30 Jan A Reminder to Thank Your Race Committee
Coach Jay Kehoe aka Pin Boat Operator reports from Miami
Yesterday was a hot and light day, we got out at 9:30 on the course and got done at sunset! Pretty long day for sure with only one race in each class!
Today, we were greeted with RAIN and no wind! Again we got out to the course at 9:30 or so but today due to the big storms rolling in we were able to get in early!
Big lesson for me so far is how much of an effort this event is to put on! With 6 race circles (most with Trapezoid course configuration), multiple mark boats, International Jury and onshore support people it is out of control, wait I forgot Swiss timing, this is the new tracking system that ISAF wants to use, quite honestly it is not very Swiss as we on the pin boat have been lost more races than we have been found. I think once the bugs are worked out it will be pretty awesome but it does take one if not two people on the signal boat to work it!
The other lesson is how far a THANKS goes! I try and say thank you when I can to the RC, but after helping here, it is now a requirement! As a sailor or coach you do pretty much the same thing these guys do, wake up, check weather, eat breakfast and talk about the day with your team, check e-mail, look at weather again, leave for the site, ready your boat (for mark boats it is put on tracker, check fuel, add trackers to the marks and make sure the plugs are in the marks and check email, weather etc.)
Then it is time to get out on the water, check wind (or lack there of), check current, set marks… reset marks and set up start line and go racing. The other thing most people fail to think of is how would I sail this course, how can I keep everybody from bunching up on one end of the line?
We are using some cool tools here, a range finder will now be part of my RC kit, the “U” flag, this is a black flag without the penalty if there is a general recall, it works.
I am psyched to be down here and learning it is a good thing for sure.
Off to another quick meeting with some people who want to learn about Oakcliff.