2009 HYC Turkey Day Regatta

[ChrisK]

Time to race for the birds...

Register here:
https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_club_events.php?CLUB_ID=151

It's interesting to see a Finn and a Lightning Class in the lineup.

From the HYC web site:
"The Turkey Day Regatta is Nov. 21-22 at HYC. There will be a windward/leeward race course for the racing boats. We will also offer a sail around upper Galveston Bay style course for the sailors who prefer longer legs and a course that is known in advance, one race each day. The HYC cruising fleet should enjoy the distance courses. The course diagram will contain all the headings and distances to the predetermined marks and given to the racers in advance. Come out and win your Thanksgiving turkey as a prize in the racing. The Notice of Race for the Turkey Day Regatta is posted online at www.houstonyachtclub.com on the Race and Regatta page."

[billC]

Does anyone know where the big boat w/l course will be set.  If its by the club I was thinking of moving OV up there for the weekend.  Which of course begs the question, is there enough water in the harbor for a J122 drawing 7.2 ft.

The NOR seems to indicate the space in the harbor is limited so any advise would be helpful.

Bill

[Bee]

I am also interested in putting Stinger up there.  At 6.5 we are not as deep as you BillC but .7 ft is not all that great.  If the winds are not strong out of the North my guess would be that both of us will be OK, otherwise neither of us should go.

[MaryM]

Bill - give Dave the HarborMaster a call.  Alot of the slips that are normally open have power boats in them since they are working on the north jetty parking lot, they have everyone move to the south. Don't know if the T-head on the end of the guest dock is deep enough for you but Dave would know.

[Dylan]

In the Inner Harbor, post Ike sounding measured an average depth of 7 to 9 feet at normal low tide.  Hope this helps. 

[Bee]

The inner harbor at HYC is deep enough, but I had problems getting into the harbor and then getting out of my slip.  My old slip was about 2/3  the way from the entrance to the first big shed on the right.  It always seem to pay to go a bit further North past the  old judge's stand and then head directly up the entrance at a good clip.  I frequently skipped along the bottom but always made it in.  I guess because my keel dug a hole in the bottom of my slip, getting out was another factor entirely.

[ChrisK]

Turkey Day is part of the Lightning Soutwestern Circuit. 10 boats have signed up.
At first I thought the Finn and Lightnings we're a typo in regatta networks...

Texas Lightnings
http://www.texaslightnings.com/

Could this be a return of Lightning One Design to the area?
Would like to hear more about this. Looks like a fun boat.

[Bee]

As one of my crew pointed out to me:

If this happens us deeper keel boats may not make it up too far North of Bayport

FRIDAY
EAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. BAY WATERS CHOPPY. SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.

FRIDAY NIGHT
NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS. BAY WATERS CHOPPY.
SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING...THEN A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

SATURDAY
NORTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. BAY WATERS CHOPPY. A CHANCE
OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.

SATURDAY NIGHT
NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS DECREASING TO 5 TO 10 KNOTS
AFTER MIDNIGHT. BAY WATERS SLIGHTLY CHOPPY DECREASING TO SMOOTH AFTER
MIDNIGHT.

[Charles]

Bee,
Tides are in your favor.
Morgans Pt:  Sat High 7:40 AM  Low 6:06 PM Range 1.06'  Sun High 8:30AM Low 6:50PM Range 1.02'

Winds for Sunday don't look good.

[Christopher]

Five of the nine boats in PHRF-Spin-Sym are Level 70 boats.  Will those be seperated out into their own class according to the NOR?

[Bee]

I hope your right Charles.

[ChrisK]

It looks like latest wind forecast has changed this afternoon (NAM12km run on 11/19, 1800Z)

http://www.sailflow.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=146&siteID=1638&Isection=Forecast+Graphs

A 10 knot weekend?

We'll see in the next day or so if the other wind forecast models comply....

[BJSailor]

Bee, there's probably no way that we'll change your mind.  But, the dredging / debris crew that was in the HYC harbor after Ike paid particular attention to searching for "debris" with their scoop bucket in precisely those places where boats frequently hit bottom (including your old slip).  We were VERY concerned that debris may have stacked up in those locations.  Don't get me wrong, there was no dredging done.  But there was an awful lot of "bottom" moved in removing debris after the storm.  I don't think depth n the HYC harbor will be a problem.

WOOO HOOOO - Lightnings!  This should be good   The starting area should be fun - Finns and Lightnings along with Level 70s and Big-As* cruising boats.  Anyone want to form a Sunfish class?

[Bee]

I have no trouble believing you BJ.  I think its still true that the further North you go the shallower the bay gets. 

Glad to hear HYC is deep enough to harbor us.

[ChrisK]

More on the Lightnings in town from Ian Edwards:

Chris
Thanks for your interest ... I think this is first Lightning regatta in Houston for 10+ years

Lightnings are a great boat ... light enough to be exciting and technical enough to challenge, with continued strong national and international competition ... and still 40-50 new boats being built each year

I am keen to build or re-build a Houston Lightning fleet.

Getting 13 boats out this weekend is a creating interest ... actually includes 3 borrowed boats from Dallas so that we have 7 boats with Houston crews.

If anyone is interested in sailing Lightnings head them in my direction

Regards
Ian Edwards
njedwards at sprynet dot com