Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Crazy weekend. September 26-27, 2009

It was another crazy week end! You folks that missed Saturday– maybe you were smart, but we got in three races in the time frame of 11 to 12. Then Sunday we got our races in before the big blow, rain, thunder and stuff..

We missed the high school sailors that said they were coming on Sunday– but haven’t heard boo from them about the sailing at Davis Island either.

I will try to get all the races down here
Alejandro Illera 1-1-1+ 1-1-1-3-2-1 =12
Rob Krentel 2-4-3+ 3-3-3-2-3-2=26
Steve Hayden nc 24 + 2-2-2-1-1-3=35
Marc Solal nc 24 + 4-4-4-4-4-4=53
Sam chapin 3-3-2+ nc 48 =57
Luke Yates 4-2-5+ nc 48 =62
Max Barten 5-5-4+ nc 48 =64
Then we had Ron Stevenot and grand daughter in Omega on both days. On Saturday he finished 6-6-6 and corrected out to 5-2-5. Note he corrected into second place in the second race. Then on Sunday he corrected into 5-4-4-4-4-5. I didn’t stick those corrected times into the Laser scores above because we are two separate operations as well as one. If we mixed everyone together then he would be 4th out of nine boats for the weekend..
Ron has been invited to head up a group of Portsmouth -(Jim Orth and Charles Manico and Carlton Brown take note.) But I think he is going to try a Wayfarer and a Scot at the present time.

Jeffery Hayden was our 8th competitor in his new shinny Sunfish. His dad, Steve Hayden, was going to sail along and help him in his first race, but Dad got caught up in the battle with Alejandro. Jeffery did fine without him and worked himself up to a fourth on corrected time in the last race. So I think he did better without much help. Sailing in more wind than he is used to. Steve, if you can find Derrick Fries’s book on Sunfish sailing, he has a lot of information on position of the goose neck in different winds. That would be for when Jeffery gets a little more confidence and sits out a little more – the old sail the boat flat stuff..

Max Barten was back with us and had grown a foot, carried his skate board so he won’t have to walk long distances. He picked off Luke in that lst race Saturday– but sure picked a miserable day to start sailing with us again. Max and Luke were our Free Style winners from last years contest. We need to do that again.

Luke Yates can do it. See that second place in the second race. He has been getting all the "Puffer" practice.

Mark Solal is back from Italy where he has been telling them how to fix their mini electronics. Notice he has moved into fourth place.

Steve Hayden is our Lightning sailor and his dad come over with his motor boat to check on us but was a little late to see the action. We hope they all come back again, often.

Rob Krentel was always right with Alejandro or right ahead of him. You look at the scores and you might not think so, but he is the one that has been pushing the little aggressor.. They both are busy changing sails and tweaking the boats.

Alejandro Illera has been making money on working the downwind stuff. We will get Ben Getchell back sailing with him and see if that slows him up. In the mean time the rest of us can do what he does– heel more, transitions more, sail hotter angles downwind. Since the Kurt Taulbee clinic, he has been sailing lower and faster going upwind too.

Now don’t forget Wednesday evening.

Don’t forget the catamaran regatta this weekend. A good chance for the Lasers to sail out and cheer our entry, A cat Richard Kinnie, when he sails around the windward mark.. Look out at the other end of the course, because they will be continually finishing and starting various classes. It is a really slick operation, if you have not seen it.

Laser racing again in two weeks.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

It was a great Laser sailing weekend. Light wind Saturday, but we got 5 races in and Rob was able to corner Ben. Sunday had great wind, just short of white caps and from the west with cop in our area of sailing. Then the wind came up some more with rain and then faded off and left the bumpy water to deal with.

Patrick Daniel was back with us. Cameron Smith joined in for the first time on Sunday. Luke Yates gave up his spot on the Laser to Cameron and loaded a 420 with Opti kids that came on the wrong time or place or something. It is hard to keep up with the Opti switches of day, time and place.

The weekend results:
Rob Krentel 1-1-2-3-1+2-2-1-1-3-2-1 = 20
Alejandro Illera 2-4-5-4-5+1-1-2-2-1-1-2= 30
Sam Chapin 6-5-3-1-3+3-3-3-3-2-3-4 = 39
Patrick Daniel 5-3-4-5-4+4-4-4-4-4-5-3 = 49
Marc Solal 7-9-6-6-6+5-5-5-5-5-4-5= 68
Ben Getchell 3-2-1-2-2+ nc (70) = 80
The Browns (San Juan) 4-6-9-7-7+nc(70)= 103
Cameron Smith 8-8-7-8-ns+ nc (70)= 110
Luke Yates (420) nf-7-8-9-ns+ nc (70)=112

The finishes are by corrected times and results in a little juggling - like the Browns jumped up to 4th in that first race Saturday.

Rob won Saturday by enough of a margin that Alejandro’s wins on Sunday didn’t jump him ahead as we head down the first series of fall races.

Alejandro, our light weight, won the windier day with the full rig. Aren’t you big guys ashamed of yourselves? Did you notice that he was not pointing up with the rest of us, but sailing fast to the next shift and increasing the separation. Was that some stuff from the Curt Taulbee clinic? If you don’t know about separation, ask at a North U Wednesday night session.

We had Ben held to one first place on Saturday and second overall, but then he missed the Sunday races and that drops him to 6th for the weekend.

Sam managed to win the 4th race on Saturday sailing the his old red boat. He was able to steal the pin end of the line on a left shift and crossed the fleet. It was nice to be out in front where you can tack on all the shifts. It helps to have Ben covering and holding back Alejandro so the run is not so hectic. Thanks Ben.

Patrick Daniel is back from the big boat sailing. He says he will be sailing with us most of the winter. He had a third on both Saturday and Sunday and will be able to challenge the top.

Marc Solal is picking off some people and has moved out of the "always last" position. We are giving him a lot of hugs and advice. So look out we will be looking for someone else to be last.

Well, Cameron Smith was the last, but that was just the first time sailing with us and he did a great job and with the full sail.

Carlton and Aggie Brown sailed the San Juan 21 with us and ended up sixth. Not bad for first time out and crazy wind on Saturday. They will continue to show up on Wednesday and during the week.

Luke Yates filled in as sailing instructor with the two or three crew members. They had come to sail Optis. Luke gave them a lot of Sailor Talk they would not have had in the little boats– so good work Luke.

Comments on the sailing conditions at on howtosailthelaser.bogspot.com.

It was a tough weekend for the other fleets. Maybe the no sailing last weekend put them off, but the MC only had 9 out on Saturday. We had 9 in our races (counting the 420 and the San Juan, not really fair) but then on Sunday they had 10 and we only had 5.

The Mcs had good racing both days. The Scots suffered a lot with only Ray Laguna sailing Saturday. Did you notice that was really Laser sailing with Ray at the helm and Glenda Libby the spinnaker girl. Then on Sunday George Golder and Chris Erichsen sailed both races and swapped first and second. Ray was off pistol shooting or something else.

Wayfarers suffered on both days with Jim L and Mike M sailing in the first race Saturday and then coming in during the second race due to the light wind. On Sunday they had three boats out, but when the rain and increased wind came in, Jim and Mike came in an left Mike Tighe out to sail both races by himself. Jim and Mike M both have had enough experience that when that little rain storm came in, they figure it was time to get in before things got worse. The experienced mind at work. Too bad, because it turned out to be a nice day.

Comments on Fleet Building take up several days last week on howtosailthelaser.blogspot.com

Next racing in two weeks. We are still doing Wednesday evenings, Pizza and North U. Will try to have marks out and practice race for those that want it . Sun is going down about ten minutes earlier every night as the days get shorter.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

MEMORIAL DAY REGATTA

This is out of place. It shoud have been in just ahead of the Wednesday night thing.

Labor Day Regatta report. September 5 and 6, 2009. Lasers were the only ones that got races in because of the light wind. Two races Saturday and Four on Sunday. The other classes did not have any races and just went home after Sunday. They didn’t have any trophy stuff, so we will do something later when the trophy maker catches up with his other work.

Ben Getchell 1-1+1-1-1-1 6 First place. First Youth. First High school sailor.
Alejandro Illera 2-2+2-3-2-4 15 Second Place. First adult.
Rob Krentel 3-3+3-2-3-2 16 Third Place First heavy weight.
Sam Chapin 4-4+4-4-5-5 26 Fourth Place First Golden Oldie
Marc Solal 5-5+6-5-6-6 33 Fifth Place First Frenchman
Seth Behr ns-ns+5-6-4-3 34 Sixth Place First to improve in almost every race.
Craig Yates ns-ns+ns-7-4-ns 43 Seventh Place First in the hearts of the others.

First let me start with Craig Kiwi Yates, high school coach, boat repair artist, etc. We are so happy to see him come and be the seventh boat. He sailed the Kelly boat without all the fancy stuff to adjust. He did a fourth in the third race on Sunday just ahead of Sam and then went home so Sam couldn’t get even. He dropped to the bottom of the list because he missed four of six races. He also made all the motor boat waves on Saturday driving around in the coach boat.

Did you notice that we had two fourth places in third race on Sunday. That is the way the RC reported it and we don’t argue with the RC.

Seth Behr, high school sailor, got out with us on Sunday and marched right up the ladder with a third place in the fourth race. Good work Seth. Seth found the old red Laser (first at LESC-- 35 years ago.) of Ford Matthews in a neighbor’s back yard. He was smart not to buy it, but Sam did get it and trying to get it in shape to sail a little. A lot of work and some expense to get an old soft boat, but historic piece. Vera, ask Jane if she remembers him.

Marc Solal, our big guy, was up in the pack going up wind and losing going down wind or he would have had a good race someplace. The wind will increase Marc. Keep coming.

Rob Krentel beat Alejandro out on Sunday but lost on the two races on Saturday. The duel continues.

Alejandro Illera picked off Rob by one point after six races. Not much of a margin, but then Alejandro has a great patch on the side of his boat and not that big hole.

Ben Getchell put together his light weight, light winds, great tacking, aggressive sailing, good
change of gears, and lots of good luck to sail away with the week end.

Let me make a special note. I was told by observers from shore that Ben’s roll tacks were illegal.— well yes if you read rule 42 in the rule book ,you might think so, but— they match the roll tacks that are in Steve Cockerel’s instructional DVD. Steve was the World Laser Master Champion a few year ago when they had the races in South Korea. His throw away race was a second place with 90 or so boats in the races.

Cabarete in the Dominican Republic teaches similar roll tacks and is training ground for many Olympic Laser sailors. Ari Bashire of Cabarete recently placed well in the Worlds Laser Master Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia and he was not flagged for any 42 rules. The web site publishes all the Protests and Rule 42 calls.

Interesting to look at that. All the rule 42 stuff was for rocking or pumping, not tacking or gybing.

Paul Goodison who won the Olympic gold medal in China and the recent World Laser Championship in Halifax rolls that way and I can show you pictures of him doing it in his instructional book.

The ads for the Cabarete DVD showed roll gybe with boat coming out of gybe with a lot os speed. The Laser blog "Proper Course" called them on it and referred it to the Laser judging committee that reviewed it an said that it was legal because the roll was induced to make the boat turn and it was not the sailors fault that the boat went faster.

In the Athens Olympic DVD that we had at LESC and which has been borrowed and not returned
you could see, if it was to be returned, the gold medal winner Robert Scheidt sailing down wind doing transitions ( broad reach to by the lee and back again) going around waves that he was catching up to and passing. Each turn had a good heel and straighten to make the boat turn and the judge boat following him just follows along.

My conclusion is that currently the Lasers can be radically heeled to induce turning and it is disregarded that it makes the boat go faster.

Another factor that may have come up this weekend is multiple roll tacks without substantial change in wind direction. I was out both days and especially on Sunday the wind was all over the place. I don’t think I have ever seen so many funny big and little shifts and up and downs.

General advice for light wind is to roll tack and rock (repeated rock is forbidden) and then sit quiet and forward and to leeward quietly so not to disturb the wind flow across the sail. The old guy can not roll tack and then get forward and to leeward without wobbling the boat all over the place and then it is time to roll tack again, but he is sitting up on the centerboard behind the mast. Forget it – Ben did a great job of doing all that stuff.

We will just have to get EVEN when the wind comes up a little or a lot.

Now I should tell you about our left handed starting line, the strange mysterious opposing down drafts, the down wind start— but that later.

Informal racing (all boats welcome now that you folks are sailing again) this WEDNESDAY 5 to 7 with second part of "Morning Light" at 7 to 8.

Up coming Portsmouth fleet racing news.

WEDNESDAY EVENING AND THE P FLEET

I don't know what is happening to this crazy Portsmouth thing. Ray Laguna wants to form a Portsmouth Fleet. Like we don't have one. Hey, what has Sam been doing for the past 3 years??

Then it looks like the Carlton and Aggie Brown with the San Juan 21 are the only ones really interested. They have the boat is the water and ready to go but not wind and no RC. Then they are off to check on grand babies-- that's OK, there is no wind and no RC anyway. Ray knows that the wind will be bad so he is off firing his pistol with gun group.

Now Jim Orth with the Lido wants to sail P. Ron Stevenot (new member) the granddaughter and the Omega want to sail P. Charles Mancino and the Precision 15 think that racing P would be a step up from single cruising. Steve Hayden (the lightening guy) will send the little fellow out in the Sunfish with the Lasers.

Now Wednesday evening, the folks that started all this, Carlton and Aggie Brown show up with Kevin Somebody that wants to join LESC and race his Oday Day Sailor. That is another P boat.

Now that is great, right. New members, growing new fleet-- but then they all get in Lasers. Carleton Brown, Aggie Brown, Kevin got emergency call and couldn't stay, Kim Kelley (full rig is a fair amount of wind), DENNIS OLDHAM, (RETIRED AND RUNNING OUT OF THINGS TO DO-- ask him about the wind, Darcy Jensen (one of our regulars and has to go home to study CALCULUS. I am glade I don't go to high school these days.) Luke Yates in Laser and part of time with the neighbor kid on the bow. Sasha had the Opti out. Craig Yates brought his new/old Phantom (like a biggish Sunfish)out and Darcy sailed it some.

Gosh, if those P guys would just sail Lasers it would save a lot of fuss.

The Pizza Lady came through. We saw the rest of the "Morning Light". They made it to Hawaii, but didn't win. Sam is glad he doesn't have a 52 foot boat and can sail and then go home for dinner and TV. Luke want to do the Morning Light trip and be the guy they hoist to the top of the mast to see if they can see Hawaii yet.

Next week it is back to North U and we will try to get the marks out earlier to have some race starts if any of the P fleet guys want to sail Lasers again.

Any way it was a lot of fun and sunset is about 7:28 now.