Road To The Cup – Week 6

 

Road To The Cup – Week 6

Top-10 as of 7/1/17

Five boats showed up on Thursday evening to do beer can battle under cloudy skies and a south-southwesterly in the range of 12-13 knots.  Five boats started, but just two finished, which in one case was due to a breakdown.  The other two cases are unknown.  It may have had something to do with people in a hurry to get to the porch, though more likely was due to a missed course change.  This from our man on the scene, John Casler.  

“The wind was out of the south and estimated by the RC at about 13.  The course was out to the Williams Rock nun, then over to the mid-channel can and back, twice around.  Walter & Eckart Colsman took a more easterly route on the run and led at the first turn mark and, I think, kept the lead around the first lap.  We (1775) lost a spreader on the beat over to the can, and pretty much lost track of the action as we nursed the boat back in.  As the boats headed back in, the RC announced over the radio a change of course for the second time around, dropping the mid-channel can and sending the fleet out to Williams Rock and back.  Two boats, however, in addition to 1775, did not go back out.  Walter said that it looked like they looked as though they were going for a finish.  Walter & Eckart held their lead on the twice around, with Team Martini finishing second.  The two other boats who didn’t finish, in addition to 1775 included 1398 (Ann Sousa) and 1926 (Jim Taylor single handing).  It was an ‘All Star’ RC, so I assume the signage was correct – Joe Whipple was PRO with David Graham, Dan Longhurst, and Bart Snow backing him up.”

So, John and I discussed the spreaders thing.  He has a perfectly viable method for keeping his spreaders on but just isn’t sure that he did it this year.  As to the possibility of confusion around a course change, hey, it happens on Thursday nights.  As far as I’m concerned, you need a degree from MIT just to sort out what side to leave the marks on.  In Jim’s case, single-handing in 12-13 knots, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have had time to peruse the SIs.  

Old friend Tommy Tompkins was out watching and provided this account.  “There seemed to be some confusion, as Jim and the two ladies crossed the line and dropped jibs.  Martini’s and at least one other went around as if for another lap.”  Thanks Tommy.  Well, at least we got a race in so have a series.  Congrats to Team Colsman on their bullet and to Team Martini for their 2nd.

Out on the MRA line, the forecast was for a puffy southwesterly in the mid-to-high teens, and we eventually got that but it took its sweet time getting here.  We sailed in a light southeasterly that grew into a pleasant 10-12-knot southeasterly that held into the first race.  By the second race, the southwesterly began to assert itself, building into the 15-knot range with gusts in the high teens.  The timing of that left the Rhodes Fleet odd-man-out, as the RC got the J70s off just prior to the shift and ultimately weren’t able to get it all sorted out before the J’s finished.  So we didn’t start Race 2 until the Js were finished with their Race 2.  We probably had time to get in a 3rd (Fleet preference in the PRO Guide requests not starting a 3rd race after 3:45), but 1-2 boats began sailing towards the harbor and everyone else seemed to follow.  I guess the long day of reaching around took its toll.

Thirteen boats showed up, which tied us with the J’s for participation.  I’d expect our numbers to begin ramping up as we start building to Race Week and Nationals.  Out for the first time this season was Team Cormier / Dalton (1790), sporting a shiny new ride fresh from Ken’s workshop.  It’s good to see Ken back in the saddle again.  Also notable was a second straight week for the two dads, Dave Reynolds & Jeff Shoreman, who are at the stage in life where securing a Saturday hall pass is a delicate negotiation.  Tomas Hornos also joined for his 3rd outing this year, this time filling in for Joe Fava, sailing with Elise Nash & Beanie Eisner.  Tomas plans to sail Nationals with us and is working hard to be respectful of our qualification criteria.

Congratulations to Team Hornos, who pulled off a 1-3 for 4 points to win the day.  It was a very convincing performance, especially considering it was his first time in that boat.  Elise talks a lot about all of the things it needs, but on this day it seemed to be going just fine.  Taking 2nd just one point back was Dave Nelson, who rolled a 1-4 for 5 points.  And finishing 3rd was Team Frisch / Hourihan with 4-3 for 7 points.  Honorable mentions go to Team Lane / Heffernan who took 4th on a tiebreaker with an 8-2- for 10 points, narrowly beating Team Cooke / Kaznoski in 5th with a 5-5, also for 10 points.  Congratulations to all.

So, in Cup competition, Team Frisch / Hourihan marginally extend their lead over Team Lane / Heffernan as the slumping Team Pandapas continues to struggle at the plate.  Team Fava / Nash regain a spot on the leader board on the strength of an excellent day.  The top-10 are listed below.

Week 7 racing will include the Twilight race on Thursday night and the 2-3 races of MRA Series 2, Day 2 this Saturday.

Other News & Notices

Race Week Party Don’t forget that the Race Week party will be on Thursday evening July 27th at the home of Jennifer & Steve Uhl.  Elise Nash will supply the bar.  Expect an evite in the next week or two.

NOOD Registration Fleet 5 is now up to 14 boats registered (as compared with our friends in the J70 fleet who have 18 boats).  People, people, people!  Are you going to take that?  Here are the links. Info, Online Entry, Current Entries.  MRA registered boats don’t have to pay but do have to register.  

Nationals Update  Nationals registration is open here and early sign ups are greatly appreciated.  Also, the committee still need charter boats.  If you’re not sailing, please consider making your boat available for charter.  Email Matt Hooks at mhooks@gmail.com.  Finally, the committee still needs hosts for sailors from out-of-town.  Contact Yati Harsono at yati_harsono@yahoo.com.

Upcoming Measurements  The Fleet is planning three measurement days on Sunday July 9, Sunday August 13 and Tuesday August 15.  Measurer Peter Sorlien will start at 9AM each day.  Contact Peter at psorlien@gmail.com / 781-631-5956 to reserve your spot.  

For Sale  O’Day #1194 Great racing boat or daysailer.  Hull completely rebuilt in 2008. Professionally upgraded and race-readied in 2012 by Small/Harvey.  Rigid, ready to sail.  Reduced to $11,900!  More information at www.dropbox.com/s/rw6njlalg7sg1w0/Rhodes19_1194_forsale.pdf?dl=0 or contact Peter at weisep@mit.edu.

Other Boats For Sale – There are still several excellent boat on the market.  For info, either see the May Newsletter or email the fleet captain at kpandapas@comcast.net.  

Mail Bag

We heard from Jeff Shoreman who liked the idea of the combined R19-J70 party.  He wrote, “I think embracing the J70 fleet is a great idea.  It demonstrates strong leadership and support of sailing overall in Marblehead.  It has benefits for both fleets.”  Exactly!  That’s just what we had in mind.  Or maybe we just didn’t want Charlie to get out of hosting (kidding Charlie!).

We also got this from Beanie Eisner, who found a hat on Saturday.  “We pulled a hat out of the water on the R19/J70/Viper line today.  We figure it came off the head of someone on a 70 or Rhodes.  I left it in the EYC sailing center on Greg’s desk.  Would you mind asking your fleets if they lost this cap when you send your weekly newsletter this week.”  Consider it done.

But most of the mail this week came from Jim Taylor, who opined on a range of topics.  First, he agreed that he BYC was kind to offer us the late 2nd race last week.  “Hat’s off to the BYC RC for asking us if we wanted a Race 2, and being willing to stay out late with us.  Can’t ask for more than that.”

Jim also weighed in on the spectacle in Bermuda, “Congrats to the Kiwi’s!  Maybe we’ll have a real America’s Cup again.  Nationality requirements (30%?), open design really powered up monohulls, with sails that have to go up and down.  Here’s hoping…”  We’re with you there too.

Jim was unduly astonished to see Team Pandapas out for a Sunday sail last week.  He wrote, “I was puzzled to see Team Pandapas out sailing Sunday with no racing involved.  I didn’t know that that was possible.  My world went back onto its axis when you said that you couldn’t help yourselves and were mixing it up with the J-70’s during their clinic.”  Well, first of all, it really isn’t that unusual to go sailing in Marblehead on a nice summer Sunday afternoon, right?  Nothing nefarious there.  And ‘mixing it up’ is kind of an overstatement.  It’s more like we were watching them, which by the way was very entertaining.  They did a bunch of starts and short legs – I’m sure it was useful practice.  Why can’t we get a fleet captain who will organize stuff like that?

And on last week’s report that the CYC RC had reported gusts in the mid 20s, Jim commented, “We were interested to read that the CYC RC reported gusts in the mid-20’s?! on the south line.  Maybe that was why the left side of our course paid off so big.  Even on the left, I don’t think we ever saw whitecaps, so no more than 12.  The Fat Boys might have dropped our traveler once or twice all day, and only truly hiked for the first few hundred yards of R2.  Luckily for me, a lazy man’s butt out pseudo-hike was all that was needed after that.”  Hmm.  

Unwilling to lay off that fat pitch, we suggested that it was perhaps time to hit the gym, which got a rise out of both members of Team Taylor.  Nat Taylor wrote, “The only way I’m losing more than about 5lbs is if the gym has buzz saws that I can use to remove a leg.”  And from Jim, “WRT hitting the gym, when it comes to fitness, “we’re, um, keelboat sailors…”  (A favorite quote attributed to Bill Lynn).  Any way you look at it, limb amputations aside, we’re looking at almost 400 lbs.”

Finally on a related topic, you may recall a while back that Jim Taylor disparaged your Fleet Captain’s hiking in these very pages, while as noted above, is rarely forced to do any hiking himself.  In fact, Elise Nash and I regularly chuckle about being fully hiked in 14 knots while those guys go sailing by, flatter and faster and sitting comfy on the rail.  Certainly, it leads one to wonder if Jim Taylor even knows how to hike.  Well, put those questions to rest.  Not only did we observe him hiking on Saturday, but Tommy Tomkins sent in this shot of Jim putting his money where his mouth is on Thursday night.  Pretty impressive, right?  Ben Richardson would be proud.  Put that guy in a Laser.  

 

–kp  kpandapas@comcast.net