St. George Island Day Sail

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Scott Bradford and I took Shadowfax for a great day sail last Saturday. On Linsday Bach’s recommendation from some years ago, we decided to check out St. George Island way down the Maryland side of the Potomac not too far from St. Mary’s College. Click here to see the route to St. George Island from the Marina

The public ramp is just off the north end of the island on the St. George Creek (east) side. The other (west) side is the Potomac. We got there before noon and the wind was light, so we decided to break out our “picnic”, i.e. beer, peanuts, cheese, and crackers. Then we explored the island a bit and found the funky campground called Camp Merrylanders. There is a hotel and restaurant on the north end of the island that looks quite nice.

Around 1:30, the wind picked up and so we took the covers and stepped the mast. We were off a little after 2:00 and the wind was a great 10-12 mph from the northwest. We sailed up the creek a bit, down to the end of the island and then up the St. Mary’s river all the way to the college and back. This is a beautiful part of the Bay. There is little powerboat traffic, beautiful homes on the shore to ogle, and it is just plain idyllic. The Route Shadowfax sailed

While we were derigging a cyclist recognized the classic shape of our lightning and stopped by to chat. His name is Mark and he used to crew for Dick Halligan. It is a small world. On the way, home we stopped at Bert’s 50s dinner for a 12 oz cheeseburger and Bert’s Fish Special.

See we racers do occassionally use our Lightnings for pure sailing fun.

Fleet Championship Preliminary Scores As Of 06/12/13

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This Spring see’s some new names at the top of the standings. Bobby and Team Pandora lead the pack with a 1.9 average. Way to go you guys. In second place with a 3.6 average is Chris Kozel and Team String Theory. Third place belongs so far to Lindsey Bach and Team Lightnin’ Bug – 4.3 average. Fourth place is in the hands of Brian Ganjei/Will Philippe – 4.5 average. Rounding out the top five is Frank Gallagher and Team Resistance, who have been charging of late, with a 4.7. Congratulations to the current leaders, now you need to start looking over your shoulders ’cause the rest of us are gunning for you, and remember come fall Team Ariel will be back in action looking for blood.

Fleet Championship Preliminary Scores As Of 06/12/13

These scores are provisional. They do not include proper redress for race committee work as that cannot be calculated until the season is over. Also, please note that these are for the Championship Series, not the Spring Series. The Spring Series does not included the races from the Doc Gilbert, or the Spring Regatta which are both included here.

Dixie Districts Recap

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What a fantastic weekend!  The folks down in Hampton put on a great regatta for us!  It was a shame that the turnout was so light — the racing was fantastic, as was the hospitality!  Congratulations to Craig Cobbum & crew for their win.  Ron Buchanan (sailing with Hadley Greene and Jeff Ullman) was the top Fleet 50 boat, notching a 5th overall.  I was racing with John & Diane Butler on Beedobeat, and although our finishes weren’t up to our expectations or capabilities, we had a fantastic time (including a rockin’ 3rd place finish in the final race).  Keep reading for scores, race-by-race details, and links to photos and videos.  A huge thanks to Joe Buczkowski and the Hampton YC folks for hosting us!  Also, please remember to post your own comments and recollections (just click on the little “comment bubble” at the top right of this post.

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Dixie District Championship This Weekend

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The Dixie District Championship will be held this weekend (June 8-9) in Hampton, VA.  Who’s going?  Visit the 2013 Dixie District Championship website to view the NOR, a link to the “Who’s Coming” list, and a link to a skipper/crew matching form for those looking for crew or looking for a ride.  Let’s make sure we have a good Fleet 50 showing!

Spring Series #8: Fantasic Racing!

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Last Sunday turned out to be a fantastic day for sailing!  We had a steady 10-15 kt breeze from the south, flat water, and warm temps for the entire day!  The RC, headed by PRO Jim Graham, did an excellent job of setting a long W-L course and then sending us off on three races (each a 3-lap race!).  We were certainly tired after the third race, and happy to retire to shore with enough time to pack up our boats and enjoy a great BBQ before the evening storms hit.

Keep reading for some details (from my vantage point on John Butler’s boat) as well as for links to photos and video from the day’s racing!

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PRSA Spring Regatta: Two Days of Great Racing!

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We certainly had more than enough breeze for the 2013 PRSA Spring Regatta!  Despite some blustery conditions on Saturday (peak gusts of 35 mph were recorded at National Airport!) we had great racing on both days and a good overall turnout.  Keep reading for the details from each day and for links to photos and video (scores coming soon!).

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Spring Series #7: A Drifter

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Well, the wind certainly didn’t cooperate for Spring Series #7.  The Sunday morning forecast was for breezes around 8 kts along with steady showers.  We were lucky enough that the rain held off…but so did the breeze.  Seven Lightnings (along with some Albacores, Cats, a Buc, and two I-Scows) drifted up or were towed up to the racecourse.  The RC did as well as they could with the light to nonexistent breeze, resetting the course to take advantage of the only breeze of the day and send us off on a race at about 12:30.  When it did fill, the breeze seemed to come from the East or Southeast, though it was very patchy (more like bands that would come up the river from the S/SE) and it was key to be the first boat to the pressure wherever and whenever it appeared.  We did a good job of holding off the pack (and rounding some marks twice…more on this below) to take a bullet on Sinistra, followed by Chris, Liz & Palmer on String Theory (they very nearly got us, but we got one last puff as we drifted down to the shortened-course finish at the leeward mark).  Kudos to the RC for their work on a challenging day.  As it turned out, it was a beautiful afternoon for an extended after-race BBQ!

Keep reading for some more details of the racing from my vantage point on Sinistra, and add your own comments in if you have them!

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Spring Series #6: A Blowout!

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The wind was a bit too gusty for most folks on Sunday, though a few boats sailed around the cove, and a couple of Albacores braved the river to blast around.  Here’s a quick summary of the day from Laura Lake:

On the river, five Lightings showed, four Lightnings splashed, but I believe only one (Chessie) left the dock to sail around in the lagoon for a bit.  I am not sure, but it looked like they might have had a technical issue that forced them to stay in.  One Buc and one Catamaran also left the dock, though they opted not to come up to Haines point to race.  One of the Albacores was still going out but was short crew, I switched over and sailed with Nick in in three races against Barney.   Barney was providing Nick with tips and tricks of the trade, rather than truly racing, it was a lot of fun.  The wind was probably 15-20, with the occasional gust higher than that.  Many thanks to race committee (there were more people on race committee than sailing)-it was a fun day to get to be out on the river.

No Gas 2013: From Calm to Carnage

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I only sailed the first day of the No Gas Regatta (with Rick & Lisbet) and Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day — about 8-10 kts of consistent breeze for most of the day with flat water.  We did fairly well on Team Sinistra, with a couple of top-10 finishes in the 18 boat fleet (a fleet filled with some rock stars, no less).  A brief spell of rain and a calm spot came through the race course during the third race, but it quickly passed and overall we had a sunny day and a great afternoon and evening for celebrating after the racing and for the Olivia Constants Foundation Fundraiser & Celebration.

It sounds like day 2 of the regatta was a much different matter.  Text message reports from Lisbet, who stayed to sail with Gary Hurban (along with Jess Harrington) keep using the words “carnage” and “mayhem.”  Apparently Gary, Jess, & Lisbet capsized on the way to the racecourse amidst very breezy and puffy conditions, and opted not to race (as did a number of other boats).  I hear reports that Steve Constants turtled and broke his mast, and that one crew member from a different boat was taken to the hospital with hypothermia concerns, but is OK.  I hope everybody is safe, sound, warm, and dry now!