Many new to sailing have trouble just getting around the course and wonder if they will ever consistently sail with the fleet leaders. They all know that more time on the water equates to more knowledge and better finishes. Here are ten items to pay close attention to for sailing the course of the day.

 

1) Check the boat out thoroughly before racing. Fix any problems from the previous racing now. A well-prepared boat will be an asset for the day's race.

 

2) Check the days forecast from several sources and set your boat accordingly with proper rig setup and sails.

 

3) Use your time sailing to the starting line to determine where the wind is on the lake. Always know your course, especially your mark rounding's. Then fit in what you have observed of the wind on the lake to the course that is set. Be sure to compare the present conditions with the forecast. Always be ready for change as the race progresses.

 

4) When preparing to start the race, size up the length of the starting line compared to the number of boats. Determine the favored side of the line and the course. Think about the length of the first beat and how long you will sail on each tack prior to reaching the first mark. Assess where there will be room for starting. Know when you will need to be in the area you want to start. Visualize the start and the opening minutes of the race.

 

5) Plan your approach to the marks. Make sure you never sail past the lay lines. Mark rounding is one area where you can make big gains. Work on our technique for all mark rounding's. Always review how you did and how you can improve. Remember when the mark rounding is crowded it may pay to slow down a little and point up inside the other boats once they have rounded. Always think ahead.

 

6) Always work on passing boats. Many times going after wind velocity will pay big dividends. If you see a constant pattern of wind on the water believe in what you see.

 

7) Have a downwind game plan. This is not a time to relax. Keep your air clear. Learn what a good downwind setup and balance is for your boat and use it.

 

8) Keep your head out of the boat as much as possible. Knowing what is going on with the wind and competitors is a plus for your decision process.

 

9) You should have a good reason to tack. Some are: approaching the lay line, bad air, traffic, wind shift, obstruction, more wind and many others. Just don't tack because everyone else is have a reason.

 

10) Learn the feel of your boat and what makes it go fast. Remember (mark) your fast settings so they can be repeated.

 

This is one of the most important activities of this club. This is the activity that requires the most resources of our club for the future. Our training instructors are important to the activities and well being of this club. All of this requires more resources from the club members in volunteers and boats.

 

As we embark on 2007 the club will attempt to improve our training programs and your help is needed. We are looking for on the water trainers with boats to help all the adult class participants get in the required on the water training. Many are already helping but more are needed.

 

We need to know now any volunteers that could help in improving our training program. We will have students who will want on the water sessions early this year. Do not shy away for this because of a lack of experience, we can help you help others to learn.

 

Finding ways of training new sailors is vital to continuing Jacomo Sailing Club. Passing on what we know is the greatest asset we can give to those new to sailing. So if you are willing to give back to the club with your time and use of your boat contact Hal Wood now!

 

Along with weekly Sunday race schedule the club hosts various activities, which include special racing clinics, dinners, regattas, parties and racing events, held throughout the year.

 

This is good clean outdoor fun. One skipper, the whole family, as a crew, or any combination you wish, can enjoy it. Come out on any Sunday and join us for a sail.

 

Open Sail days are our clubs equivalent of an open house, but with boats. We bring out several of the different fleet boats to show to people who are interested in the club, and take them out for a spin. This is an excellent opportunity for you to see what the racing boats look like up close, and to get a feel for how they sail.

 

We are a public club whose mission is to promote the sport of sailing. Our activities are focused around Sunday afternoon races, which are scheduled throughout the summer, though activities cover a broad spectrum and continue throughout the year. We own a very nicely equipped pontoon boat and a runabout which are used for race committee duties, along with various pieces of equipment, trophies, displays, etc. We do not own any boats or boat launching facilities, because we use the county facilities on Lake Jacomo. Associate members pay $40 per year and receive all privileges except counting races for trophies. Racing members pay $95 per year dues to the club, which entitles them to the additional privilege of skippering their boat in club races and compete for the club trophies. If you decide to join (and we hope that you do), just fill out the membership application on the JSC website and send it in.

 

Now, more important information for you, a potential new member. Included in the website are assorted other articles of business for different segments of the club. There are fleet meetings coming up, training sessions for new members, work days for Race Committee. Anything, which you find interesting, feel free to attend. We are always glad to find new people with interest in our sport, so don't hesitate to call or email any of the members. We have had a site on the web since 1995, one of the earliest sailing sites, and the first club in the Midwest to get on the web.

 

Thinking of buying a boat and would like to sail one before you make your investment? Then join us, on one of the Sail Days. This is a way you can contact us or come out to the lake and introduce yourself to the club members.

 

"There is nothing, simply nothing, half as much worth doing as simply messing around in boats." A great majority of our society agrees with that. So now you've either messed around in a boat, or watched others mess around in them. Bet you've watched birds, too: A hawk or seagull soaring along. Sailing combines the freedoms of both the air and the water. Tighten the sail, feel the boat lean a bit, pick up speed, and hear the swish of the water as it leaves a trail of bubbles behind. You and your boa t become one, as you move through the air and across the water, and you find all your worries and bothers left back on the dock.

 

 

So now you are drifting along in your new boat, head on the gunwale, feet on the centerboard trunk, tiller over your shoulder, and not a care in the world. And then, beside you, appears another boat. You both glide along side by side, talking, and then you notice he is a little bit faster. You pull in the sail a bit to catch up. Now he does the same to catch up with you. Before long, you are both hanging over the side, trying to coax every last bit of speed out of the boat to be the first to the dam m. An interesting experience, and you decide to enter a regular race.

 

Now its Sunday afternoon. 5 minutes to the start. You and other boats just like you are moving back and forth, closing in on each other and the line, confusing to viewers, but with a rhythm and pattern like a dance. 1 minute to go. Boats seem everywhere. Closer and faster. A few shouts. 10 seconds. Here comes the starting line. Will we be too soon? 5! 4! 3! 2! Bang! We're off!

 

The confused milling is now a straight line of boats moving parallel down the lake. A glance at a neighboring boat, at an approaching gust, and "Ready! Over!" You change directions, taking advantage of the wind shift. Boats are beginning to separate. Several more tacks, and now there are several of you together, each eyeing the other, heading down the lake together. A chess game where you are one of the pieces. Do everything right, hope the others make mistakes. All your senses are focused as you try to outguess the wind and your opponents. Take the thrill of the last five minutes of basketball or football, stretch them out over an hour, but you are in the game, not just watching.

 

Now the finish line is approaching. One other boat, after all this time, is right next to you. Who will be first? Each of you change course for better position on the wind. You and your crew hang over the side, muscles hurting, boats side by side, the finish line 100 feet away. 50 feet. Are we ahead? Are they? Let's give it all we've got! Hike! Harder! Only 20 more feet to go. He's gaining! Now! One last tack to force him away. It worked! We're over first, we won! We race because it's more darn fun than anything else you can legally do in public.

 

 

One Design Racing! - There are three types of racing: match racing, as done in the America's Cup; handicap racing, where the elapsed times of different types of boats are corrected by formula to see who actually won, and one- design racing. One design racing offers the most immediate gratification. If you are ahead of a boat, you are ahead, and if you are behind, you are behind. Simple. One small error or one beneficial tweak of the sail can change the outcome. In one design racing, just as the name implies, a single b oat type is used by all competitors. These designs are termed "classes"; some are quite large, others very local in number and character. All have in common a design standard and class organization to maintain an even footing. One design sailing puts the premium on crew work, sailing skill, and racing savvy rather than spending money to go faster an thereby win. The Jacomo Sailing Club is the mainstay of one design racing in this region. Except for private lakes, you will not find another one design club within several hundred miles (Omaha and Lincoln, Wichita, and Tulsa are the closest). Not much else in boating matches the overall fun and challenge of one design racing. The class pages detail the currently active fleets of boats. Call one or all of the contact people for more information. Come join us, and change your summers forever.

 

 

Send article to the webmaster at jacomosailingclub@yahoo.com for consideration in our club publications.

 

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