Harbor 20 Class Association

The Balboa Yacht Club has decided to move the Portsmouth Folly up to December 14^th. They were concerned the 21^st is too close to the holidays (that and trying to find enough docking for H20s during the Boat Parade weekend is a nightmare!).

Links to the official regatta website will be posted once it becomes available.

These reflections on this years Harbor 20 sailing and class championship are posted on behalf of our 2013 Class Champion Bill Menninger:

 What a great job the class officers and directors have done in helping our class continue to grow. A big shout out! To our faithful ; John, Peter, Emile and Karl.

Then we have unsung heroes like Judy, to keep Robert Kinney company on our championship race committee, and Jim Kerrigan (sorely Missed) who helped create the Kerrigan jib boom adjuster. There are many others who make our class strong and our social events fantastic. Mark and Shana, Karen, Judy and Kathy. Not to mention all the significant others who dedicate their time behind the scenes.

 This years championship completed eight races, for which I was very thankful. By the time we got to the dock, I had a faint idea we had won, but I wasn’t sure with Jim Buckingham winning the last race. Thankfully, Chris Allen had not won a third in a row, and Gary Thorne was just behind us. Tim Hogan had one bad race on Sunday, so I was really just worried about Jim, our newest class addition, sailing with his youngest daughter Biz.

 What was interesting for me is there are many ways to sail a Harbor 20, and it really comes down to starting and getting a first shift. While I depend on a looser rig to sail some headstay sag in lighter conditions, Jim sailed with a relatively tight rig, and used the mainsail boom vang to bend the mast, thereby shortening the mast and that too develops headstay sag. Two different ways to skin a cat, and since we never sail in one direction more than 150 feet in the bay, we really cant say one technique is better than another.

 The light air put a premium on jib trim and crewing, constantly trimming the jib in and out to maximize acceleration and minimize steering. The shifty conditions put a premium on crews who could spot the puffs and talk about different situations on the course.  We tightened our jib outhaul on the runs to give us more

Effective sail area downwind, we kept our jib downhaul the same on every race, and find it better to be erring a little on the too tight side, versus too loose.

Our shroud tensions were around 15 on the uppers and 8 to 10 on the lowers. On Sunday we raised our jib an additional inch to make the sail slightly fuller after a disappointing final race on Saturday….I typically call our diver ahead of an important regatta to remind him the bottom has to be smooth, and he usually does the boat a day before the races…

 Strategy wise, we chose to start on the windiest part of the line, disregarding the shift we expected of the side of the course to favor. In other words, a good start, heading the wrong direction, usually finds you in the top five. A bird in the hand so to speak!  Downwind, we tried to avoid the lido lee and take advantage of better wind or tide around Bay Island. We used almost no vang tension all weekend as the boom weight was enough to keep the leech firm.

And every so often I looked up to see the battens hadn’t popped through after a gybe, so I would gently pull the main boom in until they popped to leeward and noticed the boat immediately accelerate.

 A special thanks to Peter Haynes and Greg Helias, who reminded us on more than one occasion to go around the weather mark offset buoy. Without them, someone else might be writing this!

 Every year, the class gets stronger and better. I hope we can help share some good ideas and encourage others do the same.

On Thursday, September 26, two days before the Championship, the H20 Association is sponsoring an evening called “ASK THE JUDGES” at 7:00 PM at NHYC. Certified judges will be present to answer any and all questions you might have about the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016. A whiteboard with magnetic boats will be used to help visualize on-the-water situations as they change over time.  This year we will be honored to have certified judges David Blackman, Kevin Hawkins, and Peter Wells. Don’t to go into the Championship with lingering questions about the rules. Come and get your questions answered at this important event! For those of you who have not attended this traditional pre-Championship event in the past, you might be surprised how much fun a lively rules discussion can be. We hope to see you there!

Harbor 20 sailors,  the NORs and the Registrations for the Fleet/Class Championships, BCYC Tune Up and NHYC Fall Schock Regattas are now online and available. Links to the sites are available from the Fleet 1 Calendar, or the sidebar on the left, or below:

September 21, BCYC Tune Up Regatta

September 22, NHYC Fall Schock Regatta

September 28, 29 Fleet / Class Championships

If you are in close company with another boat, can you gybe as part of your windward mark rounding? If you are not absolutely sure of the answer, that is not surprising. The rules change every fours years in cadence with the Olympics, and this rule has changed 3 times in the last 9 years! Below are illustrations from Dave Perry’s current, and previous two versions, of his “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” book:

As you can see, if you do not actually study the rules, it is very difficult to understand subtle changes such as have occurred with this rule over the years. Don’t handicap yourself by sailing with tribal knowlege of the rules which is incomplete at best and incorrect at worst. If you would like to learn or re-learn these complex rules, come join us at the “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” seminar on Sunday, September 8, at BCYC. We hope to see you there! 

Registration and Course Description

“Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016”

Sunday, September 8, 8:45 – 5:00, at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club

This seminar is presented every year shortly before the H20 Championship Regatta in the interest of having the best possible competition.  Don’t handicap youself because of an incomplete knowledge of these complicated rules! Skippers, send your crews – it might be the best investment you make in your sailing program for the year. Click here for a course description.

Cost includes continental breakfast, lunch, and course materials. Attendees are welcome to stay for drinks and dinner at BCYC.

Please bring a 2013-2016 Racing Rules of Sailing rule book.

You can register online or by mail.

$75.00 if registered online by September 4, or postmarked by August 31

$85.00 if registered online after September 4, or postmarked after August 31

While last minute registrations can usually be accomodated, it is very helpful from logistical perspective if folks register earlier, rather than later.

REGISTER ONLINE:

CLICK  HERE TO REGISTER  BY MAIL

We hope to see you there!

 RSVP and Pay for Party by clicking “BUY NOW” below.

To register for the regatta, use the Regatta Network signup. Deadline for online registration is Saturday, August 17th at noon.

View Current Regatta Entrants

Notice of Race

Posted on behalf of Fleet 1 Captain Emile Pilafidis:

The Class/Fleet 1 Championship Regatta Is Fast Approaching!

This July 31 marks 60 days before the Class and Fleet 1 Championship Regatta.  Boats that are racing in this regatta must have been kept in the water continuously for 60 days prior to Class Championships and Fleet Championships, per our Class rules. If you are planning to haul your Harbor 20 for maintenance before the Champs you must do it before July 30.

Also, now is the time to make sure you are familiar with the Class and Fleet 1 rules regarding eligibility of both skipper and crew, equipment required and permitted to be on board, and other rules pertaining to the Championship Regatta. The Class Bylaws and Fleet 1 Bylaws can be found on-line at www.Harbor20.org. Don’t put yourself in the position of being disqualified because of rule violations. 

If you have any questions, you can contact Class Measurer Warren Duncan, Fleet 1 Measurer John Whitney, Class President Peter Haynes, or me, Fleet 1 Captain Emile Pilafidis.