We had a fabulous day of racing New Years Day! Temps were in the 40F’s and winds were around 8 to 12MPH. We had a total of 22 boats participate. Winds were coming out of the north so the RC set up a course in the cove with the start line just north of the docks. There were 6 races on an Olympic course. Erich Hesse won the day with Dave Teale taking second and Robert Bennett taking third place. Big thanks to our great RC, Mike Heinsdorf, Tom Berlin, Barney Harris, Lee Sayasithsena and Latte. They did a great job and kept the course square all day. Jeff got some pretty cool video, check it out below. Results and pictures are on the Laser site here:
Tag Archives: Laser Frostbite
2010 Laser Hangover Regatta – 01/01/2010
Scores and reports will be coming, but I thought I’d put up some video I shot from land yesterday first. I managed to get a couple of starts and a few leeward mark roundings before my batteries gave out. Hmmm… I thought I’d recharged those! Anyway there’s a couple of good shots. Don’t miss Frank trying to jam it at the leeward mark… “Trying to jam it” he says, he did jam it and got away with it. A bit of yelling. We report, you decide… 🙂 Enjoy:
Be sure to click the full screen button – second from the lower right in the player. Its HD.
2010 Hangover Regatta Today, 1/1/2010!
Today’s AccuWeather forecast (always subject to change) calls for mostly cloudy skies, a high of 44 degrees, and winds from the NNW at 10 – 12 MPH. Not bad! There’s no better way to nurse a hangover, or recover from yet another challenging year, than by celebrating with the PRSA Laser fleet and racing with us on the Potomac River. Skippers meeting will be at 12:00 Noon, first races at 12:45 PM. NOR, pre-registration and directions are located here:
Hangover Regatta Information and Pre-Registration Mike Heinsdorf and Tom Berlin are heading up the Race Committee — two more RC volunteers are needed. There is no registration fee. There is a $3 launching fee if your boat is not stored at Washington Sailing Marina. If you are planning on sailing, please use the online registration form to pre-register. This is always a fun event and we are expecting a great turn out. See you on the water.
2010 PRSA Hangover Regatta Friday Jan 1st
Join us on the first day of 2010 for PRSA’s Annual Hangover Regatta. There’s no better way to nurse a hangover, or recover from yet another challenging year, than by celebrating with the PRSA Laser fleet and racing with us on the Potomac River. Skippers meeting will be at 12:00, first races at 12:45. NOR, pre-registration and directions are located here:
Hangover Regatta Information and Pre-Registration
There is no registration fee. There is a $3 launching fee if your boat is not stored at Washington Sailing Marina. If you are planning on sailing, please use the online registration form to pre-register. This is always a fun event and we are expecting a great turn out. See you on the water.
Foiled By The Snow….
What a perfect day for a sail… Sun shining, not a cloud in the sky, winds 12-16MPH… Sure the air temp is 33F and water temp not much higher, and there is 2 feet of snow on the ground, but come on! Only Cary and myself made it to the marina this morning. When I got there Cary managed to get stuck in the snow, he quickly got himself out and a snow plow appeared behind us. He plowed the entrance to Dangerfield Island and the parking lot of the restaurant. The marina gate was down and padlocked, so we couldn’t get in. Oh well… We’re off next Sunday for the holidays. Be sure to come out Friday Jan 1st for the Hangover Regatta, that is always a fun one.
Pictures after the break:
Frostbite Sailing This Sunday
Well we are having our first snow in the DC area this weekend. Supposed to get a couple inches of snow (6-8 inches depending on who you believe). The air temp is predicated to be a high of 33F (low of 22F) Sunday with winds at 15MPH. Perfect day to sail??? Of course!! We’ll see you on the water, and I’ll try and get some pics to post after wards.
Laser Frostbite #3 Report 12/06/09
Frostbiting it was, frozen toes and all!
By Jacob Donkersloot
The day turned out great, notwithstanding yesterday’s snow. Fortunately, there was little left of the white stuff at the Marina, and the sun did its very best to balance the high-thirties temperature.
The winds were light (5-8 mph) from the NW, perfect for a long (by frostbiting standards) W/L course in the cove. Not surprisingly, the winds oscillated a bit and the RC (Len + Barbara Guenther and Jacob Donkersloot) reset the windward mark a bit further away from the shore after the first race.
Six races were completed; all were twice around with an upwind finish (five legs total) and lasted about twenty minutes. As many as sixteen boats competed. It was good to see several winners; Sam Dobbs and David Teale (good to see you back!) placed first twice. Keith Barron and Mike Renda also won a race. David Teale won the day by a slight margin.
Keith Barron won the day for the handicap scores with a first and a third. Nice job
Scores to be posted soon.
Laser Sailing 15-30knts
Video of the week. Hot laser action. Billed as 15-30kts, looks like a good breeze, but 30? Check it out. The sound track rocks. Enjoy:
Winners Write Up Day #2, 11/29
Tim Zimmermann won the day, below is his write up.
It was a perfect day for Laser racing on the Potomac: not frosty at all (temps in the 60s) and a light sailable breeze from the SSE at 4-6, shifting to SW and increasing a bit.
The first course was set up in the channel. There were plenty of boats racing and a shortish line, so getting a good start (not usually my strong point) was key. The line seemed to be slightly pin-favored and in the first race I set up a few BLs short of the line with about a minute to go because I expected boats to be up on the line fighting for a place in the front row. The tide was coming in, and held boats off the line, so it was easy to hang loose until 10 seconds, before accelerating for the gun. And perhaps because of the current many boats were off the line as the clock counted down, so there was room to put the bow down. I got a good start, and legged out toward the left looking for a header to hitch back to the middle on. The breeze looked okay on the left, and better in the middle. It also looked okay on the right, but up against the shore line it might be unreliable. Boats started to flip over behind me onto port to go back to the middle and I hung on for just a bit longer, lucked into a header and tacked back toward the middle. That was just enough to get a little cushion on the fleet and I was free to sail the shifts up to the windward mark and held that lead twice around, finishing downwind. It was a reminder of how easy tactics and sailing the shifts can be when you are not worrying about clear lanes.
Sometimes things just go your way, and the second race was almost the same as the first. I got another good start and sailed left with Robert Bennett on my windward hip. With the tide very low, I gave him a heads up that I would call for room to tack as the water got thin, and he courteously tacked away. I sailed a few more boat lengths, and tacked into a nice little lift (I wish I could say I planned it that way, but…). So again I had just enough lead to play the shifts and the fleet up to the windward mark, and established a nice cushion that held up twice around.
Frostbite Day #2, Nov 29nd
A nice little Sunday was by all on the water. Sam Dobbs, Kevin, and I ran races from the 16′ skiff. 7 races were completed. As you might imagine, it was pretty warm for November. Those in drysuits were sweaty; those in shorts and lycra were comfy. The first 3 races were closer to docks, as the wind was from the east 3-8 knots. Low tide was at 11:50, leading to long beats, some WW mark hitting, and short sprints with the current downwind.
Midway through the third race (and much to the chagrin of those who went left one the second beat), the wind clocked right 90 degrees. The RC picked up the marks and moved further into the cove, setting the windward mark just off the leadmine piers. The breeze picked up as it filled in from the south (but it was still pretty spotty and shifty), and I believe the hiking straps were engaged at times. I believe the infamous R. Bennett even capsized downwind, though I’m yet to confirm this rumor. 5 different boats won races, and the fleet was as large as 19 boats. Scores are located here, and I’ll try to get my photos that I’ve taken up shortly.
Thanks,
Mike Renda