Category Archives: Results

Frostbite, Lasers, Announcements, Results

2021-2022 Laser Frostbite 4

Greetings from 3rd place. Sunday was a bit of an odd wind day – it was from the northwest and the difference between the puffs and lulls was more than usual. Many folks flipped at one point or another (myself included), but we all thankfully ended the day back on shore mosty in one piece. Many thanks to Farley and Celeste for running the races!

It was nice to switch things up and have a jibe mark for a few races. I found generally staying high-ish on the reaches to be pretty fast – and a few times, I was able to pass a boat or two to windward at the leeward mark by being a little patient and making sure that my rounding was tight.

In terms of upwind strategy – there were fewer opportunities for tacking with shifts than expected in part because the mark was pretty far right and in part because often a seeming shift was just a lull, not an actual shift. As the afternoon wore on, I found myself waiting a few seconds to see whether it was worth tacking instead of continuing on my current course.

In terms of controls, I had my cunningham and outhaul pretty much max strapped for the first few races and then eased them just a tad in the later ones and during the less windy periods, especially downwind. Vang was 2-blocked or 2-blocked plus pretty much the entire day going upwind – and then loosened just before the windward mark in preparation for going downwind (and then adjusted tighter or even a bit looser depending on the puff situation). If you weigh more than I do, you probably didn’t need to tighten everything quite so much.

Overall, it was fun day and really great to have so many folks out there!

— Laura Windecker 167248

(Actually Laura was 2nd because she won the tiebreaker with Ethan  — she had a 1st in race 2)

Results:
LaserFrostbite2122_4
(Races 16-21)

Frostbite, Lasers, Announcements, Results

2021-2022 Laser Frostbite 3

1 Comment

Another pleasant day, probably the lightest of the three we have had so far.  Laura Windecker and Steen Byskoff ran the races and had to reset the marks a couple of times.

The light breeze was from the ESE with occasional puffs that could make you look like a genius or destroy you if is missed you.  The current was going out strong and pushing us over the line.  We had a general recall and some OCS boats who did go back.

21 boats came out.  Nice!

Ethan was third.  Ethan, do you want to write something up about what you did?

Pictures from Steen

Results:

LaserFrostbite2122_3

 

 

Lasers, Announcements, Results

2021-2022 Frostbite 1

It was a great start to the season with temperatures in the high 40s and a SW breeze that started off frisky but got lighter and lighter.   The tide was going out and a current shear was visible near the channel.  Tyler and Eva ran RC.

Laura Windecker won the day with Farley Will and Tom Hutton tying for 2nd and 3rd.

LaserFrostbite2122_1

(races 1-5)

Third place observations from Tom Hutton:

It was good to be back out with so many other lasers! The weather was cool but not cold, and the wind was up and down but overall a good day to be on the water. It was one of the rare days when the wind was from the south but also a bit shifty. It was either shifty or my steering needs work, the latter being more likely. I’d say this day had 3 major lessons for me.
  • Lesson #1 Know the Course. In the first race I forgot (or didn’t find out) how many laps were required. I’d got out to the left for more wind when I heard a horn, turning to see Laura crossing the finish line. I’m not sure I lost any boats with this mistake but this kind of mistake is easy to fix.
  • Lesson #2 Pointing and Locking In Up Wind. I had good speed going upwind which for me is about getting the sail into “pointing mode” as soon as possible. I sheet the sail to what I want for the wind speed, two-blocked for medium to heavy, 3 inch gap for medium to light, and 6-12 inch gap for light. Any looser than that and I won’t be pointing anymore, but reaching. After trimming the main I set the vang, then adjust my cunningham as necessary to get the big wrinkles out of the sail. After that is spending 75% of my focus on keeping the tell tales flowing and the boat flat. If I get my head too far out of the boat I start to pinch, or miss the lift and give up precious ground. So get the sail set, get the tell tales flowing, then focus on going fast.
  • Lesson #3 Clear Air Down Wind. I’m almost always trying for clear wind, and I’ll get pretty far sideways to get it. Mostly I don’t want to be near anyone else, especially in a group of people. I’m not sure about this lesson as downwind I’m not as fast as quite a few others. I think Farley passed me 2 or 3 times downwind so maybe I don’t have any lessons here. Some days I do better than others downwind, Series #1 was not so great. Turning around to look for wind I think is going to be my new technique that I’ll try out.
2021, Results

2021 Fall Series 8 – last one

2 Comments

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

Albacore_FS8

Buccaneer_FS8

I20_FS8

Laser_FS8

Lightning_FS8

(Races 62 to 65 of the Spring and Fall Series)

Fall Series DRAFT Results (Races 35 to 65)

  • To qualify you must sail 50 percent of the races in which one or more of the boats in your class sailed.
  • Your score is the average of your best qualifying races or all your races if you did not sail enough races to qualify.

Albacore_FS

Buccaneer_FS

Flying Scot_FS

I20_FS

Laser_FS

Lightning_FS

2021, Results

2021 Fall Series 7

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.

Albacore_FS7

Buccaneer_FS7

I20_FS7

Laser_FS7

Lightning_FS7

2021, Results

2021 Fall Series 6

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:

Albacore_FS6

Buccaneer_FS6

Flying Scot_FS6

I20_FS6

Laser_FS6

Lightning_FS6

(October 24, Race 55 to 58 of the Spring and Fall Series)

2021, Results

2021 Fall Series 4

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:

Buccaneer_SS4

I20_FS4

Lightning_FS4

(October 10th, races 47 to 50 of the Spring and Fall series.)