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Recaps
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| Weekend Recap for January 30th & 31st by Scott Tillema (2107) - Wednesday, February 10, 2010 Welcome to warm and sunny Florida where you do not have to worry about shoveling your driveway to get out of the house. So we asked this weekend, where is the sun and warm weather? Saturday's weather forecast was calling for high winds (15 mph w/ gust of 20mph) and good chance of rain showers. As I changed my good sail (saving it for next weekend's big regatta) and put on the worn out sail, I keep asking myself when will the wind pick up that the weather-person calls for?
Going out 40 minutes before the start to practice, the wind was blowing about 10 mph from the South (compass reading 190 degrees) and a few light rain drops were falling. Beating upwind at this time, the waves from the wind was going to be a repeat factor, reminding oneself of last club racing weekend where you have to concentrate on driving thru the waves with out losing your speed. Well, the forecast turned out to be WRONG! At the starting time, the wind had died down to max of 4 mph and the lake became flat.
First race we had 15 boats on the starting line. Only 11 boats were in correct position behind the line at the gun. The skippers knew that the start was the key to the race as clean air was going to be the speed factor to get in front with the dying wind. Don Fancher who started at the committee boat, waited five seconds behind got a clean lane onto the right side of the course to get first honors at the windward mark. Andy Fox who started at the middle of the line, worked his boat with speed not pinching, two tacked the upwind beat to follow Don Fancher in second place. Down wind was slow sailing as you had to keep VMG to the east side of the course with the wind trying to fill in from the west. The leeward mark rounding became the critical and deciding factor of the sailing race. The top two boats, Don and Andy immediately tacked onto starboard as being the correct lift to sail. The next boats Dave Moorhouse and Mike Baldacchino both stayed/ sailed on port tack, sailing away from the mark. But for Dave and Mike, the wind filled in from the west and gave them both a bigger lift on starboard to sail into the lead at the windward mark. From that point on, Dave Moorhouse would stay in the lead as he cruised downwind for the finish with Mike following. What happed to Andy and Don? They were stuck on the left side of the course with the west wind shift and fell back to the middle of the fleet and never recovered.
When you thought the winds couldn't be any lighter for the day, for the second race the top wind speed was 2 ½ mph at the start and we would not see any wind increase. At the finish the wind speed was about 1 (yes, one) mph. You ask, How can you sail in such a light, light wind? That is one of the great advantages to be sailing at Lake Eustis. During the entire sail time, only one power boat was seen on the lake. There was absolutely no boat waves to slow you down so once you got the MC moving in the 2pmh breeze, keep the boat moving and don't tack unless required.
At the second start, I was thinking with a few other skippers, since the right side was favored big time for the last race, then I should go to the right side. WRONG, as Dave Moring was to say afterworlds, “the sea has no memories”. As I was stuck bobbing along on the right side of the course, Andy Fox was speeding away to the left side and would use that tack to lead the race and finish the drifting race in first place. The race was a drifter but at least the boats were moving (slowly) the entire time and proved to be the last race for the weekend.
Sunday's morning weather start out with the high of 59 degrees and would drop to 49 degrees at 11 am. The sailing fleet headed out to the race course but the winds continued to build and at starting time a gusts of 23 mph was recored. Dave Williams, PRO, didn't have any hesitation in abanding the race day and sending everyone home. That was a good call with these factors in mind- wind continue to increase in strenght, every three minutes the wind would shifted 20 degree and air temperature was dropping.
Next weekend is the MC Train Wreck regatta at Eustis Sailing Club. The regatta currently has 41 MC boats signed up and hoping to have over 50 on the line. This regatta is a great tune-up regatta for the upcoming MC mid-winter's in March which 80 boats attended last year.
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| Weekend Recap for 1/16 & 11/17: By Scott Tillema - Sunday, January 17, 2010 You thought you were in shape? This weekend was an example of how quickly you forget your out of shape and the Holidays didn't help. It is time to get the training program back into full swing, again.
This was a weekend were a crew was needed. The top three boats on Saturday took crews. Andy Fox (1345) with a 1 & 2 had a combined weight of 280. Dave Moring (2510), placing 2 & 3, had a combined weight of 310. Robert “two bullet Bobby” Newland (1977), strong showing of 3 & 1, had combined with of 290. And Dave Johnson (2100), 6th and 5th, combined weight of 300. Did a crew really make that much difference? Yes, it did. The wind was blowing 12 mph from the South East (straight from downtown Eustis). There wasn't much wave/ chop action on Saturday but for the singlehand sailors they were hiking the full time sailing. With the additional crew weight, the MC boat pushed out ahead one foot on each puff making the difference of two boat lengths in front at the windward mark. The crews didn't slow the boat downwind at all. The downwind run was were Robert “Bullet Bobby” Newland passed Andy Fox by sailing lower on the course. Both races had the entire fleet close together were the first place boat only finishing approximately one minute ahead of the last place boat! Saturday's temperature was high of 74 degrees with sunny skies.
Sunday racing saw only 9 boats from the previous 17 from Saturday. Nobody took a crew but all were thinking that would have loved to had on on board. The winds had shifted to the South-West and started at 14 mph and continued to build. The main factor with Sunday's racing was the large waves. The waves were about 2 feet tall with power. The waves had traveled the length of the lake (approximately 4miles) before they got to the race course area. First race was manageable with the winds and waves but the second race became a handful as the winds were in the 19mph range with gusts of 21.5mph. I believe every MC nose dived going downwind at one time. It was hard to steer the boat and not get the nose caught into a wave. Craig Eaton (2331) took home the honors wining both races. Two seconds went to Scott Tillema (2107), Don Fancher (2440) finishing 3rd & 5th and Mike Baldachino (2220) 5th and 3rd. Overall Sunday's racing was good for us to experience those difficult conditions of wind & waves in which all of us defiantly improved our sailing skills.
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| Weekend Recap by Scott Tillema (2107) - Monday, January 04, 2010
What a way to start the New Year, 2010! First club racing weekend at Eustis Sailing Club brought out the fun sailing for all participants. We had 12 MC's on the line saturday and that number was low because Monty Stamper and Ray Walker were pressed into crew positions onto the Flying Scot Boats.
The weather didn't stop the MC's from sailing but it shure made you want to dresss properly, Saturday's low was 39 degress at 7:42 am with a high of 58 degress at 3:11pm and the winds average of 10.8 mph with max gust reading of 25mph from the NW. Sundays temperature were overall lower with a high of 47 degrees at 12:34pm with the low of 36 degrees at 6:47am and wind average of 8.1mph, max high gust of 15 from the NW. Overall we had 19 different boats out racing this past weekend.
The first race of the year was won by guest skipper, current M-17 National Champs, Sean Fidler (with wife Tiffany as crew). He came off of the starting line fast and worked/ laddered his way to the left side of the course finding the westerly puffs. Scott Tillema 2107 was a close second who came from the far right corner (sailing closest to the club) were he had to sail further but was in stronger breeze to be in close behind Sean. A funny thing happened on the way down wind. Scott had his vang on hard and was healing the boat up to windward downwind were all of a sudden a rouge easterly puff automatically gybed catching Scott off guard and trapping him underneath the boat as it was now beginning to capsize. Everybody saw the boat tipping over as the boat mast was inches away from hitting the water and were all ready to help rescue him out of the cold water. Somehow by a miracle, a big puff of wind switched backed to the west righted the boat and he continued on. Fast sailing on the second upwind (and rest of the day) was done by staying out of the middle of the course. There was a stronger breeze to the right side but had to wait patiently for a wind shift to sail on starboard course were on the right side of the course was sailed on port tack with the lifts coming in form the west. The hard part about sailing the left side was that the first tack on starboard made you sail further away from the mark but you had to commit to get the latter gains on port.
Second Race was won by Scott Tillema 2107. Scott had a decent start starting at the pin end of the line next to Dave Moring. Both Dave and Scott stayed on starboard tack sailing to the port side of the course. The Fleet was split with the boats going to the left or right corners, staying out of the middle. Tim Krech, ILYA C Fleet Champion and Bull Schmitz son-in law) was the leader on the right side of the course followed by Sean and at the first windward mark the boats all met up together and were inches apart downwind. The next two upwind legs were sailed in a “ladder” progression, sailing on lifted port tack from the mark and then taking to starboard on any wind volocity change of favored shift. Scott Tillema gained the lead by sailing the longest onto port and found a lucky wind shift to be in control. Dave and Tim got into a taking duel with Dave coming in second place. Tim finished third and Sean finished fourth in which at the end he sailied back to the right side (close to the sailclub) for another lucky puff which didn't come.
Sunday's Race #1 had Dave Moring coming out of the blocks on fire, thanks to Phil Ecklund's pep talk on shore. Dave sailed to the left side of the course and tacked onto port with a beautiful west wind shift that sailed him straight to the windward mark, leaving everybody below him still taking for the mark. Tim Krech and Robert Newland sailed the best downwind and finished 2nd and 3rd.
Sunday's Race #2 at the start, everybody was trying to figure out which side of the line to start. Was it port tack favored at the pin end or clean air at the committee boat? The winds were not cooperating and were shifting every 45 seconds. The answer was just to get off the line with clean air and nobody around you. That is what Jon Pomerleau finishing 1st and Ray Walker finishing 2nd did. After the start they both got out into the lead and picked and chose there favorite wind line to sail the course on while the previous leaders were in the back trying to pick shifts and clean air. Again the winds were favored from the west (left side of course) as it turned into a huge port lift into the windward mark.
One side note on race #4, Bull Schimdt finishes ahead of his son-in-law. Next time he will be sailing with his new (Christmas present) helmit camera backwards so he can capture the moment. See you at the next club weekend, January 16th and 17th.
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Most Recent Recap from Jon Pomerleau (2367)
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What a great weekend for sailing! As predicted, pleasant temperatures
and winds 8-14 mph from the SSE prevailed Saturday. Race 1 started with
a port favored line and strong pressure up the left side of the course.
Jon Pomerleau(02367) and David Moring (2188) started near the pin and got the advantage on
the fleet. Jon sailed into the solid pressure then tacked onto the port
lift. DM continued on, digging deeper into the good breeze with Andy
Fox (1343) in pursuit. Scott Tillema (2107) started closer to the starboard end
of the line and was the first one to tack onto the lift, taking a nice
angle up the right, though a little less breeze. About two thirds of
the way up the course, Jon was sliding out of the left side pressure and
had a decision to make. He could tack back to starboard to catch the
last of the breeze from the left or continue on the lifted tack in
lighter breeze with some distant pressure coming from well beyond the
windward mark. He stayed patient on the lift, in pursuit of the new
breeze well ahead. Scott tacked in from the right and looked good
coming to the mark in moderate pressure. Jon sailed beyond the layline
to reach the big pressure coming down from the right, then tacked and
reached in to the mark on a high-speed plane with a comfortable lead.
Scott was the only other boat in the neighborhood. Scott did a great
job of sailing fast and handling his boat as he made the two-boat race
close at the finish.
Jon missed race 2 while tending to kids, but got to see an extremely
tight pack at the first mark, with DM leading and Scott hot on his
heels. Another great effort in the windy conditions earned Scott the
bullet in the end.
What Worked: The waves were small for the amount of breeze, so there
was not much resistance moving through the water. Whether you had the
weight or not, a flat sail set for speed was the ticket, rather than a
rounded, powered-up sail. If you were able to ease and accelerate in
the puffs, there were some real opportunities to take that speed up and
point a bit, which does not happen too often in the MC.
We left the dock Sunday in 15 mph from the south, though the breeze
settled down to 9-13 mph by the start of Race 3. Again, there was a big
shot of breeze coming at the pin end of the line, then a large, solid
line coming down the right side of the course farther up. DM and Jon
started near the pin, hoping to catch the early breeze and then cross
the fleet back to the line on the right. The puff on the left didn't
last long and they found themselves pinned by the windward boats. Scott
got onto port early and reached the right first, quickly pulling away
from the fleet. Geoff Moehl (2412) gave chase and Andy got back into it
with a nice downwind leg, staying in the breeze and on the headed tack
better than anyone. Scott had a nice win while Jon slipped ahead of Andy
and Geoff off a right shift near the finish.
The wind got unstable and started to die down for Race 4. DM looked
good up the middle early, then Jon up the left-middle later, then
eventually Andy came in from the left on a beautiful port lift to round
nicely ahead at the first mark. The breeze got lighter and the sailors
found themselves in the boat or under the boom at times. Scott did a
great job of getting back into the race, then lost to his inner demons
as he gambled his way out of the lead group. Andy led Jon and DM up the
final leg, hugging the left side while DM worked middle left and Jon
eventually worked out to the right toward the top of the beat. With
some new wind from the right as the boats approached the finish, it was
very tight with Andy holding on to edge Jon and DM as they all finished
within a boat length or so. Great racing in challenging conditions.
What Worked: When the breeze started to die in Race 4, some lumpy
conditions remained. You had to ease things off and power up to drive
through the slop. If you sheeted hard and tried to point, you got killed.
Staying with the competition when it looked like they were going the
right way, rather than splitting in hopes of getting lucky. Wait until
you see a credible opportunity to make a gain before you split. You
might still lose, but make sure you had a good reason to make your move.
Perhaps the most important note on the weekend was how far the leaders
were willing to look upwind as they planned their beat. They had to
have an idea where they needed to be 5-10 minutes in advance, which was
often sailing toward breeze that had not even made its way down to the
course yet. If you are simply reacting to the breeze when it hits your
sails, or looking a short distance up the course, you will find it
difficult to have consistently good results, especially if the wind is
unstable.
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MC Fleet 4 Recaps
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Author: |
Fleet 4 Administrator |
Created: |
5/30/2007 6:57 AM |
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Racing and Event Recaps for MC Scow Fleet 4 |
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Weekend 6 Recap - By Jon Pomerleau (2367) & David Moring (2188) |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
12/5/2007 9:28 PM
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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".
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Varying winds keep the Fleet on its Toes (by Jon Pomerleau - 2367) |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
10/17/2007 6:13 AM
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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!]
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LESC Club Racing - Series #1 Races bring Experienced Faces to the Front of the Fleet! |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
9/29/2007 6:59 AM
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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.
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Weekend #2 - 2nd Annual MC Match Racing a Success! |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
7/16/2007 11:26 AM
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For those of you who could not make this year's match racing, you missed a treat! With winds 3-10 and 90% high-side/hiking, the weather worked out perfectly. The early starting times (10 AM Saturday and 9:30 Sunday) meant that the wall of thunderstorms materialized each day and didn't even come close until we were wrapping up (and in fact dissapated so much before they arrrived that we got a light rain Saturday afternoon and nothing Sunday).
We were much better organized this time with the rules specialized for the match racing format and David Leather (2316) did a PERFECT job managing the round-robin format setting the exact-right course size 2 laps/downwind finishes, 18-27 minute races. Additionally, David's research into the round-robin format allowed each person to race every other once over the 2 days.
Dave Johnson (2100) showed the speed and smarts to have a perfect first day. His tacks were good and his drag-racing speed upwind was truly excellent. Yours truly (2188) also went undefeated. Special note goes to June (2307), Candy (1773), and Richard (1919) who got better and better as they raced the first 3 races, and Alejandro (1261) FINALLY brought out his "reburbed-like-new" MC and did MUCH better after a year hiatus in the Lasers.
Sunday saw the wind/weather forecast largely unchanged. Candi showed her learning-curve by matching Scott Tillema's (2107) speed upwind and exceeding it downwind to win that match. Richard decided that his match with DM was the perfect time to try out his speedier side. A right-handed shift halfway up the first leg brought him back from the grave and he would stay 15 seconds or so behind for the whole rest of the race.
Going into the 6th race, it looked like it would be a preview of the Finals. DJ and DM both were 5-0 on the weekend and, barring disaster, were going to re-meet. DJ came of the line about 30 seconds late to which DM responded by waiting for him - almost a mistake! At the 1st leeward mark a hole and a wind-shift put DM down on the course with DJ rounding as it went back to the right and put him up on DM's hip. DJ showed amazing speed in the largely UNshifting winds (yes, folks it was a steady direction at Eustis!), and bested DM on several tacks forcing him to tack away. However, DM also had some bursts of speed that enable him to keep ahead and win the matchup. A win on both of our parts for the 7th-and-final race of the Round-Robins guaranteed a rematch in the final!
DM won the start of the Final, but again DJ's speed paid off. A quick tack to port put DJ out in front and to leeward and the first-cross was going to be clearly his. Sensing the speed differntial DM tacked off to a perceived puff, this time leading and to leeward of DJ - a reversal of position! DM locked into the puff with excellent heel and trim and motored out to a 5 boat-length lead which he would maintain to win the match and the weekend.
Lots of lessons this weekend: 1) DON'T PINCH IN THE LIGHT STUFF! Many of the competitors won the starts this weekend, but lost the match largely due to trying to point too high. When the wind is 5-6 or below, YOU MUST GET THE BOAT MOVING AND GET FLOW OVER THE BOARDS. This can be exceptionally difficult in match racing conditions where you opponent is a boat-length away or less. In such a case (unless there is a clear shift ahead), tack away and drive the boat on your terms. 2) For short course racing, 18-25 minutes is the perfect length for a course. This allows a bad start or incorrect decision to be remedied for the behind-boat, but does not become interminable. This is perfect for the shorter-course-more-races format because it allows more starts, mark roundings, etc. without taking away from the advantages/learning a longer course provides. 3) For most of the fleet, the one-on-one seemed to vastly improve their sailing style. Taking away the larger fleet decision-making and allowing each to concentrate on one other person and making the boat go fast (of course, few ahifts helped this also) seemed to bring out the best and allow for a more focused sailing and learning.
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Crystal Lake MC Fleet Racing (contributed by Jon Pomerleau - 2367) |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
7/3/2007 9:35 AM
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I finally got some fleet racing started in the MC this past weekend. Interesting to say the least. The morning conditions can be pretty crazy as the wind hasn't figured out what it is going to do for the day.
After lengthy postponements and resetting of the course we started in a light breeze Saturday. On the first leg the wind went 50 degrees right and quickly went to 15 mph. You know which side of the course I was on as I finished 9th out of 15!
While the weather was goofy again Sunday my results were better. With a good breeze and waves I put Pearce on. After postponing, resetting, etc... the wind went 3-6. I could not dump Pearce, but he got on the low side and we did our best DM imitation. We picked the shifts, we dodged the holes, we rolled the boat together and ended up with a 2
despite the load (more on a pending conflict).
The breeze settled to a nice 8-10 for the second race. I started at the pin, found a lefty, ducked a few boats and never saw them again. A couple of boats did a Scott T. corner on the final beat while I was covering 3 competitors. They nipped me as I got a solid 3. The previous race was a downwind finish where I intentionally worked outside a pack of boats heading for the finish and then came in at the mark on the left side of the course (looking upwind). Another competitor flopped onto starboard right near the mark. My understanding was that passing or rounding a downwind finish mark was no different than a leeward gate situation, where the inside boat has rights at the mark. He could have hit me in the rear port quarter as I slipped by the mark, so he had to avoid me. He claimed he had rights to run me into the beach if he wanted to. Having just done an E downwind finish in 20 mph breeze with similar boat speeds, I can only imagine what could happen if an E skipper tried an aggressive move like that!
I know we sometimes do a downwind finish on the first race at LESC and this might be a good rule for everyone to understand when it comes to overlaps at finishing marks (the linked article here from Dick Rose will help - see Kafuffle portion). http://www.sailingworld.com/from-the-experts/rules/off-the-wall-incidents-at-the-offset-mark-and-the-finish-42992.html
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MC Nationals Recap (contributed by Jon Pomerleau - 2367) |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
6/23/2007 9:49 PM
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I see that they have the final results posted, so no surprises there.
The Kimball train just keeps rolling. This was a really tough regatta
for everyone. No matter how bad you were doing, you could look over and
see a rock star or two struggling next to you. Not only is it a little
unusual for Jamie to put up 35 points over 6 races, but that was still a
41 point shellacking of his nearest competitor, Zack Clayton. Clayton's
average finish was 13th to take second place! The regatta was not about
working oscillating shifts. It was about clean starts (as always) and
being on the right side of the course. There were some oscillations,
but it was more a case of persistent shifts throughout the regatta. The
weatherman was just as wrong today as the previous two. After calling
it light, then getting breeze in the teens the first two days, they
called it in the teens for today and we got light (unless it came up
after we left). The sailors started the first race sitting on the high
side with only an occasional move into the hiking straps. Rob Terry,
having only been in an MC one day (thank you - DM 2188 at GWB) since
last August returned to form and was the best boat on the water today.
After a nice 2 in the first race of the day, he started the second with
Kimball below him and Clayton above him. He worked out from between the
two of them and led the race for the first two legs until the breeze
died and the RC canceled. Rob, who had a chance to trade a 1 for a 50
if the breeze held for the 7th race, was one of many who might have made
a big move in the standings with the throw-out. June sailed a great
regatta, but lost out to Brie Hatton, who packed on her dad Brett (all
240 lbs.) when the breeze was up. Some might say that having a multiple
National Champ as crew was an advantage, but I think we just need to
pack some pounds on Marry Ann.
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Ted Greene's "Thrill Seeker" wins M17 Bluewater Regatta by 11 points - By Jon Pomerleau (2367)! |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
6/18/2007 6:15 AM
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The sailing gods smiled on Crystal Lake as the Bluewater M17 Regatta kicked off Saturday morning with 15-20 mph winds from the south. Ted Greene was kind enough to pull his hull out of storage and turn it over to a couple of M17 novices, Rob Terry and yours truly. The first race was rather spectacular as Charlotte, NC pro Bill Wiggins stuck his bow in a wave and did a high speed cartwheel that would make a cat sailor proud. His wife (crew) immediately came down with a case of heavy air flu and left Bill searching for crew on the shore. We rounded in the top 5, hunted down a big black cannon ball and smoked the fleet to the bottom mark. We extended and won by a large enough margin to go back to the club and change to warmer clothes before the next race. The breeze and waves built a little for the second race as Brian McMurray led the fleet to the first mark. We got the kite up quicker and immediately rolled him. A few moments later I looked over and noticed our starboard upper sidestay was swinging in the breeze. We cranked the vang and mainsheet then jibed over to port to take the load off that side. I grabbed a shackle off the lifting bridle while Rob drove the boat and flew the kite over the 2 foot chop in 20 mph breeze. How the stick stayed in the boat I have no idea. By the time we got repaired, we had lost Brian and 1-2 others. At the end, we couldn't quite catch Brian and settled for a 2 in what was arguably our best effort of the weekend. A third race was sailed before lunch and we were able to get things dialed in a little better and won by a larger margin than the first race.
The breeze let up in the afternoon as we sailed 2 more races in 6-12 mph. Knowing our heavy air advantage was gone, we were ready to take some hits in the lighter breeze. Bob Wynkoop with June Howell had a pair of killer starts and looked very fast up the beat. We rounded with the leaders but sailed off to oblivion as most of the fleet jibed over and caught solid breeze along the shore. We found ourselves in 9th at the bottom and were fortunate to fight back to a 5th in the end. E Scow Champion Tom Munroe, crewing for his 13 year old son Tommy, finished 3rd (we have not stopped hearing about that). The fifth and final race of the day had a little more breeze. We struggled for the first couple of legs before a good final downwind allowed us to get an inside overlap on a large pack of boats. We left the mess behind and went on to a solid 2, taking a 13 point lead to dinner that evening.
Sunday morning brought an uncommon easterly with moderate pressure and 9 miles worth of chop. We led for a while, then let Wiggins go as we covered our three nearest competitors. A nice 2 gave us a 17 point lead and the option to put the boat on the trailer with a dying breeze. We decided to sweat it out with the rest of the fleet as the breeze got unstable. We had a decent lead half way up the second beat before sailing back and forth a few times while 6-7 boats sailed by. Bill Wiggins was great in the light stuff and won both races. Mary Anne Ward looked faster than anyone upwind in the light to moderate and was able to take second overall with a nice 4 and 3 morning. Results: http://www.clyc.net/scores/m-17-bluewater.htm
After the trophies, Candi, June and Mary Anne all did a nice job hyping LESC and its great events, inviting everyone to come down and sail next year.
Hopefully I will be able to walk and hold a mainsheet by Wednesday when we head over to Torch!
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Good winds & Great Fun End the 06-07 Season! |
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By Fleet 4 Administrator on
5/30/2007 5:58 AM
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All I spoke to agree - it has been a great windy season and last weekend was no exception. Light 3-7 knot winds in the morning grew to 8-15 both days out of the East with fair skies and upper 80's temps. Saturday's "regular racing" saw Lee (2201) with Ben Getchell as crew jump out on both races to take back-to-back bullets. David M. (2188) overcame some disastrous starts to challenge Lee at one point and sneak into the lead, but could not hold it and took two 2nds. Patrick (2292) missed some shifts, but kept up his usual superior boatspeed to claim the 3rd spot in both races. Saturday afternoon, the gang got together at a vastly expanded "tent city" for games, naps, sailing, and fun. Christy (Moorhouse clan friend) and Brian (Moring clan friend) braved the waters of Eustis with Randy Boekema on his Flying Scot "for a 3-hour tour" in the mounting 20-knot winds and came back looking VERY wet and smiling. From this experience, they came up with the 10 things you NEVER want to hear your skipper say (see below). Several new members of the camping club came out - Cesar Toro (1504), Robert Newland (Flying Scot) and families, and the kids practically took care of themselves.
Sunday's racing was Dave William's "crazy courses" with downwind starts and courses ranging from a simple short Leeward-Windward to a modified Z course. Many packed on crew with David M. (2074) taking most of his family at one time or another, David M. (2188) with Brian, Lee again with Ben, Cesar with his son and Jon Pomerleau (2367) with Pearce. Patrick easily dominated both races where downwind speed was at a premium to separate quickly, and the first mark roundings were VERY busy!
Taken together this was a GREAT weekend to end a GREAT season for the LESC Fleet 4 MC bunch. Be sure to rest up, see your family and get ready for a wonderful summer series (see Calendar) and an even more competitive fall!
Top 10 Things You Never Want to Hear Your Skipper Say!
1. Anybody know which way to the Clubhouse?
2. I’ve never seen this much water in the boat before.
3. You ever seen Gilligan’s Island?
4. I always make it back… eventually.
5. Ahhhhh! What the hell?
6. Did anyone pack the life jackets?
7. Hey! Look at all the stuff floating in the boat!
8. I’ve never been out here when it’s this rough.
9. How far do you think you can swim?
10. Anyone bring a cell phone?
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