J World Annapolis Thursday Night Racing is off to a great start! More than 75 boats are registered for Thursday Night Racing which is taking place on two racing areas this season. Our supporter, the Eastport Yacht Club, is doing a great job on the water and off by hosting the apres sailing social activity. Here are last week’s official scores: Thursday Night J_World Racing_5.16Final
Check out Dave Manheimer’s latest video post from last week’s Thursday Night Racing:
Week one is in the books! Dozens of J/22’s, J/24’s, J/80’s and J/70’s raced in light and shifty breezes last Thursday for the first of 16 weeks of J World Annapolis Thursday Night Racing. Thanks to the Eastport Yacht Club and J World Annapolis Race Committees for putting on great racing for all fleets!
Due in part to changes to our internal scoring process (two racing circles this year!), a new scoring system (thank you JavaScore!) as well as a number of unregistered participants (no pay, no score) we are publishing scores that are provisional. We know of several errors and are working to correct them. We fully expect the final results to be published by Thursday. Your patience and understanding is appreciated.
You can help! If you know of a scoring discrepancy, please fill out the ScoringReviewRequest (required this season) and send it to info@jworldannapolis.com or drop it by the office.
J/80 stalwart Brian Robinson submitted the following report from the J/80 course – other fleets are encouraged to submit too!
Thursday Night 5/9/13
Welcome back. Everything is the same as you remember it and also everything is different. JWorld ThursdayNights have started. There is racing, great sailing and a party. However, the J80s now start first and the party has been moved to EYC.
We had two really nice races with the J80s starting first and the J70s following right after. That was the interesting thing that we have not experienced before, there were boats coming upwind at us before we go to the starting line. We are so used to dodging the J22s and J24s as we approach the leeward mark but having the J70s piling up on the port tack layline was a new experience.
Breeze from about the west at 5-10 (hovering in the 7 range), no chop. There did seem to be a geographic shift to the left as we got closer to the windward mark, or the current was pushing us out or Thom is just that great of a driver.
Race 1 we started in the middle, closer to the pin side. No real plan other than going left almost always works. Once we were at the layline and clear to tack, we did and ended up reaching into the mark. I think we were somewhere between 3-5 around the top mark. I did a piss poor job of setting the kite, (hey not my job on this boat). Once we got rolling, we pushed out above the pin end, waited for the layline to the leeward mark and gybed. Once we rounded, we continued until we got to the layline for the boat and tacked. It was very very close between us and R80 (Crump) for 1st. Boat was definitely favored at the finish.
Race 2 was very much like race 1 except that we got off the line with no speed. Mango was holding us from driving down for speed, so it was much tougher and we had to wait longer to get the the layline. Oh well. From there, we got stuck underneath a couple of boats going down to the leeward mark and kinda just sucked it up until we had more clear air. Then we were on the outside of the pin wheel. The pin wheel was made even larger when Puffinator decided to start jousting with Dragonfly. Poor Kyle on Dragonfly never knew what hit him. Again we held until the layline a caught up to a couple of boats.
Party was a EYC, food and drink specials were everywhere and lots of people showed up which is really good. People got to see the new clubhouse and enjoy the view from the deck.
Thank you for participating in the 2013 J World Annapolis Thursday Night Racing. Racing this season will begin on May 9, 2013 and conclude on August 29, 2013. July 4th will be a lay day.
We are excited to bring to you another year of intense, short course racing. We will continue to try and get as many races as possible off each night. To this end, we will set short windward leeward courses that should take each class approximately 30 minutes to complete. While the first couple of weeks may be daylight challenged, with good winds and ample daylight will hope to have three races a night for all classes by mid season.
All of the necessary documents are available at the J World Annapolis, posted on the official notice board and available of the J World website. The Registration Form, Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions and Amendments 1 & 2 have all been posted. If you have not filed your registration form and paid for the first series, you will not be scored.
Racing will begin each evening no earlier than 1830. There will be two racing areas – Alpha and Bravo. Both of these racing areas will be in the general vicinity of our historical racing venue.
Bravo Course, for J/22 and J/24’s is made possible by the generous support of the Eastport Yacht Club. This course will be set as close to Horn Point as is practical in order to help the J/22 fleet make it to and from the course without engine assistance.
The Alpha course will be set a little further out from Annapolis harbor and will host the J/70 an J/80 fleets.
Race committees will attempt to make courtesy broadcasts to each fleet. Alpha Fleet will be on VHF Channel 72 and Bravo Fleet will be on VHF Channel 71.
Both Alpha and Bravo courses have the option to use either course one or two as shown in addendum A of the sailing instructions. In general, we will use course one, due to the fact it requires fewer RC resources and enables us to quickly get off races. Please note that sailing instruction amendment one specifically discusses this course and details that the start line is closed for those boats on the leeward leg. Also note, that the sailing instructions state that an offset mark may be set.
In the event of protests, please check the sailing instructions for how to take your penalties on the water or to file your protest. Protest forms are available online and also at the J World offices. Protests may be filed in person or submitted by email, but must be received by 0900 the Friday after racing.
The post racing social has been moved this year to the Eastport Yacht Club. EYC is graciously supporting J World by providing RC support for the Bravo course, so in support of EYC (and deference to our neighbors) we have moved the social to their wonderful new facility. EYC will provide inexpensive beer and food options as well as a great venue for socializing, debriefing and discussion.
Parking can be an issue at the end of the Eastport peninsula. Everyone is encouraged to walk, but if you do drive PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THEIR PARKING LOT. The Yacht Haven parking lot, directly across the street from the club, is available for visiting cars.
Questions regarding Thursday Night Racing, protests and scoring inquiries should be directed to J World Annapolis. You may call between 0900-1600 Monday-Friday or email us anytime at info@jworldannapolis.com
At 0800 today the J World Annapolis Thursday Night Racing Race Committee posted two amendments to the 2013 Thursday Night Racing Sailing Instructions. As noted in section three of the sailing instructions the race committee may make changes to the sailing instructions until 0900 the day of racing. In this particular case, both amendments are simply clarifications designed to help competitors better understand how racing will be conducted.
By example, for years we have opted to set a modified windward/leeward race course, with a closed start line. This means that when you are sailing from the windward mark to the leeward mark you cannot cross the start line. We do this because it provides for safe and orderly racing, enables us to get more races off and simplifies the race committee work. In the past we have not explicitly stated that the line was closed, and some believed this could lead to confusion – especially for any new racers. So we have amended.
The second amendment is to protect the RC and competitors from any mistakes made during courtesy broadcasts. It is a minor thing, but be aware that in the event that you are OCS, but you do not hear your sail number or boat name called, you can not file for redress. I hope this helps. Both amendments are posted at the official J World Annapolis Thursday Night Racing Notice Board, and can be downloaded by clicking the links below. Sail fast!
Hosted by J World Annapolis with support from Eastport Yacht Club
Annapolis, Maryland
SAILING INSTRUCTIONS AMENDMENT No. 1
7.4 FOR ALL CLASSES… When the race committee sets course one; (windward/leeward/windward finish) after completing the first leg of the course, a boat shall not cross the starting line. A boat shall not cross the finishing line until she is completing the last leg of the course and finishes. A boat that breaks this rule shall not correct her error. On a leg of the course from W to L or from L to W, boats may leave the line between S and F either to port or to starboard.
Hosted by J World Annapolis with support from Eastport Yacht Club
Annapolis, Maryland
SAILING INSTRUCTIONS AMENDMENT No. 2
14.1 COURTESY BROADCASTS The Race Committee may attempt to provide information on the appropriate VHF channel as a courtesy. In all cases race signals shall govern. Failure to hear or receive such transmission will not be grounds for redress. This changes RRS 62.
For more than 20 years J World has hosted Thursday Night Racing for J/22’s, J/24’s, J/80’s and now for the growing J/70 class. Thursday’s have always been about getting as many short races in as daylight and conditions will allow. This year is no different, and the race committees will be trying each night to run as many races as possible. Due to the growth in participation in all the classes, a few changes are coming to the Thursday’s, and while we expect a few bumps in the road initially, we believe these changes will make Thursday’s even better for all racers.
Two Race Areas!
The biggest change is this year there will be two adjacent racing areas. The “Alpha” racing area will be for the J/70 and J/80 racing fleets and will likely be just a little beyond where we have traditionally put our start boat. The “Bravo” racing area will be for the J/22 and J/24 classes and will be set as close to Horn Point and the entrance to the Annapolis Harbor as is practical. Both courses will be visible to sailors exiting the harbor. Because checking in is required before racing, if you are unclear about which course is which, sail to the first committee boat you see, and they will be happy to help sort you out. Note also that the Alpha Course race committee boat will almost always be the J/World Annapolis cruising boat J/37. The primary reason for having the two circles is to ensure that each class can get as many races as possible. Thanks to the Eastport Yacht Club for their generous support in making this second circle a possibility.
Party Venue Upgrade
For year’s J World Annapolis has hosted the party in the parking lot, but with our new partnership with the Eastport Yacht Club, the party is improving too! Immediately after racing you will find scores, cheap beer, water and soda and good food at Annapolis best sunset view open and available for Thursday Night Racing participants. You don’t have to be an Eastport Yacht Club member, just a Thursday Night Racing participant, so please plan on joining us for discussion, debrief and more at the Eastport Yacht Club. Note that scores posted at EYC are provisional and official scores will be posted online at www.jworldannapolis.com the morning after racing as well as at the official notice board located at J World Annapolis.
SPECIAL PARKING NOTICE
It is important if you drive to the Eastport Yacht Club, you should plan on parking across the street at Yacht Haven or on the street. Cars parking in the Eastport Yacht Club Parking lot are subject to being towed.
We are looking forward to another great year of Thursday Night Racing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the office at 410-280-2040 or drop us an email at info@jworldannapolis.com.
Jahn Tihansky was named the USNA Foundation’s Fall Coach of the Year.
After one of its finest seasons in school history, Jahn Tihansky was named the United States Naval Academy Foundation’s 2012 Fall Sports Coach of the Year, it was announced late last week.
Only sports that have championship seasons in the fall are eligible and the award is decided on by the United States Naval Academy Foundation.
The squad, under the leadership of Tihansky, won the Kennedy Cup in November, which is intercollegiate sailing’s Big Boat National Championship. Taking five of the seven contested races, Navy ended up winning the Kennedy Cup National Big Boat Championship, and with the victory, the squad earned the right to represent the United States at the Student Yachting World Cup in France in 2013. Sailing for the Naval Academy were skipper Steve Jaenke, Charlie Johnson, Sam Ross, Kelsey Ragsdale, Sean Brown, Andy Beeler, Roscoe Thomas and Ethan Madison.
The Kennedy Cup was the school’s 15th crown and second straight.
The team also claimed the 2012 McMillan Cup for the 17th time and second time in the last three years. The McMillan Cup is an intercollegiate large yacht racing event for New England and Middle Atlantic States.
It marks the first time since 2007 that Navy has won both the Kennedy Cup and McMillan Cup in the same year.
J/80’s race downwind, under spinnakers and the setting sun, towards another exciting leeward mark.
J World Annapolis’ Thursday Night Racing Series is back! Join us nearly every Thursday from May 9 to August 29 for the best one design weeknight racing in the world! Four one design classes, including J/22’s, J/24’s, J/80’s and the hot new J/70’s, will clash on the waters of the Annapolis Harbor and Chesapeake Bay.
Thursday Night Racing is open to all J World Alumni aboard our five J/80’s. The boats are skippered by our highly skilled coaching staff and alumni crew. No racing experience necessary! Also joining us on the water are privately owned J/22’s, J/24’s, J/80’s and J/70’s. To registered your boat please complete and email the Thursday Night Registration Form. You can also download the 2013 THURSDAY NIGHT RACING NOTICE OF RACE. Soon you will find all race documents including the NOR, sailing instructions (released May 1, 2013), amendments, course diagrams and RESULTS available in the Thursday Night Racing section of the J World Annapolis website.
J/80’s reach from the windward mark to the offset. A strong spring current had the entire fleet over standing the layline.
Last year saw nearly 60 boats battling for position on any given Thursday. This year we hope to see more than 80 boats racing each and every week and making Thursday Night Racing the best weeknight one design racing around. Stay tuned for more information about Thursday Night Racing including fleet and racing circle assignments, sailing instructions and more!
We initially conceived our Thursday Night series to provide a fun and low pressure racing environment suitable for all level of racers. Although we keep scores on a weekly basis, the only awards are at the end of the season. As such, it’s an ideal format for you to bring along friends or new recruits and introduce them to your passion.
We are looking forward to another fantastic racing season and hope you and your team will be able to join us. It is our goal to hold as many as three races per class each evening weather/wind permitting.
Leading into the windward mark can be the highlight of any racing team’s summer. With short courses and multiple races a night – everyone has a chance to be a hero!
Entry is open to any member of the J/22, J/24, J/70 or J/80 U.S. Class Associations who is also a member of their respective Annapolis area fleet. No fleet membership is required for J/80 participants.
The 2013 season will be divided into two separate series; the first series starts May 9 and ends June 27. The second series will begin July 11 and ends August 29. There are a total of eight evenings of racing scheduled for each series.
The warning signal for the first race each week will be no earlier than 1830 hrs. The race committee will attempt to run as many races as allowable by daylight and/or weather conditions. Races will be held in the Severn River in the vicinity of the entrance to Back Creek. Race results will be posted on the website by Friday morning.
There are plenty of lines on a boat and none of them are useless. Knowing what to pull and when can save you hassle and stress. Today we’re discussing the in’s and out’s of your basic sail controls.
When it comes to remembering all your options for sail controls I like the acronym:
I’ve included this image to help us identify and locate each sail control:
Original Art Work By Koralina Pior of Basic Sail Controls on a small keelboat.
Let’s start from the beginning
Outhaul- The Outhaul is attached to the clew (aft corner) of the mainsail then runs through the boom and comes out of the boom about a third of the way back from the mast.
Function: The Outhaul affects the depth of the sail (draft). When tightened it flattens the bottom third of the sail and makes the boat easier to handle in building breeze.
Backstay- The Backstay is connected to the top of the mast and runs back to the stern of the vessel. A line runs along the backstay which tensions the backstay.
Function: When the Backstay is tensioned the mast bows forward and flattens the middle and top of the sail. This causes a dramatic reduction in draft which de-powers the boat and makes it easier to steer and control the boat in a fresh breeze.
Cunningham- The Cunningham is attached just above the tack (forward corner) of the mainsail. It generally runs down to a block attached to the mast just above the deck.
Function: The Cunningham can be used to get more luff (leading edge of sail) tension; used in conjunction with the Outhaul and Backstay is moves the draft forward and completes the depowering of the mainsail.
Halyard- The Halyard is attached to the head (top) of the sail and is used to raise sails to the top of the mast.
Function: The Halyard affects luff tension and draft position. A loose halyard will create a sail with more draft which is great for a light breeze. As the breeze builds a tighter halyard will give you more luff tension and help give a flatter sail shape (when used in conjunction with the “OBC”s it helps alleviate weather helm).
Sheets- Specifically the Mainsheet is attached to the boom and changes the angle the sail has to the wind (angle of attack).
Function: By changing the angle of attack the speed of the boat can be affected. When the sheets are properly trimmed, the boat is at its greatest efficiency. If we over trim or ease the sails the efficiency will rapidly decrease. Easing the sails upwind, will cause the sails to luff and slow the boat down. Over trimming the sails downwind will stall flow and cause the boat to slow down.
Traveler- The traveler is generally located towards the stern in the cockpit relatively close to the driver position. The mainsheet block is connected to the travel car which travels from one side of the boat to the other.
Function: The Traveler changes the sheeting angle of the Mainsheet. The Traveler is primarily used when going upwind. It is used to bring the boom to center-line on a close haul. It can also be used to depower the boat in a heavy breeze. When feeling over powered the traveler can be “dropped” to the leeward side of the boat to create a luff bubble on the leading edge of the mainsail and effectively reduce its sail area by as much as 25%.
Boom-Vang- The Boom-Vang is connected the boom and runs down to the base of the mast.
Function- The Boom-Vang is primarily used downwind to control leech (trailing edge of sail) tension. It also prevents to boom from rising up into air. If it’s windy and turning downwind is difficult, easing the Boom-Vang before heading down will make it much easier. Just remember to put a little tension back on the Boom-Vang once you’ve turned down to the desired course.
When it’s windy and controlling the boat is becoming difficult just remember your OBC’s: Outhaul, Backstay, Cunningham. J World Annapolis Head Coach, Dave Manhiemmer, uses the simple phrase: “The windier it blows the tighter it goes” to help you remember what to do with your OBC’s when it gets breezy.
There is an abundance of books and articles out there written about the single topic of sail trim. It occupies every sailors mind at some point – regardless of whether you identify yourself as a racer, cruiser, daysailor or simply just a sailor.
KB: Koralina, sail trim is a fairly broad topic. In your opinion, what is the most basic way to understand sail trim?
KP: “I often asked myself “how can I ever master such a complex skill?” Every time I go sailing I learn a little more about sail trim which leads me to believe mastery is over-rated, and learning is continuous. None-the-less I have learned a plethora of tips, tricks, and acronyms, over the years, to keep it all straight.
The most common phrase related to sail trim is simply:
“When in doubt, let it out”
In my experience it’s a great place to start; however I’ve altered this long time saying to read “When in doubt, let it out- If it’s luffing, it must come in”
KB: I love that phrase and use the same one. It works from Opti’s to ocean cruisers. When I teach the same concept I say “when in doubt let it out. If you are often in doubt you are rarely in error.” But “letting it out” is a pretty gross trim concept, how can you use it to refine trim?
KP: “It’s easier to explain and understand if we break it down into two parts:
Main trim: “When in doubt, let it out- If it’s luffing, it must come in” works excellent here. As we get more advanced we learn that when we go up wind keeping the boom running along the center line of the boat will give us the greatest amount of lift towards the wind. As we head down off the wind we want to keep easing the sail to the brink of luffing as we turn. You can make sure you have the appropriate trim by easing your mainsheet and few inches and seeing if your sail luffs. If it does then pull it back in and you know you have the right trim. If it does not luff then you know it’s over trimmed and needs to be eased out some more. Generally speaking at the run/broad reach angle we want the sail just off the shrouds. This technique will prolong the life of your sail by not creating a “wear spot”.
Jib trim: “Outside tell-tale, let it out- Inside tell-tale, pull it in” The basic idea here is you want to trim or ease the sail to the “tattling tell-tale”. If you are thinking “Huh?” Let me explain: If you’re sailing on the port tack (wind is coming over your port side, the sails are on the starboard side) the outside tell-tale is the one on the starboard side of the sail, closer to the outside of the boat. The inside tell-tale is the one on the port side of the sail, more inboard. The term tattling refers to the tell-tales tendency to wiggle, or sway uncontrollably.
So if your sailing along on the outside tell-tale is tattling you would want ease the sail out toward that outside tell-tale. Thus I like the saying: “Outside tell-tale, let it out- Inside tell-tale, pull it in”
KB: Are there any good tricks for remembering proper jib trim?
KP: “Yes! Using the tell-tales is the easiest way to get perfect jib trim every time. The tell-tales are your “tell tale” symbols on your jib to help you refine its trim when sailing on a beam reach or above. Usually they are pieces of yarn colored red and green on either side of your jib (but not always I’ve seen blue instead of green).
So you’ve picked your direction and set your sails (using the tips above to help) and now you want to sit back and drive your boat to that trim. This is often what we do when we are sailing close-hauled or just out for fun with friends. It’s easy and only takes small adjustment of your wheel or tiller to keep your boat cruising forward.
Tiller driven boats: “Tiller towards the tattling tell-tale” This means if your starboard tell-tale is wiggling around push/pull your tiller to starboard side until that tell-tale settles down and streams aft (towards the back of your boat).
Wheel Steered Boats: “Turn away from trouble.” This means if you starboard tell-tale is wiggling around you want to steer to port. Be careful though, if you steer too far you will cause your port telltale to wiggle.
KB: These are some great tips to get us thinking about sail trim. If someone was interested in learning more what would you tell them?
KP: “I really hope you found this helpful. At J World we fully endorse a life of learning, amongst our staff and our students. So, if you have any questions feel free to comment below. We would be happy to explain anything further. We also cover this material in 1hr, 3hr, and full day formats under the title of “Sail Trim and Balance”. Just e-mail us for more information on the full length version.”
