Flying Scot Midwinter Warm-up, March 21 and 22, 2009

Attention all Flying Scot sailors: The 2009 Midwinter Warm-up regatta begins two months from today. The venue has changed from previous years and will be hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron (SSS) in beautiful Sarasota FL.

For many of you a visit to SSS will be your first and should not be missed. This is the home of the Florida District's largest Flying Scot fleet and is the favorite venue for many of us in the District. The club is decidedly casual, perhaps a little rustic and reminds many of us of "Old Florida" before the explosion of condos and urban sprawl. The sailing venue is awesome. Sarasota Bay offers protected sailing in clear, beautiful water and a reliable sea breeze. Some visitors have commented that it seems more like the Caribbean than Florida but in truth, that may be a slight exaggeration.

As the crow flies the club is just 30 miles south of the St. Petersburg YC. Driving time between the two clubs averages about 45 to 50 minutes. Racing will begin Saturday March 21 and should wrap up Sunday in the early afternoon with awards to follow. Those heading off to St. Pete should be there in time for dinner but Monday is an open day so, there is no rush.

Sarasota is one of Florida's nicest cities and offers a wide variety of shopping, restaurants lodging and just about everything a tourist would want. Like most areas in Florida, March is the busy season so hotel reservations should be made right away. For the budget conscious or nature lovers, camping (free) is allowed on the SSS grounds.

To help you get acquainted here is a link to the SSS website; http://www.sarasotasailingsquad.com/ From the home page you can click "About Us" and then "Visiting Sailors" for local information on lodging, directions, weather, etc.

The NOR link is; http://www.sarasotasailingsquad.com/_uploads/2009ODMidwintersNOR.pdf Note; the NOR is a pdf and may take a minute to load. You will notice this is a multi-class regatta but the Scots will have a designated race course with no other classes.

Some cool aerial photos can be viewed by clicking; http://marinas.com/view/marina/2805#Scene_1

With a little cooperation from "Mother Nature" you can be assured you will be glad you came and looking forward to your next return. See you in Sarasota!

New Years Resolutions

The Flying Scot is a remarkable success story. Over the past 51 years there have been over 5800 boats built and fleets located all across the country. Our strong class association and extraordinary builder support have made this possible.

Strong inter-fleet relations are critical in this to this success. The network of invitational regattas, District, Regional and National Championships allow sailors of all skill levels to meet, compete, and get to know and learn from each other. Inter-fleet rivalries and friendships also support the local fleets, bringing out far more boats for regattas than the fleet could rouse simply for an in-house club race. These events also bring out the best sailors from each club, broadening the talent pool and increasing the level of competition. And as any experienced sailor will tell you, sailing and racing in unfamiliar waters with top-notch competition is the best way to improve your own skills.

Large, healthy fleets are the lifeblood of our class. They are the grassroots- where new sailors get involved, improve their skills and get to know the class and the boat. A visible, strong local fleet builds “buzz” and convinces other sailors in your club that they should be sailing a Flying Scot. The camaraderie and friendships that are built through fleet participation keep you coming back for more. Without strong fleets, our class would have no roots.

So which one is more important- fleet participation or inter-fleet participation?? Where should I focus my attention? The days when most of us could sail every weekend (and during the week as well) are past. The time and expense involved and all of the other responsibilities we have diverting our time and attention mean you have to choose your opportunities carefully.

In honor of the New Year, I’d like to suggest that wherever you’ve been less active in the past you should spend more time this year. Pick one event that you didn’t attend last year and put it on your calendar for 2009. If you are a regatta traveler, get involved with a club racing weekend or special event. If you are primarily a club series racer, plan for an out-of-town regatta. Better yet, why not organize a caravan from your club to a nearby club for their invitational regatta?

Over the past few years, I’ve been much more involved with regional and national events than I have been with my local fleet. For 2009, I resolve to attend at least 1 club event I didn’t attend in 2008. What the heck- make it 2!!

Tom Lawton
FS 3035
FSSA Second Vice President