By Mike Parker, AYC Cruising Director
Does the little sailboat racer inside of you feel a bit cramped, congested, or perhaps confined?
Don’t race much, but want to have a “semi structured” event to cruise our fine Lake Pleasant—perhaps exploring new stretches of water?
Leave our excellent “round the buoys” racing for a day and stretch your sea legs for 26.2 miles up, down, and around Lake Pleasant in the Arizona Yacht Club 2012 Governors Cup Regatta.
Aside from the fame and fortune, you could become the proud caretaker for 12 glorious months of the largest trophy AYC has to offer.
This year’s regatta will be similar to last year’s, with a start off the south Pleasant Harbor Marina entrance buoy, crisscrossing the lake, and ending up at the north ramp No Wake zone.
Preliminary guidelines (really):
- There will be strategic legs that round the floating pottys (just in case crew needs to go)
- Uber close legs near the bar/restaurants on the water, with phone numbers on the map for pickup orders
- Open water legs (as much as we have in Arizona) will be scheduled for the later parts of the race, just in case darkness falls before the end
- Multiple classes with take-home trophies for top finishers
- A special prize for the most “Holiday Inspired” boat and crew (and TLAPD is a Holiday)
- Minimal entry fee and NO WHINING! — mostly because your Cruising Director wants to race too this year.
And this addition:
I have received some questions about the Governor’s Cup Regatta that I would like to share with those interested, along with my answers.
- Will there be a short course for small boats.
- YES, there will be a “Half Marathon” of 13.1 miles, same start – Portsmouth only
- Will there be a Single Handed class? If I have 5 boats that want to race single-hand that can fall into ONE rating system, I will make it happen. Fleets will be determined from registrations completed Tuesday, November 20.
- Will there be “Course Marks” distinguished from other navigation aids? The course marks are islands, floating potties, and navigation buoys. All are listed in order and GPS coordinates are included on the long race SI.
- For the buoys, your requirement is to round one buoy in the direct vicinity, along a line of buoys. You can round whatever one is more convenient, trying not to gain a DISTANCE advantage. I have tried to make the approaches to the buoy lines equidistant from the previous mark. Of course, not as sexy as 7 Vipers rounding one mark all together with the yelling and churning up the water, but you can watch that during the Fall and Spring Series and the Birthday Regatta.
- YOU will be the Race Committee. Keep an eye on your fellows on the water, encourage and assist as needed.
I have received some questions about the Governor’s Cup Regatta that I would like to share with those interested, along with my answers.
1. Will there be a short course for small boats
a. YES, there will be a “Half Marathon” of 13.1 miles, same start – Portsmouth only
2. Will there be a Single Handed class
a. If I have 5 boats that want to race single handed that can fall into ONE rating system, I will make it happen. Fleets will be determined from registrations completed Tuesday, November 20.
3. Will there be “Course Marks” distinguished from other navigation aids?
a. The course marks are Islands, Floating Potties, and navigation buoys. All are listed in order and GPS coordinates are included on the long race SI.
b. For the buoys, your requirement is to round one buoy in the direct vicinity, along a line of buoys. You can round whatever one is more convenient, trying not to gain a DISTANCE advantage. I have tried to make the approaches to the buoy lines equidistant from the previous mark. Of course, not as sexy as 7 Vipers rounding one mark all together with the yelling and churning up the water, but you can watch that during the Fall and Spring Series and the Birthday Regatta.
4. YOU will be the Race Committee. Keep an eye on your fellows on the water, encourage and assist as needed.