First, as newcomer to the fleet – hello to everybody! I moved to DC late last year and – after seeing the fleet out one day having too much fun while I was driving by in slow traffic — I decided to get back into Lasers. Turns out, one of the best decisions I’ve made recently. Actually that’s not a high bar in my case, but still….
Category Archives: Lasers
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Laser Frostbite Day #2, 11/25
Seventeen boats came out for Day #2. The wind started out lighter than forecast and then picked up to forecast about 10-12 mph. It started out west-southwest and shifted south-southwest half way through the day. Len and Barb Guenther set a windward-leeward course out in the river. The current was the opposite of last week (coming in all day) and I believe played a big factor in the racing today more on that later. There was some big debris/speed bumps (tree trunks) out in the river causing some to fall out of their boats and other to stop for a minute. If you have not made it out yet this season it has been near perfect sailing conditions and just in luck for you we sail again next Sunday same time same place. Keith Barron and William Kruse will be providing the RC.
Full scores are posted on the website here:
Erich
Laser Frostbite Day #1, 11/18
It was a beautiful day to be on the water. If you could order up breeze like this every day that would be great. The wind turned out to be more than forecast from the low teens with some gust in the high teens from the north-northeast and east. The current was going out all day. It was a shifty day but Justin Pollack and Jim Klein set a windward-leeward course which they did not have to adjust much during the day. Twenty-two boats came out with three boats being the first day sailing with us. Bob Gotthardt took the day for the newbies to the fleet with an eleventh overall. Making it to the top ten was an accomplishment as a lot of the top guns came out to sail today.
Results posted on the website (Thanks Farley and Scott).
We sail again next Sunday with the Guenthers providing the RC. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Erich
Frostbite sailors scream downwind
March 4th, 2012 was a big wind day*. The Laser frostbite fleet went out onto the river to avoid the puffs and shifts in the cove. Here is some video the RC boat — Steve Yelland and Kevin Crowley — took of us flying downwind.
* Observations at the airport: 12:52 – N at 15 mph with gusts to 22, 13:52 NW at 22 with gusts to 31, 14:52 NW at 21 with gusts to 31.
Break Out Your Shorts!! The Annual Hangover Regatta Is This Sunday Jan 1st!!
Our annual Hangover Regatta will be held this Sunday Jan 1st. The weather is looking really nice, its predicted to be 60F with winds in the low teens. Hardly frostbiting weather!! Info and pre-registration is located here. Hope to see you on the water.
– Scott
Laser Frostbite Day #5, 12/18/2011
It was a beautiful day on the Potomac River with the wind from the northwest 7-15, which was more than the forecast that I saw. The sun was behind the clouds making it feel like a frostbite race but the wind was enough to keep you working. It was another great turnout with 23 boats making it on the last sailing day in 2011. Will Summers and Istvan Pely set up a windward leeward out in the river. The current was coming in/slack at the beginning of the day and was going out pretty aggressively by the last race keeping the fleet off the line.
Getting a good start was essential and the mark roundings were crowded which put an emphasis on making the right decision in a short amount of time. The firsts were well spread out in six races with six different people winning a race (Erich, Frank, , Len & Robert). The wind was very shifty which caused many lead changes. Results are posted here.
I have been excited by all the new faces this year and the turnouts thus far. I hope that we can keep it up in 2012.
The next Sunday is the Hangover Regatta January 1. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year and hope to see you on the water on the 1st.
-Erich
PRSA Spring Regatta 2011, Lower Course Results
If you missed Saturday you missed a great sailing day with a south breeze 10 mph and warm temps. We had sixteen boats with a few people who have not sailed in quite sometime. Steve Parsons sailed with us for the fist time in about a year and Cheryl Taylor has not sailed in over a year.
The day started out with a very solid breeze with very few wind shifts (unusual conditions for the river) but by the fourth race the river had found its wind shifty groove.
Cary Comer came out of the gate rounding all of the marks in the first race in first and finished fourth on the day. Len Guenther warmed up after the first three races and finished with a 3-1-3-4 and good enoguh for third place overall. Justin Pollack was very consistent and finish the day with a first in the last race and second in the overall standings. Erich Hesse loved the steady southerly and took the first place honors.
Thanks to Jim Graham for organizing the regatta. Big thanks to Rick Welch, Aaron Boesenecker (thanks for the pictures) and another Lightning crew member for great RC and crunching the numbers by hand afterwards. Thanks to Steve Parsons, Len, and Farley with helping flipping burgers and rolling hot dogs. I think a great time was had by all.
Erich Hesse (Laser Fleet Captain)
2011 PRSA Spring Regatta – Lasers
Pictures: Lasers on the Lower course
Laser Frostbite 1/30/2011
Fourteen people showed up to take part in a 40 degree day on the last Sunday of January. The wind was from the east-northeast starting out light to variable in the last race. Erich Hesse and Ridley Nelson set up a windward-leeward course in the cove with the starting line within a stone’s throw of the Mount Vernon bike path. The winner of the day was Nabeel Alsalam and his winner’s write-up below. We had one new boat owner join us for the first time, Justin Pollack, who bought a boat that has been sitting at the marina. Justin had a good day after a long hiatus from Laser sailing and finished 2nd overall. We also had a friend of Alex Jacob, Shawn Golden, join us and they both showed the older/heavier people how to do it in the light air.
Here is a cool shot by Erich of Nabeel ghosting toward the finish. (Click to enlarge)
Continue reading Laser Frostbite 1/30/2011
Laser Frostbite – January 2, 2011
The day after the Hangover Regatta in which 33 boats competed, only 6 boats showed up for the regular Sunday Frostbite series. We were treated to 6 races in light air.
PRSA Hangover Regatta – January 1, 2011
What a day! We had our biggest Laser regatta ever today, 33 boats. Thanks to all that traveled to join us to help us push over the 30 boats mark. The weather could not have been better with temps in the 50’s and a south breeze 7-12 mph. We sailed in the river with the current coming in throughout the racing. There were 5 races.
Tim Zimmerman was untouchable with four firsts in five races and won the regatta handily.
Special thanks to our RC for the day Nabeel Alsalam, Rob Young, Collette Bolton, Mike Heinsdorf & Tom Berlin. Thanks also to Adam Dolezal who provided hot dogs for those who stuck around after racing.
— Erich (Laser Fleet Captain)
