Too bad we can't sail on Saturday when there always seems to be a great breeze.  Sunday brought light and fluky conditions, but plenty of pressure to go sailing.  When I go over to Pliner's to have a 'beverage' with Mike, we look out at the lake in the wide middle section, and you can see what looks like stripes on the water.  The light silver parts being calm spots and the darker patches where the wind is.  That was certainly the case on this day.

 

Thanks again to Jim & Jan Jenson who have done yeoman's duty as judges this season.  My friend, Obe' Arellano served as a guest judge.  He has never been on a boat of any kind before yesterday.

 

Winds generally from the north put the start somewhere off the Wooded Shores access area with the windward mark around Bruce Sansomes house, north of the Marina..  A very nice course length. 

 

Race1:

 

    We got a good clean start with no one really pressing the line.  I was happy so see Dennis Palys 6 got his boat reassembled after last weeks carnage.  D. Gallo 1( one of the "little people') came off the line so fast I thought he had a motor on board.  Schroeders 14 got buried on the start after getting tangled up in with a boat that wanted to luff him for some reason.  I don't understand why guys do that, usually penalizing themselves in the process.  Schroder 14 and D. Gallo 1 went to port tack up the east shore right away with the bulk of the fleet proceeding on starboard in a westerly direction.  Ron & Bill 2 was the first to tack heading east with Stygar 5 trying on his fancy tactical cover maneuvers. By halfway to the windward mark, it looked like D. Gallo 1 was leading with Schroeder following in the same direction.  Somewhere near the Marina, Dennis just stopped and Schroeder 14 went by.  A couple boats, Pierce 12 and Palys 6 (I think) went way left and were becalmed for a time off the north shore of West Bay.  I think they went to close to that hill and got into the lee of the land (pay attention you two, that's a coaching note).  At the windward mark Schroeder 14 rounded about 1 length ahead of Bill Ron 2 with Barr 8 alongside.  Schroeder 14 jibed to head down the left center of the lake as did most of the fleet.  Ron & Bill took off toward West Bay searching for new wind.  That worked out well of them, being well ahead of Schroeder 14 and the rest of the fleet at the leeward mark.  The last leg 2 just kept going, finishing well ahead, followed by Schroeder 14, then Watkins 20.  D. Gallo 1 just pipped out a 4th over Barr 8. I guess Bad News can travel fast, at least sometimes. I really felt sorry for those guys that got stuck over in the bay. That looked pretty frustrating.  The good news, no capsizes or dismasting.

 

 

Race 2:

 

    Another clean start, and again the fleet separates with some choosing the east shore and some going west.  It took a few minutes to start seeing positions develop, but again Bill & Ron made some timely calls to put the boat where the wind was and pulled away, leading at the windward mark.  Many boats found themselves sitting still with no wind as a boat 50 feet away went sailing past with good air.  Watching for puffs and sailing toward them was the key to the day.

Greg Pierce 12, aka The Great Carnac, finished a credible 7th, his best result of the season.  He could have been 5th but was becalmed about 50 feet from the finish and watched Wayne & Mike 4 and B. Gallo 24 (another of the " little people ") go past before he got moving again. Probably pretty satisfying for Greg, especially after the frustration of the 1st race.

 

 

Scoring 

Boat                                                         Position, Race 1        Race 2

 

Gallo D    1                                                     4                        8

Bjurstrom Fulford 2                                            1                        1 

Wayne & Mike 4                                             6                        5

Stygar 5                                                        9                        10

Palys 6                                                         10                       11

Barr 8                                                            5                         3

Pierce 12                                                       11                      11

Schroeder                                                        2                        2

Offenwanger                                                    8                        9

Watkins                                                         3                        4

Henely                                                        DNS                    DNS

B Gallo                                                          7                        6

Naatz 88                                                     DNS                    DNS

Ridenour 727                                               DNS                    DNS