Monday, June 22, 2009

Summer Sailing June 20 and 21, 2009.
Lasers had nine sailors and 15 races over the two days with 6 racing on Saturday for 8 races and 8 sailors on Sunday for seven races. Great winds both days with everyone in full rigs, but wind on Sunday building to make it hard for the light weights, but great learning for them.
Ben Getchell 1-1-5-3-1-2-2-4 + 1-3-1-1-1-2-2 30 1
Rob Krentel 3-4-2-2-3-1-1-2+ 2-1-4-2-2-1-1 31 2
Sam Chapin 2-3-1-1-2-3-3-1+ 3-2-3-3-3-3-3 47 3
Luke Yates 6-2-3-5-4-4-5-5 + 4-4-2-5-4-nf-5 66 4
Marc Solal 5-6-6-4-6-5-6-6 + 7-ns-6-6-5-6-4 87 5
Craig Yates 4-5-4-6-5-6-4-3 + 80 107 6
Jennifer Burno 70 + 5-5-5-4-nf-4-ns 121 7
Tim Arnold 70 + 6-7-7-8-6-5-6 125 8
Aaron Arnold 70+ 8-6-7-8-nf-nf-7 134 9

Ben getchell was our big hero. He was third on Saturday, but one point behind Rob and Rob one point behind Sam. Ben had four bullets out of seven races on Sunday and worst race a third. He pulled ahead of everyone. Rob had to eat a 4 on Sunday and that was the difference.

So after 15 races Rob was one point out. If we would have had another high wind race on Sunday he would have been ahead. He won both of those last two races.

Sam was unusually good on Saturday and ended up one point ahead. With the wind increase on Sunday he realized that when tacking he should be getting in the hiked out position sooner in the higher winds. When Kurt Taulbee gets here next month he will probably be getting everyone jumping from side to side.

We had some of our 18 inch waves that we could get a little push from especially if you are sailing in transition. Broad reach to the right and then roll to the right and transition to by the lee when going down a wave for a little extra push and not staying in the dead down wind slow mode. We get to roll the boat to help steering, if you are worried about rule 42.
With the little chop that we had going up wind it is probably best to just sail a little full and power through the waves. In the bigger waves that we either don’t get or not often, it is general up the up side of the wave and down the down side with a move your weight back to push the tiller to leeward going up the wave and a move forward with the pull on the tiller to turn down the wave. One of those things that takes a lot of practice to get the rhythm right.

Four of the five youth foundation boasts boats have the old vang system and are without the supper vang ability. The old system to set up the vang was to stand up when head to wind with the hiking stick hand on top and the boom. Lean on the boom hard while you set up the vang with the sheet hand. It wasn’t easy to get off again either. I don’t recommend that to anyone now. If you get caught with too much wind just go from block to block to ease more sheet, keep the boat near flat and keep sailing fast. Sail fast is better than pinching up to keep the boat flat. Pinching up into the wind makes you just go slower. The waves will stop you especially when you try to tack and don’t have much boat speed and hit a wave.

Luke Yates beat his dad on Saturday (It wasn’t Fathers Day) and was back on Sunday which managed pretty well with a full rig and the wind increasing. A second place in the third race on Sunday and hung in there all day.

Marc Solal ended up 5th and was never LAST on Sunday. He was first to the weather mark in one race. Marc, just a little better boat handling and you will be there.

Craig Yates sailed with us Saturday but missed Sunday and got himself down to 6th place. He was our entry in the Poker run but drew a poor hand of cards.

Jennifer Burno, our first woman and only woman, she came late and got the old yellow boat. That boat is super soft, fast in light wind, but not in a little chop. She did the full rig and really did well with several 4ths as well and some turn overs. Skipped that last race to show she is not that dumb.

Tim and Aaron Arnold were 8 and 9. They were are most important sailors. Don’t forget that the people at the bottom of the fleet are the ones that make the group grow and maybe beat up on the others later depending on how hard they work at it. The first races that they have sailed in! The most wind thy have sailed it! Great work fellows! Now we have to figure out how to fit Mrs. Patricia Arnold in.

Kim Kelly, big boat and cruising sailor, big boat sailing instructor and Mt. Dora resident, will be sailing Laser with us and helping Leah Ladley with the Whirlwind group. She away on the RC boat and enjoyed the action.

Thanks again to Joan Bryant and Marjorie Chapin for the great RC work.

Next Summer racing in 2 weeks both Saturday and Sunday.

Wednesday evening sailing continues 5 to 7 with Pizza and North U 7 to 8.

Next week end is free from organizational sailing. We could so some coaching. If interested contact Sam.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Crazy about the Laser but this is the BOAT LIST

I tried to put this in the side bar so it would hang around up front, but it is too long to fit. I just add it show that you can expect people to come and go from a fleet. Some times the money, or the family, or the lake , or the health, or the itch. It will happen and we are all good friends.

THE BOAT LIST.
Boats I have sailed on and the ones I have owned are marked with* and if I owned
a few or a lot **
Somewhat in order of from 10 years of age up.
Old Town Sail Canoe
Moth (old wooden)
Snipe**
C scow *
R boat
Suicide
Rebel (Ray Green)
Hagerty Sea Shell**
Thistle*
Star
Sunfish**
Sailboards**
Laser**
Hobie 14
Hobie 16
10 sq meter canoe*
St Lawrence skiff*
Minifish
Nomad (not Vanguard)*
Alden 38
J24*
J30
J33
J44
Holder 20
Optimist Pram*
JY15
Cape Cod Frosty*
Westsail 43
Cape Dory Typhoon*
Stiletto 30
Catalina 27
Day Sailer
Piver 24 catamaran
Hirondella catamaran
Sea Pearl
Sea Snark
Flying Scot
Irwin 30
Raider
Bolger Tortoise*
Bolger Brick*
"50 footer" Springbok
Phantom
Hunter 140
Peep Hen
Bay Hen*
Victoria
Pintail*
MC scow*
Wayfarer
Key West Schooners
Wolf
Western Union
America (copy with modern design)

Monday, June 8, 2009

June 6 and 7, 2009 Summer Sailing
We had eleven sailors in thirteen races. Not bad. Here are the scores. See if you can figure out how I have them listed.
Dave Chapin 1-1-1-1-1-1+ ns10-1-1-3-1-1-2
Alejandro Illera 3-3-3-2-2-3+ 1-3-4-5-4-6-1
Rob Krentel 2-2-2-4-3-2+ 4-4-5-1-5-5-3
Marc Solal 4-4-4-3-4-5+ 6-8-7-7-7-7-5
Ben Getchell +2-2-2-4-2-2-6
Seth Behr + 3-5-3-6-6-3-4
Sam Chapin +5-6-6-2-3-4-ns10
Kevin (Holder 12) 6-6-6-5-5-4+
Jon Chapin(4.7) 5-5-5-6-6-6+
Leah Ladley(Radial) + 8-7-ns--------
Melanie Ladley (420) +7-ns-----------
Glad to have Dave and Jon Chapin sailing with us. Helps both ends of the fleet. Jon will be back with us some more.
Rob edges out Alejandro in the higher winds of Saturday, but then Alejandro came back on Saturday — and after 13 races. Alejandro was ahead by one point!
Marc got a third place on Saturday. Way to go French!
Kevin sailed with us on Saturday in the Holder 12 and gradually improved to the point when he bumped Marc on corrected time in the full rig laser in the 6th race. Rob, maybe it is time to move him into a Laser.
Jon Chapin was sailing better and needs some practice with his boat handling, which he will get this summer. It was good to see these last two hanging in there in all the races. They are the ones that will make the fleet grow.
The Whirlwind high school sailors had sail to the Crazy Gator for supper Saturday evening, then a camp out and were out sailing 420s early Sunday. So then we had Melanie sailing the 420 and Leah with her radial. In the first race Melanie bumped her mom out of seventh place on corrected time. Leah sailed another race and they both went in to get some other stuff done. One advantage of short races.
Ben Getchell spent the morning chasing Dave. He didn’t beat him over the finish line, but if we had scored Sunday separately he would have been in second and ahead of Alejandro.
Seth Behr was in the hunt all Sunday and had three third places. Not bad! We have invited Seth’s Dad, Steven, to join us. He is an old Opti sailor.
Thank you Marjorie Chapin and Joan Bryant for the good RC work.
Next week MC scow sailing.
Four rain barrels have been installed. Dennis is cutting the grass. Martin will be on his way to the St. Lawrence Wednesday while we are sailing and eating Pizza.
That is all the news from Lake Eustis.