(Updated: 2007.06.02 11:47:48 AM) |
Course Charlie
Course Charlie is Kingston's premiere smaller dinghy regatta circle, rougly between
Myles Shoal and
Garden Island.
Over the years, many major championships have been hosted on Course Charlie.
You'll typically find the Laser Silver fleet here at CORK, among other classes.
For competitors
Course Charlie is relatively close to and South / South East of Kingston Yacht Club. Beware: your sailing instructions may say it's not permitted for you to go to KYC during racing, and a penalty might ensue.
In prevailing breezes, expect smaller waves, a little less current, maybe lower breeze pressure, and look for a geographic shift as you go closer to Garden Island.
Beware of Magnetic Anomalies which are very strong on Course Charlie, especially as you get closer to the Kingston Yacht Club.
Course Charlie is one of the most protected in Kingston Harbour. The waves here tend to be much smaller than those found further west.
For race officers
A 1-mile diameter circle is shown in the diagram. Weather legs up to 1 1/4-miles in length are possible on Course Charlie.
In prevailing breezes (S -> SW -> W), committee boat anchoring on Course Charlie can be difficult due to depth and the variable holding quality of the bottom.
In prevailing breezes the weather mark anchors in shallower water close to Garden Island. The bottom here tends to flat-rock, so in breeze be mindful of weather mark dragging.
Beware of Magnetic Anomalies, especially closer to the Kingston shore. In prevailing breezes, expect to see declinations up to 13 degrees West of normal at the committee boat, with declinations reaching normal the closer to 5 degrees West as you approach Garden Island.
A key morning set-up decision: how close to Garden Island do you want your weather mark, and how will you rotate if the breeze backs.
Boat traffic
Here is a diagram of the pleasure boat traffic patterns on Charlie Course.
In prevailing breezes, your primary concern is the proximity of the Wolfe Island Ferry path to boats stationed in the start area.
Boats coming and going to the Boat Channel, which is a channel on the South side of Simcoe Island, which is a flat-water shortcut to Lake Ontario.
Boats coming and going to Lake Ontario via the route South of Snake Island Bank.
If boat traffic is a problem, there is no great way to mitigate on Charlie other than hailing on channel 16, or opportunistically approaching vessels as they near the racing area. You can assume that pleasure boats that split Course Alpha will split Charlie Course as well.
