The Clear Lake Racing Association is an informal association of sailing enthusiasts from all the sailing clubs around the Houston/Galveston Bay area. During the months of April through October (during Daylight Savings Time), there is enough light left over in the day for us to get off work, and head for the docks to launch our boats and get in a sailboat race. Its a great mid-week break, and the short distances between marks provide a great venue to sharpen boat and sail handling skills. After the race, we gather at the Seabrook Beach Club where trophies are presented. Weekly trophies are generous food and beverage credits from the Seabrook Beach Club and the Classic Cafe.

The races began in the late nineteen-seventies, started by a boat broker whose primary goal was, of course, to sell boats. The boats entered in the races were different from each other, so a time-on-distance (PHRF) handicap method was used to determine winners. The broker was generous enough to serve as organizer, race committee, handicapper, and score-keeper, and the prizes were quite nice... dinner for two at local waterfront restaurants. As a result, the event grew quite popular. After a while though, the sailors began to notice that at least one of the broker's boats did fairly well every week. After requesting to see the scoresheet, it was noticed that the distance of the course changed from week to week. This would have been ok if different courses were sailed, but the course was always the same! After much howling, the broker agreed to a reasonable course length, and the event became even more popular.

There are Wednesday Night Sailboat Races held all over the country. The ones held in Clear Lake are unique because some of the marks are placed close to spectator docks. So close, in fact, the spectators get a really good look at the team work required to get the jib up (a sail for going against the wind) and douse the spinnaker (the colorful downwind sail). Yacht racing is not known as a spectator sport, but when they are viewed in the comfort and proximity of a convenient dock (instead of the middle of a large body of water), it can be quite entertaining. Throw in a couple of friends, a warm sunset, and your favorite beverage, and you get a casual, relaxing experience for the middle of the week.

Currently on Wednesday Nights, there are around fifty boats sailing in eight different classes : PHRF Non-Spinnaker, Multihull, Sunfish, Laser, Portsmouth, J24, J80, and PHRF Spinnaker. In PHRF Non-Spinnaker, small keelboats race without the complexity of the difficult-to-handle, large, downwind, sail called the spinnaker. This is a perfect Class for novices and for those not wanting to work too hard. The Multihull Class gives the local go-fast sailors ( sailing Hobie Cats, Prindles, Nacras, etc) a mid-week speed fix. The Sunfish and Laser Classes give the more experienced sailor a choice of two singlehanders from which to choose. The Portsmouth Handicap Class gives other performance, centerboard designs a Class in which to race. The J24 and J80 Classes are One Design, meaning all the boats in those classes are identical to one another -- no handicap. The PHRF Spinnaker Class is a handicap class where dissimilar keel boats can race against each other. On Wednesday Nights, there is something for everyone... well, almost everyone... the depth of the lake is a bit shallow, so boats which draw more than about five feet of water are prone to bumping a bit now and then.

Participants should have the capability of confidently controlling their boat, plus they should have some familiarity with the yacht racing rules. If you have neither, don't let that stop you from getting involved! We gladly share our wonderful sport with newcomers.