My First Regatta Tommorow!!

i am signed up to compete in the San Diego Classic at Mission Bay, San Diego tommorow june 6-7. I am so excited

Any tips for my first race guys? I am a little worried right now about if i should actually be in the race or not. I rarely get to sail with another boat and do not have any experience sailing in very close quarters to other boats. I dont wanna mess anybodys boat up.
Also i am nowhere near what someone may call familiar with the rules. I am starting to read the rule book but its very confusing and also 150pgs long. thats a good sized novel! Is there anywhere i can find an express version of the rulebook. ?Should i be super worried about knowing every rule?

How seriously do these races get taken. I am the biggest noob amateur i definetely dont wanna make a fool of myself. Im already registered for the race no refund so... i guess we'll see how it goes!

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1971 H16 (sail #1768)

To all of you on the Hobie Forum... I love you guys!!!
thanks for all the help!

They often do clinics after the skipper's meeting for novice teams. Ask questions ... thau shalt receive!

Understand the basics of Port / Starboard right of way? Leeward boat?

There is lots of room out there on the bay. When in doubt stay clear.

Pick someone in the fleet that seems to do well and watch / follow as best you can.

Its gonna be a BLAST!

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

In my opinion the rule book and interpretation of the rules is at least 50% of buoy racing.

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Bodhisatfa

Don't be TOO worried about the rules.

Honestly, I have raced for many, many years without actually reading through the rules book completely. You pick specific situations to learn about when new.

Go fast and stay clear has always worked for me.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

That's pretty debatable, and I think most would tend to disagree. Yes the rules are an important factor, but I would bet that even a good percentage of the top A-fleet sailors don't know all the subtle rules.

The rule book is pretty big, but the only parts you really need to concern yourself with are the rules in Part 2 - When Boats Meet. Specifically Rules 10 thru 20, which is only about three or four pages.

If you stick to the basic premis that Starboard has rights over Port, Leeward has rights over Windward, and Clear Ahead has rights over Clear Astern, this will get you through 90% of the situations you will encounter on the course. Of course, avoid a collision at all costs.

As for first race tips- make sure you bring a stopwatch and that you have a course sticker. And do your best to be up on the line at the start. You will notice that everyone approaches the start line from about a beam reach prior to the start. Most first time racers tend to start from downwind of the line meaning they are trying to pinch upwind in the dirty air and they don't end up crossing the line until 5 minutes after the start.

Make friends. Have fun!

sm

Here's a tip I learned the hard way after my first regatta - put the following stickers on your boat:
1. Race flag
2. Course flag
The committee boat kept changing the course flags without me knowing, resulting in DNFs and DSQs next to my name for all four races.

Are you gonna be there matt??

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1971 H16 (sail #1768)

To all of you on the Hobie Forum... I love you guys!!!
thanks for all the help!

At least Saturday afternoon / evening to Sunday. Not sailing... staying out of the water a few weeks.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

OK let me be more specific, if you want to win or be in the top 3 you have to know the rule book. When a an experienced racer protests you on the course or is yelling starboard, and you are not sure then tell me about the rule book. This is not to say you won't have fun, but again if you want to win...... go find a copy of welcome to A fleet. The boats are one design,the rest is the rules and how you apply them. You will see ,it is easy to say, go fast and stay clear another to do it.

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Bodhisatfa

I dont think he intended to sail his first regatta in A fleet, let alone finish in the top three!
I say encourage new sailors dont give them a book assignment!

I guess things have changed ,I had the rules and welcome to A fleet memorized before I bought my first boat. Obviously you do not start in A fleet, on the other hand why race if you don't want to win. Also there is 3 books in the series.
In addition I suggest Hobie university. I saw Jeff Alter at a Hobie University clinic and most there were novice racers. Jeff noted the importance of rules, tactics, and sailing instructions. I guess you guys know better.

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Bodhisatfa

Its not that we know better its just that we dont want to scare off a new racer! Yes we get it the the rules are important! Let him learn at his own pace. All we are saying is that A BASIC KNOWLEDGE of the rules is all you need to begin racing!

Do I detect a note of defensiveness in your post? As has been noted , knowing all the rules is something you keep up on as they change every year. But that said perhaps some one will be disillusioned at a points race when the seasoned racers have a huge tactical advantage, and maybe after following the fleet around the course or maybe getting caught up in bumper boats that will turn them off from racing. Would you play baseball without knowing the rules/ How about poker? I know a couple folks who sold their boats just because of this. They drove a long distance to race, spent a good amount of money on the boat, and registration, only to be protested and in one case got T-Boned buy a hot shot racer. So settle down it is just my opinion. By the way how long have you been sailing?

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Bodhisatfa

sorry if I sound defensive and you are entitled an opinion!
yes it is true experience does give big advantages and knowing the rules is a large part of racing.I was being defensive! When you first started commenting on this you sounded negitive towards not knowing all the rules before he tried his first race, almost discouraging. I am saying we need to encourage new racers and help them out as much as we can.
I would play baseball without knowing all the rules but probably not poker(at least not with my money).
I have been racing for 8 years, why?

Uh, no. Every four years, in the year immediately following the Olympics.

I can play without knowing all the rules. I can guarantee that sailboat racing is similar - are you familiar with the US Sailing Appeals / ISAF Cases? ISAF Regulations 19 (Competitor Eligibility Code) and 20 (Advertising Code)? Anti-Doping regulations? ERS (Equipment Rules of Sailing)? International Hobie Class Association Class Rules? All of these rank as rules according the the definition of rules in the RRS (Racing Rules of Sailing).

To start out racing Hobie Cats, all you need is a basic understanding of the class rules for your boat (which cover the equipment) and Part 2 of the RRS (When Boats Meet), which is only 6 pages long. It wouldn't hurt to know Part 3 (Conduct of a Race) either, since that covers the starting sequence.

That's unfortunate. It's been 5 years since there was a protest at any of the Hobie regattas I've been to. That's probably 40 regattas ago. All the "hot-shot" racers I know go out of their way to help the newbies and cut them a lot of slack on the water.

I think you need to settle down and let the guy enjoy the enthusiasm of his first regatta. I still remember what it was like for me - 36 years and nearly 500 regattas later.


Sgt. Pepperoni - have a great time, seek out the hot-shots for advice on the beach. Watch what goes on, and ask lots of questions. We've all been there before. Don't get discouraged and keep coming back.