Most sailboat races start and finish with the boats headed into the wind. A starting line is established between the "pin" buoy and a committee boat. The committee boat is maneuvered and anchored, so the starting line is 90 degrees to the wind. In Awosting we have the luxury of starting our races from the boathouse. So the starting line is rarely exactly 90 degrees to the wind. The North, South and West courses described below allow us to start, and in most cases finish, in the general direction of the wind. There are no East courses. Because of the mountains and the prevailing winds, Easterlies are very rare on Greenwood Lake.
North Courses
Round All Marks leaving mark to port
Course Sequence Distance Time Limit
(Miles) (Minutes)
1 S-4-3-2-S 2.4 140
2 S-4-3-2-1-2-S 3.5 140
3 S-4-3-2-4-3-2-S 4.8 140
4 S-5-2-S 5.1 145
5 S-8-5-2-S 6.2 150
South Courses
Round All Marks leaving mark to starboard
Course Sequence Distance Time Limit
(Miles) (Minutes)
1 S-2-3-4-S 2.4 140
2 S-2-3-4-1-3-S 3.5 140
3 S-2-3-4-2-3-4-S 4.8 140
4 S-2-5-S 5.1 145
5 S-2-5-8-S 6.2 150
West Courses
Cross Start & Finish Marks leaving marks to Port
round All Other Marks leaving mark to Starboard
Course Sequence Distance Time Limit
(Miles) (Minutes)
1 S-3-4-2-S 2.4 140
2 S-3-4-2-3-4-2-S 4.8 140
Notes on Buoys
Buoys #1, 2, 3 and 4 are orange cans with the buoy numbers indicated near the top, in black numerals.
Buoy S and buoy #1 are the same buoy. It has two designations as a legacy from the days when multiple fleets were racing different courses simultaneously. It is an orange can with the number 1 near the top in black.
Buoy #5 is furthest south, No Wake buoy in front of Greenwood Lake Marina, near the NJ/NY state line.
Buoy #6 is the No Wake buoy in front of the Awosting swim area. It is usually close to the starting line. But it may be a little ahead or a little behind, depending on conditions.
Buoy #7 is not used in any of the Rebel courses. It is a legacy from multi-fleet racing.
For the Rebel fleet, buoy #8 is only used in course 5. It is a temporary buoy, installed between Greenwood Lake Marina and the Castle Cove Restaurant when course 5 is anticipated. It is typically orange or white.
Course Maps for Racing
The last thing you want to do in a race is wonder where the next buoy is. Following the guy in front of you is never a winning strategy.
The buttons below link to pdf documents that outline each of the AYS race courses. Course Maps 1 is for the graphically inclined skipper. Course Maps 2 is for sailors who prefer letters and numbers.
Print one out and fasten it to your bulkhead. Then you can focus on passing the boat in front of you, instead of following her to the next buoy.