Sailing

Roton Point Sailing Association

Sailing Schedule

Moon & Tides

Roton Point Sailing Association (‘RPSA’) carries on in the age-old tradition of being run by the Commodore, the Flag Officers, and the rest of the Board of Governors of RPSA.  The Roton Point Club Commissioning Ceremony will be held at the flagpole in the grove at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, when (after appropriate cannons have been fired and flags raised) Commodore Chip Romans will announce the club to be open for the 2012 season.  This is a ceremony that should not be missed, especially for first-timers.  Another don’t miss event will be the annual Hambone Race, open to anything that floats, on the Fourth of July.

For those who are new, and those who have forgotten, the RPSA “fleet” consists of four Sunfish, a Trac 16 catamaran, a Precision 16 dinghy, and some sit-on and sit-in kayaks.  The Club also owns five Pixel sailboats reserved for the Sailing School. All of the club boats (except the Pixels) are available for member use at weekends and holidays.  The procedure for any club member who would like to use a club boat is very simple check in with the Waterfront Assistant, who will be glad to assist you at getting the boat ready and onto the water. For safety’s sake you are required to wear a life jacket, and not to sail out of sight of the sailing bay, so that the Waterfront Assistant can see you at all times, and if necessary provide or summon aid.

Cats Nell (closer) and Patient Lady 3 leaving the beach for family fun rides

For the summer of 2012 we plan to offer some or all of the following activities for the enjoyment of members:

• Regular weekend sailing instruction by the junior sailing instructors on a first-come-first served basis for the first five people who show up
• Junior Sailing barbecue
• Paddle board Day
• Banana ride day
• Flat top rides
• Catamaran rides

At the beginning of each summer season, RPSA ponders the same old question  how do we make it easier and more attractive for more of our membership to make more use of these prime waterfront facilities?  Stated differently, how do we get more people out in boats?  We are not talking racing here, but rather the concept of members using our and their own boats, of parents taking their kids out in boats.

To assist us with feedback, RPSA recently emailed all the membership referring them to a brief online survey that members are asked to complete and submit back electronically.

Here’s to the summer of 2012!

RPSA was founded in 1958 by the late Tony DiMauro, who served as Commodore for a remarkable 35 years until 1993. Tony became internationally known for sponsoring the development of C-Class catamarans, which since 1961 have raced for the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy, popularly known as the “Little America’s Cup.”  After Patient Lady III took the cup from Australia in 1977, Tony DiMauro led four consecutive successful defenses of the Little America’s Cup with a series of “Patient Lady” catamarans equipped with wing sails, at the very cutting edge of small-catamaran development.

RPSA has a long and proud history in promoting multihull sailing, as attested to by the collection of artifacts, trophies and newspaper articles on display at Roton Point. Membership of RPSA is automatically bestowed upon all Roton Point members.