Saturday and Sunday January 16-17, 2010

The Laser group turned a couple of corners this weekend. The Board of Directors of LESC gave the go ahead to Rob Krentel for the District 13 (Florida) Laser Championship here at Lake Eustis next December. Our advanced group of Laser sailors went for the second race of the long course folks at about noon. The higher winds didn’t discourage them any as they did it both Saturday and Sunday. That makes about 3 hours of racing sailing for them

All together we had 9 sailors over the weekend with Randy Rea, our old friend from Crystal River, and Kevin Ratigan, our radial rig friend from Orlando, visiting on Saturday.

But a look at the scores first..

Dave Chapin ns-1-2-1-1-3+1-2-1-1=22
Alejandro Illera 2-2-3-3-4-1+3-3-3-2= 26
Rob Krentel 3-3-4-4-2-2+2-1-2-4=27
Jerry Beck ns-5-6-6-5-ns+6-6-4-3=50
Luke Yates 32+4-4-6-6=52
Sam Chapin 4-6-5-5-6-4+5-5-5-nf= 53
Randy Rea 1-4-1-2-3-ocs+ 54 =75
Marc Solal ns-ns-7-ns-7-nf+7-7-7-5=76
Kevin Ratigan ns-ns-ns-ns-ns-5+54 =104

The score keeper will make a separate session for “long races”. Saturday= Dave Chapin, Randy Rea, Alejandro Illera, Kevin Ratigan(no time for his radial), Rob Krentel.
Sunday= Dave Chapin, Rob Krentel, Alejandro Illera, Marc Solal

So let us stat with number 9.. Kevin Ratigan with the radial rig. Our RC took time on the last race on Saturday which was the first he got into. His corrected time didn’t move him up on that race but on the long race he was just behind Alejandro. If we had done times he would have moved up there. OK, Kevin, you were the first Radial anyway.

Marc Solal, our international representative, repaired his broken hiking strap from Saturday and on Sunday sailing the short races was so much fun that he did the long race too. Good work Marc.

Randy Rea is down here in 7 because he takes big hits for not sailing on Sunday and he was over early on the last race Saturday. I changed the scores for that last race– we love Randy because he came over and taught us how to sail Lasers several years ago– but it is the Competitors job to start properly. The RC will try to tell you if you are over, but they can’t sail the boat for you. Dave loves having Randy because then he really has someone to spar with.

It is with mixed emotions that I find Sam down in 6th. I have score sheets from a few year ago when I was ahead of most of you–including David (but that was many many years ago and only when the wind was up). I hope it is because many of you are sailing better.

Luke Yates has his own boat and was sailing 4th places with the full rig. Wow. The youth are coming.

Jerry Beck beat Rob in the last and higher wind race on Sunday. That was the race that Sam decided there was too much wind and excitement for an old man and headed in.

Rob Krentel is in third place but only by one point. He would have beaten Alejandro if he had not turned over in that last race Sunday. In the long race on Saturday he got fourth, but told me he would do better next time. Sunday he did, with a second behind David in the long race.

Alejandro Illera continues his charge in front. He is always sailing flat and fast. He really works the downwinds. Being light helps downwind, but it hurts going upwind in a blow, so don’t complain.

Dave Chapin had some competition for a change but he was able to pile up enough first places to make up for the first race he missed on Saturday. Now if he lets his father fix the leaking rip in his cockpit floor, maybe he won’t be so slow..

Many thanks again to our regular RC Joan Bryant and Marjorie Chapin. Oh, and then on Sunday we had extra help from Jack Kern (Our Texas MC sailor) until he realized the MCs were really going to sail. And then thanks too, to the Fisherman in the passing by motorboat that brought him to shore.