Race Management

2013PatrolIIThe Gulf Yachting Association  was founded to promote interclub sailboat racing between member clubs.            

The GYA Race Management Committee is chartered under Article VII, Section  7 of the GYA Bylaws.  The duties of this committee are to “promote  excellence in race management within the GYA, administer the competition for  the GYA trophy for excellence in race management, investigate reports of  improper race management as set forth in the Regulations for Sanctioned  Events (available at www.GYA.org), and provide assistance and advice on  race administration.”

GYA Race Management Award.  This trophy is awarded each year,  at the Annual Awards Banquet, to the GYA member club exhibiting the most  outstanding race management at an event during the previous year.   Recent events that have won the award for excellence in race management  include:

  • 2021 – GYC, Offshore Challenge Cup, Michael G. Hage, PRO
  • 2020 – No Award
  • 2019 – No Award
  • 2018 – BWYC, Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge, Clinton Edwards, PRO
  • 2017 – SYC, J-22 Mid Winters, George Hero, PRO
  • 2016 – GYC, Offshore Challenge Cub, Michael G. Hage, PRO
  • 2015 – GYC, Offshore Challenge Cup, John B Morrow PRO
  • 2014 – SYC, Junior Liptons, George Hero PRO
  • 2013 – BWYC, Senior Lipton Regatta, Clinton Edwards PRO
  • 2012 – SYC, Junior Liptons, James Sanchez, Jr.
  • 2011 – GYC, GYA Challenge Cup, John B. Morrow PRO
  • 2010 – SYC, Flying Scot Mid-Winters, George Hero PRO
  • 2009 – GYC, Challenge Cup, John Morrow PRO
  • 2008 – St. ABYC, Candler Regatta, Clinton Edwards PRO
  • 2007 – PYC, WFORC, Chip MacMillan/Bernie Knight PROs
  • 2006 – PYC, GYA Challenge Cup, Bill Brundige PRO
  • 2005 – GYC, GYA Challenge Cup, Bobby Bailey PRO
  • 2004 – St. ABYC, FS Mid-Winters, John Morrow PRO
  • 2003 – No Award
  • 2002 – No Award
  • 2001 – PCYC, Lipton Regatta, Gene Walet PRO
  • 2000 – BYC, Jr. Lipton Regatta, Tom Batty PRO
  • 1999 – GYC, FS NA Championship, Robert J. Bailey PRO
  • 1998 – PontYC

All GYA clubs are encouraged to submit regattas run at their clubs for  consideration for this prestigious award.  The Race Management Qualified Web Page has further information concerning this award.  While it is certainly a great honor for a club to win this award, all clubs who  enter generally find that they “win” just by entering.  First,  the fact that race committee members know that they are entering the  competition tends to bring out the best effort in all involved with the  event. Secondly, the ballots that the skippers submit are a great source of  information that the club can use to improve their performance in future  regattas.

Standardizing Sailing Instructions.  Recently the race management committee finished revising the sailing instructions that are used  for the GYA Lipton Regatta.  This revision incorporates both changes  requested by  previous year’s Lipton race committee as well as changes resulting from  the update to the Racing  Rules of Sailing.    Race committees are encouraged to use these sailing instructions as a  basis for writing sailing instructions for their own events, especially Capdevielle regattas.  

Click here for ISAF Sailing Documentation and Rules.   

Click here for US Sailing Regatta Management.

Find a Race Officer – US Sailing Site

Information Dissemination.  The RMC has developed an  introductory seminar to acquaint prospective personnel with information about  race management practices as well as providing refresher material for those  that are currently active.  The seminar is available here for download:  

GYAIntroRM-slides.pdf The slides for the seminar in Adobe Portable Document Format.  The notes pages for the seminar.

We hope that any interested club will use this material to train it’s own members.

In 1999 US Sailing implemented a certified race officer program to replace  the currently recognized Senior Race Officer and Club Race Officer  designations.  The new program will certify race officers at three  levels:

  • Certified Club Race Officer  
  • Certified Regional Race Officer 
  • Certified National Race Officer  

Constructive comments and suggestions are  always welcome!   Let us know how we can help improve the quality of  racing within the Gulf Yachting Association.  

Supporting Yachting in the Southeast since 1901