Race Committee?

[pateco]

I have been Volunteered to be next year's race committee chairman for my local club.

Hillsboro Inlet Sailing Club

We do a great deal of racing with both coastal and buoy races along with participating and hosting invitational races with other clubs in the area.

I have spoken with the past chairman and have a good idea of my responsibilities, but wanted to know if anyone here has held this position with their club, and was wondering if I could pick your brains. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jackdaw]

send me a PM

 

[pateco]

send me a PM

Thank you done.

 

[pateco]

Here is a brief description of our current program.

• More than 20 formal buoy races for multiple classes each year.
• Five or more coastal races scheduled through the year.
• Casual Wednesday night Beer Can races scheduled throughout the summer months.
• HISC members have dominated regional regattas, winning scores of trophies in Florida and the Bahamas.

As we approach another racing season we would like to thank all the Skippers and Crew that have supported the HISC racing program.

Our racing program is designed to be user friendly. We try to set courses that are challenging and fair to all competitors. In the past, our JAM Fleet race-scoring program adjusted ratings for each race based on the performance of the boat in buoy races. For 2014, we applied this system to all fleets, as this system allows each boat a level playing field, and gives boats more of a chance to move up in the finishing order. We believe that this was a success, and for 2015, we have decided to carry the rating adjustments forward into the new racing season, up to a maximum of 140% your base ratings.

We do not run hard-core regattas where technicalities can cloud the basic goals of having fun and improving skills. The 2017-2020 RRS apply to all of our events, unless otherwise stated in the Sailing Instructions. The bottom line is to be safe and have fun. The after race parties 5:30pm to 7:00pm are a big part of the overall experience. Everyone pitches in by bringing a dish to share, and supplying their own beverages. The conversations center around the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat! The camaraderie, and friendships created are what this is all about, not to mention getting the results for the days efforts!

 

[jssailem]

Oh Chip.. Are you in for a fun year.
I was once told... Never stand in a line when someone is talking about a volunteer position. Your just standing there minding your own business and everyone else steps back.
Got Ya...

 

[Kings Gambit]

So, there are a couple of ways to organize a Club's racing activities. In one example there is the Race Committee (RC) which actually runs races, but the racing program of the Club might be run by a Race Management Committee (RMC). The RMC schedules the races and helps produce the volunteers needed to run a race on the water. Thus, the chairman of the RMC runs the whole racing program and is usually referred to as the Race Chair. However, people use "Race Committee" and "Race Management Committee" interchangeably so it's not always clear what is being referred to. Sounds like you will be the "Race Chair."

A Principal Race Officer (PRO) is the top guy of a given race committee that runs a particular race. As a PRO you'd be responsible for writing and publicizing the Notice of Race (NOR) and publishing the Sailing Instructions (SIs) for a particular race. You'd pull together a Race Committee that then starts, finishes, and scores each race of which you are the PRO. The PRO usually makes the awards unless s/he can find a Club Flag Officer willing to do it. Flag Officers are often asked to make awards for high profile inter-club races. In the RMC organizational format, the chairman-or Race Chair--does not run every race but recruits PROs from the RMC to run various races that are scheduled.

 

[markwbird]

I have done it. Ask me anything.

 

[shemandr]

I was RC Chairman for a term of two years. At times it was almost single handed. We did re-work our racing format during that period and the new format has stood pretty well for, well OMG, approaching 10 years. I would be happy to answer any questions.
You will run a much bigger program than we have.

 

[pateco]

Awesome responses. Thanks. I am still getting up to speed, but It sounds like Race Chair is a better description of my new position. I will be doing the scheduling, creating the courses on race day, the scoring, and announcing the awards. We have two fleets. One we call the ARC fleet. These boats fly spinnakers. our second and much larger fleet is our JAM fleet (Jib and Main). The club has well over 100 boats, but regular races tend to be 15 -30 boats mixed from both fleets. I am going to be shadowing our current race chair for the next three races to see how things run, and then will probably have a lot of questions for you guys.

One of my primary goals in this season is to try to increase the size of the ARC fleet. A lot of the members who have historically raced in this fleet, and represented our club at Columbus Day Regatta, Regatta Time in Abaco, Key West Race Week etc, are starting to age out of racing. (Selling their race boat to buy a cruiser etc.) while a lot of the newer members are enjoying the heck out of racing in the JAM fleet, but have no experience at all flying a spinnaker. So I am going to work on getting some of the interested JAM fleet members trained on flying the gear they have, as well as trying to attract new racers to the club.

I will post questions to this thread as they come up. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[Kings Gambit]

The biggest challenge IMHO to rebuilding a spinnaker fleet is finding [competent] crew for the skippers who might wish to participate. A 38-ft boat like mine needs minimally five souls aboard to race competitively in a spinnaker class [helm, two sheet trimmers, a pit man, and a foredeck person]; six is better [two foredeck persons]. All of the ruckus occurs gybing the leeward mark while preparing to harden up for the next weather leg, etc. This is the most "fun" in true wind over 15 kt. You can run a jib and mainsail race with only two aboard although three is better. A series requires the crew show up each week/race. Believe me, crew maintenance is the biggest compliant I hear from skippers, including from myself, as the reason for not racing in a spinnaker class series. Consider that a ten-boat spinnaker fleet may need upwards of FIFTY crew to "person" them.

 

[JRacer]

If you (or your club) are a member of US Sailing, their website has a "Race Management Handbook" under the heading of "Racing"; "Race Officials"; "Race Officials Publications" which you can download in PDF. Covers a lot. Requires your login to access it.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Our club has the same challenge with participation in the spinnaker fleet. In a typical weeknight we’ll have 10 or 15 non-spin PHRF, but only 2 or 3 spin, plus the one-design fleets. One reason I’ve heard is that the legs in our evening races are just too short, and crews don’t want to spend a whole upwind leg packing a spinnaker several times a race. Longer legs would help that if the racing area allowed. I’ve heard of some clubs that say that the non-spin class winner for each series must “graduate” to the spinnaker class for the next series. Not sure how well that sits with the membership, but i guess it can move boats over.

 

[shemandr]

There is a design change going on. Since the sprit boat revolution there is tension between Spinnaker boats. The older symmetrical spinnaker boats vs. the newer asymmetrical boats. They really should be in different classes as are JAM and spinnaker. They don't sail the same way, when they are on the course they sail different courses, they sail different speeds and they shouldn't sail against each other boat for boat. Those old C&C's, Rangers, etc. take more crew effort, and don't ever plane, can't sail short legs without undue crew work, and can't sail downwind without a spinnaker worth a dam. They often don't have jib furlers because they need three or more jibs, with double track foils on the furler, if you're lucky enough to have a furler. Otherwise, it's sail changes on the foredeck. OMG, who wants to do that! Can't find crew? I wonder why! The asymmetrical sail higher off wind angles faster, sometimes planning but always faster than symmetricals and jibing without as much drama. The jibs furl and there is rarely a sail change.
So, if your spinnaker class is dwindling, you have to look at this conflict. Can you give your GOB symmetrical spinnaker boats are course that will be fun for them. And not put them up against entirely different boats which sail differently.
There is only one boat which wins a race. Encouraging entries is about the rest of the boats.

 

[pateco]

There is a design change going on. Since the sprit boat revolution there is tension between Spinnaker boats. The older symmetrical spinnaker boats vs. the newer asymmetrical boats. They really should be in different classes as are JAM and spinnaker. They don't sail the same way, when they are on the course they sail different courses, they sail different speeds and they shouldn't sail against each other boat for boat. Those old C&C's, Rangers, etc. take more crew effort, and don't ever plane, can't sail short legs without undue crew work, and can't sail downwind without a spinnaker worth a dam. They often don't have jib furlers because they need three or more jibs, with double track foils on the furler, if you're lucky enough to have a furler. Otherwise, it's sail changes on the foredeck. OMG, who wants to do that! Can't find crew? I wonder why! The asymmetrical sail higher off wind angles faster, sometimes planning but always faster than symmetricals and jibing without as much drama. The jibs furl and there is rarely a sail change.
So, if your spinnaker class is dwindling, you have to look at this conflict. Can you give your GOB symmetrical spinnaker boats are course that will be fun for them. And not put them up against entirely different boats which sail differently.
There is only one boat which wins a race. Encouraging entries is about the rest of the boats.

My old Club (Gulfstream Sailing Club)had some sprit boats, mostly Melges. They were most always first to finish, but with handicap, did not always win against the symmetrical boats. There are quite a few asymmetrical boats in my current club, but only one sprit boats that I have seen. "Third Tri" is the fastest boat in the fleet. She has a good crew, and does win quite a few races. All the other racers love her because she is fast enough to set and retrieve marks while everyone else is still trying to finish the race. LOL

 

[JimInPB]

One of my primary goals in this season is to try to increase the size of the ARC fleet. A lot of the members who have historically raced in this fleet, and represented our club at Columbus Day Regatta, Regatta Time in Abaco, Key West Race Week etc, are starting to age out of racing.

Well, both Columbus Day Regatta & Key West Race Week seem to be getting scratched this time around, so you may have a little more time than you realize to get that program up to speed.