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Denver Sailing Association

Denver, Colorado, USA
Sailing the Rockies since 1946

Denver Sailing Association News

Featured today:


Heading home at Cherry Creek

Governor's Cup
& Frostbite

Fred Wolf announced that DSA is again honored to conduct the prestigious Colorado Governor's Cup at Cherry Creek Reservoir on September 13th & 14, 2008. There will be separate courses for keelboats and dinghies and an overall trophy in each division. Click here for the official announcement and notice of race.

Cherry Creek
Junior Open

DSA, in cooperation with Community Sailing of Colorado, will host the Cherry Creek Junior Open for young sailors at Cherry Creek on August 23, 2008. Sailors under 19 are eligible to race self-righting centerboard boats by registering before 10:00 AM. The entry fee is $5 for single-handed and $10 for double-handed.

Grill Nights - Thursdays

Thursday, May 8, starts DSA's after-racing grill nights on the main dock at Cherry Creek Marina. $2 in the kitty gets you a burger or a brat with condiments, fixins & chips. Sodas will (& adult refreshments may) also be available. Fleets rotate cooking duty and everyone has a good time.

Cherry Creek Marina & Yacht Club is sponsoring Grill Nights on Wednesdays. Relax on the upper deck or inside.

Potluck & Sail - July 26th

We're having a party on the main dock of Cherry Creek Marina. We'll fire up the grill. Bring your own meat & drink & a side dish for a few. We'll eat, drink & be merry. and then we'll sail & be merry.

Racing in full swing

The ice and snow have gone. DSA is now in "full race" mode, with one series and two regattas completed. Wednesday and Thursday night racing is in full swing.

Begnaud wins Shootout,
Spira wins Hornblower

The Rocky Mountain Shootout and Hornblower Regattas are in the books!

  • Shootout: May 3-4, Clifford Begnaud's Ultimate 20, Underdog, won the Roger Marshall Overall Trophy & the 5-boat U-20 Fleet; Michael Dannecker's Entourage, a J/24, won the 8-boat PHRF Fleet. Three races were held on Saturday in winds "gusting" to 8 knots; Sunday saw two attempts at races, none completed due to light and variable conditions.  Results here. Go here for the stories behind the results.
     
  • Hornblower: May 17-18, open to centerboard dinghies & multihulls. David Spira, sailing a Lightning,  won the overall Hornblower trophy.  See photos. Awaiting  stories; click here for results.
     
  • Thaw-out Series: Due to inclement weather, only two of the four scheduled days of racing (April 5, 12, 19, and 26) could be held; open to DSA members, dinghies & keelboats. Click here for the results. Placing first in the 7-boat fleet, with 5 bullets, was David Spira in a Lightning; 2nd & 3rd were two more Lightnings -- sailed by Bob Stoller & Nick Farina.
     

    • Fourth of July Racing

    Union Sailing Club is hosting the Firecracker Regatta for boats under 20 feet and with Portsmouth handicaps in the centerboard or multihull classes at Union Reservoir. Click here for the Notice of Race and here for the sailing instructions.

    Continuing Series:

    Ex. Comm. Issues

    In its meeting of June 10th, the Executive Committee discussed -- in addition to ordinary  "housekeeping" matters -- a couple of issues it seeks to resolve:

    Race Committee

    Every boat is required to do its race committee duty at least once per series; we're trying to improve the scheduling and notification system. Some members are saying that they are inexperienced at race committee and would like some assistance & guidance. Fear not, there's help available: 

    Rules & Protests

    It's not really true that "No protests means good racing." In fact, the very first sentence in the Racing Rules of Sailing (under which all our races are run) says:

    "Competitors in the sport of sailing are governed by a body of rules that they are expected to follow and enforce." 
    {Emphasis added.}
    In sailing, the enforcement mechanism is a protest. Here, there are no referees on the water to call fouls. Each sailor is responsible to call the fouls and make it stand up by finishing the process.

    1. The first step is to hail "Protest!" Nothing else you say (bad names, expletives, personal hygiene comments) has any meaning.
       
    2. Next -- if you're sailing a boat larger than a Lightning --  fly the protest flag as soon as possible. Don't wait more than 10 seconds. It has to be a red flag. A red jacket, bandana or seat cushion won't do; it must be easily identified as a flag. And, it has to be displayed where the other competitor can see it.
       
    3. If your competitor does not take the appropriate penalty, inform the RC of your intent to protest when you finish.
       

    For more, including the ashore steps, click here.

    August Newsletter

    Click here to view  the Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file. For back issues, click here.
     

    Upcoming Events

    Spring Keelboat Series

    Spring Dinghy Series: Includes grill nights ($2 a burger) after racing. Put your money in the kitty & munch away.

    Potluck, Party, & Free-sail - July 26th

    A great evening.

    Photos Wanted!

    We'd like more pictures to show what DSA is about and to liven up the site. We especially need:

    1. Action!  
    2. People!


    Lasers in Summer by Audrey Dunton

    Photo Protocol:

    1. E-mail digital photos  to webtender at denversailing.org.
       
    2. To avoid getting sued for copyright infringement, we need the photo to be sent by the photographer or with his/her permission. This will imply DSA is given a  "right to use".
       
    3. DSA retains only the right to use submitted photos on its website and publications; the photographer retains the copyrights. (We won't permit commercial use without the photographer's consent.)
       
    4. If desired, the photographer will be credited. Tell us.
       
    5. Don't bother reducing the image to what you think we need; we'll do it. Multiple reductions reduce image quality.
       
    6. Each photo should have a unique title and be accompanied by descriptive text. Names,  dates & places are really useful.
       
    7. Juniors' last names will not be published, only their first names or nicknames.
       
    8. Photos posted on the website will typically be reduced in image size and resolution to enhance web response. They may also be cropped and manipulated as to brightness & contrast.
       
    9. People who want the full size version of photo files should contact the photographer directly.

    News from Other Climes

    DSA Member wins North Americans: David Spira, one of DSA's foremost road warriors, won the Buccaneer class North American Championship in May at Lake Hartwell, North Carolina. This is David's fourth Buccaneer NAs win. Congratulations, David!.

    Man's Best Friend vs. Pirates: Kankuntu, a hunting dog shipmate of Peter and Betty Lee, attempted to fight off armed pirates who boarded the Lee's yacht Raven Eye two miles off the coast of Venezuela. After being shot and stabbed, the dog was unable to keep up the battle, but survived. Both Lees also survived with minor injuries and loss of equipment worth about £3,000. Read more here.

    Mutiny yacht afloat two months after abandonment: To the Skipper,  the yacht was sound; the three inexperienced crew thought they were in danger in 10-foot waves and 25-30 knot winds. They mutinied and set off the boat's emergency beacon, which led to abandonment of the boat and the rescue of all four on March 25. When reported to the world, controversy raged as to who was right. Two months later, the 7.9 meter (26-foot) yacht has been found drifting 210 miles off the coast of New Zealand. The mast is intact, but sails are dragging in the water. Read more here.

    Fuel prices lead to blockade of yachties: French fishermen are mad about diesel prices and they aren't going to take it anymore. They've blockaded the port of Cherbourg with a steel cable across it, trapping about 60 British sailors inside the harbor. A dive boat managed to escape; others were met by a barrage of flares & bottles.  Read more here.

    The strange story of the Patanela: A 19-meter (almost 58-foot) steel-hulled sailboat, described as "virtually unsinkable", disappeared without a trace on a calm Australian summer night in 1988 just off Botany Bay. Twenty years later, a message from one of the crew is found in a bottle. Read more here.


    News updated Tuesday, June 17, 2008

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