# 2011 Ocean Planet Trophy for Shorthanded Racing in Maine



## catamount (Sep 8, 2002)

Again for 2011, the Gulf of Maine Ocean Racing Association (GMORA) is promoting competition for the Ocean Planet Shorthanded Racing Trophy. In it's inaugural year last year, the trophy was won by Butch Minson of Castine, Maine, sailing his Lindenberg 28 CAT'S PAW, usually with his sister Betty as crew (their average age was 64...).

The Ocean Planet trophy incorporates the pickle dish that Bruce Schwab received for being the first American to finish the Vendee Globe non-stop single-handed round-the-world race on the yacht Ocean Planet, which Bruce donated to GMORA to help establish a series of short-handed racing in Maine.

The criteria are fairly simple -- the GMORA Ocean Planet Shorthanded Racing Trophy is awarded to the eligible yacht with the highest CHIPS score that races with a shorthanded crew in a sufficient number of GMORA sanctioned events.

To be eligible, a yacht must:

a. Race with a crew of no more than two (2) in its qualifying races.

b. Register as a racing yacht with a shorthanded crew in each qualifying event. Racing in a division of shorthanded yachts is required if the event has a special division for shorthanded yachts. Multihull yachts that meet all the requirements are considered eligible. Yachts racing in the cruising division are not eligible.

c. Race short handed at least six (6) race days, including at least one race 65 NM or longer (counted for the number of days specified).

Note that races of 65 nm or longer are generally expected to take overnight and count as two (2) or more race days, as does any two-day weekend-long regatta. So to qualify for the Ocean Planet Trophy, you only need three weekends of short-handed racing! (In addition, you need to be a member of GMORA, which also gets you a PHRF-NE rating certificate). For more information about GMORA's scoring: http://www.gmora.org/shopcontent.asp?type=Scoring

The following GMORA-sanctioned races are known or expected to offer a double-handed and/or single-handed racing class for 2011:

July 9 & 10: Rockland Yacht Club's new Rockland to Castine Race
July 16 & 17: Camden Yacht Club Regatta
July 23 & 24: Downeast Challenge Race (Marblehead to Rockland, ~135 nm)
August 12 & 14: Portland Yacht Club's Monhegan Race (~70 nm for the DH class)
August 26 & 27: Centerboard Yacht Club's Northeast Harbor Race (Portland to Northeast Harbor, ~100 nm)
September 17 & 18: Rockland Yacht Club's Maine Rocks Race (~113 nm)

In addition to these races, any other GMORA-sanctioned regatta can also be counted towards the Ocean Planet Trophy, whether or not they offer a short-handed class -- you just have to race short-handed. There is racing offered just about every weekend from June into October -- see the full GMORA schedule here: http://www.gmora.org/shopcontent.asp...ace Schedule

If you have any questions about the GMORA Ocean Planet Shorthanded Racing Trophy competition, contact Doug Pope, [email protected], or Tim Allen, [email protected]


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