Dear Fleet 1 Members,

With very heavy hearts we report that Bill Allen passed away Monday night, March 17.

Most all of us in our H20 Fleet 1 community have known Bill over the years, racing his Harbor 20 #174 SEA THRU, mentoring new H20 sailors, serving as Pit Crew at Baldwin Cup, and socializing in our many events and at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Bill has been known as a great, nice competitor, a fun and gracious person, and he will be missed very much by all his Fleet 1 friends. Jim Kerrigan, who has known Bill since the 60s, recalls how they raced down to Mazatlan, and also to Honolulu in 1967.

Bill most recently raced his #174 in the NHYC Winter Series in December.

We are all sad to share this news, and will inform you again once more is known about a service for Bill.

Emile Pilafidis
Captain, H20 Fleet 1

I am guessing you might not know this: Learning the Racing Rules can be a WHOLE LOT OF FUN! There is no sugar-coating it – the rules are very complex. That’s what makes actually understanding them so much fun. And every person that improves their understanding of the rules helps improve the quality of competition for everyone out on the race course. Please come join us at BCYC on March 15 for the “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” seminar. The venue is fantastic, the hospitality excellent, and you will find yourself in the company of like-minded folks spending the day immersed in the inner workings of your favorite sport. Whether you are learning the rules, or refining your knowledge, this experience will be worth your while. So, please join us. You’ll be glad you did!

Click here to register.

The only situation in which a boat may make a tactical rounding, i.e. go wide and then cut close to pass the mark on a close hauled course is when she has entered the zone clear ahead. Boats behind often misunderstand this as an opportunity to cut inside, because the space looks very tempting. But, she has no right to do so, and is likely to hear a robust “Don’t go in there!!!”

The rules are not just for skippers. The more knowledge on your boat, the greater your competitive edge. So, whether you are a skipper or crew, if you would like to up your game in 2014, join us at BCYC on March 15 for the “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” seminar. Animated PowerPoint slides like that shown above make the rules come to life. The game is a lot more fun, and safe, when you know the rules!

Course Description

Register

We hope to see you there!

When: 10:00-2:00, Saturday, February 22

Where: Lido Isle Yacht Club

Guest Speakers: Bill Menninger & Peter Haynes

If you need help with rig running, or other fixes or adjustments, bring your boat.

Because lunch, compliments of Fleet 1, is included please RSVP no later than February 19th: Michael Volk, michael@mvaarc.com .

The theme for this year’s Tuning Day on Saturday, February 22, is “Tuning”. Tuning is the act of adjusting the lengths and tensions of your standing rigging, i.e. the wires which support the mast. Because your mainsail is attached to your mast, and your jib is attached to your headstay (which is part of the standing rigging), rig tuning affects sail shape. If your mast is not centered athwartships, or your mast is shaped other than straight when sighting up the mainsail slot, your boat will not sail the same on each tack. Raking your mast aft by lengthening the headstay will increase windward helm, and help you point higher at the cost of stability. Outer shroud tension sets headstay tension, and thus headstay sag, and is the one adjustment you might see being made prior to a race, especially if it is expected to be very windy.

How important is rig tuning for Harbor 20 racing in Newport Harbor? If the setup is not just wrong, probably not that much. That is because we don’t do a lot of long legs where a tenth of a knot of boat speed can make a difference. Properly playing one wind shift, or gaining an inside overlap at a mark makes a much bigger difference. But, you are competing after all, so your boat should be setup properly. We will show you how.

What do you need? To measure mast positioning in the boat, you need a tape measure longer than 30 feet. To adjust your turnbuckles, you need a small wrench to keep the wire form rotating (a small crescent wrench or vicegrip works well), and a screwdriver to turn the buckle. It is easiest to tune with two people, one on each side of the boat, in which case you will need two sets of tools. You will also need a wire tension gage (Loos Gauge), but these are expensive and we will have several on hand.

We will also be talking about sail shape, and the adjustments which can be made underway. One adjustment which many people cannot make easily when underway is the height of the jib in the headstay. Use of two fiddle blocks, as shown here, makes it a snap!

The fiddle block is a Ronstan Fiddle Block with V-Jam, RF341. West Marine Part 110884.

Every sailor should know the basic knots which can get you through a lifetime. They are the proper cleat, the clove hitch, the rolling and taut line hitch, the bowline, and the c-gasket to secure a coil of line. If you can demonstrate each of these knots, you will win a prize. If you cannot, we will teach you the knots, and then give you a chance to win.

PROGRAM

10:00am Welcome sailors. Boats secured on the docks.

10:30am Tuning Tips- Peter Haynes and Bill Menninger give a brief review of rig tuning and sail trim under various weather conditions. The Schock Factory will be participating in the Q & A.

11:15am Lunch available to eat on the patio or dock.

11:30am Boat tuning and repairs begin. Experienced sailors will be on the docks to share tips and assist with tuning. Loos Gauges will be available for shroud adjustments.

2:00pm Tuning Day concludes

Lunch and Refreshments are compliments of Fleet 1. (You must RSVP to receive Lunch and Refreshments)

The Schock Factory will have many parts for sale so we invite you to work on your boat repairs during Tuning Day. If you share your plans for any unusual on-site repairs, we will inform the Schock Factory in advance.

Please RSVP no later than February 19th: Michael Volk, michael@mvaarc.com

 

You can register online or by mail.

Online:      $75.00 if registered by March 12, $85.00 if registered after March 12
By Mail:    $75.00 if postmarked by March 8, $85.00 if postmarked after March 8

The higher prices for registering later than the dates above help satisfy the requirement that a head count be provided to the host yacht club three days in advance.  While last minute registrations can usually be accommodated, it is very helpful from logistical perspective if folks register earlier, rather than later.

REGISTER ONLINE: (up to two registrants at a time)

Choose Registration…

Registration for One $85.00 USDRegistration for Two $170.00 USD

Attendee #1 Name

Attendee #2 Name

 

CLICK  HERE TO REGISTER  BY MAIL

We hope to see you there!

 

Over time I have taken part in many fleets from Hobie 16’s, handicapped fleets, Schock 35’s, Lido 14’s and now Harbor 20’s. During my involvement in these fleets I have taken away different lessons from each.

Like so many of us my first exposure into the sport of sailing was racing Hobie 16‘s. This fleet had every component to keep sailing fun and its fleets healthy. In my view its strength grew from within by supporting its D through A fleets. This along with a camping environment where everyone who attended these regattas would camp at the events together. This led to good times and fantastic social events. In fact, I feel a lot of this class strength was because it was not based out of a yacht club (cut s) environment. Class rules kept competitors from out spending each other and race courses were less than five minutes from the beach.

Why did I leave the fleet?  It was simple, I became too heavy and I could no longer compete. The boat is very physical from launching to hiking out. I can recall many windy regattas pitch pulling the boat and swinging out in front of the headstay and into the water. The speed was fun but it quickly became a young person’s game.

Today I have moved to the Harbor 20 and yes I miss the times of spilling out of my Toyota camper shell like Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. What has kept me so passionate about this fleet is that I can compete, at the highest level, with my son, wife or even my seventy five year old father as crew.

One of the biggest lessons I learned, while sailing Lido 14’s, was that the strength of the fleet is in its B fleets members. One of the strongest features to the Harbor 20 fleet is that if you do not qualify to stay in A fleet, within a season, you must move down to B’s. This has kept the B fleet very strong. In fact Fleet 1 in Newport Beach has now created a C fleet. What happened in the Lido fleet was once you made it into A’s you did not have to go down to B’s. This kept the B fleet very small and all the attention was kept on the A’s. As a competitor there is only so long you can keep taking a beating from the top of the fleet before you lose interest.

The Harbor 20 fleet was very fortunate to be designed for Newport Harbor by a group of founding members that blended their past experiences into one of sailing’s best one design sailboats to date. With its class rules. a competitor will not be outspent by an opponent. Because the fleet can race in the harbor the competitors are only five to fifteens minutes from the race course. Because of its design a skipper can sail by himself or with any of his family members no matter. what their age. Fleet one continues to promote social events from a summer party to a holiday awards banquet.

Keeping the class sailing, by the sailing rules, is also an important factor to the fleet’s success. The fleet grew very fast and in the beginning the rules where very, shall we say, relaxed. Bumper boats is what started to occur and what everyone quickly experienced was the cost of gel coat repairs was not fun and very unhealthy for the fleet. In an effort to stop the bumper boats effect, three rules seminars are offered each year. Members are encouraged to do their circle if they have fouled an opponent and discuss their opinion of the rules after racing. This alone has reduced the bumper boat syndrome by half and more ideas will be used this coming season. Such ideas are marking the three boat length circle to an on the water umpiring and coaching during our summer races.

This fleet understands that a great deal of its strength will come from sailing youth. With a local effort towards team racing the fleet continues to attract sailors from the age of twenty-two to thirty.

All the variables keep lining up to keep the Harbor 20 fleet strong. I just cannot explain how fortunate I feel to be at the right place and time to take advantage of it.

If these types of variables line up for you in your area, perhaps you should consider the Harbor 20 fleet.

As you know, new Fleet1 Divisions take affect February 15, the first day of the SCYA Midwinters. Please make sure to consult the Fleet 1 Divisions page before entering. If you do not find you name on either the A or B Division lists, please register for this event in the C Division.

If you are not familiar with the new Fleet 1 Divisions, you can review previous posts on the subject titled “A More Perfect World Sailing Harbor 20s”, Part1, Part2, and Part3.

All H20 Fleet 1 members and crew are invited to Tuning Day to share tuning tips, learn more about tuning technique, make adjustments, repairs and socialize with fellow sailors!  Sponsored by Fleet 1 of the H20 Sailing Association; this is a free event.  Sail your H20 to the Lido Isle Yacht Club Dock or join other boat owners and crews.

Date: February 22, 2014

Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm

Venue: Lido Isle Yacht Club

PROGRAM

10:00am Welcome sailors. Boats secured on the docks.

10:30am Tuning Tips- Peter Haynes and Bill Menninger give a brief review of rig tuning and sail trim under various weather conditions. The Schock Factory will be participating in the Q & A.

11:15am Lunch available to eat on the patio or dock.

11:30am Boat tuning and repairs begin. Experienced sailors will be on the docks to share tips and assist with tuning. Loos Gauges will be available for shroud adjustments.

2:00pm Tuning Day concludes

Lunch and Refreshments are compliments of Fleet 1.  (You must RSVP to receive Lunch and Refreshments)

The Schock Factory will have many parts for sale so we invite you to work on your boat repairs during Tuning Day. If you share your plans for any unusual on-site repairs, we will inform the Schock Factory in advance.

Please RSVP no later than February 19th: Michael Volk, michael@mvaarc.com

The 2014 Seminar Schedule has been posted, and the first will be “Boat Handling & Sail Trim” on Saturday, January 25, at BCYC. This will be a great opportunity to make sure you and your crew are up to speed in 2014. But, this is not limited to Harbor 20 sailors, so please feel free to pass this information along to anyone you think might benefit. Here is a course description, some testimonials, and an article from the Newport Beach Independent about a local reporters experience. You can register either online, or by mail.

We hope to see you there!