# Can my boat handle racing?



## CaptLDL (Nov 15, 2013)

I have a 31' 1978 Pearson Sloop. She is a racer/cruiser in good condition and perfect for weekend "cruising". I typically sail her ~1-2 days/week during the season. I have just been asked if I want to join a YC offshore race schedule this summer (~6 Sat. races). I personally have been in less than 10 races, none on my boat and I simply do what ever job I am assigned. I am excited to race and be part of crew, but I wonder if my boat is up to it. They will provide experienced crew and tactician. 

Will it put any undue stress on her? Any ideas? Thoughts? 

Any input is appreciated. Tks.
Lisa


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## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

The hull and rigging should be fine. The deck hardware... Well you will find out pretty quickly what needs replacing. Racing pushes these systems to the limit, and anything that is just hanging on by a thread will likely blow up. The flip side is that the same gear would have broken in a storm with a lot fewer people to help clean up the mess. 

All in all I think racing a boat is generally good for it. Since it forces you to honestly asses the condition of gear, and the ease of use of that gear.


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## aelkin (Feb 3, 2013)

Without question, yes.
most boats can 'handle' racing. Yes, you might break some gear. Yes, you will likely finish last, or close to it. Yes, you will learn more about your boat in the 6 Saturday races you participate in than you would learn in a single season on your own schedule. Yes, you will learn a bunch from the experienced crew and tactician.

Should you race your boat??
(Do I even need to say it???)

Yes.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

CaptLDL said:


> Will it put any undue stress on her? Any ideas? Thoughts?
> 
> Lisa


Just sail it like you are cruising. Then just make your tacks and gybes a bit smarter, quicker and in the right place... Thats 90% of racing. The other 10% seems to be the smart racing gloves and yelling at each other


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

Your boat can probably handle it provided you're confident of the rigging. From my experience, the critical factor depends on your tactician, both their boat skills and interpersonal skills. If you are driving and are not familiar with racing, the tactician is likely to put you in spots that are going to make you uncomfortable. Are you OK with this? Do you know the rules of racing? Can you handle close maneuvering? Can you hold your line because another boat is going to duck you and it doesn't look like it till the last second? Do you know the sequence of events when you and 4 other boats are rounding a mark and throwing up spinnakers at the same time? This is my first year that I have been single and double handing in my boat, and I admit to being a bit timid on the starts because I don't want to crunch hulls with anyone. I've also been in a horrific crash on someone else's boat when the driver was relying on the tactician to call a tight finish line on our port tack while 3 other boats were converging on the same place on starboard tack. It was very ugly. This is not meant to scare you. Racing is absolutely the best legal fun you can have on the water, and it's fantastic when you have a good tactician, but you have to know you can trust them, and when to say "screw this, it's my boat, get me space." You might also try to find some time for a practice run before the race. It can get a bit wonky with all new crew on a new boat.


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## CaptLDL (Nov 15, 2013)

Thanks everyone. Just the type of input I was looking for. Lots to think about


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Just sail it like you are cruising. Then just make your tacks and gybes a bit smarter, quicker and in the right place... Thats 90% of racing. The other 10% seems to be the smart racing gloves and yelling at each other


A few years ago, our yacht club had its premier race of the members, and the winner was somebody in a cruising sailboat with no crew except him and his wife, who took a completely different course than the rest of the fleet, and won when an unexpected wind shift occurred. We all got a good laugh out of it. He was in the non-spinnaker class, and still had the overall best time. He was so far ahead of everyone else, he had no clue he was in first place when he crossed the line. 

I wish I had time to go through the old race reports and find it, just because it made me laugh so much when it happened.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

There's a racing club here in my area many of the members are members of my YC. I was somewhat into racing a few years ago, until my boat when I was nearly t-boned by a C30 when I was rounding a buoy, nearly dead in water because of wind and current in the lee of the island. I think Davy Jones reached up and turned my boat in the last few seconds and the C30 just hit my aft starboard side just off of their bow. NEVER AGAIN!

Do the math! 10,000 +- lbs moving 3 -4 mph, hitting another object near stationary, weighing about the same!

Things to think about sailboat racing that always stops me from going with my boat.

1,can you afford to fix rails, hull and decks, rigging, etc from minor to major collisions with other boats?

2, Do you love using $$$ bottom paints and fine sanding the bottom of your boat? possibly twice a season?

3, Do you *really *believe, the first rule of racing is to not collide with other boats?

4, Do you love spending lots of $$$ on racing sails, gear, to get "just the next better then what I have" things you just* have to have *to beat "so and so" But you don't know so and so is "connected" with chandlers and lofts?

5,Don't carry a gun!.. you may use it! when things get "heated" between crews and captains when they are drinking beer. ( why it's called beer can racing) Later they all say.. It's just in fun and comradeship!

The positive things of racing?
you can learn to sail better?
problems with your rig and boat will soon become evident?
you will be a better sailor?


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## Multihullgirl (Dec 2, 2010)

Geez, Denise, in nearly 30 years of racing (on catamarans!) and crewing on the occasional leaner, which incidentally includes a Pearson 36 Cutter about the same age as OP... I've only been hit once, and that was a guy running us over as we were readying to beach the boat.

Racing is fun - you just have to find the right group with which to race, and your attitude needs to be fairly loose as well

BTW the Pearson on which I occasionally sail also does some fairly serious offshore sailing: her name is FREE SPIRIT and if you look at past results from the Annapolis to Bermuda races, she's won it once and has done well in other years - she also has some silver from the P'cola to Isla Mujeres races. That said, the boat is kept immaculately, bottom clean always and rigging well maintained


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## jameswilson29 (Aug 15, 2009)

CaptLDL said:


> Will it put any undue stress on her? Any ideas? Thoughts?
> 
> Any input is appreciated. Tks.
> Lisa


Yes, it can handle racing. Yes, it puts a little more stress on the boat, but not anything the boat can't handle.

Ideas: Try crewing on someone else's boat first before you spend money. Get a PHRF certificate from CBYRA. Race nonspinnaker and try racing in your club or some of the more fun, family-oriented distance races that are less about boat handling and tactics than the typical short windward-leeward courses, like "Down the Bay", or Govenor's Cup or St. Michaels race, or the Cape Charles cup race. On the longer races, it is less likely that you will get caught in some clusterF at the boat end of the starting line with a bunch of ultra-competitive bargers.

Use the Vanderbilt start and aim for clear air in the middle of the line on starboard. Forget about the favored end of the line. Stay in the middle of the course; don't bang the corners. You have a heavier boat so you want clear air and momentum. Sail conservatively and have fun. Expect to be middle or last in the pack on elapsed time. If you become good, your corrected time and high participation rate will save you at the end of the season. Don't yell or allow yelling on your boat.

It becomes expensive if you want to be competitive. It becomes very expensive if you want line honors or first to finish on elapsed time.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

MHG 
I'm pretty sour on the whole topic of "beer can racing" Once in a while they ask me if I'm going to race, I just say; "no thanks." "Well, we run 2 races now Denise, the "A boats" (faster and highly competitive) and the B boats" (people like you) LOL I just smile politely.


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## Multihullgirl (Dec 2, 2010)

I understand.

LBYC in Mississippi have tried to combat that by having PHRF races. The 'P' stands for 'Po'Boy.' Rates the skipper, not the boat. There is a scratch boat, usually the one fairly serious racer in the group. All ratings shift around that boat. Races are distance, around government marks, and starts are staggered. If the day's race has good angles, that is to say a reach, run, and beat, they adjust the winner's and last boat's ratings. By the end of the season, everyone is finishing together, so the system seems to work. Prizes are booze, and go three deep. The series/yearly winner gets the boat name on a perpetual.

Even the 'cruisiest' of the group enjoys these 'timed cruises,' and it would be nice to see similar systems employed elsewhere - I really think it would help participation.


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## smj (Jun 27, 2009)

Multihullgirl said:


> I understand.
> 
> LBYC in Mississippi have tried to combat that by having PHRF races. The 'P' stands for 'Po'Boy.' Rates the skipper, not the boat. There is a scratch boat, usually the one fairly serious racer in the group. All ratings shift around that boat. Races are distance, around government marks, and starts are staggered. If the day's race has good angles, that is to say a reach, run, and beat, they adjust the winner's and last boat's ratings. By the end of the season, everyone is finishing together, so the system seems to work. Prizes are booze, and go three deep. The series/yearly winner gets the boat name on a perpetual.
> 
> Even the 'cruisiest' of the group enjoys these 'timed cruises,' and it would be nice to see similar systems employed elsewhere - I really think it would help participation.


Does the LBYC stand for Long Beach Yacht Club?


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Multihullgirl said:


> ...
> Even the 'cruisiest' of the group enjoys these 'timed cruises,' and it would be nice to see similar systems employed elsewhere - I really think it would help participation.


My sail club made up its own rating system hoping to get more people involved. It caused a huge thing with the serious racers and some dropped out when their campaign to return to the standard racing handicap wasn't successful. Wasn't a fun time especially when the most vocal asked me to crew for him (I was incoming Commodore and he was trying to get me on his side). When we headed towards the start line he discovered that he hadn't put the plug in. We spent the first race bailing water and I haven't seen him since.


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## Multihullgirl (Dec 2, 2010)

smj said:


> Does the LBYC stand for Long Beach Yacht Club?


Yes. Do we know each other?

--DRFerron and Denise020, you can't control the a-hole factor, I suppose. Just do your best to make things fun. I'm sorry y'all had bad experiences. I have had them myself, but I've muddled on and in retrospect am glad I kept on keepin' on.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

If I want to race a have a car I can take to the track and make 1/4 mile runs for the humiliation factor LOL
I don't need to race a sailboat to enjoy my boat. My boat is like a good friend I'd never want to beat up a friend!

the cost of racing may not be real apparent to those on the small scale or loosely organized club racing. but for the real sport that I love to watch. the cost is awful high and clearly not for the low of funds or sponsors.
stole this from weine's post; http://www.sailnet.com/forums/general-discussion-sailing-related/138234-wont-buff-out.html


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Multihullgirl said:


> ...
> --DRFerron and Denise020, you can't control the a-hole factor, I suppose. Just do your best to make things fun. I'm sorry y'all had bad experiences. I have had them myself, but I've muddled on and in retrospect am glad I kept on keepin' on.


Naw. I'm not into racing. I just had to deal with it because it happened during my time as Commodore.

I do somewhat halfway keep up with collegiate racing and I support US Sailing, but I don't race.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

People that are sour on racing aren't ever going to change their mind. Don't bother trying. Racing isn't for everyone, and that's ok.

For the OP-

The boat was built tough enough to handle it, but the real question is whether it has been _maintained_ to handle it.

You mentioned that this is an offshore race, and that's a little more serious than racing in an enclosed body like the Chesapeake Bay, with numerous bail-out options.

The items I would worry about the most are:

1. Standing rigging. (no broken strands, no cracks in swages, not unduly old)
2. Running rigging. (not stiff as a rod, no fraying, splices in good condition)
3. Rudder condition/Steering gear (cables/chains/quadrant/wheel&pedestal)
4. Electrical (nav lights, healthy batteries, VHF radio, antenna and the cable in between them)
5. Automatic and manual bilge pumps functioning correctly.
6. Decent, basic tool kit.

I'd also verify that your chain plates haven't been soaking in water for decades as well.

Make sure you provision enough clean water, and food in case the wind shuts down on you.

Hope this helps.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

I have very lofty dreams of being on a J-class boat with cast of millionaires LOL


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## CaptLDL (Nov 15, 2013)

This is all VERY GOOD INFO. for me to consider. Thank you everyone! The more I think about it I believe I would like to crew on someone elses boat, get to know some of the racing crowd, sit back and learn before offering up my boat. Maybe over this season I can get to know others I feel comfortable with or who I would trust with my boat (with me on board). I try to keep my boat well maintained but I do not have extra $$$ to make expensive repairs. And I would freak out if anything happened to her (ie: t-boned). 
I welcome racing experience and it certainly would be great sailing lessons for me. I do not know racing rules well enough to be at the helm. 
Thanks for helping me process this important decision


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

CaptLDL said:


> ... I try to keep my boat well maintained but I do not have extra $$$ to make expensive repairs. And I would freak out if anything happened to her (ie: t-boned). ...


The most that happened at our club was a boat sank. So don't worry too much about something happening. 

Seriously, racing on OPB is the way to start in my opinion. I did crew on a few and it allowed me to see that I prefer being crew.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Lisa-
What do you call offshore races? Daytime events, overnight events, weekends out to ..???

A large part of the stress (to the boat or crew) in racing is the level of commitment and the weather. If you are committed to the series and one day it is blowing 40 knots...you race and everyone takes a beating including the boat. If you are more casual, a lot of boats cancel in those conditions. Never be afraid to follow *your* gut instinct on that one. 

The Pearsons were all solidly built, and if someone in your club is willing to mentor you, to spend some time and go over things, you'll probably have a lot of fun. But first there's all the boring stuff to do, and the expensive stuff. Paperwork, PHRF or other certificate, compliance issues, safety equipment, double check all the systems (rudder especially) and probably a rigging survey if you haven't done one in the last couple of years. Go over the sails, up close, all that stuff. 

If you are committed and the proposed crew are committed, this can often mean a day or a weekend where everyone shows up to inspect and prep the boat and start getting familiar with it. With conscientious prep, you should certainly have some fun. And with some practice time on the water? You might even win some. (G)


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

Oh, I hope we didn't scare you away! Racing your own boat can be quite fulfilling, IMHO, but I totally understand the fear of getting T-boned. I've been on 3 different OPBs when we were hit hard enough to do some serious damage; on one boat we were hit twice in the same race. This reminds me that you should also check your insurance coverage. My insurance company allows it within certain conditions. Others I had seen specifically disallowed it or was not clear about it. Of course, there's nothing wrong with being cautious in your own boat. This is what I meant by having a good communication plan with your navigator and then making sure that person knows you want to be conservative.


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## aelkin (Feb 3, 2013)

Lisa;
It sounds like you've made a good decision that you're comfortable with. Good for you. Stick with it.
Crewing for someone else is a safe, smart choice.
If you're like me, you'll only be able to handle it for a year or 2, and then you'll NEED to be the one steering the boat in tight spaces. You'll also be able to 'feel out' the crowd and figure out if they are uber-competitive jerks that crash boats regularly, or a group of sportsmen and sportswomen who all value their boats and others more than line honors.

either way, go have some fun!
Andy


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## CBinRI (May 17, 2004)

CaptLDL said:


> I have a 31' 1978 Pearson Sloop. She is a racer/cruiser in good condition and perfect for weekend "cruising". I typically sail her ~1-2 days/week during the season. I have just been asked if I want to join a YC offshore race schedule this summer (~6 Sat. races). I personally have been in less than 10 races, none on my boat and I simply do what ever job I am assigned. I am excited to race and be part of crew, but I wonder if my boat is up to it. They will provide experienced crew and tactician.
> 
> Will it put any undue stress on her? Any ideas? Thoughts?
> 
> ...


I don't see why not. I race against many similar Pearsons. But what do you mean by "offshore?"


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## CBinRI (May 17, 2004)

And by the way, it is a whole lot of fun and fairly low risk if you are conservative in your approach.


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