For the first of our club series races, the forecast looked good and the morning time seemed to bear that out with 8-10 mph and clear skies.  However, as "sometimes" happens at Eustis, the scene changed as the 11 a.m. start gun got closer - the wind dropped to 2-4 and the sun beat down on the 20 MCs that came out this weekend.

The starting line for race 1 was tight with almost all right on the line at the gun and many excellent starts.  The right side was favored early on with John Houck (2097) and Len Lesperance (2103) having strong-committee-favored positions and power.  Len was the early leader, going out on a long starboard line before coming back in pressure and a lift.  Pomerleau (2367) - who was relegated to 2nd row on the start, used a forced-right-hand tack to catch up to Len.  A bit behind him was David Moring (2188) who had realized his mistake of being left on the starting line and moved back center-right connecting the pressure dots to the windward mark and getting by Jon in the last 100 yards.  The rest of the fleet got caught in holes and it quickly became a 3-way race for the lead.   Jibing downwind and staying in the smaller lines of wind was critical here, and David used those lines to get past Len and take the lead going around the leeward mark.  In the meantime, Jon used his usual superior boat speed to catch Len, but could not quite get him at the end.  With the wind too light to consider a 2nd race, the fleet went in for the day to discuss speed and tactics for those conditions over some beverages.

Sunday was forecast to be lighter, but as with the forecast of the previous weekend, that did not end up being the case!  A glass surface at 7 a.m. turned to an 8 mph wind by 9:30; though it would lighten up to 2-6 by race-time, it was enough to get the 2nd and 3rd races of the season off.  Race #2 saw another strong starting line with June Howells (2307) over-early and the rest of the fleet tight with some having again to take the 2nd row.  Jon took off the starting line low with great speed.  Though the left looked empty of wind, Jon took advantage of the unseen pressure and a lefty almost to the port layline  cranking out a 200+ yard lead.  Those who went right also faired pretty well overall - it was death to go up the center - and  a gaggle of 5 boats rounded way behind Jon and started down.  Lighter winds allowed the gaggle to slowly close some distance on Jon with David passing a couple to get into 2nd though it was still anyone's race for that position.  Back up the 2nd weather leg Jon got low on the starboard (favored) layline allowing David, Scott Tillema (2107 - who had bounced off the left corner and regained 3rd position), Dave Leather (2316), and John Houck (2097) to get some more closure on him, but he still had a clear lead going into the last mark.  Downwind now, David separated from the others on a light wind-line a bit up on the left (facing downwind side) while Scott went WAY to far left and got hung out to dry (finishing 13th!).  Again the wind favored the behind-boat and David closed Jon to around 3 boat-lengths.  A puff of wind began on the left again way out, and Jon chose that moment to jibe away to the right while David took his stern and went left to the ripples.  The bet paid off and the shortened course meant that Jon would not have an opportunity to make up the loss.

Race #3 saw the same tight starting line - Fleet 4 is really getting competitive here!  The wind had picked back up and the right was favored, which Robert Newland (1977) and Geoff Moehl (2412) took advantage of to easily round in 1st and 2nd respectively, while the middle and left did less well.  Coming downwind, Robert went too low avoiding the left (again facing downwind) wind line and allowing Geoff and David (who came up the middle and rounded 3rd) to get by him.  Geoff was playing with his sail trying tighter outhaul and cunningham in the light conditions, but it clearly didn't work as David went by him before the run was half-way over.  Rounding again the right looked favored, but in the lead, David worked center-right to cover those (Geoff and Jon Pomerleau in 4th) who were still a bit left.  In the meantime, Greg Murphy (2470) showed his multi-year MC Fleet Champion pedigree by going out on the right-layline with Richard Kinnie (1919) and overtaking all but David at the windward mark!  Again downwind, Richard went very low eshewing the trend of the wind line up on the left, but did not suffer for it gaining a bit on David and Greg.  At the finish, it wasn't over yet!  David had about a 3-boat-length lead when his boom tapped the committee boat.  Immediately throwing the boat into a 360 before his bow hit the line (and he'd have to go around and refinish) and backwinding at the precise momemnt of head-to-wind to then push his bow over the line, he beat Greg Murphy by less-than 3 feet!

Overall, the lessons out the weekend were this:
1) Upwind, committing to a side early - then sliding back in was a good idea.
2) The breeze lines were generally indicative of good winds but not always - clouds and the trees made this largely a guessing game and you couldn't be married to one plan of attack.
3) Starting well is now a must!  There is a clear first and second row and you've got to come off the line with speed to stay in position and not get spit out the back.
4) In the lighter wind with the other fleets generally slower, you have to think way ahead and try to use the other boats to tactical advantage or at least avoid the tactical disadvantage.
5) Oversheeting and overpointing can be a real drain on speed - especially when the wind is from the S and SSW since even in ghosting conditions, the "waves" are higher than from the E and ENE.
6) Trim your particular style of sail to the conditions.  No cunningham or vang ever (!) upwind and just barely snug the vang downwind to prevent sail deformation in a puff.  For ZMax's/LM's more tension on the outhaul may be right, while the AP-style should have just enough outhaul so the "tape" doesn't wrinkle.

Want to add to these lessons?  Register on the site and post a comment to this post!  Or better yet, write your own look on the weekend and send to me and I'll post it! 

Looking forward to 10 days from now for Weekend #2 of the 2008-2009 season!

Wow - quite a bit of time since I wrote the last recap, but here is the one from our season opener on Labor Day 2008:

Our Labor Day opener promised to be a great one with 21 boats arriving Saturday morning.  Winds were around 8 knots with few clouds in the sky - though rain was forecast for later that day.  By 10 o'clock, most of the  MC's were out reveling in the new season and the glorious wind, but mother nature had other plans.  With 20 minutes to the first gun, low ominous thunder could be heard to the east and a first hint of the large cloud towers on the horizon.  The RC wisely chose to wait this one out and we sat on the beach for what looked like a single line.  However, each storm lined up behind the other and by 1:00 p.m. it was obvious there would be no let-up to the rain.

Sunday brought the promise of more and that put off many from coming.  What a shame for those who did NOT attend though - the forecast was wrong again, and 12-20 was the order of the day with lots of sun.  Only 9 MC's started the weekend with John Houck (2097) one of the few without crew and the first of several to flip in the breeze.  Race #1 went off and Scott Tillema (2107) grabbed the left-side corner and rode it up on successive beats to win by a comfortable margin.  Dave Moorhouse (2074) led for some of this race but chose poorly on a couple of shifts and held off David Moring (2188) by a half-a-boat length to finish 2nd.  Richard Kinnie (1919) went over and decided to head for home.

Race 2 was more of the same, providing a spectacular windward-broach flip by Don Fancher and crew Jennifer Burno.  This time David Moring chose the left and was rewarded early-on.  A couple of feints by Dave Moorhouse and Scott gained some ground but it was lost as they drove each other out to the right side of the course to finish 2-3 respectively.

The wind and weather conditions had a bit of everything!  Rain and thunder on Saturday morning led to the cancellation of "official" racing, but it had cleared by 11:30 so 8+ MC's went out for some practice racing with David (2188) running the short 15-22 minute courses.  Tim (2353) showed his prowess in the 3-7 mph conditions with multiple wins and was always up front or getting there quickly.  Jon (2367) also was strong in the light-to-medium.  This was perfect for some practice on the starting line.

Sunday dawned with a fog/mist and no wind.  Winds were non-existent at race-time but this time, Dave Williams held out and so did Scott's "Eustis Theory" (no wind at dawn - good wind later); by 11:30 a 4-8 mph wind had covered the lake and we were off to the races!  16 patient people were on the line for Race 1 quickly turned into a 3-way battle between Jon (2367), David (2188), and Andy Fox sailing Scott's 2107.  The wind died a bit allowing David to just get by Jon at the last weather mark and strengthen the lead downwind, but Jon dodged left rounding the last weather mark and found a wind line to beat the others, while David led the way in from the right side to finish 2nd.

Between races the wind was oscillating through 60 degress and Dave Williams valiantly tried to place the marks, getting the second start off 30-45 minutes after the first one.  However, the wind had 2 more tricks up its sleeve.  A hard right shift on the first beat put Jim (2303), David (2188), and Scott (2107) to the advantage up on the new right-layline.  It went puffed many times and went back left once or twice after that allowing the fleet to bunch up at the windward and again at the leeward marks, where David had the inside and came out of the carnage with a small lead.  However, looking up the course there was a shocking sight... white-caps coming in from the right!  A quick tack for the "righties" and another shift to the NW had them tight-reaching into the last windward mark (Bull in 2223 was loose-reaching!) with David in a comfortable lead.  The wind continued to build to an astonishing 12-18 and the shift held so it was a sleigh-ride down to the last leeward mark with Andy showing his laser pedigree to move from the middle of the fleet down to the top 5.  Most of the fleet continued some boat lengths after the mark before tacking for another tight-reach with vang-on/cunnigham-on/board-1/4-up/and traveler down and a quick finish to this race.  However, a quick-and savvy tack at the leeward mark put Andy in second-or-third beating up below the fleet.  However, Lee (2201) held off Scott (2107) and managed to make the run down for second place just beating Andy who did a beautiful flip right at the finish line.

More to come this weekend so come on and sail the last weekend before Midwinters!

The GWB just concluded and again LESC Fleet 4 showed that we can be competitive!  "Local" star Scott Tillema (2107) took home the 3rd place trophy with extraordinary consistency in the widely ranging conditions from 1-15.  His light-air prowess showed his new Eustis pedigree was a pleasure to see as he took the right chances and posted a solid 11-3-6-4-3!  Rob Terry (CLYC - MI) sailing local MC 2188 was the "amateur" star of the weekend posting excellent scores in the light conditions and took on crew in the 8-15 in races 3-5 to finish 2nd overall just 2 points behind Jamie Kimball (Melges - 2359) who (suprise everyone!) won the 34-boat MC Class.  

The next LESC member was David Moring (sailing Don Fancher's 2440) who was shaping up for a top 3 finish also, but faded horribly in the 4th and 5th races to finish 7th overall.  Bob Cole (2350) was next in 8th with VERY consistent finishes in light or medium wind, and Skip Moorhouse in his new boat (!) 2407 rounded out the top 10 for LESC / Fleet 4.  That's 4 out of the top 10 from our group!  

Other notables include Dave Johnson (2100) posting his first top 10% finish in a major regatta with a 3rd place in race #1, Dave Moorhouse who shook off Saturday to take a 2nd place in Race #4.

Special thanks to Ray Laguna who chaired the record 110+ boat regatta, and to all of the PRO's, racing staff, and shoreside volunteers who made this seem so smooth and simple.  Martin Zonneberg (2270) seemed everywhere to snap the pictures and John Houck (2097) and June Howells (2307) both were critical for registration, scoring, and support.

Taken together, we had a top 5 boat in every race of the regatta and more than 1 in several.  Of course, I don't need to tell you that all of the finishers who did this are out at almost all of our weekend races, so....... the moral of the story?  You MUST sail to improve!

Below are some thoughts from GWB 2nd Place finisher Dr. Rob Terry on light-air sailing.  Terry is a regular on the E Scow circuit and has won several titles in that Class - I believe he is the current Michigan E Scow Champ.  Known as a "feel" sailor, rather than a technician, his instincts paid dividends in the ghosting conditions:

* On the beat.  Sail trim loose, loose, loose.  Speed, speed,
  speed.  The puffs were almost stationary, so you had to maintain
  enough speed to get to the next breeze.  Minimize the number of
  tacks to maintain speed.  Only tack to get to much better
  pressure.  One or two carefully chosen tacks before reaching the
  windward mark worked well Saturday.
* On the run.  Again, the puffs were moving very slowly, if at all,
  so you had to look forward for breeze to sail into as much as
  looking back for breeze coming down the lake.  You needed a nice
  roll-jibe to not lose speed when jibing toward better air.
* Equipment.  Borrow Dave Moring's boat.  Super-fast.

We missed Sunday's racing due to 20+ knot winds, but if Saturday was any guide, Moorhouse (2074) would have lifted off the water and flew to the marks.  His boatspeed was exceptional Saturday in the gusty 8-14 knot conditions and he banged the start each time; no one could keep up in a straight line and he made few-to-no tactical errors.   Lee Sayler (2201) also had a rock-solid performance over the day with a 3-1, and Jon Pomerleau followed him into 3rd for the day with a few tactical errors, but very solid speed.

It was all about speed; with 17 boats on the line and a left-favored course, getting out fast was the key. Medium gusts made you have to lock in to a fast position used a fair amount of vang/cunningham.  Moorhouse, Sayler and Pomerleau all did this as as the gusts hit, they would squirt forward measurably.

RESULTS HERE!

Most of Saturday was solid breeze with good puffs that had people working their controls.  C Scow Champion Tim Krech visited for the day and, borrowing Scott's (2107) boat, he put up the best and most consistent results, sailing lower, faster and flatter than most.  David Moorhouse (2074), a fixture at the front of the fleet whenever the wind is blowing, was also very consistent with 3 and 3.  Current Fleet Leader Jon Pomerleau (2367) saw both ends of the fleet (again) on Saturday, being at one point in DFL in the last race, but used his superior speed in these conditions to post 2 and 4.

Light air prevailed Sunday and David Moring (2188) quickly reminded everyone why he is the champ.  Only Dave Johnson (2100) could consistently rival his speed and height (no, not that kind of height!).  Despite Moring's prowess on the course, it was his boat handling in the pre-start that saved his weekend series.  At the start of the final race, Geoff Moehl (2412) was setting up to either be over early or get buried and was going to bring Moring over too.  He "fought" back by not going one-on-one, but by hitting the brakes by turning into the wind, pushing his boom out and backing his sail until he was clear of the pending disaster.  He then quickly reset and headed off the line in a clear lane.  In what turned out to be a shortened, one-lap drifter, any lose-lose mess in the starting area would have been fatal for Moring.  Everyone should have this kind of move in their arsenal.

JON ON WHAT WORKED SATURDAY:  Not fighting the boat.  In the stronger breeze and flat water conditions, it was a flatter sail set for speed rather than power.  Depending on your weight and sail design, this probably meant a firm outhaul and using controls the majority of the time, including using them more aggressively when the puffs were about to hit.  The goal in working a puff is not simply to avoid tipping over, but to also accelerate the MC.  If you have not tugged on the controls sufficiently to keep the sail flat and avoid being overpowered, you are just as likely to stall the boat.  If you are working your mainsheet (most common technique) in these puffs, you need to apply enough vang to match the strength of the approaching puff so your sail can be eased laterally without substantially changing shape (remaining pretty flat). That allows you to accelerate on your current heading or even drive down slightly for ultimate speed, before using that speed to come back up and point.  Easing the sheet without enough vang lets the boom lift upward significantly when you ease, creating a rounded, rather than flat, sail.  This often leads to over-healing, a need to luff a portion of the sail and/or feathering the boat into the wind.  While this can work in a displacement keelboat that is "speed limited", this is slow in a scow.  It is also just as important to remember to ease your controls when exiting the puffs.  Practice with your controls in these conditions until you can *feel* the boat accelerating while maintaining consistent heel and then easing controls again to gear back up and maintain heel on the back of the puff.

DAVID ON WHAT WORKED SUNDAY:  While I always harp on pressure and direction in these conditions, I want to talk about speed; when coming out of a tack or at the start, a light mainsheet is critical.  This allows the main to set up a deeper, more "natural" draft (though don't undersheet!).  Then as speed build give that sheet a few tugs until the leech tales are just barely "licking" behind the sail - the airflow is set and should be allowed to separate at entrance and reattach once it leaves the sail.  If you are using a (Quantum) Light-Medium or a (North) Z-Max, leave your outhaul at medium and tighten it as you accelerat (experience in watching Jamie and Zack has shown that the outhauls for these sails in light air should be generally tighter than you would think!), while the AP/ZAP should not really be touched. Healing the boat more in these conditions is fast - especially when you have enough air to pinch on occasion.  Combined with real roll-tacking, you should be able to escape and accelerate many situations upwind.  Downwind a just snug vang is necessary (but NO pressure)!  This is similar to the reason Jon notes above about upwind in medium conditions - when a puff hits, you do not want it to use its energy push the sail out of shape, but rather forward.  In any kind of air, the proper amount of vang should be seen when the leach between the battens start to move just a bit fore-and-aft "gently waving like a butterfly".

Saturday was a beautiful yet challenging day with a fickle breeze out of the club that took you from snugging the vang to sitting on the low side.

The wind went left in the pre-start of the first race, bringing the customary gaggle of competitors to the port end.  While the whole group got pinned into the header by a nameless and unmerciful soul, Geoff  Moehl (2416) wisely started in the middle with space and quickly switched to the favored port tack, never to be seen again.  He led at the first mark by a minute or so with only [Cliff Trent (830) or Dennis Oldham (881)? ] in the same zip code.  David Leather (2316) had a brilliant downwind leg as he went wide to find pressure and passed everyone but Geoff.  Despite attempting to spear the windward mark with his boom, Jon Pomerleau (2367) was able to find his way to a familiar third.

The wind was left again at the second start but Jon was able to get out at the pin end and port tack the fleet.  Don Fancher (2440) and David L.  put on a great battle as they pursued.  There was a big righty as the leaders rounded the final leeward mark.  Don tacked onto the lift first with Jon flopping shortly after.  David L. sailed deeper into it as if it would persist before going onto starboard as well.  Things got a little interesting as the breeze went another 20 degrees right and David L. gained significantly.  Jon was able to catch a 60 degree shift back to the left at the top of the course, making for nearly a straight line beat and allowing him to extend while David L. got by Don in another nice effort.

This was a day when the shifts were important, but sailing to the pressure was equally significant, as you could see some people in the straps while others were down in the boat trying to work out of an ugly hole.

[Ed note: HUGE THANKS to Jon Pomerleau for writing this!  It takes more than a bit of time and situational awareness to write these.  Want to write a recap?  Please do and send it to me for posting!]

Last weekend, Len Lesperance(1684), John (2097), and Jim (2303) all came out to win - when the dust (and a squall apparently that flipped more than its share of boats) cleared, Len took the weekend for a 2nd time with John edging Jim out by 1 point! 

Special thanks to David Leather (2316) for being the PRO as he spelled Dave Williams for a weekend and to our safety boat staff: Kevin (1853) and Dennis (881)!   Let's not forget that we have safety boat duty on every-other weekend, so be sure to contact David Leather to coordinate the best weekend for you.

Len had a "rough" first race coming out in 5th while Jim and John posted a 1 & 2 respectively - Ed Sims (1372) who came out of retirement last weekend doubled his previous-year's attendance with his 2nd weekend and had a 3rd place is this race.  Race 2 saw John loving his newer MC and having it reciprocated to take the bullet, followed by Jim and Jon Pomerleau (2367).  Jon's 1st race killed him with an 8th but he would go on to solidify his 5th place with nothing-but-thirds for the rest of the weekend (really a 4th-on-the-water since Dave Leather got 3rds for his PRO work).

Len evidently ate his wheaties and had his morning coffee, because he came out Sunday and promptly won the first race.  John took a 5th in the 3rd race of the weekend to see his lead over Jim lost as Jim rode to the finish line in 2nd and a 1-point lead for the weekend while John was tied with Len.  Whether they knew it or not, 1st-through-3rd places would be determined in the last race!  Len's strong breakfast (or whatever he's doing now'a'days - we'll find out from him and post!) continued as he again posted a bullet, while John recovered his mojo and finished 2nd.  Jim still finished well, but he would have needed a 1st to win or a 3rd to tie with John - he got a 4th....

Newcomer Bob Burns (829) tried out his new purchase and Jeff Hoffmaster borrowed Richard's (1919) MC for a test-sail and race.  It was reported they were smiling after, so we hope to have 2 more hopelessly-addicted MC Sailors!

The 4th race was almost a disaster as the threat of a local thunderstorm grew greater and finally struck.  Ahead of the storm, huge winds (20+ was one figure I've heard) blasted out ahead of it and flipped every Flying Scot and a couple of MCs.  Coming on the heels of Thursday's Eustis tornado, it must have been a relief for everyone to see the dock and shore again.  No one was injured and, while a few boats got an "LE special wash", all made it back safe.