I probably asked this before on this forum but I am running my first (Hobie) regatta this May 31 and I am darn nervous about it. I always heard that one should support their sport by actually running a regatta and well here, I go. So any suggestions and a simple list of do's and don'ts, etc. and list of items to have would be great. I have been working on this so far but the list I have of items I need is quite large and I have to be honest quite over whelming. Even if you have not run a regatta I will still like to have your impressions and suggestions. Once again, if this is a repeat please excuse me. I don't know why I am so nervous, maybe one reason is I want people to like the regatta and come again.
Just for your information, I live in North Idaho (actually only 40 miles away from Spokane WA) and will run the regatta on lake Coeur d' Alene. There has not been a multihull regatta in this area for 20 years but there are quite a few recreational multihull sailors in this area. I am excited about our new club/fleet as last year I was pretty much a one my show but not have a great bunch of kids and adults in the club.
Miles Moore
H16
Get the most experienced Race Committee that you can. The "on the water stuff" is the most important
to get right. Mark boats would be the second priority. After that the Saturday night party is next.
The RC has to make the judgement calls that are critical. Make the course square to the wind and pick the
right course for the conditions. Scoring needs to get done quickly and correctly.
Delegate, delegate delegate....
cheers
Bill
I think a common RC mistake is getting too hyper about a square course. You could spend all day moving marks with every wind shift while the sailors sit wasting the wind. The wait between races should be a kept to a minimum. Good luck, have fun.
If you have not decided on a format for your race, you might want to try a distance race. This is easier for the RC to run and more fun/less intimidating for first time racers. A "poker run" is one format to try: boats race to five spots and pick up a playing card, the boat with the best poker hand at the end wins a prize.
If you are running a bouys race, recommend you get the RC and mark boats out the day or weekend before and run some practice races. It is also an opportunity for boats to practice starts, etc.
Wow that's not a bad idea to do a distance race, like short distance race, one that can be done easily in one day. I will pass this idea on to the club members. And thanks for the comment. Actually thanks everyone thus far. By the way what is a good distance for a one day distance race. We will have H16's and TheMightyHobie18's, Wave's, and other 20 foot cats (no monohulls). I know it depends on the wind, etc. still have any of you have a rule of thumb?
15 to 20 miles makes a good one day distance race with decent wind. Since you are on a lake, you may have some course options that you can choose depending on wind strength/direction/etc. Most distance races are an out-and-back course around an obvious landmark like an island, lighthouse, the Statue of Liberty, etc.