Our Sunday afternoon races are the main activity and focus of Creve Coeur Sailing Association. CCSA provides an organized way for boat owners and their crew to compete in a safe and fun environment. We try to provide a balance between the “Rules Of Racing” and the fun of sailing fast in friendly competition. Our style of racing is to be challenging for experienced skippers, while encouraging new sailors to learn and grow their skills.

Over the summer CCSA stages about fourteen race days with three races per day, for a total of forty races. We try to get them in twice a month or every other Sunday. However, holidays, other County Park events and the weather mean that some months there may be three race days and other months only one.

St. Louis County Parks Division permits us to use the park to set up our onshore activities and to run our races out on the lake. On a typical Sunday we cordon off the north end of the lake’s eastern parking lot and generally have exclusive use of that area. There are about a dozen marked off spaces long enough for trailers. Skippers with beachable boats can park near the beach just west of the flagpole. Everyone else has to park where they can. It’s tight when we have more than twenty boats, so coming early pays off.

How Races Are Organized

Races will start at 2:00 p.m., so skippers need to have their boat rigged and on the water by 1:45 at the latest to make the first race. Before racing, skippers are also required to go to the Race Committee tent and register their boat. There is no formal “Skippers Meeting” before the races, so you must get information about the course and the races for that day at the Race Committee table.

CCSA members sail a wide variety of boats. Some are very fast and some are slower. In order to level the playing field for all competitors, races are scored on a handicap basis. For instance, a fast boat may finish well ahead of a slower boat, but once the handicap formula is applied to their respective finish times, the slower boat wins on “Corrected Time”.

The handicap for your type of boat is based on its Portsmouth Number. This is important because CCSA divides boats into two fleets. The Red Fleet is for boats with a Portsmouth Number greater than 93. Blue Fleet is for boats with a Portsmouth number of 93 or less. If you don’t know your Portsmouth Number don’t worry, the Race Committee will assign it to you when you sign up. Two fleets means shorter race times and more racing The faster boats in the Blue Fleet go around the course twice, and finish about the same time as boats in the Red Fleet that go around the same course only once. It also means more winners and prizes at the end of the year. (Go here to see the Portsmouth Number for your boat. For more information on how Portsmouth Numbers are used - Go here).

New sailors should pay attention to these rules, but not to worry, CCSA members will answer any questions and guide you along the way. For more detailed information on how the races are organized and the rules for competing, check out the CCSA “SAILING INSTRUCTIONS”.

What To Do On Race Day

Here is a brief summary of what you need to do on race day:

1. Prepare for racing before you leave home. You will need:
   1. Your boat and all its necessary parts, including a paddle.
   2. Safety equipment to include Coast Guard Approved life vests for each person on the boat. Make sure they are the right size and in good order.
   3. Personal equipment such as light clothing, sun shades, sailing or water shoes, a hat, sun blocker and plenty of liquids.
   4. A stopwatch to time your starts.
   5. A basic understanding of how CCSA runs its’ races is written out in the CCSA Sailing Instructions. While not mandatory, skippers who read these instructions will be much better prepared before they start racing.
2. Arrive at the lake as early as you can.
3. Set up your boat in the parking lot. Get the mast up, the sails on and all your gear on board, but do not raise the sails yet.
4. Register at the Race Committee Tent. Check out the diagram for today’s race course and ask any questions you have about the race. Also, sign up for the after the races meal and indicate if you need crew.
5. Move your boat to the ramp and launch it. Spend as little time in the ramp as possible so that all the boats can get to the course in time. Tie your boat up on the “windward” dock so that it hangs off the dock and can be easily launched. Go to the farthest end of the dock so boats behind you will have room to tie up.
6. Pull up your sails, get the crew on board and launch your boat.
7. If you have time - take a practice sail with your crew to see that they know all their duties and that the boat’s rigging is in order.
8. The races:
   1. The start of the race sequence begins when the Race Committee gives a warning signal of several short blasts on a horn. This means that in approximately one minute the official count down to the race will begin.
   2. There are two starts:
      1. The Blue Fleet of faster boats goes first. Boats in the Red Fleet must stay well clear of the area behind the Start Line in order to give the Blue Fleet boats room to maneuver for their start.
      2. The Red Fleet goes second. Their five minute count down sequence begins at the very moment that the Blue Fleet “Start” signal is sounded.
   3. Here is a chart of the start signals:
   
   
   

   TIME	SIGNAL	MEANING
   Aproximately1 min. before start of countdown.	Repeated blasts on the horn.	Attention!!! The 1st race start sequence is about to begin.
   5:00 min. Countdown starts.	Blue flag goes up, 1 horn blast.	Blue Fleet skippers start stopwatches- 5 min. to start.
   4:00 min. to start.	Blue flag stays up, “P” flag goes up, 1 horn blast.	Blue Fleet- 4 min. to start.
   1:00 min. to start.	Blue flag stays up, “P” flag goes down, 1 long horn blast.	Blue Fleet- 1 minute to start.
   :00 min.-Blue Fleet Starts. 5:00 min.- Red Fleet begins countdown.	Blue flag down, Red flag up, 1 horn blast.	Blue Fleet- Starts their race. Red Fleet- Starts their 5 min. countdown.
   4:00 min. to start.	“P” flag + Red flag, 1 horn blast.	Preparatory signal for Red fleet.
   1:00 min. to start.	“P” flag down, 1 horn blast.	1 minute to Red fleet start.
   :00 min. Red Fleet Starts.	Red flag down, 1 horn blast.	Start of Red Fleet race.

   
   
   4. The start of the race is very important and often determines the winner of a race. Follow the Rules Of Racing regarding “Starts” and get to “Clear Air” as soon as possible.
   5. Next, sail the course for your fleet as pointed out in the diagram and instructions given at the Race Committee tent.
   6. CCSA members are encouraged to learn at least The Basic Rules Of Racing as described in the CCSA Sailing Instructions. Out on the course skippers need to know these rules to sail fairly and to use the rules in their tactical decisions.
   7. Here are some tips for new sailors:
      1. If you are uncertain about the course, just follow the boats in your fleet.
      2. Don’t try to win the race. Focus on catching and then passing the boat in front of you. Gradually, as your skills improve, your goal should be to move up through your fleet.
      3. Work at getting better. Read books and articles on sailing and sailboat racing. Check out videos and online resources. Get the best sailors to sail with you. Learn the Rules Of Racing. Ask questions!
   8. When you cross the finish line, the Race Committee will record your “Elapsed Time” for that race. Later in the week, the “Corrected Time” for your boat, based on its Portsmouth Number (USPN,) will be calculated, and your “Rank” or where you finished in relation to other boats in your fleet will be posted on the CCSA web site (see Race Results).
   9. The Race Committee tries to get in three races on race days. If the wind is light, fewer races may be run. If the wind is judged to be too strong by the Race Committee in consultation with senior CCSA officers, racing may be terminated at any time.
   10. After the races, the docks become crowded with boats getting off the lake. Courtesy is appreciated! So skippers should always bring their boats in at the end of the line of boats cueing up to move toward the ramp and the trailers waiting for them.
   11. Once your boat is on its trailer and in the parking lot, check out if a meal is being served at the Race Committee tent. Brats, bean salad and desert are the usual fare - all for $3.