FAQs

The sailboat race season in Port Dover runs from late May until the end of September each year. The last week of May there is a practice race, which usually includes 3 practice starts and one windward-leeward lap of the race course.

InJune, there is a both a Monday Spring Series (1 fleet - Spinnakers flown but not required), a Wednesday June Series (Jib and Main fleets and Spinnaker fleet), and the 2-day Hewson Regatta.

In July and August, we race in the Wednesday July Series, Wednesday August Series, Double-Handed Chaos Race, and a Night Race.

In September, there is a Monday Fall Series (1 fleet - Spinnakers flown but not required), a Wednesday September Series (Jib and Main fleets and Spinnaker fleet), and the 2-day Maytham Regatta.

The answer to both of these questions is the PDYC Crew Bank!

If you are needing crew on your sailboat, fill out this Skipper's Questionnaire and within a short amount of time you will receive an email link to be able to access the PDYC Crew Bank. It is a list of people that have expressed an interest in becoming crew members on a racing sailboat. New people can add their names at any time, so check back often!

If you would like to become a crew member, fill out this Crew Questionnaire and only the Skippers that have signed up for access to the Crew Bank will be able to view your information. It is not published online publicly.

When you register with the Port Dover Yacht Club Racing division, you will be assigned to a 'fleet', (JAM A, JAM B, or SPIN) based on a) whether you intend to fly a spinnaker, and b) your PHRF-LE rating. This ensures that you are sailing against boats that are roughly similar to your own, in terms of speed.

Each race is sailed with 3 distinct starting sequences. JAM B (slowest boats) start first, JAM A starts second, and SPIN boats (typically the fastest) start last. The races start at a consistent time each week, and are preceded by a 5-minute preparatory period, accompanied by flags and sounds to help you time your start. For more details, see our Sailing Instructions.

PHRF is short for Performance Handicap Racing Fleet. PHRF (Lake Erie) is the organization that provides the handicap ratings for the sailboats that race in the PDYC Race Division. According to PHRF-LE, they provide a"handicap system for sailing yachts which will reflect the speed potential of well-sailed properly race equipped yachts." This allows different sailboats of different sizes, speeds and configurations to race together.

Racing gets a bad rap from a lot of sailors who don't race. Typical statements like 'Racing is hard on boats', 'Racers break a lot of gear', and 'I hear they constantly run into each other out there!' are not uncommon things to hear on the dock.

In reality, virtually all sailboats were designed to be able to be sailed hard. Unless you're simply reaching back and forth in light breezes on sunny summer days, racing does not put any additional stresses on your boat.

Furthermore, racing sailboats is one of the best ways to learn how to get the most performance out of your boat. (Admit it - when you're on the lake on a Saturday morning, and another boat is sailing, you're pretty likely to keep an eye on them, to see if you're sailing faster, right?? If so - racing is definitely for you!)

Sailboat racers are generally a pretty fun bunch, and are prone to eating, drinking, and telling stories about the most recent race - how they did well, or how they let one get away. We're a bit like fishermen in that regard.

If you want to learn how to sail your boat as fast as it's capable of, have any sense of competitiveness, and value spending time with like-minded sailors, racing is a great way to do all of those things.