Short Tacks – February 2014

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This was first published in the February 2014 Newsletter. 2013 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The 2013 Rhodes 19 National Championship was held in October in New Orleans at the new Southern Yacht Club. This was the first time that the regatta has been held at the club since Hurricane Katrina. Fleet 5’s own Charlie Pendleton, Elise Mazareas … Read more

Crewing – 3 Keys to Success

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This piece originally appeared in the May 2012 Fleet 5 newsletter. By Elise Mazareas Elise Mazareas co-owns 1360 with Joe Fava. She is one of Fleet 5’s top crews and can be seen driving every once in a while as well. Elise was an All-American crew at Boston College and was awarder Fleet 5’s Richie … Read more

Use your vang downwind

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I see too many Rhodes with their boom angled up and bouncing around downwind. The top of their sail is twisted off and wind is spilling out. Use the vang to flatten out your leach and keep your boom stable. The top batten should be parallel to your boom in most conditions. In very heavy … Read more

Visualize

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This one sounds very Zen-like but it works. In the shower, or while you’re eating lunch, or while you’re driving to work. Go through a race in your head. The starts, the mark roundings, the sets, the tacks, the gibes, winning. It’s a crazy simple thing but this works! It’s kind of the same as going over a trip on … Read more

Get the new Rules Book

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Yup, it’s that time. The new 2013-2016 Rules are official. The rules book comes in a regular paper and waterproof edition. Always helpful are Dave Perry’s “Understanding the Racing Rules through 2016” and “100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes” Of particular interest are the updates to the rules on penalty turns. Don’t be that guy that doesn’t know the new rules!

Big Fleet Starts

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This first appeared in a newsletter by Charlie Pendleton So, as of press time, we’re at 31 32 boats registered for Race Week. That’s about twice the average we see during an MRA Saturday and it’s going to be a BIG factor on the starting line. I promise you that there will be teams that tell … Read more

Defense vs Offense: A Game of Inches

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This was first published in the October 2010 Newsletter. By Charlie Pendleton This year’s National Championship was determined by a point. ONE POINT! When sailing in regattas like Race Week, the East Coasts or the Nationals, points are precious. Nothing is more frustrating than getting “nipped at the finish? – losing a boat that you … Read more

Welcome – October 2010

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This was first published in the October 2010 Newsletter. Jumping the gun just a bit, let’s extend a huge welcome to Elise Mazareas and Joe Fava who have been spotted kicking the tires on a few boats. No strangers to Fleet 5, both of these tremendous sailors have raced with us before, but on other … Read more