Off Racing weekend.

The Saturday extra LASER RACES on January 24/09. We were delayed getting started. Fog- no wind- and Sam couldn’t get the RC boat started.. Scot managed to do the starting for us so we sailed from 10:30 to 12:30 with the wind going from light to medium when we finished. There were some MCs working out for the upcoming regattas and testing sails. Two 420s out in the morning and about four in the afternoon high school class. Optis morning and afternoon classes.
Sam was able to follow the boats around and here are some comments.
1) when the wind is really light sit as far forward as you can. Our heavy guy Randy Rea beats us regularly by just pushing a little ahead of the cockpit. Dave C. Sits on the centerboard or just to leeward of it. So does Sam, but he can’t see anything from there and hasn’t figured out how to tack from there.
Wetted surface is the main drag at low speeds so heel th boat to leeward big time even going up wind.
As the wind picks up then wave making becomes the main drag, now hold the boat flat or heel to windward.
A little vang on in light air holds the leach tight. About 8 to 10 inches from block to block and then let the sheet out to where ever you need to keep the boat moving.
2) Good roll tacks gets you about an extra boat length with each tack. Ask to see the Steve Cockerel Upwind Boat Whisperer.
If you have trouble knowing where the next tack will go, sight across the front edge of the cockpit or draw some big black lines across the deck. Check out the lines on Sam’s boat.
In light air to be sure you are on the correct angle before your tack, have your tell tales flowing on both sides of the sail. If the sun is on the windward side and you can’t see the far side tell tale ease the sail out a little and if the windward tell tale begins to wiggle, then just trim in a little. If the sheet takes a lot, then you are sailing too low, head up gently and trim the sail in.
3) Our going around the windward mark is getting better. Get that boom out so you can stay on starboard tack. In the light air have it out past 90 degrees pretty well, so when you heel big time (wetted surface and negative helm and wind stronger off the water) the weight of the boom holds the sail out nice and steady. — try to find a streak of wind and stay in it. (Yes, you are sailing toward the front and looking behind... say that is what my crew used to do.)
4) We need a lot of work on leeward mark roundings. If no one is around, then smooth turn to keep speed up and go by mark close on lee side, not going any further down wind than necessary. When in company then the tactical rounding, coming in wide with smooth turn and exiting close hauled next to the buoy. It helps if you can get the gybe in before the turn. If you are big time by the lee, then you should be able to trim in to get the gybe in. If you do that two or three boat lengths away from the mark that shouldn’t slow you much. Then you don’t have as much sheet to get in marking the turn. We need to be better about taking the long pulls of sheet with both arms. Yes, I know you are steering with the aft hand and arm. You have that long tiller extension, use it.
If you catch the transom (unlucky or not practiced enough) just trim in and go. If someone is right behind you, you want to be wrecking his wind and if you are right behind someone, the next tack will unhook the sheet.
As you go around the mark, head up to close hauled course even if your trimming is slow and the sail has big time luffing. It is just easier to trim then and reserves that close hauled slot for you. Sailing fast in the wrong direction will not help your cause.
5) And at the end we come around to starts. Stay close in light wind because it is hard to get back for the start. Use the 3 minutes A) check the line for bias. B) time the line (helps with speed -distance judgement) C) find a range D) check the current (none). In light air if the fleet will let, you keep moving. When the wind is up a little then do the stop and go thing. That needs practice.

BACK TO LASERS.

This blog is about the Eustis Laser fleet so here is the notes on this past weekend.

Rob Krentel dominated the weekend Laser racing, but it is hard for me to not be excited about all the other news. Pearce Pomerleau has a brand new 191913 Laser to match the one that Conner Kechriotis has. They are so nice and white and clean that it is a shame to put them in the dirty water of the lake.

Alejandro is back from the family visits and he worked his way back into shape by winning the last race of the weekend.

Marc Solas is showing up at the windward mark with the leaders. Good work Marc. Time in the boat really counts.

Patrick Daniel won another race over the weekend. That makes two for him so far.
Jerry Beck worked himself into several thirds on Saturday.

Pearce had a second in the third race on Saturday when I did corrected time. He didn’t correct up in any of the other races but is just getting used to the boat. We are currently short of youth due to the high school sailing on an up swing. Over the weekend, no one was using any of the Youth foundation boats, so when we get Ben, Luke, Max, Caroline L., Caroline C., Natalie, Maxwell, Conner, Tom, and don’t forget there is Jonathan, Seth and Bart, we will have a big gang of "youth" to sail with Pearce.

The weekend results:
Rob Krentel 2-3-1-1-1-1+1-1-1-2 Pts 13 Pl 1
Sam Chapin 1-2-4-3-2-2+2-3-2-3 Pt 24 2
Patrick Daniel 3-4-1-2-4-3+5-4-4-4 Pt 34 3
Marc Solas 5-5-6-5-6-5+4-5-5-5 Pt 51 4
Jerry Beck 4-3-5-4-3-4+0-0-0-0 Pt 51 4
Alejandro Illera 0-0-0-0-0-0+3-2-3-1 Pt 51 4
Pearce Pomerleau 0-6-2-6-5-6+6-6-6-6 Pt 56 7

Could youfigure out that that the + separates finishes from Saturday and Sunday.

Notice that we have a three way tie for fourth and I am not going to break the tie or recount because I like to see Marc up above those other guys.

Three 420s sailed with us on Saturday and Rob likes having extra boats on the line and Sam worries about sailing against them when they are having their own little race. E-mail back your ideas about that. They can have their own start after ours.

Eleanor Morad helped with the RC on Saturday. She is a recruit from the Lake Harris Sailing Club and lives up in Summerfield next to Lake Weir and the Ocala Sailing Club. A reminder that the group of central Florida sailing groups can help each other– we really do very different things, but it is all called "sailing". Check the blog at http://centralfloridasailing.blogspot.com

Continued THANKS to Eleanor, Marjorie and Joan for the RC work, faithful recording and taking of times.

This coming Saturday will be Fun Funny racing at 10 to 12 again. We may bet 420s or high school people in Lasers– hard to tell– come and see. That will be the end of that for a while as we dive into the regatta season with all the weekends busy.

Cool temperatures and brisk winds didn’t cool Jim Lingeman who scored four firsts in four races at he Lake Eustis Sailing club over the past week end in the Wayfarer Class including one come- from far behind in the last race. Second place was David Hepting and third Mike Murto.
Flying Scot sailboats were lead by Ray Laguna, second Jack Bazner and third was George Golder.
First place in the MC scows was Dave Moring with Jon Pomerleau second and Mike Baldacchino was third.
Laser sailboat first place was won by Rob Krentel, Sam Chapin second and Patrick Daniel third. Pearce Pomerleau was the first youth.
The high school teams sailed on Saturday in Club 420 sailboats. Ben Getchell and Seth Bahr were first after a tie break with Conner Kechriotis and Bart Eckhart. Lindsey Powers and Craig Yates were third.
Next Club Racing is in two weeks. Optimist pram sailing classes for ages 8 to 15 continue on Saturday with high school sailing Saturday afternoon.
The 10th Annual Wayfarer Regatta will be February 6-7 and 8 with boats from Canada and Michigan coming.
The 39th Annual George Washington Birthday Regatta will be February 21 and 22, a week before the City of Eustis’s George Fest.

Roll gybe in California

Warm temperatures and light winds dominated the Sailing at Lake Eustis over the weekend. In the Laser class Randy Rea from Crystal River won all three light air races on Saturday, but didn’t sail on Sunday so Rob Krentel won the weekend series with Sam Chapin second and Patrick Daniel third. Luke Yates was the first youth and Jennifer Burno the first woman.
The other classes only got one race in on Sunday with Lee Sayler winning the MC scow race, David Moring was second and Jon Pomerleau was third. Ben Getchel was the first youth.
Flying Scot class was won by Ron Baerwitz, Chris Erichson second and Ray Laguna third.
Jim McIntyre was the winner of the Wayfarer race. Jim Lingeman was second and David Hepting third.
Richard Kinnie won the A cat race.
Optimist sailing classes and 420 high school sailing was called off because of light wind. The sailing classes will continue next Saturday with special race coaching.
Next club racing will be in two weeks.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Rob Gretchell(Ben's big brother) was the first sailor on Lake Eustis in 2009 and in a Laser. He had a full rig and was easily the swimming and diving champion.The wind was us up but probably a little off yesterday but the wind was out of the East so we had the smooth water and big shifts and strange puffs that come off our shore.YES, WE DID HAVE THE FIRST RACES OF 2009. We had six boats out with four 4.7s that did most of the racing.Ben Getchell wins the last race of 2008 (See the notes from yesterday) and the first race of 2009. Actually he won two races today (Thursday) and then Luke Yates stopped fooling around and Luke won the last race holding off Ben with a nice loose cover.Ray Laguna had his red boat in and sailed with both the full rig and later the 4.7.Patrick Daniel sailed with his full rig and is getting used to the big shifts from the full hike position.Coach Craig Yates had the soft yellow youth foundation boat going pretty well.that boat is pretty fast in light wind but is hard to drive in heavier stuff.There was one MC out (I don't know who) and Phil Eckland unpacked his MC scow and red kayaks.Marjorie Chapin and Randy Boekema managed the spectator crowd. DO NOT FORGET THAT REAL RACING IS THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.We should have someone at First Friday which is tomorrow, so if you are in Eustis stop by and talk sailing with the tourists.