Merry Macs Race!

What a change from the July racing!
Cool temps and steady breeze made for a great day on the river.
A Bruno-Stillman glass Merry Mac showed up! Bet you can guess who. The fleet did mix it up quite a bit through all four races and Matt did say he’d bring a wood boat next time.
Will that matter? We’ll have to see next season!

This doesn’t mean sailing is done for 2019, no! Late summer and fall sailing is considered the best by most.
While formal regattas might be over, the Merry Macs will still sail, and sail, and sail evenings and weekends when the tide is right.
Come by the Club!

And the Laser Fleet comes back for their 2019 Fall Regatta on Sunday, September 29! Get a Laser and join in!

8/17 Merry Mac Regatta

Join GBYC on Saturday, 8/17, for our second small sailboat regatta of the 2019 season. Download this flyer for more information on participating in Ned McIntosh’s Merry Mac Regatta. Traditional Merry Mac, Oyster River Cat, Melonseed, and other small Sailing Boats/Dinghies are all welcome. The NOR is posted below.

August Merry Mac Regatta

Great Bay Yacht Club

Notice of Race – NOR

Ned McIntosh’ Merry Mac Regatta

August 17, 2019

Great Bay Yacht Club / Hilton Sate Park / Dover Point, NH

10:00 am Registration, Races to follow

1.       RULES:  (Loosely followed by popular recommendation) – Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS).

2.       CLASS:  Traditional Merry Mac, Oyster River Cat, Melonseed, and other small Sailing Boats/Dinghies.  No measurements will be taken.  All boats may or may not sail in one fleet, pending registrants. All dinghy sailors are welcome! 

3.       ELIGIBILITY:  Open to all ages, all Merry Macs & Oyster River Cats & Melonseed & other dinghy sailors. 

4.       SCHEDULE:

Skipper’s Meeting:  11:00 Noon (HIGH tide is 2:55 pm)

Approximate First Race Warning Signal:  12:30 pm

More races will follow.

Last race warning approx. 2:30 pm, no later than 2:45 pm, BBQ /awards 4:00 pm at GBYC, Wentworth Terrace

5.       ENTRY:  GBYC is located on Wentworth Terrace, Dover Point, NH, a very short walk from Hilton Park.  

Registration officials will be at Hilton Park by 10:00 am and the 11:00 am Skippers Meeting will be held there as well.  

Barbecue and awards will be held at the Club on Wentworth Terrace.

The entry fee of $40 can be paid in cash or by check. ($20 if all racers are 17 or younger.)

Please make sure you register BEFORE the Skippers meeting.

Entry includes the well-earned Great Bay Yacht Club tradition of great Race Committee, support boats, apres racing cookout with beverages appropriate for the spirit of the day, and Awards for top boats in all classes.

6.       SAILING INSTRUCTIONS:  Provided at Skipper’s Meeting.

7.       SCORING:  Low Point Scoring as per RRS Appendix A, Appendix A4

8.       RACING AREA:  Launch at the State of NH ramp at Hilton Park and sail upstream in the designated area.  There may be some room at the GBYC dock, please check with GBYC in advance.

9.       COURSES:  To be announced at the Skippers’ Meeting.

10.  INFORMATION: Contact Great Bay Yacht Club Commodore Tom Page tpage@underwoodengineers.com or Race Committee Principal Race Officer Tom Brown tacheson.brown@gmail.com

12.   LOCATION:  Hilton Park is located off Exit 5 off the Spaulding Turnpike /NH Route 4/16 North on the Dover side of the Piscataqua River where it meets Great Bay.  Follow road to the south to the Parking area and grass lawns.

Club History: In the spring of 1954, a group of sailors gathered with a simple purpose: “to organize and provide rules for racing this summer on Great Bay, or other places designated.” Races were held each Sunday afternoon at the State Pier and included class racing for 12 foot catboats — Merry Macs designed by club member Ned McIntosh — and other boats by handicap. By 1958, Great Bay Yacht Club was officially registered with the State of New Hampshire as a non-profit organization whose purpose was “to foster the spirit of sailing in the community around the Great Bay area. “In 1959 the Club was able to purchase the two lots that became its home. The Club blossomed during the women’s and “boat” divisions.