2011 Texas Proa Championships


Change of Venue!

 

Due to lack of water, we have changed the venue to Lake Livingston, north of Houston.  Please email Kevin at K_S_ONeill at yahoo dot com for more exact directions if you're coming.  Thanks!

 

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Race announcement:  Fourth Annual Texas Proa Championships

   

Where:  Lake Sommerville, Texas. 

 

When:  Saturday September 24, 2011, the last Saturday in September.  Skippers' meeting at the ramp off St Park Rd 57 in Lake Sommerville State Park at 10 am.

 

As in some previous years we may have to delay racing until Sunday if Saturday is not conclusive due to weather.

 

Anyone who would like to come out and sail is welcome.  To enter the race, the boat must shunt rather than tack and jibe; that is, it must come about by exchanging one bow for another, and have fixed windward and leeward sides.

 

The race format is up for discussion.  If you would like to come race, please email me and we'll talk.  The Founding Committee, consisting of John Wright, Skip Johnson, Laurent Coquilleau and myself, Kevin O'Neill, are open to almost any sort of racing; a standard windward-leeward course or an Olympic course would be nice, but in addition to that something like an off the beach Le Mans start might be fun, and a distance race out to the dam or around the island and back would be fun.  We had Len Mans starts, two windward-leeward races, and one distance race in 2009, which I think was a good format.

 

The earlier you contact me the better.  A picture of your boat and a rough descirption including length, beam, sail area, etc, would be appreciated.  All entries will be announced here upon reciept.

 

If you don't have a boat to race you're welcome to come out anyway and say hi.  Should be very exciting!  See you there.

 

The 2008 TPC beach.  From left to right, Kevin O'Neill's boat, Skip Johnson's boat, John Wright's boat.  (Enlarge Image)

 

First Annual Texas Proa Championships 2008 Race Report

 

 

 

Racing at the 2009 TPC.  Laurent Coquilleau's boat on the left, with the A cat rig, Kevin O'Neill's boat on the right.

 

Second Annual Texas Proa Championships 2009 Race Report

 

 

 

Racing at the 2010 Texas Proa Championships.  John Wright's boat in the foreground, Kevin O'Neill's boat in the background.

 

Third annual Texas Proa Championships 2010 Race Report

 

 

Racing conditions:

 

Lake Somerville looks like this:

 

In 2008 we had one longish race following the green course.

 

In 2009 we had two races following the yellow course, and one following the purple course.  

 

I didn't include the scale; the purple course is about two miles each way.  The green course is about four miles each way.

 

We had a lot more wind in 2008 than in 2009.  There's a lot of room on the lake, if we have the wind we can have a nice long distance race.  In the 5 to 10 mph we had in 2009 the shorter courses were fine, very good close racing.

 

The wind direction at this time of year is not predictable; this graph of wind directions in Somerville in September 2007 shows an interesting pattern which is pretty typical:

 

The direction clocks through 360 degrees in about a week long cycle.  So who knows what we'll get, other than likely getting about 10 knots, building to 15 in the afternoon.  There are a few days in there with very light air, I think we just have to hope we don't hit one. 

 

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