Virtual regattas are races done with Virtual Skipper 3. (google it, I can't remember the website honestly)
The fellas over at SA have Tuesday night beercan races on the melges 24. I haven't joined in lately because playing the game makes me want to get on the water all the more worse.
Hi Mary, I have not seen these reasons posted yet, so my response will add some more perspectives. I started the 'Round The Bay Race over ten years ago as a way to demonstrate different ways to run an event that I wanted others to emulate. Here are some of our guiding principles (some of which have since been copied by others):
Most important: Every competitor gets recognition, not just the top performers, because the time, effort, and expense to attend from top to bottom is usually pretty close. This encourages everyone to come back as it might be the only event that acts like it appreciates their attendance. Without the people who do not "trophy", the events will be pretty small and less worthwhile. That is the number one issue we need to reverse!!!
I wanted to have a race to encourage the use of headsails - I did this by allowing any head sail to be carried and applying the Portsmouth correction only for a headsail that was actually used in the race. So you can take anything out that you want, including multiple headsails, and only "pay" for what you use. Since the race began, headsails have become common, and I like to think we helped that happen. My perspective on this was probably influence by many years of big boat sailing where we carried many sails on the boat and used only what was best for the conditions during the race, as did every other boat, yet each boat's rating stayed the same. So that seemed natural to me along with the realization that just carrying a headsail and not using it put that particular boat at a disadvantage to the same type of boat w/o the gear on it.
We try to get something different and useful for recognition each year instead of the usual trophy items. People seem to like that, too.
We organize and run the event to serve the competitors, not vice-versa. It is disappointing how many events seem to not care about, or even display disdain for, the competitors. (Spring Fever seems to get this focus right also.)
In ten years I think we made money once or twice. I know last year we lost several hundred dollars. We don't care. We have decided to use our group's bank account until it expires.
Another reason that I started the race is just because I thought it would be an interesting race to sail. It also fit the more recent trend of increasing popularity for distance races and for one day events. We get good feedback on both issues.
We do see it as a chance to "give back" to the sport. It is nice to hear the heart-felt "Thank-yous" from the sailors we serve. It is a big effort even for a small event but we know we are good at it and approach our volunteerism the same as we would for a race; competitively! We want to perform well and get better results each year. We want more people to be happy they came and to plan to come back when they leave. We want them to try some of the same things we do in their events. Then we achieve more "reach" and our efforts have more value and the sport is improved a little.
As a final note, the regattas in OCRA for the last several years either are free or cheap and most, if not all, lose money. There are only four or five and if the organizers did not make these happen then there would be no OCRA, fewer people would sail cats, fewer people would be exposed to cats, and when you and Rick came back to Ohio you would go nuts! 😉
Mike
Hi, Mike,
Great post -- inspirational and thought-provoking. But I have some questions, as I always do.
So do you ask them after the race what (if any) headsail(s) they used during the race and then apply the rating and then figure the results after everybody has finished?
Can you give some examples of the "recognition" things you give to the competitors? I assume you do that at the trophies presentation? Do you also give them T-shirts when they register? (I think most regatta organizers consider the T-shirts the "recognition" thing for attending.)Do you give them T-shirts AND a recognition item? Or do you eliminate the T-shirts (which would be fine with me)? Also, do you give these recognition items to EVERY person on every boat, or just to the skippers, or what?
When the account expires, then what?
Who foots the bills for those regattas that lose money? It does not make sense to me that they would make them very cheap or free. I don't think sailors mind paying a reasonable entry fee. As a participant, I would feel guilty if I didn't pay, because I know what goes into it, and I want the organizers to make money on it so they can continue doing it.:p
Mary, Even though I haven't raced yet,I always register for regattas I attend as a fun sailor. I have some sense of what goes into puttting on the events, and want to support them. As you said I'd feel guilty otherwise. While we are on the subject of guilt, I finally subscribed to Catamaran Sailor, and after receiving my first copy, am kicking myself for not doing it sooner! Nice work Mary! Thank you!
Mary,
I can answer some of your questions about the Around the Bay. About half my folding chair collection (which is pretty substantial) comes from that event. Mouse pads. Knife sets (kinda strange in my book, but what the hey - I'd never gotten a knife set for being DNF before). Sailcloth duffel bags - enough to store all my family's sailing gear. Keep the non-traditional stuff coming, Mike.
T-shirts are passe. I've got more event t-shirts than I could ever possibly wear. My wife turns regatta t-shirts into cleaning rags. Thank-you, Mike, for not giving out t-shirts.
Thank-you Mike (and Carol) for having this event. It's the only distance race on my calendar and it is on again this year. We'll see you in June (and this time, I think I'll have a better handle on the Tiger).
Hi Mary, I will try to answer your questions if you promise not to ask questions about those answers!
Yes, we ask competitors if they used their headsails. This works fine because sailing is a Corinthian sport and people agree to sail fairly (see part one of the RRS, rules 2 and 3). Carol has the ratings all set in the computer and quickly computes the results as the boats finish. People pack up the boats and enjoy the provided "lunch" (sometimes it is pretty late) and keg as the rest finish and the results are completed. Then we give out the awards which includes every competitor and, yes, EACH participant gets an award. Why shouldn't they? They EACH had something to do to make the event successful. BTW, we also give EACH volunteer something for helping for the same reason.
Besides what Matt mentioned we also have had cloth frisbees that fold up in your pocket and can be used indoors yet fly surprisingly well and we have had drink Koozies; both items have had some sort of RTB logo on them. The knife sets that Matt mentioned came in wooden boxes that were laser engraved with the RTB logo also. People were shocked to each get a set. That's the best way to shock people at a race event!
We have always charged a modest fee even when OCRA encouraged all the organizers to make the events free one year. Like you, I disagree with the free idea - If people will attend only if the event is free then they are probably not the people we want at the event. We have to be sure people take this seriously because there is always the possibility that someone could get into serious trouble out on Lake Erie. We have had some really serious wind blowing offshore and the Canadian shoreline is a long way off! As for what we will do when the money runs out - Don't know, don't care. We will address that when the time comes. For now, we concentrate on doing better with what we have to work with. Carol keeps very detailed notes on every aspect of the event and we review what went right and what went wrong after each one and document that. We know that memories get pretty selective and you can quickly forget important details, especially unhappy ones.
Our old Fleet 400 foots the bills for losses. We do not refer to it that way anymore because of the Hobie class's edicts. There are so few key people left running these events in all of Ohio that (just my opinion) we probably are close to the end of the regatta era. Division Ten fizzled out years ago and that trend continues - without OCRA there would have been little or no cat racing in OHIO for many years now; So we don't worry about when the money runs out. But that trend is a different thread.
BTW, I appreciate Matt's comments about T shirts - I have drawers full of the things and cannot give them away fast enough (I have several just from giving blood). The last thing a sailor needs is another T-shirt. I do not know why so few regatta organizers understand that which is why we try to give them other ideas. Just keep an eye on bargains that that come along all year long and think to yourself, "Hey, now that would make a neat regatta award" and then act on it! Also, find out what fleet members can do and start early. Too bad Rick did not come over last year - then you could see for yourself what he could have had - I'll bet you would have thought the multi-colored wood handled knives were pretty cool not to mention the box they came in. The women could give the knives away if they wanted to and keep the box for jewelry or such.
O.K., enough on this. What is cool is that we get all these different kinds of boats on the same course at the same time, almost like an in the water boat show where you get a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses in the bargain. Then you come in and talk, eat, drink, brag, commiserate, encourage, congratulate, and celebrate another fun (and exhausting) sailing adventure. Come try it this year!
Mike
To drink beer and talk smack(ed). We get boats from the extended area together, and have fun doing what we like to do, sail and drink beer or jello shots. We visit, laugh, catch up on who is crewing or driving for who on what boat, even our clubs dogs get to play and be merry together. (unless some unsporting heavy handed individual prohibits them from attending). 