Eleven Fleet 50 sailors and friends met at Leesylvania State Park last Saturday and spent an easy couple of hours working  and chatting while we worked.

It was really good to see Bob Gotthardt back and looking strong after his health event last year.

Jim and Bob used the small amount of available paint to freshen up the kitchen in the pavilion.  The rest of us traded off the four available rakes to clean the camping area next to the pavilion of gum balls.

In return, the park gives us the pavilion to use free of charge for our regatta (normally $700).

This spring started off with two very heavy wind days, followed by a near zero wind day, and finally a moderate wind day.   Below are the cumulative results so far.

Next weekend is the Potomac Cup and then four more Spring Series  Sundays and the PRSA Spring Regatta on the river.   Nearby on the bay we have the Dixie Districts/No Gas.   Lots of sailing opportunities before the hot summer settles in on us.  Plan to get out as much as you can.  You won’t regret it.

2022 Lightning Cumulative

Lightning Fleet 50 invites you to the 36th Annual Doc Gilbert  Potomac Cup Regatta, May 7-8, 2021 on the famous Potomac River at Leesylvania State Park, just outside of Washington DC, where the Potomac is 3 miles wide!

Both Lightnings and I-20s are invited.

NOR, current registrants, and registration at: https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/24462

Questions?  Contact the regatta chair, Nabeel Alsalam, at nabeel.alsalam@gmail.com.

To PRO Bob Astrove’s surprise the wind started off from the SW and he set up the course that way.  But after the I20s were off and just as the Lightnings were to start the wind shifted to the west.

Tom got a good start at the boat closing off Ed Lane but John came in just behind and he and Janine sailed high and fast  to get to the windward mark on a single tack.  By that time, the wind had gone even further right and John simply gybed and headed on a reach back to the leeward mark.  Meanwhile, on Shadowfax we tried to raise the chute and gybe.  It wasn’t pretty.  We fell way behind.

The RC reset the course for race 2 and raised the T2 flag — two triangles.   The reaching legs were quite tight and so flying the chute was not a given.   Frank raised it and passed us on one leg but then foolishly tried to carry it on the next and lost.   Otherwise, we did our best to remember how to make the Lightning go fast on a jib reach — we don’t do it very often.

As always it is great fun being out on the water and doing the best one can with the wind and the waves.

Only one more before the boats need to be stored away for the winter.

Cumulative championship results:

2021_Championship_Series_Cum_FS7

A beautiful fall day for sailing.

We had 8 boats racing a great turnout.  Bobby was back in the saddle with Potomac Red after a required hiatus after surgery. Beppe, age 14, was helming Shadowfax. Despite an OCS he did great.  Kevin’s son was helming 14566.  An Aero sailor was helping Jeff Witten on Mighty Moose.

Only two more Sunday to go.  Then the long-dark winter sets in.  Carpe Diem.

Cumulative Results:

2021_Championship_Series_Cum_FS6

(October 24, races 67-70 of the championship series,  14592 and 14318 sailed with two.)

Three – John Van Voorhis, Piercarlo Brunino, and Lindsay Bach — sailed on the Potomac.

Fall Series 2

Championship Cumulative

Three – Tim O’Brien,  Lisa-Marie Lane, and Jeff Witten – sailed on the Bay in the Frigid Digit.

Frigid Digit Results

I see new first names with familiar last names.  I expect the younger generation took over.  I see only 4 completed races on the Bay.  Was it too windy?

From Will Phillipe,  PRO on the River:

It was a beautiful day to sail today with sunny skies mid 70s and wind to sail in. As PRO I was certainly challenged today with our NNW winds moving to WNW. I made use of the Postpone before Race 1 because we needed a few extra minutes to get setup (remember as PRO the postpone is your friend). The forecast of NW winds with a later shift to WNW came earlier than I expected so race 1 the windward mark was off. We moved it closer to Gravelly Point to be more NW but it continued to move WNW and the gusts putting it closer to West. I was torn about trying to adjust the course and to get races off but with it shifting back and forth I opted to leave and keep running races.   —