College sailors and race managers, After running this idea by a number of agreeable people, here is an idea worth trying. At any event other than championships and intersectionals, make one race per division a longer race with some interesting legs. Such courses could include a long windward leg or long reach leg to create a more interesting race.
Here are some possible examples depending upon wind direction and strength: At Maine Maritime a long downwind leg around the rotation dock. At Bowdoin a long beat out toward the ocean and back. At Vermont a long leg out into the middle of Lake Champlain. At Tufts zig-zag reaches in heavy air. At MIT or Harvard a bridge to bridge leg. At Roger Williams a course through the bridge at slack tide. At Salve Regina lots of possibilities. At Yale out into the Sound or up the shoreline and back. At Fordham part way across to Long Island and back. At Navy up to the Severn River bridge in a NW or SE wind. At St. Mary's going well up river or down river. At Old Dominion a giant triangle. At Charleston under the bridge at slack tide. On a river a really long W-L if winds parallel the river; a wide butterfly course in cross winds with three shorts beats and two long reaches. At any site the usual W-L but then turning toward the rotation site and going as far as a fair wind allows. And so on, you get the idea. Yes, it should count. Reaching on a long leg is a good test of sailing skill, not a parade. Most important we should do this because it is fun. It is also a challenge for the race committee to pick a great course and diagram it in the morning so sailors can figure it out without any confusion. It is also a challenge to pick a course that is fair, challenging and about 20-30 minutes long instead of the exact same standard W4 of 15-18 minutes every single race at every single regatta. In short, setting and sailing long reaches is becoming a lost skill. Racing on a long reach once in awhile can be really challenging and fun in any wind speed. There is some reaching in the Olympics and plenty in distance racing. Enjoy, Ken Legler Tufts Sailing Coach ________________________________________________ icsa mailing list [email protected] http://www.collegesailing.org/mailman/?listname=icsa Unsubscribe: Send a blank email to [email protected]
