The dust has settled on another competitive year of sailing Harbor 20s with the conclusion of the Fleet 1 & Class Championships held at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach on Saturday & Sunday, September 29th and 30th.

 

With 18 boats in both Class A and and 16 in Class B, we can give thanks to our Class officers who have devised a way of dividing our class in a very even handed way. This was the best turnout in a championship ever, and the racing was great with sunny skies and a variety of conditions. Unique this year was the absence of the mooring field off the dock of NHYC due to dredging of the bay. This provided for a bigger sailing course and less obstacles and better viewing from the club.

 

 

Peter Haynes’ years long effort promoting fair sailing with his regular Rules Seminars, culminated in an “ask the Judges” session two nights before this year’s event. The result was great racing with adherence to the Racing Rules of Sailing, protests when appropriate, and plenty of penalty turns taken on the water to settle protests.

The race committee introduced new courses to keep the boats spread out a bit more with an offset windward mark and leeward gates. A couple of courses included “L” reaching finishes after rounding a leeward gate. This introduced new strategies and added more excitement to the regatta.

The winds were generally Westerly at about 5-9 knots both days of sailing. A total of 9 races were completed for each fleet (18 total races). The A Fleet had some new sailors like Tim Hogan, Walter Johnson and Scott Ramser which increased the already competitive fleet. The B Fleet had many first time participants in the championship, and even saw a C Fleet sailor vying for first place right down to the wire!

Saturday night NHYC hosted an open bar followed by a sit-down dinner for the competitors.

In the end, Bill & Diane Menninger won their 4th Class Championship and their 3rd consecutive 1st place. When asked what he learned from the event, Bill stated:

Everyone is now sufficiently fast to make it frustratingly tough to pass boats upwind and down….
I learned that loose rig tension is fast for tacking and accelerating, but not faster for straight line speed. I learned that maybe I should start using the vang earlier to flatten the main. And I learned that once the bottom of your boat needs new paint, its probably not that fast!

Here are the results:

A Fleet

1. Bill & Diane Menninger
2. Tom Schock & Tom Patrick
3. Guy Doran & Bob McClaire
4. Scott & Phil Ramser
5. Gary & Karen Thorne

B Fleet

1. Jeff Gordon with C.Underwood/R.Vitarelli
2. Tucker Cheadle and Max Mooseman
3. Greg & Jessica Newman
4. Richard Blatterman & John Cazier
5. Win & Carlita Fuller

 

Complete race results are available here.

 

As a result of this High Point Race, Jeff Gordon has moved to the A Fleet.

The Championships signify the end of the H20 Fleet 1 racing year, resulting in the following Awards:

Fleet A High Point

1. Gary Thorne
2. Kurt Wiese
3. Guy Doran

Fleet B High Point

1. Tom Corkett
2. John Whitney
3. Nik Froehlich

Note: Sailors must participate in at least 75% of all High Point races to qualify for the High Point Award

The Rain or Shine Award is awarded to Peter Haynes for the 5th consecutive year in a row! The final results are:

1. Peter Haynes (82 races)
2. Steve Horton (81 races)
3. Rolly Pulaski (76 races)

Full Rain or Shine Results can be viewed here.

The Fleet 1 First Mate Awards go to the highest placing husband and wife teams in the A and B Fleets at the Fleet 1 Championship Series. This year:

• Fleet A: Bill & Diane Menninger
• Fleet B: Win & Carlita Fuller

The history of this award can be viewed here.

The Grand Masters trophy is awarded to the highest placing skippers over the age of 65 in the A and B fleets at the Fleet 1 championships. This year:

• Fleet A: Tom Schock
• Fleet B: Richard Blatterman

All the above awards, plus the Arthur B Strock Service Award (awarded to members who have performed outstanding service for the Harbor 20, Fleet One organization) and the Broken Rudder Award (awarded to the skipper who’s boat sustained to most damage in the heat of battle) will be presented during the annual H20 Awards Dinner on December 2, 2012 at LIYC .

More pictures of the championship below, and here.

 

Photo Album with more Pictures here.

The  East / West Challenge Perpetual Trophy traveled from the East Coast to NHYC earlier this week, and now, it is headed back to the East Coast again. On day two of the Harbor 20 East/ West challenge, the weather was perfect, the wind was steady out of the South East at about 7-9 knots, the mooring field was clear of boats and moorings, and the dredger was no where to be seen. A very unique situation and one not seen at NHYC in decades. Heading into the day, the East Coast team of Fleet 3 (Hilton Head) and Fleet 5 (Annapolis) had an 8 point lead over the West Coast team of Fleet 1 (Newport Beach) and Fleet 4 (Santa Barbara).  But after 4 races on Sunday, and a total of 8 races, the East Coast team widened their lead and took the prize. Individual Winners

1. Tom Schock (Fleet 1, sailing for Fleet 5)
2. Scott Deardorff (Fleet 4)
3. Karl Pomeroy (Fleet 1, sailing for Fleet 5)
4. Lee Sutherland (Fleet 1)
5. Ed Kimball (Fleet 1, sailing for Fleet 5)

East Coast Team

Fleet 3 – Hilton Head

Fleet 5 – Annapolis

West Coast Team

Fleet 1 – Newport Beach

Fleet 4 – Santa Barbara

Full results can be downloaded here.

 

 

Complete online photo albums will be posted to this website once the photos become available.

The annual East / West Challenge kicked off Friday evening with a competitor check-in and reception at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach.  Over 85 competitors, boat owners, race committee, housing hosts and guests are participating in the regatta which has grown this year to include four Harbor 20 fleets.

Representing the East Coast are Fleet 3 from Hilton Head and Fleet 5 from Annapolis. Representing the West Coast are Fleet 4 from Santa Barbara and Fleet 1 from Newport Beach.  Each Fleet has sent four teams (skipper and crew) for a total of 16 boats in the regatta. Additionally, each of the Harbor 20 boat owners is the “3rd crew” providing the team additional insight on “local knowledge” and familiarity with their boat.

The Friday reception, which included hosted beer and wine and a Taco Bar, allowed participants to meet and greet each other and discuss the upcoming regatta.

 

 

 

 

 

The format of the regatta is Fleet racing (not team racing as one may deduce from the name). Awards will be given to the top 5 individual competitors.  Additionally, the scores from all the competitors representing the East Coast will be combined and compared to that of the West Coasts fleets, and the lowest overall score will be awarded the East / West Challenge Perpetual Trophy.  Currently, Fleet 3 (Hilton Head) possesses the trophy by defeating Fleet 1 at Hilton Head.  This year is the first year that more than 2 fleets have participated in the East / West Challenge.

The regatta will consist of a planned eight (8) races over two days. The courses are place in the Harbor Harbor area adjacent to the yacht club docks making it easy and comfortable for spectators to watch the action.

On Saturday, the winds were pretty steady at about 7-9 knots out of the South/South West. As is usual in Newport Harbor, shifts and current provide for a challenging venue where local experience can give competitors an advantage.  The race committee was able to get off four (4) windward / leeward races, each about 35 minutes long.

At the end of the day, the East Coast leads with 268 points to the West Coasts 276 points. With only an 8 point spread, the challenge is close even as the second day of racing begins. The leaders in the individual competition is as follows:

1. Tom Schock (sailing for Fleet 5) – 12 points
2. Jim Kerrigan (Fleet 1) – 18 points
3. Scott Deerdorf (Fleet 4) – 20 points
4. Lee Sutherland (Fleet 1) – 22 points
5. Karl Pomeroy (sailing for Fleet 5) – 23 points

After racing on Saturday evening, the out-of-town guests were treated to an hour-long guided tour of Newport Bay in the iconic “Duffy”, electric boats. Wine, cocktails and snacks along with commentary on the interesting facts and notable landmarks provided the background for this sunset cruise to Lido Isle Yacht Club for the Saturday Party.

 

 

 

 

Saturday was capped off with a festive party with a variety of food, live music, dance floor and hosted bar. There was a lot of energy left over from the day as was evident by the chatter, energy and plenty of dancing.

Sunday, racing begins at 1pm and will conclude with awards and an Awards dinner at the NHYC.

Pictures of the event will be added to this post and included in the final regatta wrap up post.

Hello Harbor 20 Championship Competitors,

NHYC is eagerly anticipating the event this weekend! It looks like we should have a “Chamber of Commerce” weekend as far as weather goes. Here are a few reminders that we would like to pass along to the fleet to help things run smoothly:

All competitors are reminded they are required to dock their boat at NHYC on Saturday night. We have made arrangements to have access to the entire NHYC dock so there will be plenty of space. Boats which are normally kept on the NHYC multi-vessel docks or on docks adjacent to the club are permitted and encouraged to keep their boat there during the event.

There will be an informal, competitor led, de-brief immediately following racing on Saturday and Sunday. This will take place at the foot of the stairs to the Non-calm room (near the outside entrances to the restrooms).

As a reminder, NHYC has shower and changing facilities available for competitors to freshen up before the festivities on Saturday night. We will also make space and a rack available for anyone who wishes to leave a change of clothing during racing.

Any questions can be directed to the NHYC Race Office:

Charlie Underwood
949 723 6870
charlie.underwood@nhycstaff.org

Just like at last Sunday’s Fall Schock Regatta, a windward offset mark, and leeward gate marks will be used for the Fleet 1 Championship Regatta. If you are not familiar with these marks, come to tonight’s ASK THE JUDGES event at NHYC at 7:00. Don’t go “in the dark” to the Championship! We hope to see you there!

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WINDWARD OFFSET AND GATE MARKS, as were used for the Schock Regatta, and will be used again for the Champoinship? If so DON’T MISS THIS EVENT!

On Thursday, September 27, two days before the Championship, the H20 Association is sponsoring an evening called “ASK THE JUDGES” at 7:00 PM at NHYC. Certified judges will be present to answer any and all questions you might have about the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009-2012. A whiteboard with magnetic boats will be used to help visualize on-the-water situations as they change over time.

Don’t go into the Championship with lingering questions about the rules. We will be entertaining questions such as:

1)     Can you have contact with another boat and not have broken a rule?

2)     If two overlapped, close hauled, starboard tack boats reach a windward mark to be left to port, does the leeward boat have to fall off at the mark, or can it continue to sail on, taking the windward boat with it?

3)     Can boats on opposite tacks be overlapped?

4)     If a boat running on port tack overlaps to leeward a boat running on starboard tack, and then jibes, does he (she) then have luffing rights?

5)     Does a boat which tacks from port to starboard inside the 3 boat length circle ever have rights to mark room?

6)     The committee boat is a mark and an obstruction. Is an inside boat, overlapped to windward, entitled to room at the obstruction before starting?

7)     Is a boat ever required to sail her proper course?

8)     Does a boat which is sailing above close hauled have to fall off to a close hauled course at the starting signal?

9)     Can you take a penalty turn anytime before the finish of a race to exonerate yourself of a rule infraction?

 

Answers:

1) No

2) Yes or no, depending on how the overlap was established

3) Yes , if both are sailing more than 90 degrees from the wind

4) Yes

5) Yes

6) Yes, unless approaching the starting line to start (barging)

7) No

8 ) Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It all depends on how overlaps with adjacent boats were established.

9) No. A penalty must be taken as soon as possible after the time of the incident.

 

What’s your question? Come and get the answer. Find out once and for whether you were right or wrong in past incidents. This should be a really interesting and fun evening!

We hope to see you there!

 

I have heard many comments this summer about out-of-control rule-breaking, and have personally witnessed a number of such incidents. I believe there are several reasons for this unfortunate state of affairs. First, because summer evening racing  is “informal”,  as contrasted with the High Point series, there is a natural tendency to be more informal as to application of the rules. After all, everyone knows no one is going bother lodging a protest, and host yacht clubs do not wish to staff protest committees on summer evenings.

 Another reason is a direct result of the success and popularity of the Harbor 20 Fleet which is growing with an influx of both inexperienced racing sailors, and very experienced sailors transitioning from other fleets. Those new to the game have had limited time to learn these complex rules and many of the experienced sailors have demonstrated an outdated knowledge of the rules. While similar to the rules one may have learned 10 or 20 years ago, the current rules are NOT THE SAME. The Racing Rules of Sailing are updated every four years in conjunction with the Olympics. 

In 2008, an increasing emphasis on safety resulted in a complete re-write of Section C “At Marks and Obstructions”.  And, that is exactly where the majority of our problems are occurring, which are caused by boats approaching the windward mark on port tack which is strongly discouraged under the current rules, and boats not giving adequate mark-room at the leeward mark. If you have not studied Rule 18 in the 2008-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing, you are likely part of the problem.

When you sign the entry form for a race, you are required to agree that you will abide by the Racing Rules of Sailing. Rule #3 “ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES” states that “By participating in a race conducted under these racing rules, each competitor and boat owner agrees to be governed by the rules”. So, if you do not know the rules, you are actually already breaking them by entering and participating in a race.

The reality is that if one has not studied the rules, one cannot actually know the rules. The collective rules “knowledge” at most yacht clubs could be described as “tribal”, which is incomplete at best, and incorrect at worst. But, Harbor 20 Fleet 1 aspires to a higher standard, as evidenced by the fact that a majority of our participants have already attended the comprehensive “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” one-day seminar at least once. And the timing is right, because the second presentation of this seminar in 2012 is coming up on September 9. If you are not well versed in the rules, or you know someone who could benefit by attending, please come join us, or urge others to attend.

If you are thinking “I’ll just wait until next year because the rules will change again”, Dave Perry has informed me that the changes to the rules in Part 2 are not substantive.  And, if you think you really do know the rules, you can test your knowledge by taking Dave Dellenbaugh’s “Rules Quiz”.  Experience has shown that there is a direct correlation between the quality of competition in Harbor 20 Fleet 1 and the number of our sailors who have attended this comprehensive seminar. So please, either attend yourself, or urge someone else who could benefit by the experience. You’ll be glad you did!

Rules Quiz

Course Description

Registration Form

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Flyer

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On June 23, under sunny skies and a light breeze, the Annapolis Yacht Club held a first ever Harbor20 Fleet 5 Regatta honoring AYC Commodores. The weekend of June 22 -24 marked the 126th anniversary of Annapolis Yacht Club. The newest AYC fleet of Harbor-20 sailboats sponsored the First Annual Commodores Cup Race which was a huge success as seven current and past AYC commodores competed in 3 races. Each boat sailed with a three person crew which included the boat owner, a Commodore, and a crew person selected by the commodore.

After very close racing, the winners were past commodore Cappy Kidd with crew member Molly Wimer and owner Peter Trogdon on SKIMMER #311. Current Commodore Kevin McNeil and crew finished in second place.

A special luncheon and awards ceremony for all of the race participants and spectators followed the event.

Attached are some images from this wonderful day of sailing.

Peter Trogdon
SKIMMER #311