GBCA Discussion Forum

What started as an experiment in January 2010 now has 126 entries being tracked. The Cruising Class typically brings out as many boats as any other class for the Rum Races.

Initially, the first series was to be free with a fee going forward. After that first Icicle series, the GBCA Board voted overwhelmingly to keep it free for all (not a free-for-all). That?s what good Boards should do, choosing long-term sustainability over short term profit.

Since then, we have seen an influx of new boats, faces and volunteers. It?s been exciting to watch people being excited about racing. Did I mention it was exciting?  Once folks get the fever (first one?s free baby), they get into it and want that next rating, and the next and the next. Gotcha!

Now back to the rating thing. Four years is about as much as a Super-Chicken can take. She?ll hardly drop on the rating board anymore and nobody wants ?infinity? for a rating. It?s time for a new Chicken. It?s time for the next generation of rating software. It?s time for ?The Rooster?.

E-mail or otherwise turn in your finish times to the current GBCA Fleet Captain as usual and ?The Rooster? will strut out your new ratings with pride. Hope you?re an early riser.

Howard was a legend. He talked about rating rules back in the day. Whomever didn't win whined about the current rule same as today. He said "Finding a good handicap rule is like finding a needle in a haystack, and it's usually by stepping on it."

Godspeed Howard

According to the old folks, it's sort of a throwback to the CCA Rule. Way back then, other clubs were racing one-designs (mostly dinghy's). GBCA was the first local club to have regular big (cruising) boat races under a handicap rule. That's what a nice elderly lady told me after a few glasses of champagne so, take it with another glass of, well, I guess champagne...

The droppings have been cast. El Pollo has spoken. Haven't had time to post them but I'll make sure to get them out to the boats that actually need them first. Bwaaack!

Don't take it personal Ed. I left another one off that list as well. I plan to migrate the Chicken to "The Cloud" eventually so don't look up.
We have top men working on it. Top men.

The median finish only changed by 9.5 seconds. That?s wasn?t enough to change anything.

Breathe easy Ron!

Nice try Ed!

Fair winds,
El Pollo

Terry,

Firewater's rating dropped 5 after Icicle #4.  That's pretty typical for a boat that placed 3/11. What am I missing?

PS Eggs have nothing to do with the results of a "chicken drop" game

Ed,

You weren't on the list from the "Bench". I will release the chicken for a re-drop after morning feed. We get better "results" that way.

"Knot on Call" will be the sole median boat with Ron above and you below. Depending on how it "shakes out" some boats may change.
Should be done by 0900-1000 and I'll e-mail everyone then. Anyone else that wants to crow about their finish, squawk now!

The (somewhat) Honorable Judge Elihu Smails has issued a pro forma incognito de-facto writ of hilarious corpus subsequent to being bitten by a drunken chicken said to be under the (alleged) custody of the GBCA and ordered that new ratings for the GBCA Cruising Class be ex-wasted and available post-hatched after the usual circumlocutions:


http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_registrant_list.php?regatta_id=2575&custom_report_id=2

Last Week's Reporting Finishers:

Skalawag 
Escape Hatch
Firewater
Figaro
Stellar of Course
Knot on Call
Royal Crescent
Other Woman
Ananda 
Second Wind

Sorry for the delay. El Pollo was on the fritz there for a bit.
Results in order of finish time received:
Stellar of Course
Gemini
Skalawag
Second Wind
Escape Hatch
Royal Crescent
Firewater
JK3
Figaro
Lil Bit a Sol
Ananda
High Hope
Amore
Other Woman
Seafarie
Vigilance
Knot on Call
Dream
Free Spirit
Chapa'ai

Ratings:
http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_registrant_list.php?regatta_id=2575&custom_report_id=2

Some of the Membership has requested the full roster of boats finishing in the GBCA Cruising Class. We are nothing if not responsive to the requests of our esteemed Membership.

Please bear in mind that these are ?relaxed? and somewhat ?informal? races and not all results make it to the Super Chicken in time for the Ratings Drop for a variety of reasons. Help your Club help you by:

Turning in your finish time promptly in 24-hour format.

Flying the proper orange flag. Non-Cruising Class please don?t fly your MOB flag during the race. This is especially important during summer races. It?s confusing and altogether un-seamanlike. Come to think of it, no one should do this.

Turn in your finish time no matter how bad. Several have said ?I wasn?t in the top 5 so I didn?t bother?. Nothing could be further from the truth. The worse you do, the better your handicap becomes for your next outing.

Report times to jkevinbox at gmail dot com if you?re not sure your rum-stained cocktail napkin was recorded properly.

Use a good e-mail address when registering. Use a good phone number and check the box to receive text messages from the organizer. This is being used more to blast information during regattas.

Keep coming out no matter what your skill level may be. You?ll be a bit better next time.

All Reporting Finishes:https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/regatta_uploads/2575/2014RumRaceClubHandicap.pdf
Ratings:http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_registrant_list.php?regatta_id=2575&custom_report_id=2

Fair winds

Ron,

Congratulations on not being the "median boat", although that means a slight hit . Ratings will be out later today as well as full fleet info.

El Super Pollo-

OK, we have everything from this 30,000lb Leviathan to a 300lb mayfly.  In the true spirit of the GBCA Cruising Class, how ?bout we let the Chicken parse this pickle. You will get a three digit rating. Like Wheel of Fortune, we?ll give you the first number as a ?1?. Then the Chicken will determine the next two with its delicious sacrifice. 

I say we settle this like Men. Gambling Men, who may or may not dabble in Santeria. That?s nobody else?s business.

The PHRF National database had no listing for the Flying Dutchman, but the PHRFNE site did have the 87, so I went with that.  In the GBCA Cruising Class, boats that participate enough and TURN IN THEIR FINISH TIME, will find themselves competitive over time as their rating continually adjusts.  If the initial rating is way off, it will take quite some time to adjust to the median fleet, with much gnashing of teeth.  I always figure it's better to have one boat miffed than the other 100, so the initial rating is usually low for racier boats.  And it's usually pretty close

Fair winds,
Kevin

I left an entire unit on the bottom of the Pacific.  I can give approximate coordinates.