Tag Archives: Buccaneer Class

News

PRSA President’s Cup: Ophelia wins both days

Tropical system Ophelia confounded our attempts at racing on both days of the 2023 President’s Cup Regatta.  We had too much wind, high surf, and flooding on Saturday.  Then, on Sunday, we had one of the calmest days on the Potomac in recent memory (absolutely no wind!).  None of this stopped the competitors from having a good time socializing over the food and drinks on Sunday afternoon, though.  Many thanks to all who attended, and especially to those who traveled for the regatta.  At least we were treated to a nice double rainbow over the cove as we wrapped things up on Sunday.

Debris line on Sunday after some launch area flooding.
Double rainbow over the cove at WSM
Full rainbow over the cove at WSM.
Regattas, Announcements

Sept 23-24 Presidents Cup Registration

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! All one-design classes 20 feet or under are invited.

Visit the Regatta Network Site for the NOR and Registration Links!

President's Cup Logo

Regattas, Announcements

PRSA Spring Regatta May 27-28

Updated 29 May: we had a great weekend of racing, with all classes getting 9 or 10 races in a shifty and variable easterly.  Results are posted here: https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/26050#_newsroom and we have some fantastic photos from Lindsay Bach (from the mark boat) posted here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mS7iMjrp9u6yJ3to8

******

Register now for the PRSA Spring Regatta (May 27-28) and enjoy two days of racing on the Potomac River with the monuments and Capitol as a backdrop.  Head to the Regatta Network site – https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/26050 – to register and to view the NOR.  Additional regatta information will be posted on the Regatta Network site.

Announcements, News

PRSA at the Annapolis and DC Boat Shows!

PRSA Sailors: I’m excited to share that PRSA has been invited to participate in the Annapolis Spring boat show, April 28-30, and the First Annual Washington DC Boat show May 5-7.  Both shows are showcasing local sailing / boating clubs, which gives us a great opportunity to promote our club and fleets.   Many thanks to our PRSA Secretary, Kyra, and to Melissa for all of the organizing work here!  Please take a moment to read the details below and then let us know if you might have some time to volunteer to staff the booths at one or both shows.  If you plan on stopping by just to visit the shows, let us know as well (and be sure to wear some PRSA gear!).
  • The Annapolis Boat show — April 28-30 — is providing our members a discount code, “PRS23”. This will get you admission to the show for $12. Spinsheet has coordinated the club showcase, and will be taking photographs through the event, so wear your PRSA gear, especially if you are willing to volunteer at our PRSA booth.
  • The DC Boat show (May 5-7) will be held at National Harbor.  We will be there with other local clubs to promote sailing on the river and collaboration among our area clubs.
SI's & NOR's, Announcements

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

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!

News

PRSA Spring Regatta Writeup and Results

Another Win for the Red Boat at the PRSA Spring Regatta
By Steph Mah

A few weeks ago, Barney Harris made Raines an offer to come down and race in the Potomac River Sailing Association’s Spring Regatta. It was one of those offers Raines couldn’t refuse – Barney was providing his Republican red boat, his house, pick up and drop off from the airport, and a lot of beer. Raines asked me to tag along knowing that I wouldn’t be able to resist getting into political arguments with Barney and possibly wind up epoxied to a dock.

The forecast was for light air on Saturday and even less on Sunday – but if you didn’t want to hike (like me), this wasn’t a bad thing.  Unfortunately, like pollsters, weather forecasters can be completely wrong with no consequences, and what we actually got on Saturday was a gusty 10-15 knots with a small craft warning in effect.

An albacore is an albacore is an albacore – unless it’s Barney’s, which has about 99% more control lines than what we’re used to. Writing down what some of the lines did was helpful, but that didn’t stop us from falling down a couple of times during tacks and gybes. It seemed like going left was the payoff move, but being Canadian and polite, we went right to stay out of everyone’s way. Eventually, with some skill (from Raines) and luck (being the ant infestation in the boat Barney was using), we got ourselves settled and Barney’s red boat squeaked out a bullet in the last race over Barney’s other boats,
giving us the lead for the day. Dinner was a huge spread of tacos, nachos, salads, cookies, and beer.

Sunday was one of those days where you discovered how cruel or kind the RC was. The wind was looking bleak (except for when the planes were landing), so the only decision was whether they would postpone us on land or make us go out. Fortunately, they went with the former, giving Barney more time to murder ants, and eventually they called the day off to the relief of many. And more tacos and nachos were served!

We got some very nice prizes, but the real champions of this regatta were the volunteers. I understand there was a four(!!!) person regatta committee with many more hands that pitched in to pick up the food, pack it away, set it back out, run the races, get the prizes, get the ice, and the list goes on and on. And it was an amazing event – there was a ton of good food, coolers full of Hapco-sponsored beer (that Raines orbited like a little moon), and lots of helpful and friendly people. It made me feel welcome and made me want to come back. I hope the volunteers all know how much the sailors appreciated the work (and plan to pay it back), and how proud PRSA should be of them.

Again, a huge thanks to everyone for their work on this regatta, and the biggest thanks to Barney for making this happen and for not watching us while we took 40 minutes to de-rig his boat.

Results are here!

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.

SI's & NOR's, Announcements
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!!!