| Date | Saturday August 14 to Sunday August 22, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Location | Harold Point Campground, Killbear Provincial Park See map:  |
| Regatta | Jr. Provincial Championship
 Notice of Race
( PDF file)Monday August 16 and Tuesday August 17, 2010 |
| Informal Sailing | Most afternoons there will be an informal two-o-clock race (weather permitting), and we'll probably organize a cruise. |
| Social Events | Poker Race, Corn Roast, Cocktail hours, and campfires. |
OMDA members have been gathering for a week in August at Killbear Provincial Park almost as long as OMDA has existed. Killbear week is the highlight of the OMDA calendar for most OMDAites. It's easy to see why: Killbear has lots of interesting places to sail, reliable winds, great beaches, and plenty of things to do for the whole family.
The only official competitive sailing event held during Killbear week is the Provincial Championship for Juniors (sailors 19 or under at the end of 2010). This will be held in the morning on Monday and Tuesday.
Sailing events generally start around the from boat launching area near the west end of the Main Harold Point beach on the east side of Harold Point itself (see map below).
Because the dates and times for some events are subject to the whims of the weather, we depend on that most ancient of communication devices: the grapevine. If you're not sure when events are happening, ask another OMDA member. The group gathered on the main beach in the afternoon is usually a good source of up to date information (like where the cocktail hour is being held that day, or who is having a campfire). Last year we set up a notice board on one of the central sites, and that worked pretty well, so we'll probably repeat that again this year.
The two-o-clock race is an important Killbear tradition and a great way to learn about racing or just have fun sailing with others. Be on the main beach with your boat rigged and ready to launch for 2:00 pm. A course will be chosen by consensus, depending mainly on the direction of the wind, and somebody will be elected as the rabbit for the gate start. Although you can ask others for this information once you're out on the water, it's easier if you find these things out on land before you launch.
The starting area will usually be about 100-200 feet south of Seagull Rock. We use a gate start, as it doesn't need a buoy to mark the start line. It's also a good type of start for beginners, as there is no need to get close to other boats in order to have a good start (apart from passing reasonably close behind the rabbit).
Generally, one of the faster sailors will be chosen as the rabbit (or gate boat). The rabbit will make a sequence of three passes sailing close hauled on port tack (wind coming from the port side of the boat) sailing towards the first mark. To start, merely cross behind the rabbit close hauled on starboard tack. Because the rabbit is sailing close hauled to windward, it shouldn't matter when you start during the pass: a later start means a shorter distance to the first mark. In theory, if you think you can sail to windward faster than the rabbit, you should start as early as possible in the pass, and if you think you sail slower than the rabbit, you should aim to start at the end of the pass. You should pick which pass to start on based on your ability: first pass for beginners, last pass for the fastest sailors. This gives the beginners a chance to start the the race without the option of following the leaders, as they haven't started yet.
It's difficult to set up buoys to mark out a course, as the water off Harold Point is between 100 and 150 feet deep. Instead, we use permanent features as our course marks. With the exception of the permanent Davy Mark navigational buoy, the remaining marks of the course are all islands. Using an island as a mark of the course adds another element to racing. If you sail close to shore, you minimize the distance sailed, but you might hit a rock, and you'll probably end up going slow while you are in the wind shadow formed where the wind has to rise over the land and trees. On the other hand, if you sail too far out from the shore to avoid the wind shadow and sail faster, you'll end up sailing a longer distance.
The prevailing wind direction at Killbear is from the southwest. This puts the Davy Mark almost directly windward of Seagull Rock, so we use this course most of the time:
If the wind is from the northwest, we shift the course:
And sometimes we use this course:
For all of these courses, the finish line is taken as the line connecting the closest points of Harold Point and Seagull Rock.
Most of the water around Killbear is very deep, so there aren't too many hazards to worry about. However, there are a few specific hazards you should remember to watch out for.
Although the Davy mark serves as a very handy permanent racing course buoy, that's not why it's there. It's intended to mark the safe passage around Davy Rock: a large rock submerged a few feet below the surface south of Davy Island (see chart detail). So use caution when rounding the Davy mark. Our normal race courses round the mark counterclockwise keeping the mark to port. This means you are sailing on the unsafe side of the mark! It's best to keep south-west of the line joining the Davy Mark and the east end of Davy Island until you are within a few boat lengths of the mark.
The other hazard here is the Davy mark itself:
a welded steel buoy weighing several hundred pounds.
The 5 mm marine plywood of the Mirror hull is no match for that!
Make sure you give it a few feet of clearance so a wave doesn't smash your boat into the buoy as you round it.
Seagull rock has gentle slope on the north side, and it extends quite a way towards the beach just under the surface. You need to give it wide berth on the north side. Similarly, the small peninsula to the east extends out a long way just below the water. Until you become familar with the location of these underwater structures, it's best to enter and exit the bay in front of the main Harold Point beach by sailing between Harold Point and Seagull Rock (as the south and west sides of Seagull rock drop off quite steeply below the water).
As you approach the beach, there is a quite sharp drop-off: from waist deep to over your head in about a boat length. Make sure your rudder hold down is released and your centreboard raised before you sail over this. Under most conditions it's easy to see this from the abrupt change in the colour of the water. The depth changes gradually from waist deep at the drop off line towards the shore. Watch out for piles of rocks just below the surface in this shallow part - people put them there to anchor boats to. They are easy enough to see, as long as you're looking for them.
© 2010 Ontario Mirror Dinghy Association