Road To The Cup – Week 17

Road To The Cup – Week 17

Top-10 for 2018

There were informal, unscored Twilight races scheduled for both Tuesday and Thursday, but to our knowledge, no Rhodes showed up.  We double checked with our man on the scene, John Casler, who sent in this.  “I got some progress made on cleaning the garage floor.  That's all I know. Had forgotten all about it. It's mid-September.  Seasons change.”  So there you go.  He followed that with an attachment of the Harvard Football schedule.  Go Crimson.

Out on the MRA line, as you know there was no racing this week.  Also as you probably heard, after consulting with the fleets and estimating turnout, the MRA concluded that there would be an insufficient number of boats to ask RC volunteers to give up their Saturdays.  Part of that is due to the EYC clearing out the drysail lot for J70s and part due to the natural cycle of people turning the page. So MRA cancelled the final two days of the Fall Series, bringing an end to that series as well as to our 2018 season.  I hate to see the season end like that, but agree that it doesn’t make sense to have more RC volunteers on the course than racers. My guess is that MRA will review this over the winter and think about ways to rekindle interest. If you have any suggestions, send them to either of your two MRA reps, Kim Pandapas (kpandapas@comcast.net) or Jim Taylor (jtyd@shore.net).  

So winning the truncated Fall Series are the day winners from last week, including Team Pandapas in 1st with 5 points, Team Lane-Heffernan in 2nd with 6 points and Team Taylor in 3rd with 10 points.  Honorable mentions to Jocelyn Cook in 4th and Team Colsman in 5th.  Congratulations to all and thanks for a great season.

So, in Cup competition, the scores remain unchanged from last week and now are locked in as final for our 2018 season.  Congratulations to our 2018 top-10, who are listed below.

Many thanks to the three clubs, to the dedicated volunteers of the MRA and to the scores of race committee folks who volunteered their time and experience so we could play.  

With the end of the sailing season regrettably comes the end of these weekly RTTC emails.  I know – a bummer right? But now you have another reason to look forward to next season. You should know that, although I sign these, getting them out every week is a team effort.  Huge thanks to John Casler and Steve Uhl for keeping us informed each week about Thursday nights.  Thanks also to my editor and better half, Christina Pandapas, who does the important job of keeping me out of trouble with questions like, “Geez, are you sure you really want to say that?”  And thanks to Fleet Secretary Jeff Shoreman who takes time out of his Sundays to mail them out, as well as to Nat Taylor who posts them to FB and the Feet 5 web site.  I ask that they all accept a gracious and appreciative tip of my cap, and I urge you to thank them when you see them.

The next full newsletter will come out whenever El Jefe gets around to it, but I’d guess sometime before our awards party in November (details below).  

Week 1 racing will include the first day of the two-day Spring Series on Saturday May 25th, 2019.  Have a great offseason.

Other News, Notices & Miscellaneous Scuttlebutt

MRA Awards Party –MRA will hold its 2018 awards cocktail party at 6:30PM on Saturday October 13th at the BYC.  Circle the date.  

Fleet 5 Awards Party – The Fleet 5 awards party will be held on Saturday, November 10 at the home of Wendy & Peter Frisch, who have generously offered to open their home to us.  This is a must do, not just because you want to support the folks who took home a little hardware, but more importantly because this is where our 2nd Annual Hacker Award will be decided.  Let me put it this way – Jeff Shoreman missed the party last year and guess who got thrown under the bus – I mean — won?  You want to be there to defend yourself, right? Anyway, dinner will be pot luck and of course, the fleet bar will be in the house, generously stocked and expertly delivered by Dave Reynolds.  More details to follow, and keep an eye out for the evite.  

Sportsmanship Final – Below is the final tally of Fleet 5 spins in 2018.  It’s hard to believe that there were only four exonerated fouls over the whole season – I’ve seen more than that in one race, but as Bill Belichick says, “it is what it is.”  Anyway, it looks like we have a tie between Team Rubin and Team Berliner, so we can all look forward to what creative way Jim Taylor will choose to acknowledge them at the awards.  Thanks to the folks below and everyone in the fleet for playing by the rules and leading by example.  

Outstanding Crew Nominations – We’ve already received two nominations for the Richie Santos Outstanding Crew Award.  Where’s yours? This is your chance (skippers) to recognize that person who has been kicking butt for you all season.  Send your nomination to Jim Taylor at jtyd@shore.net.  Final selection is at the discretion of fleet leadership, and your nomination letter will likely be read at the awards, so make it entertaining.  

2018 Nationals in New Orleans – This year’s Nationals will be in New Orleans on October 3-7, hosted by our friends at Southern Yacht Club.  If you’ve never been, take it from us that the Southern guys know how to throw a party. You can get more info and download the NOR here.  As of now, we know of three teams going, including Team Lane/Heffernan, Team Taylor and Steve Uhl.  Good luck to them!

Last Notice – 2018 Lobster Bowl Regatta – Hosted by the Portland Yacht Club in cooperation with Etchells Fleet 27 and R19 Fleet 52, this 2-day regatta is in Falmouth, Maine.  Boat launching and skippers meeting will be Friday September 21, and racing will be Saturday and Sunday September 22-23. Entry fee is $275/boat.  Crewing opportunities are also available. Here are the links for the NOR and to register, and you also can contact Chris Morin at etchellsfleet27@gmail.com or 207-807-9243.  

For Sale #2566 – This is Jud Smith’s old boat in which he won the 2006 Sandy Bay Nationals.  It includes a trailer, newer main, jib and spinnaker. Asking $11,000.  Contact Debbi Hale at cinnabar19@comcast.net or 603-986-5350.

Looking for a Race Ready Rhodes – A member of the Hull Fleet is looking for a race-ready boat.  Email David Smookler at dsmookler@dartco.com, or call 617-697-7777.  

Mail Bag

Just one email this week, and that from Elise Nash, the happy new mom.  “Just getting caught up on emails after being in the hospital since Tuesday.  Dylan is totally psyched that he made the RTTC in his very first week!  He's definitely a big dude (not exactly sure where that came from, though not surprising seeing as I was getting so big I think I was starting to scare people), but as Rob Ferro noted on Facebook, we may have a Finn sailor on our hands.  Anyways, Dylan is looking forward to his first Fleet 5 party and getting to meet the rest of the Fleet 5 family.  Hope to see you guys soon!”  

–kp (kpandapas@comcast.net)