16 May 2015 Introduction to Sailboat Racing Seminar
Introduction to Sailboat Racing
A Seminar for Beginners Presented by the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club,
Lake Winnipesaub Sailing Association and Fay's Boatyard
May 16, 2015, Noon
Winnipesaukee Yacht Club, 45 Dockham Shore Road, Gilford NH
Faculty: Pete Crosby, Mike Curtin, Sara Laroux, Dan Morrison, Ed Philpot Agenda:
Welcome and Opening Remarks: Mike Curtin, WYC and Dan Morrison, LWSA
A. Introduction EDP/DM 12:00-12:30
What groups are involved in racing on the lake
A very short history of lake Winnipesaukee sailing and sailors
Why we do it!!
B. The Basics: What do I need to know to get started? PETE CROSBY 12:30-1:15
Basic Sailing theory- What makes them go?
Sail controls- What they do and why?
How sailing in a race is just a little bit different than cruising (they all look so close together, Is it
Safe?)
-15 Minute Break-
C. The paperwork! MIKE CURTIN/DAN MORRISON 1:30-2:00
Registration and Skippers meeting Notice of Race/Sailing Instructions PHRF
D. Basic Signals and Courses: Buoys, Pins and Flags , Oh My! (Not to mention horns and whistles!)
MIKE/SARA 2:00-2:40
Starting
Upwind
Rounding
Running and Reaching
The Finish!!
E. The Racing Rules of Sailing ED 2:40-3:30
Introduction Some very basic rules, simplified version!
F. Wrap Up PANNEL 3:30 -
Q&A
Your thoughts? How else can we help you get started?
Guide to US Sailing or other publications that may be helpful
Seminar Faculty
Meet The Cast:
Pete Crosby, Mike Curtin, Sara Laroux, Dan Morrison, Ed Philpot
Pete Crosby: Immediate Past Commodore of the WYC, Pete Crosby is a
1987 graduate of Maine Maritime Academy. While at Maine Maritime, Pete
raced in various classes of boat as a member of the sailing team. He
has completed numerous Gulf of Maine races and well as a Marion to
Bermuda race. Now retired from the merchant marine, Pete held an
unlimited tonnage masters license and convened various types of ships
as a master during his career. Ironically, he still needs a New
Hampshire Marine Patrol boater's license to operate a commercial
vessel (even a really small one) on the lake!
Today Pete sails an F-30 trimaran with his family and friends. The
Crosby's haul the boat and travel to Maine at least once a year to get
some salt on the sails. His current home port is at the WYC in
Gilford. Pete is the head sailing coach at Brewster Academy, he holds
a U.S. Sailing level 1 teaching certification. Pete regularly races on
and off the lake as a member of the crew of the 3-80 Gostosa and has
participated in numerous championship events. Pete is involved as a
member of the WYC race committee in event planning and administration.
Mike Curtin: Mike is the chairman of the WYC race Committee, and is
our chief scorer. He is responsible for both on and off water race
related activities at the club and for managing his large and often
unruly committee! Mike is the Principal Race Officer (PRO) for WYC
events, and he is a fixture on the Thursday 3-80 races and at all of
our weekend events. Mike recently completed a US Sailing race
administration certification class. In the early 1980's, Mike was an
Instructor for North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) and
collaborated with the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School taking
teens on multi-day island to island excursions on 30-foot open Ketches
off Camden Maine. He also occasionally crewed on his cousins Tartan 26
and later Islander 36 off the Connecticut coast during the summers
while in college and beyond. Mike has also crewed on thre J/80's on the
lake.
Mike purchased a Bristol 24, Tranquility, in 2006 and floated her at
Fay's Boatyard until becoming a member of the WYC. Now, when not
making racing happen for all of the rest of us, Mike can be found
plying the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee in his Bristol. Sara Laroux:
Sara grew up on the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland,
and learned to sail and race on a sunfish when she was 12 years
old. After high school, Sara spent a few summers living on Nantucket
and had the opportunity to race on a 324 during that time. In 1990,
she moved to Oregon to attend the University of Oregon. She began
racing on Fern Ridge Lake in Eugene in 2005 and spent several years in
the foredeck position with a Santana 20 fleet. Sara moved to New
Hampshire in 2011, and started racing with a small Santana 20 fleet on
Long Lake in Maine. Two years ago, Sara found a Santana 20 for sale
that had just been donated to the LWSA. Last summer was the first
summer the boat was put in the water and Sara raced it with the help
of another Lakes Region sailor.
Sara is hoping to spend this summer crewing for other sailors in the
WYC, and is eager to learn as much as possible about sailing on Lake
Winnipesaukee. She joined the race committee to learn more about what
it takes to organize and successfully plan a sailboat race.
Ed Philpot: Ed has been around boats for his entire life (so far!). He
grew up as a motor boater in New Jersey, but got the sailing bug early
on during an extended family stay in the Virgin Islands. This
progressed to sailing in high school on the Tom's River and Barnegat
Bay in the 1970's. Ed is currently the Vice Commodore of the WYC, and
is a past Commodore of the LWSA.
After high school, Ed's sailing was limited, but he spent several
years on motorboats in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and sailing only
occasionally. Sailing came back with a vengeance in 1985 when Ed came
to the Lakes Region and became a part of the very active sailing
community on the lake, crewing on various boats until 1991, when he
purchased and raced a J/24. Ed and the crew of Impatient (USA 4183)
became fixtures on the J/24 sailing circuit and on the lake as well.
The J/24 gave way to a J/80 and the traveling and lake racing
combination continued. Ed continues to crew regularly and is involved
as a member of the WYC race committee in event planning and
administration. Ed also owns and occasionally even sails a Laser, but
is otherwise between sailboats. Ed and his wife Dianne, currently owns
a motorboat.
