05 November 2013 | St. Simon's Island, GA
On Saturday, November 2, the Golden Isles Sailing Club held two races as part of the Fall Series. In Class C, boats under 30', Roma won both races!
Regardless of the race results, Roma is no race horse. Quite the contrary, she is actually a very slow boat, or what is classified as a heavy cruiser. Sailboat racing utilizes a rating or handicap system referred to as PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet), which allows boats of all classes to race against each other and compete on somewhat equal footing.
Assuming the PHRF of a particular fleet is correct then a sailing race measures the crew's ability against each other more so than a boat's performance. The system isn't perfect so each sailing club is allowed to make small tweaks to the PHRF in order to equalize their fleet of sailboats. The bottom line for casual sailors is that it gives everyone a fighting chance to win their race on a given day.
Roma's crew throughout the Fall Series has been Captain Hugh and Pat Brasfield. As it turns out, this will most likely be my last campaign with Roma since I've recently purchased a Catalina 34. After the final race on November 23, I'll put Roma up for sale. With the two wins this past Saturday, Roma has essentially locked in the win for the overall series for Class C regardless of how we finish in the final race. It's a nice send off for a boat that's been part of my life for over 13 years.
Click here for photos from the GISC Fall 2013 racing.
Click her for an excellent video shot from Cocoon, another boat in the GISC fleet.