Race Report - GAME ON!
By the time you read this report, we will hopefully have completed our first race of the season. &nbsp;The first race is known as the Icebreaker, but since no ice formed this year we may have to think of a new name. &nbsp;The weather has been great.&nbsp; No excuses to get your boat ready. &nbsp;Me, well, I ve been working a few late nights to get my toys ready. &nbsp;Oh, yeah, they are not ready yet either. &nbsp;If you need any help with boat repairs or questions on how to rig your boat, there are always plenty of experts around to help. &nbsp;Just ask and I'm sure we can find some "expert" to get you headed in some direction. &nbsp;<br>If you missed the first race, our second race is scheduled for May 6th.<br><br><b>Instructional/Learn to Sail</b><br>We held the second event in this seasons instructional series on Wed April 18th at the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club.&nbsp; About 16 people came to hear a short course on the anatomy of a race course. &nbsp;I am happy to report that 3 of the 16 attendees were youth sailors.&nbsp; Now that s what I like to see. &nbsp;Pizza and beverages were served while Mark Modderman and I explained the basics of sailboat racing. &nbsp;We spent most of the time talking about Starts, covering everything from the starting sequence to which end of the line you want to start at. &nbsp;Of course you want to start at the "favored end" but which end is favored? &nbsp;The seminar included a look at a sailboat race on a website called www.kattack.com. &nbsp;Here sailors use tracking devices on their boats and record their track during a race. &nbsp;Kattack software overlays the race course and time so you can replay the race and see how the race can be won or lost. &nbsp;You can go to their website and watch a number of previously recorded races. &nbsp;If you want to watch catamaran specific races, go to the CRAW series.&nbsp; As was explained at the seminar, the courses may seem strange to you as they tend to differ from the course we use in our fleet races. &nbsp;But generally they are the same basic structure of an upwind leg and a downwind leg.&nbsp; Some of the variations you may see are where the downwind marks are set relative to the committee boat. &nbsp;Sometimes they are above or upwind of the committee boat which is different than our normal setting where the mark is downwind or "below" the committee boat. &nbsp;We are investigating ways to bring tracking into our events. &nbsp;It can be a great instructional tool and a great means to keep track of people in distance racing as a safety feature.<br>Look for the next instructional seminar scheduled for June 9th at the beach. &nbsp;We may toss in something in May at the beach, so keep an eye on the website and check your emails. &nbsp;<br><br>Greg: &nbsp;graybon@verizon.net<br><br>