Race Weekend

Welcome Racers to the Fall Racing Season!

The Milwaukee Community Sailing Center's Annual Race Weekend will be held on September 20th and 21st. We will start the series off with the Fall Regatta and Chili Chill. Very similar to the Mid Season Championship, the Fall Regatta will be 3 races on a buoy course fit for the weather of the day. The standard three divisions will be started in sequence beginning with the Ensign division, 470 division, and concluding with the Open PHRF division. All are welcome to sign up a boat or crew. After racing there will be a Chili Chill Out. Everyone participating is encouraged to bring Chili to share with the fleet, which everyone can enjoy while trying to stay warm!

Day two, Sunday September 21st, will be the Ensign Championship Regatta. This one design regatta is always the most interesting as your boat is randomly assigned the day of the regatta. With only one division to start we will try for 5 races on a standard windward leeward course. The skippers meeting will be held at 9:30 am the day of the race.

There is a $20 registration fee for each boat for each regatta. Race instructions will be distributed to skippers at the skippers meetings. Everyone is encouraged to participate. Sailing Center boats are limited for both regattas so sign up soon. Everyone must register before the day of the regatta! See you out there!

Mid Season Championship Results

The Mid Season Championship regatta went off without a hitch on Sunday. Although there were low registration numbers, people came out in force the day of to make it a full, fun and exciting regatta.

The competition was high in each of the three divisions, with several boats duking it out for first place. The Ensign division was anyones race as several boats flirted with the lowest point total. Dick Prodehl took top honors in this class with a third, first, and second place in three races. The 470 division was very close. Patti McMann fought to hold on with her first place finish in the first race. In the end John Michaels won out with a fourth, and two first place finishes, taking race three by the smallest of margins. The PHRF division was tough going in the heavy breeze and choppy seas. With four solings and two J24s rounding out the fleet, it was tiring just watching the crews battle around the course. Paul McGaun and Dan Brielmeyer fought for first place through the regatta. It was close in the end as Paul took a daring port tack start around the pin and crossed the whole fleet. The final totals speak for themselves, however, as Dan finished with 4 points and Paul 5.

MCSC would like to thank again, Glyn Livermore for taking the time and spending the money to help the Sailing Center's race committee. He and a small group of others made it possible for there to be horns, anchors, pumps, compasses, flags, flag poles, and flag holders for this regatta and many more to come.

Please mark the dates of the remaining three sailing center regattas on your calender. The 25th annual Quarter Barrel Regatta will be held on Sunday August 10, 2008. Please make sure to register before the day of the regatta.

Thanks everyone for making the Mid Season Championship such a successful event!

Kent Molter said...

I'm interested in getting some racing experience. Medium-air rating from the Sailing Center. Call or e-mail me if you need crew/sailing partner for any local races. 262-376-0767. kmolter@earthlink.net

Mid Season Championship

Its that time of the year again! This Sunday there will not be regular Sunday Racing. The Sailing Center will be hosting the first of the season's regattas this Sunday from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. There will be three divisions, Ensigns, 470 and Lasers, and a PHRF handicap division. Everyone is welcome to sign up and participate or show up the morning of and find a boat to crew on. Registration for the regatta will close Saturday at 3:30 pm so get your name and boat on the list soon. The registration fee is $20. Any late registration will cost $30.

Get Out to the Starting Line!

By Joe Fillingham

No matter what your skill level is, if you are looking for a fun sailing experience it is time to come down and check out the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center’s Racing Program. There are many different avenues in which to approach the racing scene. You can try Sunday morning racing and learn in a comfortable but competitive environment, you can test your skills and develop a team in the annual series of regattas the Sailing Center hosts, or sail with the top sailors in the area on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday nights.

Many people begin their sailing career here at the Sailing Center with Basic and Intermediate Sailing courses. And although you learn quite a bit of information in these classes, you may not find the time or the place to refine those skills in a fun, friendly, competitive environment. Racing is just the activity to pursue if you find your self in this situation. The Sailing Center uses a unique method for teaching sail boat racing. Sunday mornings from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm, any member who is interested can come down and go racing regardless of their rating. Many experienced sailors and racers find Sundays to be a great time to practice and refine their skills while at the same time teaching others and giving them the confidence to skipper a race themselves. Although there is a degree of independence, the race committee is friendly and ready to answer questions. The Ensigns are quite often the most popular boat to race on Sundays, but Solings, J24s, and 470s are common as well.

If you already have some racing experience, want to crew with someone who does, and are looking to compete at a higher level? The sailing center hosts four regattas every summer. These regattas are always casual, friendly, and fun, but can get competitive, with full Ensign, 470, and Handicapped PHRF fleets including Solings, J24s and others. The Mid Season Championship Regatta is coming up on Sunday July 6^th, the Quarter Barrel Regatta is Sunday August 10^th, and the Fall Race Weekend, including the Fall Regatta and Chili Chill Out and Ensign Championship, is Saturday September 20^th and Sunday September 21^st.

Quite often weekends and annual regattas do not satisfy the need to get out to the starting line. If that is the case, you can get out almost all week long during weekly race series hosted by the Milwaukee Yacht Club, South Shore Yacht Club, and Mast Racing. Monday Night is Women’s Race Night hosted by South Shore Yacht Club. Crews of only women head out show their talent and compete through the summer in handicapped races. Tuesday Night is dinghy night. Hosted by several local clubs, Lasers, 420s, and 470s race through the season trying to stay as dry. Wednesday Night Racing is a weekly tradition here in Milwaukee. Both Yacht Clubs host handicapped races every week providing very competitive and advanced racing with the latest in sail boat technology to the old speedy classics showing up at the starting line. Casual Fridays can be found with MAST Racing. The racing is fun and mood is light no matter what the weather every Friday night. Although the weekly series are sailed on primarily privately owned boats it is easy to get involved with boats all over the Milwaukee Bay area looking for crew. The Sailing Center often has teams which head out for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights as well.

For more information on racing at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, finding a boat to crew on, or simply getting involved you can call the Sailing Center at (414)277-9094, or check out the online racing blog at http://mcscracing.blogspot.com.

Racing Season Begins

Racing Season has finally begun!

Last Sunday was the first week of Sunday Racing at MCSC. There was a pretty good turnout with 7 Ensigns, and one Soling. Conditions were excellent but a bit cold with a stiff NE wind at about 13 knots. This week will be week 2, and we hope for a better turnout. We have 13 Ensigns, 2 J24's, and 3 solings available for racing.

This week also marked the first nights for Tuesday Laser and Dinghy Racing, and Milwaukee Yacht Club's Wednesday night racing series. Although the conditions left something to be desired with variable and shifts winds both events had a pretty good turnout. The 470 fleet was otherwise occupied with regattas in Lake Opeka, and Lake Carlyle leaving the Tuesday starting line to the Lasers.

Those interested in sailing on Wednesday Nights on Solings and J24s, should contact MCSC, and post a comment on the blog. There are plenty of interested people out there, so lets get organized and make our presence known on both the starting line and finish line.

Wednesday Night Racing at South Shore Yacht Club begins next week as does MAST Racing on Friday Nights.

Hitch a Ride

I recently read an article about what to do and what not to do, and what to expect when it comes to hitching a ride for a race, whether it be an afternoon or evening, or a weekend. I'll try my best to summarize the article here and add a little of my own advice coming from years of 'hitching a ride' on Wednesday and Friday nights.

Shoes:
Shoes are extremely important for your own safety and performance as well as how you appear to a perspective skipper. If you show up on race day with black soled, slippery, uncomfortable shoes, don't expect to get called back. Although at the sailing center we're not too picking about the shoes you wear, as long as they are closed toe, a person who owns their own boat wants to keep his or her deck clean and skid mark free. They also want everyone to remain on board for the duration of the race, so go out and pick a pair of comfortable not slip grip sailing shoes.

Gear:
Don't bring too much stuff with you. Although you need to bring appropriate gear for the conditions of the day, don't bring monstrous amounts of things with you. Weight is a huge issue for most racing skippers and crews that bring tons of gear scream high maintenance. The sailing center encourages skippers of sailing center boats to bring a lot of gear to help them solve problems they will encounter on the water, but if you are crewing for someone, they most likely will be prepared. Some skippers will even provide extra PFDs for those crew members who don't have their own, and sometimes even sailing gloves. Do not count on this though. Again, bring only what you will absolutely need for the conditions of the day.
Just as it is important to not bring too much stuff, it is important to bring the right stuff. Good foul weather gear is a must, as are sailing gloves, hats, sun glasses etc. Dress for physical work. Most racing is work out for everyone involved.

Be Open and Honest:
It is very important to be open and honest about your skill level, knowledge, physical ability, and limitations, when catching a ride for a race. You don't want to be hoisted up the mast with arthritic joints, or sent down bellow to fold the shoot if you get sea sick, or sent to hoist a sail and you don't know which halyard is which. All skippers understand the situation when they bring on someone new, and they are almost always willing to teach you. Sometimes even other crew members can give you a run down of the boat, and assign you a position that fits you. Never jump into a job on the boat you are not familiar with. This can cause problems for you, the skipper, the crew, the boat, and your position in a race. Kiwi pro sailors call this type of person "overkeen", a very fitting term.

What is Expected of a Crew:
When you are picked up for a race, do not be surprised if you are not given the ideal position on the boat. No matter what your skill level is, there are usually regular crew who fill the most popular positions, and pick up crews are usually forced to start out on the rail. Don't be insulted, if you are good enough to take a higher position, the skipper will soon find that out. Be courteous to everyone on the boat, and move about with light feet. Don't be the first one to reach for a beer, and don't be offended if your the one who is asked to get the beer. You are not exactly a guest on the boat, you are there to work for the skipper/owner. You don't have to bring a gift to get a ride. Most skippers will provide anything they feel is needed, and if you bring a six pack with you, you may appear to not fit in.

What to Expect:
It is very important to be prepared for the the day on the water. Don't be surprised if the skipper is a yeller, a lot of racers do a lot of yelling on the race course, but are perfectly nice on land. Although it is unpleasant to be on a boat with someone like this, a ride is a ride, and quite often you take what you can get. Don't take the yelling personally. Expect long stretches of tedium. There are often long legs up wind and down wind, where crew have the most uncomfortable and difficult positions on the boat. Don't be afraid of the water, you will get wet! It is a water sport after all.
"Butt Cleat" is a semi technical term which means someone is sitting on a line that needs to be trimmed, adjusted, slacked, whatever, and someone is sitting on it causing problems. Don't be embarrassed if its you, it happens to all of us.
Don't be surprised if the skipper asks you to come back and race again. Know your schedule ahead of time so you are not caught on the spot. If you enjoyed the ride the first time don't be afraid to come back again, you will inevitably learn a lot, and work yourself up to a good position on the boat.
Have a flexible schedule the night of the race. Often weather is the only control of a length of a race, so don't have a deadline, or specific time to be back on land.

Racing Begins May 18, 2008

The summer is almost here. We're just, hopefully, seeing the last of the cold, wet spring weather as we head into the month of May. The Milwaukee Community Sailing Center's Sunday Racing begins Sunday May 18, 2008.

Everyone is anxious to get out and race with the beautiful spring wind. This year the sailing center staff are hoping to really get Sunday Racing going by expanding the weekly crowd to youth sailors and new members who are ready and willing to get out there on the starting line. As we try to emphasize every year, Sunday racing is a time for learning. Although the racing can get competitive it is important to remember that we're all out there to have fun and learn a little at the same time.

Bringing more and more basic sailors into the mix will not only expand the fleet on Sundays, it will improve the quality of sailing throughout the sailing center. Racing is an ideal way to reinforce and drive home the basic skills needed to navigate a sail boat correctly and safely through the harbor and in open water. With an expanding membership base, and an increasing number of open sailors, this development is important this year more than ever.

Although there will be a few changes to Sunday racing to accommodate newer and younger sailors, the average racer will not notice them. Racing will begin at the same time, 9:30 am, every week, and will be run in a similar fashion with familiar race courses, and no one keeping score. It should be a great season of racing and I hope to catch everyone on the starting line on May 18th.

Sailing World for the Avid Racer

You could spend days sifting through all the different sailing magazines out there, each one discussing anything from boat building, cruising, or racing, trying to find one magazine that really hits home with you. Although I am a fan of many different magazines, on many different sailing topics, when it comes to racing Sailing World magazine has it down. As you read, however, you have to distract yourself from the adds pushing the newest most expensive equipment, clothing and technology which can lower your course time a few seconds. Besides this subtle point, you can consistently find several well written articles on many pertinent racing topics applicable to any tear of racing.

In this months issue, May 2008, there are columns on racing technique, tactics, and rules, as well as interesting news in the world of racing. The news is very informative and covers topics from the Barcelona World Race, collegiate standings, to the new full length sailing movie on the trans pac due to be released this fall. With all this very applicable information, there is also quite a bit of info that appeals to the wealthy racers out there who can afford the newest and greatest spinnaker material or new developments in two wheal steering systems.

If you are not interested in a subscription , which I highly recommend, you can stop by the sailing center and browse through the magazine sitting at one of our picnic tables. Also check out Sailing World online at www.sailingworld.com

US 470 Nationals 2008

The Sarasota Sailing Squadron hosted the 2008 470 Nationals Regatta in March this year.  The regatta was preceded by a three day clinic taught by Olympic Gold Medalist, Allison Jolly.  The 6 day event included 11 boats from all over North America.  Two boats called southern Florida home, 2 boats hailed from Houston Texas, 1 from Victoria British Columbia, and 6 boats from the Midwest.  The Midwest boats included two from MCSC: Doug Drake, Joe Fillingham, and John and Jeanne Michael, and one from Milwaukee Yacht Club: Patti McMahn and Susie Rieck.  

The regatta began in moderate weather with a 10 knot north west breeze allowing the fleet to race 3 full races in the open Gulf.  Day two was a bit more fickle with variable winds and occasional rain showers allowing only 2 races in the bay between Lido Key and the main land.  The final day brought heavy air reaching to 25 knots with only 2 races after at least 3 capsizes.  These incidents allowed for the changing of a few different places by the end of day 3.  

With former Olympian Allison Jolly and her crew Molly, a US sailing team member, on the course there was little chance of fighting for first place however the drama followed in fights for second and forth place.  The top five places were rounded out with 2 midwest boats: Hunter Ratliff and Chris "Topher" Williams, and Doug Drake and Joe Fillingham taking 3rd and 5th respectively.  

The midwest 470 fleet is hoping to have another full season of racing with regattas scheduled on Opeka, Lake Carlyle, the Milwaukee Yacht Club, and at MCSC.  

100th Annual Chicago Mac Race

This year's Chicago Mac Race will be the 100th installment of the event.  According to Chicago Yacht Club's web page, there are a record breaking 460+ entries for the race.  The race will be held on July 19, 2008.  

The Mac Race is the longest fresh water regatta in the world, covering 366 miles of Lake Michigan.  The race is world famous for its length, location, and intensity quite often being subject to challenging weather conditions over the 2 to 4 days of sailing.  

You can watch the regatta online as the race's host, the Chicago Yacht club offer the racers transponders which will make their position available to interested viewers.  Although sailing coverage is always at a premium, covering a race in this way has raised controversy at different levels of the sport as racers argue about the fairness of being able to see the position of competitors while sailing in open water miles apart.  

More information on the 2008 Chicago Mac Race is available on the Chicago Yacht Club's Web Page.  

Crew Search

South Shore Yacht Club will be hosting a Crew Search on Saturday April 26, 2008 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. Although this is the same day as MCSC's opening day of sailing, the meeting will be a great opportunity for local racers to meet other racers sailing out of south shore and in the Milwaukee Bay area. The purpose of the meeting will be for potential crews to meet skippers and skippers to find potential crews.

South Shore Yacht Club hosts several racing series throughout the season, including an extremely popular Wednesday Night Series which supports several PHRF divisions on different buoy courses every week.

Single Handed Sailing On Lake Michigan

Long distance racing is one of the sports greatest challenges, and often generates the greatest press and prestige among the sailing community. Making Lake Michigan's most popular long distance races, the Queen's Cup and the Chicago Mac Race, look like cake walks the Lake Michigan Single Handed Society annually hosts two extreme short handed, long distance races: The Double Handed Championship and the Solo Challenge Race.

A similar group, who organizes long distance short handed races all over the Great Lakes is the Great Lakes Single Handed Society. This prestigious group organizes the Chicago to Mackinac Island Solo Challenge and Port Huron to Mackinac Island Solo Challenge, the Great Lakes most challenging sailing feats. This year will be the 12th annual single handed Mac race and the 30th single handed Port Huron to Mac race.

The Lake Michigan Single Handed Society will be hosting its annual Double Handed Championship on June 19, 2008, and its Solo Challenge Race on August 15, 2008.

The Great Lakes Single Handed Society will be hosting the Single Handed Mac Race on June 21, 2008.

Making Posts

As we slowly feel our way into spring, I want to remind everyone and anyone out there that if would like to make posts on the blog just contact me and I can make you an official member if you already have a google account.  This would be the case if you are sick of posting comments on someone else posts and want to make your ideas a little more visible and introduce new topics of discussion.  

Again all you have to do is contact me, Joe, at jhfillingham@gmail.com, and send me your google account information and I can make you an administrator allowing you to make posts on this blog.  

Figuring Out the Enrichment Program

Although many of us have been members of the MCSC Enrichment Program for many years, there are plenty of new comers out there who have not quite figured out the system. Here is a link to the sailing center's web page and their description of the enrichment program.

Sailing Center's Enrichment Program

To sail a Sailing Center boat during Sunday Racing you have to be a member of the Enrichment Program. The program is made up of weekly, weekend sessions which allow members to meet other members, get some practice in, try sailing new kinds of boats, try sailboat racing, and get evaluated for light, or medium air ratings. There is an additional seasonal fee for the enrichment program which is dependent on your current sailing center rating.

Keep an eye out for the 4 annual regattas the Sailing Center puts on each year as the Enrichment Program is canceled on those days. You do not have to be an Enrichment Program member to participate in regattas but you must be pre registered. Walk up crews are welcome on the day of regattas : )

You can still sail privately owned boats during Sunday Racing, to do so contact MCSC!

If you do not participate in Enrichment Program days outside of Sunday Racing, please click on the above link and check out the details.

Sailing Web Pages Continued

A few new web pages and a few old ones:

Milwaukee Community Sailing Center's Racing Page

MCSC Racing Program Home Page

Midwest 470 Homepage

Joe's Sailing and Weather Page

Sailing Webpages

Hello All,

For those that are interested, through the winter I have been working on a few sailing webpages that you might be interested in.

Sailing and Weather: http://jhfillingham.googlepages.com/sailing

Midwest 470: http://midwest470.googlepage.com

Money for the MCSC Racing Program

The Milwaukee sailing association MAST, has generously donated their time to raise money for the Sailing Center Racing Program. Although the racing program has been present for some years, it has struggled to compete with the quality of race management of our neighboring facilities, the milwaukee yacht club and south shore yacht club. This does not have to be the case as the sailing center continues to sustain many sailors interested in competitive racing. With MAST's help, we just might be able to improve this important program.

Local 470 Fleet Goes to Florida

A group of local 470 sailors retreat to Florida for an early spring racing clinic and national regatta.

Those going include Susie and Patty, John and Jeanne, Doug and Joe, and a few others from local yacht clubs. We're hoping for good wind and temperatures although the forcast hasn't been looking good. The clinic and regatta will start Monday March 10th in Sarasota, FL and will conclude Saturday March 15th.

Wish us all luck!