Why sail?

Taylor Pond Yacht Club is a sailing club, founded by adults who built boats, sailed them, and taught their children to build and sail.

We’ve been teaching sailing to young people and some adults for over 80 years. Our young people have gone on to be lifetime sailors, be selected for college sailing teams, run one Olympic sailing qualification campaign, buy ocean going boats and cruise far and wide.

As our membership changes from time to time it is good to make sure we all know what a special opportunity our sailing lesson program is for kids 8 through 18. This year that opportunity is even more special because we have a nationally recognized sailing program director with decades of experience teaching young people: Mike Horn.

You might ask, why do I want my child to spend time learning an obsolete skill? When faced with competing challenges for their children’s time, why should our members choose sailing?

Kenneth Grahame says in The Wind in the Willows that “…there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Here’s our longer answer to why our children should learn to sail.

Sailing is peaceful, challenging, exhilarating, satisfying, absorbing, and fun.

Children who learn to sail get healthy outdoor exercise and learn a lifelong skill, self-reliance, responsibility, teamwork, physics, meteorology, and sportsmanship, and have fun.

Sailors have self-confidence, coordination, technical knowledge, character, passion, pluck, good social skills, adventures and, did we mention, fun.

There’s too much about sailing to learn it all in a summer, or a lifetime. Start young and have fun.

PRIOR EVENTS

July 12, 2025

Organizing Authority:  Taylor Pond Yacht Club

1. RULES   Racing will be governed by the Rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028, including the prescriptions of US Sailing, the ILCA Class Rules, the Notice of Race and these Sailing Instructions.  Numerical references too Rules are to the Racing Rules of Sailing.

2.    ENTRIES:  Register at taylorpondyachtclub,com/events (scroll down).  Late registration will be accepted at the competitors meting, but as a courtesy to the Race Committee, competitors are requested to register online.

3.    NOTICES TO COMPETITORS:  Written Notices, including changes to these sailing instructions will be posted on the bulletin board located on the deck between the Junior and Senior clubhouses and may be posted on the TPYC website..

4.    SCHEDULE:  Unless otherwise announced by the Race Committee, racing will commence at 1 PM and no race will start after 5 PM.  Note the no start after time is a change from the Notice of Race.

5.    RACING AREA:  Taylor Pond.  Competitors should observe closely where the committee boat anchors and proceed promptly to that vicinity to be on time for first and subsequent starts.

6.    COURSES AND MARKS: 

a.   Marks will be 14” inflatable orange or yellow buoys.

b.   Courses will generally be windward-leeward, leaving all marks  to port. The committee may require the course to be sailed  twice around or set different courses, of which will notice will be given from the committee boat. 

c.  In the event the Committee decides to move a mark during a race, it will signal with two prolonged whistle blasts before the first competitor rounds the mark before the mark that to be moved.

d.  In the event the Committee decides to shorten a course, it will signal with three prolonged  whistle blasts repeatedly before the first competitor rounds the mark before the new finish.  Thereafter competitors should round the next mark, then proceed directly to the start/finish line.  

e.   Competitors may pass through the start/finish line at any time while racing.

7.  STARTING AND FINISH LINES:  The starting and finishing line will be between the committee boat mast and a yellow buoy.    

8.  STARTING SYSTEM:  The Sound Signal Starting System in Appendix U3 of the Racing Rules (3 minutes - whistle signals 3 min., 2 min., 1 1/2 min., 1 min., 30 secs., 20 secs., 10 secs, 5,4,3,2,1,go) will be used.  Competitors should anticipate a warning signal (5 short whistle blasts) for the next race promptly after the last boat finishes the prior race. and 15 seconds before the 3 minute signal.

9.   TIME LIMIT;  ABANDONMENT:  There will be no time limit for any race.  If there are boats still racing ten minutes after the first boat finishes,  the boats still racing time limit expired(TLE) without a hearing. If the Committee determines sailing conditions are no longer fair it may abandon any race by sounding five prolonged whistle signals.

10.   PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS:  In addition to compliance with Rules 60 and 61, competitors must inform the Committee of the intent to protest or request redress and the sail number of the boat to be protested before the warning signal for the next race, and deliver a written protest to Principal Race Officer within 15 minutes after the committee boat returns to the dock at the end of the day’s racing.

11.   SCORING: 

a.  The low point scoring will be used.  

b.  If five or more races have been completed, a competitor’s score will be the total of all her race scores, excluding the worst, subject to Rule 90.3(b).

c.  A boat scored TLE shall be awarded two more points than the number of boats that finished within the ten minute time limit, but no worse than DNF.  This changes Rules 35, A4 and A5.

d.  One race  must be completed to constitute the regatta.  Conditions permitting, the Committee will attempt to complete 5 races or more.

12.  PENALTIES:  To be exonerated for a foul or infraction, a competitor need complete a single turn including a tack and a jibe.  This changes Rules 44.1 and 44.2.

12.  BOAT INSPECTION:  Taylor Pond is one of the few fresh water bodies in central Maine not infested with milfoil or other invasive plants.  To avoid unintentional infestation of Taylor Pond, no boat is to be launched before being permitted by the Committee, after inspection.  Competitors should report to the Committee on the clubhouse deck not earlier than 10:30 AM to request inspection.