Road To The Cup – Week 3
Top 10 as of 6/3/21
I’m pleased to pass along that Fleet 5 this season will be honoring old friend and long-time fleet member, Eckart Colsman, who passed away last September 6. As you know, Eckart was Walter Colsman’s dad, and he enjoyed Twilights as much as his son does. His legacy lives on every time Tahoot crosses that starting line. So, we honor Eckart with a series of Eckart Colsman 1st place glasses, which will be awarded for Twilight daily 1st place for as long as they last. Twilight race winners can collect their glass at the CYC front desk, either after the race, but hopefully by no later than the next day. Huge thanks to Jim Taylor for making this happen.
And speaking of twilights, 12 boats made it for the second Twilight of the season. That’s right, I said 12. Amazing, right? And it would have been 13 had the most important member of Team P. not been dealing with a minor back issue. Anyway, great turnout. That’s a tribute both to our fleet spirit and the quality of the racing. Thanks to PRO Dave Graham for continuing to make it happen. Our report this week is again from Steve Uhl, with a few additional thoughts from John Casler.
“Gorgeous night and 10-12 boats out (I lost count). In anticipation of the sea breeze dying it was a short nun-can twice around, but the wind held up nicely throughout. Jocelyn Cook surged out to a lead on the first broad reach, rolling over the fleet, sailing smart and fast, followed closely by several other boats. At the turn for lap 2, Steve Uhl was able to sneak inside and then hang on for the win, with Team Lane in second.
Notable boats on the line included young Wilson Kaznoski, most recently earning 5th at 2019 nationals driving ‘Sundance’, with his dad. Also three Lanes aboard Harm’s Way.
Finally, Walter Colsman was out sailing on this first race of a special new twilight award glass for the winner. Super honored to get one of these glasses, and a fine honor for his late dad Eckart Colsman, who was probably the first person I met on the twilight circuit 21 years ago.
So congratulations – again, to Steve Uhl, who took the siren and is showing us all why tiller time matters. He raced Lasers all fall, Tech Dinghies all winter and Lasers again all spring. So with three bullets so far this young season, to say he hit the ground running is an understatement. Congratulations also to Team Lane (all three of them) who took 2nd and to Team Martini in 3rd. Honorable mentions go to Jocelyn Cook in 4th and Team Colsman in 5th.
And this last word from John, “Twelve boats is clearly the most we have ever had for the second Twilight of the season, at least since 1977. Another notable appearance was Phil Rotner, sailing 2255 with his son. At least five boats single-handed. I would also note the return of the post-race table at CYC – about half a dozen of us this time, but with appropriate plugging in RTTC, sure to grow.” Consider it plugged.
Out on the MRA line, morning rain and unpromising forecast of 3-8 knots gave way to sunny skies, warm temps and a temperamental 8-10 southerly that was shifty and varied in pressure across the course. Let’s just say that it provided ample opportunity to make gains, and to lose them. A modest 13 boats showed up, which while impressive for a Twilight, seems a little light for such a beautiful Saturday. Still, I get it. It’s early in the season, rainy morning, people still working on their boats, tied up with graduations, etc. I expect we’ll see a few more next week.
A few notables worth mentioning. Team Ehrhardt made their season debut, as did Team Fava / Nash and Team Pandapas. Renee Heffernen, who must have had something more important to do, was a no-show, which opened the door for young Molly Lane to skipper with her dad, and, by the way, sporting a distinctive new hair color. Worth mentioning is that Molly was racing against her mom Kathleen Lane, who has been sailing with Steve Uhl. Family members competing against each other is common in our fleet, and I’m sure always makes for an interesting race-night dinner conversation. Also a shout out to Karen Tenenbaum and her RC team, who did a great job all day long.
So taking 1st on the day with an impressive line of 1-2-1 for 5 points was Team Frisch / Hourihan. Those guys sailed beautifully all day. They started well, played the shifts well and executed flawlessly, including their signature jibe set on the final run of the day. Well done. Taking 2nd with a 2-5-2 for 9 points was Team Ehrhardt, and finishing 3rd one point back was Team Pandapas, who rolled a 4-3-3 for 10 points. Honorable mentions go to Pete and the Kid in 4th with a 6-1-6 for 13 points and Team Uhl / Lane in 5th with a 5-6-5 for 16 points. Congratulations to all.
A quick scoring follow-up. With the help of last week’s PRO Ken Adam and MRA Scorer Joe Guglielmo, Eric Thornton’s registration snafu was corrected and his finishes added to last week’s scores. His line of 4-4-6 was good enough to bump him into 5th for the day, so a belated congrats to him.
Finally, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to get on my soapbox for a minute. This promises to be a competitive season, with intensity ramping up as we approach both RW and then Nationals. We’re a pretty competitive bunch, and as you know, that can sometimes lead to moments of disagreement. We should all strive to leave those moments on the water, but to do so requires either acknowledgment of a mistake (a spin), or an agreement to disagree with the intention of resolving it back on shore (and potentially learn something). The word ‘protest’ should be used responsibly, but when it’s uttered, it cannot be ignored. Either you spin, or you agree to disagree and work it out, either over a beer or as a last resort, in the protest room. But to ignore it and sail on is inconsistent with the RRS, good sportsmanship and importantly, our fleet culture.
So in Cup competition, Steve Uhl clings to his lead on the strength of his Twilight bullet, while the rest of the deck got shuffled, which is typical this early in the season. The top-10 are listed below.
Week 4 racing will include Twilight 1-2 on Thursday night and the 2-3 races of MRA Series 1-3 this Saturday.
Other News, Notices & Miscellaneous Scuttlebutt
Fleet Party on June 19th – As you may have noticed, we did a party pivot for our first summer party. Instead of the Zoom, as originally planned, Anne Marije & Bryan have generously offered to host at their home in Marblehead. How awesome is that? You should have received an evite last week, which has all of the specifics. If not, reach out to fleet social czar Larry Ehrhardt at larry.ehrhardt11@gmail.com or call Anne Marije at 781-479-7888.
Nationals Update – Your 2021 Nationals Regatta Committee continues to put the finishing touches on what we hope will be a great event. But we need your help in a lot of ways. First, if you plan to attend, please register so we can start planning around expected attendance. Second, if you don’t have a valid certificate, please get measured prior to the event (see below). Third, we need a ton of help in everything from sail measuring to registration desk staffing. If you can pitch in, please reach out to regatta co-chairs Elise Nash (elise.mazareas@gmail.com) or Kim Pandapas (kpandapas@comcast.net). Finally, we’re looking for fleet members who might be willing to host an out-of-town crew, as well as folks who might be willing to charter out their boat. If you’re willing to do either, please contact Tom Dailey at Tomdailey15@gmail.com.
Measurement – We’re all obligated to sail boats with current measurement certificates. If you don’t have a certificate or you’ve had work done since your last measurement, please reach out to Fleet Measurer Stefan Thibodeaux at sjthibodeaux@gmail.com. You can check your certificate status here.
Twilight Distribution List – Just a reminder that on Thursdays, we are circulating Twilight PRO David Graham’s race day status reports. To opt in, email me at kpandapas@comcast.net.
NOOD at Marblehead Race Week – The centerpiece of our season will be held Thursday through Sunday, July 22-25, hosted this year by EYC. A reminder that your MRA registration fee covers the entry fee, so you don’t have to pay more, but you do have to register. Registration is open here.
Race Week Party This year’s Race Week party will be on Thursday evening July 22nd, generously hosted by Jennifer & Steve Uhl at their home on Front Street. Circle the date!
If You Spin, Send It In – Remember that we’re tracking penalty turns, so if you spin, please send me an email and let me know how many fouls you committed for which you exonerated yourself on the water. I’ll tally them up, give an appropriately laudatory sportsmanship shout-out. As far as I know, while we heard several heated exchanges around marks on Saturday, only one boat spun, and that was on a port-starboard situation. Congrats to Team Lane for leaving it on the course.
Crew Available –Dave Leahy, who has been learning to sail at MIT for the past few years, has taken an interest in Fleet 5 and is looking for a crew situation for the season or to fill in if your regular crew can’t make it. You can reach him at dleahy76@me.com.
For Sale – Rhodes 19 #1643 Tricked out by Chris Small. Excellent condition. Includes two suits of Doyle sails good for Saturdays/Practice, Raymarine Tacktick T060 Micro Compass, trailer +++. Contact Stuart Boyd at (978) 821-5369 or sboydr19@gmail.com.
Bottom Cleanings – Diver extraordinaire Bill Schneider has been cleaning boat bottoms in Marblehead harbor for something like 25 years. He’s dependable, careful and does an outstanding job. If you’ve had enough hauling or swimming, he’s a great solution (I’ve been using him for years). Bill charges $49 for R19. You can reach him at bschneider8@comcast.net.
Mail Bag
Our RTTC NPS seems be holding its own. This from Jocelyn Cook. “I love these Kim, thanks for your continued gift of time putting together such entertaining recaps of the week intermixed with informative tidbits.” A labor of love, the key word there being labor.
Three readers wrote in with the correct answers to my challenge to name the people in this Larry Robbins group shot from last week’s edition. Two were from old friends BJ Mansfield & Mike Carpenter, and the third was from Mike Lane. Everyone knows Mike Lane, but a lot of you probably don’t know Mike & BJ, as it’s been a while since they graced our line. Suffice it to say that they were among the all-time best husband wife team in Feet 5’s long history, consistently excellent and winning just about everything you can win. More importantly, in my view, Mike Carpenter will forever hold the crown for our highest integrity sailor. He always did the right thing, and demonstrated year after year that you can be both fiercely competitive and also a perfect gentleman and sportsman.
So here are the correct answers from BJ & Michael. “Right to left: John and Chris Todd, Jane Casler, plus dearly departed now Larry Robbins and Nate Nichols (‘96). Sure helps when you’ve been part of Fleet 5 since 1980! Check with John Casler, but I believe the concept of the “Cup” was originally created to honor Nate for his many years of dedication to the fleet and ALL of its races. Michael and I greatly miss our fleet family over these past years and still cannot wait to receive the Road to the Cup and Fleet Newsletters!!!! Fleet 5 Strong Forever……”
And for those of you who may not have made the connection, Nate Nichols is Nick Nichols, the name on our season overall trophy (aka, the ‘Cup’). Thanks BJ & Mike, both for the correct answers and that important snippet of fleet history.