The river is dropping fast and we will be sailing soon! Current predictions show it to drop below no-wake level sometime late next week (June 12th?). For those of you with boats on E or F docks at St. Croix Marina, you should be able to drive out to your boats this weekend! The road to those docks opens up at around 684.3.
Time to prep your boats!
Up, Up, Up, goes the river… Looks like it’s rising to 686 and will stay there for a while. So, no racing any time soon. For those who just want to go for a leisurely sail, St. Croix Marina is under water – so most of our club can’t even get to their boats. (insult to injury, huh?)
I have some good news, though: The Spring Picnic on Saturday is ON! The races are canceled, but let’s all get together anyway and talk about the good times. Stop by any time after 3pm. Dinner will begin around 4pm. More details can be found on the Dave O’Donnell Memorial Regatta page.
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
The river is still rising, so Beercan Race #1 (5/24) has been abandoned. We had hoped to hold a party on the Point, but the marina is under water, so that’s a no-go as well.
The river is expected to remain high for a while, so sit tight – we’ll be racing again soon.
One great thing I can confirm is that the Spring Picnic on Saturday, June 1st WILL HAPPEN! If the Dave O’Donnell Memorial Regatta is abandoned, we’ll have a cruise to the O’Donnell house and the picnic on shore! Stay tuned for details, but I think a star raft may be involved!
Find out more about that regatta and the Spring Picnic by clicking here.
The latest river forecast shows the river to be above 683′ for at least the next 7 days. Therefore, the Tuesday Spring #1 race has been postponed to June 27th. The Beercan #1 Race on Friday, May 24th also looks unlikely. Note that the forecasts are just that – estimates. They are known to change dramatically, so cross your fingers and keep an eye on the river level website: https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=mpx&gage=stlm5
The Race Committee will update this page from time to time as river level predictions come in. Note that racing is automatically suspended whenever the river is above 683ft.
Why do we postpone or cancel racing when the river is above 683 feet? Because the DNR imposes a “no-wake zone” on the river. The definition of no-wake zone requires boats to be at closed throttle, and at no time above 5 mph. So, while sailboats rarely leave much of a wake, racing with a max speed of 5 mph wouldn’t make much sense…
Due to the high water levels, the Breaking Waves race scheduled for Saturday has been postponed to June 15th. The Spring #1 race on May 21st is still too close to call – the river *may* be low enough, depending on the amount of rain we get this weekend. Stay tuned for more information – it may be a last minute decision.
Notice of Race
Sailing Instructions
Other Documents
This is an addendum to the previous Start Line Etiquette post based upon feedback about a recent race.
Our SI’s have a rule about them (11.5):
“Boats with transom mounted engines shall have their engine stowed aboard or left mounted with the shaft in the vertical position from the preparatory signal until after that boat starts the race.”
Your Prepatory signal is the blue/white flag which is raised one minute after your division pennant.
The definition of START in the US Sailing RRS (roughly speaking) is the point when your boat crosses the start line and is clear of any start line penalties. If you were OCS (over early), you cannot raise your motor until you re-cross the start line.
In simple terms: Keep your outboard stowed or left in vertical position during your sequence until after you cross the start line without penalties.
Per RRS 42.1 and the preface to Part 4, you cannot use your motor WHILE RACING.
What is RACING? Per the definition (roughly speaking), you are racing from your Prepatory signal until you finish and clear the finish line.
The St. Croix Sailing Club has a busy starting area. With 2, 3, or more starts, and over 25 boats in many races, the start line can be a confusing time. Here are some tips to keep your boat in good standing with your fellow racers, the RRS, and the Race Committee.
It is the area between and around the Committee Boat and the nearby mark (orange buoy to port). Any boat currently in sequence defines this area, and all other boats MUST keep clear!
The R/C regularly notes that boats not currently racing interfere with boats currently in sequence and racing. (see RRS definition of “racing”) If you are affected by this, speak up – to the offending boats and to your R/C. Protest if required.
Program your GPS devices ONLY when your division flag is flying. The R/C is permitted to reset her position between start sequences. The Orange flag may or may not be dropped during these changes. (see Orange Flag below)
The R/C recognizes that our shortened 4-minute sequence may contribute to crowding on the start line. SCSC may return to the standard RRS 26 sequence in 2018 to alleviate congestion at the start line.
If the flag for your division isn’t flying, then stay away from the starting area. This is for several reasons:
Interfering with other boats currently in sequence carries harsh penalties! Please stay away or pay very close attention to other boats around you.
If your start is upcoming, simply pay attention to the flags on the Committee Boat. They are huge and visible from quite a distance. You’re welcome to venture close, but pay attention to other boats currently in sequence.
Prior to every sequence, the R/C hails via VHF 72 and sounds 5 horns prior to the start of each sequence.
The staff holding the orange/red flag on the Committee Boat denotes the starboard end of the start line. Anyone above the line drawn between that staff (per SI’s) and the course side of the port mark shall be called OCS (over early).
The Orange Flag has no bearing on the Committee Boat’s status – she could be setting anchor and drifting or resetting due to a drifting anchor. Or she could be parked and waiting for late boats to approach the line.
Traditional courtesy states that the Orange Flag flies when the Committee Boat is on station at the starboard end of the start line. While the Race Committee will continue to honor this courtesy to the best of their ability, it’s important to note that this cannot always be done!
That massive Orange/Red bedsheet has a story behind it… Ask KT sometime.
The Committee Boat must be on station (anchored, not drifting) no later than the Prepatory Signal (RRS 27.2). Our R/C extends this to the Warning signal out of courtesy, but it is not required of the R/C and will not be grounds for redress.
This is a question that comes up from time to time. Here are the specifics!
Race Results can be found on the Results page.
Yacht of the Year results are broken into two sections. The top of the page includes overall “Series” results for each division. This is your standing to date for the overall YOY trophy.
YOY races use the Low Point scoring system – the fewer points your boat has, the better! Note that discards come into play after a certain number of races throughout the year – these can change the standings dramatically and give additional boats a chance for year-end awards.
The above is an example of the overall series scoring for Division 1. It is found at the top of the Yacht of the Year results.
Sailed: Number of races sailed to date
Discards: Number of discarded races based on number of sailed races (see SI’s). Discarded races appear in parentheses.
Rating System: We use PHRF Time on Time for ratings. See the Ratings and Divisions page for more details.
Entries: Number of boats registered in the division
Total: Total number of points a boat has accumulated
Nett: Number of points, excluding discards
Notes: See the Ratings and Divisions page for more details.
Note that SCSC also presents awards based on standings for each sub-series (Spring, Summer, and Fall). Those are published as needed, and typically just prior to the award ceremony.
The above is an example of the individual race scoring for Division 1, Spring Series race #1. It is found below Overall Scoring for Yacht of the Year results.
Start: Which start the division participated in for this race. Typically 1, 2, or 3.
Finishes: Means that the “Finish” column is an exact recording of the time on the R/C’s stopwatch. This time, minus the Start Time (see “Time” below) equals the Elapsed Time.
Time: Time of the Start signal. Our R/C uses stopwatches started at an arbitrary time. Some clubs use GPS time.
Distance: Distance of the course, typically measured to the hundredth of a mile.
Course: The course sailed. This field usually does not denote changes of course or shortening of course.
Wind dir: Average wind direction during the race.
Ave wind: Average wind speed, as noticed by the R/C occasionally at the start and during the race.
PHRF TOT: The boat’s PHRF handicap for Time-On-Time scoring. See the Ratings and Divisions page for more details.
Finish: Finish time, as recorded on the R/C’s stopwatches. (also see “Time” above)
Elapsed: Actual time to sail the course. “Finish” minus “Time” fields.
Corrected: Elapsed time adjusted for the boat’s handicap via a nifty mathematical formula.
BCE: (Back Calculated Elapsed) Shows how much time you needed to knock off your elapsed time to win.
Points: How many points the boat gained in this race.
Notes: See the Ratings and Divisions page for an explanation of the codes used here. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
Beercan Races are similar to Yacht of the Year races, with two major distinctions:
SCSC holds many other types of races throughout the year. Aside from Beercan races, they are typically scored using the Low Point system (like the YOY races). See the NOR or SI’s of each event for specifics.