Welcome to the Regatta Promotions Sailing Marketing Blog

I attended this seminar over the weekend at M.I.T. in Boston. When I got to the room it was held in, I was immediately impressed with the facility. It was a mini amphitheater, suited to hold 150 of your closest friends, complete with many buttons that controlled everything from the lights to the window shades. Dave Dellenbaugh was the course instructor and he is no dummy when it comes to the course topics. The lecture started at 8:30 and we were there until 5pm. Believe it or not, we ran out of time to cover everything in the curriculum. There were quite a few eager sailors that wanted to hear what answers Dave would have for their situations they had come across. There were also many that needed further clarification on items that were discussed. Overall, I think that the large amount of questions detracted from what Dave had to say. I was hoping to hear more about tactics and less rules talk. As Dave said, to understand what tactics to implement, you must understand the rules that you are dealing with. It was my feeling that there were quite a few people at the seminar that may only have had a basic knowledge of the racing rules. As Dave began to scratch the surface of this basic knowledge, it was then that the questions started to roll. As a course instructor, it must be hard to find the balance of what or how many questions to take versus keeping the course schedule on track and moving along. I would have liked to have seen a time at the end for an open forum of questions and perhaps some of the questions that students had, may have been answered through the day in the topics that Dave covered. He had magnetic boats to create scenarios, some footage of actual racing situations, and computer simulated situations to add to his wealth of knowledge of the sport which were all ingredients for a great presentation.

In the end, the seminar was definitely worth the whole day. We were given Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes with our course materials, a DVD and some other printed material. He reinforced each rule by number, and his sense of humor gave everyone in the room some laughs. I would recommend the course to any sailor that wants to learn the rules. I wouldn’t recommend it to someone that would like to learn more about tactical thinking in different scenarios around the racecourse.

We can’t ignore all the court cases, articles, interviews and gossip about the next America’s Cup. Why is it the only time sailing makes the sports its because of a court case or some crazy guy or gal who is lost at sea? Anyways, with all the ta do about the next cup, we wanted to know if you think the America’s Cup is representative of the best our sport has to offer. So check out our weekly poll let us know how you feel.

From a regatta organizer point of view and from someone that tries to market the sport of sailing to the general public all I have to say is shame on you guys (the rich guys controlling the BS). Each side points fingers at each other but is unwilling to do the hard work to make our sport better. Or does it even matter? Is the cup irrelevant to the true participants in our sport? Unfortunately, that answer is no and the Cup did a lot of good for our sport last go around. More t.v. coverage, more professionals getting paid big dollars, more sailing, more development and more sponsors willing to commit their advertising dollars to sailing. It worked both for the sponsors and the sport.

Last weeks poll question asked if you thought US Sailing’s decision to make every sailboat race participant a member of US Sailing is a good idea or not.  Well the majority of you all answered NO.  We would agree with you but after doing some research and a comment from one of our readers we would have to disagree.

However, we don’t agree with the way US Sailing has approached this situation.  There has to be a better, more fluent way of encouraging membership other than just mandating it.  We need the leadership to implement prodceedures and policies that will encourage regatta organizers and racers alike to promote membership.  Ideas such as US Sailing supporting regattas with money based on the percentage of participants that are US Sailing members.  This would definitely motivate sailors to join the membership revolution.  There are probably many other ideas and if we think of them we will certainly write about them here.

Have a good idea about how to get US Sailing to the next level along with the rest of our sport?  Just post a comment, we would love to hear it.

Here is some great video from the 2007 Moth World Championships. Can you say “pitch pole”, well a couple of the guys sailing these hydrofoil moths can!

Most people in Maine are still bundled up in wool sweaters and growling about freezing temperatures. Many are thinking of heading up to Sugarloaf for the weekend or snowmobiling in the woods of their backyard. Who, in Maine, is actually considering going for a sail?

High school sailors in Southern Maine have started sailing in Casco Bay this week. Teams include Cheverus High School, Portland High School. Cape Elizabeth High School, Deering High School, Falmouth High School, and Southern ME High School (conglomerate team). All high school teams sail out of SailMaine located in the Old Port of Portland. The teams sail in the 36 collegiate 420’s owned by SailMaine.

Here are some great shots of the action:

SailMaine is a cool organization that makes sailing accessible to almost anyone. They provide youth and adult sailing lessons all summer long as well as host regattas for high school, college and us sailing events. If you want more information about the high school sailing program or the youth sailing lessens contact Sarah Helming at SailMaine.

For all the action going on at SailMaine check out their web site here!

As spring approaches, with the sun shining and weather warming up, it is time to start thinking about our getting our boats in the water. But before you splash your boat in the water for the season, think about what she has on her bottom. Your paint choice will help to keep her clean through the season and hopefully smooth allowing your boat to travel fast while under sail.

One paint that is widely used for racing sailboats is VC Offshore, with a healthy amount of thinner added to the mix. Once the bottom is sanded, prepped, washed and dried you are ready for the paint. First, you want to thin the paint out with paint thinner. As you apply the paint with a brush or roller, it dries very quickly, which allows you to apply multiple coats without waiting hours for the paint to dry. Because we like to thin out the paint, 5 to 6 applications should be sufficient. It is recommended that you use 2 to 3, but that is without adding thinner to the mix. The bottom can be finished by wet sanding for an exceptionally smooth finish.

Another option for your bottom is to use the environmentally friendly, copper-free, antifouling bottom paint called E Paint 2000. This would be an easy green option for those that have a clean slate to paint on, as it is not compatible with other existing antifouling paint. It is recommended that you prime with the EP 2000 primer to protect the fiberglass from water and blistering. It seems to work well and now that copper prices have gone up, the price doesn’t look so bad either. The manufacturer says not to apply the paint in temps below 60° F so it looks like until the weather warms up some more, bottom painting will have to take a backseat to your other boat projects for now.

The 41st annual Easter Regatta in Columbia, SC was a great event. The first day of racing on Friday was prefaced with southern style burgers before going out on the water. There wasn’t much wind and we were forced into postponement until some breeze patches filled in. The race committee decided to start a race in light air, and we all had to connect the breeze lines in order to keep the boat moving. Despite our tardiness to the starting line, we ended up digging our way through the fleet to finish in the middle. We were happy to see that the second day of racing had much more wind to start. It ended up being a long day of racing, with the first race starting at 9am and the last race ending after 5pm. The lake winds were shifty and we didn’t always find ourselves in phase on the course. Lake sailing requires another mindset compared with our ocean sailing, as the tides are left behind.

The race committee managed to get five races completed on Saturday and two more on Sunday before the cut-off time. This was the first year for the new club building and as we arrived on Thursday afternoon, the construction crew was still on site, finishing up last minute details. Even though our results weren’t at the top, the overall event definitely warrants a top notch score. The club members come down in full force to be a part of the weekend, keeping the sailors fed with the delicious southern style BBQ, offering lakeside campsites for those from away and a dedicated race committee that provides great racing. If you are looking for an event to travel to, I recommend leaving the Easter Bunny at home, packing up the boat and heading to this event next year.

Check out the website at http://www.columbiasailingclub.org/easter/

The J24 Easter Regatta is this weekend and possibly they will see conditions like this.

Today is the first day of spring and for boaters in the North that means one thing. Preparation! Time to get the boat ready for another season. As the saying goes winning is 90% preparation 10% execution. Stay tuned over the next four weeks or so for the best tips for preparing your boat for battle. Our tips will include helpful information for both sailors and race officers that want to improve their performance.

Today’s tip is for Race Officers. Check you inventory now before its too late and your using a bed sheet to make an “S” flag. Our Race Committee Supplies page has a great check list to make sure you have everything you need to run a race. Obviously check the big items. Do you have all the code flags. Inflate your marks and check for leaks. Organize your anchors and tackle with each mark. Horns, VHF, GPS, extra batteries etc… are all items you can check now and reduce the amount of running around with a week to go before your big event.

Race Officers, need some missing equipment? Want to upgrade your flags and marks? Check out our race committee supplies page where you will find links to an on-line store with all the flags and marks you might need. You can order right on-line or give us a call and help you pick just the right product.

Hint: Purchase the larger tetrahedron marks with a clear pouch on each side to put an image of your club burgee or your title sponsor. This will help recruit sponsors and make your event look more professional.

With Easter coming up this weekend, the J-24 Easter Regatta held in Columbia, SC on Lake Murray is here. The crew from Maine will begin the trek south tomorrow and the race takes place Friday through Sunday. There are 28 boats pre-registered spanning along the east coast from Maine to FL and from as far inland as Ohio and Michigan. We expect to see nearly 40 boats for this event. There are quite a few folks that register last minute for this event known for it’s great after race parties. This J-24 event comes complete with gracious southern hospitality from the locals, which is why so many boats travel so far to attend year after year. We all hope that the weather is warmer this year than last. There was a cold snap that produced colder weather in South Carolina than Maine received last Easter. Whatever the weather may bring, we are prepared this year and will update with results next week!