Racing
Sail Haven hosts informal races as a way to build skills, learn the basics of racing and have fun.
Course Set Up
Four inflatable marks are set with the basic triangle course . The boats racing start and then leave each mark to port (left side) and finish upwind between the pin and committee boat.
the Windward mark (also known as the weather mark or the ‘top’ mark)
the Reach mark (or ‘offset’ mark)
the Downwind mark (also known as the leeward or ‘bottom’ mark)
and finally the starting mark (or “Pin”)
The committee boat then anchors to the right or starboard side of the start pin (mark) as shown.
A ‘windward/leeward’ course can also be run that removes the reach mark from the race. It’s a shorter race but one that doesn’t let up on boat handling and excitement.
Starting Sequence
Races start with the committee boat giving a 3 minute-to-start signal (3 long blasts on a whistle). Experienced sailors will have a sailing timer (watch) that they can synchronize so they’ll always know exactly how much time is left to the start. Or they can listen for the committee boat’s whistles.
The start sequence is:
3 minutes = 3 long whistles
2 minutes = 2 long whistles
1.5 minutes = 1 long, 3 short whistles
1 minute = 1 long whistle
30 seconds = 3 short whistles
20 seconds = 2 short whistles
10 seconds = 1 short whistle
and then finally when 5 seconds are left - 5 whistles one second apart - 5,4,3,2,1 - START!
Our advice to newcomers is to stay CLOSE to the ‘line’ or committee boat, as 3 minutes can go by quickly and the goal here is to start the race as close to the start line (without being over the line) as possible.
If you're 10 seconds late for the start, you have given the other sailors a 10 second advantage right from the beginning. Consider these points:
Stay close to the line. If you are over the ‘line’ at the start, the committee boat will let you know that you're ‘over early’. If we call you out for this, you have to turn and go back to the start line and restart as a penalty. But you have to do this carefully as you’re going to find yourself in a group of boats all starting that you must avoid. This is painful, so it's best NOT to be over early!!!
Keep track of the start time by listening for the whistles or keep track on your watch.
Work to get yourself in a position near the start line that affords you a ‘clear lane’ or sailing path that won’t be interfered with by other boats.
Sailing the Course
Once started, you have the ‘weather leg’ ahead of you as you race to the first windward mark.
The most important lesson here is the basic right of way rule. Starboard tack boats have the right of way over Port tack boats. This means if you are on port tack (wind coming from the port (left) side), you must give way to a starboard tack boat (wind coming from the starboard (right) side) as they have the ‘right of way’.
In the case where a port and starboard boat come together it's polite for the starboard tack boat to yell out to the port tack boat ‘STARBOARD’. That way, if the port boat has not seen the starboard boat, they will look and make sure they avoid a collision. The number one rule is that boats must avoid collisions!!!
When sailing it’s good practice to glance to leeward (under the boom) to see if you have a boat coming at you. This is doubly important when on port tack as you are the one that must give way to the starboard boat to avoid a collision.
When rounding the weather mark leave it to port (left). Our advice to newcomers is to always come to the mark on starboard tack as that will give you the right of way and cause less drama as a result.
The next two legs (to the reach mark and the downwind mark) will give you a chance to catch your breath and let the adrenaline come down a bit.
Round both to port and then you'll have the final short leg to windward and then on to the finish line.
Leave the ‘pin’ to port and the committee boat to starboard sailing ‘through’ the start line. We'll give you a whistle upon finishing. Then clear the finish line until all boats have finished.
You’ll have time as you come up to the finish to see where you stand relative to your competitors. First place we hope! But for these races we’re not keeping score. Rather the goal here is to improve your sailing skills via the thrill of racing.