The Frostbite Pages

Lasers and Bytes will race all winter in the cove on Sundays starting November 19th. Just show up at the dock by Noon on Sundays for the skippers meeting. Be sure to dress WARM!! Contact Nabeel (Phone 703-356-6032) for more info.

Pictures

Contact List

Sailing In The Offseason: An article by Nabeel Alsalam

Results

End of Season Frostbite Race, November 11, 2000

November 19, 2000

November 26, 2000

December 3, 2000

December 10, 2000

December 17, 2000

January 1, 2001 - Hangover Regatta

January 7, 2001

January 14, 2001

January 21, 2001

January 28, 2001

February 4, 2001

February 11, 2001

February 18, 2001

February 25, 2001

March 4, 2001

March 11, 2001

March 18, 2001

End-of-Season Frostbite Race, November 11, 2000

It was a very windy day—15 to 20 knots with gusts as high as 30 knots.  And the tide was very low—low tide was at 1:00 and the NW breeze was blowing even more water out of the cove.  Plus hydrilla was a factor as you sail toward the mudflats.  Needless to say, these conditions kept many people from launching.  Those that did looked at the bright side—the temperature was in the 60s, the sun was bright, and here is the chance to practice heavy air sailing.  Paul Maher and Rick Welch launched their Lightnings.   Paul took four on board—extra ballast.   Four Albacores splashed their boats:  Dan Caplan, Bob Kleysteuber, Dave Huber, and Daphne Byron.   Joanna Byron volunteered to help race committee.   At the time she thought that would be from the end of the dock, but Jim Graham was planning to do it from the whaler.  “Rats!” she must have said.  Five Lasers also braved the puffy conditions:  Chris Bolton, Frank Gallagher, Drew Hudson, Tony Gallardo, and me (Nabeel Alsalam).  I believe most wrapped their sails twice to keep their boat somewhat manageable.   

I was one of the first ones out and I practiced going up and downwind.   I hiked like mad when puffs came through and gybed conservatively downwind until I felt I had my sea legs.  

In the first race, it was only Chris and I as the others were still unsure about coming out.  Chris got the better start to windward of me.  With all that wind, I was able to foot off through his lee and then work up until he had to tack away.  But, he still got to the windward mark first.  I chased him down the first reaching leg and on the second leg got up on a beautiful long plane to close the distance.   He hardened up on port around the leeward mark.   I tacked immediately and was delighted to see that I could almost lay the pin end of the finish line.  A quick pair of tacks near the pin and I was over first.

In the second race, it was Chris, Frank, and I.  Again, I started to leeward of Chris but in a better position this time.   However, less than a 100 yards from the start a puff blew me over.  I was able to recover reasonably quickly but Chris was far ahead by then.  Frank who had less time to gain his sea legs than I did had also capsized and was taking longer to recover.  As I chased Chris, I was lucky that a puff nearly capsized him and I was able to close the distance.  Like in the first race, I chased him down both reaching legs and closed the distance between us.  Nevertheless, he rounded the leeward mark ahead of me and this time didn’t make the mistake of sailing too far on port.  He had me pinned on the outside and I resigned myself to second.   But maybe a boat length from the finish a puff blew Chris over and I snuck over first again.  What luck!

In the third race, it was Frank and I.  Chris had gone in to turn his boat over to Michael Kreeb.  The highlight of this race was the second reaching leg.  I was on a faster plane than Frank who was ahead of me.   He wasn’t about to let me get inside position on him so he took us up high.  But then we had to bear off to almost a dead run to the leeward mark.  A puff came down the course and we took off on a wild ride.   Then like a bowling ball knocking over pins, Frank does a death roll to windward, followed immediately by me.

The problem with that type of capsize is that you find yourself on the wrong side of the boat and the mast downwind.  By the time I got around to the centerboard, the mast had stuck itself in the mud and was going to take a while to get upright.  Frank got himself up first and was trying to help me pull the boat upwind but got his mainsheet wrapped around my bow capsized on top me.  Then he too got his mast stuck.  Note to self:  Don’t run downwind on puffy days when the tide is super low. The race committee abandoned that race for us as they when to help Daphne who had got blown over into the mudflats.  Just as well.

Back at the dock, Chris talked us into going out for another couple of windward-leeward races.   Big mistake.  With the exception of Drew, we call capsized.  Chris and I got real stuck.  Chris with the help of Michael, who had waded/swum out to him, resorted to taking his mast off.  While diving down to try to unstuck the mast, Chris heard the gurgle gurgle of his drysuit taking on water at his neck.  As for myself, after diving down several times and unsuccessfully trying to pull the 3 or 4 feet of mast out of the mud, I swam back to the dock and waited for the whaler to come around.  We easily pulled the boat upwind and unstuck it but promptly got the mainsheet wrapped around the prop.  I couldn’t believe it.  Luckily, it unwrapped easily.

If you were on a Laser, it was a day of wild rides and challenging capsizes.  But the air and water was warm and the chilies, cornbreads, and cookies that people brought hit the spot perfectly.  Trophies were handed out and the non-Laser sailors had to feel a bit of sadness that the season was over.  Boats pulled out of the marina and turned their season passes over to the guard.

November 19, 2000

The little wind there was couldn’t decide which direction it was coming from.  Chris’ notes say: “Setup north.  Went in and come back out.  Its west.  Reset and start the race.  Wind dies and comes back east.”  He ended up started the races: west, east, northeast, and south.  Chris moved the marks around at the beginning of each race usually to be foiled by a major shift with less than a leg of the race underway.

I remember coming out to the course late for the 1st race and seeing Eric, Ben, and Ben sailing in a west wind while I was sailing in a SE one.  It was one of those days when you could be sailing in your own private breeze a mere 20 yards from your competition—that’s how I edged out Ben Forman in race 2.

It was Eric’s day as he won all the races, but Ben was usually chasing him and putting on the pressure.  It was funny to see him capsize once in these conditions.  He was healing his boat a bit too much to windward downwind when the touchy Laser went over.  He scrambled over the side and righted her in no time though.

When we came back to the dock, I was a bit cold as I was looking over a boat that I was buying from Kurt Raidy.  Then I looked up to see Chris bringing us two steaming cups of hot chocolate.  Chris had brought his camp stove and got water boiling quickly after we came in.  It tasted better than beer in August!

November 26, 2000

The weather was perfect.  If you were elbowing your way through an airport or barreling down a superhighway you missed a good one.  It was warm enough for Frank to wear shorts.   OK that doesn’t tell you much.  But it was in the upper 50s.  The wind was 5 to 10 knots from the NW and the tide was high.  

We had five boats:  Frank Gallagher, Ben Kuykendall, Bob Wilbur, Paul Maher, and myself.  Paul McPherson ran the races from the whaler.  (Two Lightnings also launched:  Rick Welch and Joe Warren with John Hart.)   Paul set up the longest courses you can get inside the cove and we went around twice each time: twice with marks to port and twice with marks to starboard.

* For the last race it was W-L twice around but there was some confusion about which mark was the windward mark.  I chose the one to the right and did marks to port.  Frank chose the one to the left and did marks to starboard.  The rest sailed the first lap around the mark to the left and the second around the mark to the right.   Frank crossed first, but it turns out I was sailing to the correct mark (because I had suggested the course to Paul J

I fired up my campstove and served hot chocolate.  Frank rolled down his cooler and served Coronas.  Hmmm… We watched some video that Paul McPherson had taken of us on the water. 

December 3, 2000

Conditions: Clear skies, temperatures in the mid 30's, ice forming on the decks. Winds 5-11 knots from the NNE and N. High tide was at 1:06PM.

December 10, 2000

Scores are not available at this time.

We had 6 boats and 7 sailors (Eric Johnson, Drew Hudson, Ben Forman, Ben Kuykendall, Paul Maher, Mike Garmin, and myself). Mike was new this week. He has a brand new Laser that his wife got him #176xxx for his next 5 birthdays and Christmasses as he put it. The wind was light and almost tempted us to bag it, but we went out and got in 6 races using rabbit starts and the permanent buoys (see below on whaler woes). These weren't ideally set up to windward and the legs often ended up as reaches, but we had fun. Paul got two bullets in my yellow boat--he adjusted the sails this week. The others went to Drew, Ben, and Eric. I got 3 2nds and a 3rd, I think.

We would have had 7 boats, but Frank Gallagher got a flat tire on his trailer and spent the afternoon fixing it. The big hassle was getting the lug nuts loose because with so little weight on the tire, the wheel just spun inside the flat tire.

And speaking of problems. Paul MacPherson came down to run the RC like he did two weeks ago but the whaler wouldn't start. Ben tried to give it his magic touch, but the engine wouldn't sputter. Paul went out and got some starter spray but even that wouldn't wake her up. Next, we will come armed with a spark plug wrench and new plugs.

After racing, I couldn't get my Coleman stove going to make hot chocolate so 5 of us went to the Taco House in Arlington for beer and Mexican food. We learned more about Drew. He works for Boat U.S. and has hopped around a lot starting new stores. He moved here in January and was last in Toms River, NJ. Besides Lasers he has crewed on and enjoyed Flying Scots in their big fleet up there. He's originally from Florida. We also learned that Ben Forman got his start with Lasers in the Boston area when he as 15 or 16. Apparently, a 100+ Lasers would sail an hour out to their starting area in the ocean. And waves were a factor!

December 17, 2000

Two weeks ago was the Sunday that they predicted 25 to 35 mph winds with gusts to 45.  So on Sunday morning, I decided not to take my boats down.  But as I was going into my occasional Sunday morning cinema club movie, the wind didn’t seem to that bad.  When I came out it was even better.  So I rushed down the parkway and as I came past the cove, I saw that the marks had been set out and Chris Bolton was sailing his Laser apparently under control.  Rats!

Once I got to the docks, I found Ben Kuykendall, Frank Gallagher, and Steve Garmin rigging their boats and Ben Forman helping out (since I had not shown up with my two boats).   Paul MacPherson had the whaler running  (theory is that the tank of gas we switched too probably had too much oil mixed in and had badly fouled the plugs) and big log over the bow to keep it down.  At that moment there were few whitecaps on the cove.  (On the other hand, the flag was standing up and rippling.)  Still Chris said that it was tough, especially downwind, to keep the boat under control.  In his time out, he capsized a time or two.  But Ben Kuykendall was not deterred.  He figured you’ve got to go out in these conditions if you want to learn to deal with them.  He did and promptly capsized when the boom dragged in the water.  Paul was there in the whaler to make sure he didn’t get into trouble.  Ben got some practice in and came back to the dock.  There he handed his boat over to Ben Forman.  He had a similar experience.  It was tough to keep the boat flat, and with the boom eased that meant it would drag when the boat heeled and cause a slow motion capsize.   It was also very difficult to tack the boat if you couldn’t harden up on the wind first.  Although Frank was completely suited up and rigged, he decided that it might be a good day to stay on shore.  When I left Steve still was working on this boat.  I don’t know whether he was rigging or de-rigging at that point.

January 1, 2001 - Hangover Regatta

Despite two weeks of very cold weather, the cove did not freeze over.  Plus, the blustery winds of New Year’s Eve died back to something like 4 to 10 mph.  Combine these winds with temperatures in the 30s and you get the PERFECT frostbite sailing day.  We had five boats and nine races for the resurrected Hangover Regatta.  Thanks to the Washington Sailing Marina who gave us free entry for the event. However, the whaler thought it was too cold and refused to start. Paul MacPherson finally coaxed it to life using a hair dryer to warm the plugs and carburetor. Paul has several times now gone to heroic measures to get the whaler started.  THANK YOU!

Comments from Nabeel:

While Paul was getting the hairdryer, we ran four races with gate/rabbit starts.  The winds were out of the North.   We rotated being rabbit and did twice around races with downwind finishes.   It was an advantage being rabbit because port was the long tack and the right side of the course was favored.  I was rabbit for the first two starts and got this benefit. Frank Gallagher hung out upwind and to the right and did also.   Paul Maher and Ben Kuykendall had underestimated how far the wind had shifted to the left and found themselves well to leeward and behind the rabbit a couple of times.  They are still getting accustomed to this type of start.  When Paul MacPherson came out and set up a standard start line, the results started to get more mixed up. 

As you’d expect the first legs were crucial.  The wind was oscillating so it was important to stay to the right but tack on at least one or maybe two of the shifts.  Downwind Frank and I were on the heavy side and saw the boats behind close the distance.  I experimented with a loose vang and occassionally sailing by the lee, which seemed to be faster.

After the windward legs, most of the action was as you’d expect was at the leeward mark and finish.  I had some good and some terrible roundings. 

In race 6, I was chasing Ben around the leeward mark and got a windward position.  Ben footed off with speed to the right while I pinched up toward the line.  He tacked and came back fast on starboard and shot the line just before me. 

In the last race, I was close to Frank trying to get an inside overlap as we approached the leeward mark.  I failed and didn’t go outside enough and ended up bearing way off to avoid hitting frank as he hardened up around the mark.  As I sailed too far past the mark, Chris came in and got a windward and nose ahead position on me.  When I tack, he slam-dunked me and that was all he needed to lock in 2nd

In race 7, Chris and I had a similar duel but that time I fell from 3rd to 5th as the wind went light and I screwed up and stalled after the tack.

Comments from Frank, the winner, on what worked from him:

Upwind.  For a couple of minutes before the first race, I was watching the wind in the middle and the top of the course... It looked a little stronger to the middle / right side of the course ...most of the time...  I got good starts waiting for the rabbit to come to me on the right side of the course, except when Ben was the rabbit and he sailed off the wind -too low - I got really hammered.  I played the shifts, looking for velocity.   I tried to keep the boat flat, especially when puffs hit.

Downwind.  I was ok for my weight -  220 - lighter guys usually gained.  I kept the boom way out and board way up and heeled to weather when dead downwind or bye the lee.  I still did a poor job reading the wind direction downwind.  I need a better telltale system.  I couldn't seem to get in people’s wind when I was behind them. And they always got in my wind when they were behind me.  And I couldn't figure out which way was the best way to go to get away from their cover.  Oh well, room for improvement.

Comments from Chris:

In the first race, there was some confusion about where the finish was.  (The idea was to round the leeward mark with the boats on the inside getting the nod.)  I snuck in for a second (Frank got sandwiched and passed by you and me, and Paul came around overlapped, but maybe Frank hung on for third).

I had a good time.  I learned that you really need to protect the inside.  In the cats, we'll roll over somebody on the outside and get in front, but it just didn't work on the Laser. Maybe if it's full-on planing conditions.  I also need to practice tacks and mark roundings.

Back to Nabeel:

There were two minor capsizes.  Ben Kukendall and Chris Bolton both capsized near or on the start line, probably as a result of the mainsheet getting caught around the transom as they tacked from reach to reach.   Both were wearing drysuits that seemed to do the job.  In fact, Chris went for a 3 or 4 minute swim off the dock to save one of his gloves and stayed dry and warm.  Chris reported that the water on the sail froze into a thin sheet of ice and cracked and fell off as he tacked.

Aferwards, Ben and I treated Frank, the winner, and Paul MacPherson, the RC to beer and a burger at the Sports Bar in Arlington.   Did you know that burgers are half price there on Mondays?

January 7, 2001

If you weren’t there you missed a fun one.  Paul Maher, Ben Forman, Ben Kuykendall, Frank Gallagher, Drew “from Florida” Hudson, and myself were there. It was light air with a few puffs and it really died down for the last race but still got 5-6 races in. Paul MacPherson on the whaler gave us a triangle with marks to starboard; this definitely helped bunch up the fleet at A, usually with a lot of yelling to boot as starboard boats came into groups of port tackers right at the mark. We did several downwind starts with a reverse course (and marks to port).

The big tactic was to avoid the icebergs and use them for "picks".  The thin sheet ice had broken and bunched up into many thick heavy pieces, some almost as big as a Laser. The current was filling in all day; moving the pieces across the course almost downwind. On the starting line and at marks, they definitely had an impact.  I lost a chance at an inside overlap once; coming down to the reach mark with a puff behind me, but a floe between me and the boat ahead.  Good mixed up racing; lots of place switching.  Frank fell in trying to fix his wind vane and his wetsuit was unzipped; only Frank would have stayed out racing after that!

Other big news was that Paul had a tough time picking up the whaler anchor; it came up with a windsurfer rig attached! Still at the marina if you're interested (small sail and mast, otherwise I would have grabbed it for a spinnaker setup).  Hot chocolate and apple cider served after. 

 January 14, 2001

We had 6 sailors and 5 Lasers yesterday.  Although I did not score him, we also had an Albacore join us on the race course (Bill Buck).  Like Lasers, Albacores do very well in the light air conditions.   We took turns running the races.

Paul Maher won the series.  I think he should write a report.  Paul, do you have any comments about yesterday?  What did you do right?

Comments from Paul:

Ummm, What did I do right? My top five thoughts:
1:  Dumb luck.
2:  Light weight. All those miles of running pay off until the wind picks up.
3:  Good roll tacks. Heel the boat way over to leeward in the turn and jump to the rail after the turn. The apparent wind created, squirts the boat forward when its speed is at its lowest. (Note from Nabeel: I believe this is legal as long as the boat doesn't gain speed.)
4:  Stay in the wind, connect the puffs.
5:  Sail faster than the other guys, duh? 

Ben Good was out for the first time today (maybe the first time on a Laser).  He capsized twice during failed (stuck to leeward) roll tacks.  Bob Wilbur also took advantage of the mild weather to come out again.  Frank Gallagher is frustrated with judging wind direction and had more telltales than you could shake a stick at on his boat.  Frank treated himself to a new breathable GUL drysuit for his birthday.  It should arrive in time for next Sunday’s racing.

We got to the Sports Bar on 23rd street in time to see the Ravens move ahead of Oakland.   I recommend their Smokehouse burger with Bass Ale.  I was loose for my tennis match an hour later.  The many miss-hits suggest that my hand-eye coordination may have suffered.

Ted Morgan, captain of Laser Fleet 10 at SSA, says they are being kicked out on February 11th to make room for the IC midwinters.  Maybe he and a few others will join us for our frostbiting.

Conditions:  No ice on the race course.  Temperatures were in the 50s.  Light air from S to SW.  It started off very light, but filled in to 4 or 5 knots, and then went light again.  High tide near noon; current wasn't noticeable until the last race in drifter conditions.  It didn’t start raining until we had the boats de-rigged. 

January 21, 2001

 

Skipper	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Avg	Total
Ben Forman	2	4	2/rc	2/rc	2/rc	4	1	1	1	1	2.0	20.0
Drew Hudson	3	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	2.0	20.0
Frank Gallagher	6/dns	2	2	2	1	1	2.6/rc	2.6/rc	2.6/rc	4	2.6	25.7
Nabeel Alsalam	1	3	3	3	3	2.8/rc	5	3	2	2	2.8	27.8
Ben Kuykendall	4	5	4	rc	rc	rc	3	4	4	5	4.1	41.4
Paul Maher	4.3/rc	4.3/rc	4.3/rc	5	4	3	4	5	5	rc	4.3	43.3
David Dalbec	5/rc	5/rc	5	4	6/dnf	5	5/rc	5/rc	5/rc	5/rc	5.0	50.0

When I woke up and looked out the window on Sunday, I was worried.  It had snowed a few inches and the wind was blowing.  Are we going to be blown out?  Would the windchill keep people at home in their toasty houses.  No use trying to make predictions.  Get your butt down there.  

When I got there, I bailed out the whaler and got the motor started on the second pull and came around to the dock to find Dave Dalbec and Ben Kuykendall waiting to go out.  This would be Dave’s first time out.  Eventually, 5 boats and 7 sailors were there.

The tide was low (12:30 low tide).  Ben K. who was first into the water, sailed too far east, and found himself in the mud flats.  In fact, I took some pictures of this low winter tide so that during the summer people can see just how shallow it is south of the landing pier. 

The bright sunshine felt good and the day was gorgeous.  The winds were stiff especially when the puffs came rolling down the course.  This meant more work but was a welcome change from the last few Sundays of very light air.  The puffs consistently came 20 degrees from the left and you got used to managing them.  If you were heeled out on starboard and weren’t anticipating the shift, you could easily find your self tea-bagged.  The airport records show that the winds averaged 15-18 mph from the WNW over the afternoon.   It seem to start off near there and to get lighter as the afternoon wore on, but maybe that was just me getting used to handling it.

We had 10 races!  And I wanted more.  Nine of the courses were wind-leeward with the start/finish line in the middle of the course.  Once we did a leeward-windward with the same start/finish line, that is, we started and finished downwind.  I got the best start on that race (since Drew and Ben F. didn’t realize it was a downwind start and were doing an unintentional dip start).   However, as I approached the leeward mark on starboard (and needed to gybe to port) one of those puffs caught me and as I bore off to gybe things got hairy and the boat wanted to do a deathroll to windward.  I jumped to leeward and prevented that but sailed well past the leeward mark before the boom went crashing over.  Then, of course, I had what seemed like 450 feet of mainsheet to pull in while the boat rounded up and stalled.  By the time, I got myself trimmed and moving on a beat Ben had caught up.   I’ve got to work on those roundings!

Drew and Ben tied with 20 points each and I’m hoping that Drew will provide some comments on his view of the day.

Comments from Drew Hudson

Ok!  I guess my over all comment would have to be... what a great day of sailing!  For me, I think boat handling was the biggest issue.  Especially during mark roundings.  I ended up hitting marks twice because I had my eyes inside the boat trying to organize the main sheet or something.  I found it tuff to stay under control while maintaining boat speed.  I noticed some big shifts in wind direction and I was definitely caught off guard with those sudden and unpredictable changes in wind speed.  Several times I "tea bagged", and just barely got inboard fast enough to keep the boat upright.  

To me the middle and left side of the course had more of an advantage.  The pressure seemed to be more steady down the middle and the wind seemed to shift left the farther up the course you got, I guess due to the shore line and trees.  I never made out going to the right.  The wind seemed to die and become puffier on the right and because of the left shift I'd end up sailing a longer course to the windward mark.

Upwind and down wind I think it was important to stay on your toes and keep your eyes out for the next puff.  Anticipating the next puff and its direction makes it a lot easier to keep the boat flat and fast.  I also tried to play the main sheet as much as I could to keep the boat from heeling so much.  I'd let out in the puffs and in on the lulls.  And I'm not sure if this is right or not but I had my vang looser than normal so I could spill air faster in the puffs while going up wind.  I felt like this gave me more control.  Downwind I think I should have had the vang tighter to accelerate more in the puffs.  I believe Ben said he had his vang on pretty tight and he was sailing well.  This may have to do with what kind of shape your in?  

Anyway, I had a blast on Sunday.  It was a beautiful day and the sailing was challenging.  I hope we get more days like that one!  Oh, and what better way to end the day than with a cup of hot chocolate!  Thanks Nabeel!

If any one wants to give their thoughts I'd like to hear em.  By the way, is any one else sore? 

January 28, 2001

Did you see that we got a front page picture in the Journal (Arlington) for Monday January 22, 2001.  It showed Paul Maher completing a tack and hiked out to roll the boat flat.

Super Bowl Sunday was a great one to be out on the water.  The sun was bright and temperatures were in the mid ‘40s.  Winds were from the W to WSW from 8 to 14 mph at the airport but probably 4 to 12 inside the cove.  The tide was high at 10:30 so depth and current were not factors.  Paul MacPherson and his friend, Bambi, ran the whaler and 11 races!

We had 7 Lasers and 8 sailors.  Stan Larmee joined us today after a hiatus of a couple of years and got a 2^nd in his first race.  Not bad!  David Dalbec came out again, but hopped aboard Bill Kleysteuber’s Albacore that was the 8^th boat on the line.

Ben Forman won the day with Frank nipping at his heals.  Ben said he’d write up some comments on his view of the day. 

The racing was more aggressive yesterday.  The fleet was pretty bunched up and there was a lot of action at the roundings.  The windward mark was always interesting as the wind shifted and got lighter as we approached it.  The leeward mark was interesting because the lead boats often tacked immediately and came back on starboard at the downwind boats.  At the leeward mark, the wind had normally shifted right (looking upwind) so boats were on port.  The outside boats took the inside boats up to try to break or prevent overlaps and so there was a lot of yelling (oops, I mean discussion) about the 2-boat length circle.  The starting line was either square or pin end favored depending on the phase of the wind – Ben Kuykendall got one really nice port tack start at the pin and tried several more.  For the same reason the boat end of the line was usually favored at the finish.  I think the puffs tended to comefrom the right and were starboard lifts but others may have noticed a different pattern.

Comments from Ben Forman

I was driving down the GW Parkway when I got my first glimpse of the Potomac last Sunday - the water was perfectly rippled. I could tell that it would be a special day. One of those days that sailors sail for.

I watched the first 3 races from the committee boat. With the breeze it was a bit cool sitting in the boat, but I kept my hat in my pocket. Tanning. From the boat I could see that the wind was tricky. It would come in from the left sometimes, but sometimes from the right. It would blow hard, then soft.

Needless to say, I was anxious to get out on the course. I made the switch with Paul after the third race. The wind had whipped up nicely. This spurred me on. So I let loose like a fugitive from the state of Texas, making the same mistakes I often make the first time around. Fortunately, I learned quickly. For the rest of the day I tried to sail with a more reserved tone: just looking out ahead, watching the wind blow in front of me, and trying to sail a clean boat.

I've noticed that the winner in Lasers is almost always the person who gets the basics down the best. Not the person with the best trim, or the one who gets the biggest shift. These are the fundamentals that I think apply in order of importance:

1) Keeping the boat tracking -not stalling out in a big puff 
2) Rounding the marks nicely (i.e without getting your sheet tangled in the block, which is easier said than done) 
3) Having the appropriate setting for the current conditions, outhaul and vang 
4) Steering

I think when you do these things coupled with a decent start, you have a very high probability of finishing out in front.

February 4, 2001

Last Sunday was another gorgeous day for being on the water.  Temperatures were in the 40’s and the winds were from the south or southeast at 4 to 12 knots (I’d guess).  We decided to go out on the river and set up the course north of where the channel crosses from the west to east side of the river.  The winds are steadier out there.   Low tide was at 10:30 and so it was coming in and depth was not a factor.  However, there was a lot of sticks and stuff in the water as a result of the big rain a few days earlier.

We had 7 boats and 9 sailors (Nabeel Alsalam, Chris Bolton, Ben Kuykendall, Dave Dalbec, Ben Forman, Paul Maher, Frank Gallagher, Mike Garmin, and Drew Hudson).  

Bill Kleysteuber decided not to take his Albacore out because a collision at the leeward mark the previous week popped the seals on one of his floatation tanks.  Instead he volunteered to run RC from the whaler instead.  Thanks, Bill.   He also kept the race results in his Palm Pilot.  I haven’t been able to get in touch with him to get the results but I trust they are safely stored away.

We had 12 races – a new record!   Frank, for one, was ready to do more.  It is hard to stop on those beautiful days especially as they are getting longer.

Chris Bolton was the first to launch and must have started wondering where everybody was.  Ben F. was the second to launch so race 1 was a match race between the two of them.  Ben took it.  Then Mike Garmin joined them for race 2.  The windward leg was very close.  All three converged on the windward mark: Chris just ahead of Ben on starboard and Mike coming in on port.  When Mike tacked the boom caught Mike’s life jacket and he capsized right at the mark.  Chris got around him and put distance on Ben.   Then Ben K. and Drew joined for race 3.  I believe Drew took it.  Drew seemed to be significantly faster than the others upwind maybe as a result of using more vang and a closed leech.   

I have much of race 10 on videotape.  The wind died at the start and the current was setting people.  Ben K. had speed reaching down under the stern of the whaler and got the best start at the boat end.  He then tacked immediately to port as the wind filled in -- as a lefty -- and he lead a parade on a long port tack to the starboard layline.  Coming downwind the videotape has Drew first followed by Ben K. snuggled up against the raised centerboard?  At the finish, it was Drew, Ben K., Mike, Chris, Paul, Ben F., and Dave.

February 11, 2001

What can I say? Another glorious day to be on the water.

Thanks to Jim Graham and Annette Dalbec for running race committee for most of the day.

We got started a little late when my rudder slid off the transom and to the bottom of the river while the boat was being rigged on the dock. Ben Forman, Drew, and then Dave Dalbec all went in with their dry suits looking for it while Paul, Ben Kuykendall, and myself poked the bottom with poles looking for something hard that could be a rudder. Just when I was about to call off the search, Dave found it! Thank you, Dave. I owe you. Unfortunately, Dave’s drysuit wasn’t completely dry. Water got into his boots, and eventually his feet got too cold which is why he ended his day early. Without Ben, Drew, and Dave willing to test their drysuits my day would have been over before it started.

The winds were shifty and I never really got them figured out. Although the water sometimes looked dark to the left, I seemed to get hammered when I went over there. It looked glassy and risky on the right so I generally avoided that side also. So today seemed to be a day to work the middle or the right of middle. Talking to Drew afterwards that seemed to be his strategy.

I should have been more patient about getting up to the starting line. I found myself there too early several times and ended up bearing off down the line. Once I passed the pin before the “gun” went off, another time I was over early, other times I felt I lost the jump at the start because of the time & distance it takes to harden up onto the wind. To top it all off, I found myself to the left of the fleet and being forced to the left side of the course, which wasn’t the place to be.

Up near the windward mark, the wind tended to go right because of the trees on the shore to the left. So I found myself overstanding it several times. Of course, when I went almost to the port layline, I’d tend to get headed coming back on port. It was tricky to get it right.

Early in the day, the wind seemed to be left of the rhumb line and very few people tried port gybe. So in race 8, I shifted the leeward mark the make the course more NW rather than NNW. Then it seemed to go back to the right because everyone gybed to port immediately after rounding. However, I did experiment sailing by the lee on starboard gybe and I seemed to be able to close the distance on those ahead. Unfortunately, I don’t remember actually catching anyone.

February 18, 2001

We had seven sailors and seven boats. Since we needed one sailor on the whaler to run RC and be there for safety reasons, we actually had to leave a boat on the dock. Bummer. Dave Dalbec was fighting a cold. Ben Forman took a last minute trip to New York.
Georgetown was having a practice regatta with Tufts and Dartmouth. On Saturday when the wind was howling (I’d say 15-25) they sailed in the cove. Sunday with the wind down a bit (I’d guess 7-15) they decided to sail on the river. Mike Callahan, the Georgetown coach offered to have his students give us a start. We probably should have gone out and sailed with them given we were short a person to run RC, but we weren’t thinking. Actually, I believe we were thinking and didn’t want to be embarrassed by those roll tacking straight-leg hiking college sailor maniacs.Stan won the day. This is particularly amazing given he capsized at or just before the start twice! Although he was complaining about his 200+ lbs downwind, I’m just they served him well upwind. This was only his second time out in a long while. Sailing the Laser must be like riding a bicycle for him

February 25, 2001

When I woke up last Sunday, I put on my long johns first thing, which has become sort of a Sunday tradition after a long winter of frostbiting. Then I returned a call from Nabeel and discovered that a number of people weren't going to be able to make it to the cove. I called Drew to tell him that we probably wouldn't have enough to race. But Drew convinced me that Ben would be there and the wind would be picking up in the early afternoon - so off I went.

I got down there and Ben, Drew, and Eric were already rigging. A few puffs came through the parking lot, but mostly the wind was lighter than what I appreciate. By the time boats were on the water and the course was set we had a somewhat steady breeze- maybe 30 minutes later the wind picked up to a consistent 6-8 knots - by race 12 we were fighting a strong 15 knot breeze.

As you can see, Drew had another very strong outing. Eric was sailing very fast but had to retire early. Bob impressed us all; we wish he had been with us all season and hope to see some more of him the last few weekends.

In the parking lot we talked briefly about spring and summer laser sailing. In my opinion, there's a strong feeling that this winter's racing has been very successful and a real desire to keep things going.

That said, another Sunday's just around the corner....

March 4, 2001

Remember last Sunday. It was raining and the wind was blowing and the possibility of a major snow storm had raised everybody's hopes for a day off on Monday. Did that keep the Laser frostbiters away. No way.

Ben Kuykendall, Drew Hudson, Paul Maher, Ben Forman, Stan Larmee, myself, and special guest, Pat McGee sailed. Joining us on the whaler were Drew's cousin Bill and Jill Williamson. Pat & Jill normally sail an IC dinghy over at SSA in Annapolis but I guess conditions were much worse over there so they came over to play with us. Bill is an actor specializing in impersonating George Dubwa. (So his stock must be high right now.) But he is a Mainer and the weather did phase him.

One reason we didn't chicken out is that Georgetown was hosting a regatta with 7 other schools including the Naval Academy, St Mary's College, Princeton, Queens College, and more. There were 16 or so Vanguard 15s out there with teams switching off between races. I got to the marina early and was watching them tacking on each other repeatedly as they worked upwind. It looked like fun.

The tide was super high and the wind was from the east and northeast at about 13 to 17 mph with gusts going higher occasionally. We set up our course in the cove north of the course the college regatta was using.

Bill and I set up the course and got the first race going and then headed in to pick up Pat & Jill on the docks. On the way out, we passed Ben Kuykendall sailing in with a very odd shape to his sail. When we got back to the course, we learned that he and Paul collided and Paul's bow somehow went right through Ben's sail. Ouch! It got worse as he sailed in and ended up as a 4' rip across the panels.

Paul, shaken, wanted to switch off with me and in all the excitement we forgot to record finishes for that first race and then didn't bother for the rest. (By the way, it stopped raining.) So after we came ashore, we voted. Drew Hudson received unanimous acclaim as the winner for the day. I do remember Pat got a second in his first race*not too shabby. All day there was ample opportunity to catch up from behind as capsizes were not rare, so the results were a real mixture.

As for last place, I vote myself that position. I have never had so much trouble gybing the boat. I felt that I had to bear off more than 90 degrees before the boom would finally crash over. One theory is that I had the vang too tight. Another is that I wasn't aggressive enough healing the boat to windward and getting that lower leech up in the air where it can be caught by the wind. I also have never been in irons so often, going backwards at full tilt, the rudder all the way over but cavitating and completely ineffective. I'm sure one of my problems was that I was throwing the rudder this way and that. I need to make up my mind and stick with it. Bearing off at the windward mark was another problem. The boat would take off on a screaming reach but the boom would not go out sometimes as a result of a tangled mainsheet. Other times I'm sure my problem was that I wasn't hiking the boat down. Upwind I was slow. Stan got on my boat once and thinks I had my outhaul was way too tight. For me, it was a humbling day.

Afterwards, except for Stan who had a deadline looming on Monday we all went to the Sports Bar on 23rd street and warmed up with Irish coffees, smokehouse burgers, and beer.

Paul and I are going to go swimming in the Potomac on Friday afternoon to try to find that blasted rudder that fell in the water (AGAIN) while being taken apart. Should be fun. Join us if you want. Otherwise, we'll see you Sunday.

March 11, 2001

Remember last Sunday. It was sunny. The temperature hit 60 and the breezes were 6 to 12 from the WSW. Did the PRSA frostbiters stay home and work in the yard? No way.

Joining us this Sunday were Lars Rathjen with his newly acquired Force 5 and Saskia Mooney in her Byte. We hope to see them more often now.

Cathy Bleakly and Susan Nickbarg came out to run the RC boat. Thank you. Frank Gallagher also came down to provide moral on the RC boat since he had just flown in from Florida. However, he ended up sailing a few races and did very well.

Ben Kuykendall was back with a new sail after his old one was ripped in a collision with Paul the previous week. On Friday Paul went into the water and found my rudder that had slipped off the boat and into the water, so both of my boats were back in action.

The beats were more interesting than usual. The winds were oscillating fairly dramatically so this was a day that even on the half beat leg after the start you needed to tack two or three times. Plus as we sailed in towards the shore we were getting a building effect on the left side as the wind came around the Potomak restaurant. I had my sail powered up and had good speed when the wind picked up and I could hike straight-legged and keep the boat flat with my above optimal weight.

However, I couldn't seem to avoid disasters. In fact, everyone today seemed to have a disaster of some sort or another. Drew was well in the lead in race 9 but forgot it was a triangle. I think Stan was confused by the downwind start. Another time the shieve on Drew's small traveler block came apart. I was in the lead going downwind when I leaned forward to push the boom a little further out and to my chagrin watched the end of the mainsheet slip through the blocks. The same thing happened to Paul later. I also played with fire and paid for it twice when sailing downwind by the lee with a loose vang. Moderate puffs came through and capsized me to windward.

I must say the water felt good. I was wearing a wetsuit and the water felt refreshing. Once out of the water the air was plenty warm. The people wearing drysuits were sweating and needed to drink water to keep from getting woozy.

Afterwards, we had smokehouse burgers and bass ale at the Sports bar in Arlington and did a postmortem on the day and talked about the coming season.

March 18, 2001

Pl Sail #  Skipper          T   # 146  # 147  # 148  # 149  # 150  # 151  # 152  # 153  # 154  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1  11642   Drew Hudson      17  1      5      1      1      2      1      2      2      2      

2  888     Stan Larmee      18  2      1      2      3      3      4      1      1      1      

3  71047   Ben Forman       26  3\DNS  3      4      2      1      2      3      5      3      

4  61046   Nabeel Alsalam   36  3\DNS  4      3      4      6      3      6      3      4      

5  156631  Eric Johnson     39  3\DNS  2      5      5      5      5      4      4      6\DNS  

6  00      Ben Kuykendall   52  3\DNS  6      6      6      7      6      7\DNF  6      5      

7  118691  Frank Gallagher  53  3\DNS  7\DNS  7\DNS  7\DNS  4      7      5      7\DNS  6\DNS  

8  11792   Paul Maher       60  3\DNS  7\DNS  7\DNS  7\DNS  8      8      7\DNS  7\DNS  6\DNS

.Submitted by Nabeel Alsalam
At noon there were white caps on the cove and the sailboarder was flying across it with a rooster tail squirting up behind him. The tide was very low but it was coming in. I sighed deeply and tried to forget about the capsizes and hard work to come. The wind did die back enough that whitecaps were rare and by the end of the day it almost seemed manageable. The 24-hour history at the airport suggests the winds were between 15 and 23 mph.
When I first got down to the marina I found Paul with his new boat— he bought Randy’s Laser! He had purchased a bunch of new gear and lines for the boat so he was working away and it would take him a while to get out.Bob Wilbur also came down with his boat but when he saw the white caps he decided discretion is the better part of valor and to leave the boat on top of his car. However, I talked him into taking the whaler out, and if the wind died back he could switch off with us. Lighting sailor, Rick Welch was working on his centerboard trunk and also when out on the whaler. They set up a great triangle course with two long screaming reach legs and we stuck to triangles all day long – a lot after than trying to run with those 20 mph gusts coming down the course.As I anticipated, it was hard work. I eased myself in gradually and somehow missed the first race while getting accustomed to the wind. But by the end of the day, I was loving it. True, I capsized multiple times, but so did everyone else. The wind would just blow you over sometimes. For example, I came down to the leeward mark rounded it and a gust healed me over. I was up on the edge of the boat trying to flatten it out but unfortunately had not yet organized my feet under the hiking strap and over I went. Very silly. Note to self: get bungee chord to hold up hiking strap.
From the vantage of the RC boat, Bob and Rick declared Ben Forman the king of the screaming reach. Coming around the windward mark was a blast. You had just spent a while grinding your way up wind when you’d bear off around the mark, ease the sheet, and the boat would take off like a spooked horse with you holding onto the mainsheet just to stay aboard. White water would be squirting out several feet on both side and the boat was wiggling eerily underneath you. This ride often would last most of the leg until you approached the leeward mark near shore when the wind mercifully to make the gybe manageable.Upwind, Drew was king. His sail and boat were flat despite his mere 160 lbs frame (I’m guessing) and he motored. In heavy winds like Sunday, you know you need to depower the sail, but it is easy to get carried away. Stan again pointed out to me that I had my outhaul on too tight. When I eased it the boat felt better. It may have powered up the bottom part of the sail, but it seemed to provide more pressure on the leech, which helped me point better. A tight Cunningham pulled material out of the sail and a very tight vang allowed me to ease the main when a vicious gust came through. I’m finally figuring this stuff out.Here are the results. I’m playing with a scoring program. Notice that I’ve set it to give DSN & DNF one more than the number of finishers. This keeps the scores tight.