31: North Americans

Sunday: We made it out for a little warm up sail in light air.

Monday: Two races today. Race 1 we spent too much time tacking in the middle when the wind was out on the sides. Starting off with a 16. Race 2 was not much better but we got a sweet heading puff on the last run and passed about 20 boats to finish in 12. Not a good start to the regatta.

Tuesday: No wind.

Wednesday. The RC decided to beat the hell out of us and run seven races in 15 to 20 knots. We had good speed in the beginning of the day and got a 2-8-5. In the fourth race we were winning on the last run and pitch poled to finish 19th. The next two races we were in a bit of a funk and not sailing fast. We had a 15-18. We got it back together and won the last race of the day.

Thursday: Five more races in heavy air with some puffs at 25 knots. We were fast. Our starts were bad but the right was favored so tacking out after the start didn't hurt. It was basically the same pattern all day. We had a 5-7-5-1-3. Finally a good day.
We briefly moved into second but the Guatemalans got redress for a race where they crashed and we were in third. Evidently the Guatemalan crew, Cristina, got her trapeze wire wrapped around the leeward shroud of a windward boat at the start of race 13. She got twisted around and as the boats separated she went up to the top of the mast. The boats flipped and somehow she got free.

Friday: One race started in just over five but ended in a complete drifter. We were deep at the last windward mark but got the last puff on he final run and finished 10. We finished third overall.

Complete Results

We just arrived in Iowa for the North Americans today. Hopefully we will get out for a sail tomorrow.

25: We went for a little shake down cruise to check out a new jib before North Americans. Fortunately it looked good. We launched from Branford harbor and sailed up wind to Short Beach. We then turned around and headed east past the Thimble Islands into Sachems head before heading back to Branford. It was a nice day with winds from 5 to 15 knots.

Michael Bagley has put up a bunch of pictures up from Wildwood.

News at 11:00.

24: Wildwood, NJ -- 34 Boats in A fleet. Light, shifty and puffy off shore breezes all weekend.
We started off the regatta with a terrible start by getting fouled by a boat bearing off over us. When we tacked out to clear our air we fouled another boat, but at least we did our circle. Fortunately we had a decent comeback finding some good puffs to finish just inside the top ten.
The next race was better. We had a good start and got out left and tacked in a good header to lead at the mark. We were in first all the way around until we failed to stay in the puffs on the last run and dropped to third.
In the third race of the day another boat fouled us in the same way at the start. We tacked out right but there was a big left shift and we were deep. We never ground back.
Sunday we had two races and somehow we spent the entire day on the headed tack. A terrible regatta for us. At least Liza is happy to have a bad regatta before North Americans. She says it would be bad luck to win five regattas in a row before the big one.
We are still waiting for the results. I'll post a link when we get them.

Results are up

22: I went PHRFing with some people from work on a Melges 32. Wednesday night beer can racing in light air. We were the fastest boat in the fleet and a leg ahead at the finish but who knows what happened on corrected time. The highlight of the night was tacking arouund the leward mark with the spinnaker up after a big wind shift.

More Pictures from Michael Bagley.

21: Barnegat Breezer
Saturday
Race 1: The wind was about ten knots out of the Southwest going South as the sea breeze filled. We had a good start in the middle and were in the top group going out to the left. There is lots of power boat traffic in the channel on the far right so the left with flat water is usually a safe bet at this regatta. There is also a lefthand shore that causes a lefthand shift on the port layline when the wind is out of the seabreeze direction.
The two boats in front of us tacked out early, but we went to the layline and found a little more wind to round first. We stayed there and won the race.

Race 2: The wind was building to about 18 knots. We had a terrible start and had to tack out which was not the way we wanted to go. Fortunately we found a nice puff before we got too far right which allowed us to tack back left and be about mid-fleet. We climbed back up to third, at the last mark and just caught Wally and Gladys at the finish to get second.

Race 3 and 4: Were in the 20 to 25 knot range. Our speed was good but we were making mistakes. Fortunately we didn't flip, and a bunch of people did, so we managed to finish with two 3's in the last two races of the day.

Sunday:
Race 1: Wind was about 10 to 12 kts out of the Southwest again. We had a good start and a clear lane out left with good speed to round in second in a tight pack of three. We had great speed downwind and got out in front to win the race.

Race 2: Was about 18-20 knots. We were set up for a terrible start so we got on the trapeezes and started racing down the line about 20 seconds before the start hoping to get to the pin. We got there but had a second row start. Fortunately we were able to foot under one boat and get into free air. We must have had good speed because we were first to the mark and won the race.

We won the regatta and I think we have wrapped up the Division 11 High Points spot for the season. What a great weekend -- warm and windy both days. You can't beat that.
Results

Thanks to Michael Bagley for the pictures.

19: I spent the afternoon racing Sonars at Sachems Head Yacht Club with an old friend of mine. We had a nice one design fleet of about 12 boats. The wind was out of the East at about 10 knots, about as good as it gets on the Sound during the summer. We won two races and finished about third in the last race. Not a bad afternoon.

18: Shore Acres

Saturday, race 1 was light and lumpy with powerboat chop. We were in a terrible position in the middle of the line about twenty seconds before the start. Trying to get out of trouble we jibed out and tried to salvage a late port tack start at the boat. This sent us off to the right but it was looking like the left had more wind. We tacked back to the left but it was too late. We were last to the left and almost last to the first mark. We only managed a seven.
In Race 2 the breeze was building to just double trapping. We pullet the rig way up and had good speed after a nice start. Fortunately we managed to get out in front and stay there to win the race.
Race 3 we were too early to the line and had to dip down a bit just before the gun. The fleet got a jump on us and we were third row quickly. To make matters worse we fouled another boat when we tacked out and had to do a circle. The breeze had increased and we had good speed to stay in the mix. On the second beat we got to the right of the fleet and got a nice right shift to make a gain. We played some shifts on the run to catch a few more and ended up in third with a nice comeback.
The last race of the day was windy (over 20 knots) We had a great start and good speed it was quickly a three boat race between us the Payne's and Wally and Gladys. Rich and Fluffy had been launched but fell back after some swimming. The Payne's flipped late in the race and we managed to stay out in front to win.
Sunday race 5 was light again but I was thinking that the breeze was building so we had the rig pulled way up. We had a good start but were not pointing well and rounded the first mark in fourth of fifth. We had a slow first run as well and lost a few more. We eased the right off and had better speed for the rest of the race but passing lanes were hard to find.
Race 6 was another good start with good speed in just double trapping conditions. We rounded the first mark in third. Tyler and Andy were winning with Wally and Gladys in second. At the gate Tyler forced us both to the starboard gate. We got around Wally on the run and lead out to the right. It didn't look like we needed to go left at this point so we went right with good speed, nailed the layline and rounded in first. Wally tacked short of the layline and lost some boats.
We won another squeaker by one point over Wally and Gladys. Rich and Fluffy were third. Full results are on the Division 11 website.

Pressure Drop

I finally got the name on the boat last night. Now we need t-shirts.
Lars Guck had a 5o5 named Pressure Drop when we were at URI and I always liked the name. That boat was supposedly named when the owner Dropped a high Pressure teammate.
I guess I'm the high stress teammate here but the Hobie 16 is a big Pressure Drop from 470 sailing. Not to mention that the company I work for sells hydraulic components that Drop the Pressure in hydraulic lines. The line on the logo represents a hydraulic grade line. Oh yea and Pressure Drop is a cool song also.

16: Spray Beach.

Saturday, what a day, warm and windy. The first race was only moderate trapeezing but building. I forget what happened but Liza and I won the race.
In the second race it was about 15 knots and we had a nice mid-line start. Mark and Mike won the pin and were in the lead off the line. We both went left but M&M over stood a little and we got to the mark in first. They passed us back at one point but then got hurt on the right in the last beat. We were on the left with Rich and Carol and got the lead back at the top of the last beat and won the race.
Race three it was up around 18 knots. We had a second row start and had to bail out to the right and paid for it. We were somewhere around last at the first mark. Despite working hard for the rest of the race we only got back to 8th.
Race four on Saturday was a drag race out to the left in breeze. We were well raked with jib leads 5 inches out and Liza was dropping the traveler in the puffs. M&M had an edge on speed but we hung tough with Rich and Carol close behind.
Sunday was light. We got in one race duking it out with M&M again. Mark and Mike got to the top mark in first but we got buy them down wind. We rounded the left gate to go left and they went the other way. They got a nice right shift and passed us back along with a few other boats.
On the run M&M along with Jim and Rakel were sailing low above the port layline trying to make the gate. We sailed higher and did the extra jibe and got an overlap to catch them. We all went right and we managed to hold them off for a second and the win.
Full results.

14: Sandy Hook
It was a hot weekend with temps in the 90's. Saturday I expected a seabreeze that never came. We had a few light air races with winds out of the south. In the first race we had a come from behind third fighting with Tyler Myers at the finish. The kids are good. In the second race we though we were OCS and went back then proceeded to sail to the wrong side of the course to round in last. We finished 10th of 12 boats on the water. Ouch. Good thing we won the last race of the day to save our pride.
Sunday was not much better we had a 6, 4, 1, lucking out in the last race to get a big left shift on the shore going from fourth to first. That was the tie breaker that gave us the regatta win we didn't expect. Bill and Lyn tied us for first. Mark and new crew Gladis finished third. Full results here.

12: Madcatter

Saturday: The first race was mostly single trapezing conditions and a drag race out to the left for more wind. We won the pin and had what I considered good speed but the speedy Puerto Ricans Francisco and Jolliam where grinding us down and eventually rolled us. The good news was that we had legged out on the fleet with two other boats, Enrique and Martin, also from PUR as well as locals Tom and Erika. We rounded third behind both PUR teams and had good down wind speed but not quite good enough to pass. We finished in third.

In the next race we had a terrible start and had to bail out to the right, the wrong side. We were deep in the fleet early and then the wind got really weird and shifted 180 deg. We struggled to finish in 12.

The low point of the regatta was in the third race. We were over early and heard the RC calling our number at about 30 seconds so we ducked below the line and sailed off to the right. About two minutes into the race we remembered that the "I" flag had been up and we were going to be scored OCS. What a bonehead move. Now we had to count the 12.

Saturday night, we win the party. Liza carried the team.

Sunday: It was about five knots at the start and we got off the line well. We dropped the rig way back and had good speed towards some left hand velocity. Francisco and Jolliam where first to the mark and we were second with Tom and Erika right behind, over standing the port layline. We all sailed off on starboard jibe for a while until I saw some breeze coming down the middle of the course. Liza and I were the first to jibe and got the puff first. Then the wind shifted way left and we jibed onto the header towards the mark. We moved into the lead and the wind shifted so much more that the rest of the race was a reach. Nice to be in front when the parade starts. We won the race.

We started another race but it was abandoned.

At the end of the weekend we were in a close third. A three way tie that we sneaked to the top of. Big congratulations to Tom and Erika who won the regatta. Results are here.
Pictures by Mike Walker are here.

10: Rehoboth

Saturday: Wind was out of the NE at about 5 to 10 knots and shifty. Just about everyone could tell the same story at one point during the day, "we were headed about 10 deg so we tacked and the next thing we knew we were headed again." That's everyone except for Randy and Janet who won the first three races of the day sailing their new boat with the bold green sail.

It was a connect the puffs kind of day where you always had to be thinking about what kind of wind you were sailing into. Randy and Janet did that the best by far. Liza and I sailed well to finish the day in second.

Sunday was our day. The wind was out of the SE and building all day. With a left hand shore there tends to be convergence on the left side of the course in this condition and go left was our basic plan for the day. In the first race we won the pin and got out left but boats were lifted inside us. We tacked in a good wind line and got to the mark in third (I think). The right side paid because the breeze was still settling in and shifting persistently to the right. We had a good down wind leg going fast, staying in the puffs and jibing on the lifts to round the bottom mark in first. We went right for the remaining legs as the breeze was still shifting and maintained our lead to win the race.

For the next two races the wind increased. It was also more steady so the convergence on the left shore started to pay off. The last two races were basically the same story. We had a good start at the pin and ripped out left for more wind and a bit of a left shift. On top of that we were going fast. Bob has finally learned how to foot when the breeze is up.

We won the last two races and the regatta. Randy and Janet were second. Rich and were Fluffy third. The complete results are here. Next stop is Madcatter.

8: We had a light air day fighting the current upwind. About five minutes before the start I was down current of the line screwing around and then the wind died. What a bone head. I was about three minutes late for the start and had a bad first beat on top of it. We were barely making headway upwind. I managed to climb to a 5 with a lucky last beat. The wind then died completely and that was it for the day. The good news is I won for the season.
Rehoboth next weekend.

7: Today was the second to last Sunday of the Frostbiting season. We had a light air day with long down wind legs bucking heavy current. I didn't win any races today but being consistent paid off and I won the day.
FBYC Frostbiting has been going on in Essex since about 1933 in a variety of classes. The Laser class has been part of the action since 1975. Sure would be nice if we could get a Hobie 14 fleet going.

The first Hobie 16 regatta of the year for Liza and me is just around the corner. We have a full schedule. Here's what it's looking like.



May 10-11 Deleware State Hobie Champs, Rehoboth Beach,DE
May 17-19 Madcatter, Syracuse, NY
June 7-8 Sandy Hook, NJ
June 14-15 Spray Beach, NJ
June 28-29 Shore Acres, NJ
July 19-20 Barnegat Breezer, Barnegat Bay, NJ
Aug 1-3 North East Area Champs, Rochester, NY
Aug 16-17 Wildwood Classic, Wildwood, NJ
Sept 8-12 North American Championship, Clear Lake,IA
Sept 20-21 Fall Winds Regatta, Shore Acres, NJ
Sept 27-28 Division 11 Championships, Rock Hall,MD
Oct. 4-5 Sharkey's Cup, Rehoboth Beach, DE

6: I'm starting out the 2008 sailing season with some Laser sailing in Essex CT. The series is run by the Frostbite Yacht Club and sailed out of the Essex Yacht Club on the Connecticut river.

I've just recently gotten back into Laser sailing to extend my season a little bit.

Series results are at: fbyc.org