Other important websites for the racing sailor include the national and international governing bodies for our sport:

Transcription

1 WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 West Florida PHRF welcomes you to sailboat racing on the West Coast of Florida. In an effort to further educate our members and keep you abreast of how WFPHRF operates, we distribute a quarterly electronic newsletter that covers various aspects of handicapping and racing boats that participate in sailing events throughout the West Coast of Florida. We also offer resources available to the WFPHRF membership and procedures that should be followed to accomplish important tasks. The West Florida PHRF Website Many resources are available on the website and we encourage you to browse the site for the variety of information and reference materials available there: Certificate application forms Online certificate renewal Class Rules Boat Of The Year series schedules Calendar of major PHRF and One Design regattas in our region Rating appeal forms Rating Certificates for all WFPHRF members Contact information for your WFPHRF Board members & Rating Committee members Other important websites for the racing sailor include the national and international governing bodies for our sport: US Sailing: PHRF ISAF: The Racing Rules of Sailing Please check the website frequently if you have submitted a request to us for a new certificate or a renewal. We attempt to contact you when your request is processed, but a large portion of communication from WFPHRF to the membership is returned as undeliverable or caught by spam filters. Please make sure that the address listed on your certificate is correct. WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 1

2 2011 Annual Meeting: Election of Officers and Boat of the Year Awards The WFPHRF Annual Meeting was held at the beautiful new Sarasota Yacht Club facility on June 26 th. The highlights of the event were awarding the Boat of the Year trophies and electing your new Board and Rating Committee members for the upcoming year. Here is a synopsis of the elections and awards: Board Members for : Grant Dumas President Mike Kayusa Vice President Dick Booth Secretary/Treasurer George Cussins Rating Committee Chair Jim Liston Wendy Filler Dave Ettinger Kim Beaty George Pennington Southwest Florida Non-Spinnaker: 1. Bentley, Thomas Horner Southwest Florida Multihull: 1. Tri-Power, Ed Dixon Southwest Florida True Cruising: 1. Jabu, Rex Good 2. Saboutime, John Harkless 3. Blown Away, Jerry Watkins Caloosahatchee Spinnaker: 1. Sun Runner, Arthur Monahan 2. Midnight Rider, Forrest Banks Caloosahatchee Non-Spinnaker: 1. Air Supply, Steve Romaine 2. Bentley, Thomas Horner 3. After You, Gary Blessing Rating Committee Members for : Bill Johnsen Jamie Myers Steve Roake Jerry Haller Doug Fisher Ethan Bixby Brian Malone Boat of the Year Awards by Region: Southwest Florida Spinnaker A: 1. Maria, Joe Bonness 2. Tippecanoe, Dan Kendrick Southwest Florida Spinnaker B: 1. T-Bone, Jason Richards 2. Shock, David Huntington 3. Vee Jay, Vic Farmer Caloosahatchee Cruising: 1. Jolly Mon, David Naumann 2. Wicked, Wicked Ways, Roger Horton 3. Chase The Clouds, Bob Duff Caloosahatchee Multihull: 1. Passion III, Ned Christensen 2. Aquilla, Paul Perisho WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 2

3 Charlotte Harbor Spinnaker: 1. Bama Slammer, Bob Knowles Charlotte Harbor Non-Spinnaker: 1. Fancy Free, Jerry Poquette 2. Morgan, Bill Curtis Charlotte Harbor Cruising: 1. Jolly Mon, David Naumann 2. Diva Gorda, Rudy Gottschlich Sarasota Spinnaker: 1. Mischief, Bob Armstrong 2. Cat s Meow, Jim Liston Sarasota Non-Spinnaker: 1. In Tune, Doug Dearden 2. Hot Tuna, Rudolph Reinecke 3. MoAir, Dave Ettinger Sarasota Pocket Cruiser: 1. Skimmer, Mike Collins 2. Sailmonster, Jason Roznos Sailmonster Non-Spinnaker: 1. MoAir, Dave Ettinger 2. Endeavour, Lou Magliano 3. Solitude, Dave Wilson Sailmonster True Cruising: 1. Moonfleet, Robert Baime Sailmonster Pocket Cruising: 1. Skimmer, Mike Collins Suncoast Spinnaker A: 1. Warrior, Grant Dumas 2. Wired, Allen Thomas 3. Mad Cow 2, Dave German/Ed Ruark Suncoast Spinnaker B: 1. Semper Fi, Ray Mannix 2. Fire & Ice, George Cussins 3. Celebration, Mike Kayusa Suncoast Non-Spinnaker: 1. Eclipse, Ron Kinney 2. Sazerac, Peter Watts Suncoast Cruising: 1. Tango III, Rafael Paris 2. After You, John Gardner 3. Island Hopper, Carol Elwood Sarasota Multihull: 1. Consensus, Robert Neff 2. Double Barrel, Tung Nguyen 3. Swim Mart, Mike Speth Sarasota Cruising: 1. Summertime, John Lynch 2. LL Windancer, Robert Holsbeke 3. Spring Fever, Patrick Roberts Suncoast Racer-Cruiser: 1. Prime Plus, Frank Hanna 2. Shady Lady, Steve Honor 3. Wing-it, Mike Doyle Suncoast Windward/Leeward Spinnaker A: 1. Warrior, Grant Dumas 2. Wired, Allen Thomas 3. Mad Cow 2, Dave German/Ed Ruark WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 3

4 Suncoast Windward/Leeward Spinnaker B: 1. Semper Fi, Ray Mannix 2. Fire & Ice, George Cussins 3. Orangutan, Thomas Single membership. You can join, renew and check your membership status here: Administrative: Time to Renew Your PHRF Certificate All West Florida PHRF handicap certificates expire each year at the end of June and need to be renewed for you to compete in events using WFPHRF handicaps. Now is the time to go to the website and use our simple online renewal tool to keep your certificate current: We always have a flood of renewals right before the first events of the season which occasionally makes it difficult to process them in time for the regatta registrations. Waiting until right before your first race might delay our ability to process your renewal in a timely manner, so avoid the rush and renew yours early. Also, please take a moment and verify that the information listed on your WFPHRF certificate is complete and accurate. These are the records we use to accurately handicap your boat and contact you, if necessary. There are many certificates, especially in the Cruising classes, that have missing or incomplete information in the bulk allowances section. This information could potentially give you extra credits on your rating. The most common omission is in the anchor and rode description section. Discounts: Join US Sailing Apart from supporting the national organizing body for our sport, having a current US Sailing membership provides you with discounts on regatta registrations and your PHRF Administrative: Password Problems With Your WFPHRF Webpage Login? We occasionally have inquiries that deal with passwords and login accounts for the westfloridaphrf.org website. Access to your website account allows you to perform these tasks: Download the latest version of your certificate Renew your membership Update personal data on your certificate Edit user account login information If you are a new member and have recently applied for a certificate, you will need to create a new account. To do this, please click on the Need a Login? link on this page: hp If you already have an account, but forgot your password, you can enter your address (the one you previously registered with us) on the same page as above and a new password WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 4

5 will be sent to the address associated with your account. boat of an established model if the owner is having trouble sailing it to its potential. On the other hand, a skipper may do very well if his boat is meticulously prepared and sailed well as compared to other boats of the same model. Building on top of the base rating, credits or deductions are applied depending on certain equipment (roller-furling, propeller configuration, etc) and any modifications that are declared by the owner (changed rig dimensions, rudder/keel, etc). How these credits and deductions are calculated and applied to create a final rating is defined in the Class Rules which are available on the westfloridaphrf.org website. Ratings: How the Handicap Number is Determined for Your Boat The most important factor the Rating Committee uses for establishing a base rating for your boat is a comparison against regional averages for your particular boat model as published by US- PHRF. From the list of these published ratings, we look more closely at other areas with similar weather patterns. For instance, Chesapeake Bay has average wind conditions that are more similar to our region than San Francisco Bay. Some boats inherently perform better in lighter or heavier conditions, so we want our comparisons to be made against areas with similar sailing conditions. There may also be several variations of one model (tall mast, shoal keel, etc) that will be listed separately in the compilation from US- PHRF. We also contribute to this list by reporting our ratings to US-PHRF on an annual basis so that other regions can reference our base handicaps. Once we have established a rating for our area for a particular boat model, all other boats of the same model and configuration will have the same base rating. The corollary to this is that the base rating will not change for one particular Brand new models, custom and heavily-modified boats pose a special case for the rating committee where certain performance aspects of the boat are estimated and a provisional rating is issued. A dialog with the owner and/or builder may also be necessary to determine certain characteristics of the boat. This provisional rating may be used temporarily while race results are observed over time. Ratings issued on a provisional basis may be adjusted by the Rating Committee after a sufficient amount of corrected finish times are accumulated and reviewed. The Racing Rules of Sailing: Download Your Own Copy for Free The Racing Rules of Sailing govern our sport on the water. They are revised and published every four years by the International Sailing Federation. The current edition is The Racing Rules for Sailing for From this webpage you can download the Racing Rules of Sailing as a complete version or in individual sections: WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 5

6 Get Involved: Represent Your Region and Help Your Fellow Racers You don t have to be a West Florida PHRF Board or Rating Committee member to get involved and help represent the racers in your area. Tampa / St. Petersburg: Grant Dumas Dick Booth George Cussins George Pennington Jamie Myers Ethan Bixby Brian Malone Dunedin / Clearwater: Kim Beaty The members of the Board and Rating Committee are here to serve you, but we are not able to address issues unless we are aware of them. Please use your regional contacts to discuss new ideas or to address problems that need attention. Contact information for the Board and Rating Committee members is available on the website: Ft Myers / Cape Coral Mike Kayusa Jerry Haller Charlotte Harbor: Wendy Filler Steve Roake Bradenton / Sarasota / Venice: Dave Ettinger Doug Fisher Bill Johnsen Jim Liston WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 6

7 Announcement: PHRF Classes at the St. Petersburg NOOD, February 2012 West Florida PHRF has negotiated with the organizers of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regattas to offer PHRF handicap classes at the upcoming St. Petersburg NOOD in February This was announced at the WFPHRF Annual Meeting last month and it provides a rare opportunity for our local PHRF fleets to compete in a national-level event under professional management. This will also be a great opportunity to compete against racers from other regions since this will attract PHRF boats from around the Southeast looking for a high profile midwinter event. There will be a windward/leeward course for the spinnaker classes and a random leg course for the non-spinnaker and cruising classes. We will provide updates as they become available, so please stay tuned for more. You can also visit the Sailing World NOOD website for more information on these events: Winners Circle: Interview with Boat of the Year Winner Jason Richards Jason and the crew of his S2 7.9, T-Bone, won Boat of the Year for their Spinnaker-B class in the Southwest Florida region. This was also a successful defense of last year s championship for Jason and we asked him to share his story. How did you get started in sailboat racing? I was at the boatyard applying bottom paint to my first boat a (1969 Coronado) and the boat next to me was and active racer. He asked if I was a member of Gulf Coast Sailing Club and I had not heard of the club. I attended a meeting that month and was invited to crew on a boat. This was my first time racing it was I was no longer intimidated by racing and felt I could at least make it around the course. My first race I stalled head to wind at the start. After I recovered, I made it around just fine. One race and I had the sailing bug. How long have you been racing in the West Florida area? Since We have done just about every regatta after. WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 7

8 Tell me about your boat and how long have you owned it? T-Bone is my second boat. It is a S2 7.9 (25 11 ). I was looking to upgrade and after a collision with another boat, hence the name, it was time. I needed a boat that could be ramp launched and was large enough to do some overnight races. I was also interested in one design racing and the S2 7.9 seemed to fit the bill. It has a dagger board which weighs 600lb and is raised easily with a 4:1 purchase and winch. The board is flush with the hull when raised and makes ramp launching a breeze. The mast is deck stepped and 2 of us can raise it. The boat is very responsive and a blast to sail. With 8+ boats racing in SWFL you can find one to race against at most regattas. need about where the fleet is, wind, waves, and boat performance. I used to spend a lot of time with my head out of the boat and now have gotten better on asking the crew for their thoughts. We are still working on switching gears, rig tune, and sail trim for different wind and seas. Nothing beats time in the boat and our competition has owned their boats much longer than the 4 years I have owned mine. We were the boat with the least experience. Now someone has bought one on Ft. Myers beach. That is one of the best things about our sport. There is always something more to learn. What is the current boat project you are working on? This year I would like to pull the dagger board out fair and paint it. I bought the boat in SC and the previous owner put fresh water bottom paint on it. The salt and age has made the paint very rough and this extra drag can t be good. I did the rest of the bottom when I bought the boat and that needs attention again as well. As with all boats it s a never ending list. Once you get to the bottom you start right back at the top again. It s like having a second wife. What do you do to get the boat and crew prepared before the season starts? After the last regatta to Key West and back to Naples we put the boat on the trailer and take a few weeks off. Thankfully the crew starts to bug me about doing some boat work shortly after that. Seems a few cold beers gets everyone motivated. That s pretty cheap labor. Do you consider yourself an intense or relaxed skipper while you are racing? Things on T-Bone are very relaxed. We leave are egos at the dock and head out to have fun win or lose. The S2 fleet is full of great competitive sailors and we learn something every time we hit the water. Patience seems to work best for us. Which regatta was your favorite this past season and why? This is a tough question for me to answer. Each regatta has its own personality. The St. Pete NOOD regatta has the best competition. The S2s have a fleet of 10 or so boats. They come from all over even as far north as Canada. It s very tight racing and every mistake really hurts. The Conquistador Cup in Punta Gorda and the Porsche Cup in Naples have great parties and are a lot of fun. The Bone Island Regatta from Naples to Key West 2 days in Key West then a race back is a blast. With 100nm distance each way it gives everyone the opportunity to drive. The destination makes for a great time as well. As a helmsman, what indicators do you concentrate on during the races? I have been getting better at asking the crew for the input I WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 8

9 Performance Tip: Use Target Boat Speed for Sailing Upwind and Downwind Polar Basics A polar is a database relating a boats predicted speed to the true wind conditions it is sailing in. Many of these data points are created for each specific wind speed and the points are then plotted on a polar coordinate graph (where boat speed is the radial distance from the origin and true wind angle is measured from the top). This format provides a graphical solution for VMG (Velocity Made Good). Optimum sailing into (or away from) the wind is represented by the very top (or bottom) point on each wind speed curve. These two points on each curve indicate the target boat speed and true wind angle you should be sailing at to achieve maximum VMG upwind (or downwind) for that particular wind strength. Applying Polar Information to Improve Your Sailing In practice, this information provides a target boat speed for the helmsman and sail trimmers to work toward: if you are beating to weather and your boat speed is below your given target, you should foot off a little to raise the boat speed up to the target speed. Conversely, if you are sailing upwind faster than your given target, you should head up a little to increase your distance to weather (i.e. sail closer to the wind and slightly slower). Going downwind is the opposite: if your boat speed is below your given target, you should reach up a little to raise the boat speed back to the target speed. Conversely, if you are sailing downwind faster than your given target, you should bear off a little to increase your distance to leeward. Using upwind target speed, and downwind target speed & angle will give your crew a constant performance goal rather than guessing how fast the boat should be going. Using these inputs as a performance guide is like having a user manual for how to race your sailboat. All this information is based on having access to the polar data for your particular boat. One way to get this is to simply contact your boats designer/builder and ask if they can provide it. Another way is to order a Performance Package WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 9

10 for your boat from US Sailing. These packages are $275 and can be found on the US Sailing website here: &UnitCde=1&Desc=Performance%20Pack age&search=n Once you have your polar data in hand, you may also want an instrument system on your boat that displays this data automatically. This type of system used to be only for America s Cup syndicates and top-level professional teams, but there are now a couple of modestly priced instrument systems on the market that will allow you to display real time polar data while you are racing (Nexus, B&G, Ockam, etc). A more practical approach is to create a small chart for your cockpit area that shows the true wind speed and corresponding target boat speeds and angles like this example: Of course, target boat speed is only one of several indicators that can be used to improve your sailing performance. Understanding the sail telltails, heel angle, rudder angle and the numerous instrument inputs you may have onboard can all be used to improve your performance on the racecourse. These other indicators will be covered in subsequent newsletters. WFPHRF Newsletter: Summer 2011 P a g e 10