Harbor 20 Class Association

The Fleet One Board has designated the upcoming Opening Day Regatta as a High Point Event for the Fleet. This designation was made this year to make up for the recently cancelled Earl Corkett Regatta, which also was a High Point Event.  NOR’s and Entry Forms will be made available on this website when they come available from the NYHC.

Due to unforeseen events, the NHYC has cancelled the Earl Corkett Regatta which was scheduled for this Sunday, April 3rd. Since this is a High Point Event for Fleet One, any replacement High Point Event will be announced on this website.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Hilton Head, South Carolina

The Harbor 20 Fleet 3 defeated the Fleet 1 team in the annual East / West Coast Challenge held this weekend at the South Carolina Yacht Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  The Challenge was won last year by Fleet 1 when they hosted the Challenge at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach.

After Day 1, and 6 races, Fleet 3 had a commanding lead of 24 points. The Challenge was scored using a low-point team racing system (although team racing rules were not in effect). Day 1 brought steady winds of about 13 mph with gusts up to 17 mph (as reported by the Racing Committee).

On Day 2, the winds had shifted to the West and the racing started early to try to complete as many races as possible before a storm system was expected to arrive. Winds were again about 13 mph with gusts up to about 17 mph. With a new course and winds from a different direction, most the “local knowledge” learned by Fleet 1 on Saturday had to be relearned on Sunday.

The racing was cut short to 4 races to avoid a quickly approaching storm. The Race Committee timed the last race perfectly, allowing the sailors to get the boats back into the safety of the lock-protected Windmill Harbour just as the wind shifted to the North, picked up velocity and the rain started.

Although Feet 1 did better on Day 2, the Fleet from South Carolina Yacht Club continued winning the races scoring lower points, and in the end, defeated Fleet 1 in all 10 races with a decisive victory overall, regaining the perpetual trophy two years ago.

The awards and dinner were held at Bob De Veer’s home on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean.

Challenge Winners: Fleet 3

First Overall: Ned Nielson & Tommy Webster (Fleet 3)

First Fleet 1: Ed Kimball & Anne

International “Sign of Friendship”: Domenico DeSole

Master of Local Knowledge: John Rumsey

I Have No Local Knowledge: Rolly Pulaski

Woman’s Wear Daily: Joann Gleoge

Patience of Joe: Joe Highsmith

Super Shucker: Peter Haynes

Saturday, March 26, 2011 – Hilton Head, South Carolina

Day 1 of the East / West Coast Challenge ended with a clear lead to the Fleet 3 of South Carolina Yacht Club. After 6 races, the score is 96 for the East Coast and 120 for the West Coast. The 24 point deficit creates a big challenge for the West Coast going into Sunday’s racing.

The day provided the sailors will steady winds from the south at about 15 mph winds with gusts to 20 mph. With a steady current, selecting the right way up the course proved to be decisive in placement for the races. The competition was strong with boats mostly having close finishes.

After a morning briefing by the race committee,and the journey out the lock system, the teams enjoyed three long races (W-L-W-F) and three short races (W-L).

For day one, the races finished:
#1: 13 points EAST coast
#2: 17 points WEST coast
#3: 20 points EAST coast
#4: 20 points WEST coast
#5: 29 points EAST coast
#6: 34 points EAST coast
#7: 38 points WEST coast
#8: 45 points WEST coast

On Sunday, sailing will being an hour and half earlier at 11:30am to try to beat out an incoming weather system.

Friday, March 26, 2011

Hilton Head, South Carolina

The Harbor 20 Fleet 3, based at the South Carolina Yacht Club in Hilton Head, welcomes the Fleet 1 delegation for the Annual East / West Challenge:  A 2-day team low-point regatta. Sailors will be awarded points based on their finishing position (eg: 1 point for first, 2 points for second, etc…) and the team with the lowest total points after the two days of racing, wins.  The winner becomes the recipient of the East/West Challenge perpetual trophy currently held by Fleet 1.

Friday night, the Yacht Club and Fleet 3 hosted a welcome reception including cocktails and appetizers followed by dinner in the club’s restaurant.

On Saturday, the racing begins with an anticipated 4-5 races on a windward/leeward course. The weather is forecast as 75 degrees with winds from the S to SSE at 10-12 mph. Sunday’s forecast is for 77 degrees, partly cloudy with chance of thunderstorms and winds at 10 to 20 mph.

Feet 3 sailors have opened their homes to the Fleet 1 sailors while the Club has put together a social, eating, drinking and sailing schedule to fill up the weekend.

East Coast Sailors are: Gary Gleason, Marvin Carlson, Joe Highsmith, Domenico DeSole, Tommy Webster, Ned Nielsen, Paul Miller and John Rumsey.

West Coast Sailors are: Terry Gleoge, Bryon Capps, Peter Haynes, Nik Froehlich, Rolly Pulaski, Ann Donat, Ed Kimble, Anne Kimble.

Race Committee is: Kevin Keogh (Fleet 3 Capitan), David Wilson, Muffy Schulze, Rick Schulze, Bob DeVeer.

Saturday, March 19, 2011, Bahia-Corinthian Yacht Club

Twenty-two Harbor 20’s participated in the 2011 Lorin Weiss Memorial Regatta #1, hosted by the Bahia-Corinthian Yacht Club. A total of 10 races were started (5 for the A fleet and 5 for the B fleet) with shifty winds at about 8 knots (11 knot gusts) for the first couple of races. After a short lull, the wind picked up to about 11 knots (with 14 knot gusts) for the last couple of races.

After the race, awards were given to the winners of both fleets, and snacks provided by the BCYC. Race results can be viewed here.

3-16-10 Newport Beach, CA Balboa Yacht Club.

The Spring Twilights have started with 11 H20 signed up and 10 boats making it to the starting line off M Mark. The racers where greeted with a 6 knot cool breeze from the west and strong flooding current.

Jeff Keenen was our PRO with Chris Killian and John Fradkin helping with markset. With the current and the breeze constantly moving to the south all three members of the race committee stayed busy. If there where not moving marks and passing out beverages they where taking photos of the fleet. Race committee was able to get off 3 races before the breeze turned off and the sun was setting.

This being our first event everyone seemed as if it was the first day of school. By the time we rounded the second leeward mark people where asking for room and if there no agreement people reminded their friends of the up coming rules seminar. Which is kind of funny if you think about it.

Quotes of the night. “Hey, you guys want a Beverage?’ and the reply “UUHH OK” and while sailing to the leeward mark and asking Tom Schock if he had an overlap YES was the quick reply, about tens seconds latter “Well maybe not” then the calls of room started. I knew that he had an overlap for most of that run and the only time we broke it was when I first asked and they regained it in no time. So, the inside was theirs this time.

At the end of the night with the sun going down and the sound of the colors being lowered at BYC that spring smile returned to my face as I looked into the sky and I thought how I love this time of year at M Mark.

We are always looking for race committee and I think we will need someone next Wednesday?

Results can be found here.

I am writing this article in the hope we as a fleet can open a dialogue, on this web site, where the experienced sailors can give input and others can ask questions about rounding the weather mark.

The latest Racing Rules (2009-2012) were changed to address “Tacking when approaching a Mark”.  We also know that when our H20 fleet is approaching the windward mark on starboard, seemingly in a good position, it is common to end up in fourth place down wind, due to Prot Tackers.  This is what the new rule was designed to eliminate:  Yes or No???

Our Harbor 20, Idros, has a hole in its bow from a Weather mark conflagration, hence the frown on her face when you see her out racing.  The problem as I see it, has many parts to it.  These may uniquely relate to our one design fleet and our boats and may not necessarily be covered by “facts found” in a protest.

Here is our broad review as I see it:

The rule 18.3 says port tack boats, tacking within three boat lengths, have added restrictions on them

(a)  The port tack boat cannot force a starboard tack boat above close hauled as they round the mark.

–  Well, we all watch port tack boats squeak up to the mark clear the fleet of five boats coming on starboard and then come to a virtual stop as H20’s do when you have to push the tiller over hard.    The problem for the Starboard tack boats in 5knots (normal) of breeze as you approach the mark with 5 boats around and beside you, pinching will slow your boat significantly, causing everyone around you to bump, crash and burn.  So going above close haul will cause a collision for sure.  As I see it, the only advantage in doing this is you will be able to bring five witnesses to the hearing; the problem is you have lost the race and will most likely lose the hearing for causing a collision.

(b) The port tack boat must give an inside boat room at the mark.

– As one sailor has suggested, the starboard tack boat should fall off and point at the port tacker, in this way picking up speed to go inside.  Hopefully the port tacker will bail out and all will be good.  Our experience says, the port tacker does not bail out, now you will be the inside boat and the port tack boat must give you room.  In our experience this is also problematic.  The port tacker normally sees the gaggle of boats coming and tacks close to the mark to give maximum room and protect their ?? leading position. So even though you are now the inside boat, the port tacker cannot give you room because he is committed and even if the rest of the fleet gives her room, when they put the tiller down to give you room, the transom pivots about the keel again and either hits the inside starboard tacker or pushes her into the mark.

The aim of our fleet clearly has to be, to have clean fair racing.  I believe this is relatively easy, all that has to happen is; we all follow the rules or take our penalty turns when we make mistakes, which we ALL make.  To bring reality to this we have to occasionally protest and go to the room.

Well it should be easy, but we regularly have incidents where a starboard tacker went from first or second going to the mark to a long way back after the rounding.  More of Peter Haynes’s seminars on the rules will always help, but if we are to continue to grow our fleet, fun racing is where it’s at and losing 3 places at the windward mark or worse, a frown of the bow, is not fun.

My question is, how can we  show other competitors and judges she has to go above close hauled to avoid the tacking boat 18.3 (a) without causing problems for all boats except the port tacker.  To duck down inside 18.3 (b) and call for room will cause a collision 9 out of 10 times.

YES / NO ? what is the answer? Please click comment and add your input, a good positive discussion can only help our fleet get more enjoyment from our sport.

by Warren Duncan, #34 Idros

Daylight Savings Time started Sunday, March 13, and Balboa Yacht Club is kicking off our evening sailing this year early with the introduction of the Harbor 20 Spring Series.

This informal series starts next Wednesday, March 16 at 5:30 PM.The start will be in the vicinity of “M” and “N” marks in the main channel.

Many thanks to Len Bose, author of “The Harbor Report” columns in the Daily Pilot for instigating this activity!

There is no cost, and you can register online here, which will help BYC know how many boats to expect.

There will probably not be a Notice of Race or Sailing Instructions, as the idea is to keep this really informal and fun. Be there, and get a jump on 2011 evening racing!