Commodores Cup, Free Food and Board Mtg Highlights

Hey Sailor,


Here’s the plan for the Commodore Cup, our post race gathering and a few highlights from last evening’s board meeting.

Commodore’s Cup

  • Saturday Oct 17th 11 AM Start for 1st Boat
  • This is a pursuit race where your handicap is reflected in your start time.  Slowest boat crosses the starting point at 11 AM. Fastest boat starts last.  First boat to cross the finish line is the winner.
  • Your start time will calculated once the wind conditions are known and the course length is set.  The calculation uses your Time/Distance PHRF rating.
  • We will post the start times and course on Friday Oct 16th.  They will be email blasted out to the membership and posted on the News Page of the SPSA Web Site.
  • There will not be a committee boat for this event.  All boats will record and report their finish time.  Use your cell phone clock time.  Please also report who finished ahead of you and behind you.  Your honesty is on trial in this event and will be freely discussed at the post free food event.
  • There is no fee to enter this race.  You can wake up on Saturday and if it’s a great day call the crew and go.  
  • However, we would like to know if you and your crew will be attending the post race gathering under the tree.  We do not want to run out of food.


Post Race Gathering Under the Tree

  • Saturday Oct 17th after the Commodore’s Cup.
  • This is a grilled brat’s event.  Since we did not have our Oktoberfest last Saturday we are doing it for the Commodore’s Cup.
  • It would be nice if a few sides just happened to show up.  We will have potato salad and red cabbage.
  • All SPSA members are invited.  This is a BYO event – lawn chairs and drinks.  Please be discrete with your drinks.
  • What time?  That’s easy, after the race.  Put your boat away and get over to the Tree.
  • What if you are not racing?  3 O’Clock might be good.  
  • Where is the Tree?  It’s in the center of the circular parking lot at the east end of Demen’s Landing.  There is free parking all around the tree and more free parking on the northside of Demen’s Landing adjacent to the marina and and a little farther north by the boat ramp.
  • The cost?  For you, nothing.  Treasurer Richard Boler reports we have plenty of money to handle this.  If you plan to attend, let us know you are coming so we have enough food.  TreinenRich@aol.com
  • By the way, we have asked the city to kill the fire ants.


Board Meeting Highlights – Last Evening Wednesday Oct 7th.

  • Our membership sits at 98.  That’s is very good considering all stuff going on this year.  Just a few years ago we were a little short of 50.
  • Our financial position is strong.
  • We have new members without boats and new members with boats.  That’s a good mix if you don’t have a boat or if you need crew.
  • The first two races days went well.  We still have a few bugs to work out. People are getting out on the bay and that is good.  
  • You should have received your 2020-21 Membership packet.  It was either handed to you at the annul meeting or just arrived by US Mail, or maybe it will come next week.  This is important because the new racing placard is included and our racing marks have new names.  Don’t panic if all you have is last year’s placard.  The new “Government mark” names and old “Alpha” mark names are on that placard.
  • We talked a lot about our handicapping system.  If you’ve ever been involved in these talks you know they can get a cantankerous. Surprisingly that did not happen last night.  We even had a few good laughs.  We use the WSIEH system where a boat’s handicap is adjusted after every race based on it’s relative performance. It’s not perfect, no handicap system is.  In our current implementation of WSIEH we have found a “new to the fleet” boat’s rating jumps uncomfortably up and down over the first few races.   With more race results it settles down.  We are looking more closely at the adjustment calculations.  Maybe we can make it a little better.  At some point we will seek the the input from our skippers before we do anything.  In the end the objective of our sailing club is for everybody to get out on the water and have lots of good laughs with new friends.  With all the crap going on around us, that is a good day.  Let’s have lots of them.