SAISA North Points #4

The sailors arrived at Columbia Sailing Club (CSC) at 9:00 am on Saturday October 2, 2021. The skippers' meeting commenced at 9:30 am and was initiated with a roll call of the teams who reserved berths for the regatta. Everyone was present. Over the duration of the skippers' meeting, the course, schedule, wind, and COVID-19 guidelines and expectations were discussed. The course was a windward leeward where with the leeward mark was downwind of the starting line with an upwind finish. The course would either be a W3 or a W5 depending on the wind. Due to the expectation that the wind would be inconsistent all day, it was decided that three races would be done in the first rotation for both fleets to meet the minimum six races (three in each fleet) to constitute a regatta. By the end of the skippers' meeting, there was still glass on Lake Murray, so racing was postponed until further notice. The 420's were sailed to the rotation docs for easier access and shorter sail to the race course. The sailors were invited to enjoy the shade of the CSC outside porch and the food that was so kindly provided by the CSC Auxiliary. A South-East wind of 7-10 kts filled around 10:30 am, and 'A' fleet sailed out to the race course while the race committee adjusted the course. 'A' fleet got three solid races in with a consistent breeze through out. The first two races were W3 and the third race was extended to a W5. After three races, 'A' fleet sailed in, and 'B' fleet rotated in around noon. The wind began to die with the heat of the day and shift further to the South as 'B' fleet sailed out to the race course, so the course was adjusted and the first 'B' fleet race was started as soon as possible to make the most of the remaining breeze; however, the start of race 1B was delayed due to technical difficulties with the mark boat engine. Nevertheless, 'B' fleet successfully made it around the W3 course that was set for the first race. Towards the end of the first 'B' fleet race, the wind started to die significantly, so the course was shortened to a W2 (race around the windward mark with a downwind finish). After the sailors were notified about the course change, race 2B was started and finished successfully. After the the finish of race 2B, the wind had died completely, so sandwiches were brought out to the sailors that wanted them, and the race committee postponed racing until wind returned. Around 2:00 pm, wind a light breeze began to fill in the cove to the East of CSC, so the course was moved into the area where the puffs were. Despite moving the course, the wind still died in the middle of the race 3B (which was also a W2). Fortunately, after bobbing for a while, a puff came down the course for the final downwind, allowing every team to finish. The regatta concluded with six races (three in each fleet). Overall, North Points #4 Fall 2021 was a successful regatta, and Gamecock Sailing Club and Columbia Sailing Club look forward to hosting everyone again in the Spring (where we usually have more wind)!

The following chart shows the relative rank of the teams as of the race indicated. Note that the races are ordered by number, then division, which may not represent the order in which the races were actually sailed.

The first place team as of a given race will always be at the top of the chart. The spacing from one team to the next shows relative gains/losses made from one race to the next. You may hover over the data points to display the total score as of that race.