149 replies to this topic

[Regatta Dog]

By "drain", do you mean the boat or the river?

Yes.

We'll wear the bowman team shirts -- easier for Baker to find the bodies on the beach.

When's this race again? I have to get my personal affairs in order.

[coelacanth2]

Hey, the biggest lake in the state is right across the street from me - all 65 acres of it . There's a couple of peninsulas that create interesting wind shadows.
Rehoboth and Assawoman bays are 30 and 45 minutes respectively. Delaware bay is about 20 but can be kinda nasty.

[valcour]

If Steve Clark is bringing a Delaware Ducker, I'm not going to sweat the fact that I don't have a Portsmouth-rated boat either. I'll just grab the peapod with the sailing rig, load it up with the kids, and enjoy the trip down the river. Treat the day like a mini Raid or EC. I will be great just to get a bunch of folks out there.

[Snow Guy]

oh, and Snowguy, I'll still make the frames. I'll UPS them

Great. Thanks a lot. Do you have a logo for your gallery? I checked on your website http://www.hunterleaonline.com/ and didn't see one. I was hoping to put all sponsor's logos on the top of the SI's. Since you're doing this for me without even coming, I may have to give you free entry for a few years.

BTW- That was the first time I've looked at your site. You have some cool stuff. I'll have to stop by next time I'm up in the Ludlow, VT area.

[Snow Guy]

I would obviously like all boats to have an established rating, but if there are a few one-offs out there we can make it work. There may be some bitching about ratings, but that always happens with handicapping. The main goal of the race is to have fun and the opportunity to do a distance race on dinghies since there aren't many of them out there. The river is also a beautiful place to race. There were a few times last year where I was wishing it was a leisurely sail down the river so I could look around more.

Steve- I know you're a stand up guy and very knowledgeable, so I'm sure we can figure something out.

Valcour- Especially if you're going to have kids on board, I doubt people will be complaining about the rating.

Dan

[zerothehero]

oh, and Snowguy, I'll still make the frames. I'll UPS them

Great. Thanks a lot. Do you have a logo for your gallery? I checked on your website http://www.hunterleaonline.com/ and didn't see one. I was hoping to put all sponsor's logos on the top of the SI's. Since you're doing this for me without even coming, I may have to give you free entry for a few years.

BTW- That was the first time I've looked at your site. You have some cool stuff. I'll have to stop by next time I'm up in the Ludlow, VT area.

Go to hunterleagallery.co that should have it. It should have a black background. If not I will try and send you one asap

[valcour]

You don't need to score me, if that reduces the controversy.

[Snow Guy]

oh, and Snowguy, I'll still make the frames. I'll UPS them

Great. Thanks a lot. Do you have a logo for your gallery? I checked on your website http://www.hunterleaonline.com/ and didn't see one. I was hoping to put all sponsor's logos on the top of the SI's. Since you're doing this for me without even coming, I may have to give you free entry for a few years.

BTW- That was the first time I've looked at your site. You have some cool stuff. I'll have to stop by next time I'm up in the Ludlow, VT area.

Go to hunterleagallery.co that should have it. It should have a black background. If not I will try and send you one asap

Got it. I'll just use the logo on that front page.

Valcour- You'll still be scored. We'll find a way to make it work.

[Snow Guy]

Everybody- I'll go through this thread and my e-mails and post an entry list by the end of the weekend. So far it seems that the entries have exceeded my expectations. I was hoping for at least 17 boats, but it looks like we'll have several more than that. We may even have a Force 5 OD start. I've got 2 confirmed, one possible, and have been told that the Thames Yacht Club may bring some.

[Snow Guy]

Here's the initial scratch sheet as of now. This is all the people that have replied on this thread, Facebook and e-mails. It's shaping up to be a very diverse fleet. If I don't have the boat type listed, please let me know what you plan to bring.

Scratch Sheet as of 4/29/12

Name Boat Type Status
1. Dan Rennie Laser Confirmed
2. John Paranuck Laser Confirmed
3. Matt Flood Laser
4. Tom Keogh Lark Confirmed
5. Ian Merkle-Scotland NS-14 Confirmed
6. Ian Merkle-Scotland Laser II
7. Jeff Ott Force 5
8. Pat McNamara Force 5 Confirmed
9. Jonathan Hiller Force 5 Confirmed
10. Joe & Tijae JY-15 Confirmed
11. Ray Dragoo JY-15
12. Bob Merrick Hobie 16 Confirmed
13. Burke Wasserman Hobie 16 Confirmed
14. Jim Garofalo Hobie 17 Sport
15. Marcus Garofalo Hobie 14 Turbo
16. Jay McNamara Sunfish Confirmed
17. Steve Clark Delaware Ducker Confirmed
18. Par Avion AMF Flying Fish Confirmed
19. Kerry Patrick Confirmed
20. Colin Eamon Confirmed
21. James Ewing Confirmed
22. Seth Olson

[Reht]

Looks like Ian Merkle-Scotland should have a fun race racing both an NS-14 and Laser II at the same time! Man, this race sounds like so much fun...

[Snow Guy]

Looks like Ian Merkle-Scotland should have a fun race racing both an NS-14 and Laser II at the same time! Man, this race sounds like so much fun...

He and his wife will be sailing the NS-14. He told me some family should be there with the Laser 2. It would make for an interesting catamaran though.

It will be fun. You should come.

[Reht]

I don't have a floating boat at the moment (but my back yard does look like a proper boat yard, so it won't be too long), and I doubt any of them would sail easily on the river (maybe the contender, but it's just been found that forestay support structure in it is completely rotten). Plus it's a hell of a long drive to do on such short notice, maybe another year...

[coelacanth2]

Just had a bit of an oopsie here - Mom's up in Mass. and not doing well. I've the need to go up this weekend to deal with stuff for her which means nextweekend is probably out - too many weekends away from home...
Dang, and I was looking forward to seeing y'all. The boy is swamped with schoolwork and probably wouldn't make it this year, too. He'll be VERY disappointed.

[Snow Guy]

Just had a bit of an oopsie here - Mom's up in Mass. and not doing well. I've the need to go up this weekend to deal with stuff for her which means nextweekend is probably out - too many weekends away from home...
Dang, and I was looking forward to seeing y'all. The boy is swamped with schoolwork and probably wouldn't make it this year, too. He'll be VERY disappointed.

That's too bad. Hope your mom gets well soon. Guess you'll have to make sure you come next year.

[coelacanth2]

Thanks, Snow Guy. Diabetes is probably taking her leg. Have to talk to her about how far she wants to go with it.

We Wanna see Lotsa Pictures!

[Mambo Kings]

My biggest problem is the Portsmouth Handicap part of the program.
The boats I would like to sail in this are one offs with absolutely no rating history at all.
Delaware Duckers are about as fast as Sunfish, but you can rate me the same as a 49er.
I don't care. Just would like to sail down the river with everyone.
SHC

Steve, you cannot post a post like that without a pic. I live for your pics. WTF is a Delaware Ducker?

Im thinking this would be a natural for one of the original sailing canoes. Rockhead should get going on that replica of his father's sailing canoe and come to think of it Rondar should sponsor the event or participate in one of those all carbon new Tech dinghies..

[Mambo Kings]

Googled Delaware Ducker. What a beauty.

KevinM.....if you come you will have to bring a woody five oh to stay in character.

[Steve Clark]

Something has happened to all my pictures.
Delaware Duckers are seen in Thomas Eakins pictures like "Setting off after Rail" and other studies of the Delaware river south of Philadelphia. They evolved as excellent rowing and sailing boats for one or two people much like the St. Lawrence Skiff.
The Duckers we built started out like that, but that's not how they ended up. At first we cold molded them and got the hull weight down to about 80 lbs. This is maybe half of the original weight. Then I want on a rig rampage and designed a sleeve rig with a curved sprit. This later evolved to a boom and a compression vang. The one or two times I sailed with traditional boats was like shooting fish in a barrel, with a punt gun.
After about 6 boats, I built a fiberglass mold because people thought wood boats were weird. Also nobody wanted to pay us to build them.
Then I decided that I was just flogging my dolphin and went into the 420 racket. Nobody really wants a boat like this, of the 7 we built 4 are in my family and get used all the time. So you know how fucked up they are.
Mine has a better than average centerboard and a different rudder, and the rig is tuned up enough so I can stand to look at it for most of the day. Mostly it is beat to shit and lashed together at the last minute before it gets dragged off somewhere.
I used to coach the kids at Opti regattas from the Ducker. Towing with oars was kind of a drag.
Jim Thayer bought the mold from me and built a stretched version for a couple of years, I don't know how light he made them and he didn't bother with the better rig and foils.
SHC

[Snow Guy]

Thanks, Snow Guy. Diabetes is probably taking her leg. Have to talk to her about how far she wants to go with it.

We Wanna see Lotsa Pictures!

We should have the same crew on RC and they'll definitely have my camera. We'll make sure there are plenty of pictures. The trophies will be the same as last year so we'll need lots of pictures to choose from.

Im thinking this would be a natural for one of the original sailing canoes. Rockhead should get going on that replica of his father's sailing canoe and come to think of it Rondar should sponsor the event or participate in one of those all carbon new Tech dinghies..

YES! To both. Might be a good opportunity to see how they are rated under Portsmouth. More sponsors would always be nice. Not looking to make money on the regatta, so that would allow for better trophies/food or cheaper entry. I would also love to get shirts one of these years, but at this point they'd be too expensive to justify. Maybe I should try to get Zuse as a sponsor next year.

[Sheethead]

I really want to do this but... how rediculuos is it to bring a Flying Scot? I see mostly 14'ers.. Thoughts? Should I borrow a 'fish or Laser?

[Snow Guy]

I really want to do this but... how rediculuos is it to bring a Flying Scot? I see mostly 14'ers.. Thoughts? Should I borrow a 'fish or Laser?

I was in a Laser, but my Flying Scot was out there last year. It depends on what you are looking for in the race. The Scot definitely is great for a large cooler. Might not be as much fun if we have a lot of tacking going on. If it's warm enough, the sea breeze should come in like it did last year, so the only tacking would be between Hamburg Cove and Essex Harbor. If you've got the Scot, go for it. We affectionately call it the "Land of the Misfit Boats Regatta", so it wouldn't be a bad thing to have another different type out there.

[Sheethead]

Count me in! What I'm looking for in the race.... Large cooler, Check!... Plenty of room for female passengers sporting bikinis, Check!
Good thing 'cuz I just uloaded the Hunter140 Frankenboat, which would have been good as well, a good amount of cooler room, not so much for the bikini clad crew though...

Looking forward to it, Thanks Snow Guy!!!

[Sheethead]

Fark!!! I will NOT be there, I will be in Germany on business. Not good.

I had posted up on CT Sailing FB page about a simular "Land of the Misfit Boats Regatta" idea at New Haven Harbor. How's this for an idea? Let's make this a monthly series! Next event is the New Haven Harbor - 23 June 2012. There is a good chance the New Haven YC will lend a hand, maybe even the BYC - I'll organize it!

Any interest?

"...CT Centerboard Series...

[JRG4EVER]

I'm kicking myself for not remembering about this race sooner, since i couldn't make it last year.  I just have to check a few things before i can commit, but I'll know in a day or two.  I picked up a scorpion last afll and I'm glad to see its got a PY rating!

[MuckDiverMark]

1335974578[/url]' post='3696727']
Count me in! What I'm looking for in the race.... Large cooler, Check!... Plenty of room for female passengers sporting bikinis, Check!
Good thing 'cuz I just uloaded the Hunter140 Frankenboat, which would have been good as well, a good amount of cooler room, not so much for the bikini clad crew though...

Looking forward to it, Thanks Snow Guy!!!

Bring the Scot... I just bought one and need to figure out a vang setup and how to rig the spinnaker.

[Mambo Kings]

They evolved as excellent rowing and sailing boats for one or two people much like the St. Lawrence Skiff.
The Duckers we built started out like that, but that's not how they ended up. At first we cold molded them and got the hull weight down to about 80 lbs. This is maybe half of the original weight. Then I want on a rig rampage and designed a sleeve rig with a curved sprit. This later evolved to a boom and a compression vang. The one or two times I sailed with traditional boats was like shooting fish in a barrel, with a punt gun.
SHC

Why doesn't this surprise me?
(But kinda makes me want one)


Don't get Steve started on the original sailing canoes. They were canoes with sails. Somewhere in the ancient annals of SA forums there are pictures but no Portsmouth ratings.

[Mambo Kings]

Count me in! What I'm looking for in the race.... Large cooler, Check!... Plenty of room for female passengers sporting bikinis, Check!
Good thing 'cuz I just uloaded the Hunter140 Frankenboat, which would have been good as well, a good amount of cooler room, not so much for the bikini clad crew though...

Looking forward to it, Thanks Snow Guy!!!

Bring the Scot... I just bought one and need to figure out a vang setup and how to rig the spinnaker.

My money says the Duck beats the Scot.

[zerothehero]

I beat a Scot in a Sunfish last year......

[Sheethead]

Beat a Scot at what? Bet I can carry a bigger cooler!

[zerothehero]

True!

[Sheethead]

I sorted things out and leaving for Bavaria on the 13th. I will be there with the Scot, sans spinnaker, haven't rigged that yet.

[Snow Guy]

Here is the updated scratch sheet as of right now. if you're not on the list and want to sign up, let me know. Likewise if you are on the list and are not coming, let me know. Looks like a great turnout! The Force 5's are the first to get to critical mass for a OD start.

Name Boat Type Status
1 Bill Platt 505 Confirmed
2 Patrick/Eamon AMF Flying Fish Confirmed
3 Steve Clark Delaware Ducker Confirmed
4 Jim O'Brien Flying Scot Confirmed
5 Jeff Ott Force 5
6 Mark Geer Force 5 Confirmed
7 Tom Welsh Force 5 Confirmed
8 Pat McNamara Force 5 Confirmed
9 Jonathan Hiller Force 5 Confirmed
10 Marcus Garofalo Hobie 14 Turbo Confirmed
11 Bob Merrick Hobie 16 Confirmed
12 Burke Wasserman Hobie 16 Confirmed
13 Jim Garofalo Hobie 17 Sport Confirmed
14 Ray Dragoo JY-15 Confirmed
15 Joe & Tijae JY-15 Confirmed
16 Tom Keogh Lark Confirmed
17 Matt Flood Laser
18 Mark Nowakowski Laser Confirmed
19 Dan Rennie Laser Confirmed
20 John Paranuck Laser Confirmed
21 Ian Merkle-Scotland Laser II
22 Ian Merkle-Scotland NS-14 Confirmed
23 Jamie Gay Scorpion Confirmed
24 Jay McNamara Sunfish Confirmed
25 James Ewing Confirmed


Dan

I sorted things out and leaving for Bavaria on the 13th. I will be there with the Scot, sans spinnaker, haven't rigged that yet.

Great. As long as you have the blocks attached, it isn't difficult to rig it. I could lend you my lines if you need them.

Attached Files

•  Dinghy Distance Race 2012 Scratch Sheet.pdf   45.67K   12 downloads

[jewing]

Hey - looks like it might be a logistical impossibility for me to get my boat up to the river for the race and back. To that end, I'm offering myself as potential crew / bartender to those in need of crew. Am well practiced at the one hand for the boat and one hand for the beer crewing technique.

[Steve Clark]

Forecast is sunny.
Tide coming in all afternoon.
Northwesterly turning south westerly less that 10.
Do I have time to build a big rig?
Might be a long day. I may be glad I have oars!
SHC

[Sheethead]

Just in... the put in is north of the EH Bridge... Does that bridge still operate on a half hour sched? Can't see dropping the Scot's mast to get under the bridge, way too exciting...

[Snow Guy]

Hi all- SI's are done. Don't worry about printing out a copy. A laminated double-sided copy will be provided when you pay your registration fee.

Also, here are links to the two launching sites if you need directions.

car-top/dolly launch/gathering areahttp://www.ct.gov/de...A=2716&Q=478672
trailer/ramp launchhttp://www.ct.gov/de...depNav_GID=1620

Attached Files

•  Dinghy Distance Race 2012 SI.pdf   795.85K   7 downloads

[Snow Guy]

Just in... the put in is north of the EH Bridge... Does that bridge still operate on a half hour sched? Can't see dropping the Scot's mast to get under the bridge, way too exciting...

Don't worry about it. I have tried, but have not been able to contact the bridge operator yet. They were very helpful last year. Worst case scenario, we'll have to get everyone together as a group and all go through at once.

[Regatta Dog]

I wish I could join you all tomorrow, but I have to work.

Have a great time, be safe, and thanks Dan!

[coelacanth2]

Ok folks, I wound up at the office and kitchen shopping. It was a gorgeous day to be outside around here and I spent it fixing something that shouldn't have needed fixing and helping my wife plan to spend money.

So, how did the race go?

[JRG4EVER]

Ok folks, I wound up at the office and kitchen shopping.  It was a gorgeous day to be outside around here and I spent it fixing something that shouldn't have needed fixing and helping my wife plan to spend money.

So, how did the race go?

we drifted for a while then we hiked for a while.  lots of fun, great day to spend messing around with boats

[Steve Clark]

Logistics went off without a hitch, boat dropped, car dropped, van ride back to start.
Discovered I didn't quite get the clearances right on the new kick up rudder, so a beach side lash up was in play.
For my part:
Plenty of current at the start, I think I am over and try to get back.
The X flag is up.
I spend probably 10 minutes trying to clear and they pull the starting line.
I guess I didn't see the X flag go down.

The Lasers are probably 3/4 of a mile ahead. But we take off in hot pursuit. and by taking the outside of the first corner, which is down wind and in the deeper faster water,I have caught up with some of the boats by the first park up. This sets the tone for the next 4 or 5 miles, park up, release, park up, release..... The Ducker is pretty good at this game, not much wetted area, pretty light and the sail tacks, gybes, eases, and trims very quickly and easily. So i'm able to catch a lot of the shifts faster than the other boats around me. I can also stand up and stretch my legs. The Lasers and the 5-0 get a good puff at about Deep River and break away. The rest of us continue to roll the dice until we get down about to Pettipaug Yacht Club, where the breeze fills in from the west with some authority. As I start getting splashed a bit I'm wishing I had eaten my ham and cheese sandwich and put on a spray top when I had a chance. Just getting the out haul out and the down haul down and vang on is proving a big enough challenge. This boat isn't really set up for mode changes, and the tiller extension is too short....
The last 4 miles or so are pretty quick, but there are still big holes that can stop you dead. Tide still going out, so the whole race takes something like 2-2 1/2 hours.
The Ducker was the 9th to finish after the 505 and all the Lasers and behind one JY15, but ahead of all of the Force 5s and everything else. I'm a little unsure about how we corrected out, it says "2nd Overall" on the back of the picture. Jamie Gay in a Scorpion, which is a Sunfish knock off, won on corrected.

A splendid afternoon, great cheeseburger at the Back Porch and uneventful ride. Home in time to watch the Celtics take game one.

SHC

[Snow Guy]

Here are all the corrected times/overall placing. I'll do the class splits and get the pictures off my camera when I get home. First I have to go down to the Schock 35 I race on and help the owner replace the fuel injectors.

CT River Dinghy Distance Race 2012
Position, Name, Rating, Elasped, Corrected, Time Behind

1 Scorpion Gay, Jamie 112.105:21.0 10:33.2 00:00.0
2 Laser Orkney, Gary 91.1 44:32.0 17:47.8 07:14.7
3 Laser Rennie, Dan 91.1 46:18.0 19:44.2 09:11.0
4 Laser Nowakowski, Mark 91.1 47:21.0 20:53.3 10:20.2
5 Force 5 Cullen, Casey 103 04:10.0 20:56.3 10:23.1
6 Laser Sharp, Sally 91.1 47:33.0 21:06.5 10:33.3
7 Laser Flood, Matt 91.1 47:40.0 21:14.2 10:41.0
8 Laser Russell, Ben 91.1 48:20.0 21:58.1 11:24.9
9 Del Ducker Clark, Steve 96.7 56:22.0 22:03.3 11:30.1
10 Force 5 Welsh, Tom 95.4 56:50.0 24:28.8 13:55.6
11 JY-15 Pelletier, Joe 91.9 54:15.0 27:10.2 16:37.1
12 Force 5 Costanzo, Dave 95.4 03:02.0 30:58.7 20:25.5
13 Hobie 14 Garafalo, Marcus 83.1 44:30.0 31:01.4 20:28.2
14 Force 5 Geer, Mark 95.4 05:22.0 33:25.4 22:52.3
15 JY-15 Dragoo, Ray 91.9 00:23.0 33:50.7 23:17.5
16 505 Platt, Bill 79.8 42:10.0 34:20.7 23:47.5
17 Force 5 McNamara, Pat 95.4 07:20.0 35:29.1 24:56.0
18 Force 5 Hiller, Jonathan 95.4 08:15.0 36:26.8 25:53.6
19 NS-14Merkle-Scotland, Ian 88.2 57:32.0 37:04.0 26:30.9
20 Hobie 17 SporGarofalo, Jim 74.5 43:02.0 46:29.3 35:56.1
21 Hobie 16 Wasserman, Burke76 02:48.0 09:12.6 58:39.4
DNF Flying ScotO'Brien, Jim 91.4 No Time No Time No Time
DNF Peapod Neagoy, Charlie 90 No Time No Time No Time

[Snow Guy]

Here are the results separated by class and the photos from the day.

Laser
1. Gary Orkney
2. Dan Rennie
3. Mark Nowakowski
4. Sally Sharp
5. Matt Flood
6. Ben Russell

Force 5
1. Casey Cullen
2. Tom Welsh
3. Dave Costanzo
4. Mark Geer
5. Pat McNamara
6. Jonathan Hiller

Portsmouth
1. Jamie Gay
2. Steve Clark
3. Joe Pellitier
4. Ray Dragoo
5. Bill Platt
6. Ian Merkle-Scotland
7. Jim O'Biren- DNF
8. Charlie Neagoy- DNF

Multihull
1. Marcus Garafalo
2. Jim Garafalo
3. Burke Wasserman

My Camera-https://www.facebook...=1&l=a97ddb84d5
Christine's Camera-http://www.facebook....15357573&type=1

Thanks Lyci and Christine for taking pictures.

Dan

[zerothehero]

Not toot my own horn but last year I was in the money with the Sunfish. There wasn't an overall but a few comments by people who might know made me think I might have had it. So are Sunfish and their knock offs the preferred ride here?


Nah I doubt it! Sounds like it was a fun race and had the usual twists and turns the CT River dishes out. Steve's wrap up was cool to read and I would love to hear more. I am still sorry I missed it and am really bummed to feel like I am getting pulled into baseball harder than a moon tide on the CT. My son loves it and the past coaches have been sucked into years of coaching as their son's have moved up. I have already heard comments about next year and I am 4 weeks and 3 games in. Btw we lost 16-2 in the 4th. Mercy rules kick in then. Herding cats it is!

[Snow Guy]

Not toot my own horn but last year I was in the money with the Sunfish. There wasn't an overall but a few comments by people who might know made me think I might have had it. So are Sunfish and their knock offs the preferred ride here?

I just did the top overall time last year and the Laser won it. This year we did all the overall times and pulled the class splits out of that. I think there was a bit more time in calm conditions this year which helped the Scorpion. Good on Jamie for bringing what he had and schooling us all.

[Snow Guy]

Here's my report. I had the Gopro going the whole race, so I'll try to edit that down into something reasonable when I can.

The day started out beautiful and sunny. There was a nice 7-10 knot breeze out of the North, which was fine, but the forecast was calling for a westerly shifting to the SW as the day went on, so I knew there were going to be some changing conditions as we went down the river. We all launched from Eagle Landing State Park without any issues and headed the quarter mile down river to where the RC had setup in more consistent breeze. As I arrived near the signal boat and started looking for the pin, I realized a green water skiing buoy was not the best choice for a mark in brownish water with current running at least a couple knots. Guess I’ll have to try harder to find another mark for next year. This year we had enough wind to do a traditional start, but those that were over early took a while to clear themselves due to the current. The breeze didn’t last for long. As we took the first bend in the river around Rich and Lord Islands, the wind died down to almost nothing and got very fluky. I was able to get out in front at this point by being on the outside of the river bend which had a bit more current and breeze. Most of the other boats stayed close to the islands in more of a straight line course. It was about this point that the 505, which had trouble getting the kite up at the start, caught up to me and we ended up having a match race for the next 2 miles in basically drifting conditions. Around the time I got to the North end of Selden’s Island, the Lasers behind started catching up due to a couple puffs coming down the river. Then the breeze filled in from the west a bit around Deep River. The restart was on, except for Sally who got quite a jump and stayed with the 505. That breeze got us about halfway down Selden Island before it got light again, but we could see the next breeze filling in from the SW near the bend around Brockway Bar. The competition was tight between second and sixth in the Lasers at that point with all of us doing as much as we could to get to that breeze first. We were spread out all across the river. Some pushed the limits too far. Mark ran aground on a sand bar, but was quick to recover. Matt pushed too far to the West and got stuck in a hole while the rest of us sailed away. Once around the corner, the breeze built quickly to around 15 knots with gusts to maybe 18. This gave us guys a chance to catch up to Sally with power and weight as opposed to the finesse she used in the light stuff to pull away from us. Once we got past the entrance to Hamburg Cove, the chop built up quite a bit due to the long fetch between South Cove in Essex and Brockway Island. There were also a few large powerboats that decided to come through at that time throwing some wakes. Needless to say, my cockpit filled up pretty quick due to the water splashing over the bow. Near the South end of Brockway Island Sally, Gary, and I were all within a couple boat lengths of each other and trading tacks with the 505 which was way overpowered. We continued close-hauled until we were able to crack off a bit at Nott Island. This was where the Hobies could finally stretch their legs and gain some ground. It was also about where the breeze got fluky again because of the land effects. Depending on where you were, the breeze could be 15 out of the SW or around 7 out of the NW. It was a difficult transition area and one where I found myself losing ground. I kept seeing Gary gain ahead of me and the others behind. I just had to hold on for the next 1.25 miles to keep second place in class. It was around the entrance to Lord’s Cove when the Hobie 17 caught up to me and we were stuck playing the yo-yo game for a while. He would blast past me in the puffs, then hit a lull and stop. Since the Laser can transition faster, I would pass him, and then the game would start again. As we got to the cove by Ferry Point, the breeze stabilized a little bit as it funneled through the marsh. I was thinking at this point that I could just point at the finish line and relax a little bit, but boy was I wrong. As I neared Ferry Point, I was cranking on a close reach in a nice puff, when WHAM! I hit some rocks, the boat parked and I started to wipeout. I was able to get the board up quick enough that I didn’t lose much time and continued on. The last little bit from the Point to the finish between the center span of the Baldwin Bridge was pretty tricky. The breeze was up as it was in Essex and was swirling around the two bridges and all the marinas there. It kept everyone on their toes. I was pretty tired and just trying to keep the stick up and the boat going toward the finish as the puffs hit. It was such a relief to finish! As I looked back after finishing, I realized just how close the others had gotten. The next boat was a little over 30 seconds behind and the rest of the Lasers were all finished within a minute behind him.

I told myself after last year that I wanted to look around a bit more while racing, but it just didn’t happen. Guess I’m just too competitive. Hopefully some others can chime in as to their race as I didn’t get much chance to see what was going on outside of those around me. All in all it was a great day and typical Connecticut River racing. The wind was anywhere from nothing to 20, the current was cranking(and doing weird things sometimes), and everyone seemed to be having fun.

Thanks all for coming. Seeing everyone happy and looking like they were having fun made all the organizing effort worthwhile. It’s also great to see the growth. Going from 15 boats in the first year to 23 in the second with only 4 of us returning. Thanks to all the RC and especially our PRO. Hope to see all of you and more next year, around the same time and the same place.

[JRG4EVER]

Not toot my own horn but last year I was in the money with the Sunfish.  There wasn't an overall but a few comments by people who might know made me think I might have had it.  So are Sunfish and their knock offs the preferred ride here?

I just did the top overall time last year and the Laser won it.  This year we did all the overall times and pulled the class splits out of that.    I think there was a bit more time in calm conditions this year which helped the Scorpion.  Good on Jamie for bringing what he had and schooling us all.

I dunno, i think that sunfish and their knock offs had a huge advantage in this race.  With those smaller hulls and big sail area, that lightwind down wind sailing was perfect for it.  I was sticking with the middle of the pack just going straight down until about hamburg cove.  When the wind started up there, i ended up a little high, since i was shooting for the island instead of 29A (didn't see it till i was a close) and it was finally on that small beat to essex that the force 5s really passed me and put on some ground.  My other big move was going high in essex when i could, so when i arrived at the baldwin bridge, i could take the knocks down, some of the force 5's that went lower and more east of me seemed to have some trouble in the last 200 yrds of the race, and i was able to barely make it in.


I was also greatly impressed with my boat.  I got it on a trade on craigslist in which i gave my old busted opti with no sails for that ready to go scorpion.  While the deck seemed kinda soft, after the race i gave it a better lookover, and the bottom of the hull did seem pretty stiff and in good shape.  I thought it would leak like a siv, but after i pulled it, not a drop of water came out.  It needs some work on the daggerboard though, shortly after the race i tried to pull it up halfway for the downwind leg, and it had swollen in place, not even budging.


I think that must have been the most fun regatta i have ever sailed.  Great job putting it together, many thanks to dan and all who helped out on the race committee and chase boats!

[Steve Clark]

Races with repeated park up tend to favor the small/ slow boats.
The handicap clock keeps ticking, but the race restarts.
So while you may have had 10 miles to get x minutes ahead, you now have 5 miles to get x minutes ahead.
It is only when the big boats can get clean away by getting around a corner or finish before the tide turns, or if the wind shuts down, that the game favors the "faster" boat.
All part of the fun really.
I must admit that looking at the fleet on the beach, I would not have picked the Scorpion as the winner.
Never.
Just goes to show you.
SHC

[JRG4EVER]

Races with repeated park up tend to favor the small/ slow boats.
The handicap clock keeps ticking, but the race restarts.
So while you may have had 10 miles to get x minutes ahead, you now have 5 miles to get x minutes ahead.
It is only when the big boats can get clean away by getting around a corner or finish before the tide turns, or if the wind shuts down, that the game favors the "faster" boat.
All part of the fun really.
I must admit that looking at the fleet on the beach, I would not have picked the Scorpion as the winner.
Never.
Just goes to show you.
SHC

neither did i haha