NEW as of 2024
As the Chattajack OC-6 division has grown we’re making an adjustment to make everyone’s race experience as close to perfect as possible. We need everyone to read carefully so they know what to do and when to do it. It’s important to be familiar with the plan’s “flow of events” in case of fog race morning.
CJ 3 Heats:
8:30AM - Heat 1: SUPS & Prone, Kayaks (anything 20” wide or more), C-1, C-2, and C-4
8:40AM - Heat 2: OC-6s
9:00AM - Heat 3: Surf Skis, Tandem Surfskis, OC-1s, OC-2s, OC-3s
FLOW of events:
Race day morning will begin just as it has many years before. We’ll gather at Ross’s Landing, have a pre-race safety briefing (7:30 AM) followed by our National Anthem, then Heat 1’s participants will immediately be ushered towards the 2 floating docks (Heat 1 operates exactly the same as previous years).
As the quantity of Heat 1 participants entering the 2 docks gangways diminishes, a Chattajack official will begin diverting remaining Heat 1 participants to 1 floating dock. This will allow the OC-6s to begin using the second floating dock.
Attention OC-6 crews!!
As soon as you come off the floating docks, paddle your OC-6 directly across the breadth of the river to the far side (look at the illustrations below). Promptly paddling across the river ensures your OC-6 vessel will not obstruct the path of Heat 1’s racers. Once your OC-6 has crossed the river please begin paddling up river to where you will stage upstream from Heat 1’s staging zone (see image below). If your OC-6 is flanking Maclellan Island, congrats, you have completed your staging mission.
Heat 1 will finalize alignment beneath the Walnut St. Bridge just as in previous years, the race directors boat will lead the “DRIFT ALIGNMENT” towards the Market Street bridge executing the Heat 1 start with shotgun blast.
Heat 2 - OC-6s, once you hear Heat 1’s shotgun start, please drift into the primary staging area but Do Not Go Beyond Walnut St. Bridge. Remain upstream of Walnut Street bridge, wait for the race director's vessel to return to your staging area (Walnut Street Bridge) to commence alignment and begin Heat 2’s drift alignment & shotgun start.
Heat 3 - Your group will operate exactly as it has in years past, the only difference is the OC-6s are no longer starting within your heat. Simply wait at basecamp for the OC-6s to pass basecamp then make your way to stage for Heat 3’s race start above Walnut St. Bridge.
FOG
Please familiarize yourselves with this 3-Heat action plan. Fog on race morning is always a very real factor. Fog creates huge challenges with communication so the more everyone understands this plan the better.
HOW THE DRIFT START WORKS:
Staging for the race will take place UPSTREAM of the Walnut Street Bridge. ALL RACERS/VESSELS MUST BE ABOVE THE WALNUT STREET BRIDGE.
• Approx 8:26 AM, Racers will be instructed to begin initiating alignment. – Racers begin positioning themselves in alignment to floating toward the Market Street Bridge
• Approx 8:27 AM, Racers will be given the official 3-Minute Warning – Paddlers begin drifting downstream toward the Market Street Bridge (Official CJ Starting Line). No racer shall pass the race official’s boat (Single boat drifting mid river just in front of the race line). The boat will have a P.A. system and will communicate with racers to create alignment. Failure to heed instructions/rushing the line/etc. will result in 15 minute time penalties added to racers individual finishing times.. STAY BEHIND THE BOAT
• Approx 8:29 AM, racers will be provided the official 1-Minute Warning – Continue holding lateral alignment while slowly drifting toward the Market Street Bridge, stay behind race official’s boat.
• 8:30AM - At the sound of the GUN the race begins.
Notes: SUPs - you do not have to stand while staging or maintaining alignment.
Racers may choose to lag behind the front row of alignment if they wish.
Failure to heed instructions/rushing the line/being in front of official start boat at gun start, etc. will result in 15 minute time penalties added to racers individual finishing times. STAY BEHIND THE BOAT.
Footnote for the curious:
Why “Drift Alignment” exists at Chattajack?
The vast majority of the vessels competing in Chattajack have a rudder or fin near their stern making it difficult/impossible for a vessel to maintain a static position in the river while pointing downstream (The river current physics will naturally pull the stern fin to one side or the other causing your vessel to complete a 180 degree turn ending with the vessel pointing upstream). To avoid the headaches of staging vessels jack-knifing, bumping into one another, etc., the simple solution is for staged participants to keep their bow pointing upstream while awaiting the announcement of “drift alignment” to begin. Once drift alignment has begun, the race director's boat will begin to drift downstream with the river current. Racers float downstream queuing themselves in the starting line-up where they choose to be, while paying close attention to not allow their vessel to pass in front of the race directors boat for the gun start. Participant vessels in front of the director’s boat at the time of the gun start will receive 15 minutes added to their finishing time.
Chattajack Rookies
If you've never raced Chattajack before and this seems overwhelming or hard to visualize (it's pretty insane we agree!), no worries, you’re gonna be just fine!! Just get to the Chattajack base camp on Friday with plenty of time to not be rushed and ask a Chattajack veteran to explain what to expect and how these new changes will probably look, we'll also have some banners illustrating/depicting the 3-heat start.
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