Racing at Willamette Sailing Club

One of Willamette Sailing Club's primary missions is to support Corinthian amateur sailboat racing.  Although racing is by no means the sole mission and focus of WSC, we do have a very active core of sailboat racers of all skill levels (from Olympic caliber sailors to those just learning to sail and race at the same time).  WSC holds local racing on weeknights during the summer and Sundays in the Fall/Spring.  On any given race day you can expect from 20-50 boats on the water.  The club also sponsors a number of regattas both locally and at Yale Lake as well as racing clinics. 

Many of the classes of boats at WSC also have strong fleet organizations, providing yet another social opportunity at WSC.  Generally these fleet organizations provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about your boat from fellow WSC sailors.  The classes with strong local fleets include; Laser, Thistle, Vanguard 15, Tasar, DaySailer, and Lido 14.

Team Racing

This summer WSC will be hosting a series of team racing events in the club’s 420s. The series starts with a clinic on Saturday May 22, followed by 3 to 4 Tuesday evenings of racing spread through the summer, then ends in October with a Team race regatta including Portland area clubs.

WSC Motorboat Use Requirements:

Everyone MUST have an Oregon Boater Education card and attend a training session to operate WSC rescue boats. This includes race committee members, sailing school instructors, and anyone helping out with events and youth activities. First, visit the Oregon Marine Board web site to take the online quize and obtain your card. Then, contact the fleet captain for details on getting qualified to operate the WSC motorboats.

Fleet Captains Review Race Procedures for 2009

Since the race season finished in November 2008, the fleet captains have been reviewing, reworking and tweaking the way WSC runs its races in an effort to improve race procedures.

There are a couple of significant changes all racers should know about. One is that everyone will have to register his boat to race. A boat that is not registered by the end of a race series will be dropped from the score sheet and will not be eligible for awards in that series. A registration sheet is posted on the WSC website and will also be available from Laura Lee at the “office” trailer.

A second change is the addition of another category of race official. The new position is Chase (or Rescue) Boat Captain. This captain and the Night Captain will come from a preselected group of qualified members. These members will be in charge of running the races throughout the 2009 season. Regular members, sailors, trainees, and members who need work hours will comprise the remaining two positions of the Race Committee for each race. The Race Committee will also be responsible for selecting a protest committee at the end of a race should it be necessary.

A third change involves the use of the committee boats. Those operating WSC power boats will be required to complete a log when they check out and return a boat. We hope the log will improve maintenance and care of the boats. The committee is also looking into different options on where to tie committee boats to the dock when they are out of the boathouse. Stay tuned for these solutions. The overall aim of these new procedures is to improve the quality of racing at the club, teach more people how to run a race, provide a good safe environment, improve the care of our power boats and have fun.

photo Tim MillsFleet Captain’s News

For 2010, all your WSC racing questions should be directed to:
Tim Mills
WSC Fleet Captain
fleetcaptain@willamettesailingclub.com.

For in-depth information about the upcoming race season, see the 2010 sailing season guide.

More Information About Racing at WSC

Rules and How To