The boat and the fleet are fun and family-friendly.

The Arizona Sailing Foundation uses the C14.2 as its primary training boat for new sailors, so lots of people are introduced to it during the Start Sailing Right classes and we're happy to welcome new sailors or people learning how to race.

In fact, if you're an AYC member, you might be able to "adopt" a club boat for the TTL Sunday series.

The Capri 14.2 is a fun, inexpensive little boat that's easy to sail, yet rewards sharp tuning, trimming, and helmsmanship. Built first by Capri, then by Catalina (and now called the Catalina 14.2), there are lots of boats available priced from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

There's also an active national organization based in San Diego, which means you can tow your boat to Mission Bay and play with the big fleet of very friendly people at the Mission Bay Yacht Club.

Many of the people in our fleet are husbands and wives or fathers and children sailing together, so it's truly family-oriented—more than any other fleet in the club.

Here's a short beginner's guide to get started racing on TTL, written by C14.2 fleet racer Mike Ferring (who teaches the Introduction to Racing Class for ASF):

• Sign up to compete using the entry blank or online sign-up you'll find on the racing page. TTL race series begin in September, January, and May, so to catch the series at the start you should sign up about a month in advance.
• Download and read the Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, and the TTL chart. Try to get familiar with the Racing Rules of Sailing —the national and international rules that govern nearly all racing, including ours. I highly recommend Dave Perry's book, Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing (let me know if that link stops working), which begins with a very brief, mostly understandable explanation of the rules intended for people new to racing. Don't worry if all this seems too complicated and confusing because we all think it is too.
• Get to the race course at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start of racing. Sail past the race committee when they're ready and check in, giving them your sail number and fleet. That ensures that they know you're there and that they'll score you. (If you leave before the end of the day of racing, sail by and check out too.)
• When our C14 fleet flag goes up you'll have exactly three minutes to the start. When the blue flag with the white square in the middle goes up it's 2:00. When that flag comes down it's 1:00. When the C14 flag comes down, the race is underway. A horn should accompany each flag change.
• The course will be described by black letters on a white board. Basically there are three directions: north, south, and east, which are shown as N, S, and E. N and S are the two red buoys at the west end of the race course. Occasionally the race committee will place inflated balls as race marks, but they'll tell you that when you check in. Also, if they put a "2" at the end of the letters, you'll go around the course twice. Here's the map of the course.
• At the start you'll sail through the start/finish line adjacent to the committee, heading in the direction of the first race mark. Do not sail back through this line until it's time to finish the race. Leave all the race marks on your port side.
• At first it's best to watch the other racers and do as they do. Measure your speed and direction against theirs. Are you "pointing" as close to the wind as they are? Are you trimmed as they are? Are you going as fast as they are? This is one of the greatest values in racing: learning by measuring your performance against others'.

We race under the national C14.2 rules and the most important one to know about requires a minimum of two people on the crew and a minimum crew weight of 300 pounds. We now allow one person in the boat if you carry enough (secure) ballast to bring the weight of the person-plus-ballast to 300 pounds. The reason we stick to that rule is that a light boat has a tremendous advantage in light air. If you're racing with a child you might also need some ballast to meet the minimum weight.

If you join the national organization you can buy the full book of rules. There aren't that many and we try not to be too picky. As of this writing in 2007 there have been no formal protests in some seven years of racing at TTL. If you foul another boat or a mark, you take your turns. Also, it's wise during warm weather to come armed with a water blaster. You'll see why.