Get Ready for 2024 Racing!
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ILYA News
2023Registration is Open!
Need a mental escape from our dreary spring? Start getting ready for the sailing season by completing your registration! Registration instructions detailed below. We’re excited for another great season of racing!
Check out the WBYC Summer Social and Racing Calendar
Lift In: May 6th at 8:00am
We have a crane scheduled to help place lifts in the water on May 6th at 8:00am. If you keep your boat at the club, please come help put lifts in or send a representative in your place. Breakfast treats and coffee will be provided, feel free to stop by for some socialization.
New Fleet: Melges 15
We are thrilled to add the Melges 15 as a new fleet at our club! Many WBYC sailors raced their Melges 15s at Jensen Beach, Florida this winter with great results, so this will be a competitive fleet! If you are interested in learning more, reach out to fleet representatives Tom Dresen and Ed Cox.
Registration Process:
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Remembering Fletcher Driscoll
It is with great sadness that we share with you the news that a dear friend of the White Bear Lake sailing community, Fletcher Driscoll, passed away March 8, 2023.
Fletcher may be best known to many of you as the man who brought back A scow racing to White Bear Lake. In 2001, Fletcher bought his first Class A Scow. He wanted a boat big enough that his extended family of 18 could enjoy sailing together. He felt that one boat was lonely, so he purchased two more and in June of 2004 the three A-boats began racing on White Bear after more than a 70-year hiatus. Excitement for A-boat sailing spread quickly through WBYC sailors as a result of his magnificent vision and generosity. There were at times as many as ten A boats moored at his dock, making WBL the largest active A Fleet anywhere. Every Monday evening, he and his wife Bev welcomed more than 60 sailors to their property to race these sailboats, trade tales of their adventures and learn from each other. Everyone was welcome, from kids to old timers and newcomers. He built it, and we came.
In recognition of this spectacular effort, Fletcher was awarded the US Sailing One Design – John H. Gardiner, Jr. Trophy for Service award in 2012. Following that, in 2015, the Inland Lake Yachting Association recognized Fletcher as a Hero & Legend at the Inland Championship. He was a tireless volunteer for the association as well, serving on the ILYA Foundation Committee for the past 15 years.
Fletcher started sailing on White Bear Lake at 10 years old crewing on an X boat skippered by Nicky Benz, a top sailor and sister to longtime WBYC sailor and member George Benz. At the age of 12, he bought a Y boat and competed against Alex (Ordway) Bjorklund for Championship honors. He didn’t only enjoy sailing the boats, but also enjoyed building and repairing them. He built wood boats back in the 1960s and in more recent years, fostered many aspiring woodworkers at his workshop in The Barn, where numerous vintage scows were restored to their original glory.
Fletcher was meaningfully involved in so many aspects of community life. We are indebted to him and his wife Bev for their immense generosity and unwavering commitment to our sailing community on our beloved lake. We will miss his presence on and off the water. He will be remembered for his kind heart, love of conversation, and his dedication to the sport he loved.
2022 Sailing Season is Open
Greeting WBYC Sailors,
We are excited to have a full summer of sailing! This year we have expanded our racing schedule and made accommodations for fleet requests. E-boats will be racing Sunday morning for the Championship series. This will allow Cs, MCs and Xs to Race on Saturday mornings and CATs to race separately on Saturday afternoons. A-boats will continue to race on Monday evenings with additional races scheduled through September. Please review the racing calendar posted online (www.wbycsail.org) for specific details. With expanded racing opportunities we will also have a slight increase in fees.
On July 8-10 we have privilege of hosting the ILYA MC Invitational Regatta. We will have MC sailors from across the country here to compete. This will be a great opportunity to show off our beautiful lake and warm hospitality. We have a number of fun ways to get involved, so if you are interested in volunteering at the regatta, please reach out to Terri Dresen (terridresen@gmail.com).
I’m looking forward to seeing you soon on the water. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Ryan Drake
Executive Officer
White Bear Yacht Club Sailing Division
2021 Changes to WBYC SI’s
The WBYC Sailing Committee Board has made numerous changes to the Sailing Instructions as we dealt with the pandemic year and many changes at the national and international level with regard to how information is conveyed to competitors. This would be a good time to review everything before you get on the water. Here is a list of the changes that have been made since the 2019 season concluded:
- Information was divided into a NoR (Notice of Race) and revised SIs (Sailing Instructions), using templates from US Sailing (World Sailing) per Dave Perry.
- Changes were made consistent with the new 2021-2024 RRS (Racing Rules of Sailing).
- Removed the section referencing the RMOC (Race Management Oversight Committee).
- (4.2) Revised and streamlined the Lake and Lake Front Usage paragraph now in the Code of Conduct section. Included other WBYC activities near the waterfront and keep the Lakeside Pavilion area clean.
- (2.1, 2.2) Indicated changes made to the sailing instructions (approved by the board) will be posted one week before they take effect (two weeks for schedule changes).
- (3.3) All boats except Lasers should carry a VHF radio.
- (Addendum A) Added the Course Diagrams to an addendum. The finish for downwind races now has the RC boat on the Port end of the finish line.
- (Addendums B and C) Moved postponement procedures and special scoring to addendums.
- (Addendum D) Revised the addendum with the COVID policy.
- (6.5, Addendum B3) Allowed for the second (or subsequent) races of a back-to-back set of races to start before the scheduled time, at the discretion of the Race Officer.
- (11.7) At the start, a boat is over the line if any part of her hull is over the line. Crew or equipment no longer count. The same applies to the finish line.
- (10, 11.5, 14.1) Added descriptions of marks, start line, and finish line.
- (10.3, 14.1) The finish line is now defined by the staff flying a blue flag on the RC boat.
- (11.8) The general recall flag (first substitute) will be lowered 1 minute before the next start with no sound.
- (11.9) A boat that does not start before 5 minutes after her starting signal will be scored DNS.
- (13.2) Course changes will now follow RRS 33 with a compass bearing to the new mark or red/green signals, but no voice instructions are required. The Charlie flag with repeated horns did not change.
- (16.1) A chart with time limits for races now includes target times (45 minutes for A and E; 40 minutes for Cat, C, and MC; 35 Minutes for X; 15-20 minutes for Laser.
- (17.1 and 17.2) Protest forms are now called Hearing Request forms. They must be delivered by hand or by email before midnight on the day of the incident. Mailed forms are no longer valid.
- (18.1) Class MC will now be scored points for places one more than boats that came to the starting area, same as other scow fleets (it was three more places).
- (18.5) Stated that 1 or more races are required to be completed to constitute a series.
NEW – Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) for 2021-2024
Every four years the Racing Rules of Sailing are updated. You can purchase a hard copy of the rules through the Inland Lake Yachting Association when you join, or from US Sailing when you renew your membership there. US Sailing makes the rules available whenever and wherever you want. The Racing Rules App is really nice and ensures you have access to the rules at all times. US Sailing has expanded the menu of App features to streamline your overall experience. This NEW App provides you with optimized and searchable access to the rules and media resources to help you reference them in real-time. You can even submit a protest or request redress from your device, draw and submit animated protest diagrams with the Whiteboard feature, and much more using the NEW Racing Rules App. But of course, if you make a mistake on the race course, just do your penalty turns and be done with it!
UPDATE: 2020 ILYA Class E Invitational
June 9, 2020: Due to the current social distancing requirements in the latest Minnesota Governor’s COVID-19 response executive orders, White Bear Yacht Club has notified the Inland Lake Yachting Association (ILYA) that we will NOT be able to host the 2020 ILYA E Invitational Regatta with the quality of sailing this fleet deserves, or the fleet size we’ve grown to expect. Most importantly, we would not be able to host this regatta while following the existing laws of the State of Minnesota. We are sorry to have to make this difficult decision, and hope we can enjoy sailing later in the summer.
We will submit a bid for the 2023 ILYA E Invitational with support and encouragement from the NCESA, as they celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the E Scow.
2020 COVID-19 Update
May 12, 2020: The WBYC Sailing Committee Board has been discussing summer plans, and we have some updates for you. I hope this email answers many of your questions. Of course, there are some questions we can’t answer at this moment, but as Governor Walz continues to open our state and update us on that schedule, we will keep you informed with how that affects our club and our season.
Will we be racing this summer?
Hopefully, Yes. We are optimistic that competitive sailing will be treated like other similar sports (i.e. – Golf) and added to the Governor’s list of allowable sports/activities in the coming weeks. We have been working with a group of Commodores from Yacht Clubs all over the state to draft a proposal headed for the Governor’s desk. This proposal would include a plea to allow competitive sailing to take place this summer (currently competitive sports and sporting events are prohibited), and would lay out special precautions we would take to ensure the safety of our members.
Under the current order, we are prohibited from racing, but we believe the socially distant nature of sailing sets us apart from the broader category of “competitive sports” and we will eventually be allowed to race.
If/when we do decide to race, we will have additional safety provisions in our Sailing Instructions.
What about A boats?
Currently, we are not planning to hold any A scow races this summer, due to the number of people involved and the difficulty posed in social distancing.
What about the ILYA E Invitational regatta, scheduled at WBYC the weekend of July 10-12?
The ILYA is working with each host club to make decisions about each regatta individually, around 30-40 days before the scheduled start dates. We will decide the plan for this summer’s ILYA E Invite at the beginning of June.
When might we be able to race?
WBYC is going to plan as if racing can begin on Saturday June 13, with registration opening 2-3 weeks before that. This will depend on how much of the Governor’s orders have been lifted by this point, and we will push the start date later if necessary.
Can we still keep our boat at WBYC?
Regardless of whether we are able to race, or when we’re able to race, any sailors who keep their boats on lifts at the Club will still be able to do so. We will be re-scheduling the crane to put lifts in soon, but with a smaller group of volunteers to coordinate.
Social Calendar?
We will not have any social events this summer. The annual banquet in September is still too far away to say.
If we only race a portion of the originally scheduled season, will the dues still be full price?
The Sailing Division is planning to appropriately prorate the registration dues. There are still fixed costs involved with our RC boat and lift, but without racing in May or the beginning of June, gas and personnel costs will be down. The prices will be set once we know the start date, and how much of the season will be lost.
What about the Sailing School?
WBSS is currently closed, and not alowed to operate per the Governor’s current order. However, we are working with the sailing schools at Minnetonka, Wayzata and Bde Maka Ska along with local YMCA’s on a different plan to request that the Governor’s office allow summer camps to operate with extra safety precautions and programming changes. This would likely involve smaller class sizes, fewer classes, mandatory face masks, and other necessary safety precautions.
We will continue to update you with any new news we receive. If/when the Governor’s orders allow us to proceed and schedule races, we will update you with our plans.
2018 Inland Championships at MYC
MYC’s beautiful Lighthouse Island Clubhouse
The 2018 Inland Championships will be held August 12-19, 2018, at the Minnetonka Yacht Club with MCs sailing on Upper Minnetonka. This year, the race format will include a full week of competitive sailing, which provides increased flexibility with the opportunity for great sailing all week long. MYC always puts on a great regatta and it is close by, so there is no reason not to attend!
The race schedule will be:
- A Scows will race Sunday 4pm August 12 – Wednesday 1pm August 15.
- MC Scows (Upper Minnetonka) will race Sunday 4pm August 12 – Wednesday 1pm August 15.
- E Scows will race Thursday August 16 – Sunday August 18.
- C Scows will race Thursday August 16 – Sunday August 19.
The social schedule will be:
- A Scow Fleet Party Monday
- MC Scow Fleet Party Monday
- A & MC Scow Regatta Finale Tuesday on MYC/Lighthouse Island
- E & C Scow Fleet party Thursday on MYC/Lighthouse Island
- E & C Scow Regatta party Saturday on MYC/Lighthouse Island
Minnetonka and the ILYA and have partnered with two hotels for the week-long event.
- The Hotel Landing in Wayzata has a block of rooms at a great rate of $199 a night. The Landing is a brand new hotel located at 925 Lake Street in downtown Wayzata. Please go to this link: The Landing Hotel to secure your room before the block fills up.
- The American Inn located at 570 Pond Promenade, Chanhassen, is also holding a block of rooms. The special rate of 15% off the room of your choice can be applied to your reservation when you book into the Big Inland 2018 room block. Currently, room rates start at $119 after the discount. Please use call them directly at 952-934-3888 and ask for the Big Inland 2018 rate.
Look for the NOR and open registration in the spring.
ILYA Spring Board Meeting – February 25, 2018 in WBL
The Inland Lake Yachting Association (ILYA) will hold its annual Spring Board Meeting at Boatworks Commons in White Bear Lake (former Johnson Boatworks Site) on Sunday, February 25th at 9 AM.
The Board Meeting Agenda is being finalized and will be posted on the ILYA website when it is completed.
All ILYA members are welcome to attend the meeting which usually runs until 3PM or so. If you have not seen it, the Boatworks Commons Community Room is worth the visit.
Boatworks Commons 4495 Lake Avenue S,
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
boatworkscommons.com
boatworkscommons.com
As always, breakfast and lunch will be provided on Sunday for the meeting. If you plan to attend, please contact Dave Berg for accurate food planning.