Lightning Fleet 329Annapolis, Maryland

Summer Series Wrap-Up

2011-07-25T13:27:00.003-04:00

We sailed Summer Series 2 and 3 on Saturday and Sunday, July 23-24 in the midst of some of the highest heat indices that any of us could remember. When we arrived at the club on Saturday morning, the temperature was already well into the 90's, and there wasn't a breath of wind on the Bay. Ian Burman, the PRO, sent us off on a 2 hour postponement that allowed for some shopping, gathering at the Dockside, and generally trying to find places with AC. When we returned to SSA, there was a nice southerly building, and we sailed out for a 1300 start. We had 2 races with Joe Friebele continuing his winning ways from last Saturday in the first race and Craig Cobbum winning the second. It was good to see Jon Guth out for the day.

After the racing, we all went over to Steve and Dorothy Constants' for a barbeque and party. A lot of folks were swilling more water than other alcoholic refreshments, trying to re-hydrate their bodies. It was great to see the Constants and relax in their cool house after our being barbequed on the Bay.

Sunday greeted us with high temperatures again, but the wind was up, so we started on time at 1100. Dina Kowlayshyn, the PRO, rolled off 3 quick races so that we could get out of the heat as fast as possible. Friebele won the first 2 with Cobbum picking all the right wind lanes and winning the second. Chris Gildea came out for the day and finished 4-4-4.

After we got back to the dock and had the boats put away, a squall came through that registered 52 kts at the Annapolis Buoy near where we were sailing! We all enjoyed watching some of the big boats struggle in the mouth of the Severn from the shelter of the clubhouse much more than we would have enjoyed sailing when that blast came through.

The final results were: 1) Friebele, 2) Cobbum, and 3) Mark Whitson. Thanks to the Race Committees for their great work, to those who brought stuff to the party, and to all the sailors who turned out over the 3 days to make the regatta a success.

SSA Summer I

2011-07-20T16:52:00.004-04:00

The winds were cooperative and the temperature wasn't too hot for this one-day start to the Summer Series on Saturday, July 16. Things didn't look too promising on the way out to the race course, but after a 30 min postponement, racing got underway. We had a good turnout of 6 boats. Eric Hakanson and his crack crew came over from the Potomac, and Craig Cobbum with Leigh Cramer, an AU student, and her BF, put his new boat in the water for the first time. There was a slight delay while Craig ran to APS to get the two bolts that hold the mast in the mast step, which apparently didn't convey when he bought the boat. Russ Roberts with only Donya Shakiba aboard kept up with the pack, and the Kellys found some new spinnaker excitement.

The racing was good as the southerly picked up throughout the day. Joe Friebele walked away with 3 wins; Mark Whitson was second with 8 points and Craig had 9. Now it's on to Summer II and III this weekend, July 24, with a party after the racing on Saturday.

2011-06-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

2011 Dixie District Championship

This years Dixie District Championship was held by Fleet 192 and Havre de Grace YC in scenic Havre de Grace, MD on the confluence of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. Despite the economic conditions and gas prices, 19 boats raced in mostly sunny and warm conditions over both days. A newly revitalized fleet 192 with fresh boats and blood was anxious to host a fun, competitive regatta.

The first days racing found good wind…until the boats approached the first mark and the wind diminished. Thereafter the boats struggled around the course that was shortened to three legs. For the remainder of the series save for one five leg-er we sailed 4 leg windward-leewards. Boats struggled on all sides of the course to grasp the brief winds and positions changed greatly. The Constants team was able to develop a big lead before the wind died and won handily.

With the wind having died, the RC brought the fleet to shore to await a hoped for later breeze. As often happens, further racing was canceled after a postponement only to later have a tantalizingly beautiful wind arise to cool off the party and dinner which was replete with radio controlled sailboats, the usual libations and an excellent creole dinner. For many the party continued with a haphazard red rover and flip cup game that demonstrated how silly we sailors can become off the water.

The next day the racing began earlier and took advantage of light but somewhat steady breezes out of the southeast. The RC boat was determined to use the allotted time to get competitors a complete day of racing and 5 races were enjoyed with 4 different competitors (Prior, Phelan, Werner x 2, Constants) winning races. In the last few races the points were tight between Constants and Werner for the perpetual trophy and Dixie Champion bragging rights, but Constants extinguished any hope by nailing his second bullet of the regatta. Kudos to the leaders insofar as their finishes didn’t reflect the struggles on the course as many races saw them struggle back from mid fleet.

Many thanks to the RC Pro Lynda Corrado and her crew for dealing with the challenging conditions (and providing some “flag” entertainment). Also to Havre de Grace YC and Tidewater Marina for supporting the local lightning fleet. We hope to see you all in August for the “Duck Challenge” Regatta.

Pat Phelan

SSA Spring Series -April 9-10, 2011

2011-04-14T10:56:00.002-04:00

It sure didn't feel like spring this past weekend, especially on Saturday. A chilly, dreary, no wind start to the season greeted us eager sailors. Allen T. joined us on Saturday thinking sailing would be better than doing his honey do list at home. That was debatable. Saturday's racing turned out to be a one leg drifter with only two boats finishing within the time limit. Talk about fun stuff. It was downright painful. But if nothing else we are a resourceful bunch and happy hour started early and extended late.

Sunday's racing was much better. O.K., it couldn't get any worse. Still chilly, but with a southerly breeze of about 6 knots teams were able to work out the cobwebs over four races. Teams Friebele, Hurban, Kelly, Brickell, Constants battled throughout the day and overall it was a good day out on the water.

2010-09-27T16:46:00.005-04:00

59TH Annual
LIGHTNING FRIGID DIGIT
October 16-17, 2010
Severn Sailing Association

Who's Coming
Please add your name if you're coming.

Regatta Documents:
NOR
Sailing Instructions

Contacts:
Regatta Chair: Joe Friebele, joe.friebele@verizon.net; 301-646-5335
Fleet Captain: Jamie Brickell, jamiebrickell@earthlink.net; (410) 489-2619
Housing: Joan Hurban, jghurban@gmail.com; 410-923-2497
Crew: Laura Johnson, lauraspeedy@hotmail.com; 240-994-7645

2010-05-18T14:06:00.072-04:00

2010 Lightning Atlantic Coast Championship
Qualifier for 2011 Pan Am Games Trials

Hosted by Annapolis Fleet 329
and
Severn Sailing Association

July 24-25, 2010

Documents:
Results
NOR
Sailing Instructions
ILCA Membership Registration
(Must be ILCA and US Sailing member for Pan Am trials qualification)
US Sailing Membership Registration
US Sailing Athlete Selection Procedure - 2011 Pan American Games

Who's Coming:
See Who's Coming/Add your name

Local Information:
Nautical Chart of Racing Area
Annapolis/Chesapeake Bay Weather Links
Directions to SSA

Food/Lunches in Eastport:
SSA Snack Bar (to Pre-order lunches 410-422-0039 or realfoodssa@gmail.com)
Royal Farms Eastport
Boatyard Bar & Grill (Take out market) (410-216-6206)
Cafe Gurus (410-295-0601‎)
Harbour Deli (410-263-5276)

Hotel/Housing Information:
Summary of ACCs Annapolis Hotel Information (pdf)
We have a block of rooms reserved at the Country Inn & Suites Annapolis. Click on the above pdf to see rates, amenities, and deadline.
List of B&Bs at VisitAnnapolis.org

Questions? Feel free to email Heather Dodd, heather@CapitalLogoInc.com

A limited amount of housing with local fleet members available on a first come-first served basis:
Contact Joan Hurban, jghurban@gmail.com

Gear/Parts:
Annapolis Performance Sailing
West Marine
Fawcett Boat Supplies

Contact Information:
Regatta Co-Chairs:
Jamie Brickell, jamiebrickell@earthlink.net
Jason Werner, jwerner@claimsbridge.com

2010-05-05T10:58:00.009-04:00

George Shapiro Memorial No Gas Invitational Regatta
May 15-16
Severn Sailing Association

Sailing Instructions
Who's Coming List (Add your name if not on the list)
Directions to SSA
Directions to Barbecue at Steve Constants' house

Entry Fee: CHEAP!! (like $25.00)
Includes 2 days of racing and RC, overnight boat storage, trophies for skippers and crew of top 4 boats, and a barbecue immediately after racing Saturday.

2010 Fleet 329 Schedule

2010-03-18T10:48:00.003-04:00

April 17-18: Spring Series
May 15-16: No Gas
June 19: Summer Series 1
July 10: Summer Series 2
July 31: Summer Series 3
Sept 18-19: Fall Series
Oct 16-17: Frigid Digit

2009 ACC's - A different perspective

2009-08-26T21:05:00.003-04:00

Jon did a great job of describing the regatta, but I'll add my view, which was much more distant. Laura and I arrived Friday afternoon, rigged the boat, had a drink and then went back to her mother's house for dinner. Batton Kenyon, our third crew, arrived sometime after 1:30 - I was well asleep.

The racing Saturday was exciting with the wind and chop building from race to race. We were hampered by a series of bad starts (except for one that had a general recall). Getting off a line with 60 aggressive boats is something I didn't do well. As a result, after 3-4 minutes, we were at least 100 yards behind the first row of boats, and the distance increased throughout the race. We were clearly too light for the 18+ kts that we were sailing in, and although I remembered Larry MacDonald winning the FD with his two kids 2 years ago, I couldn't simultaneously get enough speed and keep the boat flat.

We got the only reasonable start of the regatta in the 3rd race on Saturday, but we hesitated on a jibe, I fell into the boat, and then the boat fell into the water. Had a dickens of a time righting it; came to find out that the tip of the mast was stuck in the mud. The water must not have been much more than 4'. Lost a lot of stuff, but none expensive. Had a great ride back to the dock and joined all the others who had capsized or broken their mast and retired.

Sunday was a tough day. The NOR said that the tow would begin at 8:30 with races at 10, but the SI's said races at 11. So, we got towed out, had to wait around, got towed out into Barnegat Bay, and finally started racing after being on the water for 4 hours. The wind was already howling and we slogged the 1-1/2 upwind legs and then planed literally the whole way back to the leeward mark. Batton did a great job of keeping us on a plane and the boat on its feet. Then disaster struck on the first upwind leg of the second race. We tacked to port, crossed one boat and tried to duck Nabeel and failed. Big holes in both our boats, but Muller has done a great job repairing them.

Barnegat Bay is a great place to sail, and the NA's should be a lot of fun. The sea breeze is strong, and there's tide to contend with, as well as cigarette boats going up and down the Bay at full throttle. Take a heavy crew!

2009-08-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

Duck Challenge Aug 22-23

Five Fleet 329 boats made the trip up I-95 for the annual Duck Challenge this past weekend. Jon, Jason W., Joan & Gary, Mark B. and I with our respective crews made for some serious fleet 329 competition. The Duck is always one of the most enjoyable events on the Dixie District circuit, not necessarily for dependable breeze but for their warm hospitality, easy access to the racecourse, always enjoyable cookout and party, and the barhopping. Everyone up at Harve DeGrace is so nice, we always have a great time and this year was no exception. 17 boats in all attended this years Duck Challenge.

Saturday’s light and variable breeze from the north made for some interesting racing. Shifts would appear and disappear with no discernable reason. You looked good one moment only to sail into the abyss and have the rest of the fleet sail around you the next moment. Fun stuff. Jason was fast from the start and paced everyone with two firsts in the first two races. Jon opened up with a 2nd & 4th while we struggled with a 7th and a 3rd. Races 3 & 4 we found our way to win both races. Jon would sail his drop race in race three with a second in race four. And sailing consistent was Joan & Gary who opened with a third and then had two fourths in race 3 & 4. Throw in Mark B. with a fifth in race two which was awesome in such tough conditions. OK, are you confused by all the numbers, I am. Jason led us by two points, with Jon 7 points back and Joan & Gary a few points behind Jon after Saturdays racing. Factor in a projected drop if we reach seven races and the scores were even tighter.

Saturday’s evening cookout as always was quite enjoyable. Normally you pick either a steak or salmon and you gather around the grill and cook it yourself. This year we had some nice volunteers who braved the wind and rain to cook for the competitors. Then it was off to the favorite local watering hole, McGregor’s, where one becomes part of a whole cast of characters.
Joan had plenty of energy to burn and hit the dance floor with Gary, not hubby Gary, but the ever-effervescent Gary Hofer. A sight to behold indeed, but luckily not on YouTube.

Sunday morning showed promise as the front had gone through and a nice northwesterly was blowing as we reached the club. But the promise would be fleeting, even though the first race of the day was held in a steady 8 knots of breeze. The remaining two races would be more of the patchy light stuff we had on Saturday. Jason struggled some on Sunday while Jon was hot out of the blocks and had two bullets in the first two races. Joan showed no ill effects from her dancing and opened with an 3rd & 2nd and we stayed close with an 2nd & 3rd. With a throw out going into race seven, Jon and I were tied. Race seven was as exciting as racing can be in two-four knots of breeze, we reached the weather mark ahead of Jon, Jon passed us downwind, we passed Jon upwind, and then were able to pass Pat Phelan with a hundred yards to the finish to win race seven and take a two point lead over Jon. With boats struggling to finish, the race committee decided to call it a day and a regatta. Final results were: 1st Steve 11 pts, 2nd Jon 13 pts, 3rd Jason 21 pts, 4th Joan 25 pts. Complete results can be found at:

http://www.lightningclass.org/fleet50/dixiedistrict/2009/DuckChallengeResults.htm

A special thanks to Pat Phelan and Tom Compton and everyone else up at Fleet 192 for putting on a good regatta. See you next year at the Duck.

ACC's - Tom's River, NJ

2009-08-18T15:16:00.004-04:00

This is coming a little late, but thought I'd share of few brief thoughts from the ACCs, held July 25-26 at Tom's River Yacht Club. What a tremendous 2 days of "atlantic coastal" sailing we were treated to. If you like breeze (which our heavy team does), it was absolutely ideal. Arrived fri night around 10:30 pm to drop off the boat and a few stragglers were still imbibing around a fire-ring overlooking the scenic Tom's River. Sat morning came fast and early, and we rigged up, launched and hooked up to the nearest tow for the long trip out to Barnegat bay. By the way, this is where next year's NA's will be, and I hear they plan on towing out to the race course every day, which is pretty cool. About the time we arrived at the sailing area, the sea breeze was starting to fill nicely. We sailed the first race in about 10-12 knots as I recall, but steadily building. The right was paying most of the time it seemed, and when we had a lane to get over to that side, the waves weren't as bad, and we seemed to pick up boats. At this point, I can't recall the details, but we had a mediocre first day and were in about 17th out of 59 boats. TRYC put on a great dinner at the club in some ideal weather for sitting outside and enjoying a few adult beverages. David Starck was leading, having won races 2 and 3, with Allan and Bill Fastiggi each trailing by 2 points. Given the 3 long, breezy races, most of the crowd seemed to retire fairly early.

Sunday started out with a tow out to the mouth of the river to sail on the "inside" course, but after one abandoned start in a dying westerly, the RC smartly rounded everyone up and towed to the Bay. Again the sea breeze delivered it's punch, and we got off another 2 races in 15-20 knots with some higher puffs. De-powering (except in the big waves) was critical, keeping the boat on it's feet, and staying in control downwind while trying to surf on as many waves as possible to keep up with the really fast guys. They seemed to have an extra gear downwind in the waves. We managed to hover around the low teens in both races, (with some not-so-good starts), to finish up 11th overall (losing the 10th place tiebreaker to Bill Bogardus). Dave Starck and Allan battled it out in the last race, Allan having won race 4 and taking the overall lead, but Dave won the last race convincingly to take back the regatta. The ride in the from race course on Sunday was possibly more fun than the actual racing, as we were planing almost the whole time, first under spin, then just tight reaching with jib. For those thinking about NAs next summer, the exhilarating sail in each day may be enough reason to go! Other Fleet 329 boats that attended were Geoff Becker who finished 4th, Steve (who had a jib halyard breakdown in the last race), Jason Werner who had a sweet 4th in the last race, Joe Friebele, and Gary and Joan Hurban. And the District sent a total of 17 boats, probably the best represented District at the regatta! TRYC is a fantastic place to sail and runs a great show, and it's only 3 hours away. Hope to see some of you at the Duck Challenge next.

Here's a Link to Results
http://www.lightningclass.org/racing/results/2009/acc.asp

CAD Districts July 11-12

2009-07-17T10:35:00.002-04:00

The lure of sailing in the ocean and good competition (30+boats) was enough to entice Allan and I to take our teams up to Ocean City, NJ for the Central Atlantic Districts, held this past weekend. Ocean City Y.C. is home to Gidge and Chappy(Mr. Pinky fame), and they did a great job organizing the event and providing ample entertainment and libations.

Oh, and how was the sailing you ask? Saturday goes down as one of those days that you wish you could repeat throughout the sailing season, just about perfect! Three races were held in the ocean in a building southerly, first race wind about 12 knots, second race 15 knots, and third race 18 knots. Yes, the downwind legs in the third race were awesome. Surfing and planing, everyone came in from racing with big(s---a--) smiles on their faces. That's all I will remember from the weekend, though here's a snapshot of other regatta highlights. Blimp overhead,two boats capsize and break their masts, helicopter rescue, pork rolls, the long tow to the course, O.C. is a dry town?/?, dancing on Saturday night, current ripping through launching area, drifter on Sunday.

Like I said, Saturday was awesome . Allan and his team of Katie and Sarah Mergenthaler sailed great and won the regatta. My team included Todd Johnson and Sarah Evans and we sailed well, finishing fourth. I look forward to seeing everyone next week as we go back up to Jersey for the ACC's.

SSA Summer Series - Day 1

2009-06-25T11:53:00.009-04:00

This past Saturday, June 20, our fleet had the first of our 3-day Summer series. Unfortunately, due to either the Father's Day holiday, kids and babies, or other summer plans, we had a small turnout of just five boats. Fred Mertes, a longtime Rehobeth Beach Lightning sailor, showed up with his great-looking 1962 woody, complete with wood rig and jumper struts. The mahogany interior was absolutely beautiful! The rest of the crowd included Joe Friebele, Mark Boaz, Steve Constants and myself. Saturday morning didn't look too promising when we got to the club, with T-storms in the area and rain. But at least there was the promise of wind. We headed out to area C, but the first race was abandoned on the first leg when a storm rolled in with some thunder and lightning in the area. We sailed back to the club, tied up the boats, and by the time we finished eating lunch in the clubhouse, the weather had cleared and there was a new south-easterly breeze building. So Ian Burman, PRO, sent us back out and set up a short course in the river.

From what I can recall, we thought there was better breeze towards the middle-left of the course, which was towards the center of the river, rather than on the right which put you kind of in the lee of Horn point and the far shoreline. So we set up and started beneath the fleet and sailed that out to the left until we thought we could cross Steve who was hipped up on us. When a small lefty came to us, we checked for Steve to go a little bow-down and then tacked. He tacked as well, and we got to the weather mark a couple boat-lengths ahead of them. From there we sailed a pretty conservative race, gybing to the inside early down the run. With the short course, we managed to hold on for the win. Joe was not far behind Steve.

In the second race, I believe we again rounded first, extended a bit on the run as the breeze built, but had a small problem with the spin sheet caught under the boat and Steve closed to within a BL or two by the top mark as we got that sorted out. The puffs were coming in from the upwind-right so an early gybe seemed to be the correct move. Steve was able to gybe a few seconds ahead of us and pull ahead down the run to take the race, with Joe again not far behind us. I recall Mark showing some nice speed as well going to windward.

In the last race of the day, things got a little weird. We started to leeward of the fleet again, but Steve showed nice speed and was able to hold us out past the layline. Joe, who hadn't sailed off the track like we had, had a nice leg and rounded the weather mark first. Steve and us gybed before Joe and slipped past down the left, and on the way back up, we found a shaft of breeze up the middle that for some crazy reason neither Joe nor Steve got. We were able to get bow out from Steve who was to our right, Joe tacked from the left back over to the right, and we hit some good pressure near the port tack layline to bring us into the mark ahead. We learned our lesson and gybed early this time to hold on down the final run. Joe had a good downwind leg and brought some breeze up with him to slip into second at the finish. At that point, some thunder could be heard in the distance, so the RC sent us in for the day.

All in all, we had some fun, tight racing on a day where we weren't sure if we'd get in much sailing at all. Once in at the club, we enjoyed the fine afternoon weather with some dark n' stormys on the cluhouse deck.

Let's get some more SSA boats out for the next Summer Series day on July 11, as well as the final day on August 1. Unfortunately, I will have to miss July 11 as we're heading to Camp Sea Gull in NC, where I first started sailing Lightnings, for an alumni Lightning regatta to raise money for "camperships" for under-priviliged children to attend camp.

2009 Dixie District Championship

2009-06-15T11:04:00.002-04:00

Congratulatons to Allan Terhune, Katie Terhune, and Collin Kirby on winning the Dixie District Championship, held at Southern Maryland Sailing Association (SMSA), June 13-14. 21 boats competed, with 7 boats representing Annapolis - Fleet 329. Steve Constants and Jon Guth battled it out for 2nd, with the tie-breaker going to Jon this time. Peter Rich and Martin Hermida sailed with Jon, while Todd Johnson and Chloe Constants were on board with Steve.

Other Fleet 329 skippers were Joe Friebele, Jason Werner, Jason Cosler, and newcomer Mark Boaz.

The conditions were particularly light and shifty on saturday, and Sunday brought a bit more breeze, but with large velocity changes and huge shifts as well. The RC did a nice job to get 2 races in on Sat, and three on Sunday.

Next up for our fleet is the start of the Summer Series at SSA this coming Saturday. Hope to see a good turnout!

No Gas, May 16-17 - Who's Coming...

2009-05-12T10:59:00.005-04:00

Greg Virgin
Steve Constants
Jon Guth
Joe Friebele
Jason Werner
Gary Hurban
Joan Hurban
Jason Cosler
Diana Lohmeyer
Jonathan Lange

Who's Coming - SSA Spring, April 18-19

2009-04-09T09:47:00.005-04:00

Steve Constants
Jason Cosler
Jonathan Lange
Greg Virgin
Geoff Becker
Mark Boaz
Joan Hurban?
Gary Hurban?

Jon Guth (Sunday)
Allan Terhune (Sunday)
Joe Friebele (Sunday)

Fleet 329 at Southern Circuit

2009-03-17T10:53:00.002-04:00

Fleet members Allan and Katie Terhune won the first leg of the Southern Circuit at the Deep South Regatta in Savannah over the weekend, moving up from 2nd after Saturday. Sailing with them was Fleet 50 boat grant sailor Collin Kirby. Here are links to the SC blog and Savannah results.

http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7178

http://www.lightningclass.org/racing/results/2009/deepSouth-2009/results2009.asp

2009 Fleet 329 Schedule

2009-03-10T09:41:00.002-04:00

Here is our Fleet 329 SSA Schedule:

April 18-19: Spring Series
May 16-17: George Shapiro No Gas Invitational
June 20: Summer Series I
July 11: Summer Series II
August 1: Summer Series III
September 20-21: Fall Series
October 17-18: Frigid Digit

Here are some other key regattas of 2009:

May 2-3: Doc Gilbert Potomac Cup
June 13-14: Dixie District Championship
July 25-26: ACCs, Tom's River, NJ
August 4-14: NA's, Sodus Bay, NY
August 22-23: Duck Challenge, Havre De Grace
September 11-18: World Championship, Burlington, VT

Here is a link to the full Dixie District Schedule:

ACC's This Weekend at Rock Hall

2008-07-24T15:33:00.001-04:00

So Far 32 boats are registered. Hope to see some of you over at Rock Hall Yacht Club this weekend.

No Gas Regatta

2008-05-12T10:45:00.003-04:00

What a weekend!!!!! As seems to be the case here in Annapolis, when the weather forecast is ominous but not completely accurate, we usually get some great racing in. Squeezed in between two fronts, we were able to run seven races this past weekend for our annual No Gas Regatta. 17 boats competed in what is becoming once again a great early season test. Thanks to Jon Guth for chairing the event this year and keeping the Yuenglings flowing throughout the weekend. Hopefully, we'll get a post from some of our winners, Allan, Jon, Geoff.

Here's a link to the results.

Dixie District Championship to be held at SSA June 14-15

2008-05-07T16:22:00.023-04:00

Here is the NOR

Here is the list of skippers planning on sailing...

Total = 29 and counting...

Steve Constants
Jon Guth
Allan Terhune
Jason Werner
Joe Friebele
Bob Harmon
Joe Buczkowski
Greg Fisher
Jim Bielefeld
Greg Virgin
Russ Roberts
John Pemberton
Craig Cobbum
David Thompson
Frank Gallagher
Nabeel Alsalam
Jonathan Lange
Jim Alman
Gary Hurban
Joan Hurban
Red Fehrle
Ron Buchanan
Mark Whitson
Pat Phelan
Trevor Prior
Charlie Wardwell
Mark Hergan
Carol Park
Frank Hanson

Spring Series

2008-04-14T10:47:00.002-04:00

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

2008-04-07T12:15:00.010-04:00

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

Miami Midwinters-Southern Circuit

2008-03-13T11:47:00.000-04:00

I just got back from the Miami Midwinters. I had the opportunity to sail with Allen and Katie Terhune in the second stop of the Southern Circuit. We had very challenging conditions over the two days with huge oscillations and lighter than normal breeze.
Every race was a struggle to find the correct side or the side with better pressure. We were able to to put together 4 top ten finishes to finish 4th. Our 19th in the third race was a well earned recovery from an OCS. Although the traditional see breeze
of Miami was missing, it was still a blast to be out on the water in Miami. Team Terhune continues to St. Pete for the Winter Championships, still in the running to win the Southern Circuit.

A major flu bug/virus swept through the S.C. competitors in Savannah and claimed among others our own Todd Johnson. Todd made it through racing both days in Miami, amazing in of itself, but was far from being in top from. Here's hoping that Todd feels better by the time the Winter Championships begin on Friday.

Steve

New Fleet 329 Blog launches!

2008-03-07T16:32:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the blog for Lightning Fleet 329. The idea was hatched at the recent fleet meeting where we decided this might be a good way to foster communication within the fleet, allow people to post their thoughts about their days out on the water, post questions to other skippers/crew, and generally share information about sailing Lightnings in Annapolis. Please feel free to post early and often...

Jon