March 2003 Coffee Cup Race October 2003 Coffee Cup Race

What's a Coffee Cup Race? The next Neuse Sailing Association coffee cup race will be held on March 27, 2004. The destination will be announced at The Bean during the skippers meeting, which is the start. Be prepared to go ashore somewhere to fetch a token before returning to The Bean for the finish. Anchor your boat where you can get underway without an engine, then be at The Bean at 10 am. The races are open to anyone who wants to participate.  There will be Prizes! Who came up with this idea? One brisk, fall morning about 100 years ago, on the harbor at Vineyard Haven, MA, two skippers of fishing schooners were sitting together having coffee, when one of them brought up the subject of whose vessel was the fastest.  Naturally, there were some strong words exchanged, and a challenge was issued. The two skippers agreed that when they both put their coffee mugs on the table together, the race would start.  Each rowed out to his schooner, where the crew were already aboard; they raised sails, weighed anchor and went out around Block Island either way he wanted, and returned to Vineyard Haven.  The first one back at the table having coffee was the winner. A coffee cup race is done without racing rules, without engines, and without handicaps.  It is just fun.  All you need are two or more boats, a place to start and a place to go. It's all about Seamanship! What makes a coffee cup race different, besides throwing out the racing rules, is that the challenge begins and ends on land.  The skipper has to get from the coffee table starting point to his or her vessel, and then get back to the coffee table for the finish.  In one of the races, it is necessary to go ashore to collect a token from a specific location.  The advantage goes to the crew with better seamanship skills, including rowing, dropping and weighing anchor, maneuvering close to land, dropping and making sail, as well as using the wind to go fast! When they first hear about Coffee Cup challenges, people ask, "Are there no rules?"  Of course, we are all bound by the Rules of the Road, and the use of engines after the "skipper's meeting start" is clearly cheating.  However, there will be no committee to hear protests, and no flyer or other handout to explain things further than what you have read to this point. Be sure you are able to depart from The Bean at the "skipper's meeting start" without using an engine! (Anchor your boat in a good place before 1000.)