Fun sailing races

A

abenn

New Member
Anyone got any ideas for fun races we can use at our pre-xmas regatta ? I read a while back about some frostbiters at Cedar Creek I think that had a fun day with 10 odd races. 1 was to have a central start line with WL course and people could start in either direction. Another was a race where only gybes were allowed - no tacks. Another was a backwards race.
We did this last year and it was enjoyed by all but we need some new ideas. One is to have a relay race - passing a beer can from boat to boat on each lap.
 
I think that a Must Violate Rule 42 race sounds like fun. Scull, rock, pump, and ooch to your hearts content, and be disqualified if you don't!

How about a couple of parallel slalom courses for your relays?

Also, instead of doing penalty turns, have sailors run around the front of the mast and stand on the bow and then return, instead (though this seems more like warm weather fun).
 
We've done the following at Cedar Point on New Years Day

1. Finish backwards race (the first part of the boat to finish must be the transom)

2. 360 race - you must do a 360 turn (or 720) on each leg of the course

3. Come within chug race - you must sail by the committe boat on the downwind leg, pick up something to drink, drink it and then put the empty back in the comittee boat on the upwind leg

4. W/L or L/W race - you decide which way to sail the course and start accordingly (so half the fleet usually starting downwind at the same time the other half is starting conventionly - total chaos, good rules test and heaps of fun
 
The relay but instead of passing a beer can, pass a person (i.e. same passenger has to be on the competing boat the entire time). Or even do a relay where the same boat does each leg (and crew change at end of each leg).

Ian
 
This one takes a little more preparation, but we used to do it on the last day of the season when I sailed sabots. The race committee throws wooden blocks with numbers on them into the water near the windward mark. The course is a normal windward leeward, except that after rounding the windward mark everyone starts picking up the blocks--but you can only have two in your boat at a time. The first person to cross the finish line with the sum of their two blocks and their finishing place equaling one hundred wins. We also used to decorate our boats. Some common themes were pirates, tie-died sails, animals, etc.
 
Some fun races I've done include:
1. Sail from the bow- you must stay in front of the mast for the duration of the race (unless to right your boat from a capsize). Also works for standing on the stern behind the cockpit.
2. Boom tag- not really a race, but the objective is to tap the blue spot on the back of as many booms as possible. This one gets pretty unsafe if the competitors don't know the rules well and can't manuever in tight quarters.
3. Windsurfing- competitors must sail without a mainsheet. Since its pretty tricky to manipulate the center of effort on a Laser, rudders should be left on.

For #1 and #3, the course should be fairly large so that boats have LOTS of room to avoid accidents.
 
These are all great ones, you might want to check the website for the Wisconsin Hoofer Sailing Club, they have an anti-establishment regatta (Commodore's Cup) each summer where they create such races across a week. The ones I remember had a combination of the elements already listed above.

We also did a blindfolded skipper race one year, though that's likely to be better on crewed boats!
 
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