The NOR for the spring regatta can be found here:
http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubs/gbca.html
Enter early and often!!!!!
Check out the bottom of the NOR for an opportunity to win a $50 West Marine Gift Certificate!
Stinger is the first to enter. What do I win?
I know what I rate.
Give the man a warm can of Pearl Light!
What torture. What an evil thought.
How about a nice champagne style bottle of Duvel instead?
From the Disneyland of real BEER.
Oh, the more I sit here in my old age the more I remember
Curve Chateau des Flandres, Chimay rood, Chimay wit, Chimay grand reserve, Hoegarrden grand cru, Maredsous --- any, and almost anything done by the trappists.
Man. These guys do beer!!!
OK.. Make it a case of warm Pearl Light and throw in Thunderbird, Mad Dog, Boones Farm, and Annie Green Springs..over ice of course!
So, we have 5 boats registered....that makes it easy for me to get trophies. I buy a 6-pack of beer, each boat gets one bottle, and Leigh Ann and I get to split one. Very simple. Thanks for making the Rear Commodore job so easy! :D
Expect at least one J-22 to enter.
I am trying to drum up a J-22 Class. There is a circuit race in Dallas but only a few local boats are going.
So how about it J-22s?
There was a 22 circuit during the Elissa too (at lake canyon) but there were still 6 J22s out here in the bay.
Apparently Spring is a J80 circuit too, or at least qualifies as a 80 bay cup event, so where is everyone? With just 8 days to go skippers really got to get moving on this.
Where in the hell are you people.
GBCA is the place to race so get your butts off the couch and sign up. Otherwise I will have to rescind my usual rule against drinking rum that makes you dumb and drink it straight just be sure that I get dumb enough (as if I need any help in this department).
Quote from: beverly on April 01, 2010, 04:24:22 PM
So, we have 5 boats registered....that makes it easy for me to get trophies. I buy a 6-pack of beer, each boat gets one bottle, and Leigh Ann and I get to split one. Very simple. Thanks for making the Rear Commodore job so easy! :D
Now 9 boats. Make it a 12 pack of beer - then you and Leigh Ann can have your own bottle with one left over.
Retro 1987 GBCA Spring Regatta poster. Thanks Burns for finding this!
now if we are racing J-80 one-design, and I have a faster rating, can I use the 150% genoa? and taller carbon rig? and trapeze? and water ballast?
15 boats with 3 days to go. Interesting.
Let's take a look....at 1:00 PM on Saturday - temperature is supposed to be about 70 degrees... wind at 13 mph out of the SE.
Sounds awful.
I can see why we had three times as many boats for the Icicle Series. Who would want to race in 70 degree temperatures with a great breeze and sun?
ARE YOU PEOPLE CRAZY?
It doesn't get much better that this in Galveston Bay. Pretty soon it will be 120 degrees.
Sign up.
I agree! Where is everybody? Are all you guys that curious about TIGER WOODS at The Masters? Tape the damn thing and sign up!!!!!!
What is the format going to be for non-spin?
George
Dolcetto
WOW.
Have we really lost so many racers? Just 19 for the Spring? Was happy to see Zippy show up but that's just four of us 105's. Where are the Level 70's? Should be more than just one 109. In fact, should be enough for a class. What happened to Non-Spin? Used to be a lot of those. What do we have to do to get everyone out?
I can't drink that much rum. Beer yes. Rum no. Its my German background.
Not happy.
I promise, we both showered this month!
It is hard to know if the non-spin fleet is not interested. or if it is being killed off by the club's officers decision not to offer W/L racing for non-spin. At a minimum I would appreciate a clear statement in advance indicating if W/L is being offered for non-spin. I was reluctant to sign up not knowing if I was going to be racing W/L or fixed marks. The logic of not having W/L racing for non-spin is a head scratcher for me. The W/L non-spin class offers variety to the regular diet of fixed mark racing, and for some a learning ground on the way to spinnaker sailing. I would like to see W/L non-spin offered in all of the Regattas. If you don't have enough entries for a class, as is the case for this race, then we will sit on the dock until everyone wants to race.
George
Dolcetto
I wouldnt' read too much into the low turn-out. Spring's a busy time for anyone with a family - baseball, soccer etc..etc. Add the fact that just two weeks ago there was another major regatta on the bay.
To that point, there does seem to be (between the three major clubs) a lot of major regattas and for the most part it's the same boats out racing. When we were trying to put together our class regatta series this year the concensus was to limit the number of events to (3) and spread them out.
It would be nice to see more boats travel to other neat venues around the state - and in turn get more boats to travel to Galveston Bay, mix it up a bit. Lakefest, AYC Gov. Cup, Wurstfest, FWBC Annual or Old Man are all really neat regattas. On the bay the viper fleet is going to hit the Shoe regatta - and we'll be at Texas Race Week and harvest moon with the big boat..
George: By no means is windward leeward non-spin racing being 'killed off' What you are seeing is more a function of dwindling participation, which all the clubs have been suffering with, even before we got it in the shorts from Ike.
The argument using windward/leeward non-spin as a stepping stone to spin racing is certainly a valid one. Of course we encourage moving up.
Interestingly the totally unofficial opinion poll on non-spin fixed vs w/l shows a 50/50 split.
Not just the poll, but we hear similar feedback in conversation with the nonspin racers.
Polls and conversation aside, out on the water, the biggest non-spin turnout is Conundrum, Icicle, Rum Races, Bay Cups. Fixed mark races.
Bottom line is this: R/C has options on the table, and can run either
RC promises to keep it interesting and challenging
Chris,
The R/C should be clear on what they are offering in advance of the event if the goal is to encourage participation. We had enough participants for a class in all of the W/L events last year, post Ike.
George
I haven't read the NOR, but from a race management perspective it should be spelled out in there what type of racing is expected. If it's not, George makes a very valid point.
R/C will have options to run either W/L or fixed marks depending on the wind conditions. Our main goal is to have you race and not sit out on your boats and not race. For example, during the frostbite we sent the spin boats on a fixed mark course due to major windshifts, lack of time, alot of wind and no wind (basically not so friendly R/C conditions), so they would at least be able to race. I feel this weekend, the courses will be windward/leeward, but I want to keep my options open. The courses will be described in the Sailing Instructions that will be available at the skippers meeting on April 9th.
Hope to see you out there!
Leigh Ann
I agree Jeff - I don't think the turnout is due to any RC conspiracy! Entry is down in all classes compared to last year's races.
George - it's going to be a beautiful weekend. Even though you are not racing, grab your crew and go put the kite up for some fun downwind practice. I bet it won't be long before you guys are comfortable enough to go spinnaker!
"I feel this weekend, the courses will be windward/leeward, but I want to keep my options open." I am glad to hear this.
It is not in the NOR and it should be. I would like to know ahead of time that the intent is to offer W/L. If it does not materialize, for whatever reason, I am fine with that.
Cheers,
George
Jeff, you have hit it on the head again... I have seen/heard that a lot of people are having to work more and their schedules are not as flexible... if one of the family has to work, the other has to run the kids to the activities... It is tough times...
But, with that said, I think it needs to be determined which fleet will be racing which courses (... Personally, Spring Series (Regatta now) should be fixed marks with long courses... facilitating r/c is much easier and the number of volunteers is greatly reduced... We need all the people racing that we can get... I am interested to hear from people why we can get more on TGIS races? Is it the format? the timing? the lack of postponments (sorry, I had to put that one)? I am glad to see there are more of these races this year...
The GBCA race committee has been doing a superb job and I look forward to this weekend... If we want the fleets to start growing, we might have to help out our fellow racers with some domestic duties to help get them out on the water... Everyone that is registered, call the other boats in the fleet and see what they have going on and see if we can get them out..
cheers..
Scott
I think you have a valid point that the possible courses should be part of the NOR. After all, the purpose of the Notice Race is to act as the "invitation" for competitors and to provide them with information so they can make an informed decision whether to race or not. We'll pay closer attention to this in the future.
At this point, I think everyone now has the picture of what to expect. The RC will be prepared to run either Windward / Leeward or Fixed Mark courses depending on the competitors, conditions, and time in order to provide the best possible event for the largest number of competitors. Keep in mind that the Race Committee is not only made up of certified (or is it certifiable...) individuals, but they are also a group of highly experienced sailboat racers with literally thousands of hours and miles under their collective belts. This isn't their first rodeo. They'll run the right races for the classes.
Sorry we won't see you this weekend. I'll echo Mary's comment and look for you and your crew out on this beautiful weekend practicing some sets, gybes, and douses with you chute. You'll be hard pressed to find better conditions to proactice!
Quote from: GCushing on April 08, 2010, 03:46:53 PM
"I feel this weekend, the courses will be windward/leeward, but I want to keep my options open." I am glad to hear this.
It is not in the NOR and it should be. I would like to know ahead of time that the intent is to offer W/L. If it does not materialize, for whatever reason, I am fine with that.
Cheers,
George
Quote from: GCushing on April 07, 2010, 11:39:37 PM
It is hard to know if the non-spin fleet is not interested. or if it is being killed off by the club's officers decision not to offer W/L racing for non-spin. At a minimum I would appreciate a clear statement in advance indicating if W/L is being offered for non-spin. I was reluctant to sign up not knowing if I was going to be racing W/L or fixed marks. The logic of not having W/L racing for non-spin is a head scratcher for me. The W/L non-spin class offers variety to the regular diet of fixed mark racing, and for some a learning ground on the way to spinnaker sailing. I would like to see W/L non-spin offered in all of the Regattas. If you don't have enough entries for a class, as is the case for this race, then we will sit on the dock until everyone wants to race.
George
Dolcetto
So George, are you saying that if the course is not a W/L, the non-spin fleet will not sail?
If there are not enough entries for a class, I am sure ya'lls talents could be utilized on other boats on even on the R/C boat...
cheers.
Scott
Wow. The non-spin fleet is ?being killed off by the club's officers (sic) decision not to offer W/L racing for non-spin.? Man, that?s a little harsh.
For the last couple of years there have been a very few perennial non-spin kings that are serious competitors like Sabani, Big D and Dolcetto. Others came in and out that fall into two categories:
1. Normal PHRF boats that go non-spin once or twice because they?re short on crew or are ramping-up a new program and have since moved on to PHRF-B. The latter is a good thing since the PHRF-B field has been pretty weak lately.
2. Newer, more cruiser type competitors that soon find out that they can?t hope for a place better than 4th. This is the main reason behind trying the GBCA Club Handicap system. We want to provide a place for everybody to play and have fun.
A few of each of 1 and 2 above helped to make NS classes last year and have since moved on. It?s just as hard to feed new blood to serious NS competition as it is to feed PHRF-B. It seems like a zero-sum game at times.
I?ve personally heard many comments lamenting the fact that GBCA doesn?t have more triangle/distance races like ?the good ?ol days?. I know from experience how painful it can be going wing-on-wing in a W/L race on a hot, light-air summer day, so I can sympathize with those comments as well.
I?d love to see PHRF and NS classes A, B and (how about) C, filled-up with competitors. GBCA constantly tries new things to bring more boats out and encourage competition: New Racer Seminar, GBCA Club Handicap, PHRF-GB Regatta (new this year).
I can assure you that the GBCA Board listens to all the input it can get and does its best to accommodate everyone that has an interest in the sport. GBCA is like the ?open source? version of a yacht club, being more accessible than any I know. Come race, help with RC and/or event planning or simply vent your spleen on this exciting discussion page. Everyone so inclined gets to help shape our destiny. It?s all good.
Since 1947.
So is non-spin officially dead, or are we still hoping for last-minute hold outs? Unfortunately, going spin is not an option for Big D at this time. :(
Kevin,
Thanks for pointing out my punctuation error. I should not type in bed, or without my glasses. I now see that I hit the period instead of the comma. The sentence should read ?It is hard to know if the non-spin fleet is not interested, or if it is being killed off by the club's officer?s decision not to offer W/L racing for non-spin.? I don?t think that is harsh, I think it asks a legitimate question.
For the full context of this discussion see Frostbite Regatta - 20-21 Feb ? 1 2 ? The dialogue in that thread covers the topic pretty well.
?So George, are you saying that if the course is not a W/L, the non-spin fleet will not sail??
I should point out that I only speak for myself regarding non-spin and W/L opportunities. Scott, I am only asking for advance notice, preferably in the NOR, of what is being offered so I can make a choice. I am also registering my hopes that there will be non-spin W/L options at regattas for the reasons put forth in the Frostbite Regatta thread.
I am happy to be a member of GBCA and have a deep appreciation for all the organization offers, and an even deeper respect for efforts of the board, volunteers, and the race committee.
Regards,
George
Congratulations to Tom Sutton for winning the $50 West Marine Gift Certificate at the Skipper's meeting tonight.
Did I see that the Sailing Instructions were to be posted online? I missed the Skipper's meeting due to that already mentioned task of caring for children.
Sailing Instructions are online. There is a link on the NOR, or follow this link.....
Sailing Instructions
Sailing instructions will be available at the GBCA office after 1900 Friday, April 9th and at http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubs/gbca.html.
got the first 390 photos from day one loaded. Enjoy
John
m/v Tramp
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacyphotos/sets/
So... who won non-spin?
Thanks John, particularly for shots 316-326! Good times.
Quote from: Borracho on April 12, 2010, 02:38:29 PM
So... who won non-spin?
El Guardabosques Solitario!!
Cruising Non-spin Main only Division:
1. Island Time
Cruising Non-spin Bare poles Motor Division:
1. Changing Channels
Cruising Non-spin Shorthanded Long-arm-of-the-Law Division:
1. Guardabosques
Those of us that were on Island Time want to thank all of our competition and the R/C for a fun, wet, cold race.
At least we never ran out of beer, even after that long delay to wait on the weather forecasters to catch up with the actual weather.
Got another 800 or so out there.
Day 1 ends at 0884 and day 2 starts at 0885. Will get the rest loaded tonight.
m/v Tramp
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacyphotos/sets/
Quote from: GCushing on April 09, 2010, 03:42:46 PM
Kevin,
Thanks for pointing out my punctuation error. I should not type in bed, or without my glasses. I now see that I hit the period instead of the comma. The sentence should read ?It is hard to know if the non-spin fleet is not interested, or if it is being killed off by the club's officer?s decision not to offer W/L racing for non-spin.? I don?t think that is harsh, I think it asks a legitimate question.
For the full context of this discussion see Frostbite Regatta - 20-21 Feb ? 1 2 ? The dialogue in that thread covers the topic pretty well.
?So George, are you saying that if the course is not a W/L, the non-spin fleet will not sail??
catI should point out that I only speak for myself regarding non-spin and W/L opportunities. Scott, I am only asking for advance notice, preferably in the NOR, of what is being offered so I can make a choice. I am also registering my hopes that there will be non-spin W/L options at regattas for the reasons put forth in the Frostbite Regatta thread.
I am happy to be a member of GBCA and have a deep appreciation for all the organization offers, and an even deeper respect for efforts of the board, volunteers, and the race committee.
Regards,
George
Goeorge,
I hope that the non-spin fleet expresses their wants to the race committees, and the clubs as well... The non-spin fleet is the basis and the core of all clubs... With out that fleet present, most of us would not be here... We need to focus on taking care of this fleet and even taking a step back and help explaining some of the minor details of racing... Maybe there can be a Friday night seminar, onece a month at GBCA to give some basic information, nothing technical at all... Maybe do a Q/A session with some of our local talent... Do you think the fleet would be interested in that?
cheers...
Scott
You know, the n/s fleet this weekend could simply be a case of overload and people just needing a short break. We had the Elissa two weeks ago, which had a good n/s fleet, Wed nights started last week (9 n/s boats and many of the same people) and heald bank is next week, which also has a good n/s fleet registered. Sabani was also still getting new furler parts installed and wasn't quite ready (broke in Elissa Regatta)
I also think the earlier you sign up the more likely a few other 'maybes' are to register. I know registering early isn't in our genes, but it might get another boat or two out if on mon/tue they login and see a fleet has already made.
It is a great fleet with good racing even if you don't want the extra hassles of going spinnaker.
Anyway that's my .02 worth, gotta go mow yard so I can race tomorrow
I agree with Quest, on several points.
Registering early helps a lot - I was trying to get one of the bay regulars to bring his big new boat up to Lakefest this year and play.. he called me back and said "dude, there are only 17 boats registered".. ya.. and there are 50 others checking the reg. list every day to see if the competition will make it worth coming out.
Can you guess who said that? - key word "dude"
Added 111 pics from the video camera uploaded to Picasa:
Markset pics (http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisktx/2010GBCASpringRegatta?feat=directlink)
Some of the pics have GPS encoding or what they call "Geotagging", so try clicking on 'View Maps' in lower right corner of Picassa
I haven't tried viewing them in Google Earth yet but it looks like neat-o stuff.
I'm still working on the HD video...
Got the last 694 pics loaded last night!
John
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacyphotos/sets/
So it's 1,927 pictures from the Lacys? That has to be some kind of record!
Thanks for sharing the awesome pictures.
Fabulous pictures, but, and this is a big butt, no one seems to have gotten pictures of the award winning best ever wrap in Stinker's black and yellow kite.
Now why is that?
I would love to post those shots on my website.