate clothing, food and beverages.
7. Bladder packs :One (1) liquid filled bladder or similar device (commonly called a “Camelbak”) with a capacity not exceeding seventy (70) liquid ounces may be worn by each sailing team member for the purpose of liquid consumption.
8. Stay together. It’s easier for the RC to keep an eye on you.
A Few things to keep in mind:
1. Strong currents under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge may make passing under it difficult. High tide at the Statue is approximately 25 minutes after high tide at Sandy Hook. High tide will be announced at the skippers meeting.
2. Large amounts of floating debris are common especially under the bridge and in upper New York Harbor.
3. All commercial vessels such as large ships, the Staten Island Ferry, Circle Line, and Fishing Charter boats have the RIGHT OF WAY so stay out of their way.
4. They also move much faster than you think!

This said, we have not published them yet (the Si's) because the race.org will revise them before the race.

For navigation, keep in mind that there is a lot of visual references (the hook, west bank, the bridge etc...), so getting lost is very unlikely. Fog could be a problem though, and this is something we will consider when revising the rules.

Jacques
SHBCC Race officer

ok, as long as we're allowed to bring them along for "emergency" use thats cool. I was just worried that we'd be DSQ'd just for having it onboard.

Ok, this will sound like a stupid grammar question, but here goes. Does the "emergency use only" part refer to only the GPS, or all three? I would imagine if you were in a channel crowded with commercial traffic having the radio on monitoring 16 as well as the committee channel is a good safety habit.

"emergency use only"

Applies only for the GPS

Jacques

Thank you for the clarification. Was that the way the rule was 2 years ago? I didn’t remember it that way. Also, why only allow them for emergencies?

Absolutely, the SIs I showed were from last year which themselves were the same than 2004.

Why only for emergencies? because we think that this could give an unfair advantage to some crews (usually already better equipped and experts in racing) and also because of the many visual marks, a clean navigation can be done without it.

Jacques

OK,
I have raced the statue of liberty race 7 or 8 times on a Dart 18, Nacra 5.8, Nacra 6.0 NA, Nacra 6.0 NA with SPI, and on a hobie 16. typicaly the race is upwind-downwind in anywhere from 0-20 knots of breeze. About 1/2 the time a spinnaker is worth it overall.

Navigation is easy most years. You start and sail to the end of the war pier. If you get to close, they run you off with machine guns. Next you sail to the Verisano Bridge which should be visable. Next you sail up the river untill you see the Statue of Liberty. Round it either way. I suggest you go between the statue and land downwind which ever way the wind is blowing. Big wind shadow. don't get too close. Avoid the ferrys. Sail back under the bridge. You should be able to see sandy hook. Sail to it. When you see the war pier, give it a wide birth. YOu will see all the white buoys marking the restricted zone. From there sail to the finish.

Frankly, if you need electronics to sucessfully sail this race, you should not be there. A compass is good in case the fog rolls in and a map is a good idea.

Now if you want to win the thing, that is a whole different ballgame. the keys are current avoidance, the sea breeze and boat speed. If the current is against you under the bridge you need to get to one of the shorelines and work it agressivly,plan on tacking or gibing as the case may be every 8-10 seconds if you have daggerboards. Anchored freighters have huge windshadows don't get stuck behind one.
As far as safety goes, stay out of the way of the freighters. There is a cross current and a narrow channel for them. They are traveling at 15 knots or so the don't get swept into the shallows. They will not stop just to avoid you. They can't. The channel is fairly obvious and there is no reason to be in it most of the time anyway. There is a lot of junk in the water. Most of it is wood and junk that floated down the hudson river.

This is a damn fun race, very hard to win you first time out.

Good Luck
Eric Anderson

Hoo-Yah,

The Texas City Dike Yacht Club will be attending - likely at least three boats - hopefully more.

We're looking forward to combining racing with some questionable renditions of a certain Frank Sinatra standard.

Chris.

PS Excellent job with the video.

just follow Rick Bliss....

Two quick updates about the Statue Race on July 2nd:
1. We just signed up an awesome band for the after-race-party. "Mister Neutron" - the most powerful and dangerous instrumental-rock experience on the East Coast - will be playing for the Statue Race teams on July 2. Check out some tunes on their website.
2. Even more good news. The fee structure for the Statue Race has been published on http://www.statueoflibertyrace.com/ and there are pretty nice discounts for early sign-up.