Offshore Racing
Fleet Races
The Offshore Fleet is made up of keel boats, typically ranging in size from 24 – 36′ (7.3 – 11 M).
Because of the differences in the boats, they are raced under what is called the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) system. This handicap system provides all boats the opportunity to be competitive, regardless of size or design.
The weekly Offshore Fleet races are all held on the lake just off the village of Erieau and are usually about 7 miles in length. There is also a 20 mile distance race each season.
Mandatory Registration Fee
Participation in EYC Fleet Racing requires a registration fee per sailboat for the season. Offshore boat owners will pay a $30 registration fee on their EYC membership application which covers their Ontario Sailing membership. Any operating expenses for the Offshore Fleet are covered by sponsorship from individual fleet members.
Offshore Fleet Q&A
Q: What kind of Fleet is it? What size are the boats and how many are in the EYC Fleet?
The Offshore Fleet is made up of keel boats, typically ranging in size from 24 – 36′ (7.3 – 11 M). We currently have 10 boats but would welcome more!
Q: Where do you race and what is the race course like?
The weekly Offshore Fleet races are held on the lakeside, just off the village. Our regular course is about 7 miles in length, but there will also be one 20 mile Morpeth distance race during the season. Course details are always gone over pre-race at the skippers’ meeting.
Q: When are the races?
The races are held on Saturdays from June thru August, with a special distance race planned for Labour Day. The schedule is available on the EYC website. In the event that conditions are not favourable for a Saturday race, we try for one on Sunday.
Q: How is it officiated? How is it scored and are there trophies?
We use the honour system, with each boat recording its own finish time and the figures adjusted appropriately to account for starting line positioning. We haven’t quite figured out the awards situation yet. It could be trophies, pennants or maybe something different to commemorate achievements.
Q: Who can join as crew and who can join with their own boat? What skills sets are needed to be eligible?
Obviously you need the right size boat and crew as well as the proper sailing experience to race. In addition, the PHRF rating of your boat will also need to be taken into consideration. While handicap racing enables any boat to be competitive on corrected time, the tighter the range of ratings, the better the race will work out. One reason being: if boats are really spread out, the ones at the back of the pack often experience very different conditions than the ones at the front. For better or worse. If anyone has questions on specifics of eligibility (either to join with your own boat or to crew on a boat), we would be happy to talk with you.
Q: What is different about this fleet from the other EYC fleets?
The Offshore Fleet is composed of larger keel boats and does its racing on the lakeside. What is different about the races aside from the different size and shape of the boats are the racing conditions themselves. There will be no support boats on the water for this fleet. No committee boats, no crash boats, etc. The fleet monitors a VHF channel, so they can communicate as necessary. The main thing to realize is that each boat is basically on its own for the duration of the race.
Q: How can I get more information on the Offshore Fleet?
The person to talk to to get more information or to get your name out there as a potential crew is our Offshore Fleet Captain Hugh Liebner at liebners@hotmail.com.