Road to the Cup – Week 2 – 2016

Our first Twilight of the season was held Thursday night, and Steve Uhl was kind enough to provide this account.

 

“Four boats showed up for a misty damp but solid southeasterly breeze Thursday night.  The course was a reach to Fort Sewall then a nice long beat to Archer Rock and back – twice around.  Team Martini took an early lead to the first mark, followed by Walter & Eckart Colsman who rolled over Clark Uhl (driving w/Dad as crew) and John Casler close behind.  On the long beat all the boats stayed close, with Team Uhl edging past Team Colsman.  The second time around, the RC shortened to a short beat to the Can just outside the harbor.  The order of that last rounding was Martini, Uhl, Colsman and Casler but all within striking distance.  On the cruise back to the finish, the Martinis got caught in the doldrums in the lee of CYC, which let Team Uhl sneak past for 1st, followed closely by Team Colsman in 2nd.  Team Martini held on for 3rd just one second (per RC recap) in front of John Casler.  In total, 35 seconds separated first from last, which is probably the closest twilight race in recent memory.”  Congratulations to all.

 

Of course, Twilights wouldn’t be Twilights without some controversy about which direction to round the marks, which by the way has been going on since Richard Nixon wasn’t a crook.  This from John Casler.

 

“Since the second time around there was only one posted mark (mark 19), CYC RC’s long standing interpretation of its Twilight SIs suggest a port rounding.  We all, however, left 19 to starboard.  I think the results tonight should stand though we need to clarify the situation for the future.”

 

I couldn’t agree more.  Two boats rounding the same mark from opposite directions in 15 knots is not safe.  Thankfully Steve and John are on the case and working with CYC RC Chair Judy Adam to amend the SIs.   They are proposing language that will require all marks rounded on the second lap be rounded the same way as on the first.  That should do it.  We’ll keep you posted.

 

Out on the MRA line, the weatherman called for a light sea breeze under sunny skies, and that’s exactly what we got, at least on the way out.  Unfortunately, at about 11:15, just as boats were starting their pre-race routines, the fog came rolling in.  And in it stayed.  PRO Rick Myers hung just outside Marblehead Rock, and we hung out with him, reaching back and forth until about 1:15 when he he fired off three.  So an inauspicious start to the MRA season.

 

While we didn’t get any races in, several folks made their season debut, including Ken Cormier (sailing with Jim McCully), Dave Nelson, Eric Thornton and Tomas Hornos (sailing Matt Hook’s boat).  Tomas, you’ll recall, sailed Nationals last year with Jon Cressy, and is planning to join us a bit this year too, including East Coasts.

 

So in Cup competition, Steve Uhl’s Twilight win pushed him up into 3rd, but aside from that, the top-10 order remain the same as those of last week.

 

 

Week 3 racing will include the Twilight race on Thursday night and the 2-3 races of MRA Series 1, Day 2 this Saturday.  East Coasts are in two weeks in Rockport.  If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time EC Registration.  Also don’t forget to let Jim Whipple know in advance if you plan to use your bye.

 

Huge thanks to Elise & Mike Nash for so generously hosting our first summer party.  It was the perfect venue on a pleasant evening with great people.  What more can you ask?  You’ll recall they also hosted the Fall awards party just a few months ago, so hosting this one too falls into the category of ‘above and beyond the call.’  The location is so perfect for a post race party, we might have to beg them to host it again next year and move the awards party someplace else.

 

Mail Bag

Not a lot in the mail this week.  A few wrote in on last week’s tale of two cities race wrap, all along the lines of this from Martha Martini.  “You do a great job summing it all up, the agony and the ecstasy.”  Always happy to accept a complement.

 

And responding to Tommy Tomkin’s comment that Rick Saunders started out racing Rhodes with his dad in his family’s boat ‘Brown Eyes’, Rick wrote in, “Hey Kim, Tommy is 100% correct.”  He also included the 1982 article below to prove it.

 

Finally, Jim Taylor responded to recent items about his age.  “Having been ratted out by my own flesh and blood as being eligible for various geezer discounts, I will return fire in kind, a la ‘The Donald’:  Be it known that my sprightly young skipper has now managed to step through the floorboards in #1926 twice, and through the fiberglass seat tank on the starboard side once.  For the life of me, I can’t figure out what goes on back there.  His boat concierge is still completing repairs.”  The floorboards we understand, but the seat?