Sinnehoffer Hot Rum Series Race 1 started out looking like a ‘zero’ with very little wind and glassy waters stretching out past Point Loma in the distance. But the breeze filled in gently from the south, later filling in to about 8 knots and swinging around to the southwest allowing for boats to reach out to the first mark located just west of SD Channel buoy #3. It was a big boat’s race with 16 of the first 20 finishers being Class 1 boats. All but two handfuls of boats finished within the time limit of 1630.

And speaking of the channel, the San Diego Yacht Club would like to remind all Hot Rum competitors of the seriousness of staying out of the channel when commercial ships are approaching. Please do not attempt to cross their path when they are within 1 mile of you. The ship may seem far away to you, and you may in fact be able to pass in front of the ship. But the ship’s pilot probably can’t see you when you are still a ½ mile from the ship and the ship is probably going faster than you think. The pilot shouldn’t have to worry about what your intentions are (where you are headed) and he may not be able to avoid you if you have made an error in judgment and can’t get out of his way. For reference, Ballast Point to the south and the north end of Shelter Island (Bali Hi Restaurant) are each 1 nm from the starting area at SD #17.

The Hot Rum course marks are purposely set outside the Channel as it is against the law to post an event within the channel. In the section of the bay we run this event, the Channel is defined by a sight-line connecting red buoys on the east side (closest to Coronado Island) and green buoys on the west side (closest to Shelter Island). If you are in the channel in the ship’s path and you hear 5 horn blasts, the ship’s command is talking to YOU and you may be disqualified by the Race Committee without a hearing per SI 1.5.

To quote from the Navigation Rules, Rule 34 (d) “…the vessel in doubt (as to whether sufficient action is being taken by another vessel to avoid collision) shall immediately indicate such doubt by giving at least five short and rapid blasts…”

A couple of other helpful hints from the Race Committee:

If you are over the line early, you must sail around the ends of the start line before starting again properly.

If you are going to retire from the race or don’t think you will make the time limit, call the RC on VHF 69 and let them know. This will greatly facilitate scoring the race properly. Boats not finishing the race receive number of FINISHERS +1. Boats not competing (or checking in) receive number of ENTRANTS +1.

Don’t forget to check in with the “Check In” boat located on the east side of the channel next to north island. Do not check in with the signal boat “Corinthian”.

And finally, don’t forget the mantra of the Hot Rum which is “…a fun race and to meet afterwards and make friends.” Ratings, wind speed, and kelp should not interfere with your enjoyment of simply being on the water! Enjoy, and be safe.

PHRF of San Diego and San Diego Yacht Club produced the Ed Cotter Area G Championship Regatta this past weekend, October 15 & 16, 2005.

As a crew, you spent some time on both the high side and the low side of the boat as the series saw a predominantly southerly breeze range from 5 knots to 15 knots. And the sea state featured a long westerly swell with increasingly steep and persistent southerly wind chop.

Three races were run on Saturday and featured a separate weather mark for the Class 1A boats, typically at least a half mile further out than the inner mark for the other classes. Two races were run on Sunday with the Class 1A boats shortening their weather mark to the inner mark for the final race as the wind lightened significantly.

Thanks to Mike Foster, PRO and his team for a great job, and to PHRF of San Diego for their support of the event.
PHRF Area G Championship Results

LEMWOD
Linda Elias Memorial Women’s One Design Championship
Long Beach California

As seen in Curmugeon’s Scuttlebutt 1946

Annie Nelson from San Diego Yacht Club dominated the Linda Elias Memorial Women's One Design Regatta sailed at Long Beach YC in the Congressional Cup Catalina 37s in a potpourri of conditions. The California YC's team helmed by Alice Leahey took second place in the nine-boat invitational -- one point ahead the Long Beach/ Los Angeles Women's Sailing Association boat driven by Karen Campbell. http://tinyurl.com/bq28f

This was the 14th annual Women’s One Design Regatta, and the second time we’ve won. Two years ago we tied for first but lost the tie breaker. I think I’ve helmed for SDYC about 6 times.

This year practicing at the Conservancy Cup three weekends prior paid off. Our worse race was the first race when we were over the line early and it was too close for us to call. The RC didn’t announce who was over for about 30 seconds and it was a long sail back to the line. We managed to pick off four boats to finish 5th out of 9. From then on it was a matter of sailing smoothly and finding the most pressure on the course. The team sailed the boat fast with Shala Lawrence in charge of trimming and Julie Mitchell on bow. Stacey Szabo did an excellent job as tactitian. We were always in the top three spots after that race. A tough job since the wind was unpredictable on both days. Not your normal Long Beach go right courses at all. In fact it seems that in Sept and Oct we can almost count on it being light and very shifty with the RC having to change course on us every other race. The wind varied from 3-12 knots.

This is a great event for empowering women to get out there and race. The teams get better each year and other than only hearing female voices at the starts and marks, you would not be able to tell these were all female crews. Then there is the camaraderie that happens at a women’s event as well. The Mexican Puerto Vallarta Team is always a fun addition to the competition. They have matching outfits for every occasion, they are lively on the race course, and at the dinner party on Saturday eve they teach everyone dance moves. Their tequila was missing at the dinner this year so they must have decided they would perform better without the cobwebs on Sunday. They finished fourth.

As for the event, the organizers do an excellent job of running RC and hosting us all. Kudos to the LB/LA Sailing Association, and LBYC. And a huge thanks to SDYC for supporting us in the event.

Annie Nelson

The Sharp HospiceCare Benefit Regatta is an annual charity event where the racers compete to earn a spot in the 2006 National Hospice Regatta Championship. San Diego Yacht Club hosted the event bringing together area racers, community organizations and families throughout San Diego to support Sharp HospiceCare. It was a full weekend of events from the Pre-Race party to a Model Boat Race, Paddle Dinghy Duck Race, and culminating in the Regatta Sunday afternoon. With about 40 boats sailing in 5 different fleets, it was a great weekend at the club for everyone involved and a huge success for Sharp HospiceCare.

The Race Around Bishop Rock is one of the longest truly blue water offshore races in Southern California. The course starts in Catalina at Ship Rock near the Two Harbors. After clearing the West End of Catalina Island, competitors leave Santa Barbara to port and continue west rounding Begg Rock which lies 8 nm nw of San Nicholas Islands. From Begg Rock, the course heads south to Cortez Bank and the namesake Bishop Rock (submerged) is located. Then it’s a 95 mile sprint to San Diego Channel Entrance Buoy #1. The straight line distance is about 221 miles and is definitely a blue water endurance challenge for the competitors, 5 boats in all for 2005.

The start was not difficult with Tuesday's Child (Fred Hammett) barging and ultimately being over early while peeling out and circling back to the right. caper (John Laun) judged the line a little better and hit it right at the start, moving well and close to the committee boat. Ma Jolie (Lehy/Wright), the other J-120 was below as was Velocity (Gene Pitkin), a CM1200 and Equity (Tom Holthus) a Swan 43 just below caper. The wind at the start was around 7 kts over flat water and a light overcast sky.

Clearing Catalina, caper had a fine lead on the whole fleet with Ma Jolie and Equity staying in touch. By Santa Barbara Island, (half way out to the ‘weather mark’) the afternoon was waning and the breeze stayed with the boats at 10 to 13 kts and clear skies. Rounding Begg Rock sometime after midnight, the moon was full with overcast starting to dominate and the moderate wind still had not let down, which was the great unspoken fear for all the sailors. At times during the night, the breeze did taper off to less than 5 kts, with an occasional hole, but the breeze never shut off entirely.

At sunrise on Day 2 caper had extended its lead, with Equity, Tuesday's Child and Ma Jolie all ‘back there’ somewhere, but only Tuesday’s Child visible on the horizon astern. Dolphins and tired little birds way too far offshore played among the boats which helped pass the time for some. The winds varied up to 15 kts during Saturday’s run back to San Diego. caper jibed at Bishop Rock around noon with Ma Jolie and Tuesday’s Child climbing on the horizon. The drag race to the finish in San Diego was ON.

As the boats came closer to San Diego, Tuesday's Child took the lead from caper with about 40 miles to go and kept it hot, jibed in front and slipped into the darkness ahead. It was a beautiful run into San Diego with a full moon, the city skyline and Sea World fire-works greeting the competitors back home.

At the awards, Tuesday's Child took the First to Finish trophy in just over 36 hours with caper winning Corrected Time honors finishing just 45 minutes later.

Perpetual thanks go out to Bud Suiter, tireless regatta chair, and our loyal sponsors Douglas K. Smith Insurance, Pacific Offshore Rigging, and Downwind Marine.

Mark your calendars. August 18 – 20! Dare to go the distance…in 2006.

Sailing Office out.

Go the distance...

It is summer again and that means two of San Diego Yacht Club’s more obscure little regattas are coming up on the calendar.

First on deck is the Yvonka Overnight Race, July 23 & 24. This is a kinder and gentler race that focuses on fun and relaxation. It is a two race event with leg one racing out to South Coronado Island on Saturday and leg two racing back to Point Loma on Sunday. It is organized as a pursuit race where the slowest boat starts first and faster boats start progressively later. In a perfect world, the boats would all arrive at the finish line at the same time with the faster boats pursuing the slow boats right up to the finish line.

At anchor alongside South Coronado Island, San Diego seems farther away than the actual 15 nautical miles. With a 1030 start for the first boat, everyone generally finishes in two to three hours which leaves plenty of time for lounging, swimming, snorkeling, etc. Around the cocktail hour at 1700 (5:00 pm), the Race Committee vessel Corinthian hosts an a’pres sailing social for any interested crews. The RC will have a skiff to pick you up if you don’t have a tender of your own. Bring your own hors d'oeuvres or something to drink/share and all the sea stories you can remember.

Sunday morning is a relaxed effort and racing doesn’t get underway until 1200. The race is organized again as a pursuit with most boats getting home in three to four hours. Having spent the night in Mexican waters, US Customs requires us to ‘clear’ Customs on the way back into the harbor. However, the Sailing Office works with them and they have officers on duty to receive Yvonka competitors with a minimum of fuss - 5 minutes or less for the whole process. There is one simple form to fill out (Master’s Oath) and if your boat is over 30’ you will have to apply for (if you don’t already have one) a US Customs Decal (Form 339A).

Overall, it is a great weekend on the water. The race part is just an excuse to hang out at sea! You can down load an entry form and the Notice of Race by clicking on the link to the right.

SDYC hosted the annual PHRF Frazee Regatta which serves as a component of the PHRF San Diego High Point calendar. Although the grey skies and south wind didn't seem ideal, the steady winds at 10 to 12 knots were perfect. The conditions were classic Catalina Eddy (strong northwesterly trade wind offshore) eddying around the Santa Monica mountains up north which create, in the San Diego area anyway, a cloudy southerly breeze. Thirty boats registered in five classes for the Frazee.

Three races were run with the big PH 1 boats sailing to an outer mark and the other four classes sailing on an inner course. All the entry fees were converted into Gift Certificates from the 3 major local chandleries for awards. Thanks to PRO Mike Foster and the volunteers of the RC, to Protest Chair Marilyn Foster who had 1 bit of business on the day, and to the suppliers of our Gift Certificates - Sailing Supply/Boat Shop, Marine Exchange, and West Marine.

Sailing Office Out.

Results and Corrected Time data

The Keane US Snipe Nationals concluded like any good championship should - with the final race deciding the winners. Hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, the racing was held off the coast where the competitors saw a variety of wind directions and strengths that kept even the locals guessing. Significant kelp was added to the equation for the finale, where tactics for both the Heinzerling fleet (championship) and Wells fleet (consolation) had as much to do with puffs and shifts as maintaining kelp-free lanes.

For the Heinzerling, the team of George Szabo and Eric Wilcox overcame a two point deficit and a mid-fleet start in the last race, eventually working their way through the fleet for a second place and their fifth national championship crown. The nationals proved to be a proper tune-up for those going to the World Championships next week in Japan, with all teams in the top six scheduled to attend. The Well Series was equally close, with Charlie and Michelle Bustamante winning the morning race on the last day to pull them up for a share of the lead, and then winning the final race to take the crown.

Tuning Up

Saturday and Sunday, June 4 & 5, San Diego Yacht Club held the Snipe District 6 Championships out in the Coronado Roads. Above all, most folks were tuning up for the US Snipe Nationals and Junior Nationals which will be hosted by San Diego Yacht Club July 9 through 15. 21 boats registered including several from out of town checking out the Nationals race course.

The weather was forecast to be 'Chamber of Commerce' - clear skies with 10+ knots from the west. Instead, a Catalina Eddy developed with a thick Marine layer covering Southern California and a 10+ knot breeze coming from the south.

Four races were held on Saturday. The course was set more southeast out to sea @ 2 nm at 125 deg. from Zuniga. The breeze was a solid 9 to 11 knots all day from 230 to 265 with wind chop on a long 3' swell. George Szabo and Doug Hart jumped out to a quick lead with Dave Tillson, Chuck Sinks and Craig Leweck in close pursuit. Dodging kelp and staying in phase was the key on day 1.

Two races were held on Sunday. The Catalina Eddy conditions held with south/southwest winds from 225 to 240 at 10 knots. The course was moved west and north just off the beach of Hotel del Coronado. The wind was shiftier, the water was flatter and had less kelp than the previous course. With the completion of Race 6, a throw out was administered to the fleet.

Thanks to PRO Jeff Johnson, the Race Committee crew and the weather gods for some great racing. Thanks to District person Don Bedford for helping to organize the event and to all the local fleet 495 members for supporting it.

You can visit the 2005 Keane Snipe Nationals web page for regatta gear and more information on this upcoming event.

Sailing Office out.

San Diego Yacht Club hosted the Area G, H, and J Semi-Finals of the US Match Racing Championship for the Prince of Wales Trophy over this Memorial Day weekend, May 28 & 29, 2005 on San Diego Bay. Six J-80 were provided via charter from J-World and one privately owned boat. The competitors included Scott Dickson from Long Beach Yacht Club, Brian Angel from King Harbor Yacht Club, Scott DeCurtis also from King Harbor Yacht Club, Dave Klatt from Ventura Yacht Club, Steve Hunt from Cortez Racing Association and Jakob Lichtenberg from Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle.

A single round robin was run on Saturday with 8+ knots of wind from 205 to 230. The boats were equalized and assigned as matched pairs. Competitors rotated through the boats after each match and did an excellent job of working through that exercise in minimal time. At the end of the day, Brian Angel and Scott Dickson each had four wins. Brian won the tie having dealt Scott his only loss on the day. Brian selected fourth place Dave Klatt as his opponent for the Semi Final round which left the pairing of Dickson vs. third place Scott DeCurtis. Steve Hunt and Jakob Lichtenberg placed fifth and sixth respectively in the round robin.

Sunday, a Semi Final and Final round as well as a Petite Final were held. The four competitors in this phase of the competition enthusiastically agreed that Hunt and Lichtenberg continue sailing as a third match although they were essentially finished in the formal competition. The marine layer eventually burned off and left blue skies, 8 to 12 knots of wind from 230 to 280. Staying close (or not) and shifting gears was the only way to ensure you weren't left covering from behind. In the Semi Finals, skippers needed two points to advance. Angel dispatched Klatt in two straight, while Dickson and DeCurtis sailed a third and deciding match. With all the competitor's and judge's full attention, they began the closest match of the weekend. DeCurtis received a penalty during the prestart maneuvers but won the start. Dickson tried to real him in with a short tacking duel up the first leg but eventually chose a side and lost. DeCurtis extend his lead and paid his penalty which gave Dickson a chance to close within a boat length at the 1st Leeward mark. At the second windward mark, DeCurtis rounded ahead, but a bad gybe gave Dickson a passing lane which he jammed through. They both split on the bottom half of the last run to the finish. Dickson sailed a little hotter, obviously eager to finish, but in less breeze. DeCurtis drove down for max VMG. Finishing within inches of each other, both skippers thought they had won until they looked up at RC which hoists the winning skippers color pennant. In this case, it was yellow - for Dickson.

For the Finals, Dickson beat Angel by a convincing margin on the first race. Angel got the best of a current eddy and squeezed Dickson at the signal boat at the start of the second race. Dickson managed to find another passing lane on the second lap and held on for the match win and a gold medal win for the series. Both he and second place silver medalist Angel will receive berths to the US Match Racing Championship to be held this September 21-24 at Newport Harbor YC in Newport Beach, California. DeCurtis won both his matches against Klatt to earn a third place bronze medal.

A special thanks goes out to San Diego Yacht Club for their commitment to host this great event, to US Sailing representative Don Becker and Kirk Brown for promoting the event and the details, to Principle Race Officer Summer Greene and her bank of very capable volunteers for carrying off a superb regatta, to Chief Umpire Glenn Oliver and his cast of dedicated Match Umpires, and to J-World and Steve and Cheryl Barry for making the boats and sails available.

You can find more on the US Match Racing Championship on the US Sailing web site.