Chichester

"Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk." - Sir Francis Chichester when asked why he carried so much alcohol on his solo sail around the world.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

A Letter From the Mac Race Committee

Fellow Mac Sailors and Friends:

On behalf of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Committee, I am pleased to announce that the Notice and Conditions of Race (NOR) for the 2012 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, presented by Veuve Clicquot, is now available on our website. Simply go to
http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/, click on Race Documents, and click on Notice of Race (2012). The committee has been very hard at work in the off season preparing the infrastructure for the 104th. The volunteer hours are already off the charts!

It goes without saying that we had to make some difficult decisions in organizing the 104th running. The changes that we have implemented were made with careful cooperation and consultation with naval architects and US Sailing. As it has always been, our goal is to run a safe, quality event for all yet preserving the tradition of the MAC. We will be releasing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) guide to the changes implemented, and we will be running a couple of seminars that we will host to answer some of your questions.

One of the many areas that we have addressed is the issue of minimum stability for a boat’s eligibility to compete in the race. ORR has adopted the new version of the Stability Index discussed in the US Sailing report of the 2011 Race, and this will appear on your 2012 ORR certificate. The minimum Stability Index required has been established at 103. Owners of boats from the 2011 race affected by this requirement have already been contacted. If you have specific questions about the Stability Index for your boat for 2012, these should be directed to the Offshore Office at US Sailing.

The Mackinac Safety Regulations (MSRs) have been published and are available on the Race Documents tab of the website as well. Automatic Invitations which, with a few exceptions, go to competitors who have competed in at least one of the last four races, will go out on or about February 5, 2012. We encourage you to accept your invitation and pay your entry to assure your place on the 2012 race. Invitations to those going through the RFI process will start going out on or about February 20, 2012. If you are Requesting an Invitation, please be sure your information is as complete as possible so that the Selections Committee can review your request without delays and without having to come back to you for more information. Pleas also make sure that you have reviewed the NOR for eligibility requirements.

As previously mentioned we will be hosting two seminars at Strictly Sail his weekend to help guide you through the changes for 2012. Don't forget Strictly Sail this weekend in Chicago, at Navy Pier and the Pink Pony Party at the CYC clubhouse in Belmont Harbor on Saturday, January 29, 2012 from 6:00PM till Midnight.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact our Race Coordinator at
racecoordinator@chicagoyachtclub.org

We look forward to seeing quite a few of you this weekend and in the months to come.

Best Regards,

Lou Sandoval
Chairman


In the letter they make reference to a minimum stability index of 103, that's of no concern to us as Bootlegger's stability index is well above the required minimum.