If, at the current moment, you are already heading out to sail, leave reading this email to a later time – there’s nothing here important enough to delay a day on the bay.  Otherwise find a good chair and switch over to your tablet.  Even though the Grand Prix squished our February 26th race day, there are still many ways to get out on the bay.  

• The NOODS, hosted by  the St Petersburg Yacht Club, are this weekend.  Sailing World is reporting this is the largest NOODs ever with 275 entries!  The SPSA will be well represented.  You can follow the event on this link.  https://www.sailingworld.com/regatta-series-st-petersburg/
• SPSA Sailors was well represented and cleaned up at the 56th Gaspirilla Regatta hosted by the Tampa Sailing Squadron on February 5th.  

• Cruising B 8 boats: 1st Cayennita III Tony Sanpere, 3rd Legacy Dave Roberts
• Cruising A 8 boats: 1st Surge Charles Archer, 2nd Moonshine Sharon Grasmehr, 3rd Galene Gerard Gaudry, 7th Koinonia II Garth Reynolds
• Here’s your link to the whole story  https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm 

Our January King of the Bay champion is Bumbugo.  Her corrected time of 44:24 ranked pretty high in top ten of all time, displacing Surge out of 5th best.  Don’t for a moment feel sorry for Surge, she still has 6 top ten times.  Get out of your slip and run the King of the Bay.  It’s a great way to tune up your sailing skills.

The SPYC Twilight Series begins on March 18th.  Every Friday night at 6:30 until the end of August.  What a great way to end your work week.  This is free, no need to join the yacht club.  Just show up.  However if you want to earn one of those beautiful trophy flags you need to register.  The registration cost is next to nothing – it works out to be close to 50 cents a race.  https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14941 

Back on January 29th we held the Spring Season Races 3 and 4 originally scheduled for Feb 26th.  That was the Grand Prix Race conflict thing.  It was blowing and the seas were rough.  Thanks to Gimmi Shelter for going out in difficult conditions.  There were reports from the brave sailors that one gust was near 40!  Four boats from the cruising class ventured out on the bay that day.  These are the conditions when you really need to know your boat, your crew and your skills as a sailor and make the right call.  Do not expect somebody else to make that decision for you.  That said, we all need to admire the skills of the 4 boats that managed the conditions that day.

On February 6th we set up a pursuit race to introduce potential new members to the excitement of sailboat racing.  It was anointed the Off the Quay Wall Regatta as most of the interest in joining our racing was from boats slipped up against the wall on the north side of the pier approach.  We hosted 9 boats new to racing and 7 who entered as experienced sailors.  We all gathered at Courigans for post race camaraderie and awards for best of the day.  Thanks to Mike Reed, Penny Simone, Brian Conlin, Raul Calzada and Dan Dawson for the conception and execution of this outreach to our local sailors.

Our Race Committee on March 19th will be Hula Girl II, Steve Shortt’s Catalina 36.  Post race we will host a St Patrick Day part.  Watch for details.

Our Race Committee on April 2nd will be Amber Looe, Mike Reed’s Beneteau 23.5.  Post race will be a BYOE no frills event somewhere.  Watch for details.

On April 16th we are running our Full Moon Pursuit Race.  This is a great sail timed so we are out on the bay for both the sunset and the full moon rising through the water of the bay.  Bring your camera.

Where to expand your SPSA experience:

• On our web site  www.spsa.us   We have both public pages and member only pages.  You need your email or member number plus your password to see the members stuff.
• We have our public Face Book page.  Search for St Petersburg Sailing Association.  There are all kinds of SPSA acronyms dead ends on the world wide web.  Here’s a link web link to get you straight there https://www.facebook.com/StPetersburgSailingAssociation/  Better yet, use the Facebook app if you have one.  Bookmark us or click the Follow button.
• We also have our SPSA Members Group on Facebook.  This is open only to SPSA Members and you must click request to join.  On the facebook app search for SPSA Members Group.  Raul is guarding this one from the Facebook trolls.  This is another good way to sell your skills in exchange for a deck under your feet or find some feet for your deck.  It’s easy to join, find the SPSA Members Group page, click the button to request admission to the group.
• Instagram.  I’m out on a limb on this one.  https://www.instagram.com/spsasailing/   I’m 67, somebody needs to clue me in.
• Share your pictures through spsapictures@gmail.com  Not all your pictures obviously.  Just good sailing pictures of your boat, from your boat of another SPSA boat or a shot nautical in nature or at one of our events.  The best of these pictures end up featured on SPSA sites.  Smile!

All of this media exposure has been a good thing.  It’s one thing to be a sailing organization on paper and in the digital world.  It is so much better to be a sailing organization seen out on the water.  This is giving us the best of all pains, growing pains.   That’s a good thing.  Believe it or not this creates opportunities for our membership to get more involved.  The up side, we now have enough boats racing that race committee duty need only be experienced once every two years.

One more thing.  Get your boat out on the water.  Those are magic hours.  Your troubles disappear out on the bay.  Your friends in the SPSA can make it happen.

• Gimmi Shelter, our Race Committee for Spring Season Races 3 and 4, will be sitting in a light blue & white 24 foot Polar Sport Fisher somewhere in the Bay near downtown.  Monitor or hail on channel 72 if you need to find the location of the committee boat.  Most of the time committee will set up just east of the pier. 
• You’ll find the results for Spring Season Races 1 & 2 posted on the SPSA Web Page.  The wind was nice at the start of Race 1 and slowly died.  The spinnaker fleet managed to get two races in while race 2 in cruising fleet was abandoned.  If you want to see actual and corrected times, click the blue race number at the top of the results page.  Taking the best of the day awards were Warrior in spinnaker and Sonar-Lewis in cruising.  Thanks to Legacy for RC duty – nicely done.  Thanks to Noreen for organizing the Chili Cook Off, Connie for guarding them while we were racing and the 10 Chili Cooks.  It was a nice way to end a great day on the bay.
• SPSA Board Meeting February 1st at 6 PM.  This months meeting will be held at the table outside the dock master’s office at the yacht club marina. Our meetings are always open to all members of the SPSA.  In fact this is a good way to get involved.
• Tampa Bay Sailing Squadron’s 56th Gasparilla Regatta is scheduled for February 5th.  A couple of SPSA boats always find their way across the bay for this fun event.  Here’s a link to their web page for information.  https://www.sail-tss.org/ 
• Saturday February 5th  Adaptive Sailing Day at the Sailing Center.  10 AM  to 2 PM.  The Sailing Center hosts local folks that are not able to sail without help.  Local organizations bring their clients to the Sailing Center for short sails.  The Sailing Center needs volunteers to help in all aspects of this great event.  This is one of those events that makes you feel good all the way home.  Contact Dana Aljasir at the Sailing Center if you are able to help.   sailingcenter@spyc.org
• The Off the Quay Wall pursuit race will be run on Sunday Feb 6th at 11 AM.  That is the 1st Sunday in February.  This event has been geared to introduce a few potential SPSA members to sail boat racing.  These sailors are mostly moored on the south side of the pier approach and have been talking to us about getting involved.  The event is open to boats 30 ft and less and we will be providing these new skippers with as much help as they need.  The event is also open to experienced sailors.  Sign up on the Regatta page.  We may need to recruit a few experienced SPSA hands to help out. 
• Around the Point Race – February 12th.  This event starts at the Davis Island Yacht Club and finishes at downtown St Petersburg.  Here’s the link to DIYC  http://www.diyc.org/ 
• And don’t forget the NOODS are right here, downtown St Petersburg at the Yacht Club.  February 18 – 20.  https://www.sailingworld.com/helly-hansen-nood-regatta-st-petersburg/
• One more thing.  Please recognize when you have luffing rights, when you don’t and when they vanish.  There are things to know before and after the start and out on the course.  We are getting more boats on the starting line and we’ve had a couple of incidents.  We do not want a protest.  It’s been more than 10 years.  Google “sailboat racing luffing rights”  if you want to be sure.

 

• Saturday January 15th  SPSA Spring Season Races 1 & 2.  Legacy will be our Race Committee.  First start scheduled for 11 AM.  Remember to login 1st before trying to do anything.  http://spsa.us/membership/   If you are declaring a cruising spinnaker for the Spring Season this must be done by midnight Wednesday January 12th.  TreinenRich@aol.com
• Saturday January 15th Post Race will be a chili cook off at the Sailing Center.  See the attached flyer.
• Saturday January 29th SPSA Spring Season Races 3 & 4.  Gimmi Shelter will be our Race Committee.  First start scheduled for 11 AM.  
• Sunday February 6th Off the Quay Wall Regatta.  This is a pursuit race designed to jump start sailors new to racing.  We have several boat owners eyeing the racing scene and the SPSA too.  This is an opportunity to expand the number of boats that race with us on the bay. We are looking for experienced sailors to guide our new friends from start to finish on a simple triangle race. Download flier here.  More information to come.

• Saturday February 5th  Adaptive Sailing Day at the Sailing Center.  10 AM  to 2 PM.  The Sailing Center hosts local folks that are not able to sail without help.  Local organizations bring their clients to the Sailing Center for short sails.  The Sailing Center needs volunteers to help in all aspects of this great event.  This is one of those events that makes you feel good all the way home.  Contact Dana Aljasir at the Sailing Center if you are able to help.   sailingcenter@spyc.org
• February 18 – 20 Sailing Worlds National Offshore One Design.  The NOODS. This one at the St Petersburg Yacht Club.  Here’s the link that tells you about the NOODS.  https://www.sailingworld.com/helly-hansen-nood-regatta-st-petersburg/  Most of us will be interested in the distance race on Saturday February 19th.  To get the early bird discount you must register by Feb 1st.  Here’s the registration link  https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=14800 
• Coming soon the Yacht Club’s Twilight Series.  Day Light Saving Time starts March 13th.  Every Friday evening afterwards the Twilight Races begin at 6:30.  These delightful evening sails run through the end of August.  This event is open to all boats.  Please register so a handicap can be assigned to your boat and so RC knows wh you are.  The cost is zero or minimal.  It’s just 15 bucks for a whole summer of racing!  See the NOR for details.  https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14941 

SPSA News & Results.

• King of the Bay winner for December was Cayennita III.  Her corrected time was 50:28.  This was a good time, not quite a Top 10 performance but close.
• The 1st to finish in the New Years Day Pursuit Race were Surge in the Cruising Class and Tack Tick in the Spinnaker Class.  Surge captured the line honors.  It was a great day to be out on the bay.  
• Our New Year’s Day White Elephant Party after the pursuit race was attended by 30 some SPSA Members.  Hula Girl II captured the most desired prize, a new winch handle.  Sorry to say Galene went home with the prize that no one wanted.   Thanks to Dan & Noreen for pulling this fun event together.

 

Attached you’ll find the 2022 New Years Pursuit Race Course and the Start Times for all SPSA boats.  Unless we missed one.  If so send me a message TreinenRich@aol.com   At this point in time we have 11 boats registered.  

It looks like it’s going to be another great day on the bay.  It’s not too late – get your crew together and register or just show up.  http://spsa.us/racing/regattas/

We have a few crew spots available – Membership.Chair@spsa.us

Here’s a few things to remember.

• January 1st 2022.  That’s this Saturday.
• No one has declared a cruising spinnaker.  All spinnakers are in the spinnaker class.
• The Race Starts at G3.  Slowest boat starts at 14:00:00.   Everybody else waits for their start.
• A correct start is within 4 boat lengths of G3, on a line perpendicular to a line to Big J.  Either side of G3 works.
• There’s no committee watching, but everybody else is.  Your honesty is on display for all to see.
• Finish in a similar manner at G3 relative to a line from Front G.  Same 4 boat length requirement.
• Record your finish time when you get back to G3, who finished ahead of you and who finished behind you. 
• Report your finish time back at the Sailing Center or send a text to 918 766-1515

• Grant Dumas did a nice job for us as our Race Committee.  It’s inspiring to seen a one person RC handle all aspects of the races so smoothly.
• Light but steady winds prevailed, much better than the predicted forecast.  George Lewis in a Sailing Center Sonar took a 2nd and a 1st to win the Cruising Class liquid trophy for the day.  Tack Tick added another bottle to their cabinet.
• Complete results for the Season races can be viewed on the SPSA web site.  http://spsa.us/  Please consider the totals preliminary until we verify the the standings after throwouts and Race Committee credits.  You’ll find the scoring rules in the SIs.

• In the Racing drop down in top blue banner click REGATTAS
• Find Id Line 26 2021-2022 SPSA Fall Series and click the   Results   button
• This is the summary page for all races
• To see the data for each race, click the Blue Race number in the top row.

The 2021 Fall Season trophies will be awarded at our annual meeting next September.

• November King of the Bay was awarded to Surge at the Dec 4th post race gathering under the tree.  Surge’s run on Nov 6th set a new course record.
• December 7th Board Meeting highlights

• Plans were finalized for our New Years Day Pursuit Race and after party.  All members are encouraged to attend the post race party at the Sailing Center.  Details to come.  Hint: Don’t throw away any holiday gifts.
• Chili Cook-Off was confirmed for the 15 January post race.
• A bunch of other administrative stuff not worth your time.

New boats & skippers have joined our SPSA racing.  

• Fiddle Sticks – Guy VanDoren – Nosuch 30
• no name – Ian Sanders – Freedom 21
• Zephyrus – Dave Henning – Hunter 25.5
• no name – Steven Linebaugh – Columbia 26
• Bumbugo – Penny & Robert Simone – Ericson
• no name – Robert Swiggett – Sailing Center Sonar

SPSA January 2022 Calendar tags

• 1 January  New Years Day Pursuit Race and post race party.  http://spsa.us/  Login 1st then  Racing/Regattas  Register on Id Line 28
• 15 January SPSA Spring Season Races 1 & 2 and post race party.   http://spsa.us/  Login 1st then  Racing/Regattas  Register on Id Line 29
• 29 January SPSA Spring Season Races 3 & 4
• We have nothing in February.  Our Feb 26th race date got squashed when the Grand Prix changed dates.  Great time to run the KoB.

Let’s Go Sailing!

Rich Treinen