Corinthian Yacht Club’s PSSR was, in many ways, epic. Last weekend’s regatta saw enough breeze on Saturday that racing was called after a couple of races when winds were heading up into the 30s. On Sunday conditions were milder and made for great racing.
The J/80s and J/105s fielded very competitive fleets, and four San Juan 24s made the trek from Lake Washington to sail off Shilshole. Erik Kristen on More Jubilee sailed another strong series to win the J/105 class while second place Jaded and third place Moose Unknown ended tied. In the J/80 class it was a dead heat between Rush and Crazy Ivan, with Phillip Dean’s Rush finishing ahead in the last race and winning the class. Ken Johnson’s Grauer Geist won the San Juan class with straight bullets..
Winners in the PHRF classes were Absolutely, Dos and Elixir in four boat, four boat and one boat classes respectively. Results here. Nine, count ’em nine, PHRF boats competed, though more were registered.
My friends Joe Cline at 48 North and Matt Woods, fleet captain at CYC, cite Easter and Southern Straits crew stealing as the reasons for the low PHRF turnout. I’m more concerned.
As a CYC member and racing evangelist, I’m alarmed. For every sailor there’s a slightly different logic to this down trend, but consistently it’s noted that the old round-the-buoys racing for cruiser/racers is way down. Too much work/effort, too time consuming, too competitive, handicapping issues are all often cited. My questionnaire of a year and a half ago revealed a few things that sailors want to see. Casual racing is a common thread.
I’m sure race organizers and my fellow sailors have a seabag full of great ideas to implement. This year’s PSSR might just be the signal that the race to get sailing back on track is starting and we better trim in and harden up.
If the last PHRF boat hits a wave, does it make a splash?
Photos by Jan Anderson. The rest here.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
As the skipper of Elixir, the one PHRF boat racing alone in PSSR, I feel obligated to comment after reading this and all the survey responses.
First, thank you to CYC for a great PSSR. Races went off smoothly and quickly, VHF communication was great, and we got a lot of racing in. Many hats off to the CB, again. I have no suggestions here.
Second, I think at this point, the first step for PHRF buoy racing is communication off the water. I want to start a PHRF group in case we’re all debating whether to register when no one else has registered either, thereby creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’ve been asking around how best to do this. It’s not that OD folk have better social skills. PHRF folk just need a catalyst/leader since we are diverse. There’s more to the PHRF problem than that of course. But I think we’ve maybe just lost critical mass, and that’s most urgent, and maybe conveniently also the easiest, thing to address.
Third, club and race organizers could do more to help curious and dubious potential buoy racers. I suggest friendly free clinics with beverages and/or a document or series of articles. I would be happy to help. We reluctantly did our first PSSC on Elixir in 2017 just because it was there. I was mentally exhausted afterwards as the driver and co-tactician. I was a rally co-driver for four years before we switched to sailing, and for me, telling someone where to turn on a dirt road at 50 mph all day was easier than that PSSC at 5 kt all day. It is what it is: knowing the courses, the etiquette, who you’re racing with, and the Racing Rules of Sailing, keeping everything on board together, and finding time to snack. But last weekend, which was my fourth PSSX, was easy logistically, like a dog agility contest mixed with chess. A dog agility contest with chess may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it could be more sailors’ cup of tea with some assistance.
Fourth, Sailish often reads like a letter to old friends, which is understandable because many readers and writers are old friends. Sometimes that’s great. But sometimes I’ve felt like I’m on the outside looking in. I know better, but I would urge Sailish contributors to write at newcomers if that’s the audience they are worried about. Give out valuable nuggets of local knowledge in layman’s terms. Avoid assuming previous experience with events. Never disparage without good reason. And maybe don’t talk about people who aren’t racing, or who are PHRF, in third person. Those people are reading your stuff.
Fifth, if you’re a newcomer reading this with interest, go volunteer on a committee boat. Don’t be shy. It’s the best seat in the house, you’ll learn so much, and you’ll meet people, and that’s how things get started. We did this before we moved from Edmonds to Shilshole a year ago and it was the tipping point for me.
Sixth, if you’re an active racer reading this with interest, please be kind, even extroverted, to strangers on the dock and in the club and on the water. Even if you normally dislike talking to strangers at parties, you’ve got the upper hand in this social scene, and you represent racing. If you’re not sure what to say, just ask people what boat they’re on, what they do on the boat, and how it’s going, and how they got into racing, and so on.
Thanks for bringing this up, Kurt!
Hi Megan,
I love your thoughts. The racing I grew up with on Lake Michigan was very social. While the Chicago fleets were fairly spread out between clubs, most would come to the same dock afterward to dry sails, drink beer and bs each other on the lawn. The point-to-point races ended with big raftups in places like St. Joseph and Michigan City, and out of necessity you’d cross a lot of boats before you got to your own. Kinda like Duck Dodge. The secret sauce is socializing, making friends etc. Your open invitations are what we all need to do, and follow up to make sure people DO feel welcome.
And your thoughts on sailish talking to newcomers are also valid. It’s the eternal struggle, how to make stories interesting to both old and new hands. I’ll work on that.
Keep sailing Elixir hard. She’s a beauty.
Folks,
Matthew Wood, CYC Race Chair here. Appreciate your comments, thoughts and participation here. Rather than either defending what clearly isn’t working , or offering empty commitments to do something which may be unavailable due to resourcing limits, I am simply offering this.
I will do more. That said, I ask the owners/skippers/crew to do the same.
Everything posted/commented on/said is read and understood.
CYC, and I, and as dedicated and resolute as you are. We reflect the community, and try to lead.
Daily, and with loyalty,
Matthew Wood
CYC Race Chair and PHRF-NW Handicapper
I’d like to chime in in support of Matt. He will do more. But this trend clearly goes beyond PHRF. This is about the big picture of cruiser-racer events. There are a lot of good people working hard to promote racing in the Northwest, but there are some missing ingredients. Let’s keep the discussion going and find those missing ingredients. First off, let’s spread the word that sailboat racing is one of the very best things a person can do! Blow up the myth that it’s a sport only for the rich. Remember what Jim Kilroy (owner of the various Kialoa maxis) said when asked if it was a rich man’s sport: “No it isn’t: there’s one rich man on board and there’s 25 poor men and they enjoy it more than the rich man does!” Let’s spread the talent around the fleet to share our knowledge. Let’s care more about participation levels than results.