WET AND WILD! JUNE 5TH RACE REPORT

Photos courtesy of Jack & Sandi Miller
We had a wet and wild first race of the season with many getting wet, a bunch of good Samaritans helping right capsized boats, and some really fast races.   We have the season’s first new sailor, (Welcome Matt Bartlett!),  and another Y-Flyer has been added to the Grandview fleet. Steve Tadd had high school buddy, Peter Mueller crew for him. And Gracie Tadd was able to watch all of the action and learn from the bow of the Thistle without having to worry about trimming a sail. Although we may not have all of the facts about the races exactly right, we are close enough to share the events of the day.  Feel free to send in corrections.  I’m sure we’ll be filling in the blanks of this eventful race at future protest meetings. 

Despite the many traveling sailors, eight sailboats showed up at the starting line, including a new-to-the-fleet Y-Flyer sailed by last year’s “Ghost Sailors of the Year”, but ghosts no longer, Lance and Bianca Snider.  Actually theirs may be the Y-flyer that once belonged to Tom Jennings and made a circuitous route of ownership to the Sniders – not sure.   Maybe we’ll have a Y-Flyer class again?  And new to Grandview, but far from new to sailing, Matt Bartlett crewed for Tom Schroeder and captained Tom’s JY-15 in the 2^nd race.   John Auld, with help from someone (who?) set up an excellent, long race course and the wind held its direction,  so the start and finish were directly into the wind.   We had an experienced Committee Boat crew of Jack and Sandi Miller, Donna Mount, Harry Meshberger, and a first-timer Steve Willment who got more than he bargained for.  Jim Riffle also joined, pulling up in his pontoon, just in time for safety boat duty.  Thanks everyone!

As you may have surmised we had a fast wind.  And it was gusty.  Coming from the west it had plenty of runway before hitting us.  There were plenty of Laser capsizes prior to the start of the race.  At the start of the first race (the “Memorial Day” Trophy Race) Tom Jennings capsized in the windiest corridor of the lake.  The wind was too strong to allow him to right his boat.  Although there was some competition on the way to the first mark, John Auld and Paul Hass rounded it first in their Y-Flyer and kept a commanding lead the rest of the race, although the handicap bit them a bit.  See race results below.

We returned to find Tom Jennings Laser still not righted, but being assisted by the Safety Patrol.  Andy Jennings, on his way to check on Tom developed an equipment malfunction and had to head for shore.  Meanwhile a strong gust hit Lance and Bianca hard and they capsized.  Harry Meshberger joined Jim Riffle and went to see how they could help out.  Separately, Steve Willment climbed on board the Tadd’s pontoon to help Allison Tadd assist the capsized as well.  Steve found himself in the water helping right Lance and Bianca’s Y-Flyer. 

From left to right, Lance Snider, Bianca Snider and Steve Willment try to right the Y-Flyer. Gracie Tadd, Peter Mueller, and Steve Tadd watch from the Thistle

And although it’s extremely difficult for a sailboat to come to the aid of another sailboat, Paul Hass jumped out of John Auld’s boat to help Lance and Bianca as well.    

With daggerboard located and inserted, and Paul Hass joining the effort, the Y-Flyer begins to be successfully righted.  John Auld luffs his sails while waiting for Paul to re-join him.

Lance and Bianca bailed out their righted Y-Flyer and headed for the dock.  Andy Jennings was towed back to his dock by Jim Riffle and Harry Meshberger.  

Andy Jennings gets towed back to his dock by Jim Riffle

Tom Jennings was towed by Allison Tadd, with Tom gladly taking Steve Willment up on his kind offer of manning Tom’s boat while it was under tow so Tom could rest from his repeated attempts to right the Laser. We think during all of this there may have been another Committee Boat volunteer who went swimming.

Five of the original eight boats were still upright, flying, and itching for another race.  The wind was even faster than the first.  

Sherri Agnew, Kevin Preuss and Matt Bartlett/Tom Schroeder after crossing the starting line (orange pole to right of Sherri's mast).  But there was another boat ahead of these three....

 

...and that was John Auld and Paul Hass in the yellow Y-Flyer shown here upwind and in a more advantageous position than Matt Bartlett and Tom Schroeder in the JY-15 to the right.

John Auld and a now soaked Paul Samaritan Hass again took the lead immediately and finished well ahead of the others.   Matt Bartlett took the helm of Schroeder’s Y-Flyer and at the end of a very well executed race demonstrated  a tradition from some previous sailing club, tumbling out the back of the boat after crossing the finish line, while Tom inquired “Are you o.k.  back there?…Matt?”   See race results below.

Special thanks  to our Good Samaritans:  Paul Hass, Harry Meshberger, Jim Riffle, Allison Tadd, Steve Willment, and the GLOA Safety Patrol (sorry if I missed someone).

1^st Race (Memorial Day Trophy Race)

Lasers:                 1^st Andy Jennings, 2^nd Kevin Preuss

Butterflies:         1^st Sherri Agnew

International (on handicapped basis):   1^st Tom Schroeder/Matt Bartlett, 2^nd Auld/Hass, 3^rd Lance & Bianca Snider, 4^th Steve Tadd/PeterMueller

Overall on handicapped basis:  1^st Schroeder/Bartlett, 2^nd Auld/Hass, 3^rd Andy Jennings, 4^th Lance & Bianca Snider, 5^th Steve Tadd/Mueller,  6^th Kevin Preuss, 7^th Sherri Agnew

2nd Race:

Lasers:                 1^st Kevin Preuss

Butterflies:         1^st Sherri Agnew

International (on handicapped basis):   1^st Auld/Hass, 2^nd Matt Bartlett/Schroeder, 3^rd Steve Tadd/Mueller

Overall on handicapped basis:  1^st Auld/Hass, 2^nd Bartlett/Schroeder, 3^rd Steve Tadd/Mueller, 4^th Sherri Agnew, 5^th Kevin Preuss

OUR NEXT RACE IS THIS WEEKEND JUNE 12TH!
(We had to depart from our "every other weekend" convention in order to miss racing on July 4th weekend).