Road To The Cup – Week 13

Road To The Cup – Week 13

Top-10 as of 8/18/24

What You Need To Know

• MRA Series 3 – Day 3 on Saturday August 24^th will not be scored because it conflicts with nationals.  More below.
• MRA Series 3 Days 4 & 5 on August 31^st / September 1^st will constitute Fleet 5’s Labor Day regatta.  Details below.
• Our Labor Day party, which will double as a Labor Day Regatta awards, will be after racing on Sunday September 1^st at the home of
  Rebecca & Larry Ehrhardt.  Evite is out.
• The 3-day Fall Series will commence Saturday September 7^th and continue through the next two Saturdays (14^th and 21^st).  A reminder that we voted to include Fall Series in
  Cup scoring.

Last Week’s Racing

Yet another Twilight washout, and this one was particularly tough on PRO
David Graham, who doesn’t like to cancel races.  The Thursday’s forecast included thunderstorms aiming right at us from the northwest. Though generally predicted to be done by 6pm, the weather radar at 4:30 also showed some trailing cells headed our
way later.  The earliest he felt he’d be able to start was 6:45, which wouldn’t have left a lot of daylight for a race, so he begrudgingly pulled the plug.  As it turned out, the trailing cells dissipated, and all looked promising around 5:45, which had him
rolling his eyes and second guessing himself.  But by 6, things looked like this

So the nastiness that prompted his decision passed through early, but the conditions it left behind were un-sailable.  David wrote,
“Thursday evening and again, there ain’t no air!  Boats are hanging in all directions.  One way or the other, pulling the plug this evening was the right thing to have done!”  August in New England, right?

Out on the MRA line, there was no racing as the three RCs were otherwise occupied supporting the Ted Hood Regatta.  As you know, Fleet 5 had been invited to participate this year, but to my knowledge, no one registered.

With no MRA racing, nine teams showed up Saturday for the increasingly popular Around Misery race – always a good time.  Though not part of season scoring, it’s beer-can racing at its best, and a terrific opportunity to stretch out over
some longer reaches around government marks.  Inexplicably, the weather totally cooperated, serving up an up-and-down SE 5-10 that oscillated through 15-20 degrees.  The RC set a course to round Misery counterclockwise, with no marks to honor along the way,
followed by a reach to the John’s Ledge nun, beat to Popes Head Shoal can, and then a reach to the finish.  Fun, right?  Here’s a picture of the course.

Teams Roberts, Pandapas and Taylor got off the line well and took an early lead on the fleet for the long reach through the Eagle Island Channel, setting up a three-horse race.  Most boats took the shorter path to Misery
inside Hardy Shoal, keeping the day marker to starboard.  The fleet compressed in the flukey winds around the leeward side of Misery, but the same three team –Taylor, Roberts and
Pandapas – emerged on the port reached and rounded John’s Ledge in that order. 
Team P. took a clearing tack and made out being slightly left, inspiring
Teams Roberts and Taylor to dig hard left.  Team P. stayed right on port to gain some separation and was rewarded with a 15-degree righty, which of course, they tacked on. 

Observant readers might notice that the beat from John’s Ledge to Popes Head took us right over Bowditch Ledge.  Those who have been around for a while will remember that the ledge used to be marked with a 30-foot conical granite tower
topped by a red and white diamond-shaped dayboard, until a storm came along in November 2018 and knocked it down.  Here is what it looked like before and just after the collapse.

Now the huge granite stones have settled and lie submerged atop the shallow ledge, with the shallowest spot less than 2 feet.  In the USCG’s defense, this hazard is marked, though inadequately as suggested by the number of boats that hit
it every year.  A couple of small white buoys mark the perimeter, but there is no day marker. 
Team P’s fortunate continuing righty lifted them directly between those two white buoys, which they didn’t notice as they were too busy congratulating themselves on their tactical genius, leading to the predictable result.  Nothing a little fiberglass
and epoxy won’t fix, but that ended their day, leaving Teams Roberts and
Taylor to duke it out. 

In the end, Team Roberts prevailed taking 1^st, followed closely by
Team Taylor in 2^nd and Team Denton in 3^rd.  Honorable mentions go to
Marine Regnault in 4^th and Walter Coslman in 5^th.  Congrats to all, with thanks to PRO
David Graham and his team for a fun day.

So, in Cup competition, as you know, the Misery race is unscored, and with no Twilight and no MRA, the standings remain unchanged.  The top 10 are listed below. 

Week 14 racing will include Twilight 2-4 on Thursday evening and three days of nationals in Hingham.  MRA will hold a start for Fleet 5 teams not sailing nationals who show up, but racing will not be scored, either for MRA or for the Cup. 

Other News, Notices & Miscellaneous Scuttlebutt

Labor Day Regatta – A reminder that we have repackaged MRA Series 3 Days 4 & 5 as a standalone regatta.  There will be no changes to MRA scoring, which will go ahead as usual.  But Fleet 5 will score those days independently
as a 2-day regatta, and hold an awards ceremony at the Fleet 5 Labor Day party on Sunday after sailing.  That party, by the way, will be at the home of
Rebecca & Larry Ehrhardt.  Thanks to them, and to Joe Fava for doing all the heavy lifting on this.

Sail Salem Pursuit Regatta 2024 – The 2024 edition of the Sail Salem Pursuit Race will be on September 2^nd and hosted by BYC. 
Sail Salem is a donor-funded community youth sailing program supported by events like this.  You can find out more
here, or by emailing board member
Anne Marije Veenland at annemarijeveenland@gmail.com. 

Laser Housing Needed – EYC is hosting the ILCA US Masters Sept 20-22.  They expect 100 boats and are looking for housing.  Anyone willing to host a Laser sailor can contact
Ledyard Mcfadden at 978-828-0685 or Ledyardmcfadden@gmail.com.

If You Spin, Send It In (aka Road to the Pie) – No Twilight or MRA this week so no spins.

Remember if you spin, email
kpandapas@comcast.net and let me know how many fouls you committed for which you exonerated yourself. 

Mail Bag

Last week, Lisa McNamara issued this one design challenge.
“Here is a mystery fleet of cousins to Fleet 5 vessels.”

We got one response from Alex Felton, who correctly guessed Rhodes 18.

Complaints Department

Got Gripes?Don’t be shy.  Unload at
kpandapas@comcast.net.  The buck stops here.

-kp