Atlantic 1000 type race on the great lakes in 05 ?

I would be interested. It would have to be in Mid/late summer though. Maybe make it an extended weekend event...Travel Thursday, sail Friday-Sunday, then return home Monday morning.
Trey
www.velocitysailing.com
I-20 314

Sounds good -
We have firm commitments from 4 teams for that time frame -Aug - Lake MI coastline ,-coinsiding with other events AS TO NOT CONFLICT .
If we can get firm commitments from 10 teams , its a go-
we will establish and post a NOR
Will keep you updated .

any others with recommendations or constructive ideas-and concepts and interest for the race please post .

As merely an interested observer, it sounds like a great idea to me. Perhaps you should float this in the open forum and see what the response is there.

Mark.

Thanks for the suggestion on placing it on the main forum ,
We may get the base number of regional teams to participate ,-that would provide interest to travel to the event . Other aspects would be a race sponsor ,-potential support to teams ,-and Catsailor + media coverage of the event .
The proposed event would idealy be similar to or coinside with the Mac races. The limit on the existing Mac races is currently for all boats of more than 26 ft length . The course is from Sarnia Port Huron to Macinac Island ,--then from Chicago to Macinac ,-on Lk Huron and Lake Michigan .
The Lake Mich part may be best suited to beach cats with 300 plus miles of beautifull sandy beaches ,fresh water ,-surf conditions at times,-all the elements of a perfect venue for this type of racing.
Would be remiss in not noting some very excellent events on lk Erie and Ontario - http://www.westlakesailingclub.com/pecrace.html
and a one day race on lk Erie -
The distance race on Lk Mich has been accomplished in years past in 2 day format , perhaps a similar 3 day event to begin -

Hey Carl,

You know I'm a sucker for long distance racing. Sign me up coach!

Me and my ground crew have new bionic knees, and we're ready to rumble.

-Mike
Team Lamorak

With the right format I could easily be convinced. My team is doing the Tybee for the first time this year. I may change my mind after that.

Mike Hill
www.stlouiscats.com

Check out http://www.westlakesailingclub.com/pecrace.html
for a three day LD race on Lake Ontario. July 30,31, and Aug 1 2005... Open and F18 classes. We already have 7 boats confirmed.
Dave

Out of curiosity, do you know what the reason is for restricting entry to boats 18' and up? To avoid too much spread in finish times?

Yes that's right. We only have the one chase boat, and want to keep the fleet somewhat together.
Dave

So in principle, if an F16 wanted to show up with a Texel rating equal to the F18s, you would be open to having it compete?

I'm not thinking that that situation is likely to happen in the very near term, but I can imagine it being a possibility at some point in the future. Perhaps the boat restrictions could be framed explicitly in terms of rating?

Yes sure. I never really thought about the f16s since there aren't any in my area.

Think about seting limits on ratings and not boats size.
Just a thought

This thread is getting confusing, because one person is talking about a distance race on Lake Michigan and another on Lake Ontario.

But for both of those proposed events, I assume and hope that singlehanders will not be allowed, regardless of handicap rating?

The NOR Dave referred us to does specify precisely that restriction. The Lake Michigan race on the other hand, as far as I know is currently just a suggestion. [Carl what's going on? Is this real? There seems to be interest.]

OTOH, is there a fundamental problem with singlehanded distance racing? How much safer are two people than one?

Mark.

is there a fundamental problem with singlehanded distance racing? How much safer are two people than one?

One man fall off boat, other man come fetch. Small problem when other man not there.

Just kidding - I`m sure that a boat sailed solo, with all the appropriate safety measures, would be just as "safe".
In a recent Lake Malawi distance event (700km race) the skipper of a boat fell overboard, the boat capsized, and the crew couldn`t right it. They were found many hours later, and the lost skipper was no more than 500metres from the boat. So what makes 2up safer than solo ?

That is one reason why we all should sail doublehanders that can be righted by a single person ! Any particular class come to your minds ?

But of course 2 pair eyes see more than 1 pair. 2 pair of hand can do more than 1 pair and not being alone makes human being more resilliant to set backs / disasters

Wouter

Yes thats right.

Steve, I hope you are kidding about saying you are "just kidding."

Steve, I hope you are kidding about saying you are "just kidding."

Well, Mary, read my case in point. a 14 year old crewmember on an Inter-20 (even though he`s over 6ft tall and weighed about 80kg !) could only hold onto the upside-down boat for 6 hours or more while his skipper was detached from the boat. No way he could right it or attempt to assist the skipper. They were only found after dark, when the flares became effective, and were searching with several boats and a spotter plane.
Having said that I agree with Wouter, 2 pairs of hands can sort out bigger problems, perhaps see them coming better and assist eachother in tricky situations. My crew has stopped me falling overboard several times (and missed a few others .) And I`ve gone back to fetch her sometimes too (but only if I`m not leading the race. ).
I think 2-up you are always in a better position to handle the heavy stuff, which is what makes it appear safer, or pushes the margins a bit further, but when you`re in trouble I don`t know if it really makes a difference. (ie when the boat`s upside-down and you`re drifting 500metres away from it, and it`s going faster than you can swim.)
I recall just recently reading a similar incident from one of the Tybee teams ? They had to rely on another competitor to assist them, no way the one guy still with the boat could do anything.
I have to agree with Wouter, in these situations it would be best if you were sailing a boat that the lightest crewmember could right unassisted, but could they manage the boat alone and return to pick up the swimmer in extreme conditions ? If that was one of the safety requirements for long coastal races, we`d only see lightweight 16ft boats being eligible ! Sometimes we have to accept that what we do is risky at times, and take a few chances. Having as much safety equipment as is practical to carry on yourself will make the difference. No use having flares on the boat, when no-ones on the boat !

Steve

I think the qualification that Steve mentioned is the key here:

The issue in my mind is not whether either of the two scenarios - 1 or 2-up - is safe on their own, but whether there are safety measures available that allow the risks to be controlled.

What appropriate safety measures would you recommend for the person who may end up bobbing alone in a large body of cold water, his boat long gone and no other boat traffic in the vicinity?

The extreme case is individual chase boats - Michael Blackburn who sailed 115 miles across Bass Strait in a Laser last week is a case in point. But other measures would be - on-sailor vhf radio, personal EPIRB, flares, drinking water, and boat tether.

As I noted in my earlier post, the objective is not to eliminate risk, but to control it.

Why not use a teather, or leash like on a surfboard or a single handed big boat?