GENERAL INFO
General Information
Cal Sailing Club members gather every Sunday morning to race Lidos. The competition is friendly but not lax. Racing at CSC is an excellent way for new sailors to learn some of the finer points of sailing and for experienced sailors to test their skills; Club keelboats are also raced on Friday nights.
Laser and Byte races on Sunday afternoon. Weekday racing by special arrangement with fleet chair.
Races are held every Sunday of the year. Show up between 9:30 and 10:00 to skipper or crew. Last race starts by 1:00.
Racing Contents:
The following is an excerpt from the Sailing World article Hall of Fame Regatta: A Gathering of Legends, by Tom Linskey:
"Aboard the Dave Ullman-skippered Etchells 22, we are on our final approach to the line, luffing slowly on starboard tack. It's my responsibility as middleman (tactician) to feed Dave as much information as possible about the jockeying of the competition, but while gaping at the overkill of the legendary types around us, my throat tightens involuntarily and my mouth becomes parched.
" 'Okay…ah…well, there's Dennis Connor coming up fast from astern, and it looks like he'll try to dive underneath for luffing rights. Buddy Melges is heading at us on port and will probably tack on our lee bow. Lowell North, John Bertrand, Gary Jobson, and Steve Benjamin are reaching down the line from above. Stuart Walker and Bruce Kirby are fighting it out with Arthur Knapp and Hobie Alter at the committee boat, and there's one boat luffing everyone else up at the pin end. That looks like…Elvstrom. ELVSTROM!!'"
The Sunday morning experience at the Cal Sailing Club can very much like the scene described above, only the names may be those of legendary Lido sailors. Any rated CSC skipper who passes the rules test can drive; any member (even unrated) may crew. Members who just passed their junior skipper test might be up against some of the local hot shots. All competitors get the same weapon (a CSC Lido), so wins and losses are because of boat handling, tactics, and sometimes luck. After every race skippers switch boats, to further eliminate any equipment differences. A race usually takes 15 or 20 minutes, but there may be more mark roundings, tactical decisions, and conflicts with other boats than would occur in an all-day race over a much longer course. Usually there are 4 to 6 races, so by 1 PM when it's over skippers (and crew) can be mentally exhausted. For a yacht racing junkie, Sunday morning at the CSC is a very satisfying fix.
Joe Matera
CSC Racing Chair
Laser and Byte Racing
This low key and friendly will be held each Sunday afternoon at 2.30 pm. The emphasis is on learning and acquisition of boat handling skills through racing; beginners are strongly encouraged to participate. Non CSC members who have their own boats are also welcomed. Experienced racers may want use this event for extra practice.
Weekday racing during the summer is also possible; please contact fleet chair if you are interested. Require: written racing skipper test (open book test; booklet may be purchased at the CSC club house).
Laser and Byte Check-Out.
CSC Members - As per Ex-Comm. motion (July 1st), members who wish to sail the lasers and bytes must first receive a checked out by Laser and Byte chair and/or CSC members holding senior
rating. These senior members must themselves be familiar with the fleet. The check out procedure which usually takes less than 30 minutes involves putting the boat into the water,
rigging, capsize, cleaning of spars and storage of boat after use.
Racing Links
CSC belongs to the San Francisco Bay Yacht Racing Association and races are run in accordance with US Sailing rules.
- Get the latest Racing Rules from the International Sailing Federation
- A good article on the latest rules from http://www.sailingworld.com/roserul2.html (broken) Sailing World.
- A guide to the racing rules by Art Engel.
Click here for the Bay Area crew list.
For more information about Cal Sailing Club's racing program, contact racing chair Joe Matera.
