Racing with the Alberg 30 Association is a friendly affair. Oh,
to be sure, the die-hard racers are out there to win. But the cruisers
are also out there, just to have a good time. In the process, they
become better sailors. And they all, racers and cruisers, raft up
together at the end of the day for a party. It's a family.
Do you want to do your first race? Well, there are two things that
are essential:
Get a couple of "G" flags.
You need to fly these, one
on the bow pulpit and one on the backstay, to show that you're
racing in the Alberg 30 class. (You shouldn't be flying any other flag or burgee when racing.)
- Fill out an entry form (found in the Green Book)
and send it into the sponsoring yacht club for the
race (with appropriate fees, specified in the Sailing Instructions).
To be sure, if you're going to race frequently or competitively, you
should join CBYRA (Chesapeake Bay
Yacht Racing Association) and consider joining US Sailing, too. These are the organizations that make
racing happen in the United States and on the Chesapeake Bay.
They deserve your support.
If you have any questions, or need any information about a race,
you can always contact the Racing Commodore.
Racing Rules
But what about those complicated and difficult
racing rules?
Wikipedia has a pretty good summary
of the racing rules, along with the committee boat signal flags.
A member of the A30 Association, who wishes to remain anonymous for reasons of liability, has provided a simplified
cheat sheet to the racing rules.
This will get you started, and will cover most situations out on the water.
The class has rules on permitted sails.
The definitive reference to the one-design class rules is the bylaws published each year in the Handbook.
Other useful links
|
Offshore Sailing
by Bill Seifert with Daniel Spurr
We went to a Windjammers lecture to hear Bill Seifert and I was impressed enough to buy
the book on the spot. I've heard a lot of people talk about ways to improve a boat, but
I've never heard one person suggest so many good ideas that I hadn't considered. Part
of the charm is the specificity of the suggestions. Everyone says you should secure your
floorboards, hatchboards and batteries. Bill shows good suggestions on how to do so.
The suggestions are very practical for the do-it-yourselfer, too. Many show how to
make or adapt inexpensive solutions. Tip #12 on closing the deck blower vents is one
that will pay off for me without ever going offshore. I'll implement that one to
stop the wintertime storms from finding their way belowdecks.
Besides modifications, the book also includes advice for operating offshore, cooking,
boat selection, dealing with bureaucracy, and more.
Bill Seifert has worked at Tartan, TPI, and Alden Yachts. He's a veteran of many
Marion-Bermuda races and now runs his own yacht management company. His tips are
born of experience--not of book-learning--and it shows. He obviously knows his
stuff.
(Note: commissions earned from this link help defray the costs of this website)
|
|
|
