60 SECOND INTERVIEW
WITH NOYC RACE CHAIRMAN
DAVE ERWIN
For those who do not know Dave, he is a dedicated volunteer in the New Orleans sailing world. Erwin lead a team to develop NOYC.org to an unprecedented demand exceeding 6,000,000 hits and added the message board in 2002 which served as a communications point for many sailors in the GYA during the Katrina disaster. Dave has served on the New Orleans YC Board and Flag roles for several terms and is rumored to run for Commodore next year. He is one of seven outstanding sailors who won 5 consecutive North American Championships in the J/30 class. As a past Leukemia Cup Chairman, his team broke the $100,000 mark for this first time in history. Erwin’s next challenge is to rebuild the NOYC Race Committee with help from many volunteers to include Paul McCaskell, Phil Pizzeck, David Herrera, Mike Howell and many others.
We had a chance to catch up with Dave at his top secret lunch location in Metairie to get his story about NOYC’s RC in the past and future.
NOYC.org: Tell us about what it was like to run RC this past year – post Katrina.
Dave: Katrina left us with very little. We lost NOYC1, flags, racing marks, Autohoot, basically everything. Due to the generosity of CSA, SYC and 
Bob Maher, were able to host the full schedule of races. CSA loaned us supplies, Shawn O’Daniels purchased us a brand new set of North Sails RC flags. Bob Maher offered the use of Second Cup. SYC let us use Patrol II during Mardi Gras Regatta. Robert Wientjes, Rob Grisoli and Guy Brierre have loaned scat boats. Without this generosity, we would have struggled to run races.
NOYC.org:Â What is it like to run a race?
Dave: At times it is really tough to watch the sailboats go by. You really miss the sport. It takes dedication and sacrifice to provide RC services to your fellow clubs and co-sailors.
The Race Committee is responsible for executing the race from start to finish per US Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing (R.R.S), GYA regulations, the NOR and SIs as provided by the organizing authority. Of course, Safety is priority number one.
The key is to stay connected with the sailors regarding course selection and design. Some of the PHRF sailors want reaching legs, some do not. You have to balance needs of everyone and keep the race challenging enough for all. Mardi Gras Regatta weekend for example, we were trying to keep the Finns separated from the Capd sailors at the finish line. In doing so, the length of the Finn course was way too short causing more spectating etc.
Raising flags and executing the race is the easy part, unless of course you have to use the black flag in a starting sequence. If the wind is blowing, be prepared for some prep flags other than “P†this year.
Wednesday nights are really a blast as there is about 10 minutes of activity to start a race. Then one to two hours to relax before you finish and score. Since we sail at night, NOYC’s policy for each boat to register every Wednesday so we can account all sailboats. It REALLY helps to register online so we can pre-enter boats in the scoring program. The address to register online is available by accessing http://noyc.org/register.shtml.
When returning to shore, you definitely need thick skin. You have to be a good listener.
NOYC.org: Who is Dr. Rules and were did he/she go?
I have signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I can’t say anything other than she is a good friend to all of us. I can not reveal which country she lives. Simply post a question to Dr. Rules and she will give you a certified answer. When asking the questions on the NOYC.org/forum, it is a great learning experience for all.
NOYC.org: Was it hard to find people to help last year?
Dave: We’ll that is the thing about running race committee on Second Cup. We had to turn people away. That is a good problem to have. On Wednesday nights, we basically need two people to run flags, one to watch the line with x-ray flag in hand and a Principle Race Officer (PRO) to pick the course, square the line and manage the start and finishing process. We use two volunteers to record the scores. Everyone should offer to do RC at least once a year.
NOYC.org: We see you working as many SYC races as NOYC. What’s the deal here?
Dave: As big as SYC is, they still have resource issues due to the mass number of races they host. I would like to think they have added me to the permanent reserve list. We’re one virtual Race Committee now-a-days. I will be working on my regional certification which requires you to serve as RCs across the nation in the future.  If you think about it, this is a great way to ensure that all RCs are running races using the exact same procedures across the nation and world. US Sailing encourages this sort of regional and national participation.
NOYC.org: Sugar Bowl Regatta results took many days to make available online. Why does this take so long?
Dave: The one design races were scored on paper. For large races, it takes time to compile this information for posting online.  The lake clubs are trying to standardize scoring programs so we can help each other out – especially for the larger regattas. For Wednesday night regattas, we typically post results before we dock using wireless technology. There is no reason why we can’t do this for larger regattas in the future.
Many YCs fail to take the step to post results online. This is a huge mistake. As an example, I hope to volunteer to help the Opti RC post results online. This information is shared with others in a MYSpace sort of way. If I wanted to drive web traffic up on Thursday morning, simply withhold the online results. I wouldn’t do this of course. My message here is post information about regattas as timely as possible. People want to know. Our traffic reports suggest that several sailors actually share information relative to regattas electronically.
NOYC.org: How did you learn how to run races?
Dave: Bought a book called Racing Rules of Sailing. Everyone should have a copy, Right? Is your copy Red or Blue? You need to keep up with the rules as they change every 3 years.
Wallace Paletou, John Wolf and Phil Pizzeck taught me pretty much everything you can’t learn in books.
There are some pretty good RC officers across the GYA. I haven’t met Tooty yet, but I have been told that he is one of the best. I have really been impressed with Wallace Paletou, Nathan Adams and Karen Reisch at SYC. I have the benefit of a great coach and mentor, Norton Booker in the past. He will be missed dearly by many.
NOYC has a great team. Phil Pizzeck served as PRO at Mardi Gras Regatta. David Herrera is running the current Wednesday night series. Paul McCaskell, Barry Hurlburt, Don Griglack and Mike Howell will be running races later this year. The larger the Race Committee team, the more Dave gets to sail!
The bottom line here is we learn from each other.
I recommend any interested to pursue the US Sailing Certification program. There is an excellent course both basic and advanced taught by Houston Yacht Club’s Jim Tichenor which I highly recommend. When John moved to Seattle, this created a huge void. I had to step in with very little experience to keep things going – with lots of help. This training program fast tracked skills.
HERE is a recommended source of Race Management information available on USSailing.org:
NOYC.org: Do Race Committees make mistakes?
Dave: Of course.
NOYC.org: Example?
Dave: After resetting the staring line a dozen times during the 2006 Mardi Gras regatta, we were mentally tired and started a Capdevielle Race while the wind shifted more than 20 degrees to the right. For many, the first leg was a beat without a single tack. Our thinking was if we postponed the race, we would fail to get in 5 races. This thinking was obviously wrong and we took some punches from several people. We should have restarted the race. Race Committees like most sailors sometimes make mistakes.
Of course, after a 60 degree shift at the 2007 Mardi Gras regatta, we stopped the race to reset marks. Some racers actually complained about that. Go figure.
NOYC.org: Tell us about NOYC II.
Dave: Kyle Smith connected us with Gulf Traveler, a Halter Marine boat with a Cummings 555 (aka Triple Nickle) single screw. In many aspects this boat is laid out much better than NOYC1. We have a lot of work to do such as installing a mast, generator and A/C unit with windless, bow pulpit and Bose sterio system etc… Donations are welcomed!  She did very well at Mardi Gras regatta. I am pretty sure this is the same boat that Gulfport YC uses for RC.
NOYC.org: What types of courses will we see this year?
Dave: Perhaps we’ll see XUH 4 times around again, but the Regatta Committee is looking at other options such as staggered starts and a Big Wheel Regatta for fun.  There are limited options when the wind is blowing from the NorthEast or SouthEast, so the favorite – JHA will be back for sure. Let us know what you would like, we’ll entertain all requests.
NOYC.org: Any chance of a mega regatta in the near future.
Dave: Last year at the Leukemia Cup kickoff party, Gary Jobson told me that the GYA was in the best position to get the Olympic trials, which Katrina effectively eliminated our chances. The reasons provided were shifting wind conditions and the team work between clubs across the GYA. Everyone worked together to produce a much better product. Sharing the victory is a must.
I am pushing for the NOOD and Premier Racing organizers to visit us during LPRC (which should be renamed to New Orleans Race Week). Perhaps we should combine Mardi Gras Regatta and Leukemia Cup to attract boats coming from Key West and Miami in February. The answer to this question is yes, but we need to take our strengths and fill voids to make it happen. One of our weaknesses is the number of certified Principle Race Officers (PROs) and US Sailing Judges in the GYA. I recommend a future interview with US Sailing Judge, Mike Posey. He can tell people who are interested the steps to become a judge. We simply need to get those numbers up to meet the demands of the future.
Within our current set of race officers we also have many who are not qualified or trained to run team and/or match racing events. These are areas which we need to improve to keep up with the rest of the nation.
Let’s think outside of the box and see what happens.
NOYC.org: Special thanks for taking time out of your business schedule away from the Top Secret Lunch place to do this quick interview. There is a rumor that some of the Hooters girls have been recruited to assist RC. Is this true?
Dave: Absolutely a possibility. Hosting a guest or two out on the RC boats is a great way to learn the sport and recruit new sailors. Some say it should be a required initiation.
Look for a future party soon to honor everyone who helps the RC this year. And don’t forget to say: Thank You Race Committee when crossing the finish line.
— Troy Gilbert
