Are you interested in racing your sailboat on the Great Salt Lake but don't have, or don't want to use, a spinnaker?

If we can get at least four (4) other boats (beside mine) to commit to racing without spinnakers in the buoy races, we can have our own fleet -- D-fleet. The buoy races would be the Wednesday Night Series races and the seasonal Regatta Weekends races. D-fleet would be scored separately from the spinnaker fleets in the buoy races, and often (depending on how may boats are racing that day) have it's own starts and courses. D-fleet would include all handicap ratings and PHRF handicaps would be applied to finishing times.

If you are interested in participating or just want more information, e-mail me at brypratt@q.com or call me at 801-262-4243. If you are new to racing at the GSL, I'll help you with your paperwork to get started.

In the Offshore Series races and special trophy races, a D-fleet boat would race in the fleet which includes its base handicap rating. Not using a spinnaker improves a boat's handicap rating by 12 seconds per mile (along with any other equipment adjustments).

Many (if not most) yacht clubs have non-spinnaker racing, so let's get with it here at the GSLYC. The first buoy races are the Spring Regatta on Saturday, April 9, and Sunday, April 10 (up to 3 races per day). The Wednesday Night Series races start May 4. We need to know if there is to be a D-fleet before April 9.