The northeast area is starting to receive some effects of the wind and rain from tropical storms and hurricanes that are now brewing in the south. Although Long Island does occasionally get hit hard by a hurricane, sailors tend to benefit from the fair amount of wind that is generated during hurricane season. Over the next few months the wind will progressively fill-in and become a sailor's delight. The increased wind will also encourage captain's to seek out more crew to handle their boats. If you are interested in crewing on a racing sailboat, then now is the time to give it a try.

The boats that race through Sagamore Yacht Club's racing program are generally 25'-50' in length. The smaller boats are light and require less strength, but do require crew with flexibility and quickness since movement happens much faster on a smaller boat. Larger boats have greater power and need crew with more strength in some positions, but also have more legroom to allow inexperienced crew to come onboard even if they are only "rail meat." The nickname "rail meat" pertains to a crew member who may have a few small duties, but generally sit along the rail and help balance out the weight on the boat. Such roles are still important and can be filled by less experienced crew. There is also the role of tactician, who on larger boats tends to do very little physical activity and acts more like a coach. A good tactician knows the rules, is a good communicator, and knows almost every feature of sailing, including how to sail the boat, the ability of the crew, and how weather and geography affects the boat's performance. If a good tactician is not available, then the crew members tend to each develop niches in one or more of the functions of a tactician.

In Sagamore's racing program, there are both leisurely and competitive boats one could crew on, so there is a place for every personality and also inexperienced newcomers. Wednesday night races are a good opportunity to start crewing and see if you fit in with the racing program and get along with captains and their crews. Some people crew on several boats before they commit to racing with the same boat. This way they know what they are getting themselves into before it becomes awkward to pull out. Wednesday night races begin at 1830 hours, but new crew should be at Sagamore's docks by 1730 hours. If you are interested in racing call Sagamore at 922-0555. You should be honest about your experience level and goals to make sure you get introduced to the proper Captains and crew.

As for recent racing news, Wednesday, July 13, turned out to be a great night for a sailboat race for the 17 boats and crew that participated. Thunderstorms had been predicted earlier in the day, but thankfully the skies held back the rain. There was a steady wind of 8-16 knots with an outgoing tide that started about an hour before the race began in the vicinity of Oyster Bay Cove. The outgoing tide even helped several boats maintain speed on the downwind runs when the wind died down or was blocked by land for the few boats that stayed close to the shoreline. Winners in each division were JAM 1- Ranger, JAM 2- Serendipity, Spinnaker 1- Maverick, Spinnaker 2- Commanche.

For more information call Sagamore at 922-0555 or visit www.sagamoreyc.com.