Low-key Friday night races on Shilshole becoming a tradition
Aug 4 2011 in Racing by Deborah Bach
The Friday night races on Shilshole Bay emphasize fun over competition. Photo courtesy of Bob Ross
Taking a page from the popular Downtown Sailing Series held Thursday nights during the summer on Seattle’s Elliott Bay, local sailors started what is now becoming a Friday night tradition on nearby Shilshole Bay.
Four years ago, Sail Northwest owner Bob Ross launched Sail/Fest, a Friday night sailing series in August that aims to get boat owners out on their boats and introduce people to sailing. Last year, the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club launched its own Friday night series on Shilshole, dubbed Take Your Time Fridays.
The two series follow a simple formula — low-key, no-cost short races that place having fun as the top priority, followed by an after-party at the Corinthian Yacht Club’s clubhouse with complimentary food.
“The whole idea was to get the sailboats in the marina out sailing for an evening, and then come and have some free hamburgers and hot dogs,” said Ross, who also owns Seattle Sailing Club.
“The idea is just to have some good fun, some camaraderie and get people out on the water.”
The two Shilshole series differ slightly. Neither have time limits to finish the race, but Take Your Time Fridays uses a golf handicap system to help level the playing field. There’s no race committee or race boat; racers record their own finish times and submit them to the STYC’s website.
Handicaps are adjusted weekly. If you win, your handicap goes down and if you lose, it goes up.
STYC board member Nate Creitz said the approach gives less experienced sailors a chance to compete and maybe even win.
“It’s such a daunting task to do a sailboat race when everybody’s so skilled,” he said. “You go out there and you just get killed. If you get annihilated, you’re not inclined to get out sailing the next (week).
“If we had more events like this, I think the sport wouldn’t be hurting so much.”
The goal of the races, organizers say, is to introduce people to sailing and provide a venue for less experienced racers.
Likewise, Ross tries to “remove the intimidation factor” by going out on the CYC’s race committee boat and giving instructions via a PA system on starting the race and what racers can expect. Like the Duck Dodge races on Lake Union, Sail/Fest has staggered start times and three racing classes: fast, not so fast and dinghy.
Racers go twice around a short course if there’s enough wind. If not, Ross calls the race when the boats cross the start line the second time.
“The whole thing is just to have fun and no collisions,” he said.
Afterward, racers and crew head to the CYC clubhouse for food, drinks, socializing and a chance to win door prizes. Ross always makes sure there’s something for kids, and is not above putting kids’ tickets in his shirt pocket and drawing them when it comes time to give out the prizes.
“Sometimes I get caught,” he admitted.
The two series are supported by sponsors including Fisheries Supplies, the Port of Seattle and the Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA). Seattle Sailing Club and Windworks Sailing Center, both located at Shilshole, provide boats for the races. The NMTA, through its Grow Boating initiative, pays for skippers for the two companies’ boats and matches aspiring sailors with those boats and others participating in the races.
Started in 2003 out of Elliott Bay Marina, the Downtown Sailing Series runs from June through mid-August and has become one of the most popular boating events in the region, drawing about 70 boats and several hundred people weekly.
Turnout for the Shilshole races has been up to 30 boats weekly this year — less than half the number that race Thursdays on Elliott Bay, but that’s fine with Creitz.
“It’s about getting people into sailing. That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “Pretty soon, people get hooked.”
And the goal is not just to introduce people to racing, Ross said.
“We’re selling the lifestyle by doing this,” he said. “It really is more than just going out and drifting around on a boat. It’s going to new places. It’s doing stuff.
“It’s amazing how many people come out who haven’t done it before.”
Sail/Fest 2011 kicks off this Friday, Aug. 6. Racing starts at 7 p.m. Sail instructions are available here. For additional information, call Bob Ross at 206.286-1004.
Ben said on January 25, 2012
to Clarify, when we came up with the Golf Handicap system the Downtown thursday night series was not even a consideration on a model for the STYC TYT Fridays. Downtown is a group fest, motoring allowed, we where not trying to compete with or model after Elliot Bay’s event. What we came up with at STYC was an opportunity to do a no cost race using fixed marks with no RC on duty, everything set up online for the perfect opportunity to use and explore the Golf Handicap rating system. But, boats must sail around the course, no motoring.
Once started it became obvious the idea worked and soon CYC jumped aboard to get in on part of the fun STYC had created. Bob Ross’ sailfest Friday night racing had already been going on at the end of the summer and is a similar but different event.
http://www.styc.org