DaySailer.org Forum

I'm curious what people who participate in this forum are doing with their DS in terms of racing. So answer the poll - I hope I covered the range here, but if not, reply "other" and write the details in a post.

While this poll is about types of racing activity, there's no intent to downplay cruising. (A future poll might focus on different styles of cruising.)

If you regularly attend different types of races, I ask that you either pick the most organized form, or the one you attend most often.

Please Submit your Response.
Someone pointed out: It helps if you log in.

I do race on occasion. There is an informal mixed fleet near me and we race using a handicap system but its really about fellowship and BBQ. Brad

After nearly a decade of enjoying my DS with friends and family but without thoughts to either competition or a larger community, I made a conscious decision this year to join a local, rather free-for-all beer can race of rather long standing. The event is multi-class, no handicap, and the dinghy contingent rather eclectic in its mix of boats and personalities. No BBQ, but definitely fellowship.


Not another DS in sight, though, and many of the boats seem to belong to an informal "development" class, in that their owners have fitted conveniences not found in the class rules for their boat, but if so, typically done on a shoestring budget.

I so want to be part of a local DS fleet and then participate in a local race schedule. I currently race in an Ensign Fleet on Wed and Saturdays. My biggest challenge with DS fleet racing is that i don't want to drive an hour to race. For the Ensign series, i can leave the house at 5:30 and make a 6:15 start.

I've been thinking about starting another DS fleet out of the club I'm part of, i need two active DS members to do that. From a club standpoint, if i could get 5-7 active DS'ers, the club will host the races. My area has many very active PHRF and one design classes to race in.

Jason

I'm mostly working on my boat. More precisely, I'm mostly buying repair and upgrade materials that sit in my box of shiny stuff until I find time to install them.

Put me down in the "never" category.

I want to encourage others, who don't race to check the "never" or "working on my boat" categories. It helps round out the picture.

I also want to encourage more of the nearly 100 people who have viewed this thread s far to add their votes.

GreenLake,

I was a little confused at first about how to check the box (tried, but it didn't work). I ended up signing in, then clicking on the Home link in the upper left-hand corner to find the thread (it doesn't show up on the DSI or DSII forum).

Anyway, I checked "mostly working on my boat" just now, in addition to having posted (but not checked the box) earlier.

I had to put myself in the informal race anybody on the water category. I did race last summer but that was in JY 15s. There are no DaySailer fleets in Stonington nor on Lake Winnipesaukee where I do my sailing.

There really is no better way to get your boat speed up than to race, even informal racing. If you want to optimize your sail trim, there's nothing like sailing against somebody on the same tack. You want to know how bad you are at tacking, try a tacking duel…

KC

I used to race a lot- 40 years ago... And I would love to race now! But when I bought my DS2 earlier this year and checked there wasn't a DS fleet anywhere around here (Norwalk, CT). Cedar Point YC in Westport is very competitive but I doubt I can afford to join a club, although I should check; maybe they have a discount for disabled geezers.

Since there was no class fleet here, if I race it would be PHRF, so I've not tried to stay class legal when 'messing around' with my boat, just trying to make it a more comfortable cruiser and easier to singlehand. Like a furling Drifter/Reacher/Spinnaker on a pulpit, AWI & SPD instruments, and the ultimate 'tiller tamer' a Raymarine ST1000 Tiller Pilot, not to mention 130 lbs of batteries aft of the mast base. Well, I shot the wad and now I hope nothing breaks.

Wanna race?

K.C. Walker wrote:There really is no better way to get your boat speed up than to race, even informal racing. If you want to optimize your sail trim, there's nothing like sailing against somebody on the same tack. You want to know how bad you are at tacking, try a tacking duel…

KC

Good point here !

I will be willing to wager that many of us enter into this informal tacking competition even if we don’t admit it. It is a great way to test your and hone your skills. You can also learn from watching other boats as they compete against you and when they loose they just say “we weren’t racing” Brad

algonquin wrote:
You can also learn from watching other boats as they compete against you and when they loose they just say “we weren’t racing” Brad

Yes, but often I find as we part ways we salute one another with a friendly wave.

KC

Couldn't agree more with K.C.'s succinct summaries of advantages of comparing yourself against other boats. The only other thing as useful is to take another experienced, or better, more experienced, sailor out in your boat and learn from different ways of doing things.

I also find jdoorly's situation really familiar. I've made some (mostly very minor) upgrades to my boat, and largely they are still class legal. But what does that concept even mean if there's no fleet in commuting distance and no Daysailers to be seen.

I really hope we get some more votes on the poll, because I'm curious to get a bit of a representative cross section of what people do with their boats (and that includes the confirmed cruisers). So far, curiously, none of the people who race competitively have voted.

jdoorly wrote: ...Like a furling Drifter/Reacher/Spinnaker on a pulpit...
Wanna race?

I'd love to see this, have you got any pictures? This sounds perfect for August on Long Island sound.

KC

i raced actively for many years (daysailer, force 5, sunfish, hobies) until i 'retired' from my local yacht club about 3 years ago. now i just cross tacks and informally race whatever other boats i encounter.