INTRODUCTION TO THE MAGELLAN RACE By Marty Hill
The last race of the season each year is the Magellan.
This race was first conceived by Harry Filemyr who was trying to establish a chapter of the “Flat Earth Society”. I suppose that Harry really believed that the earth was round but this race was around our “known world” i.e. Deep Creek Lake. Thus the eponym, Magellan, named after the first sailor to sail around the world. So the race was around all 9 marks associated with zones rather than the usual windward/leeward course that has become the norm here.
Soon, both yacht clubs on the lake will be pulling in docks and storing their equipment for the winter, so the Magellan is one last chance to get out on the lake with friends and sail. The starting order is also different, handicapped in a way, with the less-experienced, Challenger Division sailors starting first, followed in five-minute intervals by the Masters and intermediate Silver and, finally, the Championship Gold Division.
By long-standing tradition, the winner of the Magellan serves as Principal Race Officer for the Magellan next year and, as if this weren’t enough, also serves lunch to the Magellan sailors after the race. Given these requirements, it is perhaps not surprising that some of our fastest sailors seem to perform a little more slowly in a Magellan, but it’s all good-natured fun and for many sailors here on the lake, the Magellan is one of their favorite races.
The last race of the season each year is the Magellan.
This race was first conceived by Harry Filemyr who was trying to establish a chapter of the “Flat Earth Society”. I suppose that Harry really believed that the earth was round but this race was around our “known world” i.e. Deep Creek Lake. Thus the eponym, Magellan, named after the first sailor to sail around the world. So the race was around all 9 marks associated with zones rather than the usual windward/leeward course that has become the norm here.
Soon, both yacht clubs on the lake will be pulling in docks and storing their equipment for the winter, so the Magellan is one last chance to get out on the lake with friends and sail. The starting order is also different, handicapped in a way, with the less-experienced, Challenger Division sailors starting first, followed in five-minute intervals by the Masters and intermediate Silver and, finally, the Championship Gold Division.
By long-standing tradition, the winner of the Magellan serves as Principal Race Officer for the Magellan next year and, as if this weren’t enough, also serves lunch to the Magellan sailors after the race. Given these requirements, it is perhaps not surprising that some of our fastest sailors seem to perform a little more slowly in a Magellan, but it’s all good-natured fun and for many sailors here on the lake, the Magellan is one of their favorite races.