GBCA Discussion Forum

Planning continues and some details still to be confirmed.  Preliminary NOR has been posted for your planning purposes.

NOR

May 27-29 & June 3-5, 2016

This is a two race regatta on back to back weekends.  These are offshore overnight races, with the first race starting May 27 at the Galveston Jetties / Bolivar Roads HSC #11 and ending at the Corpus Christi Marina T-heads; the second race starting June 4 at the Port Aransas jetty condos and ending at the Galveston Jetties / Bolivar Roads HSC #11 on the following weekend.  Slip rental (at reduced rate) will be available to leave boats in the Corpus Christi City Marina for the week between races.  Events are planned with the Corpus Christi Yacht Club.

These will be the two GBCA offshore races that count along with the LYC Heald Bank and HYC Offshore races, toward the Texas Navy and S. Rhoads Fischer Cups, for Spinnaker and NonSpinnakeer boats respectively.

More details to come.

If anyone needs crew for Performance Cup this weekend, let me know. I have a couple crew contacts from AYC looking for a ride.

The annual meeting of the membership will be this Friday Dec. 4th, 2015.  Join us to discuss yacht racing on Galveston Bay, GBCA business, the newly elected 2016 board and your ideas to make GBCA a better "place to race".  A quorum of 10% of the senior members is needed.  Please join us from 7-9pm at Cabo, 2513 E NASA Pkwy, Seabrook, TX.

Sailors,

GBCA's Board of Governors  greatly appreciates your membership and continuing support of our club and yacht racing on Galveston Bay.   We need your help to ensure GBCA's continued fiscal health.  Even though membership in GBCA is a bargain we have too many people who think GBCA events are "free".  While we do not charge for Rum & Icicle Races there is a real cost to the club.  It costs GBCA approx. $500 to provide food, rum, ice and mixers for EVERY rum or icicle race.  Thanks to our sponsors, much of this cost is defrayed.  If you are a boat owner and do any racing in GBCA events it is important that you sign up as a GBCA Sr. Member ($130).  If you are a GBCA Sr. Member who races please poll your crew and encourage your regulars to sign up for a GBCA Crew Membership ($50).  For $50 annually a crew member can attend 13 events at an average cost of $3.84 per race.  Where can one eat dinner -- and drink as much rum as desired -- for less than $4?  While it would be unfair to ask occasional crew to become GBCA members, the folks who regularly race on your boat need to step up and help us defray the costs.  Our ability to sponsor high quality racing and the associated social activities is directly correlated to the club's financial resources.   Please help us ensure that GBCA continues its long tradition of quality sailboat racing and party excellence.  The new web site makes it easy to sign up for automatic renewal so you do not have to fool with that chore each year.  You can discontinue the automatic renewal at any time.

Many Thanks,

GBCA Board of Governors

May 22-25, 2015

The first of the GBCA offshore races as part of the Navy Cup will be held in conjunction with the TMCA Spring Fling to Pleasure Island in Sabine Lake.  Registration for the race portion, held by GBCA, will be free.  Participants are encouraged to register and participate in the TMCA Spring Fling.  Your $175 registration fee to TMCA will get you three night slip rental, access to the Fling, plus dinner and awards.  Those who race but do not participate in the Spring Fling will need to make your own slip arrangements.

This is a offshore day race with a pursuit style start on Friday morning May 22nd.  Going from Marker 11 in the Houston Ship Channel at Bolivar Roads, going out of the jetty into the gulf, then proceeding to the Sabine Lake entrance jetty.  Approx. 53nm.

More information about TMCA Spring Fling can be found on the TMCA Spring Fling Website

NOR - click here
Registration in race - click here
Registration to TMCA Spring Fling - click here
See who's racing - click here
SI's will be available at a later date.

To compete for the Navy Cup for spinnaker boats and the S. Rhoads Fisher Cup for non-spinnaker boats,  the DoG's require participation in the LYC Heald Bank and HYC Offshore and both GBCA offshore races.  The second GBCA offshore race will be in the fall on Sept. 26th which will likely be an overnight race using the former Freeport triangle (90nm) course.

March 21-22, 2015

NOR - click here
Registration - click here
See who's racing - click here

We'll attempt to run at least six races.  Following racing on Saturday will be a party with dinner and band at the GBCA club house. 

Come out for our premier regatta of 2015.  Bring your friends and get your competitors to bring their boats too.  This is a J24 Texas Fleet circuit stop - an additional $5 is collected from J24 boats at registration.

Invitation

Saturday, Feb 7, 2015
6-7PM

Di Amici's
2300 NASA Parkway

Entertainment by: Andy and the Dreamsicles

Registration

Schedule: Every Saturday in January 2015.

Race Date            Course
1      January 3    Standard
2      January 10  Reverse
3      January 17  Standard
4      January 24  Reverse
5      January 31  Standard

SI's - Click here

GBCA Club Handicap Participant List - Click here

GBCA Club Handicap Registration - Click here

Save the date - Saturday, Feb, 7th, 2015

To be held at Di Amici's  
Click here for more information.

Entertainment by "Andy and the Dreamsicles"
They did such a great job at Texas Race Week last year, that we wanted to have them back again.

Springhill Suites is within walking distance. A block of rooms with a group rate will be available.
Click here for more information.

More information and invitations to come.

The 2014 GBCA Performance Cup Regatta is scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, September 27 & 28.
A mix of distance/pursuit as well as W/L courses will be offered for GBCA Cruising Club, PHRF and OneDesign classes.

NOR: click here

Registration: click here

See who is racing: click here

GBCA's Women's Regatta is coming up Saturday, September 6th, 2014.

For each race in the Regatta, each boat competing shall be helmed by a female from the warning signal for her class until she has finished.
She may have any mix of crew whom must obey the skipper.


NOR: click here

Registration: click here

See who's competing: click here


Let the trash talk begin!

GBCA Junior's Regatta is for all skippers less than 18 years old at the time of the event, which will be skippering keel boats of various sizes with any crew.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

NOR
Registration
See who is competing

I've heard that Hal Tuma is planning on beating the boys!

The 2014 Basic Sailboat Racing Seminar has been rescheduled to June 7th, prior to the 2nd Rum Race.

The seminar is open to all boat owners and crew that would like to learn the basics of yacht racing. The seminar begins at 10:30 at the GBCA office. There will be presentations covering the Racing Rules of Sailing, crew preparations Race Committee actions, Basic Racing Tactics and Strategy. Lunch will be served.

The classroom session will adjourn in time for crews and skippers to head out on the water to race in the second of GBCA's 2014 Rum Race Series.  We will match up skippers and crew with experienced volunteers to enhance the learning experience.  New boats will be given provisional ratings for the race.  

After the racing, we will return to the GBCA office for the Rum Race after-party with refreshments, stories and awards.

Registration: Click here
See who's coming: Click here

We are looking for volunteers to take 1-2 seminar participants with you on your boat; and volunteers to go with a new skipper on their boat.  We've had 45 participants in each of the past 2-3 seminars, so there will be plenty to go around.

Thanks

We lost our "J" mark, midway through the 2013 series, when the Texas General Land Office started and completed a cleanup of 12 derelict rigs and obstructions in Galveston Bay.  So, we moved the SE corner mark to the South Boaters Cut #8 in the interim, which also shortened the course from 13.3 to 11.2 nm.  Everyone was flexible with the change and appreciated that we could continue the series without disruption.  A few comments and suggestions were provided and we have taken these under consideration in revising the course for 2014.
    - Prefer longer course.
    - South boater cut is too far north and too easy for some boats to fetch in the prevailing SE summer breeze.
    - Drop a floating tetrahedron back near "J".
We have found a new permanent mark that meets all of these requests.  The Department of State Health Services has installed a series of pilings that define a boundary for harvesting shellfish is Galveston Bay (click here for more details).  You may have seen some of these that appear like a fence row, stretching from the "H" rig down to Eagle Point.  We have chosen to use Marker "54"  (see picture attached), which stretches the course back out to 13.4nm and is further south and west without running boats into the beach.  It stands in 10' of water and is located at approximate coordinates: N 29^o 30.814' - W 094^o 54.963'  (0.82 nm due north of Eagle Point and 0.72 nm SSW of the former ?J?).

SI's are posted and available.  Click here

Note the following changes:
    - M54 with coordinates and associated bearings and distances, replaces J
    - start anchor time of 4:30:00 vs. 4:44:00 - so all boat start time changes by at least 15 minutes.  Confirm your new start time and don't rely on your memory of prior year.

Schedule:
#1     May 31     Standard
#2     June 7      Reverse
#3     June 14    Standard
#4     July 12     Reverse
#5     July 19     Standard
#6     Aug 9       Reverse
#7     Aug 23     Standard
#8     Sept13     Reverse

Bring out your friends and get your buddies to bring out their boats!

Enjoy.

The Conundrum, to be held Saturday May 3rd, 2014, will be one day of long distance bay racing - with a TWIST!  You get to choose how you will go about the course!  AND - at the request of the GBCA Cruising Club, we've added a class for you!  This is a single hand or double hand competition.  Three boats required to form a class.

NOR: click here

Registration: click here

See who is racing: click here
 

Racing to be followed by the usual festivities at the GBCA lounge and deck, replete with the customary rum, mixers and nourishment.

This year's Spring Regatta, to be held the weekend of St Patrick's Day, will be one day of long distance bay racing.  Based upon input from our membership and the popularity of the Rum/Icicle Series, we've come up with some possible courses that are reminiscent of the golden days of GBCA racing - long distance!  To be followed by apr?s race festivities at the GBCA lounge, deck and pool area replete with Irish beer and Irish stew, plus the customary rum and mixers.

NOR: click here

Registration: click here

See who is racing: click here

The 2014 Icicle series calendar and SI's are posted.

Linky

Race Date Course
#1 January 4   Standard
#2 January 11 Reverse
#3 January 18 Standard
#4 January 25 Reverse
#5 February 1 Standard

Participants are reminded that these are "fun races" without race/protest committee.  Aggressive, close quarter racing is frowned upon.  Let's help each other out.

Experienced crew of 9 looking for a boat to race in Harvest Moon.  Unfortunately our boat has to withdraw due to mechanical issues that will not be remedied in time for the race.  

Do you have a boat that you want to race in HMR, but couldn?t find crew or wasn?t sure yourself?  Let us race it for you!  We have hundreds of hours of offshore racing experience and have done the HMR numerous times.  We have taken multiple 3rd and 2nd in class for the HMR and still chasing that illusive 1st!

We have our own accommodations in Port A, just need a fast ride to a good party.  I have guys coming in from California, Oregon and Ft. Worth to do this race and everyone still wants to go.   Other than a whole boat, we can be parsed out to fill slots on other boats.  Preferably racing, but we realize that we cannot be choosey at this point.

A few of us can even assist with the return trip.

Please, let me know.

Thanks,
Christopher Dees
713.823.1577

Women's Regatta will be Saturday, September 14, 2013.  Registration is available.

NOR: Linky
To Register: Linky
See who is Registered: Linky

I received the following and attached schedule of derelict removal from Galveston Bay by the General Land Office.  Project is moving faster than expected.

Mr. Dees,

I am the project manager for the Galveston Bay Platform Removal Project.  We are currently removing twelve unauthorized and derelict structures from the Bay.  We anticipate completion of all locations by August 30, 2013.  Due to the complexity of the project the exact date for removal of each structure is difficult to determine.  The locations in the North end of the project area should removed by July 21, 2013.  This date may shift due to weather or mechanical issues associated with the structures.  You will see the Pilings remain around the structure to help with hazard identification.  They will be the last thing removed from each location.  Temporary NavAids are being installed on these locations as well. 

I have attached an .xls spread sheet that details the Lat/Long's for each location. 

Please feel free to contact me if I may be of further assistance.

Best regards,


John Mesiroff
Professional Services - Construction Services
Texas General Land Office