MIX-MASTER TAKES ITS TOLL: August 5th, Race Report

Photos courtesy of Sandi Miller

We had good winds on a hot day with our “gourmet” volunteers and a visit from the newlyweds from out west.   We also had a couple of capsizes, with a collateral “victim”, and other frustrations in an area notorious for unpredictable winds.

Our Committee Boat volunteers were wave-riding gourmets Jack and Sandy Miller, Mimi Riffle, Steve and Gretchen Fisher, and Harry and Sandy Meshberger.  Jim Riffle and Terry Rains performed safety boat duty and got a workout.  John Auld set up a good race course considering the air was calm at set-up time.  Kevin and Beth Auld organized the race and Committee Boat.  Arlene Truex again hosted us at “home port”.  Thanks everyone!

Welcome back to John Gall and his bride Rachel visiting from Wyoming.  They sailed the Riffle’s M-Scow and were very competitive.  This was the first time the M-Scow was out since its memorable 2017 trophy winning voyage (“glub, glub”).  We were also fortunate to have Sherri Agnew join us before she said good bye to her Butterfly, now sold.   In total we had eight boats with eleven sailors. Our numbers have been good, with our less frequent sailors making up for absences of our “injured-reserve” sailors (not sailing-related injuries mind you).

The first race was very close among the 6 boats that started on time (2 were delayed in arriving on time for the start so they finished later).    The wind was plenty good with the usual shifty character produced by Grandview’s surrounding topography.  Our gourmets were happy for the cooling breeze on a 92-degree day.   But the breeze made for a fast race, the finish of which interrupted their lunch of BBQ chicken, sandwiches, fruit salad and brownies.

Lasers at the start

More starters: L to R, Lasers  JY-15 in foreground, Y-Flyer

The third mark (last before the finish line) was in a location infamous with sailors for totally unpredictable winds from one moment to the next –a mix-master of sorts.   If you draw a line from say, lot 311 to the north end of the slalom ski course, you will get a rough idea of the mix-master’s location.   Maybe it’s caused by the high ridge above that point.  Maybe it’s the impact of two inlets on either side of the point.  Maybe it’s the updraft coming from the nearby steep dam slope next to the less steep emergency spillway slope.  Maybe it’s a combination of all of those factors.  Whatever, it is reliably unreliable.  After rounding the marker in that area, each sailor had to figure out what line they could sail with the wind direction chosen just for them by the mix-master.  The victim in the first race was Tom Schroeder and crew Phil Bush who couldn’t figure it out fast enough.   Before rounding that last marker they were about 4^th in fairly tight group of 5 boats.  Tack this way, no wind, tack that way, no wind. Meanwhile about ten seconds behind them, Auld/Hass rounded the mark and were able to find and ride a nice sliver of wind, just for them, all the way to the finish line.  Schroeder/Bush didn’t finish till about a minute and half later.    Others were about to be dealt a more costly blow.

Finish of 1st race: Kevin Preuss finished first and is not in this pictured.  He was followed by (left to right) Matt Bartlett, Dianne Fisher, Laura Garrett ( all in Lasers) and John Auld/Paul Hass in the Y-Flyer on a special sliver of wind just for them.  Another special wind for them arrived shortly thereafter.....

Just as the starting horn was about to sound for the 2^nd race, with the starting line not far from the mix-master, a strong gust from an unexpected direction capsized Laura Garrett.   She did a nice job of righting her Laser quickly (somewhere over in the starboard column is a photo of her showing how it is done)  It also hit Auld/Hass hard under circumstances that didn’t give them enough time for the usual countermeasures that sailors like Laura employ for fast recovery.  To make matters worse their Y-flyer flipped onto the stern of another sailboat preventing it from moving.  And the Y-Flyer “turtled”, with its mast pointed straight to the bottom of the lake and that nicely painted hull pointed skyward.

 

The turtled Y-Flyer with its bow on top of another sailboat. The orange pole marks one end of the starting line.

 The Y-Flyer was unable to start the second race, and the other boat was significantly delayed.   Jim Riffle and Terry Rains came to their aid and were able help get the Y-Flyer righted shortly after the finish of the second race.  Thanks Jim and Terry!

Those winning 1^st place in their class and/or overall on a handicapped basis were Kevin Preuss, John Auld/Paul Hass, Laura Garrett, and Tom Schroeder/Phil Bush

Race Results:

First Race

Lasers: Kevin Preuss 1^st, Matt Bartlett 2^nd, Dianne Fisher 3^rd, Laura Garrett 4^th

International Class on Handicapped basis:  John Auld/Paul Hass 1^st, Tom Schroeder/Phil Bush 2nd, Sherri Agnew 3^rd, John & Rachel Gall 4^th.

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring):  Kevin Preuss 1st, Matt Bartlett 2nd, Dianne Fisher 3rd, Laura Garrett 4^th, John Auld/Paul Hass 5th, Tom Schroeder/Phil Bush 6th, Sherri Agnew 7th, John & Rachel Gall 8^th.

Second Race

Lasers: Laura Garrett 1^st, Matt Bartlett 2^nd, Dianne Fisher 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th.

International Class on Handicapped basis:  Tom Schroeder/Phil Bush 1^st, John & Rachel Gall 2^nd.

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring):  Laura Garrett 1st, Matt Bartlett 2nd, Dianne Fisher 3rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, Tom Schroeder/Phil Bush 5th, John & Rachel Gall 6th.

Our next race is scheduled for August 26^th.  Come join us!