Tag Archives: 2026

Frostbite, Lasers, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE #17

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It took 8 weeks of ice, e coli, and disadvantageous wind, but our fleet finally got back on the water Sunday for our first round of frostbite sailing since January. I was honored to share the course with Tom, Steen, Brian, and James Reilly Sunday for five excellent races. We had a consistent 8-12 knot breeze out of the ESE with oscillating puffs that reached into the mid-20s. The weather was cloudy but the air and water weren’t cold enough to give me hypothermia when I death rolled (more on that later).

Sunday was a tale of two kinds of races for me. My first race was a banger. The start took place in the tail end of a starboard-favored shift. I started closest to the RC boat and tacked to port immediately, gambling on the next shift being a lift for me and header for everyone else. I was, in a total rarity, right, and managed to win the race to the first windward mark. The rest of the course was short, so I played conservatively and held off a late charge from Steen to win. The lesson here is to do your homework before the start. Look around the course before the sequence, and if the shifts oscillate consistently, try timing out how long occurs between them. Sometimes you can make an educated guess, break from the fleet, and make out like a bandit.

The next two races showed how far I still have to come, even after 12 years (half my life!!) of Laser sailing. At the first windward mark of race 2, I tacked inside Steen and had to pinch to make the mark. A puff hit just as we rounded the mark and I couldn’t turn the boat down in time, leading to me fouling him. After the race, he asked if I was fully hiked out and moving back in the boat. I told him I was not, and he diagnosed that as part of why I was out of control. Next week I’m going to try out a new windward mark checklist of: vang off on the starboard approach to the mark, move back in the boat, full hike as I get to the buoy, and ease the main as I round down. Hopefully that will help with my control. My lack of boat handling skills showed in other scenarios during those two races. I hit Brian when I tried to bear off on port tack without easing my sail. I hit two marks. I deathrolled after a bad gybe. I was last twice in a row.

The moral here is that you can make all the right strategy calls, but when boats meet, you need to have the physical skills to escape those confrontations. Using your tiller isn’t enough in the Laser – you need to use your sails and your bodyweight, too.

Shoutout to Steen for winning the last three races and the day and to James Reilly for hanging tough with some of the best sailors in the fleet all afternoon. Thanks to the race committee duo of Sean Reilly and Dan Miller for helping us get five races off in some variable conditions. I hope to see a big fleet out next Sunday to warm up for the Capital City regatta (this is your reminder to sign up for that regatta now!!).

v/r

Connor Lothrop

NOTE: NEXT WEEK IS THE LAST WEEK OF THE FROSTBITE SERIES. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ISSUES WITH THE SCORING, PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE SCORER AT CONZO4468@GMAIL.COM ASAP.

Results: 25-26 PRSA FROSTBITE #17

Season Summary: 25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE SEASON SUMMARY

Totals Only: 25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE SEASON TOTALS #17

Lasers, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

25-26 PRSA LASER FORSTBITE #9

Thanks to Connor for getting us a solid course! Definitely not easy given how shallow the water was.

The pin end was favored each race, so I prioritized starting there. Starts are one of my weaker areas, so I focused on getting a good line sight and working on timing. I was OCS once, but because I was at the pin I was able to go around and start on port. I only had to duck a boat or two and still managed to finish fourth. That clean lane made a huge difference and was a good reminder of how valuable clear air can be, even when things don’t go to plan off the line.

Off the start, my main focus was sailing in clear air. I didn’t have a wind indicator or compass, so I wasn’t great at catching shifts. Once I was ahead of boats, I shifted to covering the fleet rather than trying to sail the lifted tack or chase pressure. At times this meant sailing slightly headed, but the tradeoff was that I didn’t give up places, which felt like the right call in the context of the race.

Upwind, I couldn’t quite match boat speed with Laura or Steen. Even when I felt reasonably locked in, they were still able to roll or extend. That highlighted an area I need to keep working on, especially straight-line upwind speed.

Downwind, there were some small waves, and I focused on pumping and trying to surf whenever possible. The waves weren’t big, but there were enough opportunities to practice timing pumps with the wave pattern and getting the boat to surf.

Shallow water definitely came into play throughout the day. I ran aground more than once, which was frustrating but avoidable. By the last race, I was able to communicate with overlapped boats and ask for room to tack before the sandbar east of the committee boat.

All in all, a good but cold weekend.

Tyler

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE #9 TOTALS

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE SUMMARY

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE #9