I was out again this Wednesday, and we had just enough breeze to sail. With great temps and a beautiful sunset, it made for a fantastic evening. The Lasers, Albacores, and Bucs have all been making a good showing most Wednesdays, but it’d be great if even more folks (and especially more Lightnings) came out for the fun!
Here are a few photos taken from the dock in between races: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1k2utfv9d8azpbw/khHDdFW4OA
Well the Spring Series is a wrap. Today I have the final results of our racing this past Sunday, but first I would like to share my thoughts on the day (Scores after the story):
As most of you know, my sailing this spring was abruptly ended, before it even began, on the first day of the spring series when my boat was sadly T-Boned into String Theory, leaving me with a rather large hole in her bow. Ariel has been in drydock for repairs ever since. This past Sunday I was bound and determined to get a ride on a boat and get some sailing in before the series was over. Towards that end I showed up bright and early to the marina looking for a ride. Sadly, all of my Lightning brethren had full crew, so it was looking grim for your humble narrator. I hung around and helped the RC splash the committee boats hoping for a last minute reprieve. It was so bad even the RC did not have room for me! I was getting ready to call it a day and go home when all of a sudden I heard the voice of an angel. Buccaneer skipper Kyra Tallon asked me if I would like to sail on a Bucc. Oh yes! I quickly replied, I would love to. I have not sailed a Bucc since I was in high school, so it would be a real treat to sail one of these nimble and fun boats again.
I have some fresh scores for you today. First, I was under the misapprehension that there was no racing for Spring #6, but I was wrong about that. Two Albacores braved the big breeze and had a great time getting in three races. Here are those scores:
Albacore Spring Series #6 051213
Then we have scores for Spring Series #8 which was limited to the Lightnings and one lone Buccaneer. Here they are:
Buccaneer Spring Series #8 060213
Lightning Spring Series #8 060213
Your last chance for some Spring racing is this Sunday so don’t miss it!
I know that some of you must be tired of checking here each week only to NOT find any scores. Whats up with that, you say?? First, I apologize. I would like nothing better than to have the scores up with in a day or two of the racing. Unfortunately, that has not been possible yet this year. Why not? Well, first I have to get the scores from that weeks PRO. Sometimes that takes a few days. Then I sit down to compile them and I find errors, or new boats that are not registered, or someone sailing with a new sail #, or someone lending their boat to someone else, or something else completely unexpected. When this happens, which is pretty much every week, I have to email the PRO and/or the fleet captain in question and get the information before I can do the scores. That process can take days, and a couple of times this year it has taken weeks. There is not much I can do about it, I cannot score the races with incomplete or inaccurate information. Sorry about that. Having said all this, I have scores for you today from Spring Series #4, Spring Series #5, and Spring Series #7. Spring Series #6 was a blow out and no racing was recorded. So without further ado, here are all the missing results:
Spring Series #4:
Albacore Spring Series #4 04/28/13
Buccaneer Spring Series #4 04/28/13
Open Cat Spring Series #4 04/28/13
Lightning Spring Series #4 04/28/13
Spring Series #5:
Albacore Spring Series #5 05/05/13
Buccaneer Spring Series #5 05/05/13
Open Cat Spring Series #5 05/05/13
Spring Series #7:
Albacore Spring Series #7 05/19/13
Buccaneer Spring Series #7 05/19/13
The Kickoff Party for the 2013 Leukemia Cup will be held on Saturday, May 18, 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the Capital Yacht Club. Come on out to enjoy some fine food and drink in support of a great cause, and start your fundraising for the 2013 Leukemia Cup Regatta! RSVP to Brianna Walsh at brianna.walsh@lls.org / 703-399-2930.
The 2013 PRSA Spring Regatta will be held May 25-26 at the Washington Sailing Marina, Alexandria, VA. Register in advance using an on-line registration form. Just bring a check to the regatta or pay online with PayPal. This saves you and us time getting the scoring computer loaded. See Who is Coming. Marina Entry: Participants bringing boats from outside the marina on Saturday morning simply need to tell the guard at the gate that they are sailing in the regatta, and fill in a sign-in sheet. Payment of Marina entrance/launch/storage fees at the gate is not required. If you only intend to sail on Saturday, be sure to indicate on the sign-in sheet that you will be there for only one day. More information is here.
I know some of you have been anxiously waiting for some results this spring. I finally got just enough of the information I need to complete them. So, here they are:
First, Week 1; What a blow out. A day that shall live in infamy… For me at least. A day my boat will never forget. It was a blow out with winds gusting over 30. Only the Lightnings, Albacores, and one lone Bucc braved it and came out. Here are the scores:
Albacore Spring Series #1 04/07/13
Lightning Spring Series #1 04/07/13
Buccaneer Spring Series #1 04/07/13
More scores after the break.
Sunday, April 14, the day before taxes are due, was sunny, warm and windy, which was a great excuse for all who procrastinate on their taxes to get on the water. We had 6 cats, 5 Albacores and 4 Lightings out on the water – not bad considering that RC was a couple Albacores and Buccaneers and the Lightings were off drinking moonshine. It’s been a while since six Hobies showed up on the water, so kudos to the Hobie fleet for getting the boats out!
We got off a total of 4 races by about 2:30PM, which was a big difference from last weekend when we got blown off the water after one race by gusts approaching 30 knots. And we competed with the barbeque record set last week, with last sailors leaving almost at 7pm. However, no charcoal was in site, so we munched on cupcakes from Georgetown cupcake brought by a potential crew and some tasty jalapeno, cheese and bacon bites made by one of the Hobie sailors.
Breeze was mainly out of the north, coming from the direction of the National Cathedral, and was anywhere from 0 to just under 15 knots. The races were a mix of triangles and windward-leeward courses, all twice around except for the last Lightning race, which was just once around. And what a hard fought race that turned into. Chris and Rick were battling to get the windward mark just as the breeze died. Combine the lack of breeze with a current that was not in their favor and it became a painful slog to the windwark mark. Just as they got the windward mark, the breeze filled in, and it was a quick run down to the leeward mark, where the race committee was about to head with an “S” flag and a whistle, so they could finish and head on home. But alas, it was not their day.
The Carolina 19 had been tied up to the Bayliner for most of the day, as it was much more fun to hang out on the Bayliner, which was functioning as a doggy day care facility and had shade. Enthusiastic RC members cast the 19 off the Bayliner, before starting the engine. This turned into a slight issue as the engine refused to start – it turned out that it just needed a couple pumps of the bulb, but of course this happened while we were finishing one race and the boat was drifting away. It also meant that the Lightnings were able to round the mark and started heading up to the finish line.
But it wasn’t meant to be. The wind completely died, the current was strong, and the sailors ended up losing their patience after about half an hour and one by one gave up and started paddling home.
Erich