Rule 18.3 which discourages port tack approaches at port-hand windward marks is even stronger under the new 2013-2016 rules. Wheras the old rule read “The boat that changed tack shall not cause the other boat to sail above close hauled to avoid her”, the new rule reads “The boat that changed tack shall not cause the other boat to sail above close hauled to avoid contact”. The difference is subtle, but important: “avoid her” versus “avoid contact”. The  new rule  means that a boat that changes tack shall not cause ANY boat to have to sail above close hauled to avoid contact with ANY other boat as a result of “her” actions.

 

Come to the “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016” seminar on January 27 at BCYC to learn about this, and all the other changes in the new rules. I hope to see you there!

As of January 1, the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016 are in effect. (The NHYC Winter Series and the BYC Sunkist Series which started in 2012 will be completed under the 2009-2012 rules). You can buy a copy of the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016 from US Sailing by clicking here.

A number of definitions have changed, including Finish, Keep Clear, Mark-Room, and Room. In Part 2, “WHEN BOATS MEET”, the following rules have changed: 14 “Avoiding Contact”,  18.2 “Giving Mark-Room”, 18.3  “Tacking in the Zone”, and 20 “Room to Tack at an Obstruction”. Rules from other parts of the RRS which have changed include 28 “Sailing the Course”, 44.1 “Taking a Penalty”, and 64 “Penalites and Exoneration”.

Rule changes which occur every four years in cadence with the Olympics provide each of us an exellent opportunity to improve our rules knowledge, whether new to the game, sailing with an outdated understanding, or expert in need of becoming current.

The next “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” seminar is scheduled for Sunday, January 27, at BCYC. So, save the date, and I hope to see you there!

Course Description / Testimonials

Register

The 2012 Harbor 20 Awards Dinner on December 2 at Lido Isle Yacht Club is shaping up to be the best ever! We were able to book the Fabulous Nomads band for the event, and if you were at the East/West Challenge Regatta Dinner, you know just how great these guys are! In fact, we would like to rename them “The Harbor 20’s”…

Fleet 1 has also stepped up to sponsor this premier event, so the price will be a low $45.00 per person if postmarked by November 26. If postmarked after, the price will be $55.00. PLEASE register early. This is a catered event, so the food must be ordered in advance, and the last thing we would want to happen would be to run out of food (it has happened before).

Click this link for the Awards Dinner Flyer & Registration Form.

Guests welcome, but please no children.

We hope to see you there!

The 2012-2013 racing season begins this weekend with the first races of BYC’s Sunkist Series on Saturday and NHYC’s Winter Series on Sunday. Links to the NORs and online entry forms for both regattas can be found on the Fleet 1 web site calendar or by clicking on the event on the left side bar under “Upcoming Events”

 

The Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Regatta is also happening at BYC this weekend. The CHOC Regatta is a fundraising event that uses the November Sunkist Series races to provide an opportunity to compete for additional awards and contribute to CHOC. It has a separate entry form and is scored separately from the Sunkist Series. Please support BYC’s efforts to raise money for CHOC by entering your boat in the CHOC regatta and purchasing raffle tickets at the event this weekend. Also, there will be an award given to the boat that generates the greatest dollar amount contribution to CHOC. Details can be found in the Notice of Race on BYC’s web site.

 

Note that the BYC races this Saturday count towards Fleet 1’s High Point Series and you must sign up for the CHOC Regatta and the Sunkist Series using the separate entry forms.

 

The Fleet 1 approved sail purchase window is October 1st to November 30th, 2012. This is your only opportunity to buy new sails until after the 2013 Championships.

According to the Class bylaws:

III.H.8. For a Class Yacht, the Owner may purchase one jib sail in each calendar year and one main sail in every second calendar year.

After purchase, the Fleet 1 Measurer will inspect, measure and sign the sail before it may be used.

According to the Fleet 1 bylaws:

III.C.7. The Fleet has appointed Elliott/Pattison Sailmakers as its sole permitted sail maker for new mainsails, and Ullman Sails as its sole permitted sail maker for new jibs. No other sail/sail maker combinations will be allowed.

Ullman Sails is offering the jib sail at $774 with 5% and 10% discounts available for 50% and 100% deposits. Download their flyer here. They can be reached at 714-432-1860

The cost of a new mail sail from Elliott/Pattison Sailmakers is $1,594.  They are offering a 15% discount to Fleet 1 members.  If 15 or more sails are ordered, the discount will be 20%. They can be reached at 949 645-6697. (if you intend on purchasing a main sail, post a comment so others can see if the Fleet will reach the 15 sail threshold).

If you are buying a new Mainsail, consider donating your old one to NHYC for possible use in the Baldwin Cup team races.

 

The dust has settled on another competitive year of sailing Harbor 20s with the conclusion of the Fleet 1 & Class Championships held at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach on Saturday & Sunday, September 29th and 30th.

 

With 18 boats in both Class A and and 16 in Class B, we can give thanks to our Class officers who have devised a way of dividing our class in a very even handed way. This was the best turnout in a championship ever, and the racing was great with sunny skies and a variety of conditions. Unique this year was the absence of the mooring field off the dock of NHYC due to dredging of the bay. This provided for a bigger sailing course and less obstacles and better viewing from the club.

 

 

Peter Haynes’ years long effort promoting fair sailing with his regular Rules Seminars, culminated in an “ask the Judges” session two nights before this year’s event. The result was great racing with adherence to the Racing Rules of Sailing, protests when appropriate, and plenty of penalty turns taken on the water to settle protests.

The race committee introduced new courses to keep the boats spread out a bit more with an offset windward mark and leeward gates. A couple of courses included “L” reaching finishes after rounding a leeward gate. This introduced new strategies and added more excitement to the regatta.

The winds were generally Westerly at about 5-9 knots both days of sailing. A total of 9 races were completed for each fleet (18 total races). The A Fleet had some new sailors like Tim Hogan, Walter Johnson and Scott Ramser which increased the already competitive fleet. The B Fleet had many first time participants in the championship, and even saw a C Fleet sailor vying for first place right down to the wire!

Saturday night NHYC hosted an open bar followed by a sit-down dinner for the competitors.

In the end, Bill & Diane Menninger won their 4th Class Championship and their 3rd consecutive 1st place. When asked what he learned from the event, Bill stated:

Everyone is now sufficiently fast to make it frustratingly tough to pass boats upwind and down….
I learned that loose rig tension is fast for tacking and accelerating, but not faster for straight line speed. I learned that maybe I should start using the vang earlier to flatten the main. And I learned that once the bottom of your boat needs new paint, its probably not that fast!

Here are the results:

A Fleet

1. Bill & Diane Menninger
2. Tom Schock & Tom Patrick
3. Guy Doran & Bob McClaire
4. Scott & Phil Ramser
5. Gary & Karen Thorne

B Fleet

1. Jeff Gordon with C.Underwood/R.Vitarelli
2. Tucker Cheadle and Max Mooseman
3. Greg & Jessica Newman
4. Richard Blatterman & John Cazier
5. Win & Carlita Fuller

 

Complete race results are available here.

 

As a result of this High Point Race, Jeff Gordon has moved to the A Fleet.

The Championships signify the end of the H20 Fleet 1 racing year, resulting in the following Awards:

Fleet A High Point

1. Gary Thorne
2. Kurt Wiese
3. Guy Doran

Fleet B High Point

1. Tom Corkett
2. John Whitney
3. Nik Froehlich

Note: Sailors must participate in at least 75% of all High Point races to qualify for the High Point Award

The Rain or Shine Award is awarded to Peter Haynes for the 5th consecutive year in a row! The final results are:

1. Peter Haynes (82 races)
2. Steve Horton (81 races)
3. Rolly Pulaski (76 races)

Full Rain or Shine Results can be viewed here.

The Fleet 1 First Mate Awards go to the highest placing husband and wife teams in the A and B Fleets at the Fleet 1 Championship Series. This year:

• Fleet A: Bill & Diane Menninger
• Fleet B: Win & Carlita Fuller

The history of this award can be viewed here.

The Grand Masters trophy is awarded to the highest placing skippers over the age of 65 in the A and B fleets at the Fleet 1 championships. This year:

• Fleet A: Tom Schock
• Fleet B: Richard Blatterman

All the above awards, plus the Arthur B Strock Service Award (awarded to members who have performed outstanding service for the Harbor 20, Fleet One organization) and the Broken Rudder Award (awarded to the skipper who’s boat sustained to most damage in the heat of battle) will be presented during the annual H20 Awards Dinner on December 2, 2012 at LIYC .

More pictures of the championship below, and here.

 

Photo Album with more Pictures here.

The  East / West Challenge Perpetual Trophy traveled from the East Coast to NHYC earlier this week, and now, it is headed back to the East Coast again. On day two of the Harbor 20 East/ West challenge, the weather was perfect, the wind was steady out of the South East at about 7-9 knots, the mooring field was clear of boats and moorings, and the dredger was no where to be seen. A very unique situation and one not seen at NHYC in decades. Heading into the day, the East Coast team of Fleet 3 (Hilton Head) and Fleet 5 (Annapolis) had an 8 point lead over the West Coast team of Fleet 1 (Newport Beach) and Fleet 4 (Santa Barbara).  But after 4 races on Sunday, and a total of 8 races, the East Coast team widened their lead and took the prize. Individual Winners

1. Tom Schock (Fleet 1, sailing for Fleet 5)
2. Scott Deardorff (Fleet 4)
3. Karl Pomeroy (Fleet 1, sailing for Fleet 5)
4. Lee Sutherland (Fleet 1)
5. Ed Kimball (Fleet 1, sailing for Fleet 5)

East Coast Team

Fleet 3 – Hilton Head

Fleet 5 – Annapolis

West Coast Team

Fleet 1 – Newport Beach

Fleet 4 – Santa Barbara

Full results can be downloaded here.

 

 

Complete online photo albums will be posted to this website once the photos become available.

The annual East / West Challenge kicked off Friday evening with a competitor check-in and reception at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach.  Over 85 competitors, boat owners, race committee, housing hosts and guests are participating in the regatta which has grown this year to include four Harbor 20 fleets.

Representing the East Coast are Fleet 3 from Hilton Head and Fleet 5 from Annapolis. Representing the West Coast are Fleet 4 from Santa Barbara and Fleet 1 from Newport Beach.  Each Fleet has sent four teams (skipper and crew) for a total of 16 boats in the regatta. Additionally, each of the Harbor 20 boat owners is the “3rd crew” providing the team additional insight on “local knowledge” and familiarity with their boat.

The Friday reception, which included hosted beer and wine and a Taco Bar, allowed participants to meet and greet each other and discuss the upcoming regatta.

 

 

 

 

 

The format of the regatta is Fleet racing (not team racing as one may deduce from the name). Awards will be given to the top 5 individual competitors.  Additionally, the scores from all the competitors representing the East Coast will be combined and compared to that of the West Coasts fleets, and the lowest overall score will be awarded the East / West Challenge Perpetual Trophy.  Currently, Fleet 3 (Hilton Head) possesses the trophy by defeating Fleet 1 at Hilton Head.  This year is the first year that more than 2 fleets have participated in the East / West Challenge.

The regatta will consist of a planned eight (8) races over two days. The courses are place in the Harbor Harbor area adjacent to the yacht club docks making it easy and comfortable for spectators to watch the action.

On Saturday, the winds were pretty steady at about 7-9 knots out of the South/South West. As is usual in Newport Harbor, shifts and current provide for a challenging venue where local experience can give competitors an advantage.  The race committee was able to get off four (4) windward / leeward races, each about 35 minutes long.

At the end of the day, the East Coast leads with 268 points to the West Coasts 276 points. With only an 8 point spread, the challenge is close even as the second day of racing begins. The leaders in the individual competition is as follows:

1. Tom Schock (sailing for Fleet 5) – 12 points
2. Jim Kerrigan (Fleet 1) – 18 points
3. Scott Deerdorf (Fleet 4) – 20 points
4. Lee Sutherland (Fleet 1) – 22 points
5. Karl Pomeroy (sailing for Fleet 5) – 23 points

After racing on Saturday evening, the out-of-town guests were treated to an hour-long guided tour of Newport Bay in the iconic “Duffy”, electric boats. Wine, cocktails and snacks along with commentary on the interesting facts and notable landmarks provided the background for this sunset cruise to Lido Isle Yacht Club for the Saturday Party.

 

 

 

 

Saturday was capped off with a festive party with a variety of food, live music, dance floor and hosted bar. There was a lot of energy left over from the day as was evident by the chatter, energy and plenty of dancing.

Sunday, racing begins at 1pm and will conclude with awards and an Awards dinner at the NHYC.

Pictures of the event will be added to this post and included in the final regatta wrap up post.

Hello Harbor 20 Championship Competitors,

NHYC is eagerly anticipating the event this weekend! It looks like we should have a “Chamber of Commerce” weekend as far as weather goes. Here are a few reminders that we would like to pass along to the fleet to help things run smoothly:

All competitors are reminded they are required to dock their boat at NHYC on Saturday night. We have made arrangements to have access to the entire NHYC dock so there will be plenty of space. Boats which are normally kept on the NHYC multi-vessel docks or on docks adjacent to the club are permitted and encouraged to keep their boat there during the event.

There will be an informal, competitor led, de-brief immediately following racing on Saturday and Sunday. This will take place at the foot of the stairs to the Non-calm room (near the outside entrances to the restrooms).

As a reminder, NHYC has shower and changing facilities available for competitors to freshen up before the festivities on Saturday night. We will also make space and a rack available for anyone who wishes to leave a change of clothing during racing.

Any questions can be directed to the NHYC Race Office:

Charlie Underwood
949 723 6870
charlie.underwood@nhycstaff.org

Just like at last Sunday’s Fall Schock Regatta, a windward offset mark, and leeward gate marks will be used for the Fleet 1 Championship Regatta. If you are not familiar with these marks, come to tonight’s ASK THE JUDGES event at NHYC at 7:00. Don’t go “in the dark” to the Championship! We hope to see you there!