Sailing Association of Intermountain Lakes

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Tips, Pitfalls & Tricks

Tips:

• Plan & Prepare. Running a race committee is at least as involved as running a boat in the race.
  
• Visualize the venue. Where will the wind come from? What marks will you use?
  
• Know the rules, not so much the "right-of-way" rules, but the ones pertaining to the race committee. Read them again; maybe some of what you "know" is wrong. And especially, be sure to read the definitions in the back of the book.
  
• Know the sailing instructions. They govern the RC as much as the racers. Pay particular attention to what the RC is to do.
  
• Come equipped with what you'll need. Does every RC boat have what they'll need before leaving the dock?
  • Radios & designated channel for communication. Check battery levels.
  • Flags & staffs: At least "C", "S", "M", & "N"
  • Forms & pencils: For recording starts, finishes & observations.
• Ask the racers. Do they want longer races & maybe fewer or shorter & more of them? What is the minimum wind they want for a start? What's the maximum they're comfortable with.
  
• Use your best judgment. Would you want to race in these conditions?
  
• Think ahead: It's a chess game. Don't wait till it all goes wrong, have a plan to deal with it.

Pitfalls:

• Setting an unfair starting line. It should be square (perpendicular) to the wind and long enough for all the boats. (Total length of all the boats + 25%; make it longer in windy conditions or for planing boats. Make it a little shorter for light air & slow boats.) An unfair line disadvantages some of the boats and causes general recalls.
  
• Calling a course too long for the time limit in the conditions. Can the boats complete the course in one-half to two-thirds the time limit?
  
• Not paying attention during the race. Get your head out of the boat & look around. Monitor the fleet's progress against the time limit.
  
• Scoring racers "DSQ". Can't do it; they're entitled to a hearing (except in very limited circumstances). Protest the offenders by notifying after racing & file a protest form.
  
• Outside help: A boat breaks rule 41 if you respond to their request for information not given to all racers or peculiar to their situation. An appropriate response to such a request is, "If we answer that, we have to protest you."

Tricks:

• Is the line square? Face directly into the wind & hold out one arm perpendicular to the wind, with your hand vertical. If's pointing straight at the pin end, the line's square.  If it's pointing below the pin, rotate your hand flat & extend your thumb. If your thumb's on the pin, the boat end is favored five degrees (5º).
  
• Watch the boats sailing. That will tell you more about the wind than what's happening at your boat. In particular, if the boats can't lay the line on either tack, postpone & re-set. If they sail upwind less than 30 degrees off the course to the upwind mark, postpone & choose a new course or re-set the weather mark.
  
• Monitor the boats as they sail the course. As the leaders reach each mark, figure the elapsed time and multiply by the length of course remaining. Will they finish before the time limit? Do you need to adjust the course?
  • Example: The time limit is 90 minutes, the course is four laps and after 30 minutes the boats have completed two laps; they should finish in about 60 minutes -- within the time limit.
  • But, if they've completed only 1 1/2 laps after 30 minutes, they'll run past the time limit.
   
• Anticipate what the RC may need to do next. Change course or shorten course? The support boat(s) will need time to get there & get ready.
  
• Setting marks quickly & accurately: Keep the anchor in the boat & trail the mark & rode. Where you drop the anchor is where the mark will end up, as the anchor drops down & pulls everything with it.