Summer Series 2001 Day 1, Races 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The Hobie Fleet 106, 2001 Summer Championship Series got under way on Saturday July 21. Only three boats showed for the racing. This was not totally unexpected as two of our regulars were on the left coast for the Hobie 16 Continental Championships. (Good Luck to the Andrews’ and Hilks) This gave the rest of the fleet a chance to jump out ahead of the Spring series winner and runner up. Becky made a rare appearance to crew for Dave, Greta crewed for Bill, and Walt sailed solo in a 16.

Race 1 – Course 8 was called for in 5 to 6 mph airs from due east. The pin end was favored heavily and Dave opted early for a port tack start. Bill trying to keep his options open timed it to be at the committee boat at the three minute gun. From there, he tried to go to the pin and jibe under Dave who was heading toward the line. Dave reached the line early and had to run along the line while Bill struggled to gain speed in the light airs after the jibe. Dave crossed the start line first while Bill had more speed. Making it an even start. Walt started late inside Bill and behind Dave. Dave and Walt were able to outpoint Bill and Bill worked in between them to keep Walt behind. All three tacked for the mark together as Dave had overstood more than Bill and Walt was real close to the lay line. Bill managed to pass the mark just in front of Walt but couldn’t keep with him on the downwind leg. No one was close enough to correct over the previous boat in the Portsmouth (PS) scoring but Walt did correct over Dave in the Personal Handicap (PHC) scoring.

Race 2 – The wind remained light from the east for the start of this race so course 8 was again called for. Bill committed early to the port tack pin end start and nailed it right on. Dave and Walt want for the boat on starboard end with Dave beating Walt to the line. Bill was able to cross Dave on port and sailed off to the lay line. One minute into the race the wind shifted to the south, advantage Bill, and Bill tacked onto the new lay line. One minute later, the wind shifter further south putting Dave and Walt on the lay line and Bill on a close reach. Dave and Walt made the mark without tacking, taking away any advantage Bill gained on the southerly shift. It was follow the leader to the finish line. This time Bill corrected over Walt for second in the PS scoring while Walt corrected over Dave for first in the PHC scoring.

Race 3 – After a short delay to reset the starting line Course 8 was again used. Again the pin end was favored and again Bill port tacked the pin crossing Dave with Walt following. Bill, expecting a further shift to the south tacked on the first header and expected to be lifted to the mark. Half way to the mark, the wind shifted back for just long enough to make Bill tack two extra times giving the lead at the windward mark to Dave. Bill couldn’t stay close enough on the run to correct over Dave in either system but did stay far enough in front of Walt to relegate him to third in both systems.

Hobie Founders Cup – 2001

Hobie Fleet 106 held its Founders Cup races on July 1 this year. The scheduled 11:00 AM white shape was postponed as three of the expected competitors were tied up in an RBSA board meeting until after noon. When the first race was finally started, the winds were at 15 mph from the west. Dave Raughley served as primary race officer for the day. Four boats showed for the cup races. Bruce sailing with Beth, Ken sailing with Stephen, Jeff Sailing with Mark Leasure and Bill Sailing with Sean.

Race 1 – Course 1 was the order of the day using the 6 minute (old) starting system. The pin end was more than slightly favored and port tack was the preferred direction. Bruce port tacked the fleet at the start. He had to duck some transoms but wound up winning the start as the rest of the fleet tacked shortly after the start. Bill sailing his new 18 managed to out point the fleet and rounded the weather mark first. Bruce rounded next followed by Ken and Jeff. Jeff had high hopes after buying new Yalelite lines for his boat. These hopes were quickly dashed as he found the new mainsheet to be slippery when wet! With the course skewed some 30 degrees to the right of windward, the race became follow the leader with boat speed becoming the deciding factor. In the end, Bruce managed to stay close enough to Bill to Portsmouth (PS) correct over him for first, but not close enough to cover under the Personal Handicap System (PHS).

Race 2 – This race was nearly identical to the first. Bruce managed a better port tack start clearing the starboard tackers. His start was too good however and he had to duck back to the line when he was called over early. Ken was also over early but didn’t have space to duck the line so he was forced to turn back killing his race. Bill was able to take the windward mark first. Jeff was starting to get the hang of hes new mainsheet and managed to beat Ken to the windward mark. Follow the leader was again the game played going downwind. On the next beat, Bruce and Beth managed to cool themselves down by executing the teabag maneuver, and managed to remount the boat without losing control. Jeff and Ken engaged in a tacking dual with three close crossings. Despite their brief dip in the bay, Bruce again managed to PS correct over Bill but not under PHS, and Jeff used his down wind speed to take third under both systems.

Race 3 – The wind was building during the last leg of race 2 and race 3 started in about a 20 MPH breeze. The fleet, catching onto Bruce, all started on port tack, though Bruce used a starboard approach to try to pick his spot. Ken nailed the start at the pin end with Jeff close behind. Bill reached under Bruce with 5 seconds to the start and came up to close hauled forcing Bruce to tack to keep from being back winded. Bills maneuver left him at the disfavored end of the line and he had to fight through the wind shadows of Jeff and Ken. At the mark, Bill had managed to round first with the fleet much closer than in previous races. Bruce Ken and Jeff were the order of the rest of the fleet. At the leeward mark, Bill made a boat handling error, almost capsizing and then failing to round up close to the mark. By the time Bill got his act together, Bruce had sailed past. Bill did not recover fast enough to repass Bruce on the beat and crossed the line second followed by Ken and Jeff. Ken managed to PS correct over Bill for second. In the PHS system, however, Ken did not fair so well as Jeff corrected over Ken relegating Ken to fourth.

Race 4 – The wind remained in the 20’s and as it was close to 3:00, course 8 was sailed. The fleet again went for the port tack start with Bill coming in from starboard. A wind shift shortly before the start left Bill pinching to make the pin on starboard while Bruce, Jeff, and Ken Sailed off with speed on port. Bill tacked shortly later, expecting to out point the fleet to the mark but his trap wire height adjuster slipped and he could not get out on the wire. Bruce, Ken, and Jeff did the boat speed thing to make the mark ahead of Bill. At the finish, No one was close enough to PS correct over another. Under the PHS however, the order was Jeff, Bruce, Ken, and Bill.

Portsmouth final standings – With 4 bullets, Bruce takes the Founders Cup. Ken and Bill were tied with 7 points apiece with Ken taking the honors on the third tiebreaker.

Personal Handicap Standings – With two firsts and a second, Bill takes top honors here. Jeff corrected over Ken to grab third.

Thanks to Dave Raughley and JP for running the races. The next Cup race is the Anniversary Cup on August 5. Lets get the boats out for that one!!!!

Spring Series 2001 Day 1, Races 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The fleet 106 racing season opened on May 27 and got off to an auspicious start. Ken, who had done such a masterful job of setting up race committee last year and was given the task again this year, did not come up with one for opening day. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the wind died at just around the scheduled 11:00 white shape and stayed away for about an hour. When it came back, it did from the south and built all day. Ken set up the course and trained JP, one of the new stewards, on how to start the race.

Race 1 – This race started in 12 to 15 mph airs. The committee boat looked favored but the wind seemed stronger toward the beach. Bill, sailing with Sean, looked to stack up the fleet outside the committee boat but broke for the pin when he couldn’t hold station. Bruce and Beth jockeyed with Dave and Cheryl for the boat end. Ken slipped up to the line with Stephen aboard. Bill hit the pin end on time with speed but lost out by pinching while trying to untangle his sheets. Dave sailed over Ken and Bill forcing them to tack. At the first mark it was Dave, Bill, Bruce, and Ken. Bruce pulled some of his downwind magic to pass Bill and close in on Dave. From there it was follow the leader to the finish but where is the finish? There is the buoy, up near the canal. JP did a good job of finishing the fleet using a distant landmark that was behind the start mark before it moved. In the end, Bruce was close enough to Dave to correct over him for first.

Race 2 – The missing buoy was retrieved but was missing its anchor. After some milling about, it was decided to use a rabbit start. Bruce started on starboard while the fleet took his transom. This gave Bruce the advantage at the start but took it away by virtue of the extra tack to the mark. Bill nailed the start missing Bruce by inches with speed and hard on the wind. Dave was late on his approach and Ken was even later. Bill was leading Dave at the first crossing, and tacked to cover. Bills jib was snagged by a spreader cotter pin and started to tear at a seam. After trying to come about to no avail, Bill jibed (not a fast maneuver upwind) to clear the snag. This relegated Bill to last place. Dave apparently had problems of his own as Bruce and Ken crossed the line for first and second.

Race 3 – After Ken’s poor start in the second race, it was decided to let Ken be the rabbit for the third race. The winds at this point had built to around 18. A lift for the port tack boats at the start meant that Ken once again did not get a good rabbit start. Bill by virtue of the fact that he was sailing with his heavy air crew crossed ahead of Dave. But lost his advantage by making a slow tack. It was Dave, Bill, Bruce, and Ken at the weather mark. On the downwind leg, a huge wind shift left the fleet scrambling. In this case it reversed the field and made the second lap a reach, jibe, reach lap. Thus, Ken posted his first win of the series.

Race 4 – With the new wind and an inexperienced RC, it was not feasible to set up a windward leeward course for race four. Ken and Bruce opted out and Dave and Bill match raced a reaching affair in 18 to 21 mph winds. A one minute start sequence was agreed to with the start line between the RC boat and the lighthouse. Since the boat end was heavily favored, the length of the line didn’t matter. Dave took the start and the race was on. Boat handling became a real issue as Bill lost 2 to 3 boat lengths every time a puff threatened a capsize. At the end of the second lap, Dave lost his footing and had a close encounter with a wing mount, nearly capsizing himself. In the end, Dave’s experience shined over Bill’s inexperience with his new boat.

Standings – This year we will keep two sets of standings. One uses straight Portsmouth

Handicapping. The second uses the personal handicap factor calculated from the best 10 of each skippers last 20 races. This is akin to the golfing Handicap system and will allow those who are improving to move up in the net standings.

Race 13 - With three boats on the line, the outcome was practically assured. Bruce had clinched at least a tie for first last time and the boats that could tie him were not on the water. Dave had second practically sewn up, Bill needed 4 bullets and Dave to take 4 thirds to grab second. Bill could move up into third by taking one second place. The shifty winds made the start tricky. Bruce, sailing with Beth, led back to the line while Dave and Cheryl tried to get beneath him. Bill sailing with Greta, had decided that the right side of the course was favored and was content to follow Bruce and tack. Bruce covered Dave well and let him out from under when Dave tacked close to the starboard layline. Bill had called the layline from further away and took Bruce's transom while Bruce sailed out well past the layline. Dave pinched up to make the mark rounding just ahead. Bruce, close reaching into the mark was able to sail over Bill who was struggling with a wind shift, proving that once again, in this shifty stuff, it is better to overstand. On the leeward leg, Bruce sailing lower was able to get past Dave while Bill followed. On the beat, Beth decided she had to pee so Bruce obliged by stuffing the bow and swinging her in between the pontoons. She climbed back aboard completely refreshed before Dave could take advantage and from there it was follow the leader. Bill failed to correct over Dave, losing by 6 seconds after the correction.

Race 14 - This race started the same way as the last but with the trio getting to the line a little early. Dave drove off toward the pin and Bruce went to follow giving Bill the inside position at the Boat. Dave had a brain fart and pinched up into Bruce after the start and had to do a penalty turn. Dave got back in front of Bill when Bill got out of sync with the shifts and was always sailing on the headed tack. From there it was once again follow the leader. Dave was not able to recover enough time as Bill corrected over him for second.

Race 15 - Bruce this time went for a port start while Bill and Dave were maneuvering for the Boat start. one minute to the start and a big shift to the to the west made the Committee boat directly windward of Bill and Dave. Bruce crossed at the pin and Dave tacked to follow at the boat. Bill went far enough to clear his air and tacked. Part way up the beat, a huge gust lift tested the skippers. Bruce recovered by dumping the main, nearly doing the tea bag thing. Dave heeled way past 45 before recovering. Bill flunked the test, doing the mast in the mud while the crew curses maneuver. After righting the boat, Bill decided to be a spectator and watch as Bruce and Dave did what looked like a choreographed dance at the A mark. Back and forth the boats tacked like a spectacular mating ritual. Finally, Dave rounded the mark with Bruce behind. Dave opened up his lead and looked like a winner until the last run. Dave had hit the port layline well in front of Bruce when a big right shift hit putting Dave directly up wind of the finish line. Bruce was in position to reach down to the finish with a faster sailing angle. Dave made the line first but not before Bruce got close enough to correct for the win.

Race 16 - With the standings in the series all sewn up, it was time for Cheryl and Greta to get some stick time. Cheryl climbed aboard Bruce's boat and Beth went to crew for Dave. Dave sailed away for a bullet while the girls struggled with not pinching the boat and tacking without stalling. It was a fairly close race until the last beat. Cheryl hit the left corner, Greta the right. A big shift to the west with a freshening breeze brought Cheryl reaching through the finish line while Greta got caught downwind of the finish. When asked later why she went to the right she said "That's where Bill told me to go!" That proves once again that Bill seldom picks the correct side of the course.

Race 1 - This was a well attended event with 8 boats on the starting
line. The RC decision to have short starting lines put a premium on getting
a good start. Course 1 was chosen for the race. Bill, sailing solo and
fresh from his experience at Wildwood, tried to park at the Committee boat
with three minutes to the start. Bruce, sailing with Beth, did his best to
stack up the gang at the boat and then drive toward the pin which he did to
perfection. At the start, Bill had drifted down to the pin and Bruce was
trying to roll him while the gang tried to sort things out at the boat. Bill
lost track of the wind when he tried to shift to the low side of the boat and
sailed up into irons. Red, also sailing solo, broke from the pack at the
boat in good shape. Bill came out of irons on port tack and headed out
toward the right side of the course while most of the fleet followed Bruce to
the left. At A mark it was Red, Bruce, Walt(solo), Don(Stephen),
Dave(Cheryl), Bill, Jeff(Karen), and Cameron(Michelle). The wind at this point
had fallen to less than 1 knot so Don and Bill who did not over stand were
pulled into the mark by the tide. After struggling to do penalty turns Don
and Bill were playing catch up and with the RC shortening the course there
was little time to do it. On the run, Dave managed to pass Walt and Bill
took a flier out to the left to get close to Jeff. In the end, Red crossed
first but Bruce corrected over him. Bill was given a DNF for trying to
finish between the boat and the gate. Just as a point of reference, I'll
follow up the proper way to finish at a gate so stay tuned.

Race 2 - For race 2, course 5 was selected. Again it was a fight at the
Committee boat at the start. Bill this time teamed up with Bruce to create
the stack at the pin. Dave tried to sneak in at the committee boat but Bill
took him up and let him duck behind. Bruce seeing this fell off just enough
to kill Dave's air before heading toward the pin. Red sneaked in between
Bill and Bruce for another good start with Don and Cameron following Bill
Close behind. Red looked good until Bruce pinched a little forcing Bill to
pinch and blanketing Red. Bill took Bruce out close to the port layline and
tacked for the mark while most of those going left tacked a little earlier.
The wind filled in a little from the shore favoring Bruce and Bill while
those in the middle made out better than those who went right from the start.
Bill ducked Bruce on the way to the mark to get there first and they were
followed by Don, Walt , and Red. Downwind, Bruce jibed out to split with
Bill while Bill delayed his jibe to stay in the stronger wind. The starboard
layline to the gate went right through the finish line and with the RC
struggling to raise something (could that be a blue flag?) Bruce went left of
the line while Bill went right. As it turned out, it was a red tee shirt
that was flying (I don't know the meaning of a red tee shirt!), adding to the
dilemma. At the gate, Bill took the left mark looking for starboard
advantage at the line should he need it and Bruce split tacks and Don
followed Bruce. As it turns out, Bill took the long way around and although
he crossed 6 seconds ahead, Bruce corrected to win by 4 seconds. Don held on
for third for his best finish of the year so far and Walt crossed in fourth.

Race 3 - With the wind building to 6 mph, it was back to course 1. Bill
got the favored pin end start with Bruce on his hip. Bill waited till Bruce
tacked and then tacked. Bruce pinched forcing Bill to foot to clean air.
At the mark it was Bruce, then Bill, Dave, Red, and Walt. It was follow the
leader from then till Bill overstood the second weather layline. Dave
rounded second, Red sneaked in front of Bill and Walt closed right to Bill's
transom. On the downwind leg to the finish, Walt passed Bill just at the
line. Dave corrected down to 6th while Bill corrected up to second getting
Red by less than 2 seconds after corrections.

Race 4 - The race committee chose course 4 with a jibe mark for
something different. Bruce and Bill again teemed up to stuff the pack at the
committee boat at the start. Jeff tried to escape low by squeezing between
Bill and Dave. When Bruce and Bill drove for the pin, Dave found the hole at
the Committee boat. Bill tacked early and ducked Bruce's and Jeff's transoms.
Bruce sailed out to the left layline while bill sailed out to the right. At
the windward mark, Bruce crossed in front and Bill drove toward the mark. At
the mark, the two boats were abeam with Bill inside at the mark. Paying more
attention to Bruce than the mark did not pay off for Bill as he hit the mark
on the way around. Bill performed a quick 360 while Dave sailed by and Red
closed ground. Bruce kept Dave from passing on the run down to the jibe mark
and Red managed to get an inside overlap on Bill with about 10 boat lengths
left in the leg. Bill sheeted in, slowed down, and sailed wide, giving Red the
mark. He then shot up to the mark, taking Red's transom and to windward  as Red
struggled to sheet his sails in. It was follow the leader to the windward mark.
Just after rounding the mark, Bruce jibed to the left and Dave followed. Bill and
Red and Jeff continued to the right. Right was the way to go as those boats gained
on the first two to round the leeward mark close behind. At the line it was Bruce,
Bill, Dave, Red, Jeff and Don. Dave corrected down to fifth while Jeff corrected over
Red.

Eight boats showed for this event which was a good match as eight sets
of booty were buried. Each boat was given a Captain to represent and a
shovel along with the first clue. The pirate who did the burying was noted
to be highly disreputable, short on memory, and notoriously unreliable.
Since he was the source of most of this report, it is expected to be inaccurate.

The list of Captains were as follows

Captain         Skipper          Crew

Morgan         Ken                  Stephen, Gary
Jack                 Bruce              Beth, Alex, Brit
Hook              Cameron        Ian, Calib.        
Crunch          Jeff                   Bill
Kirk                 Walt                     
Bly                   Lisa                  Greta, Carol, Gabriel
Bluebeard    Carl                  Kathy
Dangerous   Don                  Cheryl

Rum was promised as one of the treasures and the race was off. The
weather was perfect for the race as it was set. A 50 not breeze set in from
the east. Some captains had longer courses but did more reaching allowing
them to be competitive.

Captain Crunch and Captain Hook set out toward Thompson's Island (the
Cliffs that can be seen across the bay where the Indians once played).
Captains' Jack, Kirk, and Bly set off for Arrow Head. The rest tried to find
the 18th wooden pole. At Thompson's Hook landed first but could not find the
treasure before Crunch landed. After considering the size of the pirate who
buried the treasure and pacing off GIANT steps, both Hook and Crunch got the
booty which was a Jolly Roger flag that had to be flown from the sail. Hook
set off for the 18th pole while Crunch went for Arrow Head. Captain Jack got
a late start and arrived at Camp Arrowhead just after the Chick Boat (Captain
Bly) and Captain Kirk. This was a big advantage since the girls, with their
highly developed navigational skills knew exactly which direction to find
Vega and found the treasure chest in short order. Brit and Alex easily found
the chest.....thanks girls! Beth took the helm for the trip to Thompson's
Island and did a great job keeping the boat from pitchpoling on the fast
reaching leg and the girls took off for the 18th pole. Morgan capsized on his
way to the 18th pole and retired after his crew mutinied.

Crunch finally made it to Arrow Head and started his search. A quick
glance around the 5 pace circle proved to be profitable as a small corner of
the treasure chest lid was visible... thanks Brit and Alex! With the extra
time saved by not searching long, the chest was buried deeper, partially
covered with sand, overlaid with drift wood, and then fully buried. This
treasure, a pirate hat, was to be worn by the skipper till the finish. As
Crunch was finishing, Bluebeard was approaching, so Crunch then headed off to
the 18th pole. At about this time Jack was landing at Thompson's. With no
help at Thompson's island, it took a while to find the chest. Without
reading the clue, Jack headed upwind and south. Then he found out about the
pirate flag requirements. An onboard decision was made to host the flag at
the 18th pole. Bly and Hook crossed paths at the 18th pole, found the
treasure and moved on with Greta taking the helm for the trip to Thompaon's.

At the pole, Crunch landed first and decided to dig at the site that was
covered in driftwood. This was a good guess as the treasure was shallow
beneath the sand under the wood. The treasure here was an inflatable orb
that had to be blown up and carried aboard. While covering the chest,
Captain Jack landed and got a good idea of where the chest was. A thunder
clap cancelled the pirate flag onto Jack's third batten. Discretion being
the better part of valor, this decision may have cost Jack the race. Safety
first, though, is not a bad decision. Hook made it to Arrow Head and Bly
landed at Thompson's OK. Carol inherited the helm on the Bly boat for the
last leg, and the race to the beach where the fastest sailboats on the bay
are kept was on. On the way, Bly had a close call, nearly pitch poling, but
managed to save the boat when Carol pushed Greta up the tramp to higher
ground and Gabriel held on to the stay while floating above the submerged
leeward side of the tramp.

First to the beach was Crunch, followed closely by Jack. A glance  across the
bay showed a number of other Captains heading our way. Crunch started
to dig while Jack mixed up a margarita for the Race Judge. In the
mean time, Hook, Kirk, and Bluebeard landed. Jack joined in the search,
looking more like a puppy trying to uncover a buried bone than a pirate
looking for treasure. Crunch finally hit pay dirt and uncovered the chest
only to be jumped by Bluebeard. Jack managed to grab the chest only to lose
it again when he saved his margarita from dumping in the bay. Mayhem ensued
while the race judge positioned himself to judge the finish. Photos were
taken and any that come out will surely be posted.

First to the finish line was Captain Jack, but he didn't have his beach ball.
Back to the boat! Moments later Captain Jack came back with the ball but he
didn't fly his Jolly Roger!! A 3 minute...gee this margarita is good....a 90
second penalty for not flying the flag was assessed. Captain Hook showed at
the line next. He had the ball, he wore the hat, he flew the flag, the rum bottle
was empty, and the time, 85 seconds after Jack. WE HAVE A WINNER!!!
30 seconds later, Bluebeard showed to claim third. Captain Kirk showed next
but also didn't fly the flag. A 3 minute...hey, your rum bottle isn't empty,
pour it in here...a 90 second penalty allows Crunch to grab fourth after he
recovered from the crunching he took for finding the rum.
NEXT TIME LET SOMEONE ELSE DIG!!

At the end of the day, this had to be the best event the Hobie fleet had
in a long while. With 8 boats and lots of fun, there was talk on the beach
about the event well into the afternoon and again later at the Crab Feast
that night. I would like to thank Jeff for allowing me to 'pirate' ideas
from his scavenger hunt of the past and all of the participants for joining
in the fun. Stay tuned for the next Fun Race and support your Local Hobie
Fleet!

Race 1 - The first race was sailed on course 2. Winds for the racewere 15 to 20 MPH from the northeast with 20 degree wind shifts. With thewind in the left phase at the start, the pin was favored. Bill sailing with Greta chose to port start at the pin and crossed in front of the fleet. Dave, with Cheryl aboard was the first of the Starboard starters. Walt sailing with Glen Gaudet, a friend of the Martins, and the Wheelers' (Tom and son) were about 1 minute late for the start. Don trying his luck with Andrew Campanelli, a Martin nephew, crossed another 30 seconds back. The starboard tackers all tacked shortly after the start to follow Bill. ¾ of the way to the layline, the wind shifted back to the right. Bill tacked on the header trying to shorten the course while Dave tried to call the layline. The right shift only lasted one minute and shifted back left leaving Dave, Bill, and Tom  short of the mark. Walt tacked on his layline and sailed over top of Bill when Bill did the two extra tacks. On the run, Bill once again played the shifts, this time to advantage (you lose less time jibing than tacking) passing Walt to C mark. The whole fleet tried to one tack the second beat. Bill missed by a couple of boat lengths and could not pinch
high enough to make it. Two short tacks gave second at the mark back to Walt. Don finally makes A mark for the first time. It was follow the leader from here with Don dropping out after rounding the mark set for the Sunfish
jibe mark thinking it was C mark.

Race 2 - For something different, course 6 was used. The wind was still 15 to 20 but was closer to 20 most of the race. At the start Bill led the fleet back to the Committee Boat late with Dave two boat lengths behind.
Bill tried to keep Dave back by pinching but the 18 was still able to point out from behind. Walt and Tom both started late again. The wind went left and the whole fleet tacked to port. At A mark it was Dave, Bill, Walt, and
Tom.  Bill lost track of C mark on the run and nearly gave up any chance of correcting over Dave. He was not so far ahead of Walt and Tom though and was able to reach back to C without losing second. Again, follow the leader to the end. This time Bill corrected over Dave by less than 3 seconds with Walt taking third.

Race 3 - This race also used course 6 with the winds holding near 20. Bill decided to clean his sails off just after the white shape but took 30 seconds too long to get righted and still get a good start. Dave took the start and Walt and Tom were late again. A large left wind shift right at the start enabled Bill to get close to Walt and Tom at the start. Double trapping and footing for speed, Bill worked up to the other 16's by A mark. The order was Dave, Walt, Tom and Bill. Bill worked lower than Tom and was in good shape to round C in third when the mainsail lowered by about a foot. Remembering the Martin experiment during the Around the Bay Race, Bill
handed the tiller to Greta and tried to correct the problem. An easy tug on the halyard and it came down on Bills head, ending his day. Bill limped home under jib alone while the rest of the fleet played follow the leader. The
finish, Dave, Walt, Tom.

Race 4 - This race used course 7. With yours truly still sailing home, details for this race were provided by Bruce. The line was set pin favored. All but Don choose to start at the RC. Don port tacked the entire
fleet as all were late for the start. After crossing the line, Walt, Dave and Tom all tacked to Port to hunt down Don. A gust capsized Tom and Son. While they righted it quickly, they decided to retire. Don lead the first
leg until he went into irons on his first tack to port. Tacking was a problem all day for Don since he toed in his rudders while in the up position prior to the race......screwing up the perfect toe in set up by Bruce the previous weekend. DON......GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE BOAT! Dave and Walt both tacked early to the center of the course to catch a ribbon of stronger air. The 18's superior boat speed had Dave a minute ahead at the weather
mark. Dave was confused on the course as he headed for B mark but Cheryl corrected him to got to C. Dave continued to gain about a minute a leg on Walt for the next two legs. The B mark for the Course 7 was set at 110
degrees. The RC decided to set it at the weather end of the course where the air was stronger in hopes catching a pitchpole on film. Unfortunately, the wind died slightly and both Dave and Walt uneventfully passed by the photo boat. Dave continued streching his lead over Walt and finished 10 minutes ahead. Don retired at sometime during the race as he never quite made it to A mark.

Thanks to Bruce doing an outstanding job at race committee. The race 4 write up was top notch as were the beer handouts between races (take notice you future RC people)

July 4 weekend at RBSA means the Annual Founders Cup Regatta. This years cup race was held on Sunday July 2. Although the winds were light and fluky at the scheduled 11:00 white shape time, that didn't hamper the tremendous turnout of 9 boats. Bill and Greta Colgan served as the race committee for the event and, with the club steward Dave, set out into the bay to find wind. With the wind coming ESE, at 5 to 6 MPH out in the middle of the bay a course was set up. Getting to the course was a problem as a big hole up against the shoreline was tough to sail through. The committee waited for all the boats that were present at the skippers meeting and started the race at near noon

Race 1 - The first race was sailed on course 8. One lap in light 5-6 MPH air was picked to get things going so that the race would not be too long. A 20 degree wind shift to the north just before the 3 minute gun made Bill, Ken, and Dave try for the port tack start. Ken, sailing with Carol for this race, was first to the line but Dave had more speed 5 seconds behind. All three crossed the starboard tack boats who were late for the line. Dave sped away to the lay line. Bill was able to point higher and crossed in front of Ken when Ken tacked. Ken drove under Bill when he tacked to make the weather mark in second. Jeff and John Jr. Both were able to pass Bill on the run with Jeff making out well by sailing lower than the rest of the fleet and grabbed second from Ken. Ken, however, corrected over Jeff and Jeff corrected over Dave

Race 2 - With the wind filling across the bay, John Sr. made it out to the course. This race started in 6 mph and ended in 8 mph of wind, not a good combination for those giving time. The legs were shortened and the course lengthened to 2 laps. The whole fleet went for the starboard start with Bill leading the way to the line. Bill got to the pin too early and was forced to jibe around. Ken was once again closest to the line at the start right next to the RC boat. John Sr. was next with more speed. Jeff and Dave were the second tier starters. John Jr. tacked to take the right side of the course and Bill followed him. Ken tacked first on the left and took Jeff's and John's transom. John Sr. Blew a tack and fell back into the fleet. At the lay line, Jeff tacked early trying to out point Ken but could not lay the mark while Dave sailed away from the fleet. John Jr. found good air on the right and used that to pass John Sr. for 4th at the weather mark but gave it back when he thought it was a one lap race and passed to the wrong side of the leeward mark. On the second lap, Ken overstood the starboard lay line and Jeff looked good for a moment till Ken reached over top of him. John Sr. maintained his 4th place through the second lap. With the wind strengthening on the last run, those giving time suffered. The corrected order of finish, Ken, Jeff, Dave, John Sr., Walt, Bill.

Race 3 - The wind continued to freshen with a constant 7 mph and gusts to 10. This blew in 2 more boats to bring the total to 9. At the start from the pin end in was John Sr., Ken, Dave, and Bill. In the second tier, Karl, sailing with Kathy, tacked to the right side of the course. John Sr., with speed at the start, was able to backwind Ken, forcing him to tack. Ken had to duck both Dave and Bill. Dave and Bill tacked to cover shortly thereafter. John Sr. held on before tacking 1/3 the way up the beat. As usual, Dave reached the lay line first and crossed just in front of John Sr. With Bill getting in line 3rd. Walt, Ken, and Jeff rounded in close competition. On the run, Jeff short jibed the lay line and Ken jibed to the center of the course while Dave, John Sr., and Bill hit the lay line. Jeff made out well by sailing lower passing Ken and Walt. After some discussion at the leeward mark concerning who owes how much room to whom, Walt was asked to do penalty turns. At the finish, Walt remembers his penalty turns but is DSQ'd as he did not do them properly. John Sr. corrects over Dave for the win and Ken corrects over both Dave and Jeff to take second. Rounding out the field is Karl, Rich, John Jr., and Bill.

Race 4 - With the wind coming from the east, an upwind finish was called for so a leg was added by posting course 6. Before the start, Dave was off to the side repairing his mainsheet. This was crucial as he just made the start on time. By now the wind is blowing 8 to 10. Ken and Dave are right at the line on the start with Dave at the pin and Ken at the boat. Jeff, Karl, and John Sr. are tier 2 with John Jr. and Rich crossing late. At the mark, it is Dave, Jeff, Ken, Karl, John Sr., Walt, Rich, and John Jr. On the run, Walt and Karl make big moves in the opposite direction as loses 2 boats and Walt passes 2 boats. The second beat sees the whole fleet trying to call the starboard lay line. Dave overstands slightly and Jeff overstands a lot. Walt makes out good by calling the lay line and Ken looked to be pinching to make the mark. On the second beat, Dave sails to the wrong side of the mark expecting to finish and cant find the committee boat. Seems that after fixing his sheet, he had to forgo reading the course board in order to get his good start. By the time he recovers and heads toward the mark, Walt, Jeff, and Ken get around the mark. On the beat to finish, Ken tacks early on a favorable wind shift helping him to correct over Walt, Jeff, and Dave. John Jr., Karl, and John Sr. also correct over Dave while Rich overstood the lay line by over a mile and was finished on the course.

When the spray settled, Ken and Carol took the Founders Cup with three bullets and throwing out a second place. Jeff took second and Dave took third. John Sr. was shut out of the trophies by a mere 10 seconds in the last race which would have elevated him over Karl in that race and over Dave for the series.

I would like to thank all who participated in this event and am looking forward to good turn out for the rest of the sailing season. The last 4 races of the spring series are on tap for this weekend, Saturday, July 8. With the Spring Series still up for grabs, there should be lots more excitingracing.

Spring Series Day 3


	Finally, not too hot, not too cold, not too calm!!  
It was a perfect day for sailing.  Four boats were on the water 
for day 3 of the spring series, 5 if you count Red who started 
one race but went pleasure sailing after rounding the first mark.  
Sailors were greeted with an 8 mph wind that steadily built to 17 
throughout the day.

        Race 9 - Dave served as race committee and had the misfortune 
of finding a wind shift shortly after setting anchor for the start.  
There was a short delay to move the start mark and reset the RC boat 
and all was ready.  Bruce, sailing with Beth, and Bill, with Sean as 
crew, tried to port tack the start. Ken, with his son Stephen, coming 
down on starboard was late enough at the pin to force Bill low.  Bruce 
won the port tack start and Ken took the starboard over Rich and Lisa.  
At the first cross, left proved the way to go as Ken crossed in front 
of Bruce and Rich crossed in front of Bill.  Bill worked his way up to 
Rich's transom by the first leeward mark and rounded outside in to 
sneak up under Rich as they turned to weather.  At the finish it was Ken, 
Bruce, Bill, and Rich.  
	Race 10 - With the boat end favored, there was a three boat 
crunch at the right end.  After some discussion of how much room is 
enough room, Ken took the start, followed by Bill and Bruce with Rich 
starting a little late. Ken made the weather mark first, hitting the 
port lay line.  Bill crossed in front of Bruce when Bruce tacked early 
to head to the left side of the course but gave second back to Bruce 
by miss calling the starboard lay line and pinching to the mark.  On the 
third beat, the thermal kicked in pushing the wind up to 14 mph and 
scrambling the order.  Ken who went left on all of the previous legs, 
picked the wrong time to hit the starboard lay line.  The thermal brought 
an instant 45 degree wind shift to the left.  This favored Bruce who went 
left on that leg and Bill who was far enough behind Ken to take full 
advantage of the lift.  Rich also made out well on the shift but couldn't 
get close enough to Ken to take third.
	Race 11 - This was a race of persistence as capsizes and  
breakdowns plagued everyone but Ken.  Bruce was over early on the pin 
end at the start and jibed around the pin to go right.  Bill tacked to 
go right with Bruce and Ken went back to hitting the port lay line.  
Heading into the weather mark, Bill nearly lost his crew as the trap wire 
gave way and dunked Sean into bay. Sean managed to grab hold of the trap 
handle and was dragged along until Bill could slow the boat.  After tying 
the dangling wire to the mast, Bill was once again under way.  Bruce lost 
his jib halyard and limped on back to shore to effect repairs.  Rich 
capsized at the leeward mark, and continued on after righting the boat.  
Bruce sailed back out to the course after repairs and kept Rich honest by 
picking up the race from where he left off.  The final 
tally, Ken, Bill, Rich, and Bruce.
	Race 12 - This was a three boat race as Rich decided to head 
back to the club for lunch.  Ken was forced above the RC boat as Bill and 
Bruce had position at the right end.  Ken reached down to the pin and headed 
up with speed to take the left side of the course.  Bruce tacked first and 
Bill tacked up the middle of the course.  Left was better than right as it 
was Ken, Bill, then Bruce at the weather mark.  The downwind flyer, Bruce, 
caught Bill by the leeward mark as the two boats rounded together.  Excellent 
seamanship allowed both boats to pass the mark side by side separated by less 
than a foot in 15 to 18 mph breeze. Bill on the outside with better speed was 
able to force Bruce to tack.  Left, however, was once again the way to go as 
Bruce made the weather mark ahead.  Ken refused to be caught and covered the 
spread to take first.
	This was easily the most exciting day of racing on the bay in a long 
time as the wind, weather, and competition were all just right.  The 
standings after week three see Ken holding onto a slim lead with 5 points. 
Bruce and Dave are tied for third with 7 points and Rich and Bill are tied 
for fourth with 13 points.  
	Next week, Spring Series takes a back seat to the Founders Cup 
which is scheduled for July 2.  With Bruce expected to be out of town, the 
field is wide open for a first time winner so let's get as many boats out 
there as we can.  Spring Series returns for its finale on Saturday,  July 8.  
With the top 3 places so close, it should be a competitive day of racing. 

What a difference a week makes! - As cold and raw as Day 1 was, Day 2 was hot and sunny. The temperature was near 90 by the appointed 11:00 start time. Once again, Fleet 106 was ready to go with 5 boats getting rigged on shore. Once again, the race committee delayed the start as the board meeting ran late and the club stewards were to meet with some of the board members after the meeting. Also, Sarah injured her back during the week and will be on the injured reserve list for a while. We all hope she gets well soon. Jeff Tolbert served as the fleet race committee representative.

Race 5 white shape was at 11:30. The wind, which all morning was blowing from the west as about 10, was cheating to the south and starting to fall. Course 1 was called for by the RC. Ken & Carol and Bill, with son Sean, got a good start at the pin end anticipating a further shift to the south. Bruce Andrews, with crew Don Martin, started on port taking Ken's and Bill's transoms. John Eisenbrey started at the RC boat, taking Bruce's transom. Rich Preskenis got to the course late and was playing catch up. As the wind fell further, the race became a game of find the wind. Ken and Bill, both on starboard got to a wind line half way up the beat and rode that wind to the lay line still expecting a south shift. John tacked on the wind line and worked up towards Bruce crossing close behind at the starboard lay line. Bill tacked first on the port lay line and Ken went 10 boat lengths past where Bill tacked. As the boats were converging on A mark the wind did shift 30 degrees - TO THE NORTH??? - , Ouch! That put Bruce first at the mark with John second. Ken sailed into a hole which gave Bill third at the mark and Rich was right on Ken's transom as he went right from the start. Going down wind, Bill found the hole that Ken was stuck in on the first leg letting Ken and Rich past. The RC shortened the course to a course 8. The corrected finish order - Bruce, John, Ken, Rich, Bill

Race 6 - Since the wind had fallen below 5 MPH, we sat around for a while trying to see if it would fill in. By 1:30, it still didn't look good. With the 3:30 rule in effect for Sunday racing and with enthusiasm wilting in the heat, Jeff abandoned races 6, 7, and 8.

Spring Series Day 1

Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend - The start of the summer shore season was unusually warm and sunny with temps in the sixties and a cold rain that started in the middle of the second race. With good wind 4 boats were ready to race. Skippers and race committee alike were rushing to make the new 11:00 white shape time. Sarah finally showed at 10:50 and promptly put to bay along with Rich and Lisa who were the Fleet Committee for these races.

Race 1 started at 11:15, not too late, in a 10 to 12 mph breeze. Dave in his 18 sailing with Cheryl quickly pulled out front to stay. Ken, sailing with Carol, started on port and went way right. He caught the first shift and rode that to correct over Dave for the victory. Bruce, sailing with Beth, finished third while Bill and Greta could not make up for a penalty turn after fouling Ken at the start.

Race 2 also started in a 10 to 12 mph breeze. Dave sailed away from the fleet again to see if he could go fast enough to win. This time Bruce went right and at the first cross Ken once again was in front. Bill got caught trying to point with Ken which he could not do and was left well behind. Ken corrected to first, Bruce barely corrected to second place by only four seconds, Dave took third and Bill was fourth.

Race 3 saw the winds falling off and cold gentle rain. Dave did his usual thing while Bruce and Ken fought neck and neck for the first two legs. Bruce was out in front but was giving time to Ken so it was practically tied. The rain on the sails made the tell tails stick making the second lap especially difficult. Ken wound up in irons on the second beet allowing Bill to catch up ducking on port to just miss Ken's transom. Ken had two tacks to

make the windward mark to Bill's one tack and that proved to be the difference as Bill crossed seconds ahead to put Ken back to fourth. Bruce corrected over Dave for first.

Race 4 was abandoned by the race committee as they were wet and cold. This left a tie for first place in the series with both Bruce and Ken at 6 points and Rich getting 6 points for RC duty. Dave is only one point out of first. This will make for some exciting racing as the series unfolds.

Races 5 through 9 are scheduled for June 11. Get there early as now thatwe have proven that we can start on time, Sarah will be ready for an 11:00 white shape!!!