LABOR DAY BREAKFAST - Special Edition

The heat and rain abated just in time to gather in great weather on Ed and Dolores Krome’s beautiful lakeside garden patio with lots of Grandview neighbors on Labor Day morning.  Our Thanks to Ed and Dolores for hosting us!

This was a Special Edition of the Yacht Club’s Labor Day Breakfast because we used the Labor Day theme to honor those who have served on the various Grandview Lake boards and committees, and lead or have led the other major undertakings that make or keep Grandview Lake a great place.

Pictured above are just some of the great people who have labored hard to make Grandview Lake such a great place. (Photo courtesy of Lenny Verebay)  A listing of all of the 1983-2013 Board of Directors members, including many who were present at the breakfast, but not in the above photo, is shown later in this article.

With many of those wonderful folks gathered together up on the porch (see photo above), we honored them and those not present by reflecting on just some of the things that are great about Grandview Lake. They are not that way by accident;  it took some fine people to take the initiative to make things great and then keep them that way.  For instance:

It’s great that we have a beautiful lake – the main attraction, right?  But what if no one took it upon themselves to monitor and maintain the dam every single day and make sure it gets fixed when it needs to be?

It’s great that the tributaries feeding the lake are kept clear of fallen trees and branches and that the pond to trap sediment is cleared out from time-to-time.  What if no one took it upon themselves to do that?

It’s great that above the perimeter road we see nothing but beautiful hills and woods that make this place that much more special and unusual.  But what if no one had taken it upon themselves to buy and protect that land when the lumber company was about to timber it, and then sell it?  Or what if no one took it upon themselves to keep all the flora and fauna from being destroyed by an overpopulation of deer?

It’s great that you don’t have to lug gas cans from your car trunk down to your dock and spill gas as you fill up your motorboat. But what if no one took it upon themselves to install the gas pumps and keep them maintained.   And what if no one took it upon themselves to keep the boat launches and trailer parking areas orderly and maintained?

It’s great that on your behalf someone confronts those that don’t abide by the covenants or lake safety practices.  But what if you had to always do that yourself, or just live with “anything goes” chaos?

It’s great that you can flush your toilet!  But what if no one took it upon themselves to monitor the operation of the system, and bite the bullet and replace the sewer plant instead of having the state shut it down because it didn’t meet their changing standards?

It’s great that someone is making it easier for us to amend our by-laws as times change, instead of having 10 separate sets of covenants for different parts of the lake.  But what if no one took it upon themselves to perform this long arduous and thankless task?

It’s great that you can catch fish in our lake because someone makes sure it gets stocked.  But what if no one took that task upon themselves?

It’s great that you can walk a hiking trail that been cleared of fallen trees, drive around the lake without litter everywhere, and that we have flowers planted at the entrances.  But what if no one took it upon themselves to do that?

For display at the breakfast, Mimi and Jim Riffle, and Donna Sasse, put a ton of effort into listing those who served on the Board of Directors over the years and who are still living and have a lot here at the lake. It also includes years of service and projects they were instrumental in accomplishing. Harry Sanders also helped by adding his recollections.   It will be helpful to the Grandview Lake history project that is being undertaken.

If you put on your reading glasses you might be able to make out the names on the above cropped photo.  Sorry, but the 3-column format of this blog doesn't lend itself very well to this. To get a better look,  it will be framed and hanging in the GLOA office.  Take a look at it next time you are there. 

We also had a trivia contest about who did what.  Stay tuned as we will find a way to dole out those questions and answers one at a time for the next little while.

Thanks again to Ed and Dolores Krome for hosting, and to Donna Sasse, Mimi and Jim Riffle and Harry Sanders for their research.

SEPTEMBER 1ST RACE REPORT

During our Labor Day weekend race, a new sailor from a developing racing dynasty was welcomed to the club, a new grandchild from a long-time racing dynasty was being born during the race, and we were visited by limbo star, and ace Laser class sailor, Andy Jennings.  Also during the race an attitude adjustment was administered, and snarling problem was solved.

Andy demonstrates how to go under limbo stick in world-class fashion

First we would like to welcome Erin Gall, Jackson Gall’s new bride to the Grandview sailing community.  She sailed with Jackson in her first race and we are delighted to have her join us.   They did well in the 2nd race!  And Jim Voelz appeared for the race in his powerboat instead of his sailboat so he could stay closely tuned to his mobile phone for a call from wife Peggy since birth of their second grandchild to daughter Mary and her husband was imminent.  REALLY imminent!  As we swarmed around the starting line before the race Jim shouted that Mary was in labor and he would wave one noodle if it was a boy and two noodles if it was a girl.  A birth announcement using noodle-net!

With no wind while we waited for the start of the race, it looked like there might be a cancellation.  Then, just in time for the race the wind showed up, albeit from the south instead of the west per earlier conditions. This wind was no stranger.  It is the same wind that been hanging around all season, torturing those that don’t make it through the first mark fast enough, and rewarding those that do.  It chose to play this dirty trick again in the second race. Since it was a holiday weekend, we kept the course in the middle of the main lake, away from the skiing and tubing routes.  Nevertheless, the Committee Boat got quite a rocking.  We are very grateful to our Committee Boat volunteers Beth Auld, Susan Egbert, Deb Hendrick, Emily McCurdy and Mimi Riffle.  Also, thanks to Jim Riffle for setting up the course with assistance from Tom Schroeder, and for taking down the course with assistance from Kevin Preuss.

Are you ready for this week’s nautical terms lesson?  Due to winds from the south we had a straight shot to the first mark on a beam reach (wind coming over the side of the boat), with only about a 50/50 chance of having to tack (changing direction such that wind is coming over the opposite side of the boat) near the first mark depending on wind shifts.  Normally you try to start the race with the wind over your starboard (right) side (a starboard tack) because that gives you the right of way so you don’t have to bob and weave (perform evasive maneuvers) around the other boats.  But this race favored a start with the wind over the port side (a port tack).  Those that tried a starboard tack, tacked just as soon as they got over the line but this strategy put you downwind of the rest of the sailors which turned out to be the slowest approach to the first mark. 

Not much to report on about the first race since the wind was saving its torture for the next race, but here are the results of this the "Trophy Race":

Laser Class:  Tom Jennings 1st, Andy Jennings 2nd, Kevin Preuss 3rd.
International Class (on handicapped basis):  Tom Schroeder/Catey Hale 1st, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 2nd, John Auld/Bob Zachidny 3rd, Laura Garrett 4th, Jack Gall/Erin Gall 5th.
If the Lasers were also handicapped:  The Lasers would have been 1st, 2nd and 3rd as shown above, followed by the International Class in the order shown.
 
Between the first and second race many “Baby yet?” shouts were directed to Jim Voelz to which he replied “Still Pushing!” (not a nautical phrase).

During the second race, Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder in the JY-15 started on a port tack and were upwind and well ahead of all but Tom Jennings, but had to tack once in order to get to the first mark.  Now on a starboard tack and enjoying the right of way near the first mark, they encountered John Auld/Bob Zachidny in a Y-Flyer, who had to yield and bear off (turn away from their previous course) which cost them a few critical seconds.  During those few seconds Hale/Schroeder made it around the mark before a wind shift hit Auld/Zachidny, causing them to touch the mark, do the required 360 degree penalty turn, and find themselves with no wind.  Andy Jennings also found himself touching the mark and doing a 360 as well.  Meanwhile about half of the other boats got by the first mark and enjoyed a favorable wind.  But those delayed at the mark found themselves without much wind for the rest of the race finishing way, way, way behind the first pack.  Andy Jennings, just about to cross the finish line, even found himself being pushed backward in a light wind shift.   We were pleased to have Andy join us and give the Lasers more competition in this race.

You may remember from the August 18th race report that attitude and race results go hand-in-hand.  In that race, John Auld and Catey Hale won International Class with a determined attitude as shown below.

Tom Schroeder’s JY-15 didn’t do so well, and the photo below speaks for itself in terms of “attitude”.

So for this race, hoping to reform and do better, Tom recruited Catey Hale to sail with him.   Tom captained the first race.  Against Catey’s better judgment, he tried the start on a starboard tack.  And, having the right of way, thought maybe he would mess with those on port tack before coming about (a synonym for “tack” - changing direction such that wind is coming over the opposite side of the boat – used here instead of “tack” because using the word “tack” too many times within two consecutive sentences would be….. tacky) and getting on a port tack himself. But Catey convinced him this wasn’t a way to win friends, influence people, or win races, so he relented and turned to a port tack after crossing the starting line. But that put them downwind of the others, and they had to sail with dirty air (air that has been made turbulent after going through the sails of another sailboat) making them slower.  Nevertheless although not beating any of the Lasers, the JY-15’s captain, sporting a different attitude and benefiting from some good coaching,  ended up coming in first in the International class.   

For the second race Catey took the helm (you learned that term in the Aug 18^th race report, did you not?) and demonstrated good judgment by starting on a port tack.  The Committee Boat was only about 10 feet away, and the five women on board gave Tom a bit of ribbing during the start which was met with a good natured, but snarling response that we had heard enough from the Committee Boat.  And Jim Riffle had the Committee Boat volunteers a bit concerned when he appeared to be playing chicken with them at the start. With Catey at the helm the JY-15 again sailed to a first place finish in the International class.  This is the best it’s done in many years, finishing behind only Tom Jennings who is in the Laser class.  In addition to learning some valuable sailing tips from Catey, Tom was delighted that he doesn’t have to buy a new boat – The JY-15 can win, provided the captain has the right attitude, and gets to the first mark before the wind stops. And speaking of attitude, Hale/Schroeder could have, should have, easily succumbed to “high five syndrome”, but didn’t.  And this year’s demonic wind was there waiting, surely thinking they would.  It will have to wait for the next sailing season.

And regarding snarling:  Snarling has been a real problem for the Committee Boat this year.   It was getting concerning. Morale was being compromised, and Mimi Riffle reported that something had to be done.  After all, if there is too much snarling, the Committee Boat volunteers can get discouraged.  Well, we’ve taken some action that appears to keep the snarling at bay.  Maybe you have experienced a snarling problem also, and it may be getting you down.  We want to share our way of dealing with it.  Maybe it will work for you as well and make your life a little better.  Here is what you do:  Go buy one of those orange traffic safety cones at Lowes.  Put it in the bottom of a five gallon bucket (you may have to cut the square corners off the base of the cone so that it will fit).  Now, when you haul up your anchor line, feed the line around and around the cone.  The next time you go to drop anchor; your anchor line will feed out smoothly without snarling!  Snarling problem solved!

 Here are the results of the 2nd race, followed by baby news, etc.
Laser Class: Tom Jennings 1st, Kevin Preuss 2nd, Andy Jennings 3rd.
International Class on handicapped basis:  Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder 1st, Jack Gall/Erin Gall 2nd, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 3rd, Laura Garret 4th, John Auld, Bob Zachidny 5th.
If the Lasers were also handicapped (not so straighforward in this race):  Tom Jennings 1st, Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder 2nd, Jack Gall/Erin Gall 3rd, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 4th, Kevin Preuss 5th, Laura Garrett 6th, John Auld/Bob Zachidny 7th, Andy Jennings 8th.

Like the sailors between races you are probably wondering about the baby being born.  Well, just a few minutes after the end of the second race, as the fleet was headed toward their docks, Jim Voelz received the call from Peggy and was seen waving two noodles.  It’s a girl! And we hear from the Voelzs that everyone is doing great.  It was great fun for the Grandview sailors to anticipate her arrival during the sailing race (especially the baby’s Aunt Laura who was racing with us).  Congratulations!

After the race, the main sail on the Hobie catamaran could not be lowered due to a problem with the pulley.  So a major operation occurred dockside at the Truex’s, as it often does. Thanks to Jackson Gall, Jim Riffle, Kevin Preuss and Wayne Truex for all the hard work, just prior to composing themselves for the protest meeting.

The size of the group attending the protest meeting was ground-level worthy again.  Some legendary stories were told, but you have to be there to hear them.  So come sail or volunteer with us next year!   Thanks to Wayne and Arlene for hosting after each race this year!

AUGUST 18TH RACE REPORT *

We had a mysterious (and polite) visitor from a faraway land, resolution to some troubling questions from the last race, a new revelation related to the “high five syndrome" exposed in the last report, more limbo,  two (!!!) Sunfish sailboats, a very pleasant day for  committee boat volunteers and sailors,  race results that could have been predicted by “body language”,  and a new sailing tip involving aggravation.   Fortunately for you,  we have great pictures by Committee Boat volunteer Tricia Zachidny that will save many words (so keep those pictures coming!).  We also received positive feedback on having appropriate background music for reading the blog, so we'll have some of that for you as well.

Before we get to unfinished business from the last race, we want to thank our Committee Boat volunteers for a really great job.  Thank you Beth Auld, Bonnie Hicks, Bob Orben, Mimi Riffle and Tricia Zachidny!  Also, thanks to David and Tracey Day for spotting and returning some race-related gear.   Jim Voelz set up a good course, assisted by Ben Hicks who volunteered to help and learn.  And finally, we extend our best wishes to Maura Leonard, who had volunteered to help out on the Committee boat, but had family members involved in a car accident the night before and was helping them out.  We hope everyone recovers quickly and well.

From the August 4th race report you will remember that we had some questions about some artwork sketched by the committee boat on the scoring sheet:

Question for our Committee Boat artist: Is this a) a woman with long hair whose upper body has been thrown backward by the rocking of the committee boat, b) a volunteer vomiting due to seasickness,  or c) a volunteer going under the "limbo stick"?  (the limbo stick seems to be becoming a recurring theme)

We learned at this week's protest meeting that the artist was Sandi Miller, who was feeling a little woozy from the rocking of the waves that day, which makes option "b" above the correct answer. 

You may also remember that we showed a pair of pictures (below) showing how Wayne and Arlene Truex righted the capsized Y-Flyer, and we were wondering about Wayne's well-being in this procedure:

Arlene secures the line in the ski boat after Wayne positions it properly on the Hobie.  That's Wayne, high and dry, standing on the pontoon in the water.  Earlier, Arlene fell from the "skyward" pontoon - wheeee!

OK Arlene! Gun it!  No, Wait! Where's Wayne?

 In the second photo we wondered “Where’s Wayne?” When asked at this week's protest meeting, Wayne nonchalantly commented that he remained standing on the seaward pontoon  as Arlene expertly applied just the right amount of throttle on the ski boat.  As the Hobie slowly turned mast-to-sky, Wayne said he merely “entered the water” (notice he is fully clothed in long sleeves, long pants and a nice hat).   “No big deal, what did you think would happen?", he asked.   Okay then! 

And to finish the unfinished business: There was another previously unreported  2013 victim of “high five syndrome” the consequences of which are quick and sudden capsize.  The victim is none other than Kevin Preuss.  Kevin revealed that in the July 28^th race, after beating Tom Jennings for 2^nd place, he became "celebratory", let down his guard and received an unwelcome visit from the ever-vigilant Grandview wind gremlin and SMACK! suddenly found himself in the water.   

On to this weeks’ race:  OK, after turning your computer's volume down a bit, you will want to start the background music now by clicking here and then coming back to this window on your browser while the music plays.

The wind was just like the last few races and we’ll spare you the disparaging description other than the fact that even after handicapping for boat speed, the last-place finisher took well over twice as long to finish as the first-place finisher.  To be fair though, we don’t handicap for attitude. Yet.  And from here on in we’ll let Tricia’s pictures narrate the race with a little help from that background music which is Jimmy Buffet's "Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes":

The attitude we all wish for:  Jim seems satisfied after finishing more than five minutes ahead of the second place boat in the first race.  Careful Jim, this is when “high five syndrome” strikes!

The determined attitude:  Catey Hale and John Auld are focused on the finish line.
  And they finished well, taking 1^st place in the International Class.

The laid-back attitude:  The most comfortable boat in the fleet,  with a recliner-like cockpit .  How did they do in the race? Well........

We had two Sunfish sailboats with us, for this race.  If you have a Sunfish in the shed, dust it off and come out and sail with us!  Or lend it to someone who will.

Ben and Eileen gave it a go, but alas some rudder difficulties caused them to abandon the race.  We hope they are back for the next race.

Graham Hale (left) is joined by Nicholas, the Hale’s foreign exchange student from France.  Nicholas told Graham that in France, it is considered proper etiquette for sailboat racers to bow to the Committee Boat volunteers upon crossing the finish line.  And so they stood up and did, to the delight of the volunteers!

John and Jack Gall do not realize that they are about to be passed prior to crossing the finish line.

Jim and Arlene in the colorful Hobie catamaran snuck up on the brothers Gall beating them to the finish line by one second.  But applying the handicap, the brothers Gall beat them.

Here you see Riley (who did well in both races – way to go Riley!) about four or five feet ahead of Tom and Bob just before the finish line (the orange pole).  The wind had died, but Riley had some residual boat speed, while Tom and Bob had no boat speed whatsoever.  So.......

Thirty seconds later (!),  with Riley long gone, Tom and Bob finally cross the finish line.  "If we couldn't laugh we'd all go insane!"

We had quite a gathering at the protest meeting with our numbers again being the trigger for lower-deck status of the many seating options at the Truexs'.  Bob Orben gave away one of his sailing secrets by advising John Gall within earshot of others that with the constantly shifting winds at Grandview you need to “aggravate the sail”.  If I understand this correctly this means you have to regularly try pointing the boat just a little closer to the wind to see if a wind shift has occurred that will permit you to sail a better course than you previously thought was possible.  I think this may also be known as “pinching” (which is also aggravating, so that would make sense).  Have I got this right Bob?   Anyway it was one of those gatherings that can occur only at a special place with special people - Grandview Lake.

Race Results

Laser Class:  Jim Voelz  sailed the only Laser, thus winning both races in his class. And had we handicapped him he would have come in first versus all boats in the International Class (the rest of the fleet).  

International Class after applying handicaps:

1^st Race:   Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 1^st, John Auld/Catey Hale 2^nd, Peggy Voelz 3^rd, Jackson Gall/John Gall 4^th, Riley Leonard 5^th, Laura Garret 6^th, Graham Hale/Nicholas 7^th, Tom Schroeder/Bob Zachidny 8^th.

2^nd Race: Peggy Voelz 1^st, Catey Hale/John Auld 2^nd, John Gall/Jackson Gall 3^rd, Riley Leonard 5^th, Graham Hale/Nicholas 6^th, Tom Schroeder/Bob Zachidny 7^th, Laura Garrett 8^th.

Our final race is Sunday September 1^st at 2pm.  Come sail with us!

AUGUST 4TH RACE REPORT

You will have a more enjoyable read of this post if you first start the specially chosen YouTube music which will open up in a separate window when you click here. Then come back to this window, turn the volume down to background level, and you'll get into the right mood.

We had wind, a capsize of significance, a gourmet protest meeting, and more.  And we have pictures courtesy of Jack and Sandi Miller, who along with Mimi Riffle and Steve and Gretchen Fisher, were our committee boat heroes to whom we are thankful.  Our volunteers did register a protest.  Seems they wished we hadn’t positioned them where all the motorboat wakes converged, causing them to “bob like wobbly weebles” as stated in their protest. And they drew a stick figure (below)  to demonstrate what it felt like.  It raises some interesting questions.  They can thank, as we sailors sincerely do, John Gall and Jim Voelz for setting up a good course for us.   We’ll be looking into a portable breakwater in the off-season.

Question for our Committee Boat artist: Is this a) a woman with long hair whose upper body has been thrown backward by the rocking of the committee boat, b) a volunteer vomiting due to seasickness,  or c) a volunteer going under the "limbo stick"?  (the limbo stick seems to be becoming a recurring theme)

Hey, by the way, we know you've been meaning to get on the Committee Boat at least once this season and enjoy the best spot on the lake.  Well, there are only two races left, and you'll probably be busy for the last one on Labor Day weekend.  And it will be a long off-season  And guess what?  We are in need of some help for the next race since Mimi Riffle and Bob Orben are the only ones signed up at this point.   So Carpe Diem!  You'll enjoy the fun!  Please contact our Committee Boat Chairperson, Beth Auld at 407-5080 (that would be with a 317 area code) to volunteer.  No experience necessary.  We'll appreciate the help and will add you to our honor roll of volunteers (see "port" column).

Mimi keeps her footing on the rocky Committee Boat

For this report, a primer on a few key nautical terms to look for:   "Leeward" (pronounced leward), means downwind; "Skyward" means toward the sky; "Main Sheet" means the line that controls the main sail and;   "Helm" means the position in the boat where the tiller and usually the main sheet are operated, essentially controlling the direction of the boat. Got it?

Ben Hicks had his first full race as captain.   He crewed for John Gall, who decided to accelerate Ben’s learning curve by turning the helm over to him in the 2^nd race.  Our scoring system encourages this, so John will receive the same number of points for the second race as if he had been captain.  Kudos to both of you guys.  By the way, if you have a two-person sailboat that Ben can borrow for the next race, please let us know by leaving a comment.  There is a comment icon at the bottom of this post that you can click on, and we'll get it, and I'll put you in touch with Ben.

 

The Grandview wind was its devilish self, but at least it attended the race and made things interesting.  That is the best that can be said about it if one is not going to say something nice.   And most of us did have some salty words for the wind, including Jim Riffle and Arlene Truex.   Seems they fell victim to “high five syndrome” after a huge win over all other boats, including the Lasers in the second race.  Right after they passed the finish line, knowing they had bested everyone, they let their guard down just for a split second. Had they not been so satisfied with themselves, the demon wind might not have been so tempted.  But there they were, really pleased with the race.  Jim still had the main sheet cleated in, and was sitting on the leeward side of the boat.  Awe c’mon how could the wind resist?   And especially after it had a trophy-winning success in an identical situation last season, toying with John Auld and Paul Hass!  A well-timed purely evil tempest swatted the ample square footage of the very tall sailed 18-foot Hobie catamaran.   Arlene found herself on the skyward side of the very wide catamaran as it quickly turned over.  She had not fastened the tether we gave her after last year’s dunking, so she fell to the water from on high.   Mono-hulled boats are usually relatively easy for the crew to get back upright provided the mast is floating on the water, but it’s much more difficult with a catamaran.  And on days with such unpredictable gusts, fellow sailors cannot really assist a capsized boat because they have their hands full trying to control their own boats.  But Lance and Bianca Snider in their stable AMF Sunbird knew just how to handle the situation.   They quickly dropped their jib and eased up to the tip of the horizontal mast of the Hobie, and lifted it out of the water and rested it on their hull.  This was to keep the mast from sinking and the boat from turtling.  Wayne Truex, watching from shore came out in the ski boat.  Arlene then captained the ski boat while Wayne hopped on the Hobie, and attached a line going over the skyward pontoon to the ski boat and had Arlene apply just the right amount of throttle.  And there you go.   Well done everyone!  And thanks to the other boaters and the Safety Patrol who gathered around, picked up the sailors and were willing to help in any way they could.

Arlene secures the line in the ski boat after Wayne positions it properly on the Hobie.  That's Wayne, high and dry, standing on the pontoon in the water.  Earlier, Arlene fell from the "skyward" pontoon - wheeee!

OK Arlene! Gun it!  No, Wait! Where's Wayne?

OK the music probably stopped by now, and you really need it for the rest of the post.  So restart it by clicking here, then come back to this window and read the exciting race results.

 First Race

The start of the first race was a real let-down.  A brisk wind had us all prepared for an exciting start, and then lost most of its velocity.  We are not sure if it was the wind or what, but Riley Leonard started the race backwards.  With the exception of the Hobie, most of the other nine boats were making good progress approaching the first mark, with five boats just a little bit ahead of the others, maybe by thirty seconds or so.   The wind then played favorites and if you weren’t one of those five boats, you were toast for the rest of the race and would finish ten to twenty (!)  minutes behind the first five.   Nonetheless skill certainly had its place in the finishing order.  The Hobie, just a wee bit behind everyone else at the start,  found no wind and Jim and Arlene sat motionless for some time while the rest of the fleet were at least making some progress.  They finished last. Surely this rotten start was intended to add to their eventual glee, helping induce “high five syndrome” upon finishing first in the next race.  What a setup.

Steve gets us off to a good start in the second race

First Race Laser Class:

Tom Jennings edged out Jim Voelz by about 13 seconds, followed closely by Kevin Preuss.

First Race International Class:

The Y-Flyers were among the five non-toasted boats (the others being the Lasers) to make it quickly around that first mark and finish well.  So John Auld/Catey Hale and John Gall/Ben Hicks finished first and second respectively.    They were followed much later (on a handicapped basis) by: Bianca/Lance Snider 3^rd, Riley Leonard 4^th, Tom Schroeder 5^th, Laura Garrett 6^th, and Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 7^th.

If you handicapped all boats, the Lasers finished 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in the order shown above, followed by the International Class boats in their order shown above.

Jim be nimble, Jim be quick, Jim go unda limbo stick!

Second Race

There was no wind at the start of the second race and we were all on top of one another.  Jim Voelz went over the starting line before the starting horn, so had to start over.   Then, like the first race we were scattered all over with the longest finishing time nearly twice that of the shortest.

Second Race Laser Class:

Jim Voelz 1^st, finished about thirty seconds ahead of Tom Jennings 2^nd, despite having to re-start.  Kevin Preuss finished 3rd.  Had a handicap been applied to the Lasers, a few International Class boats beat them all (see way below).

Jim prepares to pass his entire boat under the limbo stick!

Second Race International Class:

Quite a difference in finishing order:  Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex came in first in this race instead of last as in the prior (high five!).  Catey Hale/John Auld 2^nd, Laura Garrett 3^rd, Tom Schroeder 4^th, Ben Hicks/John Gall 5^th, Bianca/Lance Snider 6^th, Riley Leonard 7^th.

But Andy Jennings is the champion at limbo!  THIS is how its done!

If all boats were applied their handicaps, the order would be as follows:  Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 1^st (double high five!), Catey Hale/John Auld 2^nd, Jim Voelz 3^rd, Tom Jennings 4^th, Laura Garret 5^th, Kevin Preuss 6^th, Tom Schroeder 7^th, Ben Hicks/John Gall 8^th, Bianca/Lance Snider 9^th, Riley Leonard 10^th.

Protest Meeting

The protest meeting achieved the “lower deck” threshold (If there is a real crowd we sit down below since there is more room).  And there were truly gourmet fixings to be enjoyed.  Should we worry about the “bar being raised” too high?  Naaaah.  It was a great time as usual. 

Arlene shows Tom Jennings what it feels like to get plucked out of the water.  No, actually this was part of a discussion on what happens when the boom swings to the other side of the boat and the main sheet hardware catches on the top of your life jacket while you are ducking.  See to be a good sailor, you really do have to be a limbo star!  How loooowwww can YOU goooooooo? 

We were delighted to have John Sohn (and Petey) join us again, though there was no protest for him to arbitrate other than that shared by our fine committee boat volunteers.  Thanks for hosting Wayne and Arlene!

JULY 28TH RACE REPORT

This was Ben Hicks first full race.  He crewed for Tom Schroeder.  Welcome Ben!  

We had to cancel our July 21st race due to lack of wind and rescheduled to July 28^th and we are glad we did!  We had a sunny day with a high in the mid-70s with wind!  What kind of wind?  Well, it was mostly moderate to strong with lots of gusts, plenty of direction changes and a fair number of dead-spots. 

And for any particular sailor, most of these changes occurred at the worst possible moment.  So each captain/crew had to deal with their own challenges,  unfairness, etc., but we all had our share.  Sort of like life only not as serious (depending on who you're talking to).

Thanks very much to our Committee Boat volunteers Norm and Susan Egbert, assisted by Beth Auld.  And also ready to help were Mimi Riffle, Donna Mount and Bob Orben. We are grateful to you all.

And for race set-up, Catey Hale and John Gall set up the course on July 21, only to have it cancelled, and Kevin Preuss and Tom Schroeder set up on the 28^th.  Thanks!

We had a very well attended protest of the lack of wind on July 21^st at the Truex’s with all sorts of great snacks to munch on.  Thanks Wayne and Arlene!

July 21 Protest Meeting:  How many separate conversations?

Laser Class:  In the first race Jim Voelz came in well ahead of the entire fleet.  Kevin Preuss edged out Tom Jennings by just a handful of seconds to take 2^nd place in the Laser class.  In the second race, Tom Jennings took first place. Jim Voelz capsized right after the start after taking an ill-timed gust of wind, and also took a penalty turn after fouling Kevin Preuss on the way to the second mark.  Nonetheless he finished 2^nd to Tom Jennings by a very close margin, with Kevin finishing third.

International Class:  The International Class is timed, then handicap factors specific to a particular make/model of boat are applied, since some boat designs are faster than others.   Peggy Voelz won the first race followed by John Auld/Bob Orben, Tom Schroeder/Ben Hicks, Laura Garrett, and Bianca/Lance Snider.  In the second race, John Auld/Bob Orben finished first followed by Peggy Voelz, Bianca/Lance Snider, Laura Garret, and Tom Schroeder/Ben Hicks.

Not how we score the races, but if we handicapped the Lasers as well, the finishing order would have been as follows:  1^st race: Jim Voelz, Peggy Voelz, Kevin Preuss, Tom Jennings, John Auld/Bob Orben, Tom Schroeder/Ben Hicks, Laura Garrett,  Bianca/Lance Snider.   2^nd Race: Tom Jennings, Jim Voelz, John Auld/Bob Orben, Peggy Voelz, Bianca/Lance Snider, Laura Garret, Kevin Preuss, Tom Schroeder/ Ben Hicks

The next race is  this Sunday, August 4^th at 2pm.

July 7th RACE REPORT

You can't always get what (wind) you waaaaant.....

Wind was scarce so we had just one race on July 7^th, the “Independence Day Trophy Race” (we are not daring enough to put all those sailboats out there on the holiday itself).  Josh Gray volunteered for the first time on the Committee Boat and was joined by Beth Auld, Bob Orben, Mimi Riffle and Trish Zachidny.  Tom Jennings and Lance Snider set up the race course, and Tom Jennings acted as Race Chairman.  Thanks everyone!

In the Laser class Jim Voelz finished ahead of Tom Jennings.  

In the International Class, Peggy Voelz finished first, followed by Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex second, John Auld/Bob Zachidny third, and Jack Gall/John Gall fourth.  Laura Garrett and Bianca and Lance Snider decided not to wait out the wind and bowed out on the hot afternoon. 

On an overall handicapped basis Jim Voelz and Tom Jennings finished first and second respectively, then the rest of field (the International Class) finished in the order mentioned in the previous paragraph.

INDEPENDENCE DAY BREAKFAST AND KAYAK RACE

Breakfast:

Good weather favored the very large gathering of Grandview neighbors and friends at the very patriotically decked-out lakefront of Dan and Judy Hoyt.  They even had a checkered flagged banner to mark the start/finish line for the kayak race.   A golf-car shuttle service operated by Hoyt grandchildren  took participants from the road down to the  

lake and back, leaving us with a little more energy to entertain guests at our own lots upon our return from the breakfast!

As usual we did not forget the reason for the holiday and took a moment to acknowledge the world-changing Declaration made on July 4, 1776, and the reason for it. And we cheered the freedom the red white and blue stars and stripes of the American Flag are intended to represent.

Thanks to Dan and Judy Hoyt and their family for their enthusiastic hospitality!   Participants also thanked them and the Sanders family for staying up late the night of July 2 to make all at that delicious home-made ice cream the two families served at the Sanders lot to all comers on July 3^rd.  

 Some  photos will have to be removed before
Labor Day for obvious reasons!

Red (sort of), white and blue - well done!

(Well... if you can)

Kayak Race:

Max Henry coordinated and sponsored the annual kayak race and provided prizes for the winners.  Thanks Max! And thanks to Jim Riffle and Tom Schroeder for helping out with some course logistics. 

The exciting two-lap race had the brothers Gall, John and Jackson, in a close battle in the first lap in the men’s division.  

Jack and John battle for lead early in race

But John pulled ahead and stayed well ahead for the remainder of the race leaving Jack to fight for second place with Sam Hoyt.  Jack kept the lead until shortly before the finish when Sam pulled ahead and finished just ahead of Jack. 

John sits at finish and watches as Sam pulls ahead of Jack, followed by Malachi

Kyle

Malachi Henry, just back from a fine 3rd place finish in an "Iron Man" competition out west,  came in a close fourth followed by his brother-in-law Kyle Turner.  

Tracey

Tracey Day, borrowed a kayak at the last-minute and, paddled hard to a first place finish in the women’s division. 

Jack Gall was racing the historic forerunner of the modern plastic variety of kayak used by most of us.  This, in fact was the maiden voyage for the hand-built frame-and-fabric kayak he just completed building.  

Jackson Gall in his just-completed kayak and paddle

He also used a “Greenland paddle” which is much different than the paddles most of us use.

A little background on that paddle:  “The ancestors of today's Greenlanders, known as the Thule culture, moved east from Alaska and northern Canada only about a thousand years ago, about the same time that Eric the Red was settling southwest Greenland. Since a different style of paddle with a longer loom and much shorter, leaf-shaped blades was used until recently by many Inuit west of Greenland, the Greenland paddle may have evolved after the Thule Inuit reached Greenland” -by Chuck Holst:  Making a West Greenland Paddle