Bob Carter wrote:
For any Grafham Dart 15 sailors who want to try the Sunday Racing this is a getting started intro. I have also added it to the Grafham web page (www.grafham.org.uk).
Notes on what you need to do to race a Catamaran at Grafham.
Sunday racing is easy, once you know what to do. There is no charge.
You just sign on in the wet bar of the club house (on the slow catamaran sheets at the right hand end). You do this for each race you enter. For Dart 15s if you are not using the trapeze & jib sign on as D15, if you are using the trapeze/jib sign on as DSP. Dart 16 sign on as Dart 16 or D16
You need a sticky map of the lake on your boat so you know where the buoys are - you get these free from the Office.
The races are at 11.00 and 1.30 (and during Summer Time there is a the third race which follows race 2 - you just wait about on the water after race 2). Remember to sign on for each the races you intend to sail on the separate sheets provided
The Catamarans are the 5th start of the sequence which is 3 mins after the assymetrics.
All the starts are 3 mins apart and are signalled by a hoot and a red bucket going up the mast of the committee boat.
The sequence is
Start 1 Flying Fifteens 11.00 (&1.30, etc)
Start 2 Laser 11.03
Start 3 General H/C 11.06
Start 4 Asymmetrics 11.09
Start 5(&6) Catamarans 11.12 (& 1.42, etc)
Thus if they are on time the actual start time for the Cats should be 11.12am
The course for the Catamarans is on the RHS of the committee boat. The letters are the first letter of the bouys if it is on a red (green) background leave it on the port (starboard) side when you round it. You must go through the start line on every lap when going upwind. There are usually 2 Leeward marks. The Catamarans go round the furthest one (i.e. NOT the big special mark with a blue band - that is just for starts 1 -3). Keep sailing until you complete the number of laps, or more generally there is a course shortening (flag S ? blue square on white background) and you pass through the start/finish line.
We are a friendly lot. Talk to any of us before the start and we will help with advice before and on the water.
Hope to see you racing soon.
Regards
Bob Carter
Dart 15 1945 - "The Dog's B-------"
