Road To The Cup – Week 2

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RTTC – Week 2 2025Download

Road To The Cup – Week 2

6/1/25

What You Need To Know

  • Time To Register – Registration remains open.  Get it done.  Details and links below.
  • On-The-Water Clinic – Saturday June 7th  Fran Charles will coach us through an unscored short-course day, with Jud Smith serving as PRO.  Details below.
  • First Party – Saturday June 7th  The first party of the new season will be held after sailing at the home of Rebecca & Larry Ehrhardt.  Details below.

Last Week’s Racing

Light turnout this week.

Just three boats made it out for the inaugural Twilight race of 2025, due in part to the earliness of the season, but also I expect to the conditions, which included flat and fog.  Here is a summary from 2024 national champ and newly minted CYC Rear Commodore, Steve Uhl.

“A light turnout on opening twilight day, because some of our usual stalwarts are still in boat launching phase.  But we did get the required 3 to race this evening, a marginal day that alternated between sun and fog, wind and calm.  Jim Gabriel sailing with Peter Blain raced, along with Anne Marije and Steve.  Light southeasterly at the start.  Uneventful reach to the fort Sewell nun, but then the wind died for what seemed an eternity, but was actually 20 minutes.  A few wisps came back allowing us to get around the green can and back before dark.  Finishes were 2585, 2651, 1137”

Thanks Sir Steve.  So for the record, taking the bullet was Steve Uhl, presumably sailing solo, finishing 2nd was Anne Marije Veenland, also probably sailing solo, and coming in 3rd was Team Gabriel.  Congratulations to all.  

Out on the MRA line, Saturday’s forecast predicted a smorgasbord of conditions, the most pertinent of which was a honking southwesterly that would reach us later in the day.  That, plus (I assume) the small craft advisory, prompted the RC to move the North Line to Archers, which made sense.  

The day started with SW 10-12 which gave way to a fog so thick, you couldn’t see boats in the harbor.  That cleared out around 11am on a SW 8-10 which started to set up as a perfect race day.  Not a lot of boats came out for any class, likely due to the forecast (four Etchells, four IODs, three Rhodes and two vipers and two J70s).  The big air finally arrived during the first race, prompting the RC to send us in.  As I wasn’t out this week, we welcome to the RTTC team Kathleen Lane, who provides this report.

“It looked like the day wasn’t going to be a race day with fog in and out of the harbor until about 11am.  Then the sun came out and it was beautiful with about 8-10 knots of breeze.  Once out on the racecourse, there were three Rhodes 19s ready to race, including Anne Marije and crew, Eric Thornton and crew and Steve Uhl and me.

“The wind got a lot lighter before racing and by the time 2 J 70s, 2 Vipers and 3 Rhodes 19s were off the line, the wind was up again. The right paid off for Eric and Steve after an immediate port tack at the pin start. We had an S4- 4 leg course and by the time we were in the third leg, the wind was up to about 20.  Anne Marija retired for the day and Eric and Steve went on to finish, both with spinnakers up with Eric in second and Steve in first.  With the wind continuing to get sporty and more rain and clouds, that was the one and only race for the Rhodes.

Thanks Kathleen.  So for the record, just one race on MRA 1-3.  Taking 1st was Team Uhl, 2nd Team Thornton, and 3rdwith an RET was Team AMV.  Note that as of this writing, the MRA scores don’t yet reflect Team Thornton’s 2nd, but we’re assuming he did that, and will correct it later if necessary.  Congrats to those who made it out.

So, in Cup competition, though not a lot of boats this week, Team Uhl legged out a couple of points.  Of course, it’s still early.

Week 3 racing will include Twilight 1-2 on Thursday evening 6/5, and the 4-5 races of this year’s on-the-water clinic on Saturday June 7.  The clinic will be run on the MRA line, but MRA Series 1 Day 4 will not be scored (either for MRA or the Cup).

Other News, Notices & Miscellaneous Scuttlebutt

Time To Register – If you haven’t registered yet, here are the links.  

Fleet 5 On-the-Water Clinic – June 7th – As we did last year, the fleet will hold an on-the-water clinic on Saturday June 7, organized by old friend Joe Fava.  The day will be coached by EYC Dean Fran Charles and their sailing director Justin Ahern, and include a mix of drills followed by short course racing.

Fleet 5 Summer Kick-Off Party – June 7th – Our first party of the season will be generously hosted by Rebecca and Larry Ehrhardt, at their Ballast Lane home just steps from the Eastern Yacht Club.  Rich & Rosy Denton will deliver a fully stocked fleet bar, so it’s doubtful anyone will go thirsty.  And as you may have heard, Rosy is propagating a new Fleet 5 tradition of creating party-specific signature cocktails for each of our events, and she’s promising to create one for this event as well.  Please note that this party will not be potluck, as we’re hoping you’ll go straight from the water to the party, so just bring yourselves. The menu will likely involve a few apps and burgers on the grill.  Stay tuned for details.

Race Week Registration – The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta, will be Thursday through Sunday, July 24-27.  Your MRA fee covers the entry fee, so you don’t have to pay an additional fee, but you do have to register, which you can do here.

Nationals Measuring – Fleet measurer Stefan Thibodeaux asked that we remind you that all boats competing in Nationals will require a completed measurement certificate.  If you don’t have a certificate, or if your certificate is out of date because you made alterations to the boat since the last time you were measured, please email Stefan at sjthibodeaux@gmail.com to schedule a measurement.  

If You Spin, Send It In – A reminder that if you spin, please send an email after racing to kpandapas@comcast.net with the subject line ‘Spins’ and let me know how many fouls you committed for which you exonerated yourself.  I’ll tally them up, give an appropriately laudatory sportsmanship shout-out, and also keep you apprised of the season totals.  The season winner with the most spins will be appropriately recognized at the awards party this fall.  

Boat Needed for Race Week – Clark Uhl plans to be around this summer and wants to sail Race Week.  If you have or know of a boat he could use, please contact him at clarkuhl555@gmail.com.  

Center Consoles Needed for Nationals – The EYC RC needs a couple of center consoles to use for Nationals.  If you’re willing to help, contact Cindy Smith at race.committee@easternyc.org. 

Pleon Coach Needs Housing – Bridget Hickey will be a Pleon coach this summer and is looking for local housing.  Bridget’s R19 creds run deep.  Her dad is Dave Hickey, current class EC VP and driving force behind this years ECs. Her mom is Angela Duplin Hickey, and of course her late grandfather is none other than the legendary Joe Duplin.  If you can spare a room this summer, contact Angela at daveandangela5@gmail.com.  

Mail Bag

Just one email today.  It’s a long but hopefully helpful exchange in which Bill Rothwell is looking for depowering guidance.  We reprint the whole thing in the event that someone else might find it useful.  

“Hello Steve and Kim, I was hoping to get your thoughts on a few things from yesterday as I’m still trying to figure out the boat and the best way to sail them.

  • In breeze like yesterday, where did you have your traveler and how much were you “playing” it?  I was setting it just below the seat and then dropped it just below center when the breeze picked up.  In the big gusts, I was playing the mainsheet and not the traveler.  Is this recommended?
  • At what point did you put the backstay on?  What’s the theory on when to use it?
  • Did you adjust your jib leads at all during the day?  We never touched them but were discussing whether we should have moved them back.

First, from Steve Uhl.  

“I’m a simpleton and spend less time on adjustments than most.

  1. “I don’t have a traveler; I have a rear bridle.  I was playing the mainsheet a lot when overpowered, with vang on tight to help.
  2. “I never use backstay unless in super heavy air that we almost never race in.  My only backstay concern is avoiding catching upper leech
  3. “I pretty much never adjust jib cars either. 

“FWIW, the primary things I’m always adjusting our jib halyard tension, and mainsheet/upper leech control.”

Classic Steve – direct and to the point.  My answer was a bit more long-winded.

“Depowering is something Christina and I had to get good at because we have a combined crew weight of less than 300 pounds.  That works to our advantage when it’s light but in breeze, we typically go sideways.  (Of course, I’m a crappy hiker, which doesn’t help, but I’m so light, it doesn’t do much anyway.)  So here is my list.

“Set up

  • “If it’s going to be heavy all day, I shorten the lowers to take sag out of the rig at the spreaders, which flattens out the main.  Didn’t do that Sunday.
  • “Outhaul – max on.
  • “Jib leads – back a notch or two from normal, depending on how hard it’s blowing.  We also have an eye just outboard of the tracks that we use to tie on the 2:1 sheet instead of the car.  That opens things up just a little.
  • “Boom Vang – The vang has always been an important depowering control for us.  A little vang upwind pushes the lower part of the mast forward, which flattens out the bottom of the main.  It also just seems to stabilize things and helps us track through the waves.
  • “Jib halyard tension – generally on, though Christina plays that on tacks and in waves.  

“Upwind

  • “Trav – I play it constantly.  I have a mid-boom trav with split car that goes down only to amidship.  That makes tacking easier, but limits depowering.  In lulls on Sunday, I had it up at the edge of the seat and would drop it for puffs.  
  • “Main sheet – next in the pecking order.  I like to keep the boat driving off the main leach, so use mainsheet only when the traveler is not enough.  Worth remembering is that the main sheet is your primary headstay sag control.  So if you ease the main, you sag off the headstay and power up the jib.
  • “Back stay – I always keep on a little to settle down the top of the rig, even when it’s light.  In breeze, I use a little more, as needed.  But without jumpers, it only spills off the top of the main so doesn’t accomplish as much.  With jumpers, it would be a more efficient depowering tool as it would bend the whole mast evenly, flattening out the main, spilling off the leach, and hardening up the headstay.  If this was Newport, I’d have jumpers.”

Complaints Department

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