Below are the preliminary (in case I’ve made mistakes) cumulative results for the 2017 Fall Series scored according to the NOR.   Think of each day as a race with your standing at the end of the day as your finish in the race.  If you did race committee that day, your score is the average of all the days you did sail.  If you neither sailed nor did RC, your score is simply a blank. To qualify you need to have sailed or done race committee 4 days (50% of days your fleet sailed). Your score is the average of your best 4 days.

A big thanks to Tom Hutton for doing the Sundays scores.

2017 Fall Series – Albacores
2017 Fall Series – Buccaneers
2017 Fall Series – I20
2017 Fall Series – Lightnings
2017 Fall Series – Multi-Hull

Brrr… It was a chilly day.  It did not get out of the 40s.  AND the sun was not out.  Still, there was a nice light breeze, and it was the last chance to sail until April, so we went sailing.

The tide was coming in and that light southerly breeze was very shifty but quite sailable.  By the third race, the wind almost completely shut down and the RC mercifully shortened course at the 2nd windward mark.

Doing well was all about keeping the boat in the groove, not get too excited about tacking on every shift, and making smooth transitions at the marks   On Shadowfax, I helmed the first race and Lisa-Marie Lane did the next two.  She did just what I mentioned above and got two bullets!   Great way to end the season.

A big thanks to Jeff Whitten, Bob Harford, Geoff Fuller, and Jim Lane for running the races.  Thanks to Tom Hutton for doing the scores.

2017-Fall-8-Buccaneer
2017-Fall-8-I-20
2017-Fall-8-Lightning
2017-Fall-8-Multi-Hull

Frank Gallagher and his team of multi-hull sailors — Ben Arthur, Yates Dowell, and Jim Antonovich ran the races.  The tide was in.  So to save the sailors from going all the way up river, the RC ran the races off of the power plant.

Does someone who was there want to add some comments?

2017-Fall-7-Albacore
2017-Fall-7-Buccaneer
2017-Fall-7-Lightning

The air was light to non-existent.   John Van Voorhis, our PRO for the day, postponed on shore.  After a while though the sailors got restless and with the promise that the wind would come in around 1 pm decided to make an attempt to sail up river.

I thought those sailors were far too optimistic but Jess, Tom, and I decided to go up to Gravelly Point with Shadowfax in tow and see if the wind would come in.   After sitting on the shore for quite a while, with planes landing over our head, we finally saw the first boat appear around the point.   Then we saw that there was indeed some wind coming up the river from the south.

We got to work setting up Shadowfax and sailed south to where John had set up the course.  We arrived in the starting area just as the first race was finishing up.  Better late than never.

Unfortunately, I discovered I had left our spinnaker at home.   Argh.  We did well upwind but then had to point straight downwind sailing wing and wing with our weight all the way forward.  Meanwhile the other sailors set their spinnakers but had the problem of to trying to keep them full which was no easy task in the light air.   Jeff Neurauter and Heather Howard on their Bucc figured it out and sailed past us.  However, we were able to keep the others just behind us at the leeward mark.

Bottom line, the wind was sufficient and it was a fun day of sailing!   Never say die.

2017-Fall-5-Albacore
2017-Fall-5-Buccaneer
2017-Fall-5-I-20
2017-Fall-5-Lightning

The weather forecasts threatened rain and maybe even thunderstorms and the sky was gray.  But guess what?  No rain and the best breeze we’ve had all fall!   It was a small group of 5 Lightning and 2 Buccs at the Albacores were at West River for their Nationals and neither the I-20s or Multi-Hulls were there.   You guys missed out!

The RC gave us four W-2 courses set up on a southwesterly axis.

Jeff Neurauter, Heather Howard, Ben Arthur, and Ann Tyree ran race committee.  Tom Hutton did the scores.  Thanks!

2017-Fall-4-Buccaneer
2017-Fall-4-Lightning