Displacement / weight question

[fleck]

There are 3 7.9s at the Washington Sailing Marina even after Horizon has left the madness. There's more water on the upper Potomac than you might think. Having a board is an advantage, but there is a S2 10.3 that is out racing every Tuesday. Check out http://www.discsailing.org Home of : Coup de Vent, Too Many Cooks, and Get R Done. Mount Vernon Yacht club, just down the river, has a nice group of 7.9s also.

The Ches Bay PHRF numbers for the 7.9 are not for class trim. They are raced in PHRF trim. Say goodbye to your cushions, 150 ft of 3/8 anchor rode, sail limitations, etc. But you also need some other PHRF stuff. Stove, stern pulpit( although I've never seen a boat tossed for having handrails) etc. On Horizon we have separate checklists of what is required for PHRF (day and night)and 7.9Class racing. There is nothing additional allowed on the boat. The 3 sec/mile diff for the IB was one of the reasons we pulled the IB. Every other boat is is 6/mile difference. Add to this the fact that summer on the Ches Bay has mostly light wind. Horizon is not the only 7.9 racing on the bay with a pulled IB. Look at the boats listed as "OB MOD" . http://www.phrfchesbay.com I know that it captures all the boats that raced first with an IB and then pulled it. Those that started with a pulled IB might not show up on the list as "OB MOD".

FYI Horizon is moving to the southern Ches bay. Specifically Deltaville, VA and should be back to racing by this fall. Life is good.

[Marionete]

Bob;

I checked out your link to the DISC website - pretty cool. Gives me some ideas on breathing a little life into our local club newsletter, which is published monthly for the Magothy River. http://www.magothysailing.com

We had the misfortune of having an accidental drowning during a race in 2008. The wind had piped up considerably and most boats had to reef and/or change headsails. I was sailing on a Cal 29, built a bit heavier than most new boats today. A Tartan 10 in the fleet had just rounded the upwind mark and lost control after heading downwind. It was the SKIPPER who fell overboard and another boat in the fleet responded to render assistance. The owner of the rescue boat was an M.D. but could not revive the T10 owner.

It was a very sobering moment and brought attention to safety issues. As a result, many owners now will require their crew to wear emergency PFD's - the new lightweight ones that activate when in water, dissolving the safety link. While we adhere to rules of PHRF and other class regulations when sailing, the rules alone don't make each boat safe. We had one crew member take it upon himself to initiate unannounced M.O.B. drills the rest of the season. Not a bad idea - and causes your crew to think about - your throwable device, ladder and how to get someone back in under adverse conditions. Until last year, no boat I have been on in 25 years ever practiced or even reviewed where all the gear was in the event of this kind of mishap!

I didn't inspect the new 7.9 rules much, but we all take for granted the assumption we'll arrive safely at the dock after every outing. And rules essentially are meaningless unless there is some reasonable way to ensure they are implemented, no matter how noble their intent.

I am sure you will be missed after your move to Deltaville. What club are you planning to join after the move?