Spring Series #2 is coming up this weekend, but we still need RC volunteers in order to run races. Mike Heinsdorf is your PRO. Sign up on the RC Duty sheet and let Mike know if you are available.
Tag Archives: Washington DC Sailing
Season Kickoff!
We’re just one week away from the start of our spring racing season! Join us on April 6 for the start of our spring series and for a chili-fest provided by PRSA after the racing. We’ll kick off the season on April 6 with our regular racing program: 10:00 am skipper’s meeting by the cranes and 11:25 first warning signal on the upper course. The Sailing Instructions for our Sunday Series racing can be found on the PRSA Website at http://potomacriversailing.org/nors-sis/
Make sure to stick around for the post-race festivities on April 6 as well. PRSA will provide chili (both meat and vegetarian variants), side dishes, and beverages. No need to bring anything for this first week–just come hungry and enjoy some food, drink, and good cheer after the racing!
As you get organized for the start of racing, please remember to pay your PRSA dues and sign up for Race Committee duty if you haven’t already done so. Timely dues payments are essential for the maintenance of our equipment, and we all need to take our turn on RC so that we all can also have fun racing on the water. You can find all the relevant forms and links on our PRSA Dues & RC Duty webpage: http://potomacriversailing.org/dues-rc-duty/
Finally, we have organized a series of training events for the spring season. Please mark the following dates on your calendar. We will send additional information along as each training event approaches.
- April 5: Skiff Management Training hosted by Nabeel Alsalam (time TBA, at WSM)
- May 15: Racing Rules Seminar hosted by Jeff Neurater and Aaron Boesenecker (7-9 pm, Charleston Room inside of Indigo Landing restaurant)
- Date TBA: Local Knowledge Seminar hosted by Barney Harris
I look forward to seeing everybody out on the water soon!
2013 President’s/Leukemia Cup: Great Wind, Great Racing, and a Great Celebration!
What a fantastic weekend! We were pleasantly surprised with great breeze on both Saturday and Sunday, we had tight racing on both the upper and the lower courses, and we had great celebrations after the racing on both Saturday and Sunday. The folks on the lower course got 6 races on Saturday, and on the upper course we had 4 races on Saturday and 3 more on Sunday. All told there were 61 boats on our PRSA one design courses (14 Lightnings, 12 Albacores, 10 Cats/Scows, 7 Bucs, 7 El Toros, 4 Flying Scots, 4 Lasers, and 3 Penguins). You can’t ask for anything more in a regatta!
Many PRSA sailors also supported the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through fundraising efforts and through their own contributions. As we went into the regatta weekend the fundraising total was trending towards $160,000+ and many sailors made generous donations at registration over the weekend. I’ll be sure to send along the final totals on the fundraising efforts once those figures are available from the LLS. In the meanwhile, a huge “thank you” on behalf of the LLS to all of you who contributed to the fundraising effort.
Keep reading for links to scores as well as for some of my observations from the upper course. Be sure to add in your own comments and recollections as well!
Continue reading 2013 President’s/Leukemia Cup: Great Wind, Great Racing, and a Great Celebration!
Laser Frostbite Day #2, 11/25
Seventeen boats came out for Day #2. The wind started out lighter than forecast and then picked up to forecast about 10-12 mph. It started out west-southwest and shifted south-southwest half way through the day. Len and Barb Guenther set a windward-leeward course out in the river. The current was the opposite of last week (coming in all day) and I believe played a big factor in the racing today more on that later. There was some big debris/speed bumps (tree trunks) out in the river causing some to fall out of their boats and other to stop for a minute. If you have not made it out yet this season it has been near perfect sailing conditions and just in luck for you we sail again next Sunday same time same place. Keith Barron and William Kruse will be providing the RC.
Full scores are posted on the website here:
Erich
Laser Frostbite Day #1, 11/18
It was a beautiful day to be on the water. If you could order up breeze like this every day that would be great. The wind turned out to be more than forecast from the low teens with some gust in the high teens from the north-northeast and east. The current was going out all day. It was a shifty day but Justin Pollack and Jim Klein set a windward-leeward course which they did not have to adjust much during the day. Twenty-two boats came out with three boats being the first day sailing with us. Bob Gotthardt took the day for the newbies to the fleet with an eleventh overall. Making it to the top ten was an accomplishment as a lot of the top guns came out to sail today.
Results posted on the website (Thanks Farley and Scott).
We sail again next Sunday with the Guenthers providing the RC. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Erich
PRSA Spring Regatta 2011, Upper Course Results
Another great day of sailing with south winds of 12 to 13. I wish the whole summer would be like that. Khin & Thant , Bill Buck, Dan Miller, and scorer/recorder Jen gave us 3 W2 races. Several more sailors came out to join the fun. Jim Graham gave us another nice picnic.
Results:
PRSA_spring11_Albacore
PRSA_spring11_Buccaneer
PRSA_spring11_Hobie
PRSA_spring11_Lightning
The Katherine Hearst award to the woman who beat the most boats in her class went to Kyra Tallon.
The Len Penso award to the sailor over 50 who beat the most boats in his/her class went to Nabeel Alsalam.
Pictures Upper course and Lower course
Sunday, July 4 at Washington Sailing Marina!
The usual July 4th restrictions will be in place, as follows: there will be a police check point at the entrance to the marina beginning early morning on the 4th. Police will search and confiscate any alcohol, fireworks or firearms you may have. NO EXCEPTIONS for slipholders. Marina staff will set up a second checkpoint around 2 PM. They will be checking for valid parking passes. If you have not picked up your passes for this season please do so before the 4th. If you would like a guest pass please stop by the office. The office is open 9 – 6 seven days a week. Traffic on the Parkway will be a nightmare. If you want a hassle free holiday, show up as early as possible. As always grilling is prohibited on marina grounds as well as on boats docked at the marina. For questions, contact the marina at wsm@guestservices.com, 703-548-9027.
PRSA Spring Series # 8 Sunday, June 6 – Last One for Spring Series!
Updated June 7 —
Albacores did RC. The AccuWeather forecast called for mostly cloudy skies, a high of 91 degrees, and westerly winds at 19 – 22 MPH. A few thunderstorms were possible, some severe. The river flow was below normal for this time of year, at 6.310 CFS (gage height 3.5 ft) and the water had warmed to 82 degrees. Low tide was at 10:34 AM and high tide at 4:21 PM. Actual winds were from the SSW at 13 MPH up until 2:30 PM when a front came through, kicking up 29 MPH winds with gusts to 45. PRO Nathan Marsh and his crack Albacore RC set up an Olympic course with the leeward mark close to (but outside) the channel near the green channel mark off East Potomac Park, and got off four races in quick succession, for the 7 Lightings, 2 Buccs, one Albacore and one Hobie that sailed. All but 4 Lightnings had retired by the end of race 3 and were back at the docks before the front came through. For the four (Nabeel; Rick; Pat; and Peter Lallas) there was a wild ride home after race 4, but they all made it back without capsizing. Results to be posted soon.
PRSA Spring Regatta 2010 Saturday and Sunday, May 29 – 30
Updated 5/31/10 — The PRSA Spring regatta, our Memorial Day Weekend major event, has come and gone! Saturday brought us an overcast morning that slowly cleared, temperatures in the mid 70s, and calm winds until Noon. PRO Nabeel Alsalam wisely postponed, from the docks, the departure until 11:45, and by the time we got to the race course we had a very nice southerly, blowing 7 – 10 MPH. Nabeel got off 3 great Olympic course races for the 7 Lightings, 4 Buccs, 17 Albacores, 4 Hobies and a Thistle who came out. On the Lower Course we had 3 Optis and 2 Penguins. Sunday brought us a promising start with sunny skies, northerly winds at 5 – 10 MPH that unfortunately went light and variable as the day went on, and we gave up on the day at 3 PM at the end of the second race (which not everybody finished, due to a time limit expiration). Upper Course Results here. Lower Course Results here.
Our sincere thanks to the regatta organizing committee and to the PRSA members who worked this regatta. They include: PROs Nabeel Alsalam (upper course) and Jennifer Parrow (lower course); Race Committee drivers and helpers Ryan Vear, Stefano de Leo, Red Fehrle, Craig Huzway, Anna Lindel, Elaine Duffe, Inga Barkane, Linda Pacelli, John Hart, Annie Cross, Bill Swanson, Kate Dixon, Steve Parsons, and Thomas Jagodits; Registration workers Will Phillippe, Jeff Neurauter, Happy Olmstead, Wilda Heiss, Steve Parsons, and Barb Thompson; Planning the post-race barbeque and bringing food and beer: Pat McGee and Scott Snyder; producing the NOR and SIs, and acquiring trophies, scorekeeping, recruiting RC, and Boat Duty, Nabeel Alsalam. Well done!
Per PRSA Commodore Pat McGee: Starting Saturday morning many members just kicked in. I was really pleased by the amount of general pitching in. I could not move more than a few steps without someone offering to help. It made me very pleased with our membership. Maybe this is explained by our having shrunk into a core group (family). I owe all of you all a big thank you. I can’t thank you guys enough for just picking things up and making it all happen. Get’er done mentality. Nabeel – RC — great decisions – sitting on the docks for 90 minutes Sat., I know you were getting some pressured commentary – Great work!
PRSA Spring Series # 6, Sunday, May 16!
Updated 5/19/10 — Sunday was a day when the weatherman promised much and delivered so little. The forecast was for partly sunny and pleasant conditions, a high of 76 degrees, and winds from the northeast at 8 – 10 MPH. Seven Lightnings, six Albacores, and three Hobies splashed and made their way up to the race course, while PRO Bob Astrove and RC crew set a windward-leeward course along an ENE axis, with the windward mark close to the deepwater channel and the leeward mark close to the airport shore. But they only got off one race before the wind died. At 2 PM the N flag went up and boats were towed back to the dock. Results after the break: