Pointscore opened and a Note from the Handicapper....

First two heats of Pointscore are complete.

Matt as PRO had work cut out as the breeze swung North.  The blokes in the RIB  (richard and Muhamed) were kept busy shifting buoys, and we managed two decent races. 

Results, as always, hopefully, on the webpage.

And a note from Daryl......

This years Pointscore is going to look a bit weird. It works like this (Dilbert fashion). The handicap shown in the race results summary was your start handicap based on your final Autumn handicap. It is now a Personal Handicap that is multiplied against your elapsed time to give your corrected time. The lower the number, the smalle, and r corrected time will be. So .... Race 1 had your starting handicap applied to your elapsed time to give corrected time. And voila.... results for race one. My system then assumes that the top half of the fleet was sailing well against handicap (first place obviously ridiculously better) and the back half of the fleet was not sailing to expectations (somewhat severely handicapped). So lets do some adjustment. For the next race I assume that the middle guy performed as expected (no handicap change), that the top half of the fleet needs an increase in their rating (slow them down a bit), and the back half needs some speeding up by reducing their rating. The change in handicap has been set at a half correction only due to the fact that we tend to be a bit random in our performance and don't want to change handicap TOO far from our expected relativities. So for each race, you will see all Personal Handicap ratings change except for those in the middle of the fleet. This contrasts with last seasons Pointscore where only the top two were slowed down, and the bottom two sped up. 

The other advantage of this seasons system is that the time length of the race does not matter. The handicaps are a percentage type of thing, not a plus/minus whole minutes. Unfortunately the system does not cater for performances in 25 knots versus 8 knots and variable. 2015 ????

The winner this season will be either the person who can continually improve (with the occasion poor perforamnce that is included in the drops) or the person who is the most consistent (no bad points to include in net score). Of course, that means you also have to minimise your DNC/DNF/OCS/BFD/DSQ results.

Yours baffled in bull (all bribes considered)

Guy with the handy cap.

Insurance Mandatory (and made simple)

A requirement of racing with DBSC and any Laser Association event is that you have Public Liability insurance.  It's prudent at all times, but especially for DBSC sailors given how crowded the harbour gets and the potential for collisions. You might also want comprehensive coverage for your boat, but that's your call. 

YNSW has a recommended policy, and splits the commissions with DBSC. The good news is its both cheap ($50 for $10m PL coverage) and easy (on line application).

Details here

Newbie alert....

Please make welcome the new members who have joined the club in the last couple of weeks: Jason; Robert; Rupert; and, Chris.

How wrong is this?

See this photo.

Please don't do these sorts of things.....it creates work (double handling) for your fellow member.  It only requires a minimal level of personal exertion to be considerate.

Dollies for Dummies:

• Don't leave dollies on floor inside club
• Don't stack dollies in front of racks when a boat is not in the rack
• Don't hang more than three dollies in front of each rack
• Do store excess dollies outside when the club is open
• Do hang dollies in front of full racks at the end of the day

Season opened, Jazzman Christened, N/E due on Saturday

Wet weather (again) and a 8-12 knot southerly/ south easterly greeted the 35 starters to the season opener.  The first race was set to the east of Clarke island, the course was shifted around the island for the second (proving the value of Jazzman's windlass).

Racing was of good quality, especially considering many haven't had too much boat time for several months. Mark B's two wins showed all is order for his looming great grandmaster world  title defence. Richard Bott and Finn split the honours in the radials. Charlotte enjoyed the course in her 4.7.  Full results are available via DBSC's flash new webpage (www.dbsc.com.au).

After racing we retired to the club for a great meal and a couple of drinks and the Jazzman was formally christened by Shirley Roach.

Couple of reminders

• A basic rule of racing is that each boat should be behind the start line when the start gun sounds. Standard rig sailors struggled with this concept on Saturday.  This season, the PRO will favour individual recalls, and there will be a committee boat stationed at the pin end, so transgressors can expect to be disadvantaged.
• According to the DBSC sailing instructions; Once started, boats must not cross the finish line other than when they are finishing. 
• Penalties are always 2 full turns ASAP,  other than hitting a bouy, which is one turn only.

Thanks to 

• Three generations of the Roach family who attended and officiated the Jazzman's christening.
• Paul and Andrea for a wonderful, lip smacking feast. 
• Peter for splendid work on the BBQ.
• Jonathon S and Dene for manning the Jazzman.
• Jonathan B for helping with CCOTD duties.
• Martin and Ashley for organising the learn to Race crew.
• Andrew for the inaugural 3 minute rule of the day presentation regarding the top mark.

Coming events

• Pointscore on 13th.  Nor'easter forecast! (&Predict Wind saying 10-15kts at time of writing)
• NB sprint series on 20th.  We expect 80 or more starters that day!

Sailing report, sea trials and "NOB"

An interesting day of sailing, with 14 sailors braving rain, mist, and 19-29 knot breezes from the south and south-west.  To add some real fun, we did 3 minute starts using random flags.  

Captain Kirk, from the Starship "Paul Adam", did note, "This was the best behaved sprint group in the last two years at DBSC, because only about 10% of Rules of Racing were being broken.  Next week, we don't want any deliberate breaches as the results count."

Dear Leader observed, "The decision by the PRO to deliberately favour the pin end on starts was just the perfect training for Hyeres, where the PRO selected for the regatta has that unintended bias on a regular basis."

Sea trials of Jazzman continued with the discovery that more than 30m of anchor chain is needed in a stiff breeze close to "the channel".  Emeritus Director of the Centre of Engineering Excellence, The Wise Master said, "it will be fixed."

Next week is the start of the official DBSC sailing season so the only requirements are:

1. pay your membership fees if you have been visiting;
2. everyone look at the "links" part of this website to familiarise yourself with the rules of racing (Gen Y can have them tattooed on their forearms, only if in English);
3. sign-on prior to the race briefing at 1pm Saturday;
4. splash at 1.30pm;
5. racing at 2.00pm, sharp; and,
6. organise your loved-ones, or least hostile acquaintances, to attend with you the free BBQ and the christening of Jazzman at 5pm  (this is the Notice of BBQ - NOB).

REMINDER - ROSTER FOR 2014/15 SEASON

With the arrival of the Jazzman  the Committee has separated the Race Officer functions from those of Captain of the Day for the 2014/15 season.

The roster for the Race Officer and Captain and Co-Captain of the Day is here.

If you wish to change your allocation click here.

The Club depends on volunteers to conduct well run races on Saturday afternoons. 

If your allocated date is acceptable please put it in your diary now.   You don't need to tell us.  

If circumstances change and you can't do your allocated day please let us know as soon as possible.

ut sementem feceris ita metes

This coming Saturday's racing is the last of the year before we start keeping score!

Starting with a honking "south to southwesterly 15 to 20 knots decreasing to about 10 knots during the evening", it should be a lot of fun, and not to cold, for Sprint Racing.  Time to start working on the leave pass from home.

It is also a great opportunity to invite some Laser friends who haven't raced with us before. They can mix it with us on the starting line and around the marks without affecting the results (in fact we don't even record scores before September).

Even though it is Sprint Racing, we will be sticking to the rules (with the only adjustment being one penalty turn and not two).

At the noon briefing, there will be a short summary of the rules affecting the starting line by either Ozzy and Dear Leader.  Ozzy will take queries, while Dear Leader just will require adherence to the rules he states.

To answer the next obvious question, click,  HOW MANY TIMES CAN A VISITOR RACE WITH DBSC?

See you on Saturday.

NB Sprint series continues 31/8 @ Gosford

3 Races.  SI's here

Compete for the chance to win a free trade in (You swap your boat for a new one!)  Winner Drawn at DBSC on 20 September

Big Boat (and dolphin) Report - Sunday 24/8

Jonathan reports.......

This was an extra race, sailed because the Harbour was there. Three boats presented, on a lovely afternoon, sunny with a 5 knot north-easterly. But variable, as light winds are.

It was a gate start, which nobody wins, and all three of us headed across Double Bay on port tack, close on the wind. T&T struck trouble straight away; which wasn't easy in light winds on an empty harbour. The clip holding the genoa sheets to the clew slipped, the headsail flapped merrily, and Mat had to scramble to sort it out. So 50m behind on the first bit of the first leg. T&T tagged Corinna  and Umbakumba as they tacked out into the harbour, but did not follow as Corinna and then Umbakumba tacked to pick up the easterly sometimes there at Potts Point. T&T went left, ignoring the Point, and did well, turning the PP mark third (Umbakumba was first) but in touch.

The next leg, to Taylor's Bay, was a gentle reach; Umbakumba went low and T&T high, and we sailed over the top of both the competition, to reverse the order - turning first, well clear. We held that lead until the last stages of the work to Sow'n Pigs; T&T overstood the mark by maybe 150m (a significant mistake), allowing Corinna through to round the top mark first. 

Still, we all threw up spinnakers to fight out the downwind leg to Shark Island, and T&T closed up on Corinna until, off Steel Point we fell into a deep hole; Corinna' s small lead and some clever sailing took her eventually to a lead of a country mile, while we flapped around. Umbakumba caught a following gust and held it well to sail through us, as we drifted past Shark Island, adding to our frustration. 

By the time T&T finally cleared the Shark Island mark Corinna was half a leg ahead, and Umbakumba 100 m; we had taken our spinnaker down to stop it tearing on the rigging as we flapped in no wind, and the cockpit floor was a jumble of ropes. We thought 'what the hell', sorted the cockpit and hoisted another spinnaker (a red and white flat-cut kite, made for strong winds, which I bought for a song too many years ago). It set beautifully and we found a bit of wind. Mat took the helm, I managed the spinnaker,  brace in one hand and sheet in the other, and we set out to catch Umbakumba.

Gerry and Brian took Umbakumba high, so we went low. And - trimming the spinnaker as best we could and finding the best of the wind - almost got there, finishing at opposite ends of the line, at most a few seconds behind. It was slow sailing but good fun competition. Mind you, by the time we had finished, Corinna had her headsail packed, and her deck tidy. In fading winds a small mistake (or just bad luck with the puffs) can turn into a loooonnnng loss.

We unrigged uneventfully and enjoyed a cool drink in the last of the afternoon's sun, on the Club deck. 

And, when we were sick of talking about the race, we talked about sailing.

Across the line:
Corinna
Lots of water
Umbakumba
T&T

We race again on September 7

Addendum from Gerry......

As myself and Brian rigged up the spinnaker sheets whilst drifting calmly on a low tide
and 4 to 6 knots of breeze on a sparkling late winter Sunday on Sydney Harbour just off Clarke 
Island,I thought to myself ..... apart from some more wind what could possibly make this 
moment any more serene?

And then it happened  a sight I have never seen in the harbour before, a Pod of 12 or more 
Dolphins popped up and cruised around Umbakumba practically circling the boat barely 5 feet off.

We stood transfixed forgotten sheets and spinnaker bags in hand.  Too late darting below for a camera to capture the event.

We tried to hail T&T and Corinna to let them know of the Dolphins presence.
But they were too busy with their pre race preparations.
We then had a magic sail around the course still keeping an eye out for the Pod.
So much so that we neglected to gybe the spinnaker on the last leg to shorten 
our line to the finish, almost letting T&T take us on the line, a mistake no doubt
but then you can't have everything.

So keep and eye out on the harbour, it might just be worth dropping a few boat lengths for!