Tag Archives: Sailboat racing

Announcements, SI's & NOR's

2023 Spring/Fall Series Registration, NOR, Sailing Instructions, and RC Duty

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PRSA Sailors:

We are just 2 weeks away from the start of the PRSA Spring Series!  We are writing now to provide information on some important changes that are going into effect this spring.  Please make sure to read through these details carefully so that you’re prepared to race as our Spring Series kicks off on 30 March.

First, you will need to register for the series in advance.  Use this link to register: https://forms.gle/9riR85toVRbdvZ976.  When you register, you will be prompted to sign up for at least ½ of your required Race Committee (RC) slots.  We have had a difficult time filling RC slots in recent seasons and this change will help to address the issue. We will be providing opportunities to help train RC and will look to pair individuals with less RC experience with those that can mentor.  

In 2023 all skippers of multi-person boats are responsible for the same amount of RC duty: 4 slots over the Spring & Fall series.  Skippers of single person boats are responsible for 2 slots over the Spring & Fall Series. Each skipper may serve your 4 slots all in the Spring, all in the Fall, or spread throughout the spring and the fall.  If you bring your crew or friends to help you, make sure to enter the last name of the skipper receiving credit for these volunteers on the RC spreadsheet. You can find the link to the RC Service Signup Sheet here: http://potomacriversailing.org/dues-rc-duty/.  And remember, serving as PRO for any race day or as Regatta Chair for one of our 2-day regattas counts as 2 slots.

Second, make sure to review the NOR and the Sailing Instructions for the 2023 Spring and Fall series racing (posted here: http://potomacriversailing.org/spring-fall-sunday-series/).  We have made several important changes on scoring that should both bolster participation and enable sailors to travel to away regattas to still compete in, and be competitive for trophies, our Sunday Series races.  In brief:

  • The new scoring rules eliminate the minimum “races sailed requirement.” There have been many cases where skippers are only a race or two below 50% threshold and don’t qualify. Since days get canceled due to weather and/or due to lack of RC, it isn’t always in the skipper’s control that they end up not sailing in 50% of races. Adding DNC to bring those skippers up to 50% participation would have seen those skippers ranking higher than boats that qualified.  We will still only calculate a boat’s series score based on their top 50% finishes in the series(effectively everyone gets to drop their worst half of their scores).  
  • We are also modifying how DNS, DNF, & DNC are scored and how races conducted while on RC are calculated so that all races can be scored. Our goal is to reward people on RC, incentivize people to race in the conditions that they feel comfortable and at least show up to the Marina before making a final decision.  

These changes were discussed at the AGM and then refined through input provided to Tyler, our Rear Commodore, by members and at the 23 January Race Program Committee Meeting.  On behalf of the PRSA Executive Committee, I want to thank Tyler in particular for all of the work that he has put in to update our NOR and SIs and to streamline the organization of our Spring and Fall series.

Summary of relevant links:

Please make sure to review the NOR and the SIs and to register so that you are all set to start racing when the 2023 Spring Series begins on 30 March!  We look forward to seeing you on the water!

Announcements, News

PRSA President’s Cup: September 18-19

Join the Potomac River Sailing Association to race in the largest one-design regatta on the Potomac with the National Capitol and monuments as a backdrop, and to carry on the tradition of competitive one-design racing that started with the 1934 President’s Cup!  The 2021 PRSA President’s Cup Regatta will be held on September 18 & 19 at Washington Sailing Marina.  Please visit the Regatta Website – https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/23128 – to view the NOR and register.  All one-design classes 20 feet or under are invited.

This year we have a flat fee registration for each boat ($40 for regatta participation only).  Please note that tickets for Saturday ‘s post-race BBQ are not included in the registration fee.  BBQ tickets for Saturday evening for each person (skipper and crew, as well as any friends/family that might join you) must be purchased separately as part of your registration or via the “Online Storefront” area on the Regatta Network website.   Please make sure to purchase BBQ tickets for your entire boat — skipper and crew — as well as any family/friends/visitors in advance so we can be sure to have sufficient food on hand!
Early registration ends on September 1, so register now to take advantage of the early registration discount and to let us know that you’ll be coming!
2021

DISC “Three Bridges Fiasco Race” (June 26)

On June 26 DISC will be holding a “Three Bridges Fiasco” race on the Potomac & Anacostia.  All PRSA boats/classes are invited.  The race will take you to government marks near each of the 3 bridges that we can sail to, in any order of your choosing, after starting at Red N6 (in the river just north of Old Town Alexandria).  The race will be scored using Portsmouth Yardstick Scoring.

Per the NOR and SIs, please contact DISC Officers via officers@discsailing.org with any questions about DISC racing or these Race Instructions.

2021, Announcements, News

PRSA Spring Series Racing Underway!

Our PRSA Spring Series starts on Sunday, April 11!  Please make sure you’ve read through the following information and completed the necessary steps so that you are ready to get out on the water as our PRSA Spring Series starts.

  • Sign the 2021 PRSA COVID-19 Acknowledgement of Risk & Waiver: https://forms.gle/xKAAkXm7gh7xZanB6.  Although things are looking better, we are still in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic and some areas (including some places in our own area) are seeing upticks in cases and community spread.  All participance’s — competitors and RC members — are required to sign this waiver in order to participate in PRSA Activities.  You must sign the new 2021 waiver (the prior waiver for fall 2020 and 2020-2021 frostbite racing is no longer applicable).
  • Take note of a new federal requirement: effective April 1 a new federal law passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (which included a U.S. Coast Guard Reauthorization) requires a vessel operator to use either a helm or outboard lanyard or wireless engine cutoff switches (ECOS) when operating power boats under 26 feet in length.  Please make sure to clip the cutoff lanyard to your life jacket when operating our skiffs.

As always, please feel free to reach out to your PRSA Executive Committee if you have any questions.

2020-2021 Frostbite, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

2020-2021 LASER FROSTBITE SERIES #17

It’s Groundhog Day with another 3rd place write-up from me. Surely no frostbites today – sunburns were more likely. It was like a high school dance in winter with few participants appropriately dressed for the temperature, the venue not quite fit for purpose, yet everyone seemingly having a good time. We’re used to shifting winds on the Potomac, but today took it to a new level. It reminded me of Rumsfeld when he confidently said the WMDs were, “east, west, south and north somewhat.” Dan and Mike energetically boated around trying to have the marks in the right direction only to find that between the warning sound and the start not only might it change which end of the starting line was favorable, but which was the more logical windward mark. Big thanks to Dan and Mike for adding another great sailing day, and to Farley for delivering the attached results.

So, how does one do well on a day like today? Probably three key things: find the wind, tack on the shifts, and get a good start.  Finding the wind is about keeping your head up and looking on the water and other boats.  I did a lot of tacking today, and mastering the tacking is really important in these light winds. That is probably the biggest thing I’ll practice now that the series is over – efficient roll tacks. When starting in light wind, free wind matters. Starting close to too many other boats can be risky, and I tended to do better when I just found a fairly open spot on the line where I could start with some boat speed and no one stealing my wind.
This is it for the Frostbite series – it has been great fun! Restarting sailing this past fall has really been a bright spot for me during covid.  I’ll miss the regatta next weekend but look forward to many more fun races, practices, and dock chats in the spring.
Announcements, SI's & NOR's
The Buccaneer Fleet at Potomac River Sailing Association (PRSA) will host the annual Easter Buccy Regatta on Saturday, April 3rd at Washington Sailing Marina, Alexandria, VA. This popular event, which features a variety of races and an on-the-water Easter egg hunt, is fun for sailors of all ages and experience levels. See attached 2021 Easter Buccy Regatta Sailing Instructions for more details.   Please note the following as well:
  • Race Committee volunteers are needed.  Go to the Race Committee page to sign up.
  • There is no entry fee, but you must send an email to Jeff Neurauter (jmnsailor@yahoo.com) by March 26 if you want to participate.  Let’s get this sailing season STARTED!!!
2020-2021 Frostbite, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

2020-2021 Laser Frostbite Series #15

Sunday was sunny, warmish, and probably the windiest frostbite day so far.  John and Greg laid out an Olympic triangle course, which provided for planing when the gusts coincided with the reach legs. Greg and John heroically tried to adjust the course to the changing winds and were, on average, successful. Big thanks to John and Greg for RCing and to Farley for the attached results.

The starts were exciting – it was often possible to sail the length of the line in less than 20 seconds, so it quickly got crowded.  I preferred shuttling between the pin and the boat and coming on port to find a good spot behind the RC boat about 35 seconds before the start.  That way I avoided getting stuck in a crowd … it worked sometimes. Having, for once, the current largely in the same direction as the wind also made the typical strategy of lingering on the line viable.

On the upwind leg, gusts often came along with 30-40 degree wind shifts. That meant we had to be on our toes … or more literally ready to quickly adjust the sheet, rudder, and body position. The first victim I witnessed was Jim G., who had to tack as Farley came on starboard right at the time of a big gust and wind shift, which landed Jim with a taste of the Potomac.

Downwind was fun as there was just enough wind for a bit of waves to form. That allowed for practicing both following the waves and using body movement and sheeting to control the boat with minimal rudder. Supposedly s-turns on the downwind leg are more efficient, but I still haven’t figured them out. During stronger gusts, the jibing could also get exciting.  At one point I was chasing Len for the first place he capsized right by the mark. I then managed to not only also capsize, but as I tried to climb around to the daggerboard I somehow tripped in a way that had me drop backward in the water hitting daggerboard on the way down before having my first taste of the Potomac. A far cry from the salty sea water I grew up with, but not as bad as feared. Glorious as my fail felt, had we had a weekly epic performance award, it would have probably gone to Tyler, who artfully lodged 8603 almost completely atop Celeste’s laser. Surely I missed many other exciting incidents – all in all, another beautiful Sunday on the Potomac.

Now, this is my 3rd 3rd place write-up, so I’d suggest we adjust to formula next season to include more authors.  Not just because I’m lazy, but also for literary diversity and because I’m curious about others’ experiences and ideas.

Finally, happy International Women’s Day – it is truly a joy to have you dedicated, fearless, fun, and lovely women both on the water and on the dock – you represent the best of what IWD stands for!

2020-2021 Laser Frostbit Series #15

2020-2021 Frostbite, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

2020-2021 Laser Frostbite Series #14

Hi everybody,
Here’s my 3rd place writeup, starting with an overview of our skiff-maintenance lesson:
 
Skiff Stuff. Before we launched, Stew Harris gave a great lesson on proper skiff maintenance (Thanks, Stew!). For those of you unable to attend, here are some highlights:
  • Fuel. Keep the fuel tank above 1/2 full and ideally above 2/3 full. This prevents condensation, which prevents water in the fuel, which prevents the motor not working as what happened last week. There is no way to visually see water in the fuel; you know that watery fuel is likely the problem when the skiff won’t start. Thus, if it is your day and the fuel level is below 2/3 full (ish), go to the Shell station and fill up. There are gas tanks in the locker by the boat.
  • Cover. Be sure the cover is on tight so that water does not pool and does not end up in the boat.
  • Drain Plugs. There are three at the back of the boat. Make sure they are all in before launching.
  • Motor up! There is a switch on the throttle that raises and lowers the engine; the engine MUST be up during trailering because it might hit something, especially the parking bumper in the trailer spot.
  • Battery Switch. There is a switch in the big box at the back of the skiff that turns the battery on/off. This must be off at the end of the day.
Think that covers the main points, but if I forgot something, feel free to reply to this email so everyone knows.
Racing. HUGE kudos to Celeste and Jolie for being race committee and getting off five races on a cold and wet afternoon! Scores attached via Farley (Thanks, Farley!)
In terms of conditions, it was rather rainy with a light easterly breeze and a decent southern-flowing current. If you want to know what really worked well on Sunday, ask Steen – he won four of the five races!  Here are a few observations:
  • Head out of the boat (another reminder) – Sunday was one of those days when my position at any given point felt more tenuous than usual – if I was ahead, it could change easily, and if I was behind, especially at the first leeward rounding, there were often opportunities for catching up. Thus, it was a day that seemed to require a more than usual amount of paying attention to everything – other boats, how they were headed, the wind (which was patchy and not always easily visible on the water), and with the current, the location of the marks, especially the leeward mark. I didn’t do quite enough of this.
  • Starts. The day started with a boat-favored line, which made things a bit crowded at the starboard end. To make things even more challenging, the current kept the committee boat facing upriver and perpendicular to the direction of the wind which meant that it was easier than usual to snag the anchor line due to both the orientation of the committee boat and the direction and magnitude of the current. One race I got snagged on the anchor line (note to self!). In the later races, I had decent luck starting further down the generous line and catching what seemed to be more wind/more favorable shifts on the left side of the course.
  • Leeward Leg. Downwind legs tended to be very slow. Going high(ish) generally helped, but I had luck going a bit lower during some of the earlier races. Sometimes it was a regular downwind and sometimes it was more of a reach, even on the same leg! At one point I, like many others, had to approach close-hauled just to get to the leeward mark due to the wind mostly dying and having to battle the current. Fun times.

Additional comment. Thank you to those of you who were really good about yelling starboard and/or communicating about whether I could keep going or not. Let’s keep that communication up! Not just on windward legs, but noting overlaps (or not) at mark roundings too. It really helps.

Hope everyone has a good rest of their week! This Sunday is looking sunny, thankfully!  
Laura
2020-2021 Frostbite, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

2020-2021 Laser Frostbite Series #7

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Dear fellow frostbiters!

After a couple of rainy race days with temperatures in the low thirties and after disturbing events on Capitol, finishing the week on a sunny Potomac with a pleasant breeze and 24 other lasers was a nice change!  We welcomed two more talented SSA exiles, Dave and Scott – it is great to have you, and we hope you stay with us!  Laura and Tyler laid out a slightly longer up-down course than usual and a more spacious start line.  That proved helpful as the rising tide tended to push us early over the starting line. In spite of shifting wind force and direction and an additional incident I’ll come back to, they aptly pulled off 6 great races – big thanks to Tyler and Laura!
The winning strategy of the day seemed to be making good bets and relying on good luck. The current was strong and probably stronger to the east, but the defining bets seemed to be who found the wind gusts and predicted the shifts.  Predicting the wind shift directions was hard – except it tended to revert more or less to where it started – in spite of many wild changes, the course really didn’t need modification. Anticipating where the gusts would come was marginally less random – looking at the water upwind gave us good clues. With 6 races, there were many bets to be made.
Starting strategy was influenced by the incoming tide and shifting winds. It just doesn’t work hanging out on the starting line on starboard with the sail flapping when the current carries you over the line.  With the more generous starting line than usual, moving around and looking for a good spot to start worked better for me. Even starting on port tack worked for me once, but it is risky!
A broken mast just after the 2nd start added some drama to my own experience. The upper mast has a weak point where the rivets hold the sleeve in place. It also demonstrated the sportsmanship and comradery as many of you checked in on me, and Len (I think it was you, Len, I was a bit distracted) offered to lend me an upper mast. Tyler and Laura swiftly picked me up, carefully pulled me back to the marina, they made it back in time to clock in everyone else, and I just barely made it back for race 3.  I then noticed that my gooseneck was starting to crack on both sides, and I sailed the remaining races slightly terrified that I would need a second rescue, but one side stayed attached, and it proved another bet worth taking.  Many thanks to Laura, Tyler, and Len for their help!!
The day was perfectly capped by Aaron Boesenecker cooking up delicious Glühwein!  Other than having a boat that doesn’t fall apart, I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend my Sunday.
As usual, with many thanks to Farley, the results are attached!
Sunday!
Steen
2020-2021 Frostbite, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

2020-2021 Laser Frostbite Series #6

Hi everyone,

Greetings from 3rd place. First – a huge thank you to Brian and his son for manning the committee boat and making sure we got in six races on a cloudy, cold, and ultimately rainy afternoon. A sunny and mild afternoon is what most of us would likely prefer and this was definitely not that! Thank you for taking one for the team.
The theme of the day was pin-favored starts, wind shifting more and more left, and a constant ebb (south-flowing) tide, so much so that earlier in the afternoon it seemed the current was doing more on the leeward legs than the wind! As for courses, we did our usual windward/leewards, mostly twice around.
Starts. These conditions made starts a bit more interesting. It was hard, if not impossible, to get over the line on starboard near the pin end, so that meant trying to be sure to be in the front row to allow for a quick tack to port (if starting on starboard). I got lucky in the first race and was able to start on port by the pin and won the race – but it was risky. As for the other starts, I did a mix of starboard and port starts with varying degrees of success. I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who got in some good port starts! But again, risky (but also fun to try).
Mark roundings. At the windward mark due to the current and the wind, the starboard layline was quite high and it was a little tricky gauging when to tack to ensure a bit of a cushion, but not too much. I mostly avoided hitting the windward mark by being very careful, including watching the mark as I rounded and steering accordingly. But during the last race I did hit it – and the boat overlapped to windward of me hit it as well! That kind of day. At the leeward mark, it was more the opposite problem. It was hard to do a close rounding and easy to be several feet downwind if one turned at the usual time/rate as if there was no current. I found that I could start to turn a bit early because I was drifting down the river so fast and this sometimes helped me pick up a few boats.
Upwind strategy. It generally paid to stay left-ish, especially towards the end of the day. At one point, I lost quite a bit of ground staying on port too long after the leeward mark and not heading back to starboard for a bit earlier in the leg. During one of the earlier races though there was actually more wind going slightly right at the top of the leg and I caught up a good bit. During another race, almost the entire beat was one big close-hauled tack/reach which made the start (especially location) super important as it was hard to pass with nearly no tacking opportunities.
Controls. This wasn’t a day where I did a lot controls-wise. Upwind – outhaul was a bit closer than a hand’s width (and tighter when the wind picked up); cunningham loose at the starts for pointing and then snugged; vang just snugged (mostly). Downwind – outhaul quite loose; cunningham off; just a bit of vang. Also (re control of self) – keeping my weight forward (and remembering to do this) helped too.
Other observation. For me personally, yesterday was a reminder to keep my head out of the boat more. It can be easy to focus on boat speed, especially when it is cold and I just don’t want to turn my head! – but my best races are when I’m looking around a lot more to see who is where, where they are pointing, where the puffs are, etc. Always something to keep working on.  Related – thank you to those lovely folks who were good about yelling “starboard!” – I appreciated it!
Finally, it has been so awesome to have so many of us out there Sunday after Sunday. After spending many winters with a fair bit of travel, being able to sail regularly with you all has been a big silver lining of this pandemic. Looking forward to many more weeks of the season!
Scores via Farley attached (thank you, Farley!)
Hope everyone is having a good start to the week!
Laura