Nov 15, 2023 By Andrew Alberti In the last article we started a discussion about tacking. In that article we discussed Rule 13 “WHILE TACKING”. This time we will talk about rule 18.3 “Passing Head to Wind in the Zone”. In older versions of the rules this was called “Tacking in the Zone.” In the…
Nov 15, 2023 By Tom Ramshaw Photo Credits: Dave Holland/Sail Canada Before diving into a recounting of the actual event, it seems worthwhile to reflect on the journey to arrive at the starting line. This year’s PanAm journey started in February with my trip to Pensacola, Florida, to secure Canada a berth in the Sunfish…
Nov 15, 2023 Competitors in the sport of sailing are governed by a body of rules that they are expected to follow and enforce. A fundamental principle of sportsmanship is that when competitors break a rule, they will promptly take a penalty or retire. – Basic Principle Should you file a protest? In the sport…
Nov 15, 2023 By Alec Coleman Photos: Elaine Brendel On Halloween weekend, Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay, New York hosted the final Oakcliff Match Race regatta of the season aboard their fleet of Swedish Match 40s. With nine teams invited from the US and Canada, the crews competed for valuable points for the World Match…
Nov 6, 2023 Canadian sailors add two medals: gold for Lee Parkhill and silver for Sarah Douglas Canadian sailors added two medals on the last day of the sailing competition at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games bringing the haul to four. Saturday delivered a gold medal in men’s Sunfish for Lee Parkhill and a…
November 1, 2023 Tight starts in San Diego October 20-22 / SDYC photo By Nigel Cochrane The 2023 International Masters Regatta invites twelve legendary skippers from around the world to compete in rotating J/105s on San Diego Bay. Nigel Cochrane from Royal Vancouver YC and Billy Abbott of Sarnia Yacht Club were the two Canadians…
November 1, 2023 Good sportsmanship might be much more evident in racing if winning didn’t seem so important. Without the expectation and pressure to perform at a high level over and over, competitors would be much more relaxed. They could devote a lot more time and energy to the many other reasons why most people…
November 1, 2023 By Mark Searle “Jersey Girl” Jersey Girl on the way back from Dalhousie / Photo: Dee Hogan The LOSHRS Dalhousie Weekend last month – Races Five and Six of the season – is always fun and often delivers nail-biters. The final season results, and overall season championships are often determined this weekend….
October 18, 2023 Above: There are a few key differences between Asymmetric spinnakers designed for offshore racing and those that are optimized for windward leeward races inshore. One of these is the mid-girth measurement which tends to be shorter for offshore sails because they are often used at tighter wind angles. Photography credit: Henrik Trygg….
October 18, 2023 One of the best sail shape tools for a jib trimmer are telltales placed on each side of the sail along the luff. The position of these telltales varies slightly from boat to boat, but usually they are located about 8 to 12 inches aft of the luff of the sail. Three…
The mainsail may be the biggest sail on most boats, but the jib provides a relatively large share of the boat’s driving force, for two reasons. First, the jib is not sitting behind a mast, so it sails in clear air with minimal turbulence.
I hear so many organizers worry about bands and swag, and sometimes even the race officer. Very infrequently do they worry about mark setters, a panel of judges or the resources and equipment these important parts of a regatta need to operate.
The 2023 Canadian 2.4mR Championship was held September 22-24 at The National Yacht Club in Toronto, Ontario. The fleet of 26 boats was the largest ever at a Canadian 2.4mR National Championship and attracted entries from Puerto Rico, United States as well as British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario.
Expert and novice sailors alike use apparent wind. Many sailors believe apparent wind is unworthy of deep consideration and take it for granted because they feel they’ve already grasped the concept. Although its fundamentally simple, apparent wind is dynamically complex in practice.
In a recent protest, it became clear to me that there is confusion about the rules related to tacking. Tacking is not defined in the rule book, but there are a few rules that either discuss tacking, or relate to what we commonly call “tacking”.
Well, that’s a wrap. The 2023 NYYC Invitational ended this weekend one day early because of Hurricane Lee. It was another fantastic event despite the looming hurricane which had a significant effect on the race officials and the competitors.
