Sunny day, brisk wind, perfect temperature, moving fast, hiked out a few degrees from a capsize, running as close to the wind as your sails will allow, tiller fighting you, hoping to make it to the mark without having to tack again, peeking under your sail to keep an eye on that pesky boat with the right of way a few inches from you. A perfect day of sailing at Grandview Lake. At the start/finish line and at the turn markers, boats at speed were inches from, or even touching each other. Determined looks made it clear in those few moments that it was all business, with competitive juices flowing.
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| We were pleased to have Arlene join us for the first time this year, crewing for Tom Schroeder. It looks like the sail she is responsible for, the jib (front) is trimmed perfectly. The captain ought to tighten that mainsail though. |
Our thanks to our socially distanced volunteers on the Committee Boat: Beth, Bob, and Bernice (Auld, Orben and Rains). And to safety boat volunteer Jim Riffle. John Auld and Paul Hass set up an excellent course. And Kevin Preuss and Beth Auld organized the racers and volunteers. Thanks to all.
At the finish of the first race, Matt Bartlett and Jim Voelz were neck-and-neck at one end of the line, where Jim hit the line buoy and capsized before finishing. Quite a tough break. Kevin Preuss followed closely behind Matt to finish 2nd. Meanwhile the three double-sailed craft had rounded the last mark with barely enough room between them. Tom and Arlene running a few seconds behind the other two, caught a gust that caused them to have to turn into the wind to barely avoid a capsize and cost them a few more seconds. So they were last to finish while Catey and Elizabeth Hale barely beat John Auld and Paul Hass in their respective Y-Flyers.
At the start of the 2nd race, Matt and Jim were right next to each other, again at the limit of the starting line, when a gust of wind and a right of way “force-out” caused both of them to miss the line. This allowed most of the other boats to get an unbeatable lead on the pair who are usually out front. As they approached the last mark Tom and Arlene were boxed in by Catey and Elizabeth in front to their left and Kevin directly in front of them. They watched as Kevin made sure not to get bumped by Catey and Elizabeth’s boom, inches from his head. Then their boom was up against the back of his mast, and he was happy to let it push his boat forward with increased speed as a result! There was no protest by either, but at the protest meeting the rule book was consulted on whether there could have been. Yup. It was a congested turn around that last mark again. There was also some drama with a potential right of way issue at the finish line which led to another learning from the rule book - finish line buoys are included in the definition of a "mark".
For those of you had hoped to attend the Indy 500, as you can see from the above, you can still attend a great race in-person every other Sunday at 2 pm right here at Grandview Lake. Better yet, hop in a sailboat and come race with us! Two sailors in a Laser came out and appeared to contemplate racing with us, but in the end chose not to. We would have been happy if they had. After all, we welcome novice racers and will help you along with some basic simple instruction on racing rules, etc. We'll keep it simpler than the "official" published rule book governing sailing races in the U.S. It appears to have been worded by a committee of several dozen, all of whom had too much coffee prior to the meeting, and all of whom must have been wronged in a seldom occurring situation they wanted to make sure was addressed. It is as concise and easy to understand as the U.S. tax code. Fortunately, simpler interpretations covering the basics are available for mere mortals to read.
After the race we gathered, spaced 6 feet apart on Arlene’s patio for the “protest meeting” where only the laughter is riotous. Matt Bartlett entertained us with his first-person account of receiving the stealthy booby-prize transfer back in April (link to that post here). Even though the trophy has settled at their residence for now, it is still having a hard time finding a permanent visible roost.
Race Results:
1st Race:
Laser Class: Matt Bartlett 1st, Kevin Preuss 2nd, Jim Voelz 3rd
International Class: Catey/Elizabeth Hale 1st, John Auld/Paul Hass 2nd, Tom Schroeder/Arlene Truex 3rd
2nd Race:
Laser Class: Kevin Preuss 1st, Jim Voelz 2nd, Matt Bartlett 3rd
International Class: Catey/Elizabeth Hale 1st, Tom Schroeder/Arlene Truex 2nd, John Auld/Paul Hass 3rd
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