Race Management

The award winning SWYC Race Management Committee manages all interclub races for our Club.

The Race Committee lines up committee boats, volunteers for timing, recording and mark setting, and writes sailing instructions for races according to the U.S. Sailing Association rules.  The excellent performance of our race volunteers led to SWYC being selected to host the 1992 and 1995 Louis Vuitton Challenger Series, leading to the America's Cup races in those years, in addition to hosting the 2007 Olympic Sailing Trails.  In 2008, SWYC received the U.S. Sailing St. Petersburg Trophy for excellence in Race Management.

2024 RACE COMMITTEE
Chair Ian Trotter
Small Craft Master:   Peter Blake
Secretary: Colleen Cooke
Scorer: Shelly Raming


The Race Committee meets before each race at 9:00am. 

PRINCIPAL RACE OFFICERS
Angie Bartosik
S/C Chris Brzezinski 
Colleen Cooke
Summer Greene
Susi Graff
Jerry M. Lewis


Volunteer

The SWYC Race Committee is responsible for managing a wide variety of sailboat racing events sponsored by Southwestern Yacht Club.  We are always looking for volunteers who enjoy being out on the water to assist with race management.

Thanks to our Race Committee volunteers, we successfully host more than 15 plus sailing events each year. To volunteer now, fill out the volunteer form!  You can volunteer at any time during the year.  We provide sign-up sheets for all events and you can volunteer for as many events as you desire. 

We welcome everyone, experienced or not.  To get started, sign up to assist on a race and one of our experienced Race Committee members will be happy to teach you.  

You can be a member or non-member, any age or gender, and don't have to be a sailor!  There are many positions on the Race Committee that can be filled by a wide variety of people.  Below are the descriptions of the different responsibilities.  It's a lot of fun, a great excuse to spend the day on the water,  and there are no special qualifications for many of these positions.  



RACE MANAGEMENT VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Skipper:

Navigates the Race Committee boat to the race site. Positions the boat to be anchored for the start. Maintains the boat position throughout the race and navigates the boat back to the club. Qualifications: Owns or has access to a large power boat. Skilled in navigation and maneuvering. 

PRO:

Principal Race Officer (PRO) makes all command decisions regarding conduct of the race. Qualifications: Requires thorough knowledge of the racing rules, successful completion of the Race Management Course and considerable experience. 

Timer:

The Timer announces race sequence:  race starts, restarts, and finishes. This is a critical position. Qualifications: Requires knowledge of the Racing Rules starting procedure and broad Race Committee volunteer experience. 

Recorder:

Uses pre-printed entry lists to check-in boats, records starting errors, and finish times.  Qualifications: None.  

Signal Flags:

Raises and lowers signal flags primarily for the starting sequence as instructed by the Timer. Qualifications: None. 

Gunner:

Fires single barrel shot gun using blanks during starting sequence and at finish on command of Timer. Qualifications:  Minimal training required. 

Spotter:

Notes wind direction and spots finishing boats.   Qualifications: None.  

Crew:

Inflates marks, drops anchors holding the marks, retrieves marks and anchors, displays signal flags as instructed. Qualifications: None.  Requires average strength and agility. 

Scorer:

Receives finishing times from Race Committee. Uses computer program to score races based on boats' handicap rating.  Qualifications: Requires knowledge of scoring procedure and computer program. Considerable experience required. 

Direct forms or inquires to me at RCChair@Southwesternyc.org