At the annualFleet 27 meeting held on March 31, 2007, the 2007 PYC PHRF and One-Design State Championship regatta, held July 7-8 of this year, was voted in as the Etchells Fleet 27 qualifying regatta for the 2008 Etchells World Championship. That event only yielded three races, which is two shy of consituting a qualification series according to
Etchells Class rules. During a subsequent Fleet 27 meeting on Monday, July 9, the present members of the fleet decided to add on the races from one — or more, if necessary — subsequent Tuesday evenings to the PHRF races already sailed in order to constitute a world qualifier. That solution wasn't unaminously agreed upon, however, and one fleet member who sailed the PHRF regatta suggested that the three races sailed in the PHRF should be set aside and a new world-qualifier series should be established for our fleet.
You can read his case here.
Throwing out races could dramatically affect the outcome of our world-qualifier, a critical race that decides who will represent our fleet at the 2008 Worlds. In order to get an unbiased, educated opinion from non-fleet members who were both knowledgeable about the Rules of Racing and the Etchells Class rules, the problem and the supporting evidence was all forwarded to the officers of the U.S. Etchells Class Association, who in turn asked for support from Patricia Stadel, a long-standing member of the International Etchells Class Association and an official U.S. Sailing Association judge. Pat took this issue very seriously. She consulted as many as eight other official judges, the governors of the class, and even rules-guru Dave Perry. Pat has recommended that the three races already sailed stand, and two additional races — voted on by the fleet — be added to constitute a world-qualifying series.
You can read Pat's complete recommendation here.
I encourage everyone to read both the documents and to discuss the findings. I have further communications between the national class officers and the local fleet available to anyone who's curious or interested in learning more about the process. I'm sure Pat would also make herself available to anyone who would like to discuss her decision with her. We owe her and the national class our appreciation and thanks for taking the matter so seriously. And I apologize for not having the foresight at the annual meeting to establish a "plan B" for our world-qualifier so all of this could be avoided. I hope my subsequent efforts to find a solution seem fair and equitable to all members of the fleet.
Fleet 27 historically hasn't been as stringent with the class and racing rules as other older and more well-established one-design fleets are. We have, in fact, never had so much as a formal protest filed for a Tuesday-night race. Many of our fleet members only want to have care-free fun on the water every Tuesday night, which they deserve; but we need to balance that attitude with the serious goals of our members who travel to sanctioned events. As the fleet continues to grow with new boats and more ambitious sailors, we will need to be congnizant of the need for a solid foundation in one-design principles, and adherence to the class and racing rules that make this sport fair and fun for all of us.
Thanks,
Nicole Jacques, fleet captain
Our elusive fleet members and owners of Hull No. 3, Daniel and his wife Victoria, made it out on the race course last week, even though his boat is still awaiting a few more coats of paint on its bottom. As our RC, they set a great course -- with help from former 523 owner -- and took some great pics, but haven't had time to write a pithy entry for the blog. So a few photos will tell a million words...
The first evening of sailing following the fleet’s development of a modified course design tested the abilities of the RC, Team Boogie T.Y.P. Following the initial course set-up in a moderate southeasterly, the RC began its first sequence at precisely 6:00 p.m. As nine boats got off the line and headed up the first mile-long leg, the breeze began a dramatic shift to the right. After the fleet rounded the windward mark following Schadenfreude, who was in first, the RC moved it approximately 20 degrees to compensate for the shift. 
s rounded the windward mark in closer competition than during the first race, with Schadenfreude still leading. Both the red boat and Tango gave the leading boat a good race downwind, ultimately finishing second and third respectively.
a third during the first time out with the fleet. Check out the final results.
The members of Fleet 27 fervently gathered for their first official meeting of the 2007 season. Ravenous and parched, we descended upon our venerated treasurer’s home and indulged in a sumptuous spread of lasagna, chicken casserole, fondue, and Mt. Gay. The dinnertime conversation revealed some life-changes for the HOTties from Hooked on Tonics—one is pregnant, one is engaged, and one is buying a house. We heard sea stories from Ralph, new owner of a four-digit hull, who raced with the big boys & girls in Florida over the winter. And we commiserated with a couple of the fleet’s newbies who proudly sail the more seasoned hulls and are in various stages of boat-repairing, including keel-fairing, bottom-painting, and gelcoating. 
