The wind was once again a bit fluky, but 5 Lightnings made their way up to the course along with Jim Antonovich on a cat and Jeff Neurauter in the Buc class. PRO Kyra Tallon and her crew did a good job in getting us some racing in the light and variable ENE breeze. This meant some Olympic courses again, so boathandling was at a premium (especially for those Lightnings who were doublehanding). A good time was had by all and afterwards we all enjoyed a cookout on a beautiful afternoon.
Tag Archives: Lightning Class
Fall Series #3
The wacky west wind made its first appearance this fall for Fall Series #3. It certainly proved challenging to the RC and all the sailors, but PRO Frank Gallagher and his crew did a great job in setting, re-setting, and re-setting the course again throughout the day (aided by some sailors moving marks as well!) to keep up with the changing wind directions. The breeze never settled down, and it seemed like we saw wind from just about every point on the compass! Nonetheless, we got in some great racing on O2 and courses. The reach legs kept folks sharp (especially boats trying to fly the spinnaker) and at the end of the day we all enjoyed a great day on the river.
Scores are below
2014 Fall Series 3 – Albacores
2014 Fall Series 3 – Buccaneers
2014 Fall Series 3 – Catamarans
PRSA Fall Series #1
There sure wasn’t much wind when we showed up at the marina on Sunday…and there was far less wind (read: none!) as we towed boats up to the racing area. Thankfully for the eight Albacores, four Lightnings, and the lone Buc came out to play the breeze did fill in as forecast such that we were able to get 3 races after a bit of a delay. I was PRO for the day, assisted by Lee, Lisa-Marie, and Jim (great job crew!). You can keep reading for some of the details that I observed on the signal boat. Jim and Lisa-Marie Lane took some great photos of the racing (thanks!!!).
2014 Fall Series #1
Sunday proved to be a surprisingly good day of sailing. As we arrived at the marina, we had a nice steady breeze out of the north at about 6. The forecast was calling for 0 building to 6 out of the south. At the skippers meeting, the breeze had died but Aaron was optimistic in the forecast and had the RC tow everyone up to the course area. We ended up with 8 Albacores, 4 Lightnings and 1 Buccaneer making it to the race course. Aaron and crew were able to get off 3 races total. The first race was quite trying. The wind started coming out of the east. By the time the Albacores rounded the windward mark, the wind died and the race was shortened to a finish at the windward mark on the second upwind leg. After the first race, we could all see the sea breeze filling in from downriver. Aaron and crew setup the course in prep for the wind and we were able to get off 2 more races in a nice southerly breeze of about 8. All in all it was a good first day compared to what was forecast. Scores are below.
PRSA One Design Open Regatta
We held our first annual PRSA One Design Open Regatta on Sunday, September 14, to kick off the fall season. This was a chance to see how we all performed boat-on-boat against sailors in all of the other classes. Fifteen boats came out, and we had a collection of Flying Scots, Buccanneers, Albacores, Multihulls, Lightnings, and even a Sunfish on the starting line! We were scored using the Portsmouth Yardstick system, and PRO Jeff Neurauter did a great job taking times, scoring, and getting us some great races in fluky winds.
Congratulations to Barney & Lee for taking first place overall, and to Rick, Lisbet, and Aaron for 2nd place overall. Click here to view some great photos from Lindsay Bach (thanks Lindsday!).
2014 PRSA Dinghy Open
On September 14 PRSA will host the first annual PRSA Dinghy Open Regatta. This is your chance to compete against all dinghy classes in a series of “boat-on-boat” races, so don’t miss out!
Sailboats of any class 20’ and under are invited to participate. Sailboats may be organized and compete in three divisions – Spinnaker Division, Non-spinnaker Division and Multi-hull Division. Based on the number of boats present at the Skipper’s Meeting, Divisions may be combined. All races will be scored according to the Portsmouth Yardstick system.
The NOR and Sailing Instructions are posted below. Questions should be directed to the Regatta Chair, Jeff Neurauter (703-350-9666, jmnsailor@yahoo.com).
2014 President’s Cup – Results
We had two great sailing days. Saturday was the best with rock steady 10-15 mph winds from the south. We just had to take advantage of it and so we decided to do 5 races. A front came through on Saturday evening and left us with cooler weather and N to NE winds in the 5 to 12 mph range. We did another 2 to 4 races.
44 boats in 8 classes competed on two courses. People came from as far as Hampton, Lynchburg, and the Solomons. They sailed a lot — as many as 9 reasonably long races. They partied — the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society treated us on Saturday evening and PRSA on Sunday. They had fun.
This year the Norman C. Schallor award goes to Eric Peterson who was the winner in the Laser fleet which mustered 10 boats, the largest fleet this year.
If you see inaccuracies with the results below, email me at nabeel.alsalam@gmail.com.
Upper Course
Lower Course
Steve Spratt sailing a JY-15 sailed with the Lasers but was not scored against them.</>
2014 President’s Cup Regatta: September 6-7
The 2014 President’s Cup Regatta will be held September 6-7 at Washington Sailing Marina. The NOR, Sailing Instructions, and other details have been posted to the regatta webpage. Please take a minute to read through these details and sign up on the “Who’s Coming?” list so that we know who will be attending and so that we can generate some momentum for the regatta.
Please note that there are a couple of important changes for the 2014 regatta:
- All competitors must register online and pay the regatta entry fee (either via PayPal or mailed check) in advance of the regatta. A link to the online entry form (with payment details) has been posted to the regatta webpage. We cannot accept registration fees on site given NPS enforcement of provisions that prohibit the exchange of money on National Park grounds.
- We will be running the President’s Cup as a one-design regatta with the emphasis on racing. The Leukema and Lymphoma Society (LLS) party on Saturday will likely begin well before we finish racing on the one-design upper course. Please plan accordingly, as the RC intends to conduct as many races as conditions allow. We will not be scoring boats separately for LLS racing awards. President’s Cup trophies will be given as described in the President’s Cup NOR.
- Any boats wishing to raise funds for the LLS should register directly with the LLS on this website: http://www.leukemiacup.org/nca/ The LLS strongly encourages online fundraising in advance of the event. However, cash or check donations will be accepted Saturday morning on board the Potomac Belle (stationed somewhere near WSM). Dinner tickets for the Saturday LLS party can also be purchased at that time.
2014 Spring Series Final Scores
The 2014 Spring Series has come to an end and the scores are posted below.
2014 Spring Series – Albacores
2014 Spring Series – Buccaneers
2014 Spring Series – Catamarans
2014 Spring Series – Lightnings
PRSA Rookie Regatta: A Great Success!
The first annual PRSA “Rookie Regatta” was a fantastic success! Eight Albacores, 3 Bucs, 9 Lightnings, and 2 I-Scows came out to play. PRO Mike Heinsdorf and his crew did an excellent job in setting a nice W-L course and getting us four fantastic races. Moreover, Mike & Michelle took a couple of rookies out on the RC boats so that we could rotate people on and off boats on the water.
Great fun was had by all and the breeze made for some exciting and competitive racing. In the spirit of the event (fun as well as competition), somebody remarked that we should start a list of the “Top 10 Reasons You Know You’re At a Rookie Regatta.” The following are some actual examples from the day:
- A majority of the fleet starts the race on the finish line instead of the start line
- Someone thinks the colored umbrella on the committee boat represents some type of signal flag
- You hear screaming (actually, squeals of pure joy!) for the first 20 minutes of a race…from Barney’s boat no less!
- You overhear the following between two boats: “Uey, do you have the right of way or do I?” Response, “I have no idea.”
A huge thanks to Peter Duncan and Barney Harris for continually rotating their crew so that all of the folks who showed up got to sail. Scores are posted here, and more photos from Mike are on the way!
PRSA Rookie Regatta Final Results
