Our most successful (see "popular") Summer Shorts series ever just came to a close, with the 6th and final race on August 5th. (weird day, the smoke from the forest fires was blanketing the Bay.. very eerie.. super-light winds too)

A grand total of 28 boats participated in the two divisions: fifteen boats in Div 1 and thirteen boats in Div 2.

J takes Div 1

In one of the closest duels in recent Shorts history, the "young J", x-Fleet-Cpt Rick Fowler in .. J, edged out the "senior J", Ernie Fiedler in Senza. It came down to the wire too: a 2-second difference on the very last race!

In the role of the spoiler, Achilles in Woodstock, could have had the whole thing too, but missed one race too many. Still, he squeezed Ernie out of 2nd overall on the tie-breaker :-) Great stuff.

The Martins looked very natural in the light winds (four of them showed up for various races) and there is talk of giving them their own Division next summer.

Mystic takes Div 1

In an almost equally close series, Richard Stewart dropped in for a cameo on his old MYSTIC and showed that he hasn't forgotten how to drive her to victory.

The EDs were always close behind but (they need a new jib, yesterday!) ended up just a couple points off the C&C. Gerry could have played spoiler, methinks, had he not missed the very last race too.

Lithium-free Race Management

Many, many thanks for the flawless (if creepy-looking) R.C. consisting mostly of Tim Coughin and the Lithiums, using the club's new powerboat, Ian LLoyd and his Masty-Free :-) They filled in for the vacationing Simon, brought the boat out even on dates without races (haha) and generally owned the Bay. So, hugs to Tim, Lori, Ian, Brenda, Randy and Carmen!

Do you Have what it Takes??

• Double-Handed
• Overnight
• Vancouver - Halibut - Nanaimo - Vancouver
• June 19th, 2010 (sorry, the actual solstice is on Monday :-)
• Cost: $15 (yes, really, $15..)
• NOR & Sailing Instructions | Registration
• Unofficial Challenge (as of 2009): 1 bottle of Mt Gay per skipper, to be awarded to the overall winner, Monday Night at Stamps (Wicklow)

Some of the 2009 Tracks

Quotables from 2009

.. one of the highlights of my sailing "career"... I don't think the boat has ever gone that fast... ~ Richard Stewart, MYSTIC

..With winds gusting as high as 29kts, we surfed the waves .. The algae glow was intense. ~ Rick Fowler, J

We hit 13.5 knots I think Dominic yelled at me.... ~ Viggo Lison, AQUA PERLA

I have been across the straight many times during daylight when it's honkin but nothing compared to this! ~ Adam Best, J

My finish time: 6:09. I want to die.. ~ SMS from Richard Stewart reporting his finish :-)

Full 2009 Race Report, here

Register, online, HERE

Follow the Discussion Thread on SailingX

Oh, and before I forget:

Happy Birthday to You. Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday dear Rick... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Start of race: 11:00am All boats with a valid PHRF certificate and proof of insurance, that meet other requirements as stated in the Sailing Instructions below, are invited to participate in the Tiddly Cove Yacht Club Series races. To Register: The race entry fee is $10 for TCYC boats, $15 for all other boats. Registration and payment can be completed through the Tiddly Cove web site at www.tiddlycove.bc.ca. Payment can also be made by cash or cheque (please contact the fleet captain to arrange). Release and Indemnity Forms and Proof of Insurance, if not previously submitted, can be faxed to the Fleet Captain at 604-seven-three-three-9013. Registration and payment must be received by 6:00 p.m. on the day before the race. Special Note: In addition to being part of TCYC's regular Fleet Championship series, the Passage Island Race forms part of TCYC's new "Sailor of the Year" challenge (for details see the "TCYC 2010 Racing Season" page on the TCYC web site). To be eligible for Sailor of the Year competition, the race must be run single-handed. Crewed vessels will count only towards the regular fleet championship. To contact the fleet captain directly, call Simon at 604-seven-three-three-9004.

SI's to follow shortly on link above.

Dave Cramb of Race Ready Performance Sailing has been a guest speaker for Tiddly Cove Yacht Club on several occasions. If you or your crew are interested in the full course there is one starting next week.

Sail SMARTER, FASTER - Advanced Race Training - The A.R.T. of Sailing (R) - Seminar Series. Five evenings, once a week, covering specific modules to help you win races: Includes... Rules & Tactics Upwind Sail Trim & Steering Downwind Sail Trim & Steering, with Spinnakers Starts & Course Strategies for Winning Teamwork & Boat Prep Protests & Hearings The Sail SMARTER, FASTER seminar series is offered at the False Creek Yacht Club, Vancouver, starting Tuesday May 11, 2010, 7:00 pm.

More info at: http://www.race-ready.com/CURRENT-EVENTS.htm

Greetings Tiddlies!

Springtime is charging upon us, and the TCYC sailpast (and sailpast race! and raft up) is THIS COMING SATURDAY!

Hopefully you had it written in your schedule all along, so this is merely a timely reminder. The forecast is showing sun and we hope it will be a good time.

Attached is the ORDER for the sailpast (click to download). As always, we will sail past the Commodore's boat in three flights, each flight led by a flag officer.

Also attached are the SAILING INSTRUCTIONS for the race. As always, the race will be a somewhat informal affair, and racers must take their own finish time. Course details will be determined and announced by the commodore on race day, to take best advantage of the prevailing conditions.

The sailpast commences at 11:00am, the race takes place as soon as the sailpast wraps up, and the raft up is held in False Creek as soon as the leaders get there.

Any questions, feel free to ask Commodore Randy ;-)

Hope to see you out there!

Simon Hill

Fleet Captain

PS: The Passage Island race is next weekend, mark it in your calendars and we hope to see you there too! SIs for that race will be posted ASAP.

TCYC 2010 NOR, ver. 1.1., updated March 1st.

The TCYC 2010 Racing Series schedule has been revised as of February 28. We are looking forward to a great season with several new boats competing this year. Please read below for important updates to the season.

1. There will be an entry fee for all the races (except the New Years Day Race which has already been run). These fees are to enable the club to acquire and renew racing equipment such as marks, mark anchors, flags and such (see below for exact fee amounts).
2. As always, there is fame and glory associated with winning any individual race. In addition, for boats campaigning in at least three races there are fleet championship prizes at the end of the season.
   For 2010, there are three championship awards:
   • Fleet Champion Boat, Div 1
   • Fleet Champion Boat, Div 2
   • Fleet Champion Sailor

Including the English Bay Scramble, there are seven races in our regular racing season. Five of these races will count towards Divisional Championship points, and two will not.

The two non-counting races are
• the Sailpast Race (which is intended as a fun exhibition race with its own trophy) and
• the Summer Solstice race (which is intended as a strictly double-handed race and is part of the separate Sailor of the Year championship).

The Divisional Championship

The Divisional Championship races (for Div 1 "performance" boats and Div 2 "cruising" boats) are as follows:

• New Year's Day race
• Spring Tune Up Regatta
• Passage Island race (includes optional single-handed challenge)
• English Bay Scramble
• Last Chance Regatta

Scoring will be based on the low-point system and there are no crewing restrictions for any race (for the Passage Island race there will be separate starts for single-handed and crewed boats). There will be two throw-outs allowed, so consistency is rewarded and most TCYC boats should be able to get into contention. Note that boats must compete in at least three events to be counted towards the Divisional Championship. The results of non-contending boats will be removed for the purposes of calculating the final standings.

Sailor of the Year Award

The Sailor of the Year award has been simplified to include just three races, as follows:

• Passage Island SINGLE-HANDED
• Summer Solstice DOUBLE-HANDED
• Either Spring Tuneup OR Last Chance as DRIVER (crew allowed)

All three races must be completed to be be in contention (if contenders complete both Spring Tune Up and Last Chance, the best result will be used). Results for Sailor of the Year will be scored on the low-points system, using PHRF handicaps with no division breaks. Contenders can use different boats for each race (borrow a Cal 20 for Passage Island, get a Martin 242 lined up for the round-the-buoys action, and get aboard a well-equipped Beneteau for the Summer Solstice!). Two contenders can share a boat for the Solstice double-handed race (while this means two contenders may get a tie result in the Solstice race, normal tie-breaking rules will determine the ultimate winner using the other two races).

Of course, you could also do it all on one boat, and then if you were really brilliant you might be able to win Fleet Champion Boat and Fleet Champion Sailor!

Boats and sailors do not need to officially register for the Championship awards, but will be automatically scored provided they compete in the required minimum number of races. (Note that sailors contending for Sailor of the Year must have their name included on the registration documents for the Summer Solstice race and the applicable Spring Tune Up/Last Chance races, and should indicate "single-handed" on their Passage Island registration).

Race Registration & Fees

FEES will be payable by cheque, cash or Paypal. They are

• $10 for individual day races ($15 for non-members) and
• $25 for the entire Summer Shorts series ($30 for non-members).
• The English Bay Scramble is $45.

Members are also encouraged to take advantage of a discount for boats wishing to register in all races at once (either including or excluding the Summer Shorts). More details on the fee payment and registration process will be made available on the payments/registration page.

For our January 21st Meeting at the Maritime Museum we are pleased to announce that the presentation will be by: Dr.Douw Steyn Professor of Atmospheric Science Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, UBC

Dr. Steyn's topic is "Wind for Sailing" • Scales of atmospheric dynamical phenomena and resultant wind patterns. • Wind patterns associated with synoptic scale weather features (airmasses, fronts, cyclones, anticyclones and ridges; typical BC inner coast conditions). • Local wind patterns encountered along coastlines, and around islands (how to exploit local wind patterns to your advantage.

This is a great way to start off our speaker's series and prepare for the sailing season.

The meeting will commence around 7:30PM with the presentation at 8:00 PM. Guests welcome. Entrance at south side door.

TCYC and the Fleet Captain are currently seeking a boats to act as Race Committee willing to run one or two races each over the remainder of the 2010 season (final dates to be determined).

Please contact the Fleet Captain (Simon Hill at 604-733-9004 or shill_edit [at] telus.net).

If you are willing to act as committee for a race later in the season, drop the fleet Captain a line at your leisure, indicating which races you'd be willing to cover. Currently Ted Sharplin with Trigger (Cal 20 Race Committee) has volunteered for New Years Day, Fancy Free is Race Committee for the Spring Tune Up, Pegasus has agreed to committee the Passage Island Race and Krikkit will be covering some of the later Summer Shorts races (but not the early July races).

Blow away your New Years Eve hangover and start the New Year off right with a sail race in English Bay! Race runs at 11:00 a.m. January 1st and typically ends in time to watch the Polar Bear Swim (or retire to Wicklows public house and trade stories).

Non-TCYC boats are welcome to participate after signing a release and indemnity form. (fax to 604-733-9013)

TCYC Boats: The NYD race will count towards the 2010 TCYC Fleet Championship. But if you can't make it out, don't panic -- there are two throw-outs allowed this year so you can still make a competitive bid for the 2010 Fleet Championship come springtime. For tentative details on the 2010 Fleet Championship series, log in and see the "TCYC Racing" section of the Forum. The full race schedule will be posted early in the New Year.

For the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions, click the "Racing" tab, above. Any questions, contact Simon Hill, TCYC Fleet Captain, at 604-733-9004 or by email at shill_edit [at] telus.net.

Boats Registered so Far..

Div 1

• Fancy Free
• Krikkit
• Lithium
• J
• Aqua Perla
• Havoc
• Allons Y
• J33(no name yet)Sail 42433
• Brigadoon
• Woodstock
• BoatFormerlyKnownAsCarene
• Windyfeat

Div 2

• Nebo
• Volare
• Salus

2008 New Years Day Race Video

2009 New Years Day Race Video