I want to tell you a short story to give you background, then ask for
your advice about entering a race series.

I have rearranged my schedule so that I can sail next June-October in
a Wednesday night "Beer-Can" race series. I'll be sailing a Catalina
250 or 27 in the "Cruiser" class. (No spinnakers)

I would like to implement a plan that does the following:

1. Put together a crew. (Or if I can put together two crews, we can
practice/race together to keep an edge on and learn together until
June.)

2. Begin practicing and learning on Wednesdays until June.

3. Compete and do well in the series.

My background/experience:
a. Completed beginner, intermediate and advanced U.S. Navy classes
(qualified to rent Cat 250's and Cat 27's.)
b. Crewed in a few races.
c. 100+ hours local sailing experience.

I have several books on racing and rules. I understand the basics of
rules, but right now, lose most rules in the heat of the moment. I've
ordered a bunch of sailing books.

I'm getting a feel for rigging and getting in a groove upwind, but
have no clue what I'm doing downwind. (If the strategy is anything but
head for the downwind mark, I'm not sure what course(s) to steer and
why.) I'm starting to build checklists for what to do at the dock, in
the hour before the race, etc. so I can get into a structure routine.

So..... My questions...

How do you like my plan?
What is your advice on things to do, include or avoid?
What can I do when there are no other boats around to find out how I'm
doing?

Richard,
There is a lot of different elements to this and though I do not like
the practice, I will answer in-line for clarity.

Richard wrote:
I want to tell you a short story to give you background, then ask for
your advice about entering a race series.

I have rearranged my schedule so that I can sail next June-October in
a Wednesday night "Beer-Can" race series. I'll be sailing a Catalina
250 or 27 in the "Cruiser" class. (No spinnakers)
Which? And is it your boat?

I would like to implement a plan that does the following:

1. Put together a crew. (Or if I can put together two crews, we can
practice/race together to keep an edge on and learn together until
June.)
This will be the hard part. Find people that seriously want to be crew
and then impress on them that every member of the crew(team) has to show
up (at least) or there is no crew.

2. Begin practicing and learning on Wednesdays until June.
Good Idea

3. Compete and do well in the series.
You hope.... People tend to think that JAM/JOG (jib and main/ jib or
genny) is easier racing than the spinnaker classes. I got news for
you.... If you come around here and expect that you will finish
mid-fleet the first season, you will not likely be disappointed.

My background/experience:
a. Completed beginner, intermediate and advanced U.S. Navy classes
(qualified to rent Cat 250's and Cat 27's.)
That's good
b. Crewed in a few races.
Good Start
c. 100+ hours local sailing experience.
There are 168 hours in a week.

I have several books on racing and rules. I understand the basics of
rules, but right now, lose most rules in the heat of the moment.
You better fix that before the first start. Learn and understand the
basics COLD Port/Stbd, Windward/Leeward and Room at the Mark - Then
study to learn what changes them.

I've ordered a bunch of sailing books.
I hope two are the Gladstone books.

I'm getting a feel for rigging and getting in a groove upwind, but
have no clue what I'm doing downwind. (If the strategy is anything but
head for the downwind mark, I'm not sure what course(s) to steer and
why.)
Join the club... This could well be the toughest part of JAM sailing.
What you do is completely boat and condition specific.
Hint - Until the wind is solid enough to hold you over hull speed
trimmed as wing and wing, you will probably want to tack down wind.
Dead down is usually slow. Spinnaker - JAM it doesn't matter.

I'm starting to build checklists for what to do at the dock, in
the hour before the race, etc. so I can get into a structure routine.
Things to do before you depart: Check the weather. Pack enough drinks
and snacks. Check the Weather. and Oh-yes Check the local weather.

Understanding what your local weather does, what the reports mean out on
your racing ground and how changes typically occur is second in
importance only to you tactics in these club (aka beer can) races.

So..... My questions...

How do you like my plan?
So Far - So good.
What is your advice on things to do, include or avoid?
Sail for as many seasons as you can in spite of the fact that you will
probably get your ass kicked for the entire first season. When you
start finishing in the middle of the fleet, get a set of good used
sails. When you are near third more than a few times in the season, go
out a get a completely new set of race quality sails (expect 4k$).

Important things to do. Keep your crew happy. Be sure that shouting to
be heard does not sound like shouting at the crew. You don't have to
buy all the beer, but shouldn't beat them up when you/they are learning.
Mistakes will happen (if there is no blood - it wasn't a big mistake).

Get your crew to communicate (use standard signals):
Ready About
Ready port
Ready stbd
Ready frwd
Hard A Lee ..... etc.

Learn the boat - expect this to take at least a season. It typically
takes someone that has been sailing forever most of a season to do any
good with a new boat that is very different than what he has been sailing.

What can I do when there are no other boats around to find out how I'm
doing?
Not much... This is why IACC teams have trial horses. If you have
really complete instruments (must have true wind speed and bearing) you
can still only know how you are doing against the boats VPP tables.

This is probably more answer than you wanted, but it really is about a
minimum for the questions asked.

I always advise anybody with interest to sail as crew for a couple or
more years before buying a boat to complete.

Don't know how? Go find the club that puts on the races. Have a seabag
packed with essentials (clothing, foul weather gear, sunscreen...) and
maybe a 6 of something and stand around the club. someone will need
crew (always). Maybe just rail meat, but you will get to meet the
people that you need to. When you talk to them, be clear about what you
know and what you don't - if they have to find out you don't know, you
may not get invited along again.

Everybody (else) had to start sometime. If you want to be dependable
crew, there is always a need.

Me - I must have started too, but it was soo long ago and I was so young
that I really don't remember. I've brought others in though.

Matt Colie
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner and Perpetual Sailor

Practice and Practice.

Tack over tack back. One after the other. Only tacking back when you regain
full speed and are on the right course, with crew in the correct positions..
Time it!
Jibe over jibe back. Only jibing back once the crew have settled and you
have the boat on the correct course.
Pole out. Pole in. Repeat Repeat Repeat.

I think you get my point. Now thats the easy bit!!!

The hard bit will be tactics- Knowing when you are being Gassed or when you
should luff someone up for instance.

Downwind, the boat will take itself much of the time. Its only your tactics
that will get you there faster. Learn to "surf" waves.
Learn to sail the shifts. Bearing up in the lulls and bearing away in the
puffs. Your "proper course" is rarely the shortest distance between two
marks.

Sail trim. Remember the line
"When in Doubt , Let it out"
Teach it to your crew. Better yet. Find a crew with lot of racing
experience. Ask around the club, someone will know someone.

And without doubt the most important thing to remember, if you are going to
be the skipper, stay calm and cool at all times. Never yell, scream, swear
at your crew. Screaming and Freaking skippers send shockwaves of negativity
through a boat and will slow it down as the crew lose motivation over the
race or races.

We have a no "F" word policy on the boat. From the 5 minute gun unitll the
finish line the "F" word is banned.
You can only say it if you draw blood. Otherwise each "F" word is a shout at
the bar later. Not that we really care about swearing, we are a pretty
blokey bunch. But it helps to remind everyone to stay calm and not get
heated with each other.

Good luck

DP



"Richard" wrote in message
ps.com...
I want to tell you a short story to give you background, then ask for
your advice about entering a race series.

I have rearranged my schedule so that I can sail next June-October in
a Wednesday night "Beer-Can" race series. I'll be sailing a Catalina
250 or 27 in the "Cruiser" class. (No spinnakers)

I would like to implement a plan that does the following:

1. Put together a crew. (Or if I can put together two crews, we can
practice/race together to keep an edge on and learn together until
June.)

2. Begin practicing and learning on Wednesdays until June.

3. Compete and do well in the series.

My background/experience:
a. Completed beginner, intermediate and advanced U.S. Navy classes
(qualified to rent Cat 250's and Cat 27's.)
b. Crewed in a few races.
c. 100+ hours local sailing experience.

I have several books on racing and rules. I understand the basics of
rules, but right now, lose most rules in the heat of the moment. I've
ordered a bunch of sailing books.

I'm getting a feel for rigging and getting in a groove upwind, but
have no clue what I'm doing downwind. (If the strategy is anything but
head for the downwind mark, I'm not sure what course(s) to steer and
why.) I'm starting to build checklists for what to do at the dock, in
the hour before the race, etc. so I can get into a structure routine.

So..... My questions...

How do you like my plan?
What is your advice on things to do, include or avoid?
What can I do when there are no other boats around to find out how I'm
doing?

A famous champion was once asked what was the most difficult step he took on
his way to the championship, and he said, "The first one."


"Richard" wrote in message
ps.com...

What is your advice on things to do, include or avoid?

"Phil Rhodes" wrote in message
. ..
A famous champion was once asked what was the most difficult step he took
on his way to the championship, and he said, "The first one."


(snip)

My worst step was Off The Wharf and I missed the boat!

DP

My Wife and I have been sailing as crew on another skipper's boat for the
past year, let me share our perspective on this with you, and you can draw
your own conclusions. I'm sure your experience has been similar, but maybe
you can learn a thing or two from ours.

1. Take the time to work with your crew to bring them up to speed. They may
not be available for prctice once a week, but would likely be willing to
arrive early on race day, or to go out for a sail as their schedule permits.
Our skipper hasn't taken the time to really practice with us, and we wish he
had. We have learned routines with him, but still aren't clear on what is
going on at the starts, and are basically following orders. A real bonus
would be to take time at the end of the race to go over what worked and what
didn't. All too often, we douse the sails, fire up the engine and motor back
to the marina. It would be better to take a 10 minute sail talk about the
race, and practice whatever went wrong once or twice so we can see how things
should have gone.

2. Take ownership. You may think that green crew doesn't know whats going on,
but when the skip is telling you to get the tell-tails flying, and you look
up at the windex and see that he's got you too close to the wind, you aren't
going to accept it no matter how long the skip tells you that the boat speed
is your fault. On our boat whatever goes wrong is the crew's fault, or
excuses start coming out... sailing into a calm, a wind shift, poor start
line placement, etc. After about 2 races we were on to the excuses. The is
the single biggest impediment to getting my wife out and on the boat right
now. She's tired of being told what she's doing wrong, when she isn't doing
anything wrong. If she is doing something wrong, she'd rather hear what to do
to make it right.

3. Be sure that your crew is happy with their roles, and good at them. My
wife has been assigned foredeck. She is light and nimble, and is able to call
out where the wind is, guide the foresail around the stays etc. quite adeptly.
Our skipper is happy to have her up there. She wishes she was in the cockpit
learing to run the boat. Of course the skip always helms, and he likes me on
the sheets for my strength. In our sailing classes my wife was wicked-awesome
at the helm. If we buy a boat and get into racing, she will helm for sure;
unless she wants to do something else...

4. Doing well in competition can be measured many ways. Is it having fun?
Crossing the line with the best time? Beating the other boats with the same
PHRF? Let your crew know what your measure of doing well is, and let them
know how they can contribute to the goal.

Maybe in your outline below "put together a Crew" covers all these things. I
just hope some of my thoughts are helpful in your successful season!

Prospector.

Richard wrote:
I want to tell you a short story to give you background, then ask for
your advice about entering a race series.

I have rearranged my schedule so that I can sail next June-October in
a Wednesday night "Beer-Can" race series. I'll be sailing a Catalina
250 or 27 in the "Cruiser" class. (No spinnakers)

I would like to implement a plan that does the following:

1. Put together a crew. (Or if I can put together two crews, we can
practice/race together to keep an edge on and learn together until
June.)

2. Begin practicing and learning on Wednesdays until June.

3. Compete and do well in the series.

My background/experience:
a. Completed beginner, intermediate and advanced U.S. Navy classes
(qualified to rent Cat 250's and Cat 27's.)
b. Crewed in a few races.
c. 100+ hours local sailing experience.

I have several books on racing and rules. I understand the basics of
rules, but right now, lose most rules in the heat of the moment. I've
ordered a bunch of sailing books.

I'm getting a feel for rigging and getting in a groove upwind, but
have no clue what I'm doing downwind. (If the strategy is anything but
head for the downwind mark, I'm not sure what course(s) to steer and
why.) I'm starting to build checklists for what to do at the dock, in
the hour before the race, etc. so I can get into a structure routine.

So..... My questions...

How do you like my plan?
What is your advice on things to do, include or avoid?
What can I do when there are no other boats around to find out how I'm
doing?

--
Message posted via BoatKB.com
http://www.boatkb.com/Uwe/Forums.asp...iling/200710/1

Thanks. I appreciate your comments.

I've been a teacher for many years, so I hope by now I'd be good with
a crew in a training situation. I really would like it to be a team
effort with everyone contributing. I hope I can be more like the
skipper you want.