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The 2009 HBYC Fun Race season is almost wrapped up. We have run a full schedule of races and have had great turn out.
I want to encourage all sailors and potential crew to make every effort to get out and race this year. Our races are designed to be fun and competitive. We don’t follow strict USSA Racing Rules and have our own rules that supersede formal racing rules. That’s because our goal has two parts: Fun & Safety.
I encourage all captains to make room for any member who wants to crew and I encourage all members who want to race to let us know so we can match you with a boat. Again the operative focus is to have fun and enjoy the competition.
Power boaters,
We continue to need your help throughout the rest of the season. We need boats in two categories to help with every race:
We have great support materials and detailed instructions for the Committee Boat, so as long as you can read and follow instructions there is really nothing to it.
Don Himes
Race Director
Here is the 2009 HBYC Fun Race Results and Calendar:
| Date | Event | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
| 1/31/2009 | Super Bowl Dash | Soiree | Bayou Girl | GRAFX |
| 2/28/2009 | Fun Race | Soiree | Lady in Red | Cat-Can-Do |
| 3/28/2009 | Spring Fling | Time 2 Cruise | Dunteri | GRAFX |
| 4/25/2009 | St Martins | Soiree | GRAFX | Sounds Good |
| 5/9/2009 | Women at the Helm [To be run in the fall] | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed |
| 6/13/2009 | Fun Race | Soiree | Sounds Good | Lady in Red |
| 7/11/2009 | Fun Race | Soiree | Lady in Red | Time 2 Cruise |
| 8/8/2009 | Skandia Cup | Soiree | Sounds Good | Lady in Red |
| 9/19/2009 | Fun Race | |||
| 10/4/2009 | Women at the Helm | |||
| 10/17/2009 | Hudson to Hooters | |||
| 11/14/2009 | End of Season Fun Race |
Saturday September 19, 2009
Captains Meeting: 08:00
Boat launch area at Skeleton Key [look for Patti & Coastal Clean Up – we will have a quick meeting, then pitch in to help.]
Race Start – All Boats: 14:00
This is the course we tried to run in July: All turns are Port except T3 which is Starboard after you pass through the Start Line in the opposite direction.
We will do one trip for a 7.2nm total course. There will be a cut off time TBA. Certificates will be awarded to the 1 st 3 placing boats.
This should be a fun course and I look forward to seeing folks come out.
Don Himes
Race Director
June Race Narrative by Don Himes Click Here
July Race Narrative by Don Himes Click Here
2009 Race Waypoint Table
These are the waypoints that will be used for most of our club races. Please enter them into your GPS so you have them ready to go. FR 1 through FR 7 are the same as last year. FR 8 – 10 are new. I also added the St. Martins Buoy for your GPS.
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BOAT OF THE YEAR Following are the criteria for the Hudson Beach Boat of the Year Award that will be given at the Change of Watch Meeting in January 2010. There will be 3 places awarded. Boats must enter (starting a race constitutes an entry) a minimum of 6 races to be eligible for the “Boat of the Year” award. Best 6 race results will be used to determine the award. Points are awarded for all boats per the following schedule: Corrected finish Points 1 st = 1 2 nd = 2 3 rd = 3 4 th = 4 ETC. General: Participants that start a race (Starter) but do not finish, receive ONE more point than the number of Finishers.
Past Events & Articles AGAIN--- sailors who have not raced and would like to give it a try, please contact the race Director. . Crew looking for a ride, try and set it up before the race. If not show up at the captains meeting. Power Boats ---- Looking to get a great tan and a chance to watch a bunch of “sail boaters” try and save fuel buy utilizing the wind ??? call me if you think you would like to be a committee boat. (It’s a very prestigious position but the pay is lousy!) |
HBYC 2009 RACING RULES / SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: We’re looking to a great 2009 Fun Race series. Rule #1 is that the operative word for the series is “Fun”. Our other Rule #1 is Safety. No matter what US Sailing says about a rule, our job is to have fun and don’t break plastic or people. Following are our Rules and Special Instructions we ask that all captains do their best to comply. Also, if a captain sees a violation that will affect his boat he/she should get on the radio, contact the other captain and advise the situation. Waves and shouts may not be picked up by the other boat. In any event, he who can avoid should. Let’s have a fun season and enjoy being on this great Gulf we’re so blessed to be on. GENERAL:
RULES OF THE ROAD:
PENALTIES:
SAILS: No spinnakers, bloopers or competition sails of any kind are allowed. Genoas are limited to NO MORE THAN 150%. Boats with larger sails will be disqualified or assessed a handicap penalty by the Race Director.
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St. Martins Race – April 25, 2009
After a whole two week respite it was time to race again! The morning of the Captain’s Meeting dawned comfortable and breezy. The forecast was for an E wind in the 14-18kt range at race time and all captains were highly confident that this was the year we’d finish a St. Martins Race!
As race time approached, winds were a steady 15kts from the E. Skies were clear and it was in the mid 70’s. Victor Tropiano on Shark Byte was setting up as the committee boat. At the start the fleet was anxiously milling poised for a great run in ideal conditions. The racers were: Time 2 Cruise, GRAFX, Soiree’, Bayou Girl, Lady in Red, Pure Joy, Sounds Good, and Cat-Can-Do.
Having done a great job with the start process, Victor started the countdown and an interesting thing began to happen - the wind began to slack! In any event the race was on and all boats got off to a solid start on a down wind leg. As we headed NE towards the St. Martins mark the winds just seemed to be loosing steam.
All eyes were looking at wind meters to see just what was going on … 14kts at the start ….. 12 knots 10 minutes in …….. 10 knots after 20 minutes ….. 8 knots after 40 minutes ….. an unsettling thought was setting in – The St. Martins Curse was beginning!!!
To the horror of captains and crew, as we got closer and closer to the St. Martins Buoy the wind dropped and dropped. By the time most got to the turn there was less than 4kts. I can report that Time 2 Cruise was doing a roaring .9 kts when we “rounded” the buoy and my wind meter was doing 360’s!
A quick consult of the tide tables and the total lack of wind were enough to prompt the race director to determine that no one would finish the race before the cut off time or tides would dictate.
The race was declared “Official” based upon reported times at the St. Martins turn. I advised everyone to “fire up” and make for Marker 2 as the tide was a quick dropper and we’d be close at best.
I quickly started the iron jenny and dropped all sail. The bow was pointed to Marker2 and full throttle applied. As we began to get closer to Marker2 the wind began to freshen, wouldn’t you know! The closer we got the more it blew and by the time I was at Marker2 I had a 20kt headwind from the E and was barely making 5kts at full throttle. I was able to get in with just a slight “bump” at the rock off the South Pavilion. LIR also got in but she also took a little “hop” before safe arrival.
GRAFX and Bayou Girl didn’t get in and had to spend a night off Marker2 in 20+ knots. Hat’s off to both of these hardy skippers.
Before I get to the final results, I’d like to state for the record that the St. martin Buoy is officially declared as a racing “Black Hole” and I really don’t know if it is possible to ever get a race completed!
Now for the good stuff
I have a Certificate of Appreciation to:
Race Results are:
Submitted by:
Don Himes
Race Director
Let’s begin with the fact that this race was originally scheduled for March 28 th, however a howling front with 25kt winds and 7 foot seas dictated a call to postpone. Tide charts were consulted and it was decided that the Saturday before Easter – April 12 th – would work. Notice was sent and the date was set.
The morning dawned cool and relatively still. The forecast was for a SW wind in the 14-18kt range at race time, however the morning wasn’t a strong indicator that would be true. The course and rules were discussed and all were ready.
As race time approached, winds were continually building from the SW. Skies were clear and it was in the 70’s. Victor Tropiano on Shark Byte was setting up for his first time as the committee boat. At the start the fleet was anxiously milling ready for the signal. The racers were: Time 2 Cruise, Dunteri, GRAFX, Soiree’, Bayou Girl, Sounds Good, and Cat-Can-Do.
Having done a great job with the start process, Victor gave the countdown and the race was on. Winds were freshening and blowing a steady 14-18 from the SW as promised. This would make for a great challenge given the layout of the course.
The first leg was a good grouping and the fleet was pretty well together. After the first turn it got interesting as the fleet was headed almost dead into the wind. Strategies varied and the fleet began to break up. Some took deep westerly tacks while others dropped to a more easterly tack.
After the first circuit of the course the fleet was getting pretty separated with the exception of Time 2 Cruise and Dunteri, who were in a tight duel. This continued all the way to the finish line where we had the closest finish I can remember.
Before I get to the final results, I’d like to give a very special thanks to Victor Tropiano and his crew for an outstanding job as first timer Committee Boat. Our continuing thanks to Paul Kendrick on Papa Kilo for his help with setting, tending and picking up the turn buoys.
Now for the good stuff
Before I do the race results I have two Certificates of Appreciation to Award:
Race Results are:
Submitted by:
Don Himes
Race Director
Super Bowl Dash – January 31, 2009
Twas the night before the first big race and all through the Hud captains huddled in the cold blustery wind looking at the Gulf and wondering – “Is he crazy?” Winds were 15-20, temperature in the high 50’s and seas 3-5 with small craft warnings. Surely, there will be a weather cancellation. None came.
By the time of the Captain’s Meeting at 10:00am it was apparent that NOAA and other weather sources were again off the mark. The temperature was balmy, the winds light and not a whitecap was to be seen. Nine boats signed up to go. Captains were asked to don NFL gear to earn a special reward. Commodore Gene came in a “Hud” official NFL shirt with the “Infinity” symbol as his number. It was a commendable effort and consumed at least 4 Magic Markers but alas it was disallowed. Fortunately for the Commodore his crew showed with proper attire.
We were going to run an America’s Cup type course with one turn through a chute. After an exhaustive explanation of going through a “chute” all captains agreed they understood ……………. Maybe! The race was to be one or two laps depending on the wind.
By 11:30 two things were obvious. 1) We had a tide problem – coming in late 2) The wind speed & direction were not going to work for the planned course.
The fleet was contacted and advised that we would be going ½ hour later, it would be one lap and that there was a new waypoint for the race. All captains indicated they copied the changes. When the fleet got on site and began to report in it was painfully apparent that we were definitely going to have light winds. Les & Judy Emery ably assisted by Ernie & Edna Schwabe were on Voyager II our Committee Boat. The roll was called, yellow flag raised and countdown begun. The 2009 HBYC Race Season is about to get under way! A call was received from Knot a Clew that they were stuck aground in the Signal Cove channel and would not make it to the race
Laura Murphy sent T-Bone to Seattle for a job - commandeered the boat, found new crew and renamed Murph’s Arc – Sounds Good. They were looking good at the start and it was obvious that she has learned much from her past HBYC racing experience. First time racer Byron Peppler on Bayou Girl was single handing and doing a fine job of it. Cat Can Do was wondering deep in the chute and seemed to be having a good time. Lagniappe was coming into play and Captain Bill was wondering if we take the chute turn starboard or port!
The 27 & under start signal was given (way kewl buzzer Les) and the season was official. Soiree`, GRAFIX, Sounds Good and Bayou Girl all got off to good starts in about 7kts of wind. Captain Dave and Cat Can Do seemed to think they were going to start with the over 27’s and hung back.
Countdown came for the bigger boats and Lady in Red was first across the line, followed by Cat Can Do, Lagniappe and T2C. The second group started in winds gusting to 5kts! This was shaping up more as a “death march” than a dash. By the time the fleet reached the turn chute our fears were confirmed. Winds were hitting 2-4kts from no particular direction. Soiree` made the turn first with the rest of the fleet getting further behind as the winds (believe it or not) continued to drop!
The downwind leg was more of a drifting contest than race. As T2C was making for the chute we drifted past boat after boat in a slow motion parade. Things were so slow that Pappa Kelo came out and circled T2C and Lagniappe in an attempt to give us some forward momentum off his wake. He even did a couple spins around Cat Can Do as he was stalled in the chute and going nowhere! It was so slow that Paul reported that he didn’t even have to drop his anchor to stay on point with the buoys! Jim Kitzler on Lady in Red had Jack Kuhlmann’s $5.00 burning a hole in his pocket to slow down Lady. However, it was wasted money as LIR was drifting with the rest of the field far behind Soiree`. Capt Gene and Pete DelMar were below creating new nautical martini’s while Jim was on deck alone making sure they didn’t drift into anyone.
Oh well, at least we had a lovely day and it beats being on shore any day! At a quarter of five my GPS told me we were running out of both time and tide. I announced to the fleet that we would call the race at ten after five and all boats not crossing the line would get a DNF (Did Not Finish). The fleet then raced in to beat the tide. T2C had a cool 2” over Michaux rock. Unfortunately, a loud crunch was reported by LIR as Lagniappe crossed over “Volkswagen Rock”.
Most of the fleet and committee boat crews headed to Sam’s for some beverage, grub and tall tales. All have agreed – we’ll do it again!!
Many thanks to our support folks: Les Emery of Voyager for Committee Boat and Paul Kendrick of Pappa Kilo for buoy boat
Race Results are:
Don Himes – Race Director
Let me begin with a thought to ponder, “Don’t let your mind wonder when under sail as it is too small to be out there on it’s own.”
The morning dawned cold and still. The tide was very low and one could see their breath. At 08:30 a gathering of bundled up captains was assembled at the South Pavilion to hear final instructions before digging into Jane Sperry’s sausage gravy & biscuits and other goodies that the Social Committee had ready for the Breakfast on the Beach.
Some were concerned that we would have a repeat of the “Super Bowl Dash” as winds were hardly blowing. The Gulf looked flat and very, very quiet. We were again doing a single start and I announced that we would have a time limit on the race. Any boat not across the finish by 15:45 would be declared as DNF [Did Not Finish] After we reviewed the course and answered questions, the captain’s were released to enjoy the BoB.
As race time approached, winds were continually building from the SSW at 15 and the tide was coming in fast. Skies were clear and it was in the low 60’s. Good day for a sail. As the fleet hit Hudson Channel heading to the Start the winds were a steady 15 – gusting to 18kts. Bill Sloan on Denise M called to advise that they were going to drop out and head for Hernando as the winds were building too fast. At Marker2 Denise M & crew headed north while the rest of the fleet started setting up for the race.
Some were setting a reef while others were going to run under full sail. The Committee Boat [Magic Moments] had set a wide start line that seemed to be growing by the minute. A quick check of their GPS verified that they were being blown north and dragging anchor. Ernie ordered anchor up and they began to head south to reset the start. Meanwhile, Capt Kitzler on Ilikai had set his sights for a sharp start round the Committee Boat and found them steaming south, taking away his line. After several fruitless complaints on the radio Ilikai realized that they were just going to have to adjust for the start.
On Time 2 Cruise I was discovering that my crew was very green, both experience wise and facial color. My primary jib handler was sprawled out exhausted after about 10 minutes of warm up tacks and his face was beginning to take on the pallor of sea foam. Then I got a call from Tibor on Murph’s Arc a/k/a Sounds Good that there appeared to be a tear in my sail. Upon inspection it was determined that it was about the size of The Shack and we needed to roll up the jib before any more damage was done. At that point the Committee Boat announced 1 minute to start.
From where I was sitting, it looked like a great start. Even though we started all boats at the same time, there was no cursing [at least on the radio] and no one bumped plastic. Good Start.
Winds were clocking in at 16-18 steady with gusts to 20. The seas were still relatively flat as they didn’t have time to build – yet. Determined, T2C decided to race on Main alone and crossed the line just ahead of Ilikai who had finally recovered from the relocation of the committee boat. (BTW – Ernie had to drop a stern anchor to keep Magic Moments in position).
As the race progressed so did the intensity of the wind. It was now 18-20 with gusts in the low 20’s. Seas were beginning to build. The course layout and wind direction set up a great challenge for all captains. In the end it was a great race.
Unfortunately, with main only and a very green crewman looking worse by the moment T2C was compelled to withdraw after making the first two turns. Sounds Good also decided to withdraw as well. Of 10 boats that signed up, 9 started and 3 were DNF, an excellent showing under the circumstances.
Before I get to results, a very special kudo is sent out to Paul Kendrick and his crew on Papa Kilo for their courageous duty setting, tending and picking up the turn bouys. For a small open boat the weather was going downhill fast from the beginning of the race. Paul & crew went about their duties in a professional and cheerful way that shone through to all. I know it was a cold and wet day for you and on behalf of all the racers want to extend a heartfelt “Thank You”.
Now for the good stuff
Before I do the race results I have two Certificates of Appreciation to Award:
Race Results are:
