Canandaigua Lake RC Laser Sailing

RC Laser Fleet 14 began their 2022 racing season with 2 Walkabout races at Holiday Harbor thanks to Jack Bennett. Although Jack could not compete with us he did provide the venue and his home for debriefing following the event.

It was a perfect day for racing. Many of us were recovering from injuries’ obtained over the winter, so the fact that the winds were light allowed us to keep up with our boats. It was darn near 80 degrees with plenty of sunshine. Very few pleasure boats were tied up on the dock which made for very few obstacles to avoid.

Nine of us showed up to race and enjoy the afternoon. The first race could have had a completely different outcome had all the competitors listened to the skippers meeting defining the course, but that didn’t happen. Playing follow the leader, as I am sure we have all done, doesn’t always lead you on the proper course. The leader of the race needs to know the proper course. You must round all of the marks to finish and having the boat racing in third to yell follow me, you know you did something wrong.

As it turns out it was Jonathan Gorbold winning both races even though he was handicapped, having surgery two weeks earlier on his knee.

Check out the complete order of finish on the “RESULTS” page.

Next week we will return to our familiar south dock at CYC to continue our Spring Series Sunday 2-4pm.

The Admiral!!!!!!!

It has been some time since I last informed everyone about our 2021 racing season. Time does fly when you are having fun.

The Summer Series has ended with myself (Nelson Habecker #54) winning by only 4 boats over Gary Schmidt #59). It may not have happened had Gary not taken a couple of weeks off to visit family.

With just a couple of weeks left it appears that Jay Niggli (#81) will stave off Mary Schmidt (652) who will be holding on to second. See the full results by clicking on “RESULTS”

Plans are currently being made to make this year a special Halloween. Our final race day which happens to be October 31st will be at Holiday Harbor where we intend to bring back our walkabout races to conclude the season.

Following racing we are all invited to Jack’s place at 13 Holiday Harbor for a Mary Schmidt Lasagna plate, breads, salads, good wine and plenty of gossip.

As the summer series heats up the competitors find time to relax. After three weeks of racing scores are very close.

Gary, Tim, Richard and myself are all within a few boats of each other. But, with many more races to go it is still anyone who can string together a group of firsts and second that can win the series. Sunday will be another test of our racing skills as the wind will be out of the west coming over the hill at 10 knots which makes for a very unstable breeze.

Check out the scores (RESULTS) and bring your suntan lotion if you are planning to race.

With the Spring Series wrapping up last week it was Nate Heinzelman holding off Tim Follette to win the series. No one else could muster enough wins to even come close. Congratulations to Nate!!!!!!

Finishing all alone in third place was a very focused Mary Schmidt (652) .

The 8 week Summer Series is next with everyone vying for that number one spot. The weather for the first week is expected to be summertime warm with winds 15-20 knots out of the south east. Great for setting a course but it will be choppy and “C” sails will probably be the norm.

Covid is now officially over and the wind is at our backs. Good luck to all!!

See you Sunday at 4pm off the south dock CYC.

The Admiral!!!!!!

With Spring comes eternal life.

Fleet #14 has returned from a year of COVID mask wearing to an unmasked vaccinated much happier fleet. Although you may still wear a mask if desired it is not necessary to join in on the fun.

Many of our fleet are still away until warmer weather but to some of us it is not a factor. We have had 16 races to date with very close scoring. Nate Heinzelman currently has a short lead on Tim Follette and a bunch of us vying for third. There are still 7 more weeks of racing for the Spring series and much can still happen . Check out the standings on our “RESULTS” page.

It was a year that we hope not to remember!

Shelter in place ruled for the months of April and May and then no groups and social distancing kept us apart through June. There were times when a couple of RCs found their way to the south dock to practice waiting for a green light from our Governor. Finally in July (phase 3 in New York) racing had begun for some. Masks and continued distancing were to be observed though.

The yacht club never opened during the sailing season and some of our members maintained a very cautious outlook and decided not to race. Those of us that did race had many good days with the wind cooperating most of the time. Actually we were able to string together over 100 races this year. With Sailors Night being cancelled this year’s perpetual trophy will be handed out next year.

It is our intent to continue our Sunday racing schedule thru November 1st and then pause to allow Santa Claus the ice covered lake as a landing pad. His eye sight is starting to fail him and hitting a roof top just isn’t in the cards anymore. I had hoped to have one additional week to rap things up at Jack’s place with Mary’s lasagna but with increase in COVID cases being reported I will impose on her to be prepared for a Spring feast instead.

As part of our COVID-19 relief package, the fleet will not be collecting annual dues until next October. Please use these funds to buy your sweetheart something special for having to put up with you all year without many breaks. My wish is that everyone remains safe and healthy through the holidays and is ready for our full fleet to regain the waters of Canandaigua lake next spring.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Tha Admiral!!!!

Many awards were given on Sailor’s Night to the RC Lasers.  Taking home the top prize this year was  Jonathan Gorbold winning two of our series races and High Point overall.  Anna Gorbold took 2 Fleet class victories, winning the “C” Fleet in the spring and then winning the “B” Fleet in the fall.  Gary Schmidt was awarded first place in the “A” Fleet in the summer and Steve and Nate Heinzelman moved up in fleets with victories of their own.

And, as planned, we begin a new season October 27th at 2 PM off the south dock CYC.  The slate is wiped clean and we are all once again tied for first place.

Just as a reminder:

Annual dues for Fleet #14 RC Lasers expires at the end of October 2019. Your payment of $20 makes you an active member from 11/01/19 thru 10/31/20.

You can pay your dues online if you wish! Click here. Or in person to Maggie Atkins or Nelson Habecker

Thank you for your membership.

See you on the water!!!!!

Gary Schmidt
Summer Series

Gary rolls into town for the summer and scoops up the Summer Series.  That’s pretty good considering that he spends the winter months hibernating in the south which is full of alligators which makes it difficult to get much practice in.  It was a tie for second place between Jay Niggli and myself.  In the B fleet it was Richard Phelps picking up a win. It was a very good series for all of us.  We held 47 races over that time period.

Unfortunately the days get shorter  and colder so beginning October 5th we will be changing our race time to early afternoon (2-4PM) and we will be going from shorts and T shirts to boots and jackets.

See you off the south dock CYC as racing continues with the Fall Series up for grabs.

The Admiral!!!

With the completion of the Spring Series it is time to recognize our winners.  In the A Fleet it was Jonathan Gorbold, in the B Fleet it was Nate Heinzelman, and in the C Fleet it was Anna Gorbold.  As per the rules put in place last year the winner of the B Fleet now moves to the A Fleet and the winner of the C Fleet now moves to the B Fleet.

Congratulations to all our winners and may they do as well in the Summer Series.

And speaking of the Summer Series, we have completed 7 of the 8 weeks in the series which will end August 11th. You can check out where you stand in the series by clicking on “RESULTS“.

The Admiral!!!!!!!

We are now in the forth week of our Spring Series and it is time to change the clock for future races.  We will now be racing 4:30 pm till 6:30 PM to allow time for all the big boats to clear the docking area.  I am also asking that we unload our boats and then park across the street so we are not blocking the dry dock area.

We had 11 boats come to the starting line last Sunday and would have had 12 except I put a heavy box on top of my transmitter which disabled my rudder.  No worries, it has been fixed and I will be on for the next race date.  And speaking of race dates, there will be NO RC RACING this weekend so we may all enjoy the Memorial Day Holiday.

To see how things are sizing up this year simply click on “RESULTS” for all the boats and scores.

With all the snowbirds back and the fair weather sailors coming out racing is expected to get rather crowded.

The fun has just begun!!!!

See you June 2nd at 4:30 PM south dock CYC for our next race.

The Admiral!