Hangover Regatta - Dunedin Fl - Jan 1

I am just posting this to support the local races... i am pretty sure this informal NOR does not contain all the elements.. but this is how they do it here. I am not racing, nor part of it in any way.. just trying to spread the word.


Merry Christmas to all from Tampa Bay Catamarans. See you at the Hangover. The fee for this regatta will be in line with everyone's economic stimulus plan...
ie $5 ($10-non-members) - so no frills!!


Hangover Regatta
Friday - January 1st, 2010
Dunedin Causeway
　
　
• Distance Regatta
• Located at the Dunedin Causeway next to Sail Honeymoon Rentals
• 9:00 am Registration / 10:00 am Skippers Meeting / 11:00 Start
• Organizing Authority: Tampa Bay Catamaran Sailors Inc.
• Race governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing 2004 ed.
• Sailing to be scored using Portsmouth Handicap Number system
• Classes to be decided prior to Skippers Meeting.
• Fee: $5 per boat for TBCSI members and those over 45 mi away.
All others $10.
• Membership forms available at registration.
Proposed course starts off the causeway, goes around some islands, some
channel markers and finishes back at the causeway. Actual course to be
announced at the Skippers Meeting.
Trophies & Warm Libations
BYOW - Bring your own wetsuit!

My Dunedin winter gear for the last 10 years is a windbreaker jacket and a wool hat. You wussy-boy!

Weather looking a bit grim...

"Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then scattered showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. North northwest wind 7 to 10 mph increasing to between 15 and 18 mph. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. "

Water temp is 61. Realtime on the water weather conditions at
http://tidesonline.nos.noaa.gov/plotcomp.shtml?station_info=8726724+Clearwater+Beach,+FL

Wish I were in Florida right about now...

This is sort of rhetorical, since you're not the OA, but why would they use the 2004 rules in 2010? Maybe they just got too lazy to update that line on the invite?

OK, almost time to start drinking... Happy New Year!!!

Mike

As simple as this is, it does comply with RRS Appendix J:


Nice job! (Although they really should update the RRS reference to 2009-2012.)

I think it will be good.. storms will pass by 8am... cool, clear and breezy forcast.. 65 and sunny aint to bad..

This was postponed due to a cold front that came through... if you have any interest... let me know and i will give you updated info.

Hey I was in your neck of the woods over the weekend.. was that your boat set up on the causeway on cat trax with the bows on a trailer?

no, my mystere is currently broken.. that was a 6.0, i have a 5.5

Sorry for the short notice...
Hangover Regatta (RESCHEDULED)
Sunday - January 24th, 2010
Dunedin Causeway
　
　
• Distance Regatta
• Located at the Dunedin Causeway next to Sail Honeymoon Rentals
• 9:00 am Registration / 10:00 am Skippers Meeting / 11:00 Start
• Organizing Authority: Tampa Bay Catamaran Sailors Inc.
• Race governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing
• Sailing to be scored using Portsmouth Handicap Number system
• Classes to be decided prior to Skippers Meeting.
• Fee: $5 per boat for TBCSI members and those over 45 mi away.
All others $10.
• Membership forms available at registration.
Proposed course starts off the causeway, goes around some islands, some
channel markers and finishes back at the causeway. Actual course to be
announced at the Skippers Meeting.

So you're gonna race then, right?

No Jon, i am not. i am taking your lovely girlfriend out for a sail since you wanted her to "wait at home" and bake you a a cake. Don't worry i will get many pics of her

Excellent, I'll be sure to share them with a certain blond Latvian.

OK, we are coming.

I hear they have a sharp temper and short fuse (letter opener to the neck?)... Or is that the Romanians...

Haha, she has put up with me for almost a year, (meaning she has a ton of patience), but she can yell up a storm when she wants to

That was a fun race a couple years ago.. wish we could do it again but unfortunately I am not down there this time.
Learned my lesson never to go distance sailing without a GPS from that!

Race conditions:
Wind from S 15 kts gusting to 25 at start ramping up to 25 gusting to 35. 11 boats started, 5 finished. All boats now accounted for. All safe, one sailor had trip to hospital with broken hand.

Truly an incredible day! Perhaps we should have known better since big air was predicted, although not the 40s. You can see from the graph that the wind was over 20 all day and by the time we turned for the 8 mile beat home the gusts were up to 40+. The air was 75 degrees, and the water in the upper 60s. The waves were 3-5 ft and directly on the nose, huge white caps with blinding spray. Solo on the wire on my Nacra 5.0, I went up the steep face of the third wave in a 5 foot set when a HUGE gust got under my bows and I did vertical reverse capsize, bows completely vertical, landing upside down and stabbing my mast into the just-too-shallow water. When I got back aboard to right the boat I scanned the horizon and could see four other boats over. Outside me by a mile I could see Jack Woehrle's Hobie 20 with a broken mast. That was one monster gust!

The stories of many rescues and the long, long trip home I'll leave for others to tell.
Right now I'd like to cheer the heroic efforts of Bob Barton and his daughter for spending hours in his chase boat scooping up swimmers and towing boats to shore in really terrible conditions. The situation could have been tragic without him. EVERYONE thanks you, Bob.

The REAL question is why those spineless F-18 guys (Ding) wimped out of the race at the start.

Seemed like a good idea at the time. If I could have only known what an adventure it would have have been I might have reconsidered.

Glad you guys are all accounted for and safe. Just in case you missed it, the Colts beat the Jets and the Saints beat the Vikings.

Your decision NOT to sail was the right one.

You probably would have done fine. Most of the bigger boats/crews did all right but the lighter ones just couldn't deal with beating to weather in those waves when the wind got over 30. Solo, I just did not have enough inertia to punch through the froth nor weight to hold the bows down in the gusts.

Still, a good time was had by all. Stories to tell for years to come!

I heard 6 stranded cats on the north side of the causeway... crazy! we busted 4 or 5 battens/pockets in our 1 hour sail...

Perhaps next time you guys should concider sailing on the inside in that kinda weather.


That was an interesting start you had Dave

I saw Ding toughing it out at Tradewinds for 5 races on Saturday in 20+ conditions. If he didn't start hangover, there musta been good reason....

It was pretty sporty at Area D as well, and he hung in for that one. Sometimes the beach is the right place to be; at least for some of us.

It was gusting around 25 pre-race.. 2 or 3 capsizes on the line before the start

I guess this was one time being over 200 lbs on a Hobie 17 was a good thing. It was definitely gnarly out there, especially popping your rudders over a shallow spot just as a gust hits. But the further out into the Gulf you went the bigger the waves got. And you guys told me that I would love the flat water on this coast...
Hey I love my new home.

Those boats who made it south to where the island bends (north parking lot) and could turn slightly SE all made it. The boats right behind you but still headed due south ALL got dumped. Just a matter of minutes for most but the result was a very long afternoon of recovery. Today I keep looking down and saying, "Where the heck did THAT huge bruise come from?"

Spring starts on Feb 1st here so fair winds and warm weather are right around the corner!

well there was a small craft advisory and a 6-8' waves being called for

On the beach during the race – Who’s winged Mystere 6.0 attached to trailer had the wind pick the whole thing up, turn it on the side and lean it against the downwind Minivan? It looked like the the boat and trailer were attached to the side of the van.
The shrouds hitting the mast stand on the trailer attached behind the van saved the top of the van from the mast as I remember.
Quite a show as we were being sand blasted and waiting to hear from the six boats to be survivors.

Perhaps not a good day to leave your cat onthe beach (mast up)

That was Zack's 5.5 that flipped on the beach. We were standing about 25' down wind of it talking when I heard some yelling and then a bang. I turn to my left and there's the top of the mast a few feet away from my head.

Honestly it was good conditions until the ride back. About half way down Honeymoon it piped up. John says we should roll up the jib. I say no way. The main is centered and sheeted hard and I'm steering the boat with a couple of fingers driving through 5ft chop. As we get closer to the pass he says it again. Again I say no. We tack for the pass and are doing ok until we enter the pass. Then it ramped up to about forty. So there we are the sails are released, the boat is capsizing. The boom and main are dragging in the water. The boat is angled about 5-10 degrees. I'm pumping the tiller and trying to undo my hook. John is pumping his body trying to save it. It starts to inch down until we finally save it ending in big tea bag. I look at John and say, maybe we should roll up the jib.

sounds like a hoot!

Glad i was sailing Steve's boat, glad i wasn't in the gulf

Congrats on the finish (and win )

LMAO, Well told. Congrats on winning the Low Portsmouth.

I thought I was racing with Rocco at one point: "I've never furled a jib in a race and never will, arrrr!"

Of course, trying to get that accomplished (jib furled) while still driving upwind in 30+ didn't work out too well.

Congrats on finishing and winning!

We where following in your tracks (I would guess a mile behind). We lost use of one rudder at the start but I was able to secure it in the up position so the boat felt good all the way for the two laps around the island. We watched you clear the pass and tacked on your line. Almost immediately the big wind hit and we saved it several times. It was sort of strange actually. We were totally depowered ...total down haul, over rotation, etc. traveler down about a foot. The main actually started inverting and we then didn't have enough power to punch through the building seas.

With only one rudder I didn't have enough control to keep her close to the wind.

We went over and righted the boat three times but could never get back on before it went over again.

At that point we were exhausted and thankfully Bob Barton, and the crash boat arrived. I was very concerned about my crew who is an experinced sailor and kiteboarder. However he had never be on a cat and I was afraid he would lose his contact with the boat. As we all know, these things skate really fast on their side.

Anyway, the crash crew were able to get John on board and then tow me and TL to a nearby beach where we left the boat for the night.

Thanks to Bob, John and the others on the crash boat. They rescued at least 5 boats and their crews. No boats were lost.

I can't image being out in those conditons in a 20' open power boat, let alone skillfully rescuing people in the water and towing capsized boats.

Looking at the GPS track, we would never have made it to shore on our own. We were headed due North and would have skirted all the remaining islands. The next landfall would have been Cedar Key, at least 40 miles. We could have survived but it would have been a cold night. This is near where those Tampa Bay football players perished last year.

Lessions:

Heed storm warnings, no matter how nice it seems at race time.

Never underestimate the value of power boat rescue resources.

When sailing off shore, even in nice weather, carry plenty of water, cell phone, flashlight and more. You never know when a three hour cruise will turn into Gilligan's Island.

And...of course stay with the boat.

Well said Jack. I am glad all made it.. Bob really is the hero here, we should name a race after him.. oh wait there already are a few.. .

There's no doubt that without out Bob out there it would have been a bit uglier than it turned out. After we got back to the beach I was more concerned about him and his daughter than the sailors. Thanks Bob.

When we were close at the top of Honeymoon I saw your starboard rudder was kicked and I wondered if you had problems with it after the grounding before the start.

Yea we finished first and thanks, but I think all of us should share in the first place trophy which is champagne. Since you may not be around to partake, we will be sure to toast you too.

It was a hellava day at sea!

Actually, there are 6 bottles of champagne, 3 for top Low Portsmouth finishers and 3 for top High Portsmouth finishers. Since only 5 of us finished the race, all finishers get a bottle. Maybe we should have a chugging contest with the winner to get the spare. Think of how much better the stories would get after the contest.

You people from NJ are crazy!!!

At Sandy Hook where Phil is from, they have a cold keg going 24/7 in a shack right on their cat beach.

Oh Yea? Catman Parker has a meth lab in his sailbox!!!! beat that!

Yeah, I do miss that, but right now the keg needs a heater to keep it from freezing. Now that I don't miss.

Upon assessing the damage, I find I only need a small sail repair and new Comp Tip, as well as a boom. I can't figure out how that got lost. I remember taking it off on the beach. I had been piling sails and gear near the high tide line and thought the boom was with that stuff. However, it was gone in the morning. I guess it could have drifted off in the surf while I was busy with righting the boat.

Anyway, someone named Zack said he had a mast. Perhaps he has a boom. Dave, I think it may be from the same boat as the rudders and beams you sold me last year.

Actually with the way the wind was blowing that night I'm surprised your boat was still there in the morning. I live directly east of the tip of Honeymoon in Crystal Beach and with binoculars I was glad to see the two masts still there in the morning. Sent you a PM. If Zack doesn't have one you could try Tackle Shack. They have a lot of used parts.

Jack, I was driving past Rentz Truck Rental, Clearwater, FL. They have a Hobie 20 for sale with a broken mast at the comp tip, but with a boom. Maybe they will take an offer for the boom. Good luck with the boat.