RACING
Come Join Us!
Sailing is challenging and fun. At South Winds Sailing Club (SWSC), we enjoy racing as a way to practice the art of sailing. There is friendly competition and community involvement in every race. Our races are competitive, but casual enough that everyone can enjoy. Of course you could enjoy raising some Dacron and gliding across the water on a beautiful breezy day, but randomly bouncing around the lake will only thrill you so far.
Racing around a set of buoys, navigating a definite course, competing with other sailboats, all enhance your skill and abilities in sailing more than you would believe. This translates into more fun and confidence when you are sailing around a lake or cruising on beautiful open waters. Consider joining us for some great fun this year. You can find the race schedule by clicking on the tab 'Race Schedule' above. See you on the lake!
Say you don't have a sailboat? SWSC also welcomes sailors with no sailboat to be members. Trained crew is always welcome for the skipper who is competing in the SOTY series. Please select 'Contact Us' from the left and mention 'sailboat racing crew' in the comments.
Fleet Structure
As in the past, we will be racing an "A" fleet and a "B" fleet. The "A" fleet is composed of the more experienced racing skippers or those who just think they are. While still a friendly bunch, expect to hear the word "STARBOARD!" yelled at you followed by an evil chuckle. The "B" fleet is ideal for those who are new to racing or have a new sailboat, and do not want to have "STARBOARD" yelled at them with any frequency. The "B" fleet is a great place to learn racing skills and to exchange techniques with the "A" fleet skippers. Especially since you are not a competitor to them, they will be more than willing to give you great advice for local lake conditions.
At SWSC we give you more than a pat on the back when you do well on a race. Winners get a beautiful plaque or trophy to proudly display on your wall or shelf. Our primary award is for the winners of the Skipper of the Year series of races. The skippers who get the highest score are awarded the Skipper of the Year for their respective fleets ("A" or "B"). For the special races run during the year, like the 4th of July race or Turtle Rock, both fleets are combined into one for purposes of winning the trophy. All of these trophies are awarded at the Commodore's Ball in November.
One more thing to keep the "B" fleet for those new to racing, winning two "B" fleet Skipper of the Year's in a row moves you automatically to "A" fleet for at least a year.
Leveling the Field (i.e. handicap and scoring)
We will be using a different scoring and handicap system this year.
Handicaps will start with the Portsmouth Yardstick but will be adjust handicaps after each Skipper of the year race based on finish time. All handicaps of boats that raced that day will be adjusted by 10%. Over time this will cause the handicaps to be closer and create more competition for everyone. Skippers that raced in 2009 will start with an adjusted handicap based on the 2009 races they participated in.
Scoring will now be based on percentage of time after handicap adjustments. The winner will receive 1 point for first place and each boat thereafter will receive points based on how close to the first boats time they are. Example: 2nd boat time / by first boat time = points.
Example: 20 minutes / 21 minutes = .9523 for second.
This handicap scoring system allows all boats to be competitive whether they are a flat-out racing boat or a comfortable cruiser. So come on out and participate. All you have to do is submit your form online (click on 'Race Form' above) or mail the printed, completed form to SWSC (select 'Join Us' from the left and you will find our snail-mail address). We do the calculations for you. The scoring system is rather simple with points awarded for the order the boats cross the finish line.
Race Committee Boat (RCB) = Free Points!!
Have you ever wanted to put on a three cornered hat and rule the seven seas from the helm of the fastest clipper schooner in the world? While we can't give you that, we can offer you a temporary rule over Lake Allatoona and rule over the sailboats participating in a SWSC races. (If you can figure out how to rule over the power boaters during race days, we will give you an extra special trophy at the Commodores Ball.) You will also be awarded points towards SOTY which is equivalent to placing first in a race for that day! If you haven't done RCB before, don't worry. It is very easy to do. We give you everything you need for that day's race. A second person can assist and can also clam 1 point per race, but this must be a learn/teach teamwork.
As temporary ruler over Lake Allatoona, the RCB has sole discretion over but not limited to: the layout of the race course, how the race is run, delaying the race for hope of wind, cancellation of the race due to bad weather, and calling the race if the two hour time limit is exceeded. We recommend aiming for a race duration between 60 to 90 minutes. This will allow for two to three races a day. Also, it may help logistics if you run a shorter race for B fleet.
Now for some important bullet points that I know even the experienced racers will read:
- In order to qualify for any trophy awarded, the skipper must serve as RCB for one race day, this includes special races.
- The most points you can get for serving on RCB throughout the year is 1.
- You can earn 1 points for serving as RCB on a special race day such as 4th of July race or Turtle Rock to name a few. (Ladies and small boat races do not count though we really do need member support and RCB for these races as well).
- This year the maximum number of races that can count towards SOTY is 16. If you race more than 16 times, we will take your 16 highest scores.
- Trophies are awarded to members only.
- In the event a Saturday 'trophy' race is canceled due to inclement weather, the makeup race will be the next day, Sunday. Skippers meeting at 13:00.
Fees & times
The racing fees are $5 for each race day. Fees are collected for all race days where a trophy is awarded. Most of the races are scheduled on Saturday mornings. We meet at the Harbor Town Marina bath house at 11:00 AM for the skippers meeting. Our goal is a prompt starting time of 12:00 on the water. All Sunday races have a skippers meeting at 13:00, with the race starting time as soon as possible. See the tab 'Race Schedule' above for more details.
Bad Weather: Should the Saturday race be called for bad weather or lack of wind the race will automatically be on run on Sunday at 1:00pm.
