Frank Gallagher and team ran the races and, I hear (I wasn’t there), got them off without delay. How was the wind?
Pictures from Lindsay Bach
(Races 62 to 65 of the Spring and Fall Series)
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:
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 as the Lightnings were to start the wind shifted to the west and it was a beat/reach for them to the windward mark and the chutes could not be carried downwind.
The RC reset the course for races 2 and raised the T2 flag — two triangles. The wind picked and everyone had enough after three races.
Thank you, Bob, for stepping in to fill the empty PRO slot.
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.)
A beautiful fall day to sail. The wind started off with a lot of east in it which the Pro Bob Bear and his team set up for Race 1. By the time of Race 2, it had veered to the SSW and the RC readjusted the course. By the end of the day, we were getting big shots from the SW and the wind was up. Fun.
Results:
(October 24, Race 55 to 58 of the Spring and Fall Series)
Winds from from the NW, strong, and gusty. Only Frank went out with Tom Hutton and Scott Bradford as crew – very experienced crew though. His competition was Barney in the Albacore but Frank decided not to fly the spinnaker because of the gusts.
Only three more Sunday to race. Come out to make sure you are over the 50% threshold to qualify.
(October 17, races 64-66 in the championship series)
It was a cloudy day with nice winds were from the NE. Our course was from near the airport shore to the mouth of the Anacostia, twice around. The finish line was an obstruction that could not be sailed through which created a strategic question about which way to sail around it.
Frank started off slow but ticked off three bullets after the first race. He banged the right each time and even though we thought there were some shift worth taking to the left his strategy prevailed.
(October 10th and races 60-63 in the championship series.)
It was a very windy day and only 5 boats raced. They all started together and Barney showed that Albacores are faster than Lightnings in those winds. Well, to be fair Frank did not fly his spinnaker — wind was too gusty.
Results:
(October 17, race 51-54 in the PRSA Spring & Fall Series)
The Albacore had their North American Championships Saturday – Monday and PRSA raced on the same course on Sunday. Nelson Pemberton ran the races from the bridge of a large cabin cruiser. The wind was from the NE, so Nelson set up the start line fairly near the airport and the windward mark was almost in the Anacostia.
The finish line was an obstruction that could not be sailed through which created a strategic problem of which way to go around it. And occasionally someone simply forgot about it and was disqualified.
It was cloudy with a nice breeze.
Results:
(October 10th, races 47 to 50 of the Spring and Fall series.)
Liz Williams was out with her new boat. (She bought Huma Huma when Mike & Angie Darrah moved to the California coast.)