Big Water Sailing Club

RaceTraining Opportunity
for Beginners & Oldsters

Steve Kiemele is a BWSC member and also is a member of WCSC. He races with both Clubs, if there is not a conflict in schedules. He is Race Committee Chairman at WCSC and put together a two hour training for new skippers and those who want to improve their skills. The following is an outline of the course. He will present the course to our Club if we get 5 or 6 skippers who are willing to attend. I have raced with Steve on his J-24 several times. He is good! Just check out what he did at the last Huey Kent Memorial Race - 2009. .

Racing Orientation

Outline- by Steve Kiemele

Race Course:

1. Start/Finish line (usually government buoy and small temporary marker)
2. Windward Mark (government buoy)
3. Optional Gybe Mark
4. Leeward mark
5. Marks generally left to port
6. Number of laps in Sailing Instructions for BWSC
7. Start may be leeward, finish may be windward or leeward
8. Sailing Instructions will describe courses

Primary Rules:

1. Port tack boats keep clear of starboard tack boats
2. Windward boats keep clear of leeward boats (when overlapped). Leeward boats may luff windward boats head to wind before start signal, to close-hauled afterward. Windward boats must be given room and opportunity to keep clear.
3. Overtaking boats keep clear of boats ahead
4. Right of way boats must maneuver so that the burdened boat may keep clear
5. Room at marks-inside boats have room to pass if overlapped at 3 boat lengths (port inside boats have no rights at windward mark)
6. Proper side of the starting line-You may not be on the course side (OCS) of the starting line when the starting signal occurs.
7. Penalties (at first opportunity-but, you have no rights during penalty)
• OCS-return to proper side of the starting line (either dip or around an end)
• Touching mark-one 360° turn (one tack and one gybe in either order)
• Right of way infractions-two 360° turns (two tacks and two gybes)
• Downwind, gybe first; upwind, tack first.

Starting Sequence and signals: BWSC typically does not use starting flags, only horn/blast.

1. 5 min - Warning - Class Flag - one short sound
2. 4 min - Preparatory - Prep ("P") Flag - one short sound (Racing Rules of Sailing are in effect)
3. 1 min - Prep Flag down - one long sound (may be "I" or "Z" or Black)
4. Start - Class Flag down - one short sound
5. Postpone - ("AP") - up with 2 sounds; down with one, next signal in 1 min
6. Individual Recall - ("X") - up with 1 sound, down when all clear
7. General Recall - ("1st Substitute") - up with two sounds

Scoring Methods: This is predomiately, almost always, a Western Carolina Sail Club list.

1. PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) expressed as seconds per mile slower or faster than a 12 meter. Generally used for keelboats.
• Either Time-on-Distance or Time-on-Time (TOT used by BWSC)
• Based on actual performance of a well prepared boat, not the skipper's skill.
• Adjustments for sail size, motor and prop type, wet-sailed (WCSC, not BWSC)
• "A" Class = PHRF 189 or lower, "B" Class = PHRF greater than 189 (WCSC, not BWSC)
• Current boats in "A" class range from PHRF 95 (Melges 24) to PHRF 189 (Ranger 29) (WCSC, not BWSC)
• "B" Class boats range from PHRF 200 (C&C 29) to PHRF 286 (Catalina 22) (WCSC, not BWSC)
• Examples - If the Melges finishes in 1 hour, the Ranger must finish within 7 min, 34 seconds to win "A" class. If the C&C finishes in 1 hour, the Catalina 22 must finish within 6 minutes, 3 seconds to win "B" class.
2. Portsmouth Yardstick
• Time-on-time correction factor generally used for centerboard boats and multihulls
3. One Design
• Identical boats conforming to class rules.
• No time adjustments
4. Series Scoring
• 1st - 1 point, 2nd = 2 points, and so forth.
• Scores for all races added at the end of the series - low points wins
• Ties broken per Racing Rules of Sailing
• Some number of worst finishes may be discarded, usually two on a five race series.

Basic Strategy:

1. Sail in clear air
2. Sail in stronger breeze
3. Sail first on the favored tack. If forced to tack, get back on the favored tack.
4. Avoid the corners of the course
5. Stay with or cover the fleet (Cover = stay between competition and next mark)
6. Sail to the shift - If a wind shift is predicted, sail upwind on the side to which the wind is predicted to shift.
7. Have crew call mark angles (clock positions) and starboard boats (when on port) - helmsperson concentrates on boat speed.
8. Don't yell and have fun!! Especially, if you want your crew to return - ask Scott.

Basic Tactics:

1. Sail for "velocity made good" (VMG) - cover the most distance in as short a time as possible, not the most direct route or fastest boat speed
• Upwind, tack on headers, take the lifts - Example:
• Two boats (even) sailing 5 at knots (boat speed), 45 degrees off destination. Both sailing at 3.54 knots VMG
• A 10 degree wind-shift (header) occurs
• One boat tacks, now sailing 35 degrees toward destination at 4.10 knots VMG
• Other boat bears off in the header, now sailing 55 degrees away from destination at 2.87 knots VMG
• Tacked boat's VMG is now 1.23 knots faster than other, +43%
• A 43% increase in VMG trumps almost any difference in boatspeed
• Over one minute, the boat that tacked gains 293 feet, or thirteen 22-foot boat-lengths
2. Sail higher upwind or lower downwind in the puffs; sail lower upwind or higher downwind in the lulls. If wind direction does not change, a puff is an advantage - sail more toward to the mark.
3. Get to clear air if a same-speed or slower boat is taking your wind
4. Do not "pinch" – at least not for long
5. Heel boat to leeward in light air to fill the sails by gravity
6. Trim the sails for twist aloft in light air (more important with taller masts) - Traveler up, ease mainsheet.
7. Keep the boat as flat as possible when sailing upwind in stronger breeze
8. Approach starting line, marks, and finish line on starboard when new
9. Do not "barge" at start
10. Allow adequate time for boat and sail handling
11. Use slow, smooth direction changes (high or abrupt rudder angles = brakes)

Preparation:

1. Clean/refinish the bottom, keel, rudder ( just time and effort or up to $3,000)
2. Remove unnecessary weight (free)
3. Consider newer sails ($1,500 to $10,000)
4. Adjust the rig and trim sails per tuning guide if available ($50 for Loos gauge)
5. If no spinnaker, purchase a whisker pole ($350 - 22' boat, $800 - 25' boat)
6. Tell-tails on main and jib ($10)
7. Wind indicator at top of mast - $38
8. Cassette tape on shrouds (free)
9. Digital watch with count-down timer (Casio G-Shock - $35)
10. Compass for keeping track of wind direction ($200 - $600)
11. GPS for finding government marks ($100)
12. Learn your tacking angles to call the lay lines accurately (free)
13. Race a lot - time on the boat racing makes you faster (free)

Resources:

1. US Sailing Membership (includes RRS) - $50 to $75 per year.
2. Racing flags and signals decal from West Marine ($7.50)
3. Tuning Guide for your boat from various sail makers - (Free)
4. On-line US Sailing Introduction to Sailboat Racing - www.sailingcourse.com/racing - (Free)
5. On-line courses from www.sailingusa.info - start with small boat course (Free)
6. Fellow BWSC members - (Free)