My 2 cents on the state of "big-boat" PHRF racing from my viewpoint on the Hudson River.
I raced for 4 years JAM in club races and interclub regattas. On Wednesday Nights for our Beer Can races we would get 15-25 boats out from our club (Nyack Boat Club) ranging from a Melges 24 to a Tartan 27 and the fleet was split by spin/non spin divisions with the majority non-. There were 3 or 4 boats in each division who were competitive (decent sails, decently maintained boat) and did most of the races. Racing in the JAM division was a mixed bag, but most boats had dacron sails and one genoa on a furler. We had very little success getting Beer Can racers to show up for weekend regattas. And only 3 or 4 boats from our club traveled to other clubs to race. I could race with anywhere from 3-5 crew and it was relatively easy to staff the boat. Most other JAM sailor sailed short handed as well. Three years ago I bought my 34/36 that was fully rigged for racing it was the "hot" boat in the club for a year or so. This bumped me up to Div 1 in our area which requires exotic material in your sails etc. to be competitive. To really crew the boat I need 8-10 on board with at least 6 knowing what they are doing. As you can imagine it is much harder to staff the boat--particularly for weekend regattas. >From my work on our club board of governors and the local YRA, I can tell you this is a nationwide phenomenon. And there has been a lot of discussion at both the national and local level as to what the causes and cures are. I have had some Junior Sailors on my boat as crew. They are great, but given the chance they would rather sail a Laser, 420 or other one-design boat. The racing is tighter, more tactical and you don't have to wait until you get ashore to find out who won. Big keel-boat racing seems to have become the domain of the middle-aged who can afford to spend 10-20k a year on their hobby. Families with kids (usually a ready source of crew) can't afford this kind of dalliance. Our local YRA, which has been primarily concerned with PHRF racing for the last few decades, is now starting to focus on one-design and jr sailing by promoting and contributing to events. We are also trying to figure out ways to get more young people in our yacht club. At 46 I am one of the younger members with our average age now well north of 60. One-design racing seems to be a good place to focus to get younger adults and families back into the sport. Although we will still be competing with the increasingly regimented lives of children which keep parents running ragged on weekends to various activities. What we can hope for as PHRF racers is that the one-designers will want to knock it around the buoys with us during the week. Eric Hee Soo C&C 34/36 with a tall mast and a short keel. On Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 10:03 AM, Steve Rosen <alert...@hotmail.com> wrote: > ** > Ed- > I bought the c&C 34 with full intentions of racing- I raced competitively > in my Catalina and even the cape dory 27 and looked forward to lining the > trophy shelf withy the performance of the 34. then the issues of my age > and assorted afflictions, the difficulties of maintaining a regular crew, > the costs of the regattas and equipment led me to begin cruising with one > or two around the marks races each year. I even ended participation on off > soundings after 20 years of spring and fall series. > > At first I was an aggressive cruiser with trips out to Nantucket as part > of a three week marathon go here go there, but that faded after a few years > into a more relaxed or lackadaisical program. > > cruising seems to involve more beer, steak and wine than racing. I sleep > later and go to bed later, or earlier depending on sun and ( beer) . Many > weekends we just day sail and then party on the dock at our marina. > > I do miss the stories and after race gatherings, sort of but a great day > of sailing is a great day of sailing and beats lots of other things you can > do with your time > > relax and enjoy cruising > > Steve Rosen > "Elusive" > C&C 34 > Mystic, CT > alert...@hotmail.com > > *From:* Edd Schillay <e...@schillay.com> > *Sent:* Monday, December 17, 2012 4:30 PM > *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com > *Subject:* Stus-List Transitioning from Racing to Cruising? > > Listers, > > Though I thought this day would never come (and I'm not saying it has > yet), but given the difficulties in lining up crew, keeping them committed > on a regular basis, and the costs, I'd like to know people's experiences in > transitioning from racing their C&C to a life of cruising. > > Anyone here done it? Are you happy you did? I'm very curious to hear your > stories, including the successes and regrets, if any. > > > All the best, > > Edd > > > Edd M. Schillay > Starship Enterprise > C&C 37/40+ | Sail No: NCC-1701-B > City Island, NY > Starship Enterprise's Captain's Log Website<http://ncc1701a.blogspot.com/> > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > > Stephen Rosen > p: 973 692 1083 > c: 860-460-6975 > alert...@hotmail.com > > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > >
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