Last update, September 14, 2009
2009
Morgan - Black International EC12 Regatta
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Hosted by the US East Coast 12 Meter Class of the American Model Yachting Association (AMYA)
October 7-10. Competition sailing is three days.
James Island County Park (JICP): GPS 32°44'0.89"N 79°59'7.66"W.
Regatta Information
The following links will be added over the coming months but before the end of the year. Check in here often to see what subjects below go live.
Pre-Racing (Wednesday)
There will be a race official at the lake Wednesday morning and some time thereafter a course set up. There will be a starting clock there too. Mock racing is popular in this Class before an event and we like Friday Rules. Whereas, this event begins on Thursday we can call it Wednesday Rules.
This is a free day so you will have to get your on lunch.
Around 1300 the check in packets will be there for all the competitors. These have essential information and data about the event and the competitors along with the latest news and changes. The host will pass out keys to the cabins when the Park will release them. You will know in advance what the cabin assignments are for all the competitors.
That evening we will gather at the lake for introductions at 1800, chat and visit then scatter for dinner. The latter may be a general gathering at the Crab Shack in Folly Beach.
The Lake and Courses
The photo above shows the grass parking area east of the primary sailing area. The trees are palms along the road. This location is an immediate right turn when leaving the entry checkpoint for the Park.
Race Central is on the shoreline across from the parking area with lots of room to set up your boat camp. The shoreline is a little over a meter above the water level with easy but wet access to the water for launching. Reef or rock water shoes are recommended. All of the shoreline is filled with grass on both sides of the walking path.
The courses are rectangles and while slightly slightly off the wind are square for a start and for many tacking lay lines to weather. The downwind run is 160 meters with more wind velocity nearing the leeward mark. The rectangular offset on the ends is about 30 meters. We generally start on one end and finish upwind to the other after two laps around, it making it 2-1/2 laps or a total distance sailed of about 540 meters. Truly a championship distance.
Generally the wind is out of the southwest and northeast favoring the eastern course. Breezes can be light in the mornings but generally one can expect 4 knots plus most of the time. 10 knots is common and most exciting. Wind to 15 or 18 have been known. B rigs are recommended as part of your sail inventory.
The cabins are five minutes away to the west over Park roads.
There is no need to make reservations. The host will do that and on the day one year in advance and make the pay the full fee that is required. This is needed for they are popular. See this Park link.
The cabins have two bedrooms with a queen sized bed and one bedroom with two stacked bunk beds (single). This configuration accommodates three couple or four singles and other combinations. There is a fold out sofa in the salon which might work for one but not considered comfortable folded out for two.
There is a small kitchen with a picnic type table. The screen in porch has a picnic type table and several wooden rocking chairs. Linens are provided but daily service is not unless requested. The cabins are clean, comfortable and well maintained. The host will be able to get three keys and two car passes per cabin. The car passes are to enter the Park with paying the $1 fee. This is not considered enough to bother with.
They are also inexpensive to the normal hotel fare in the surrounding area. While it is not exactly known at this date for fare, it has been $120 to $140 per day. When split up it is very reasonable.
Whereas the host is responsible for the cabins, it would be helpful if those wishing to stay in a cabin to organize a group to fill the cabin. The cabins must be filled by your group and in combination with another for the host to make the arrangements.
The contact is Rick West and all of you have or know where to find his email. For other accommodations see another link above.
Internet
JICP Website
The host is not skilled in making maps. We will get some posted here later. Use the coordinates for the lake at Charleston on Google Earth. Turn on the road and Interstates features. Zoom out till you can see the lake and the terminus of Interstate 26. This will give you the area of your operation. Save it or print it.
Interstate 26 is the prime entry to Charleston and is the terminus. This Interstate is accessed off I-95 from Florida to the south and from all points north along the Atlantic Seaboard.
From Atlanta you would take I-20 east to Columbia, South Carolina and join I-26 east.
From Dulles International Airport in Washington DC, you will join I-95 south to I-26.
From Orlando, Florida: 614 km
From Atlanta, Georgia: 546 km
From Washington DC: 880 km
Joining I-26 eastward to Charleston the Interstate will end in the city. Flow off to the right onto Highway 17 which is also a city street. Follow this about 2 miles and exit right and follow signs to Folly Beach.
This will place you on the Route 30 Causeway to James Island. This route will end on the island at Folly Road. This is the main thoroughfare on the island and is quite busy. Turn left and follow to Camp Road. There will be a traffic light there, gas stations, fast food services, etc. Turn right and follow Camp about a mile where it will "T" into Riverland Drive. You will note you are in a tidal marsh. Turn right and take the next left into the James Island County Park.
Pay the attendant $1 and take the first right to the lake parking area.
Please note within other references the intersection of Folly Road and Camp Road will be use as a starting point. It is the most traveled point during your stay on James Island.
Accommodations
There are two places that are convenient to the Park.
Huddle House: This is located one block south of the Folly/Camp intersection on the right. It serves a full breakfast in a fast diner style. You can be out of there in 20-25 minutes.
The Sweetwater Cafe: This is located about two blocks north of the Folly/Camp intersection and set back a bit from the road on the left. It has a broad menu for robust eaters while seated for about 40 minutes.
The seeding heats are the foreplay to the EORS promotion/relegation program. The competitors will be seeded by the Race Committee into two fleets of 18 boats (36 entries). You will receive a fleet assignment in you check in packet on Wednesday. Each of you will sail two heats for a total score to determine the population of the A and B fleets to begin the main event. The best (lower) of your two scores will be carried over into the event scoring.
Following a brief pause after the seeding heats, a Skippers Meeting will be called to announce the results. All will be handed colored cloths pins for the specific fleet you have earned. B fleet will then begin the main event with 20 boats.
EORS, the Equal Opportunity Racing System
In a two fleet (36 boat) regatta, EORS starts the B fleet first and with four more boats than assigned to A fleet. This should be 20 boats at Charleston. The first four finishers of the B fleet heat will be promoted A fleet to make that complement 20 boats. The remainder of B fleet will be scored positions 21 through 36.
A Race Officer will call those first four finishers, take the cloths pin they had in B fleet and give them another of a different color for A fleet. They will also be told to stay on the water, clear of the finishing boats and prepare to sail in A fleet.
A fleet will then sail their heat to determine the scoring for positions 1 through 20. This now completes a Race; all have been scored.
The last four finishers in A fleet will now be called to exchange cloth pins and are relegated to B fleet. They will be told to stay on the water and prepare to start in B fleet.
This completes a full round of the EORS.
Cautions:
Know the fleet that you are in all the time an monitor the racing so you will be ready to queue up for your time to race. Manage your time; bathroom, battery changing or tweaking. If you are being promoted be sure to stay out of the way of other boats finishing.
Sailing consecutive heats is call the Bubble where you finish one heat and must clear the fleet and sail to prepare for the next start. At Charleston this is sailing away from the shore to outside of the course and downwind to prepare.
A routine develops and you will learn the flow.
Situations
EORS continues the promotion/relegation process regardless of filed protests or awarded Redress. These processes are issues of scoring and do not correct who should have been promoted or relegated because of the situation. EORS provides another chance to get back to where you deserve to be when you have been relegated.
Like in all racing it is not good to be at the scene of a situation. Even if you win the issue you are likely to lose something else.