Last week concluded our spring series of racing .  The order of finish for Jefferson Cups was:

• First: Jonathan Gorbold
• Second: Jay Niggli
• Third: Nelson Habecker

Awards for the Spring Series will be handed out on October 19th (Sailors Night) at CYC.

For the complete order of finish and scores – click on  Results.

Sunday, June 9th, we will begin an 8 week summer series which will take place at CYC south dock.  Starting time is scheduled to be 4PM rain or shine.

“The way I see it is that everyone is now tied for first and you are going to have to sail well to take that spot away from me.” The Admiral!!!!

Winds were out of the north at 18 to 23 knots, it was chilly and cloudy most of the day. Once out on the lake there were white caps and puffs you could see coming 500 yards away. Just perfect for a 2 mile RC race.  We cancelled the idea of Jay using his canoe and Anne refused to kayak me behind her so it was decided that pairing up would be the best solution. I could hear the girls whispering on the other side of a J-24 that the winds were strong and they thought they would do better if the girls were all in one boat. (Something about not having to “put up with the guys”). And so the stage was set:

Girls would use Jack’s boat driven by Leslie Bennett. On board would be Maggie and Terry sailing with Anne on board to coach.

The guys would be Jonathan and Jay driven by Anna in Sue Raymond’s boat, Dick Hallagan in one of our club crash boats driven by John Wright, and Neil and myself in the other crash boat driven by Mike Weber.

Girls were off to a fast start and maintained their lead- Halfway through the race Coach Anne called for Female “F-O-C-U-S” as the men were in sight.

Maggie rounded the island mark first–which was no easy task– Wind Conditions were strong and swirling– forcing more jibes than tacks.

Jay was next to the mark-but he got hung up with the winds.

Terry managed to edge out Jay and round the mark 2nd.

Maggie was way ahead down the stretch-so far ahead of her crash boat it was hard to tell her point of sail–but she kept sailing!

Next sighting was Jay on the west coast — enjoying a more controlled and fast  inland sail- So It was Maggie & Jay and then Jay & Maggie  as they approached the south dock around the mooring field. Other boats were quickly catching up as they approached the finish of the race.

The Finish causes change in rules- The outcome may have been different if the boats didn’t have to come out of the water-

1. Surely Terry would have been Dry

2. Jack’s Boat would have fewer dings.

3. And Maggie with her competitive racing skills and being the lady she is would not have had to give way to anyone.

Therefore Next year’s rule change will be that boats must cross start line to finish-and need not come out of the water.

You just can’t put 2 chase boats in the same spot- and that was the closeness of this Race– It was a Splashy- Photo- Finish!

Squaw Island Video  This video is rated PG.  I can’t believe that there was no adult language.

The official order of finish was:

First Place
All The Roses plus $20

1. Jay Niggli in 1 hour and 20 minutes

Second Place $10

2. Jonathan Gorbold 1 hour and 21 minutes

Third Place $3 each

3. Scored a tie between Maggie Atkins and Terry Schmidt 1 hour 21minutes and a little

After watching the video our race director determined that while both boats were at the dock together he was not sure if any rules were broken by Terry going into the water to retrieve her boat instead of retrieving boat in the expected manner ie: using a lifter.

5. Dick Hallagan

6. Neil Atkins

7. Nelson Habecker (myself ) The way I see it is that if I am in the top 7 there probably wasn’t 8 boats.

We then dried ourselves off and retired to the pavilion for an afternoon cookout.  Due to the speed of the race Jack Bennett who was to bring the potato salad to go with the Hots and Hamburgs arrived at 4:30 .  Just in time for the awards.

2013 Squaw Island Photo Gallery

Tracy Blevins wins (2) and Bill wins (1) after toting their RC’s up from Virginia and dusting off the spider webs.  It is obvious that neither of them have lost their touch. We got off (8) races in two hours with 14 RC’s participating and neither of them finished in double digits all day.  It just goes to show you we a courteous bunch and will give a little extra room at the start and the marks for visitors. (Maybe not)

There will be no RC Racing this coming Sunday.  Instead we will be hosting our annual Squaw Island Regatta at CYC.  The entry fee is $15 and can be paid at the dock after 1pm. Skippers meeting at 1:45 and a 2pm start.

Please check your batteries before you enter the water.  There is nothing worse than being miles from the nearest battery pack in a race.

Current Entries are:

• Jonathan Gorbold (defending champion)
• Jay Niggli (almost defending champion)
• Nelson Habecker (yet to finish this damn race)
• Neal Atkins
• Maggie Atkins
• Terry Schmidt
• Anne Lambert

Don’t forget that Sunday June 2nd will be the final races of the spring meet.  As it stands right now Jonathan Gorbold has a 10 point lead over Jay Niggli for the 1st and 2nd spot but it is much closer for 3rd, and a Jefferson Cup award on sailors night, between Bill Schmidt who has a 2 point lead over Nelson Habecker who has just a 6 point lead over Terry Schmidt.  It should make for very good racing and strong language so don’t miss it.

See you this Saturday for the Squaw Island Regatta and Cookout which follows.

For complete racing results click here

Why not kick off the Memorial Day weekend with the RC Laser fleet by coming out to sail in the 3rd Annual Squaw Island Offshore Race this weekend?

This 2-mile race requires skippers to sail their radio controlled sailboat up the lake to a mark at Squaw Island and then back to a finish line at the club. It was one of the more fun but challenging sailing events we have held the past two years.

Registration can be done online or can be handled Saturday starting at 1pm at the concrete dock on the CYC waterfront. Skippers will need to figure out their mode of transportation on the water to follow their boats up the course and back. We are getting close to the event, so if you need a ride and don’t have one, please let us know asap and we’ll do our best to find you a chauffeur.

If you have a powerboat and would be willing to take spectators or skippers for a ride on Saturday afternoon, please show up at 1:30 to be paired with a sailor.

Our Race Director, Keith Calkins (who thought we were crazy last year but has learned we are actually crazy every year) will hold a skipper’s meeting at 1:45 pm.

Racing will begin shortly thereafter with an on-the-water start this year with a line set somewhere in the vicinity of the south end of the mooring field. We’ll attempt to have a start line set so that we have a windward start and so that onlookers from shore will get a good view. The finish line will again be at the concrete dock area.

• Notice of Race
• Sailing Instructions
• Online Registration
• 2012 Results
• 2012 Squaw Island Pictures

We will have a cookout following the race. The fleet will provide meat and rolls but you can bring beverages, sides, salads or deserts to share. We should be finished in plenty of time to allow CYC members wishing to attend the wine tasting at the clubhouse later in the evening to make it there on time.

Prizes for this year’s race will be:

First Place:

Your Own Roses

Plus

Second Place:

Third Place:

Big bucks are at stake       So don’t miss it

On a day when “C” sails were the choice of all  and the wind came and went from every direction Neil Atkins was able hold off a challenge from Anne Lambert to win the last race on Mother’s Day.  Our PRO (Anna) did her best to set a good course but it was the “Wind Gods” that determined who would fly and who would die all day.

Please note the following:

• Racing next week will again be Sunday 4 – 6 pm at the south end of the docks  CYC.
• Tracy and Bill Blevins have traveled up from Virginia for the weekend and have RCs’ in hand.
• The Squaw Island Regatta and cookout will be held on Saturday May 25th.
• There will be no racing Sunday May 26th.
• Sunday June 2nd will be the last series of races for the Spring Meet 4-6pm at CYC.

See you on the docks.

RC racing is planned for 4 – 5:45 pm Sunday afternoon this Mother’s Day at CYC. The club will be serving a Mother’s Day brunch from 11:30 – 7 pm. (No kitchen food will be available.) Therefor I am planning on shorting the racing by 15 minutes so that those who wish can enjoy the brunch.
Cost of the brunch is $22.95 per plus gratuity. It includes omelets, seafood newberg, smoked salmon, pasta, a carving station and desert.

If you would like to attend e-mail me back at [email protected] or call the club to be added to the RC laser table. It would be helpful for the kitchen to know how many of us are planning on to arrive at 6pm.

The weather calls for overcast skys and winds out of the west at 15 knots so we should be able to get plenty of races in.

See you on the water.

Beginning (Sunday) May 5th the RC racing venue will be the south dock of the Canandaigua Yacht Club and the new time will be 4 -6 pm.  We will return to Lake Riley again in the Fall to complete our Riley Lake series.

I would like to thank the RAMYA members for inviting us to sail on their turf and for taking part in our races.

Talk about an unsettled wind – not only did the wind sock do 360 degree shifts, at times it pointed straight up.  I decided that the best way to set the course was to do a rectangle in hopes of having an upwind and down wind leg somewhere.  At times it could be accomplished on the same leg.  The only real consistent one was myself who managed to be last over the start-line  nearly every time.  Maybe if I asked nicely everyone would crouch down at the start so I could see better.

SUMMER IS BACK!!!!!!!!

With the temps in the 70’s it was the perfect day for a cookout and refreshments.                    (Including two 007’s)

NOTICE OF RACE

Canandaigua, New York RC Laser Fleet 14

3rd Annual Squaw Island Race

May 25, 2013

Rules: The regatta shall be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing as amended by Appendix E for RC sailing, prescriptions of US Sailing, class rules of the RC Laser Class of North America and further Sailing Instructions as mandated by the Race Director (RD) who also has the authority during the course of the event to make changes which will be announced to the competitors.

Eligibility: The regatta is open to all RC Lasers conforming to RC Laser Class Rules.

Race Director: Keith Calkins

Race Summary:

• Boats will be out of the water during the Skippers Meeting.
• The starting line will be set between two markers just offshore from the concrete dock at the south end of the waterfront at the Canandaigua Yacht Club.
• The south concrete dock is also designated as the finish dock.
• At the start, skippers will sail their RC Lasers across the starting line in the proper direction and then sail a course that is roughly north on Canandaigua Lake towards Squaw Island, about 1 mile away.
• Skippers in chase boats will follow their RC Laser and navigate their racing boats to a turn mark south of Squaw Island, located at approximately Lat/Long N42.869918, W077.275702, keeping the turn mark to port as the boats round and then sail back to the yacht club.
• Boats will finish when the skipper is on the finish dock and then retrieves their RC Laser from the water after successfully completing the course.

Schedule:

• Online Registration
• 1:00 – 1:45          Boat set-up and practice sailing
• 1:45                      Skippers Meeting (All boats must be out of the water.)
• 1:58 PM               Two-minute audible countdown timer begins
• 2:00 PM              Start
• ~ 5:00 PM          Dock party begins with first finishing boat
• ~ 6:00 PM          Awards presented after all boats return

Location: Canandaigua Yacht Club (CYC), 3524 West Lake Road, Canandaigua, NY 14424

Entry: Eligible boats may be entered by submitting the registration form online and paying an entry fee of $15.00 boat.

Scoring: The race will be scored under the Low Point System described in The Racing Rules of Sailing Appendix A and the event will consist of only one race.

Prizes: A prize will be awarded to the skipper who completes the course in the fastest time. A dock party will follow racing for all skippers and crew.

Contact: Nelson Habecker at [email protected] or 585-201-0514 if you need us to find a chase boat and driver or for any other information.

Barbie’s boat and Barbie moving fast after workshop

It was a great day for sailing !  Chilly, but with the sunshine and the running we had to do to keep sight of our boats, we all managed to stay relatively warm.

At the workshop on Saturday Jonathan revealed a couple of sail setting tips to improve boat speed which proved most beneficial for Anne Lambert, Terry and Gary Schmidt. Out of the 7 races held Anne improved her score by walking away with a 2nd & 4th  for the day, Terry races in with a 2nd, two 3rds, and a 4th, and Gary, who missed the first 2 races due to slow play on the golf course, had 2 wins, 2 seconds, and a fourth.  It seems pretty clear that if you set your sail correctly that your boat is much harder to beat.  “Thanks Jonathan!”

Following racing, Jonathan and Anna served everyone attending a  baked chicken dinner which was very generous of them. ” Thank You again Jonathan & Anna.”

Complete Results and Standings

We will be racing one more time at Riley Lake (Sunday April 28th  2-4pm) before shifting to the Canandaigua Yacht Club for the remaining 4 Sundays in our spring series.  Jonathan & Anna will be away that day  so our good friend, Walt Bankes has agreed to be PRO for the day. Following racing everyone is invited to Anne & Nelson’s house to enjoy the taste of summer with a  Hamburg/Hotdog style cookout to celebrate the end of cold temperatures. Beginning May 5th we will be at CYC and the new time will be 4 – 6 pm throughout the summer.

Shortly I will be sending out NOR for this year’s Squaw Island Race and Cookout to be held Saturday May 25th.  It is never too early to start planning  for that one.  Chauffer boats will be needed , so if you know of any please pass it along so no one gets left behind.  As always, if you act as a chauffer you will get a free meal, drinks and plenty to talk about.

Riley Lake Photos

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