JUNE 29 RACE REPORT

(photos courtesy of Jack and Sandi Miller)

We tied our largest turnout of sailboats in Wayne Truex’s memory (eleven boats, and it happened also in August of 2012). Ross Kunkler skippered his first sailing race and did very well.  We welcomed back Jackson Gall and Brad Stinebring.  And things may be getting a little decadent at the Grandview Yacht Club, what with a co-ed community shower prior to the race, a gourmet meal aboard the Committee boat, and a generous donation.  We also had some exciting action at the finish line, and took a brief dive into a rule-book conundrum and threw up our hands.

OK, the “co-ed” shower was just a brief but heavy rain, and our Committee Boat volunteers got just as soaked as the rest of us.  Thanks to volunteers Steve and Gretchen Fisher, Jack and Sandi Miller, Donna Mount and Mimi Riffle.  Kudos to them for calmly sizing up the rain situation and not cancelling the race in a knee-jerk fashion when the downpour began and the winds got a little gusty. There was no thunder or lightning, and it was pretty clear it was just a squall.  They also did a good job of protecting the decadent gourmet lunch Gretchen had prepared for the group.  And they enjoyed the luxury of a brand new, big, vinyl-coated anchor donated by Jim and Peggy Voelz after Jim’s experience on the Committee Boat at the last race.  Thanks very much Jim and Peggy!  Yeah, things are getting pretty cushy on the Committee Boat these days!  But our fine group went above and beyond the call by hauling in all of the race markers after the race.

Our volunteers take down the markers.  It "takes a village' to conduct a sailing race

  

Thanks to Kevin Preuss and Jim Voelz for setting up a fine course with the start/finish line well away from the power boat traffic.

In his first and second races as skipper, Ross Kunkler took the helm of the Schroeder JY-15, finishing with a very respectable 3^rd out of 6 boats in his class in the first race.  According to our scoring system, captains that turn the helm of their boat over to their crew earn the same number of points as if they had captained the boat themselves.  So Ross may not have realized it, but he was actually doing that particular boat owner a favor with his fine debut as skipper. And in only her 4^th race as a skipper, rookie Sherri Agnew finished 2^nd place in her class of 7 boats and beat the other 2 Butterfly sailboats that are also part of the “International Class”.  In his first time at the helm this season, and with little sleep after  handling the late shift at the E.R., John Gall, with returning crew, Jack Gall, came in 2^nd out of 6 in the “International Class” in the first race, and beat the other Y-Flyer and reigning champion John Auld and crew Paul Hass. Jack took the helm for the first time this season in the second race. And finally, Brad Stinebring returned to the Laser class after a year off, finishing 4^th overall on a handicapped basis out of the fleet of 11 boats in the first race, looking very relaxed, evoking to some, images of former GYC great, Dave Brown.  So it appears there will continue to be plenty of competition in Grandview sailing to keep things lively.

The first race was a snoozer for an on-looker with a low-to-no wind situation following the pre-race dousing.   For the most part, the finishing times were pretty tight on a handicapped basis though.

Laura tries to squeeze speed out of very little wind.  Jim and Arlene are behind her in the Hobie Cat.

For the sailors, it is just as much, if not more work, since low-wind sailing requires constant vigilance and optimizing.

The fleet heads for first mark. Riffle/Truex in catamaran in foreground

The second race was more exciting with a much better wind, and boats finishing in half the elapsed time.  At the protest meeting, eyewitnesses said that about three boats got in the path of the Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex catamaran which had the right of way, causing Jim to alter their course (at Arlene’s urging).  No protest was made, but could well have been successful if pursued.  Nevertheless Riffle/Truex finished first in their class. 

Start of 2nd Race: Jim Voelz (right) and Sherri Agnew (left) foreground

At the finish line, Sherri Agnew was hiked out to the maximum trying not to have to make a final tack.  She nearly went over, but kept the boat upright, and the committee boat and those nearby erupted into cheers.    Shortly thereafter, Peggy Voelz and daughter Laura, both just a wee bit competitive, were in a photo-finish, just like in the race two weeks ago. Peggy prevailed again, but we hope Laura keeps the pressure on.

Heading for 1st mark in 2nd race (more wind). Brothers Gall in foreground attempting to catch Auld/Hass in yellow boat. Sherri on right, Brad on left.

We enjoyed a fine protest meeting at the Truex's.  Thanks Wayne and Arlene!  We discussed a situation that occurred at a mark with the Riffle/Truex boat and the Jim Voelz boat.  The question was who had the right-of-way when they both turned.  We won’t bore you with the details involving Rule 13 and rule 18.3, but the rule book gave unclear guidance for this particular situation.  We were quite pleased there was no protest upon which a ruling would have to have been made and argued over.  Maybe next time.

Race results were as follows:

1^st Race, Laser Class

Jim Voelz 1^st, Tom Jennings 2^nd, Brad Stinebring 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th

1^st Race,  International Class on handicapped basis:

Peggy Voelz 1^st , John & Jack Gall 2^nd, Ross Kunkler/Tom Schroeder 3^rd, Sherri Agnew 4^th, John Auld/Paul Hass 5^th, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 6^th

1^st Race,  Overall (not for scoring) on  handicapped basis:

Peggy Voelz 1^st, Jim Voelz 2^nd, Tom Jennings 3^rd, Brad Stinebring 4^th, The Brothers Gall 5^th, Kunkler/Schroeder 6^th, Sherri Agnew 7^th, Auld/Hass 8^th, Kevin Preuss 9^th, Riffle/Truex 10^th.

2n^d Race, Laser Class

Jim Voelz 1^st, Kevin Preuss 2^nd, Tom Jennings  3^rd

2^nd Race,  International Class on handicapped basis:

Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 1^st, Sherri Agnew 2^nd, Peggy Voelz 3^rd, Laura Garret 4^th, Kunkler/Schroeder 5^th, Auld/Hass 6^th, The Brothers Gall 7^th,

2nd Race,  Overall (not for scoring) on  handicapped basis:

Jim  Voelz 1^st, Kevin Preuss 2^nd, Riffle/Truex 3^rd, Tom Jennings 4^th, Sherri Agnew 5^th, Peggy Voelz 6^th, Laura Garrett 7^th, Kunkler/Schroeder 8^th, Auld/Hass 9^th, The Brothers Gall 10^th.

 

The next race is July 13^th and is a “trophy race”.  We don’t race on holiday weekends anymore, but this will be for the historic “July 4^th trophy”.   In the meantime we hope to see you at the various functions over the Independence Day weekend.

JUNE 15TH RACE REPORT

Old English proverb: "A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor”.  This stiff-winded race either honed or demonstrated the skills of our sailors, who were skillful enough to stay upright… or mostly so.  We welcomed back some sailors we’ve not seen in a while, Sherri Agnew christened her new sailboat without capsizing, and we have a candidate for the “Good Samaritan” award.

Thanks to Jim Voelz and Dick Pitman for setting up and taking down the race course.  And to our wonderful Committee Boat volunteers Beth Auld, Maura Leonard, Mimi Riffle and Jim Voelz.

Welcome back to Dick Pitman and John Gall.  The two doctors teamed up to give Dick’s Y-Flyer a great shakedown race after its 2-year absence, and they did really well!  As anticipated, rookie sailor Sherri Agnew was sailing her brand new Butterfly sailboat.  Considering the conditions, it was really quite an accomplishment that she did not capsize as she learned about her new boat’s limits while also skippering her first race which can be a little bit of sensory overload especially in high winds – well done!  

Lasers are very responsive sailboats, with the trade off that they also tend to respond to sudden wind gusts by attempting to capsize unless the skipper has lightning-fast reflexes.  So considering the winds, it was impressive that Riley Leonard, in only his second race in his Laser, only capsized once and recovered handily.  Well done Riley!  The rest of our Laser sailors were “Ghost Sailors” for this race: They were either out of town, or on committee boat duty, or had Father’s Day commitments, but all wished they could be racing instead. This included Chris Braun who watched the race with his guests from his pontoon boat, disappointed that parts for his new Laser haven’t arrived yet – it would have been quite a fun first Grandview race for him.   Just to make sure you keep our lingo straight, a “Ghost Sailor” doesn’t race, but “sure wishes they could”; A “Mystery Sailor” doesn’t let us know ahead of time they will be racing, but just shows up, and of course, is always welcome.  Anyway as the only Laser sailor, Riley picks up some points relative to the others, coming in first place in the Laser class.  That being said, from a scoring standpoint, the best time to miss a race is when many of those in your class are also absent.  So seven of our eight Laser sailors were fortunate in the timing of their absences.

Laura Garret capsized as we waited for the start of the second race while the Committee Boat struggled to get its anchors to hold.  She was having trouble righting the craft, so Paul Hass, aboard the John Auld Y-flyer jumped in and helped her out.  Thanks Paul and John!   Laura did quite well in both races, and in fact missed third place in the first race by only two-hundredths of a second behind Dr.s Pitman and Gall, and took 3^rd place in the second race.  Laura and Riley were both recipients of coaching from Jim Voelz from the Committee Boat.

Peggy Voelz won both International Class races in a fine performance. Although it would have been nullified by a disqualification, the two Y-flyers, each with experienced sailors, had quite a close battle in the second race, finishing within thirteen seconds of each other.  Final maneuvers approaching the finish line made the difference.  John Auld feels their last strategic tack won the race for him, but Dick Pitman thinks he would have won had he not mishandled his tiller extension, fouling his main sheet in it in the process.  His claim is based on the wind having just provided him a “header”  that would have provided his boat with a shorter distance to the finish than Auld’s boat. Nevertheless, the fact that Pitman/Gall touched the third mark without taking a penalty turn (as confessed at the Protest meeting) disqualified them anyway.    

A small group gathered for the Protest Meeting on the Schroeder’s dock and enjoyed the breeze, cheese, fruit and lively re-living of the race.   Dick Pitman forthrightly spilled the beans about touching a mark, which resulted in his disqualification in the second race as mentioned above.

Race Results were as follows

1^st Race Laser Class:

 Riley Leonard 1^st.

1^st Race International Class: 

Peggy Voelz 1^st, John Auld/Paul Hass 2^nd, Dick Pitman/John Gall 3^rd, Laura Garrett 4^th, Tom Schroeder/Moe Lar  5^th, Bianca & Lance Snider 6^th, Jim Riffle/Ross Kunkler 7^th

1^st Race Overall Results on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring): Riley Leonard takes 6^th, moving Sniders and Riffle/Kunkler down one place each.

2nd Race Laser Class:

 Riley Leonard 1^st.

2^nd Race International Class: 

Peggy Voelz 1^st, John Auld/Paul Hass 2^nd, Laura Garrett 3rd, Tom Schroeder/Moe Lar  4^th, Bianca & Lance Snider 5^th, Sherri Agnew 6^th Jim Riffle/Ross Kunkler 7^th

2^nd Race Overall Results on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring): Riley Leonard takes 5^th, moving Sniders, Agnew and Riffle/Kunkler down one place each.

Our next race is June 29^th.   

NO OOCHING! June 1 Race Report

(Photos courtesy of Dick Pitman)

Highlights of this very well attended race  included welcoming a new sailor, a miraculous come-from-behind win,  a protest denied, some interesting and humorous  rule-book lessons, and new nautical term – “ooching” (you are not supposed to ooch), a fun protest meeting with gourmet food,  and greeting  some of our sailors  for the first time since last fall.  Those are the highlights. The wind, however, was lousy (only during our race).

 

Sherri enjoys her first race

First, a welcome to our newest sailor, Sherri Agnew who will be sailing her new Butterfly sailboat.  This time though she crewed for Tom Schroeder  to learn the starting procedures, basic right-of-way rules, and  low-wind racing techniques such as when to call it quits and find a tow back to your dock.  We look forward to seeing Sherri in future races.

Many thanks to our volunteers!  The Committee boat was handled by Beth Auld, Ross Kunkler, and Bob Orben. 

Bob prepares race sheet while Beth and Ross wait for participants to check in

Beth readies racers for the start

Race set-up/take down was performed by Dick Pitman and Tom Schroeder.  We are also grateful for Wayne and Arlene Truex for being “race central” before the race and hosting the protest meeting at their home, which is the “home port” of the Grandview Yacht Club.  Oh yes, and Dick Pitman turned paparazzi and got some good photos.

The start was a crapshoot as far as strategy was concerned.  The variable, if even present wind gave no indication of its likely direction in the moments prior to the starting horn.  

A directionless start.  Which way to go?

Andy Jennings was over the line before the starting horn and had to return and restart.  Four boats, including Andy, chose to bear to the port side on their initial tack and soon found themselves in a very time consuming “dead spot” with no wind.  Meanwhile the other seven boats headed toward the starboard and had at least a little wind, but not much.  Andy Jennings somehow got ahead of the wind-starved three boats which were all trying to get to starboard with the others where the better wind appeared to be.  Andy however decided to keep his bearing, taking him far, far to the port of the first mark until it was almost ninety degrees to his starboard side, and he was actually near the second mark.  Then he changed his course and enjoyed a strong wind coming across the port side of his boat pushing him quickly toward that elusive first mark.  He now moved so fast that even with a much longer total distance to travel, he got to the first mark before all of the other ten boats, even the seven that were enjoying a little wind. 

Andy sneaking by Jim

Andy sneaking up on Arlene & Jim

Despite his need to re-start the race and an unlucky initial choice of bearing, Andy won the race based on that strong wind he somehow found and put to use.

The field of boats was very spread out because of the “dead spots”.   

2013 Champion John Auld & Paul Hass

Riley in his new Laser

Peggy and Kevin try to catch Jim

Captain Schroeder with first-time sailor Sherri Agnew sat without wind for so long between the first and second marks that Schroeder decided that since in last place anyway, he would forfeit that

While waiting for a tow, Tom entertains Sherri with almost true stories about the other sailors

position and accept Dick Pitman’s kind offer of a tow from the dam all the way back into the seventh addition inlet so that they would be able to return to take down the race course markers and still have a chance of joining the protest meeting.

Uh...excuse me.... I would gladly pay you Tuesday for towing me to my dock today...

Lance and Bianca Snider who were nearby, gutted it out, and finished the race when a bit of a wind came up just as Tom and Sherri were being towed.

***Warning to non-sailors.  You are about to be bored to tears.  If you are reading this to find out about "ooching" you can just skip to item "C" under the "Lessons" section down below.  And yeah, its worth it. You're welcome.***

It doesn't happen often enough, but there was a protest to be decided at the Protest Meeting.  One of the boats touched a turn marker flag and should have taken a 360 degree penalty turn before continuing with the race, but did not.  The perpetrating sailors touched a mark with their sail after having gotten past the mark successfully without touching it (at low speed),   but then were blown backward.    They assumed since they had initially gotten successfully around the mark, their subsequent touching of the mark did not require a penalty 360 degree turn. At the protest meeting, a small “race committee” was hastily deputized to give a ruling on this protest as well as answer a general question posed by a sailor about whether or not it is  allowed to “scull” the boat (move it forward by rapidly fanning the rudder from side to side).  The committee gathered the information that was available to them at the meeting (accounts given by the perpetrators; the protester was not present).  Then they disappeared around a corner for a “sidebar”.  As they were reading the rule book boisterous laughter could be heard at one point, followed by the sounds of more serious deliberations.  Commodore Tom Schroeder delivered the race committee’s ruling on matters as follows:

1. The protest for touching the mark was not valid because the perpetrators were not notified by the protesting sailor promptly enough for them to take action (a penalty turn).   Those who protest the actions of another boat must notify that boat immediately so that that boat’s sailors have a chance to take a penalty turn, etc.   The protester did eventually notify the perpetrators, but did not do so in timely enough a manner.  As required, the protester did notify the Committee Boat of his protest immediately after the race.    Being present at the protest meeting or otherwise delivering an account of the incident within two hours after the race is also required.  If either party is not at the protest meeting we rule based on the information gathered at the protest meeting.  If a party was not present at the meeting and is not in agreement, they may appeal the decision when notified of the outcome. In this particular case an appeal would be moot because of ruling #2 below.

2. Although the protest itself was not valid, the fact that the boat touched the mark, regardless of at what point in time, disqualified that boat because the sailors did not take a penalty turn before continuing with the race. 

LESSONS FROM THE RULE BOOK INCLUDING TOUCHING A MARK, “SCULLING”, “OOCHING”, ETC.

A. Until reading the rule book, even a couple of those on the “race committee” were unaware that it doesn’t matter when you touch any mark, you must take a penalty turn regardless.  Yes, even if you got around that mark at some point, or the mark you touch is not the mark you are to round next.  For instance, in this race Andy Jennings sailed very near the second mark on his way to the first mark just because of the bearing he chose.  Had he touched the second mark on his way to the first, he would have been required to take a penalty turn. 

B. In answer to the question about “sculling” and whether it is allowed:  The answer is that “sculling” defined as “repeated movement of the helm not necessary for steering” is prohibited.

C. During their full reading of the section describing “Prohibited Actions” (including sculling) the committee broke into raucous laughter when they discovered that “OOCHING” IS PROHIBITED.  “Ooching” is a nautical term and is defined as “sudden forward body movement, stopped abruptly”.  No kidding it is right there in the rule book in section 42.2(c).   Also humorous was that when Tom Jennings arrived and heard what we were laughing about, he said “Oh yeah, ooching, that’s in section 42”.  Now THAT is encyclopedic knowledge of the sailing rules!

As usual, we enjoyed some great munchies.  Then Lance and Bianca Snider arrived and broke out some just-prepared sizzling-hot gourmet roasted stuffed peppers along with some sushi.  A fine protest meeting indeed, and it broke up just before the thunderstorm we were happy not to be sailing through.    

Oh yes, and the race results are as follows:

Laser Class:

Andy Jennings 1^st, Jim Voelz 2^nd, Tom Jennings 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, Riley Leonard, 5^th.

International Class: (handicapped results for all boats other than Lasers)

John Auld/Paul Hass 1^st, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Laura Garrett 3^rd, Bianca & Lance Snider 4^th

Overall handicapped results (not for scoring)

Andy Jennings 1^st, Jim Voelz 2^nd, Tom Jennings 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, John Auld 5^th, Peggy Voelz 6^th, Laura Garrett 7^th, Bianca & Riley Leonard 8th, Bianca & Lance Snider 9^th.

Our next race is Sunday, June 15^th at 2pm.  Committee Boat volunteers are needed.  New sailors and volunteers are welcome to join in.  Contact Tom Schroeder for more information.

Spring Social Report

Yacht Club members gathered at Beth and John Auld’s beautiful home and enjoyed each other’s company, the wonderful weather, and a great view.  Thanks again to Beth and John for hosting us, and to Mimi Riffle for updating memberships.

Memorial Day Breakfast Report

Many lot owners and their guests gathered outside the GLOA office for one of the first opportunities of the season to visit with Grandview neighbors.  We observed Memorial Day by reflecting on the price paid by those who served in the military and the price paid by those close to them. We recognized those in attendance who had done so.  Our thanks to the Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Department for providing a tent (and for putting it up and taking it down).   Yacht Club members volunteered to obtain the refreshments and arrange everything.  Thanks to Mimi & Jim Riffle, Arlene Truex, Beth Auld, Lisa Duret, Kevin Preuss, Tom Jennings and Tom and Julia Schroeder for their efforts.

MAY 18TH RACE REPORT

We had four new participants join us for the first race of the season.  Many of our regular sailors were out of town, but we had a good sized fleet. With cool air and water temperatures, it was probably a good thing that it wasn’t windy enough to cause the usual number of capsizes.  It was an exciting race nonetheless because of the close standings of the six boats during the entire race, and the surprises from the variable wind.   Peggy Voelz and the “Portsmouth Yardstick” have the last laugh, and she is probably just now learning about it while reading this report.

Our new participants were:  

·         Chris Braun, who will be racing a Laser this year.  He volunteered on the Committee Boat for this race to see how we do things.  Chris is new to the area, and is an experienced sailor and racer.

·         Ross Kunkler, who crewed for Tom Schroeder.  With plenty of instruction from Tom, Ross is now an experienced crew, but the other skippers will need to correct what Tom taught him!  We hope to have Ross take the helm as soon as possible in a race this year.

·         Maura Leonard, who volunteered for the first time on the Committee Boat after attending the instruction meeting on May 10^th.  Maura is veteran sailor, Riley Leonard’s Mom

·         Nicki Leonard, Riley’s sister, who was in town and helped out on the Committee Boat as well.  We discovered that Nicki has a very competitive spirit, so we hope she’ll “come sail with us” sometime this summer since more than a few of the GYC sailors share that trait.

Kevin Preuss, organized the race in his new role of Race Chairman which we are very grateful to him for taking on.

Riley Leonard set up a good race course with Kevin's assistance.  Thanks gentlemen!

The well-staffed Committee Boat (THANKS! To Chris Braun, Lisa Duret, the Leonard family - Maura, Nicki and Riley, and Arlene Truex) got us off to an excellent and prompt start. 

Jim Voelz was out front immediately and kept it that way, winning the Laser class.  The rest stayed reasonably close behind.  Although they sailed divergent courses, they converged to within inches of one another at each of the three “marks” (turn markers).  So close in fact that it is a little surprising no one tested the limits of their right of way, invoking a protest.   The wind was so variable that Schroeder/Kunkler who were way to port (left, remember?) and aft of (that means behind) the rest of the pack approaching the first mark, were easily able to catch up when the wind shifted, and they counted their blessings.  There was little motor boat traffic so it was easier than usual to read the wind by watching the water.

On the way to the 2nd mark

On the way to the third mark, Lasers skippered by Kevin Preuss and Tom Jennings were off to starboard (yeah, you figured it out – to the right) of the rest of us.   The two boats were overlapped, and since Kevin was leeward (downwind) of Tom,  Kevin had the right of way.  Tom wanted to turn to the port side, but couldn’t because Kevin was there.  Finally, Tom slowed down and went behind Kevin to maneuver himself to the mark.  By the way, regarding the pronunciation of leeward:  An experienced sailor will pronounce it "leward" instead of "lee-ward".

The finish was very exciting with no “instant replay” required since it pretty much all transpired in slow motion.  Jim Voelz finished first followed by Tom Jennings.  Kevin Preuss was doing fine, but got into a position that would have been fine, but with a wind shift, became very unfavorable.  In the last 15 yards he had to tack several times (turn such that the wind comes across the other side of the boat along with the boom– duck!) , putting him at a big disadvantage.  Meanwhile, fairly close to the finish line, Laura Garrett was moving along ahead of both her Mom, Peggy Voelz, and even further ahead of Schroeder/Kunkler, while Kevin was off to her starboard side.  Then the wind died down and shifted just a bit.   Who was going to cross the line first now?  Would it be Peggy or would it be Laura?    

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Laura and Peggy, Schroeder/Kunkler, who were windward (upwind of), were getting the slight wind first, blocking it from Laura and Peggy.  It wasn’t much wind mind you, so Schroeder/Kunkler were moving about as slowly and stealthily as an alligator approaching its prey, unnoticed.  Not having the right of way (because they were windward not leeward as you learned earlier), they had to sneak past Laura and Peggy and crossed the finish line first!   Then Ross did something that showed he is new to Grandview sailing.   Did you read last year’s blog?  If so, put the pieces of this situation together:  a) they had just crossed the finish line before the others unexpectedly  b) therefore they were very pleased with themselves and their sudden good fortune and c) there wasn’t much wind at that moment.   Yes, you guessed it; Ross became celebratory and initiated a “high five” with Tom.  They were lucky; the “high-five syndrome” wind gust did not strike them and capsize them.  But now Ross is aware of the dangers of “high five syndrome”.  

Meanwhile, Kevin Preuss managed to get across the finish line, but the Laura/Peggy drama remained unresolved. Laura mentioned that it was her birthday and she ought to win, so some “happy birthdays!” were shouted from various quarters.  Nevertheless, the wind moved Peggy’s boat forward first to victory. 

In the International Class, Peggy gets the last laugh on Schroeder/Kunkler because after the “Portsmouth Yardstick” (see port column for details) handicap for the boat type is applied to the elapsed time, Peggy beat them.  So did Laura.  So on a handicapped basis it was Peggy Voelz 1^st, Laura Garrett 2^nd, and Tom Schroeder/Ross Kunkler 3^rd.

And in the Laser Class, it was Jim Voelz 1st, Tom Jennings 2^nd, and Kevin Preuss 3^rd. 

Although we don’t handicap the Lasers for scoring purposes, if we did,  the overall results of all the boats on a handicapped basis would have been as follows:  Jim Voelz 1^st, Tom Jennings 2^nd, Peggy Voelz 3^rd, Laura Garret 4^th, Tom Schroeder/Ross Kunkler 5^th and Kevin Preuss 6^th.

The sailors chose not to have a 2nd race due to low wind.

Wayne and Arlene Truex hosted the first Protest Meeting of the year.  We enjoyed the views from the upper deck.  We did a more thorough job of welcoming our new participants and had fun re-living the race.  Thanks Wayne and Arlene!

The next race is scheduled for June 1^st and will be considered the Memorial Day Trophy Race (these days we avoid racing on holiday weekends).   We need Committee Boat volunteers to assist Tom Schroeder, so please contact Tom or our Committee Boat chairperson, Beth Auld if you would like to help out.  We don't like to post email addresses on the blog because they invite spam.  But you can phone Tom at 873-1637 using the Indy area code.

In the meantime, see you at the Memorial Day Breakfast and/or the Spring Social.

Sailor's Meeting Report - May 10th.

Thanks very much to Kevin Preuss and Lisa Duret for hosting our refresher course on Committee Boat, race set-up, and race procedures this past Saturday at their beautiful home.

New Participants:

We were pleased to welcome a new Committee Boat volunteer, Maura Leonard (Riley’s mom), and two sailors new to GYC, Chris Braun and Ross Kunkler.

Chris will crew/volunteer at first, and then race his Laser.  Ross plans on volunteering and crewing for a while, and then sail his sailboat in the International class.   Please welcome Maura, Chris and Ross when you have an opportunity.

Changes/Preparing for first Race:

Sailors will be getting their first race notice from Race Chairman Kevin Preuss for the race this coming Sunday, May 18^th.  As usual, you are asked to notify Kevin of your plans to sail (or not).

In the meantime, we have sent out our a) race set-up, b) racing,  and c)  Committee Boat procedures (just Committee Boat procedures for non-sailing volunteers).  These are available in .pdf format to anyone who requests them. 

Maybe re-read these after uncovering your sailboat and evicting the hornets that are in the process of establishing a colony there.

PLEASE NOTE: 2 KEY CHANGES FOR 2014:

1. We will no longer be using a starting flag.  The starting horn will be the only “start” signal.  This will make committee boat duties for our wonderful volunteers more streamlined, avoid confusion for sailors, and be more consistent with the way other sailing clubs operate.  We will however, continue to use both a flag and a horn for the “five minute warning”.   Once sailors see or hear that we are within 5 minutes to start, it this their responsibility to stay in earshot of the Committee Boat to hear the starting horn.

2.     Sailors are asked to serve on the Committee Boat on the same day they are responsible for setting up the race course, or to recruit a substitute who can lift an anchor/drive a pontoon boat, and willing to learn how to start and time races.  This is to provide additional help for our non-sailing volunteers.  If you sail with us regularly,  and have not been assigned a date for race set-up, please volunteer to help someone on the schedule set up since it is really a 2-person job (and a good chance to learn how).  Contact Race Chairman, Kevin Preuss  to sign up for a date.  Also, consider volunteering to help on the Committee Boat by contacting Committee Boat Chair, Beth Auld, and signing up.

After a long and brutal winter, we are looking  forward to seeing you on the water, at the “Protest Meeting” at the Truex’s, at the Memorial Day breakfast and/or at the Spring Social on May 30^th!