racing etiquette

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PhillM

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Im competing in my first cruiser events next week - cowes classics week.

Having never done this before, I wondered if anyone has any tips to stop me making a complete plonker of myself. I have gone through the basic racing rules, notice of race and Sailing Instructions and I have a race strategy - start at the back and stay out of everyone's way :).

Any tips - however basic would be welcome.
 
Be cery careful of everyone else in the fleet... some may be novices like yourself .. even if yiu start near the back you can easily pass shorter boats by waterline speed..

As I am sure our racing nutcase will confirm, in a medium to top level fleet everyone knows exactly what their rights and obligations are and are capable to spninning a boat round on a sixpence if necessary.. Other novices such as yourself will not be so fast..
So whilst you can confidently sail within a couple of feet of a fully tooled up racing crew... don't try it against others


Either way, it will be fery exciting.. have a bottle of water handy for aft the rqce starts... you often get very thirsty ..
 
In the Solent in a relatively slow boat prioritise staying in the best tide. So in the deep bits if its with you, and in the shallow bits if it's against you.

If you're new to racing the start sequence can be a bit confusing. Learn what the flags mean - class flag and Papa especially. I doubt you'll ever see India, Zulu or black flag at Cowes Classics! Then keep a pair of Binoculars on deck to check what is flying. Detail one member of the crew just to calling time to the start if you can spare one. Don't try any fancy manoeuvres in the pre start, just reach up and down behind the line, then sheet in and go when the gun goes. Unless they've set you a downwind start (possible if you're sailing from the squadron) in which case bear away.... Remember, if you're used to cruising and keeping out of everyone's way, it's probably going to take you at least 30s to sail to the line from where you were reaching up and down. If everyone else starts sailing to the line and you're not, that's probably a good clue that it's time to get on with it!

When you're sailing, try and decide what you're going to do at every mark well in advance - is it a straight bear away, a gybe, a tack? And then tell the crew so that everyone is prepared.
 
flaming said:
Thread drift, but did you follow through with your protest?
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No

Problem is that I either hit him in the stern or luff past. If I hit him I'm in the wrong, if I luff past them he will claim I had time and opportunity and he'd completed his tack anyway. By "protest" I mean protest(s) in the layman's sense of the word. Are you doing the Fastnet?
 
savageseadog said:
No

Are you doing the Fastnet?
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God no. I'm not a fan of offshores. When I go offshore I much prefer decent catering and a nice bunk, not freeze dried food and sleeping on the rail.

The problem with not protesting when you think you are fouled is that the offender then marks you out as someone they can bully. If you felt that you had to start altering course before he had reached a close hauled course then you were fouled. Protest committees should take the view that it is his requirement to prove that you didn't have to alter course before he had completed his tack, rather than your requirement to prove that you did.

The problem with yacht racing tends to be that it attracts successful people, who are used to getting their own way. The only way to ensure fair play is to always protest when you are fouled. We took this stance a few years back, and I did go to a few protest meetings, but now we don't need to. The standard of sailing has definitely improved when everyone knows that fouls will be protested.
 
savageseadog said:
No

Problem is that I either hit him in the stern or luff past. If I hit him I'm in the wrong, if I luff past them he will claim I had time and opportunity and he'd completed his tack anyway. By "protest" I mean protest(s) in the layman's sense of the word. Are you doing the Fastnet?
Click to expand...

If you were likely to hit his transom, it's quite likely he'd reached close hauled course before causing you to take action.
As soon as he's on a closehauled course the onus is essentially on you.
 
I did my first race ever 2 seasons ago, it was from Weymouth to Lulworth, and back some 16 miles.
The winds were gusting up to 28 knots, and it was a fetch all the way down and a broard reach on return.
Only 14, of the 20 or so entrants started, and my start was all wrong, went the wrong side of the buoy so had to turn around and ant try again. I was now some 200meters behind the fleet, however we ploughed along fantastic and crossed the finish in a comfortable third.

So... what advice can give you? Well if you don't remove your anchor from the bow roller you get disqualified.
 
One small word I would like to add is during the races you will most likely come across a few "solent" sailors not racing, who in my experience take great delight in going for a "jolly" during the races and seem find it necessary to zig-zag over the race course. These kind folk appear to presume as they are there all year round, sailing across a course as slowly as possible is some sort of sport. But hey, that's just my humble opinion.
 
lw395 said:
If you were likely to hit his transom, it's quite likely he'd reached close hauled course before causing you to take action.
As soon as he's on a closehauled course the onus is essentially on you.
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What I'm saying is that I could see we were going to hit if I stayed on course so I had to luff up to avoid him, I changed course to avoid him. That essentially is the problem.
 
The point is - what position would he have been in when you would have hit him
If he could have completed his manoeuvre then you may have been the give way vessel
So there are 2 sides to every argument
However, if he did utter rude remarks as you suggest he may have been in contravention of the good behaviour rules
Not sure of the rule No but i have heard of sailors being disqualified for unruly behaviour
 
But threatening to protest and telling everyone you were in the right, but not giving the other guy a chance to defend himself in the protest room is also bad form.
 
lw395 said:
But threatening to protest and telling everyone you were in the right, but not giving the other guy a chance to defend himself in the protest room is also bad form.
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Thanks everyone. Good reminder about the anchor - need to do that tomorrow. Tides, yep very good point.

Eyes out, again good point.

Also slightly scarly I've got crew on most days but not the Tuesday. So right now im single handed!! If anyone is in cowes and wants to crew on the slowest cruiser racer drop me a pm.
 
Daydream believer said:
The point is - what position would he have been in when you would have hit him
If he could have completed his manoeuvre then you may have been the give way vessel
So there are 2 sides to every argument
However, if he did utter rude remarks as you suggest he may have been in contravention of the good behaviour rules
Not sure of the rule No but i have heard of sailors being disqualified for unruly behaviour
Click to expand...

Rule 69 Gross Misconduct. Used to be known as ungentlemanly conduct
 
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