Racing on the James River

[tomgrigsby]

There is an informal racing club down (up?) here in Virgiinia that includes 3 Hunter 30s; a 79 (mine) and 2 82s. 2 of us are at Smithfield Station and 1 is out of Rescue. We aren't all-out racers exactly, but have a great time with our informal competitions between each other and the other boats. It is surprising how a little racing can improve one's cruising skills. My boat didn't have a boom vang when I bought it last year, but it does now after the boy scouts trounced me with a Balboa 20. One of the 1982 model owners has been sailing all his life in this area; he is in his 60s now and and he is one tough competitor. It is surprising to see him beat 38 footers. He has an adjustable backstay and knows how to use it! Just thought I'd put this post in since we're sort of off the radar. On a typical race day there are only 4 or 5 boats out, but it is great fun, especially at the line before the gun. Here's a link to the club web site. Come join us if you can!

http://webpages.charter.net/j.wandling/sailing/

 

[Alan]

Good for you Tom.
You can learn more about sailing in a couple of races than you can in a couple of years of cruising. Just messing around with the various control lines allows you to see the changes in sail shape and that translates into boat speed.

 

[tomgrigsby]

Alan
You are sure right about the experience. Before I raced my boat I went out with one of the other guys twice on his 82. I learned things in those 2 races about sail control that I never discovered cruising on my own. As I heard a racing instructor say about cruising, if you can shorten a long passage simply with better sail trim, why not?

 

[jcherubini]

That sailing club sounds great and I look forward to at least visiting with you as soon as I can.

This, from me, after years of only LOOKING at the James River, and assuming it was 4-5 ft deep with NO wind and no sailing, and only recently finding out from the chart that it's 60 ft deep! I hope to be at Kingsmill this coming summer and we'll hook up!

 

[tomgrigsby]

We had a four boats out for a New Year's day race. It was a little chilly with temps in the 40s but had winds up to about 12.

 

[mark_swart]

Looks cool, let us know when you post your '10 schedule. I sail out of Fort Monroe but might be able to plan a trip out to your sailing grounds at some point.

 

[tomgrigsby]

We are starting up again this Sunday. The start line is the entrance to the Pagan River run and the gun is at 1pm. Come on out! We're racing every Sunday at 1pm for the next 2 months or so. Go to www.whiteshoal.info for particulars and to get a rating. Best regards, Tom

 

[tomgrigsby]

Found ourselves in front of a Sabre 38 today on corrected time. Finally competitive. Getting better at positioning the blocks for the jib sheets (may eventually invest in a track). I now let the prop freewheel IAW the directive from Yanmar. That has probably been good for a 1/2 knot. The 82 Hunter 30 with the 5' keel is tearing everyone up. Man that boat is fast.