2012 CAL 25 Racing in the Chesapeake
The summer racing season for the Annapolis CAL 25 is composed of Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA) racing as a Cruising One Design (COD) Class on weekends in the summer, the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) Wednesday Night races (running in PHRF), and Eastport Yacht Club (EYC) Friday Night Beer Can Races running as a non-spinnaker one design. The CBYRA events are put on by a variety of the 80 some yacht clubs and associations that make up CBYRA. The CAL 25 Fleet will compete in 16 CBYRA races this summer. There are awards presented for the season’s effort in the CBYRA High Point competition.
In other areas in the Chesapeake Bay, CAL 25s compete in PHRF races under CBYRA and a part of local club races on Wednesday and Friday nights, and on weekends.
In addition to the “formal” races, the fleet sometimes attaches “races” – call it sail over, but who can avoid competing when another CAL is around – to social events. Our annual Spring Luncheon in May is held at an on-the water venue to promote the sail-over idea. We also have a Fall Dinner in November for social activities, gift giving, and Class awards.
The Chesapeake CAL 25 Fleet tries to vary the types of races we do to maintain interest and to satisfy the differing tastes of our membership. Our 2011 CBYRA events include:
- Two point to point overnight events where we sail to a destination, overnight there, and race back. This year we go to St. Michaels, MD in May and to the Corsica River in July. Both destinations are on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Each of the four races involved is in the rang of 20 nautical miles (NM).
- Two 3 day regattas sailing multiple windward-leeward (W-L) short course races each day. These events are the NOODs in April/May, and CBYRA Race Week in early September. When the CAL 25 Nationals are competed in Anna[polis, we use the CBYRA Race Week as a venue.
- Multiple one day events that may be W-L or using Government navigational marks as established by the sponsoring sailing club. These events can be 6 to 20 miles depending on the weather and the desires of the sponsoring sailing club.
- Two races on Good Old Boat Regatta weekend in October. These races are always run on Government marks courses that are akin to how races were competed in the 70s.
- The CRAB Regatta is one of those “take the handicap out at the start” non-spinnaker events with staggered starts according to PHRF rating. A fun event that is held for the benefit of the Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB) Organization. CRAB has developed a fleet of boats that permit the physically challenged to enjoy our sport.
2012 CAL 25 CBYRA High Point Schedule
Date(s) Days Event
May 4. 5. 6 Fri, Sat, Sun AYC NOOD
May 26 Sat (overnight) MRYC St. Michaels
May 27 Sun St. Michaels Return
June 2 Sat EYC Leukemia Cup
June 23 Sat SSC Twilight Race
July 28 Sat (overnight) CRYC Race to Corsica
July 29 Sun MRSA Corsica Return
Aug 25 Sat EYC CRAB (not High Point/Optional)
Sept 1, 2 ,3 Sat, Sun, Mon CBYRA Annapolis Race Week
Sept 22 Sat SSC/STC Hospice Cup
Oct 6 Sat SSC Good Old Boat Regatta
Awards for the CBYRA events are combination of trophies presented by the individual yacht clubs, and overall High Point competition awards presented by CBYRA at the end of the season.
The Friday Night Beer Can races are competed in two halves of 5 races each over the summer. These are run in the Severn River near the Naval Academy on Government marks courses. The CAL 25s race as a one design class and have agreed to run without spinnakers. The event is excellent for having a good (competitive) time, for breaking in new crew, and breaking down new skippers.