by Betha Merit

The crew of the Sea-quell takes a moment to sit and eat.

There is a balance in planning the meals for your racing crew.  The competitor in you wants to make sure everyone is fueled up and ready for duty.  The host in you wants the food to be appetizing and as fresh as possible.  The medic in you knows that certain foods may contribute to seasickness.  So we went to Bay Area Houston boat owner and race champion, Susan Setters, and asked for her tips and tools of the trade.

In 2009 and 2011, Susan and her husband, Audie Setters, raced their 46 foot 2007 Beneteau sailboat in the “Race to the Border” that sails from Galveston to South Padre Island, www.racetotheborder.com.  “We learned a lot on these races, and had a variety of crew members both times,” says Susan.  They sailed the “Regatta de Amigos” in 2008, and came in First Place in 2010, “Cruising Non-Spinnaker” class.

“The very first requirement in choosing your Chief steward/Chief cook for a race is to choose someone who doesn’t get seasick, ” says Susan.  “Thank God I don’t get seasick, so it’s always been my job.  Cooking becomes entertainment during a race where you don’t see land for days,” says Susan. Not everyone can take the hot, swaying kitchen, so Susan hands up food that needs to be chopped or peeled so the crew can help on deck.  A meal for seven is prepped by direction, completed in the galley, and passed around up on deck, usually in bowls because food flies off your plate in the wind.

“Plan meals for seven days, if you are out for a five day race,” says Susan, “you might have days of no wind.”  Hot meals at night are important.  Susan gives several ideas for main dish meals you can buy pre-cooked and frozen. “Guys like meat, so frozen packages of pre-cooked fajita meat from Costco can be added to onions and peppers cooked on the stove and served on tortillas,” says Susan.  “Sam’s Club has a barbeque roast that is outstanding, and chicken spaghetti is another great choice, just stay away from very spicy foods.”

Sandwiches, chips, and fruit make up lunch, and are easy prep and handling.  For breakfast, a favorite is Jimmy Dean Breakfast Skillet bought pre-made at Walmart and cooked with eggs.  Susan has a creative way to make coffee as the boat sways, and that’s by putting the drip coffeemaker on the stove which can be unlocked, to rock with the boat, and not spill or go flying off the counter.  Brownies and cookies are fun to bake on board, smell good, and are a good way to break up the long days at sea.  The only alcoholic beverage is champagne to be consumed upon finishing the race at your final destination.

Susan talks about assigning colored water bottles to each crew member to cut down on waste, stacking used paper plates and all trash densely.  Food is planned to eat in order, fresh food first, eating foods as they thaw, limiting the crew on what they can bring due to space and weight.  Power bars are invaluable as are ginger cookies and ginger ale.

Susan and Audie currently live between Singapore and their Bay Area Houston residence at the Endeavour with a three-sided view of Clear Lake and Kemah.  Their sailboat is currently for sale, and can be viewed at www.littleyachtsales.com, click on Sailboats, View Inventory, 46 ‘ Beneteau.  Their next boat will be a catamaran, perhaps on the Caribbean.

History of Racing Sailboats on Galveston Bay

The 5.5 Meter sailboat.

If one word captures the essence of the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club, it has to be family. The founders knew this, and if you ask anyone who has spent some time around the club, everyone would say they got it right.  A small yacht club by most standards, the TCYC membership hovers  around 125 stock holding members. It’s personal and that’s the way they want it.

Racing sailboats on an International stage and, more importantly, on a club level is what the TCYC has done for 75 years. From its beginning, three essential goals were stressed.

• Promote the art of sailing, seamanship, boat handling and the idea of Corinthian spirit.
• Provide and maintain a clubhouse, pier, and facilities for members.
• Support and encourage National and International Yacht Racing.

The Soling class of boat.

Famed naval architect Olin Stephens was commissioned to design a new sailboat for Galveston Bay. The final product was a 21ft sailboat that resembled a Lightning with a 500 pound keel. The new boat was named Corinthian.  The first boats were made of wood and many of them were built at the Seabrook Shipyard, which the Fay family still owns. The Corinthian class continued to grow with every year. The Houston Yacht Club had a fleet of Corinthians and the two clubs would hold regattas throughout the summer. The competition on the race course was refreshing. More and more people were getting into the sport of sailing and the new yacht club would soon start to gain recognition on the global stage.

In the early fifties the new International 5.5 Meter Class of sailboats would attract Kings, Crown Princes, and Texas oilmen. Even though Europe and the East Coast were leading the way in this new class, the men and woman from a small club in Texas were proving they could hold their own in regattas all over the world. The Fay brothers would make the cover of Sports Illustrated to the delight of members and the TCYC would continue to set the standard for one design sailboat racing on Galveston Bay.

The Corinthian and the International 5.5 Meter class may have been the best boats for racing on Galveston Bay after World War II but new changes in building materials were being developed and in the late sixties a new trend of fiberglass design hulls were attracting some attention from the global sailing community.

Pete Masterson, Ernie Fay, winner of the 1962 Scandinavian Gold Cup, and his niece, Marion Fay.

The Soling is a class of open keelboat designed by Jan Linge of Norway. In 1968 it was chosen from among many other boats to be the men’s triple handed boat for the 1972 Olympics. The new boats were affordable, easy to trailer and built to last. Fleets were started all over the world. In the US the TCYC would be fleet # 1. For the next twenty years the Soling would be the boat of choice for most of the members as one design racing became a way of life at the TCYC. Big regattas were held on Galveston Bay, the club wanted to show off our bay and give the traveling crews a little bit of that Texas hospitality. Traveling to new venues and racing sailboats was catching on and the idea of representing the TCYC in this country and around the world was always something the members were proud of.

It’s a terrible feeling to lose your fleet in one day but that’s what happened to the TCYC. A freakish storm hit the bay and destroyed the pier, the boats and the any hope of continuing the Soling class as a club boat. The members decided to go with a new boat, a Sonar designed by Bruce Kirby who was known for designing the Laser.  In 2000 the first three Sonars were purchased. The fleet was new to the bay and the competition with other fleets kept the number of boats low at first. After the first summer of racing, three more boats were added to the fleet and this trend would continue for a number of years.  Now the club has sixteen boats, which is the largest one design fleet on Galveston Bay.

The Sonar sailboat, which is still in use today.

Team racing is a popular form of yacht racing. Teams of 2,3, or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with results being combined as opposed to fleet racing where boats are scored on individual basis. The races are very short usually 5-12 minutes. This type of racing puts a premium on boat handling, tactics, and the rules of racing. The TCYC got into this type of racing about six years ago. It’s an inexpensive way of getting new people into the sport and it builds the fleet. The club teams travel to regattas all over the country. Programs for new members will ensure the sport of sailing grows and it continues to be a way to have fun on the water, which is what the founders had in mind. The Gulf Coast Mariner magazine salutes the men and women of the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club. Your legacy will continue to inspire the next generation of members who love sailing and the Galveston Bay lifestyle.

By Terry Flynn

Head Sails come in many shapes and sizes, from overlapping genoas to smaller efficient 100% jibs. Though headsails differ, some basic principles will help you understand how to trim your sails for maximum efficiency.

Headsail: Primary Controls

Halyard Tension.  The key to proper tension is looking at the luff.  You want to apply enough to keep the horizontal wrinkles from appearing but not enough to have a ridge behind the headstay.  The halyard should be adjusted as the wind speeds go up and down.  More for heavier wind and less for lighter winds.  Try adjusting it while watching the sail. You should be able to see the draft move forward with more halyard tension.

Lead Car Position.  This is one of the most important settings on the boat.  This controls the depth of the genoa or jib from top to bottom.  If the lead is too far forward, the top is closed up and the foot too round.  If the lead is too far aft, the foot gets round and the leach opens up and depowers the top making the sail less powerful.  A good rule of thumb is, when trimming the sail with the correct lead position, the foot of the jib will touch the upper shroud at the same time as the sail touches the spreader.  When looking at the sail, it should look like the middle of the sail is parallel to the upper shroud.  You will also notice that, when the lead is correct, most of the telltales will be break evenly from top to bottom

Genoa Jib Sheet. Now that you have the proper lead placement you need to know how much you can trim the sail.  This is usually judged by how close to the spreader you can get or how far inside the side of the boat you can go.  Today’s race boats are designed to carry the genoas almost touching the spreaders.  Cruising boats should keep the sail from 5” to 10” away from the spreaders.  Trimming it in too far will just stall the boat out and slow the boat down.

Back Stay.  For most boats this is a fixed turnbuckle.  If you have a purchase system or hydraulic adjuster, you have an advantage.  Like the halyard tension, this will be adjusted as the wind goes up and down.  Ideally, on the average cruising boat, you will see 6” to 12” of sag from top to bottom.  As you add backstay tension your genoa will get flatter so there will be less heeling.  In the lighter winds, the more sag will make the genoa fuller with more power.

Terry Flynn

J-22 North American and World Champion Terry Flynn is a third generation sail maker from Annapolis, Maryland. It was there he developed a great foundation for both cruising and racing.

Flynn grew up around sailors and naturally fell into sail making and has never looked back. He has worked his way up through the ranks, doing everything from bench work to design during his 37 year career. Flynn races all over the country and has been with Quantum Sails since the beginning. He draws from his experiences to make sails that help customers improve their racing results or simply get more enjoyment out of their boats.

GCM: What are three of the most important on the water, pre-race activities you do when you get to a regatta?

TF:  First, I think the most important thing you can do is sail more.  Time in the boat is always good. Second, on race day get to the race area early enough to sail an entire beat before the race. I will get someone out there before the regatta to use as a pace boat.  We will go out together, line up, test speed and talk about conditions, rig settings and what they think may happen during the day with the wind.  This helps both boats.

The last and most important thing is to have a good plan for the first beat. Take into account what you learned in practice along with wind patterns, potential shifts and history of the area.

GCM: There is a lot going on in a sailboat race. How do you block out all the distractions and concentrate on making the boat go fast?

TF: I sail on a lot of different boats, some as a driver and some as crew.  As the driver it is important to have a member of the crew to do the tactics so I can keep my head down and concentrate.  Sailing with people who are good helps a ton. As part of the crew I try to keep the helmsman aware of what’s going on around the race course.  The best tacticians constantly talk about what they see and are thinking so everyone knows and can get involved.

GCM: What is a good way to practice starting in big fleets?

TF: Try not to get overwhelmed by the total number of boats at the regatta. Starting is more about controlling the boats around you.  We try to split the line into thirds for areas to start in.  Keep in mind that if you want to go right the first beat you may not want to start on the left side of the line, even if it is favored.  Giving up a little at the beginning but going the way you want is usually a better plan.

GCM: Who was the biggest influence on you in your sailing career?

TF: I guess my dad to start with.  Sailing with him as a kid I learned the value of preparation for both crew and boats.  He was also very supportive, well, now that I think about it maybe he wasn’t.  I can remember early on at a regatta I was in the back of the fleet and got hit a couple of times.  He sat me down and reminded me that since I was in back with them I deserved everything I got.  I went through the junior program at Severn Sailing in Annapolis.  Frank Lawson was the head instructor and on days that it was too windy to race he would send almost everyone home.  He kept a few of us and we would go race the 420s.  We got used to sailing in everything and the more we did it the more comfortable we got.

GCM: In a race when two boats cross going upwind one is on the lifted tack.  How does this play into your overall strategy going up the beat?

TF: Wow, that’s a hard one.  When two boats are crossing we discuss a few things.

Do we want to be on this tack?  Are we lifted or headed?  Is it taking us to the side of the course we want? Is the other boat seeing anything different where he is going?

If the answer is you want to keep going now you need to protect your lane.  If you think the crossing boat is going to tack on your wind bear off a few lengths before you cross.  This may force him to tack early and give you a little more room.  If you have the right of way, Starboard tack you may wave him across even if it means you have to duck him.  It is quicker than two tacks and going the wrong way.

If you decide you don’t want to be on this tack make sure you have clear wind in the new lane.  If there are other boats around think about it you want to tack on their wind or give them a clean lane.  Remember tacking on someone will usually drive them away from you and make it harder to keep track of.  If it is early in the race of regatta it is not a bad think to keep everyone friendly and give him some slack.  Most of the time the good will comes back later on.  Later in the race start to clamp down harder on the boats so we don’t lose any points.

Terry lives in La Porte and works for Quantum Sails in Seabrook.