M3SC conducts a racing series, which we call a
"RaceDay," twice a month from April into December. The first race starts at 13:30 (rain or
shine) and no race will start after 16:00. In the summer, we cancel races
if, at 09:00, the heat index is predicted to reach 102 degrees or higher.
Our races are now sailed on
Lake Elsdon in the Highlands in southwest Columbia or Stevens Lake just east of downtown, although on
occasion we may use Twin Lakes (clicking on the names will show you
maps of their locations, and if you are from out-of-town
click here to see detailed directions and
maps of the route from Interstate 70 to Lake Elsdon).
Our races generally last only 8 to 15 minutes, and we sail as many
as we can in 2 1/2 hours, back-to-back, usually 10 to 15 races in an afternoon. We
take a fifteen minute break after the sixth race, and we encourage our boat owners to
let non-owners race their boats, so we often get to take more breaks
while we serve as coaches. And
breaks are needed: because of the "scale
speed time-warp" phenomenon, R/C racing is five times as
"fast" and intense as full-scale sailboat racing.
Thus we get to enjoy the most exciting parts of sailboat racing, e.g.,
starts, mark roundings and finishes, multiple times in an afternoon.
And when we have a bad race there are plenty more yet to go. Given the
short courses and very shifty winds down close to the water where R/C
sailboats live, most everyone will have a bad race or two—but, much
more importantly, most everyone will also taste the thrill of leading the
pack or winning a race every day.
To see the simplified racing rules* which govern our local club races (only 2 pages, including diagrams)
click
here.
Our 2007
Sailing Instructions* are
posted here.
Newcomers and inexperienced sailboat racers
are encouraged to accept a headstart of up to 30 seconds, using our
slight modification of the
RYGGed Start handicap system.*
* You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download/read PDF
documents. If it isn't installed on your computer
click here first.)
To see when and where our next RaceDay will be, click
here or on the [Schedule] navigation button next door.
To see our 2007 race results to date
click here.
And, a day or two before a scheduled event, click on the following links
to obtain forecasts of the weather and wind that day.
Columbia
weather forecast
Columbia
wind forecast
Our members also race in a variety of
regattas, including ones in New York and Ohio, as well as the
annual national championship of the CR 914 class. For a complete report
about the 2003 CR 914 AMYA Region 4 Championship regatta that was held
right here in Columbia and drew coverage from both local newspapers and a
television station click here.
