Wednesday videos and dinner

 We're gathering on the 14th, at 6 pm, to reminisce and watch videos of the season. Join us!

Gathering this Wednesday

 Ah ha! Remember that we're gathering this Wednesday at Miles River YC for dinner, drinks, and some videos. It's like a Wednesday night in the summer, with no dock times, sailing, or folding sails!

Sounds like they're serving comfort food this week with homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans - $12. Of course, you can order off the regular menu too.

Wednesdays all Winter

 Join us at MRYC on November 2nd for dinner specials, drink specials, and videos!

We'll have an event once a month just for fun! Look for other gatherings at MRYC on:

December 14th, 

February 1st, 

March 1st,

April 5th.

ORR-EZ scoring

For those of you who race in the handicap classes, we're looking at new handicap systems to use. Here is an example of the last few races using ORR-EZ

https://nextsailor.com/app/scoring/view_regatta/294

It appears that the PHRF system we've used for many years is fading out quickly. The fall in participation has been quite dramatic over the last year. The regatta planning for 2023 will happen soon, and I suspect we will see very little PHRF left on the bay.

As we see change on the bay, we may also need to change. We'll explore this winter and let you know. If you have thoughts, feel free to share them here. If you have questions about ORR-EZ or these sample results, feel free to contact:

Jay - 813.220.1584

Awards tomorrow

 Remember, the awards are tomorrow at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in the Boatshop.

Everything starts at 6 pm.

This is a potluck event, so bring your favorite food and drink!

The weather looks nice with temps about 60º and light wind. We should be able to stay warm with little effort. Dress appropriate for outside.

Awards Friday!

Friday isn't far away. The awards are at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in the Boatshop.

Everything starts at 6 pm.

This is a potluck event, so we are not charging for food or drinks. 

• If your last name begins with an A-J, you should bring a dessert/salad
• If your last name begins with a K-Z, you should bring an appetizer
• If you make something special to you, you can bring that instead
• If you need something special to serve your food, bring it
• We will have some beer, but bring your favorite drink!

Making a little extra food is always good, but don't bring tons. If everyone brings food for ten, we'll have to take a lot of food home!

Last year, some people had trouble finding the boatshop. It's a very large building next to the railway and the main entrance. Look for a building with large barn doors, boats under construction inside, and signs saying Boatshop. You're probably in the wrong place if you don't see other people and equipment to build a boat.

The temp will drop quickly, so prepare to stay warm. It should be a fun evening. Hope you can make it!

Awards Oct 21st at 6 pm

The awards are on October 21st at 6 pm at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum boatshop.

It's a party! Everyone is invited. WNR sailors, log canoe sailors, cruising sailors, people who like sailors, friends, family, and groupies - invite everyone who is interested in a party.

It's outside, so we will change the date if it rains. We'll let you know as we get closer.

It's a potluck and definitely bring your own favorite beverages. We will provide some beer, but we don't know how many people will show. If you have a favorite wine or other beverage, definitely bring it!  

More info to come, but start spreading the word.

Results from 10/5

 

Yeah! That was a great season!

Congratulations to everyone who made it out this season. It was a great time out there on the water on Wednesday evenings.

Having a great night last night coming in first was Bob and Crew on La Cinquieme. Also coming in first were Joni and Ray on Cassie in the Stars as well as Jeff and crew on Honey Honey in the B class.

You can see all the results >here<

Remember the awards party is October 21st (a Friday) at 6pm at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Stay tuned for more info.

Results from 9/28

Great wind and a beautiful sunset! Glad you could make it out last night.

Congratulations to Tim's Boat for a first-place finish in the Star class. Also having a great night was UnPhased in the A class and Honey Honey in the B class.

You can see all the results >here<

Club members would love to see the decorated boats and crews prior to the race. If all the decorated boats can rendezvous west of D dock at 5:00, we can then proceed past Isabel’s and B dock before we sail out to the course. 

Sunset before 7 pm

The daylight is fleeting now, so use your running lights. We'll do what we can to get you in by sunset, but it's Wednesday night, and the wind never cooperates!

Remember that October 5th (the last Wednesday night) is a dress-up evening. Come out to race in costume, or dress the ship. The Race Committee will pick our favorite. Dennis is also organizing a rendezvous at the Club at 5 pm to see the costumes. More from Dennis later.

Remember to check the season standings. Let me know if you see an error.

We're working on the awards party planning - stand by to stand by!

Results from 9/21

 Beautiful night for racing!

Congratulations to Jeff and crew on Honey Honey for a first-place finish in the B class. Also having a great night was Matt and Eric on Manipulator in the Stars and the crew on UnPhased in the A class.

You can see all the results >here<

Remember to check the season results.

Two more nights of racing. Let's hope for some good wind!

Check those results

We're close to the end of the season, so now is the time to check those results!

When I do the season results, I copy the data from a spreadsheet into the regatta network site here:

https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=24193&show_crew=1&preview=1

 What could possibly go wrong? Many things.

• I could forget that you were on mark boat
• I could copy the data wrong
• There could be a correction I missed
• Your DNF or DNS could have the wrong points

Things happen, so check it before we finish the season!

Results from 9/7

A little rainy, but still plenty of fun sailing last night! Averaging 8 knots for a Wednesday night is so refreshing. I guess it's fall. Only 4 races left. Get in your racing now before you're looking at snow.

Congrats to Honey Honey, Manipulator, and UnPhased for finishing first. You can see all the results >HERE<

Starting early

 Remember that we're starting earlier now, 20 minutes earlier.

Star class warning at 5:45 pm.

Wednesday, September 7th, and on.

Results from 8/31

Sorry again! Too many other things happening and I forgot to post the results!

>Here< they are.

Remember we start 20 minutes earlier on September 7th and on.

Video from 8/24

Hi All,

Here is the video from the race on the 24th.

Not much wind and not much light with the sunset! Still nice to get in a race, considering how August has been going.

See you all at the regular time on August 31st. Starting in September, we will start early.

Results from 8/24

 Oops! I was busy and forgot to post the results. 

>here< they are.

Sorry about that! Congrats to Cassie, UnPhased, and Ful Dek.

Need mark boat people

 There are 5 weeks with no mark boat sign-ups yet!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a48a4aa2caafc1-wnrmark1

Did you sail last year? You need to sign up for mark boat on one of the evenings. It's rather simple, and you can use whatever boat you want.

If you already did mark boat this summer, you're fine. You fulfilled your obligation. If you have not, sign up now. I will assign the slots based on last year's finishes in the next few days. Now is your chance to pick a date before I assign you one!

Let's hope for good weather tomorrow. It's about time we got some!

Guest skipper race tomorrow

Remember tomorrow is the guest skipper race. You can race yourself or have a friend race your boat. Maybe find that hot-shot skipper out there to help you get to the next level. Have a crew member itching to try the helm? Let them try!

We don't count the guest skipper race in the overall results - have some fun.

The Weather doesn't look super promising, so be sure to check the hotline before heading out.

410-745-4983

Video from 8/3

The Jimmy Wilson Race was a lot of fun, but the winds were sure light. After looking at the images and video, I saw that the winds were lighter than I remembered. Maybe I have more of a wishful memory.

We have reached that time of year when the sunsets are awesome!

I'm glad we were able to get in the race. Enjoy the video.

https://youtu.be/gzHd9pQ9eZQ

Remember that Wednesday is the guest skipper race. Find a guest to skipper! Trade boats with a friend.

Video from 7/27

Well, I know why this video is short! The hoist broke at the Club, and many boats could not make it to the start. There were six boats on the starting line, and I did everything I could to catch them. But you only want to see the same boat so many times!

Here we go, let's drift along.

https://youtu.be/kZD4hgvwU0Y

Video from 7/20

Oh so close to being caught up! Here is a shorter video from 7/20. I can't remember why there were fewer photos. Something about the weather, undoubtedly.

See if you can find Kilroy. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/xvs9EhbCgvQ

Video from 7/13

Ah, maybe I can catch up with making the videos. Here is the video from 7/13 that several of you asked about.

Good times! See if you can spot the narwhal.

https://youtu.be/qzFwH6HAJHs

Results form 8/3 Jimmy Wilson

All you doubters who thought the wind wouldn't come up - Ha! Not a bad night for racing around the island last night. I hope you all had fun.

Thanks for coming out to sail and remember Mr. Jimmy. Congratulations to John and Rowan for a first-place finish in the Stars. We also had a log canoe out last night! Congratulations to the crew on Magic. Also having a great race coming in first was UnPhased and Ful Dek.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Video from 6/15

Hey!

Here is the video of the races on June 15th. As always, if you see a photo you like, let me know. I obviously have the original.

https://youtu.be/Y2QbyOEe7Iw

Remember that tomorrow is the Jimmy Wilson race. We start 20 minutes earlier!

Round the Island

 That's right! It's time for the James H. Wilson Round the Island race!

New sailing instructions and new start times this week, so pay attention.

• Stars: First warning at 5:45 pm
• PHRF A: Warning at 5:50 pm
• PHRF B: Warning at 5:55 pm

That's 20 minutes earlier than usual, folks. Be sure you're on time for the start!

Here are the special Sailing Instructions for this race.

We start near the harbor, race around Herring Island (either direction), and then sail back to the starting line. It might be a downwind start. It might be upwind. There are currents to mess with your head.

Make sure you study and remember to honor the designated marks of the course. If we have to shorten for time, it will only be at one of those marks.

Lots of fun! See you out there.

Results from 7/27

Well, that was an unusual night! With the hoist broken at the Club and the threat of weather, we only saw six boats on the course. The wind wasn't terrible, though. I think there was a reasonably steady 4 knots for most of the race. It did die a couple of times but popped back up.

Congratulations to Bob Bennett and crew on Tomorrow for a first-place finish in the B class. Bob was able to stay in contact with the other boats and correct to first! Congrats also to Jeff Staley and crew on Ostinato for a first-place in A class.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Video from 6/1

Here's the video from June 1st. We were short-handed on the race committee, so it's a little short. Still fun, though!

https://youtu.be/idJpDOg6-5k

Results from 7/20

 Wind in late July? Not bad at all! We saw 8 knots with gusts to 10 knots.

Congratulations to all our regulars. It was nice to see people come out for a sail on a hot night.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Results from 7/13

Nice night to be on the water last night. The fluky winds meant we had to go with a short course. Maybe the heat will stay away for another week.

All the usual suspects doing well last night. Congrats everyone.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Results from 6/29

 Holy Cats, I forgot to send the results!

Beautiful night to be out there racing last night. Soak it up, folks. August is coming for us like a freight train with a mission.

Congratulations to Marty and the crew on Bella for a first-place finish in the B class. They were way in front at the finish and managed to correct to first by 12 seconds! Good times. Also having a great race finishing first was Manipulator in the Stars and UnPhased in PHRF A.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Results from 6/15

 Hi all,

Here are the results from last night. The wind was better than I was expecting, but not much.

>HERE< results.

That was a bust

Well, that was the definition of glassy. Thanks for the photo, Jeff! Looks pretty lonely out there.

Let's try again next week.

Results from 6/1

 Sorry, I realize I forgot to send the results on the 2nd. 

>HERE< are the results from June 1st.

Congratulations to Joni and Ray for a first-place finish in the Star Class. Also doing well coming in first was UnPhased and Bella.

Results from 5/25

Nice night! Good job to everyone who braved the wind to come out sailing last night. Soak it up now because next week is forecast to be 85º at race time.

Congratulations to our usual first-place finishers for coming in first - Manipulator, UnPhased, and Ful Dek.

You can see all the results >HERE<

No videos this week.

Video from 5/18

It was overcast on Wednesday, but I could still get some photos. 

You can see the video >HERE<

Have a good weekend!

Results from 5/18

Nice night for racing! Cool, light breeze, and plenty of daylight. Soak it up now because summer is just around the corner. Last night, we went with a short course because we were unsure the wind would stay with us all evening. It was a little dicey at the start of the A-class, but the wind filled back in, and we had about 4 knots on average over the race.

Congratulations to our usual fast boats in the PHRF classes. Flying around the course for first place was Unphased in A and Ful Dek in B. The Star class had so many lead changes that we lost track. There were plenty of highs and lows on the course and even some audible outbursts of consternation! Congrats to John and Rowan on Betty Ford for their first-place finish! Just goes to show you can never take your eye off the sailmakers.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Video from 5/11

Interesting shots. I'm debating adding some music to the next video. If I can find something I like, we'll give it a try.

Watch the video here

If you see a pic you would like to keep, just let me know.

Results from 5/11

Great night for racing! Congratulations to Jeff Bates and crew on Honey Honey for a first-place finish in the B-class. Also having a great race was Jeff Staley and crew on Ostinato finishing first in the A-class and Matt and Eric on Manipulator coming in first in the Stars.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Changing course vs. Shortening coruse

 Changing vs. Shortening - is there a difference? Yes!

A quick primer: Changing the course means moving the existing marks. You still use all the same marks, they are just moved to a different place. Shortening course is when the competitors can't finish in time and you finish at an existing mark. No marks are moved, but you finish at a new finish line "short" of the existing finish line.

If the race committee changes the course, they display a "C" flag with some indication of how to find the changed location of the next mark, and they make several repetitive sounds to get your attention. The race committee tells you that the course changed and how to find the next mark. The rule is written like this:

33 (a) If the direction of the leg will be changed, the signal shall be the display of flag C with repetitive sounds and one or both of (1) the new compass bearing, (2) a green triangle for a change to starboard or a red rectangle for a change to port.

Shortening Course can happen when the weather turns bad, the wind turns bad, or for any other reason affecting safety or fairness. By its nature, shortening course happens with little or no warning. To shorten course, the race committee will display an "S" flag at the next available turning mark, sound two horns, and finish boats as they cross a line between the "S" flag and the mark. The rule is written like this:

32.2 If the race committee signals a shortened course (displays flag S with two sounds), the finishing line shall be, (a) at a rounding mark, between the mark and a staff displaying flag S; (b) a line the course requires boats to cross; or (c) at a gate, between the gate marks. 

32.2  The shortened course shall be signalled before the first boat crosses the finishing line.

The primary difference is that a change of course is done at the mark starting the leg that is changed. A change of the location of the next mark means the whole leg is changed. A shortened course happens immediately as soon as the "S" flag is displayed. There is no warning. The recommendation from US Sailing is that the signal to shorten course should be made as soon as the boat is on station and the competitors are close enough to hear and see the new line.

Always fun! Hope this helps.

Video from 5/4

It's definitely going to take me some time to adjust to the new camera for Wednesday Nights. The video is not terrible, but I can do better:

https://youtu.be/yh8ta6SsoAM

I was not expecting such a dramatic change in light over the start and couldn't adjust fast enough, I think I can adjust the settings and do a better job. I like the pictures, though!

If you see a photo you like, I can clean it up and send it to you.

Corrected results from 5/4

 Well, nothing like starting the year with an error.

Click  >HERE< to see the corrected results. Or just flip Cordelia and Honey Honey.

Results from 5/4

That wind was a disaster last night! Nothing, then blowing like stink with the approaching front, then back to nothing. I did not predict that well. Sorry that we couldn't get the A class to finish. The race for A class was getting less and less fair as the wind dropped. There was no chance once the current started pulling boats away from the finish line.

At least the B class and the Stars were able to finish. Strange as it was, we were able to finish them. Hey, and you were out on the water racing!

Congratulations to Will and Carl on Wish winning the Stars. Also having a great night coming in first was the crew on Ful Dek.

You can see all the results >HERE<

Hotline

 

It's about to happen - Wednesday Night Racing starts tomorrow night. Of course, there are storms predicted.

Will we race? Call the Hotline:

410-745-4983

How does the hotline work? Like this - somewhere about 2-4 pm, I start looking at the weather. Sometimes I can tell right away how the weather will affect us, so I leave a message on the hotline telling you the status.

Looks good? I'll say that.

Looks bad? I'll say that.

Looks questionable? I'll say that.

It takes time for everyone to get to the course, so we will stop making updates to the hotline about 1 hour before the planned start. 

Will we cancel ahead of time if there is no wind predicted? No, we will go out to the course and abandon there if necessary. Quite often, we will get some wind in the evenings after a day of no wind. Come out to the course. Bring a cooler and enjoy the evening. Wind or not - you're on the water and not at work.

Will we cancel if there is rain? No, rain doesn't hurt you. Put your foulies on.

Will we cancel for too hot? It's happened in the past. Always bring water in your cooler.

Will we cancel for too much wind? Sustained over 20 knots or gusting over 25 knots, there is a good chance. You can make your own sail/don't sail decision. You know what's safe for your boat. We will call it only if it's not safe for any boat.

Will we cancel for storms? More than likely. If we see anything that looks like thunderstorm cells and we think one will hit us, we will let you know on the hotline.

Remember this is fun. Your decision to race is just that - do what is safe for you and your crew. We would prefer to join you for a cold beverage afterward than to see you take a risk.

PHRF A or B?

 Are you racing PHRF? Are you A or B?

We're moving the break between the two classes to 140. If your rating is under 140, you will be in PHRF A If your rating is over 140, you will be in PHRF B.

We hope this change will even out the classes a bit and allow for more competition.

With the help of Jay, we will do some "shadow" scoring this summer as well. Jay will take our information and try using the ORR-EZ rating system. If this works well and we like the results produced by ORR-EZ, we can talk about using a scoring system other than PHRF time on distance.

Under two weeks until we can go racing! Be sure to register:

Register for Wednesday Night Racing

Sailing Instructions '22

The season is about to start - Yay! 

You can download your copy of the sailing instructions by clicking >HERE<

Hopefully, we will see you on the Zoom call Competitor's Meeting tonight:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4108293157?pwd=YXNiTWVSdDdXakNnTzdFekgxK3MwQT09

Competitor's Meeting Tomorrow

 Meeting tomorrow over Zoom at 6 pm! 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4108293157?pwd=YXNiTWVSdDdXakNnTzdFekgxK3MwQT09

Meeting ID: 410 829 3157

Passcode: 106706

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,4108293157# 

Are you signed up to help with Mark Boat yet? You can do that here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a48a4aa2caafc1-wnrmark1

If you are bringing a boat to act as mark boat, sign up for "Providing Mark Boat". If you don't have a boat, sign up for "Crew on Mark Boat".

Changes for 2022

 Hello, Racers!

We're almost there. The season starts in just over two weeks. May 4th is the big day!

Remember that we have a Competitor's Meeting scheduled for Wednesday. You can join the meeting over Zoom by using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4108293157?pwd=YXNiTWVSdDdXakNnTzdFekgxK3MwQT09

So what are these big changes? PHRF boats are due for some updates! 

First, we are changing the break between classes. If your PHRF rating is below 140, you will be racing in the A class. If it's over 140, you are racing in the B class. This should put more racer-cruiser-type boats in the B class and add a little more competition.  Our B class shrunk a bit over the last few years, so this should help. Like boats racing against each other should be fun too!

Second, we are moving back to three starts each night. We will start the Stars at about 6:10 pm, A class at 6:15, and B class at 6:20. This is the same sequence we used pre-pandemic, so nothing groundbreaking here. We want to be sure there are boats with similar speeds on the starting line at the same time.

Remember to register now:

https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_registration_form.php?regatta_id=24193

Sign up for mark boat

 Hey!

Now is the time to sign up for mark boat duties for the summer. You can do that here:

> Sign up for mark boat here <

Each boat that competed last summer should sign up to help with mark boat once. I'm watching! Sign up.

You can sign up as the mark boat and the crew boat. If you have a boat and you want to use that boat to handle the marks, then sign up for make boat AND crew. If you don't have a boat to use, we can help you find a boat.

Sign up for when you're available and I'll help you fill in the boats.

Notice of Race for 2022!

 Hey Hey!

It's time to get ready for the season of Wednesday Night Racing. Here is a link to the notice of race:

Notice of Race

If you're viewing this on the website, you can also see the Notice of Race on the right over there.

The important thing to start is to register. You can register for the season here:

Register Here

The season is upon us!