Please (try to) avoid sailing/transiting through race courses

[5BTM]

The cruising sailboat ignoring the racing course might be on the last day of a trans-Atlantic crossing and the crew has not had a cold beer and a warm woman is the past 30 days.

[Adelie]

Since racing almost always occurs in the public right of way where COLREGS governs interaction between racing and non-racing boats I tend only avoid the start and finish lines, and not even those is the race committee has chosen to place then in or immediately adjacent to choke points.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, DragonflyBob,

I am thinking that your club, especially for national events, needs to target the sailing community, possibly by notices to mariners. I am guessing, but I would think that if they knew you guys would be in their way, AND they knew where to look for y'all coming and going, that they would be glad to stay out of your way, where practical.

I agree with you that there is potential hazard. Any 18 foot lightly constructed beach cat would splinter itself in a collision and people flying through the air are pretty vulnerable, too. You described gybing early to be able to take the Bene's stern, entirely the right thing to do. You could sail circles around it.

You can't really solve the problem, because we all have a right to enjoy the water in our ways; and over the years, racers have built up a bad reputation, as if racing were the only sailing of value. Some are in for excitement; others, for peacefulness. But, where we are now (in Tasmania, the island immediately south of Australia's east coast), the local marine radio broadcasts--both VHF and single side band-- when areas are set aside for maritime events, what times, and which areas--defined by local geography: and most folks transit the edges as requested. A form of peaceful cohabitation, as it were. So what you are looking for IS possible, but it will require the sponsoring organization for the event to contact the Coast Guard with specific information, and the CG to make the formal request.

In addition, just my opinion, but I think the racers should make an effort of accepting in a friendly way, that slow, in the way, wind shadow creating other boats exist, and are dispersed through the racing area in a random way, to make tactics more complicated! Actually, might even be helping y'all get better at what you like to do.

I will add that we try to avoid racers, go elsewhere. Jim and I both raced ocean series back in SF Bay years ago, and enjoyed it. You guys move so much faster than the cruisers, the onus is upon you to plan ahead, as it was on us back then when we were "faster" than some of the other traffic.

Ann

On "Edit"

We have two sheltered race venues near to one another. One is the Derwent River, where the capital of Tassie, Hobart, is located; the other is the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, between Bruny Island and the mainland. It is not like a lake, but rather typical of such geography (the land determines how the bodies of water experience the synoptic flow). Neither venue, where a lot of local racing does take place, is like the open ocean.

[Mike OReilly]

Many of the response so far suggest it is the racing community that needs to improve its courteousness, not non-racing boaters. I’ve rarely been in waters with active racing, but even I have experienced the wrath of racers who think that “racing” gives them some special privilege over all the other boaters.

Everyone should be respectful and courteous in all our doings. This applies to general boaters, as well as the racers. Most particularly it should be a guiding principle for race organizers when they choose, and manage a race. If area boaters are informed of a race, then most will do what they can to avoid the situation. But if a race is laid out such that it impedes access to harbours, marinas or choke points, then racers have nobody but themselves to blame when other boaters choose to transit the area.

[Nekton73]

Originally Posted by Iron E

At the very least it would demonstrate good seamanship, sailing acumen, and proper Womper timing.

I have to ask... what is a Womper?

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by Nekton73

I have to ask... what is a Womper?

Here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYadO8fPjlM

[Montanan]

I can recall once a group of racing sailboats, angrily yelling - RACING when we were cruising on my friend's yacht. He yelled back DRINKING and held up his beer in a friendly manner. Odd thing was we all ended up at the same fancy yacht club in San Francisco for dinner and drinks, and a few of the racers came over to apologize for their obstinance. Kind of like needing to say: "Sorry for the things I said while docking."

COLREGS apply, if you are the stand-on boat, stand-on to the best of one's ability, albeit a sailed boat truly can't completely stand-on as to course and speed when the wind changes in speed or direction.
Simple matter to let the racers sort their navigating as they assertively change course tacking upwind and particularly if they are overtaking and have to be the give way.

Granted one does not need to unnecessarily go out of their way to become a factor in a race, but then one does not need to avoid one either if it crosses your path.

Rather equate it to racing cars on the city streets, does one get perturbed when the non-racing cars don't yield or move over? Of course not.

Truly vessel traffic just adds to the fun of racing, the additional boats become part of the strategy and unpredictability and adaptability nuances.

And at the end of day, who gives a damn who won the race. Yesterday's news, water under the bridge, the non-event, etc.

[Montanan]

Don't be that guy!


Click on the Watch on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mi9axqd2pU

[CaptTom]

If the race is sanctioned by the Captain of the Port, and posted in the Notice to Mariners, you might find that the "regular" ColRegs don't 100% apply. The racers do have some level of privileged use of the defined course. Having never set up such a race, I have no knowledge of the details. So I stay away.

In a slow power boat, it can be hard to avoid, or sometimes even understand, the course. I do my best. I'll certainly avoid a close-quarters encounter with anyone, especially a sailing vessel. Common courtesy comes first, even before the rules.

That said, I have seen racers, and worse, sailing schools, demanding "right of way" while doing stupid, unsafe things. ColRegs work both ways. Even the stand-on vessel has obligations.

[MicHughV]

Not sure what the beef is here....you are obligated to avoid boats on the starboard tack.....what difference is there avoiding a boat on starboard tack and just a boat in the way ??
It's all just part of sailboat racing imo....any savyy skipper is going to be aware of boats around him/her and will take action accordingly.

The same with racing in a tidal zone, you can't bitch about the tides, rather learn to use them to your advantage.

We have races here just off a major inlet. Do you think a ship is going to give way to a sailboat because they are " racing"....no, I don't think so..on the contrary, you'll get five blasts on the ships horn telling you to get the hell out of the way.

Bitching about it on this forum is not going to change a thing.

[DragonflyBob]

This thread has digressed a bit in that a lot of the responses are related to experiences between cruisers and offshore racing boats operating in open waters. My concern is when there is a relatively smaller race course set in an area where there is plenty of sea room to navigate to one side or the other of the course so as to not affect typically the one design racing (all the boats racing being of the same design) that is underway.

This past regatta when I jibed out early on a downwind leg to avoid conflict with the large Beneteau that was sailing on port tack through the middle of the course, I actually lost a couple of places as I jibed away from the favored side of the race course. Like wise in another race during the same series, I was on starboard tack sailing upwind and had to duck a cruiser going across the course on port tack. It did not cost me anything but it was apparent the cruiser had no idea he was sailing across the course and it was obvious he was not going to give way even though he was on port tack. I did not yell at him but as I ducked within a boat length of his stern I told him he was on a race course with other boats that were much faster than the 4-5 knots he was making crossing the course.

[MicHughV]

It's often difficult to tell which boats are "racing" and which are just bobbing around,

It might behoove the race organizers to rethink their " chosen" race course a bit more out of general marine traffic area if this becomes an issue. One mile to one side or the other may make all the difference.

[MikeHoncho]

I would always try to avoid the obvious direction of travel of a race to not impact anyone but I think it might being asking for a little much asking to minimize a wind shadow.......

[MicHughV]

Back in the day I often partook in round the buoy races. It struck me that there were "racers" and then there were the "diehard" racers, who take racing to another level, where any hiccup to sail performance or other impedance resulted in a slew of complaints, protests, yelling and screaming, etc, etc.
While I could admire their " gung-ho-ness" it seemed that some just took it a bit too far and races had to be settled by an arbitrary race committee judgement.

[psk125]

It does help if the RC (Race Committee) can set up a course that is not on the path that others might take to or from somewhere. It is worth noting, however, that a fleet of a dozen relatively small boats racing (like the A-class NA's last weekend) isn't a huge, easily identifiable agglomeration like 100 Lightnings at their NA's, or the start of the Newport-Bermuda Race. At the speed they travel, reaching back and forth before the start, the A-Cats might spread out over a half mile, no? A cruiser is not going to think that boats that far apart are racing. Everyone comes together at the start -- for perhaps two minutes? And then spreads out again across the windward leg with everyone looking for clear air.
The cruiser has no idea that there's a race going on until he finds himself at the windward mark with the racing fleet converging on him. The starting line, where the racing fleet converged and became obvious as a racing fleet - if the cruiser was looking in that direction when the race started - is perhaps two miles away. As he reaches along he pleased that he's learned to adjust his dinghy painter to keep it tracking right astern and is watching his daughter go forward to see the bow wave, making sure she doesn't fall overboard despite the netting he added to the lifelines. He looks ahead and sees clear passage and decides to go to leeward of that strange inflatable orange pyramid thing that has lettering on it that is too small to read without his binoculars, which are in the nav station below. Three minutes later SURPRISE!!!! Who knew?

Good seamanship and Colregs both call for keeping a watch and being aware of what is going on around you. Blithely meandering through a race course, or cutting close to some round orange blow-up thing that happens to be a racing mark without thinking is not good seamanship, but it may take some time for some people to learn what to look for and act accordingly.