Spring Series

We sailed our Spring Series this past weekend so I thought I'd provide a synopsis for those who couldn't make it (unfortunately, there were quite a few of you...). We had 5 boats sail each day. Jason/Heather, Greg Virgin, new fleet members Gary/Joan Hurban (with Todd crewing on Sunday), and Joe Friebele sailing Saturday, and Alistair sailing Jonathan Lange's boat on sunday with his daughters and their friend.

Saturday was summed up by my crew Kimberly's comment as we were getting towed in after the 2 crap-shoot races, "I think I'd rather be working!" Suffice it to say, it was rainy, chilly, and light air, and at times, no air. Jason and Heather sailed nicely (or at least managed to stay out of the huge potholes around the course) to win both races fairly easily. At various times, the rest of us found one or more of those holes and languished helplessly until some semblance of breeze returned our sanity to us.

Sunday was much the opposite. While somewhat brisk, at least we had a nice, typical, gusty northwesterly, about 10-15 kts. The courses ranged b/n 315 and 325, and we were sailing in Area A, so the weather mark was tucked up in Whitehall bay, towards Mill Creek. It was one of those days when some puffs came from the left, and about the same number from the right, so you had to stay on your toes and keep looking up the course to see where the next one was coming from. It did seem that more often than not, a righty would filter down out of Whitehall near the top, so it paid to be on that side under the layline and get lifted up to it. The RC got 3 races in for us in rather swift fashion, using the 3-minute starting olly, and we were back at the dock by 2:30 or so. In the first race, we were leading by about 8-10 BLs around the leeward mark, but Jason sailed a great 2nd beat, playing the shifts nicely, while I struggled to cover while also playing the shifts, which I was reminded doesn't work too well, and by the next rounding he had me a boat-length. After the set, we got a little puff before he did and we surged even with him. It was neck and neck down the run until we finally pulled ahead on another series of puffs to win by a small margin. In the second race, Gary and Joan Hurban showed some great speed and smarts, and it was Jason, them, and us very close around the track. On the second beat the three of us were heading toward the right, wile Greg and Alistar were working the left. I was hipped up on Gary, while Jason was on the outside. They went pretty far, and I looked over the saw we were pretty close to the S/B layline, but still under it, so we tacked before we reached them. Puffs had occasionally been coming out of whitehall as right-handers and we hooked into another one that lifted us to the mark just ahead of Gary and Jason. We protected on the run by soaking low whenever possible, and held them off, while Gary just nipped Jason at the finish.

We were now tied in points with Jason/Heather so whomever beat the other in the final race would win the regatta. I started near the boat but a lefty had come in so I tacked immediately. Greg Virgin either port tacked the fleet or tacked and crossed everyone easily, but all 5 boats were very close at the weather mark. From what I remember, we rounded right behind Gary and Jason, gybed early and ended up with an inside overlap at the bottom mark. We took the kite down a tad earlier than Jason so he surged into the mark slightly ahead and was able to round clear ahead with us on his transom. I tacked away and then came back at them to stay in touch. We had a couple close crossings, and I think it was back and forth as far as who was ahead, neither by more than one boat-length. At the top we were right of them and they came back towards us. We crossed with the S/B advantage, then tacked back towards them one last time. It appeared we were 1/2 BL ahead and we were able to make a lee-bow stick on the layline of the finish boat. The RC decided to shorted to 3 legs and finish us up-wind. Gary and Joan hadn't tacked nearly as much and ended up nipping us by a half a length. Congratulations to them for their first race win as members of Fleet 329! And congratulations also to Jason and Heather, and Dave their third, for some very close, competitive sailing. Thanks to Jim Urban and the RC for setting great courses, and for not keeping us out there too long on Saturday! Martin Hermida and Kimberly Frank did an outstanding job, not having been in a Lightning for awhile, and in some difficult conditions that required alot of gear-changing.

Let's get more boats out for the No Gas...May 10-11. The weather should be MUCH better. Lastly, anyone in the fleet should feel free to post to the blog for regatta reports, or anything else related to our fleet.

SSA No Gas - Who's Coming

The No Gas Invitational will be held at SSA on May 10-11. $35 registration fee.

Total = 15 so far

Greg Virgin
Nabeel Alsalam
Allan Terhune
Jon Guth
Steve Constants
Joe Friebele
Jason Cosler
Jason Werner
Joan Hurban
Gary Hurban
Russ Roberts
Jonathan Lange/Alister Thompsen
Geoff Becker
John Bates
Mark Whitson