Paid crew positions available for racers

From: Danny Havens [mailto:dhavens@oceanracing.org]
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 12:16 PM
To: paullat@comcast.net
Subject: Caribbean Racing Circuit

The last year has been pretty exciting, with Le Pingouin and Brad Van Liew having raced around the world solo to victory in the Velux 5 Oceans. Le Pingouin is an amazing Open 60 race machine. Sailing consistently at 25+ knots sometimes feels more like flying than sailing!

I wanted to let you and your members know that we have a limited number of crew positions available for our Caribbean racing circuit early next year. Sailing on LP is incredible and the trade winds of the Caribbean will only make it sweeter.  The schedule includes the Caribbean 600, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and St. Thomas International Rolex Regatta, plus options to crew offshore on the transit there and back from Charleston. You’re welcome to join us as an individual or group and the link below provides the details. If you’re not up for the adventure, I would appreciate it if you would pass this info on to your membership and others that may find it exciting.

As an exciting incentive, we would like to return a portion of any crew fees paid by your members as a contribution to your sailing programs.

Winter Season Returns!

We will be racing the winter series formats Starting November 13th! We will continue Sundy November 13, 20 and 27 (yes, we'll give you an excuse to cure cabin fever). Then December 11th and 18th (CORRECTED TO SUNDAY).

The format will be pursuit, unless somebody steps up to be PRO. We will not limit ourselves to only one course option. All the distance courses will be possible. Pursuit times for the courses will be posted at HCM and on the web shortly.

We will race if:

• Forcast temperature from Wunderground for Sunday is 40 degrees or over, and
  
• Chance of rain is 40% or less
  

How we'll do it:

• Informal skippers meeting at 1:30 where we will agree to the course we'll sail.
• Start at the no wake buoys at 2:00.
  
• Race one of the distance courses as determined at the skippers' meeting.
  
• Portsmith time-on-time scoring
  
• Experienced racers will exhibit a Corinthian attitude that will always encourage participation by new racers never putting their own finishing position before the goal of sharing the joy of racing with new folks.
  
• We will use the Racing Rules of Sailing.
  
• There will be no arguing on the course over the rules - fly a protest flag and we'll have an open protest hearing after the race to promote understanding of the rules by all PPYC participants.
  
• You will advance your finishing position by one spot for every newbie, spouse, or significant other on your boat (no limit!).
  
  

We solicit anyone who wishes to help to post a response to this blog entry.

Your comments are encouraged, as we want to increase participation and will modify these basic rules, should the group has ideas how to do that.

US Sailing accident reports

Here is a link to a couple of accident reports that deserve reading.


70 pages about Wing Nuts that capsized in the Chicago-Mac race that killed two people:

http://media.ussailing.org/AssetFactory.aspx?vid=16940


A 420 capsize and death. They make the comment, "If you think you need to call 911. Call 911".

http://media.ussailing.org/AssetFactory.aspx?vid=16941

Fall Off this weekend!

The forecast is looking GREAT! Come on out and do some racing.

Jim Hicks has some great plans. Paul LaTour and Kenny Cooper will be running the RC. We've got the club boats racing and still have some spots on them for new crew. Call Ian Montgomery, or Bob Keim to catch a ride.

See you Saturday morning.