I am very interested in kite racing and so is my Girlfriend. I just got a Sector 60 (i know not a full out race board) well in NC a few weeks ago and we will be moving back to squamish at the end of the month. It would be great to get out and give some local races ago!! I have read through the rules a few times and it all seems to make sense, is there any thing else we need to know?
And if your girlfriend wants to come out and try, I am always happy to share any knowledge I have with her. It can help remove some of the intimidation factor ...
The only challenge is that I can be hard to track down. PM me when you're ready, and we can meet up some day!
What is the reasonable minimum time to expect to be at the split for a race day? 10-4? Would i be blackballed for not finishing all races on a given race day? I really do want to try this.
We normally have a riders meeting between 10:30-11:000am on the spit, first race is targeted for 11:30-12:00 pending wind. Do as many races as you want. We try for 6 races in a day with a break after 3 races. Realistically, last race is around 4:00pm but check the Sailing Instructions.
The answer to many questions about racing in any regatta, or race series, anywhere, will be found in two documents. The Notice of Race (NOR) and the Sailing Instructions (SI's)
The race organizers put out the NOR along with the Race Committee (RC). The RC are the group of people who anchor the marks, start the races from the RC boat, record results and pull up the marks at the end of the day. The RC makes up the SI's.
The NOR says when and where the race will be held, what rules will be in effect, who is eligible to race, what equipment can be used, what the entry fee is etc. The NOR comes out long before the regatta or series starts. It is put out so people can plan to go to a regatta.
The SI's are the instructions for racers. They will include whatever is in the NOR, but also specifics on how the races will be run. The SI's typically come out fairly close to the first day of racing. This is because conditions, available equipment and number of competitors may change as race day gets closer. These things may affect the type of courses being run, the starting divisions etc.
So, if you want to get involved you first talk to other racers and head out on the water with them. Race informally side by side. Practice starting. Practice rounding marks.
When you decide you are going to compete you should read the NOR and the SI's for the event you are going to enter. You will also need to know the basic rules. The NOR and the SI's often refer to rules in the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS). All of these documents can be found on the SWS events site. http://www.squamishwindsports.com/events/events.php Scroll down to 2012 SWS Kite Racing - Summer Series.
The NOR, SI's and especially the RRS can seem like a complex, overwhelming amount of material to digest in order to just ride a board around a few marks. It is complicated, but really there are only a limited number of rules and items in the SI's that you need to know to begin with.
There are books you can read on the application of the rules. But a racer will only start that sort of reading when they get serious.
To get started you will want to grab one of the racers to help you sort it out. If there are a few new people who want to get into this I would be pleased to spend an evening giving an intro to racing seminar. We can talk through how races are run and how knowledge of a few important rules keep us out of trouble. Just let me know who might be interested and we'll find a time to get together.
Or, just read the NOR, and SI's. Then look at the Racing Rules of Sailing. Read Part 2, the Definitions, the Race Signals and Appendix BB. This is a whole bunch of information, and you will likely go into info overload, so, start asking questions.