Flying Scots Fleet Race in Tampa and Sarasota

Today’s update is for last weekends Flying Scot fleet racing from Tampa on Saturday and Sarasota on Sunday, we tried both.

We’ll start with Saturday, a check of the internet wind reports in the morning looks pretty good, southeast at 12. While an easterly is likely to fade some around midday, at least it is solid enough that I expect some decent sailing. The first start is scheduled for 1pm and we are running late leaving the house. On top of that, we hit a lot of traffic near the airport construction area, which then gets worse on I-275. I’m getting pretty aggravated, as I usually am when sitting in traffic, not exactly the frame of mind you want for racing. So after 1 ½ hours (should be about 40 minutes) we arrive at the club and see quite a few boats on the bay, sitting almost completely still. Even though it is now after 1pm we have not missed anything, except some drifting. We hit the elevated club balcony for a better look at the bay and it’s not good. The funny thing was, the club had a light easterly breeze but about halfway between it and the pack of motionless boats, it transitioned to glass smooth water. So what to do? We probably have time to rig and launch but with little to no motivation, we decide to hang out on the balcony to see what the wind does.

The wind transition line seems stubborn, unwilling to give the Scots, J-24’s and Melges any relief. However, very near the club shoreline a few lasers and Opti’s are busy with some short course drills, they have wind. Go figure.



The wind readings from the club - the bay wasn't nearly this good. UGH! You gotta love those yellow direction arrows.

For about the next hour our conversation goes something like this:

Well what should we do?
I don’t know, you think the wind will come?
Maybe, but probably not till 4 o’clock, maybe never
At least it is cool in the shade of the clubhouse
We might be better off than those drifters
Maybe we should get a beer?
We could but then we’d have to leave the balcony.
It would be bad form to drink outside beer (we aren’t members) on the club balcony
We could bag it and head home
Yeah, but then we get to sit in traffic again
Which is worse?
Not sure
Well, let’s wait a little
That crazy breeze line still hasn’t moved
They must be pissed, you know they can see it
I bet they are
Maybe the traffic is better now
Maybe, at least the Van has A/C
At least if we go home we can play with Missy
That’s it, lets go…

The traffic isn’t better...
For about the next hour we can’t print much of what Dave has to say.

That was the shoreside angle, here is the on-water take from Andy Hayward:

This Saturday's single race was a real test of sanity, be sure to ask Dave Bell about his back up skipper's intervention, hilarious!
The fleet of six Scots was equal to the Melges 24's and three shy of the J/24's turnout. We had a nameless
(Dave and Kim Thinel FS #812) boat attend, but they made the call of the day and stayed firmly tied to their trailex!
The fleet pushed off around 1230 in a spotty breeze generally in the southerly quadrant. The RC postponed and the fleets drifted and waited. Stewart and Drew Taylor, FS #4321 had the right idea and had a blast swimming and splashing around in the cool bay water. At 1445 Andy and Lisa Hayward, FS #38 spotted a small Easterly puff and decided the was the ticket to ride back to the club. Tied up and all set for a cold one at the bar, Lisa foolishly points out that it appears that the Melges are racing, Huh? It's back in #38 and we slowly limp back toward the starting area, Lisa muttering something about finding a cutthroat divorce attorney. Settle down honey, we are only 8 minutes late for the start, anything can happen in light air right? More muttering about visitation rights. We were close enough to see a boat hit the first puff and quickly jump to a 200 yard lead, (too far to read a sail number). Turns out too be Dean Bell in his snappy new racer, FS #5477, well done Dean! The hot 4k Easterly does exactly what hot Easterly's do and craps out. Dean holds his lead, Team #38 rallies hard, passes a boat, and scares the pack, Lisa still muttering something that ended in "idiot". www.diyc.org


I'm back,now it’s Sunday and we are off to Sarasota. Upon returning home on Saturday, I checked the wind in Sarasota and was pleased to see that the seabreeze kicked in close to 10 for the afternoon. Nice. Hope for some of that today.

We actually got to the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in less time than it took to get to Tampa yesterday, even though it is about double (or more) the distance. As we set up Pig Pen, the seabreeze begins to fill in from the west. We leave the dock in about 8 which builds and holds in the 10 -12 range for the rest of the day. The tide is up, so the water is really clear and beautiful, we know we made a good decision to come. I think there were 8 other Flying Scots who made the same good decision and everyone enjoyed the perfect day.


Random photo before departure, I'm fairly certain that I would become a regular under that dock-mounted-shelter-thing, if I were to join this club

There must have been a PHRF race as well since there were more sailboats out than I think we’ve ever seen before. Perhaps it was a distance race, not too sure though. It all seemed pretty random to us. Then again we may have appeared random at times as well with having to locate the compass course marks. There were a few “oh shits” followed by a quick tack or jibe, once a mark was spotted. I intended to bring the GPS but of course, I forgot it. Worse than that was Kim forgot her clothes, well I should say her “sailing” clothes: ie: padded shorts, gloves, sailing shoes, hat and god knows what else. She didn’t completely forget them, they are all neatly packed in the “sailing bag” which is probably sitting on the bed, all ready to go…. Oops. She is a little cranky as a result, I’m keeping quiet.

We do the rabbit start thing again this week and I’m WAY late crossing “Ron the Rabbit”s” stern, fortunately, we hit the left side and quickly make up the deficit. We round first, just ahead of Fred and Cathy Strammer and hold on for the win. This is our second day trying out a new to us but used set of Mad Sails, we continue to do well with them.

The second race was similar to the first but our start was good, we work the left side and we are two for two. Kim’s crankyness has subsided considerably and life is good.


Here is a shot of one of the newer additions to the fleet. This would be a good place to add his name and such, but I can't remember. What can I say?


I mess up the start in the third race again, I think Ron seems to take delight in sailing much higher than I expect, leaving me really late for the cross. We enjoy a joke or two with the Twinems about how screwed we are once Ron’s angle becomes apparent. So, off the start we are pretty deep but we manage to get a shift or two and get left so we are third at the top mark behind Ron and Fred. We end that race with Ron clear ahead and Fred and us overlapped, not too bad.


Spotted this one on the return trip to the club, kinda matches the color motif of old FS#38 in Tampa, this is a truly unique vessel. (click to enlarge) I know, zooming in a little would have been a cool thing to try.


This wind graph from Sarasota on Sunday is where it's at!

The weekly, spur of the moment April fleet race program seems to be a hit. How come no one thought of this sooner?

Flying Scots Fleet Race in Sarasota

Heading out of the basin with other Scots following


We decided to head down to Sarasota to join in the fleet racing fun. Actually, Chuck Tanner the fleet captain, was thinking that it seems a shame that the District season ends in March, yet the weather in April and early May is awesome. To try to take advantage of the weather he suggested fleet racing each Sunday throughout the month of April. Its an informal thing but the interest seems to be there, so its cool. Chuck crewed for Jeff Penfield and they served as the rabbit for each of the three starts. We used the existing compass course laid out in Sarasota Bay so going informal with no RC is not such a big deal.

We did three races in really perfect weather see the wind graph which follows:


There were eight Scots in attendance including Ron Pletsch and Jim Egan who both single handed. I think we all took turns getting lost, well not exactly lost, we knew where we were but not always where the marks were. Ron's idea of repainting the marks seems like a good one to me. The faded out marks long since covered by bird _____ are not that easy to spot from a mile away and thats not even taking the beer into consideration. We have decided to bring the GPS next time.

We had one of those "you wouldn't believe it moments" as we were finishing the first race somewhat tightly bunched and under spinnaker. As we are finishing a small cruiser (Catalina 22 perhaps) comes reaching into the fleet, on port tack, under main and jib and three adults relaxing in the cockpit. We think he said something about how he was trying to get out of the way. Hmmmm. If you haven't been to Sarasota Bay, trust me, it is a BIG bay. The racing area is in the southern half and is way west of the intercoastal channel, and is away from any shoals, channels or other obstructions. So we just finish, are on starboard and we are taking down the chute when it becomes clear the guy is on a collision course with us and maybe others too and he's not going to change course. While Kim is gathering the chute I tell her we need to jibe to avoid the guy and we do. I was remarkably composed (some who know me well can verify this) and told him we did not mean to get in his way. OK, so a little sarcasm but WTF!? I'm thinking: you got the whole freakin Bay!!!


In a calmer moment: on the return to the club we cross the sandbar and see some fish, so I tried a picture, no you can't see anything...


Here we pass the kids doing drills on the 420's I tried to get a shot of 4 of them coming together at the same time, I guess thats what we might have looked like with the cruiser...

Pig Pen is ...on TV!

This is the way to look at your favorite sailing pictures


At this size it looks like the boat could run you over




Ok so this wasn't on ESPN or anything but since I purchased the CD from PhotoBoat.com I was able to play it in the DVD player. They look great on the new (ish) 42" Plazma HD TV. The pics are sharp even when viewed full screen and the colors vivid. I have to admit, I viewed the slideshow quite a few times.

Does Your Club Measure Up?

The content here is taken from Sailing World Magazine back in 2004 and was written by John Burnham. Seemed like some good ideas that more clubs could put into practice.

Clubs exist to promote sailing. They should subsidize it, in fact. It doesn't matter if you belong to a yacht club, sailing club, or sailing association. Your organization's main thrust--and most of your dues--should go toward generating healthy on-the-water activity. Consider this checklist and then decide if your club might have any course corrections to make.

Sailboat racing provides an organized activity that brings people together. Your club should have a regular schedule of races for handicap or one-design classes, ideally both. You'll also need well-kept safety and support craft, plus race committee gear, which give other members a chance to be involved.

Day sailing events and club cruises bring people together, too, and change the pace. They're fun for all--racers, cruisers, and powerboat owners. Any time you offer club members an excuse to set off on a group excursion, you'll find they return with stronger bonds to each other and their club.

Social activities are another great way to bring people together. (Notice a theme here?) Use any excuse to have a party--the opening-day extravaganza the awards banquet, the new-member welcome, the Fourth of July dinner dance, etc. You can also round up people to work on a project, attend a seminar, or hear a presentation. Each is both a social activity and a way to let people with a shared interest make connections and have fun.

Youth and adult training are at least as important as all of the above--and should be the activity most heavily subsidized by member dues. Nobody will argue that youth instructors and coaches are vital; but consider how easy your club makes it for adults to learn, either through classes or low-key crewing opportunities. Whether you have a big staff or volunteers only, finding ways of teaching others is vital to perpetuating the institution. Of all the values that sailors share, passing on what we know is the greatest.

The corollary to passing it on is giving back. Whether it's volunteering for race-committee duty, hiring instructors, or helping to balance the budget, this common spirit should be encouraged; it's one of sailing's best traditions.

Lastly, to fulfill its mission your club should regularly stage special events. Hosting a one-design nationals or other major regatta provides the club with a visible badge of honor and gives members a view of a higher standard of racing. Even more important are intramural events that mix sailors from different classes and generations. These can be as structured as match racing and team racing, or as hilarious as an anchored-start race or water-balloon tag.

For extra credit, maintain a list of those interested in crewing, both at the club and on its website. And if you can afford it, a small fleet of club-owned boats will multiply the race formats available and make adult instruction a breeze. Such a fleet also attracts younger adult members and keeps others who are between boats.

Some clubs have magnificent waterfront facilities; others operate on paper and websites only. Some enjoy tie-and-jacket formality; others dress up in T-shirts and sandals. Your club is unique and should be celebrated above all for its success in drawing people to enjoy the water, compete against each other, work together, relax together, teach each other, and share more than a few laughs.

I wonder why he didn't suggest having a kick-ass blog!?

Flying Scot Midwinter Photos by Photoboat.com

These people do a great job getting right in the action with their small, fast inflatable boats. I purchased a CD from them with a lot of great shots and posted a couple of them here. If you click the image it should go full screen and be really clear and sharp. Go to their website to see the rest of the Midwinters shots and many other regattas as well. The link is in the right column.


Here we are trying to break the boom!




A little fast reaching before the start to rinse off the crew, she loved that



Taking aim at that pesky little inflatable boat, missed again



Moving along in a nice puff, with the pole too low, I hate it when that happens


This one made it into my batch of photos so for equal time I posted it. Coincidentally, I purchased a used set of North sails from Joe (the skipper)a few years ago.


What the heck is this? See the comments below. This is Veranda owner of the "boat pole of speed". For more of thier adventure see my links in the right column. I wonder what is wrong with the mainsail?