SEA's Shockwave, crewed by five stalwart members, raced Tuesday night's SYC Beer Cans.
The summer pattern has finally settled in, providing a nice 15-20 kts at the start with a building ebb making for a fun race. Racers actually finished early this time, allowing for good food and cheer at the SYC following the race.

The summer series motley crew: Skipper Mark Miglio, family members John Dick, Ed Cummins and Rich Hodges, and Sail Camp counselor Pierce. Spiffy new sails powered them into a close 5th place. They are definitely not satisfied with that result and will train to improve.

Join SEA members in the SYC Midwinter races. Sign up by clicking on a date below.

Dates: First Sunday 11/4 to 3/3
Time: 11-3pm
Charter Cost: Series $65 | Dropin $25/day
Precedence given to full series signup, we need 4 per boat to compete.

Upcoming Races

Racing

Dates: All Year - See Sails Below Time: Varies - See Sails Below Charter Cost: Series $65 | Dropin $25/day Upcoming Races           SYC Midwinters 11-04-2012 SYC Midwinters 12-02-2012 SYC Midwinters 01-06-2013 SYC Midwinters 02-03-2013 SYC Midwinters 03-03-2013 Participate in a variety of SEA and Bay Area races / regattas by joining our Catalinas, Santanas and skippers for racing crew assignments. The best way to prepare for racing is to take Frank Lawler's fantastic Racing 101 course. Then stay up to date is to join the racing mailing list below (members). The SYC Spring, Summer and Midwinter series are favorites, and check out video from our awesome Catalina Racing event. Contact Photos Requirements All Sails Classes Contact Info   415.775.8779 x9 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Sails Event List Keelboat Checklist Mailing List This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it List Archive

Sailing the SYC Women’s Regatta – what a great way to start October!  Anne, Karen and I (Helena) chartered a 31’ Beneteau  with two others, one of whom was designated as our tactician.  The regatta included three races; the first starting at 11am and the last ending at 3pm.  It was a tricky day as the winds were only ~5-10 knots with what someone called an “epic” flood.  We all had a chance to be at the helm to share in such an exciting and challenging day.  

Back at the club for the after party, we feasted on a hearty BBQ and toasted to a fun day.  When announcing the awards for the different races, we found out that didn’t come in #1-3 for any race; however,  we did win First Place for “All Women Crew; Non-Spinnaker Division”. 

Last Tuesday, Adam (me), Bill, and Joe set out on Shockwave to compete in the fourth race of the SYC Summer Sunset Series.  We encountered warm weather and nice 10-15 mph winds.  We used the 155% jib and moved our cars back towards the stern.  This helped us sail faster and point higher. 

As we rounded the temporary inflatable at Yellow Bluff and headed towards Harding Rock, the fog grew thicker and visibility became limited.  We still were able to locate Harding Rock, jibe around it, and head towards Pt. Knox on a broad reach. 

We finished the race just after sunset and beat out two other boats in our division. We then motored back under a bright moon and the lights of Sausalito.

Location: Sausalito Yacht Club
Date: August 18th
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm

Rigging for Performance is the topic for the Third Thursday Race Seminar this Thursday, the 18th of June. 6:30 to 7:30 pm at the Sausalito Yacht Club. Learn how to make your boat go faster with rigging techniques.

Tom Relyea is our guest speaker. He has over 100,000 miles of racing and cruising experience - and now runs South Beach Riggers on Harbor Drive in Sausalito.

Topics will include both standing rigging and new rope technologies.
The bar is open and there is the regular Thursday night BBQ.
Reservations are not required and this seminar is open to the public.
Dave Borton
SYC Race Chair

Who gets right of way?  Sailboats or tankers?  Unfortunately, the tanker wins.  But, Adam, our skipper of the night, did a great job of figuring out a way to pass the tanker on the bow versus doing a jibe and passing on the stern.  We felt like we won that battle!

It was a night where Adam, Bill, Karen and I (Helena) faced some challenges.  With winds up to 25 knots, we decided to reef the sail at the dock (good move!).  However, four minutes before the start, our bowline unwrapped out of the jib clew.  Bill jumped up to the deck and quickly tied up a new one (nice save!).  Then, 1 minute before the start, we experienced an override on the winch; one that entailed two people helping to unravel it and heading into wind.  Despite all of those challenges, we sailed a terrific race and edged out several boats.  We even had practice blowing the reef since winds were dying down at the end of the race.

Sailing comes with some unexpected turns, but we were ready to face all of them tonight!

What’s one word to describe tonight?  Teamwork!

The evening started with a small hiccup.  The main halyard was caught at the top of the mast.  So, without question or hesitation, Chris scaled the mast!  I think he was even surprised that the “operation” (and apparatus) worked.  After getting the boat rigged, Chris, Karen, Anne and I (Helena) were off to the start line, where with minutes to spare, we made our check-in at the committee boat.  

After a few tacks, we were crossing the starting line to our windward mark.  With winds of 15-20 knots, we had the boat heeling and all crew on the high-side.  After rounding our mark, we were on a downwind course to Ft. Knox, then, headed to the finish line. 

What did we learn while we were out there?  Chris is a rock star skipper!  What else did we learn?  His all-women crew members were rocking it as well!  The reason it all worked is because of teamwork. 

Hearing the horn blow when crossing the finish line was incredible!  A few high-fives and we were headed back to the dock. Getting the news back at the club, we found out that we placed 4th out of 7, and we were only 1 minute, 17 seconds behind the 3rd boat!  What a fantastic night!

It's Springtime, and the Sausalito Spring Racing Series has begun!  Last night, Adam skippered Shockwave, and Karen, Bill and I crewed.  While everyone thought there would be up to 10 knots of wind, we were lucky to get 1 (yes, one!). 

After several postponements and waiting almost an hour, we decided to forfeit along with many other boats.  We had a great time on the water, even if we didn't race, as it was a gorgeous night (perfect city views!).  Between laughs about our "parking lot", we also took the time to learn about markers on the Bay (Harding Rock, etc.) and course designations.  All in all, we had a fantastic time, and are looking forward to the next race on May 10th.

Third Thursday Racing Seminars

Great seminars at the Sausalito Yacht Club we highly recommend them.

Can’t decide to race or not to race? Need more info? Don’t feel qualified to race? Need crew? Need a skipper and boat? The next Third Thursday Race Seminar on April 21st at 6:30pm at the club will include the Sailing Instructions for both series, some Race Fundamental tips and an opportunity to mingle and meet others. Dinner is available until 8 pm.

If you were watching the SYC Women's Skipper Regatta on Saturday, you'd note that many SEA women were racing and many were winning! And, if they weren't winning, they were sure having one heck of a time.

Cathy Stierhoff on Tackful blew everyone out of the water. Again. She placed first in her fleet and was all smiles receiving award after award. Congrats, Cathy!