Valley Ho Power Squadron
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Valley Ho Great Sail Race
The Valley Ho Great Sail Race
(please note that all words in the title of this event are capitalized) is held
in the Summer if there are sufficient sailboats in the Valley Ho Squadron to
participate. As many sailors know, two sailboats on the same track are almost
always unofficially “racing” each other. The Valley Ho Great Sail Race normally
utilizes the Santa Monica Bay yacht racing buoys as “marks” for a race course,
with a start time and expected buoy rounding times planned to avoid interference
with any official Association of Santa Monica Bay Yacht Clubs (ASMBYC) races,
although races ma y be scheduled off the Ventura-Oxnard shores.
The Valley Ho Great Sail Race is intended to provide novice racing sailors an
opportunity to learn how to trim their sails to achieve maximum speeds and to
better their handling of their sailboats on the various points of sail, from
hard on the wind to broad reaching to running before the wind, needed to follow
the planned course.
Racing rules and International Rules of the Road apply to all boats and are
followed as required, but in order to keep the VHGSR a primarily
“fun-on-the-water” activity, no protests are allowed, and, in fact, if any
sailor lodges a protest, that boat is disqualified. The VHGSR itself may be a
total of six to eight nautical miles in length and may take about two to three
hours to complete. The Valley Ho Squadron power boat fleet usually attends and
keeps track of the progress of the several contestants, although they
scrupulously avoid interference or disruption of the wind for any sailboat.
The VHGSR has four distinct phases: The Exciting Race Start, The Dramatic Race
Finish, The Victory Lunch, and The Impressive Award Ceremony (note: These are
all capitalized, of course, because these are official titles of these events).
The post race dock party (Victory Lunch) or a dinner (Victory Dinner) at a local
restaurant may be scheduled to provide sustenance to the weary sailors and to
provide a venue for the Impressive Award Ceremony wherein the Valley Ho Squadron
winner is presented with The perpetual trophy. Sailors from other District 13
Squadrons may participate but only the Valley Ho Squadron sailors are eligible
to win the trophy.