SEPTEMBER 21ST RACE REPORT – “Uncle” already! The wind wins. Ready for next Sunday?

Thanks to blog-contributor Kevin Preuss for providing 96.3% of the "regular" report and for tolerating the few additions and changes made.  Also, at the end you will find an addition by John Auld who provided his account of his and crewman Paul Hass' wrestling match with the wind.

We had lots of wind with pronounced, sudden, and unpredictable shifts. This proved to be a big challenge.  Nine boats were rigged and seven were brave enough to head for the starting line.  Multiple capsizes and numerous close calls by our capable sailors in all classes of boats led the Committee Boat to cancel the race.   

Thanks to our Committee Boat volunteers Bob Orben, Maura & Nikki Leonard, and Dave McAlister, all of whom answered our plea for help and volunteered on short notice.  They successfully anchored despite the strong wind by using 3, count them, 3 anchors!   Thanks also to John Auld who set the course, and to our Race Chairman Kevin Preuss for organizing the race.

The Protest Party was well attended even with nothing to protest (except the wind).  Thanks to Wayne and Arlene Truex for hosting.

John Auld adds the following report:
I think Paul and I were the first to capsize on Sunday when the main sheet got caught in the block or the hatch and I couldn’t dump enough wind. 

I did some reading on sailing in high winds but it takes some experience and quick reactions to keep it afloat.  One suggestion was to move the traveler out to the lee side on each tack to keep a more consistent angle to the wind.  I’m not sure how to accomplish that with one hand on the tiller and the other on the main sheet.  Definitely didn’t want to cleat the sheet with those gusts and shifts.  Maybe you can just uncleat both traveler ropes and let it pull through with the wind on each tack.  Any thoughts?

Regardless, we went ahead and sailed the course to get experience in conditions and made it through without incident.  According to Wayne and Bob, that’s the first time they’ve ever seen anyone able to bail at boat full of water using only the auto bailers.  Took us about 20 minutes but keeping our speed up wasn’t much of a problem in those conditions.  

SEPTEMBER 7TH TROPHY RACE REPORT

Three new sailors joined us, as did visitors from the Caribbean.  “Good Samaritans” were kept busy rescuing wayward sailors from their mishaps on a sunny day with a cool, but devilish breeze.  Before filling you in on the details of the race, at the protest meeting we realized we are in dire straits for the September 21^st race in terms of committee boat volunteers due to some simultaneous absences.  Highly experienced committee boat veteran and “Skipper Emeritus” “Bob Orben will be on board to direct things, but he needs some help. If you can help us out on that day from about 1:30pm to about 3:30pm, please contact Tom Schroeder at 317-873-1637.  We will be very grateful.

Sailing with the GYC for the first time were Chris Braun, John Cord and Steve Willment. All are relatively new, or in John’s case returning, to Grandview. We had been long anticipating Chris’ first race in his now complete Laser.  John crewed for Dick Pitman in his Y-Flyer. Steve crewed for Steve Tadd in the vintage Thistle. All  had "interesting" first race experiences, as you'll see. That makes seven new sailors this year.  Welcome Chris, John and Steve!   If anyone else would like to “come aboard”, there are still two races left this season. You’ll get hooked, be left looking forward to racing in the spring, and studying up on race tactics during the colder months.  

We were also pleased to have Sasha Bouis sail with us again.  He and his bride Tara reside somewhere in the Caribbean aboard larger sailing vessels, and were at Grandview visiting family.   Sasha crewed for John Auld in the first race, and skippered in the second race winning their class.  John recruits “ringers”, and we welcome them!  We were delighted that Sasha and Tara joined us later at the protest meeting as well.

Our race was expertly officiated by the veteran team of Beth Auld, Bob Orben, and Mimi Riffle and was conducted flawlessly.  John Gall singlehandedly set up (and took down, with a little help from Wayne Truex) a course that was really great for the wind conditions.  All of that is in addition to Race Chairman, Kevin Preuss’ organization of the event.  Thanks everyone! 

The winds were great during the five-minute countdown to the start of the first race.  The sailors had all been experimenting with start angles. As we all approached the starting line in unison with just a few seconds left to the starting horn, guess what happened?  What always happens, or so it seems; the wind threw us a surprise.  This time by just stopping. So there we all were, bunched up, well thought out strategies thrown overboard and everyone trying to make the best of it.    Tom Schroeder found himself forced too close to the Committee Boat and made contact with it. His 360 degree penalty turn seemed to take forever.  Shortly though the wind picked up and racing conditions were good. 

  

Early on, near the first mark, Steve Tadd and Steve Willment in the Thistle experienced a malfunction of the rudder, which left them drifting at the whim of the wind and approaching shore.  Good Samaritan, Robb Bonebrake, watching the race from a pontoon boat came to their rescue.  He gave Steve Willment a ride to his lot to get his Wave Runner for towing the Thistle back to its lift for eventual repair (not to worry, racing gets better Steve).  Robb resumed watching the race which turned out to be quite fortunate for another distressed sailor.

Meanwhile (sailing vocabulary lesson alert), Chris Braun with his finally complete Laser, had the “block” (a pulley) on his “traveler” (a rail or line running from one side of the boat to the other near the stern, allowing movement of the mainsheet attachment point from one side of the cockpit to the other to optimize sail trim) snap during the first race and the boom whacked him upside the head.  He got control of his senses and the sail again, and jury-rigged things well enough to keep sailing, albeit not optimally.  Not to worry, racing gets better Chris!

Also meanwhile, having done his penalty turn, and in last place on the way to the first mark, Tom Schroeder found himself suddenly blessed by a strong wind, not yet enjoyed by the others.  It allowed him to rocket ahead, heeled over, making up an amazing amount of time and catching up or passing many of the other sailors, allowing him to ultimately finish the first race in the middle of the pack, instead of dead last.  The wind is never that benevolent without getting the last laugh though, as Tom would later find out in the same place, doing the same thing in the second race.   This time, having the boat heeled over to its absolute limit, the wind gave a nice blast, sending the mast horizontal, past the point of no return and he and capsized.  Standing on the centerboard, high and dry, he was unable to right the boat by pulling on the mainsheet (his mistaken righting technique was later diagnosed at the protest meeting – pull on something other than the mainsheet – a taught mainsheet keeps the boom and main sail parallel to the water surface, keeping it from shedding water that has covered it).  Fortunately, good Samaritan Robb was nearby and for his 2^nd good deed of the day came to Tom’s aid.  And Wayne Truex, watching from his dock, fired up the ski boat and also came out to help.  With Robb’s pontoon pulling on a line and Wayne simultaneously lifting the top of the mast off the water, the boat popped back up.  But much time had passed and Tom was doomed to a “DNF” (did not finish) in the race statistics.  The Grandview wind got the last laugh, as usual.

Thanks again to Robb and Wayne for being good Samaritans during the mishaps of this race!

Sailors from the "7th addition" have had better days.  In addition to Tom's capsizing, Dick Pitman and John Cord had their share of mishaps. It seems they hit two marks and another sailboat all during one race.  New sailor John may need some anti-vertigo medication after all those 360 degree penalty turns (not to worry, racing gets better, John).

Having great races based on overall handicapped results were, in alphabetical order: John Auld/Sasha Bouis (John captained the 1^st race, and Sasha captained the 2^nd for 3rd overall in both races), Laura Garret (finishing just barely behind fellow Butterfly sailor, and her mom, Peggy Voelz in both races for 2^nd place overall in the first race), Kevin Preuss (2^nd overall in the 2^nd race), Jim Voelz (1^st overall in the 2^nd race) and Peggy Voelz, as mentioned above (1^st overall in the 1^st race). 

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Sailors & Volunteers:  You can make the race reports more fun. Lots of interesting things happen in the various groupings of our spread-out fleet of boats. They cannot all be observed by one person especially if that person is capsized. So, if you would like to add or read someone else's report of an interesting race occurrence that was not described here in the original report, please feel free to click on the shaded “# comments” link at the bottom of the posting (to the right of the envelope icon) . Once your comment has been “moderated” by the GYC blogger, your comment, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, will appear for others to read.  Guidelines for acceptable comments will appear when you go to add a comment.
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The protest meeting was protest free, and was lively and well attended with a number of delicious, specially-prepared delicacies enjoyed by all.  Thanks very much to Wayne and Arlene for hosting us again!

Race Results are as follows:

1^st Race (Trophy Race)

Lasers:   Jim Voelz 1^st, Kevin Preuss 2^nd, Chris Braun 3^rd

International Class (on handicapped basis):  Peggy Voelz 1^st, Laura Garrett 2^nd, John Auld/Sasha Bouis 3^rd, Tom Schroeder 4^th, John Gall/Ross Kunkler 5^th, Sherri Agnew 6^th, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 6^th, Dick Pitman/John Cord 7th

Overall, both classes handicapped (not for scoring):
Peggy Voelz 1^st, Laura Garrett 2^nd, Auld/Bouis 3^rd, Jim Voelz 4^th Kevin Preuss 5^th Tom Schroeder 6^th, Gall/Kunkler 7^th, Sherri Agnew 8^th, Riffle/Truex 9^th, Pittman/Cord 10^th, Chris Braun 11^th.

2^nd Race

Lasers: Jim Voelz 1st, Kevin Preuss 2nd, Chris Braun 3^rd

International Class (on handicapped basis):  Bouis/Auld 1^st, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Laura Garrett 3^rd, Gall/Kunkler 4^th, Sherri Agnew 5^th, Pitman/Cord 6^th, Riffle/Truex 7^th.

Overall, both classes handicapped (not for scoring): 
Jim Voelz 1^st, Kevin Preuss 2^nd, Bouis/Auld 3^rd, Peggy Voelz 4^th, Laura Garrett 5^th, Gall/Kunkler 6^th, Sherri Agnew 7^th, Pitman/Cord 8^th, Riffle/Truex 9^th.

Our next race is September 21^st.

LABOR DAY BREAKFAST REPORT - NEW LOT OWNERS WELCOMED

Thanks to Brad and Carole Arthur and their family for hosting a wonderful Labor Day Breakfast on a beautiful morning overlooking the lake, on the 20^th anniversary (to the day) of their arrival at Grandview.  Wisely, on that day twenty years ago, they postponed unpacking and attended the Labor Day Breakfast hosted by Don and Betty Boyle. As a result, they were immediately “plugged in” to the welcoming Grandview community to their and our benefit.

In our usual welcoming of newcomers we were able to introduce Clark & Sally Millman and Dave & Denise Scheidler, both couples are new to Grandview Lake.  We also welcomed back longtime-residents, now returning to Grandview Lake, John and Gwen Cord.

What a great community-builder these breakfasts are!

In that regard, GYC Commodore Tom Schroeder again requested volunteers to host any of next year’s Holiday Breakfasts.  You do not have to be a member of the Yacht Club.  The Yacht Club will provide the coffee makers, coffee, creamer, sweetener, stir sticks etc., and $100 to buy some donuts and orange juice.  If you are concerned about weather, you are welcome to make it a fair-weather-only event and, in the event of rain, cancel, and contribute any left-over donuts to the food bank.  Or, if you would be willing to host the event at the lot owners building parking lot, we can arrange for a tent and some tables.  We did this for the Memorial Day Breakfast this year.  We also need hosts for the casual Spring Social pitch in of appetizers on an evening of your choosing in May.  If interested, Tom would be glad to hear from you and can be reached at 317-873-1637

Thanks again to Brad and Carole Arthur.

AUG 24TH RACE REPORT: Vintage Thistle has Thorns

Photos by Jack and Sandi Miller

We welcomed some winning new sailors in a classic wooden “Thistle” sailboat, the decadence continued on the Committee Boat, and we had some interesting moves, tactics and mistakes out on the race course by the twelve boats. 

Unannounced “mystery sailors”, first-time Grandview racers Steve & Allison Tadd, debuted in their fast and beautiful vintage wooden “Thistle” sailboat.  You know the one:  You’ve gone by their recently-purchased home on the east side of the west inlet, and noticed the beautiful wooden mast with the multiple spreaders and shrouds crisscrossing their way to the top.  You wondered what the rest of the covered boat looks like. 

Steve & Alison debut with their Vintage Thistle

Well, as you can see, the rest of the wooden Thistle is as beautiful as the mast would have you believe.  In it, Steve and Allison trounced the rest of the International Class of sailboats. They finished six handicapped minutes (that’s a lot) ahead of the next boat in the class, presenting a thorny competitive challenge to the International class of sailboats. 
GYC “Skipper Emeritus” Bob Orben watched nostalgically from his wooden Chris Craft, since the wooden Thistle is the same model of boat he first raced as a youngster.  Joe and Jim Voelz also raced a Thistle early on in their racing days.  Welcome Steve & Allison, and congratulations on your first of hopefully, many, winning races!   

Bob watches the Thistle's debut

Our Committee Boat was well staffed with a repeat performance by veteran volunteers Jack and Sandi Miller, Steve & Gretchen Fisher, Donna Mount and Mimi Riffle (they also teamed up for the June 29th race).  

Steve holds umbrella while Donna keeps statistics.  Please move the umbrella a little to the left there, Steve.

We are grateful to them for making our race possible.  After getting us off to a flawlessly executed start, they passed the time enjoying Gretchen Fisher’s chicken salad (Her Mom’s recipe from 1952).

Committee Boat decadence

They also enjoyed a watermelon selected by the Riffles using Jim’s “alternating spin” method for finding a perfect watermelon (and it was).  Ask Jim to explain this method the next time you see him. 

The wind was light and there were several dead spots, making for a long race.  Another GYC “Skipper Emeritus”, Wayne Truex, watching from the GYC’s “home port”, reported that at the start, all of the boats appeared very close to the starting line with no real laggards. As you can see in the photo below, Jim Voelz was first across the starting line.

A pretty good start. Jim crosses first

Jim Voelz, Tom Jennings and Steve & Allison Tadd read the wind better than the other sailors from the start to the first mark, putting those three boats way ahead of the other nine boats.  Jim would end up finishing ahead of Tom Jennings to win the Laser Class.  He also had the fasted handicapped time versus the rest of the field, although the Tadd’s were close behind on a handicapped basis, and crossed the finish line ahead of Jim.   The brothers Gall (Jack and John), Schroeder/Kunkler and Riffle/Truex also did pretty well approaching the first mark, but for various reasons lagged the leading three boats.   Schroeder/Kunkler stuck with their favorable wind taking them toward, but a bit to the port side of the first mark.  They were going to tack hard to starboard to finish the trip to the mark. Unfortunately they had to yield to the leading three who had all just rounded the mark, and were all on starboard tacks giving them the right of way, and throwing Schroeder/Kunkler off their chosen course and out of contention.  Meanwhile, the brothers Gall, who had been following Schroeder/Kunkler,  chose to tack much, much earlier and were in good position, but fell victim to a very clever tactic, a “head-fake” of sorts by skipper Steve Tadd:   It seems the brothers Gall needed to tack, but with the Tadds right behind them ,  had to wait for the Tadd’s to tack first, otherwise they would be heading straight toward the Tadd’s without the right of way, and would have to yield by taking a nonsensical course costing them precious time.  So, they just waited for the Tadd’ to tack first.  The Tadd’s began what looked like a tack, so the Galls did the same, executing a full turn, only to realize that the Tadd’s didn’t complete their tack, and had returned to their original course.  Now heading straight at the Tadds, the Galls had to yield by going off course, costing precious time and allowing the Tadd’s to take the lead.  The Galls were still ahead of Schroeder/Kunkler though.    Meanwhile Peggy Voelz, whose Butterfly sailboat is slower than Galls’ Y-Flyer and Schroeder/Kunkler’s JY-15, sailed a better race with the handicap factored in, and by the end of the race, beat both of those boats coming in second only to the Tadds in the International Class. 

The light winds had made for a long race, and we were thankful to our Race Chairman, Kevin Preuss, for choosing not to attempt a 2^nd race, and for organizing the day’s racing.  Tom Jennings, who had set up the race course (Thanks Tom!) was grateful, as were the rest of us, for our Committee Boat volunteers taking down the race course markers, which was above and beyond the call.

Many of us gathered for the Protest Meeting after the race and finished off the watermelon and other great munchies.   Thanks to Wayne and Arlene for hosting us again at theirs, the “home port” of the GYC.

Race results are as follows:

Lasers

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

International (after applying boat handicap)

Steve & Allison Tadd 1^st, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Jack & John Gall 3^rd, Tom Schroeder/Ross Kunkler 4^th, Laura Garret 5^th, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 6^th

All boats on handicapped basis (not for scoring purposes)

Jim Voelz 1^st, Steve & Allison Tadd 2^nd, Tom Jennings 3^rd, Peggy Voelz 4^th, Jack & John Gall 5^th, Schroeder/Kunkler 6^th,  Kevin Preuss 7^th, Laura Garrett, 8^th, Riley Leonard 9^th, Riffle/Truex 10^th, Brad Stinebring 11^th.

The next race is Sunday, September 7th at 2pm, and is the "Labor Day Trophy Race" (delayed from actual Labor Day, because we have recently decided to avoid racing on busy holiday weekends).

AUGUST 10TH GHOST RACE REPORT

Due to weather we had to cancel a race for the first time this year - pretty darn good for middle of August.  And it was going to be a very well attended race, with a couple of our ghost sailors planning to be  there “in the flesh” (really, no kidding, honest, sure-as-shootin – they were).  So they and the rest of us ALL became ghost sailors - wishing we were able to sail, but not being able to.

Thanks nonetheless to those who would have made the wet race possible including committee boat volunteers, Beth Auld, Bob Orben, Mimi Riffle and Tricia & Bob Zachidny.  Catey and Doug Hale and family took care of taking down all the race markers after Catey and Tom Schroeder set up the race earlier in the day.  And thanks also to Race Chairman, Kevin Preuss who sweated out the weather and the decision to cancel or not, while also entertaining a house full of company.   Good call Kevin!

We did not miss the chance to gather after the non-event.  Yes, we had a protest meeting at the Truexs’ and had fun catching up with former sailors/lot owners Dave and Marlene Brown.  Thanks Wayne and Arlene for hosting!

The next race is August 24th.  Don't be a ghost sailor - be there!

SAILING TERMS "HEADER" AND "LIFT"

In a previous post, the term "header" was incorrectly defined. Credit to Catey Hale for catching the error.   Below is a correct definition of "header" and its opposite term "lift"

Header: a shift in true wind direction more forward on a boat’s sail plan, which makes the apparent wind stronger and more forward. Upwind, a header causes you to bear off and to point farther from the direct course to the windward mark. Downwind, a header has the same effect, which causes you to bear off and to point more directly at the leeward mark. If you are sailing upwind and want to point as close as possible to the windward mark, sail on lifts and tack on headers. If you are sailing downwind and want to sail tighter and faster down the rhumb line, sail on headers and jibe on lifts. A header usually arrives in a puff moving laterally across a boat’s course from forward of the prevailing wind direction; e.g., fewer than 45 degrees aft of a close-hauled sailing course. The opposite of a lift.

Lift:  a shift in true wind direction more aft on a boat’s sail plan, which makes the apparent wind lighter and more aft. Upwind, a lift allows a helmsman to head up or alter course to windward and point closer to the direct course to the windward mark. Downwind, a lift causes a helmsman to head up and point away from a direct course to the leeward mark. Upwind, sail on lifts and tack on headers so that you point as close as possible to the windward mark. Downwind, sail on headers and jibe on lifts so that you sail tighter and faster down the rhumb line. A lift usually arrives in a puff that moves laterally across a boat’s course aft of the prevailing wind direction; e.g., more than 45 degrees aft of a close-hauled sailing course. The opposite of a header.

JULY 27TH RACE REPORT "JOINT EFFORT"

The storms were punctual in their departure from the area prior to the race. The wind and a few sailors were fashionably late and not as strong as expected. And the Race Chairman, unlike The Weather Channel and Windmapper.com, was clairvoyant and calm (and also fashionably late).   A Joint Effort was unveiled at the protest meeting, and a sailor was informed he had no rights.

Our thanks to volunteer Committee Boat veterans Beth Auld, Donna Mount and Mimi Riffle for a superbly conducted pair of races that had been skillfully set up (and later dismantled ) by Jim and Peggy Voelz to whom we are also very grateful.

We were supposed to have 13 mph winds gusting to 23mph all morning and afternoon (those kinds of gusts are Laser-flippers), so our sailors were surprised to get out on the lake and find little if any wind.  Many had a hard time even getting out to the starting line in time.   As the rest of us sat there drifting as the heat increased, the crowd started getting a little surly (just a little).  There was talk of cancelling the race for lack of wind.  The Commodore deftly deferred to the Race Chairman when asked by the Committee Boat for a decision.  Dr. Preuss, recognizing this as a non-life/death decision,  calmly answered “patience”.   And lo! About a minute later,  ripples on the water from the west side of the lake swept toward us, and a fairly race-worthy wind showed up.  We had ourselves a race!  Unfortunately the wind never did live up to its forecasted strength, which would have been quite exciting.

Ever since Jim Voelz's “tips and tactics” seminars, our racers have been getting better and better at hitting the starting line in unison as the 5 minute countdown strikes 0.00 (many races are won based on the start).   Our rookie sailors even seem to have figured the starting line timing out earlier in their racing careers than their predecessors.  Congratulations by the way, to rookie Sherri Agnew who won a race for the first time!  The boats were not strung out as much as usual, so it seems all were sailing very well without much in the way of mistakes.   Tom Schroeder fessed up to one though.  At the second mark he made sure not to let any of the boats close behind him get inside of him at the mark, but after making the turn he should have followed through by not letting those same boats turn sharper than him and get upwind.   They did though and he suffered “dirty air” (see prior posts for the definition… not gross in any way) from Peggy Voelz and Riley Leonard.  Riley, by the way, got the best of Peggy in the same way Peggy got the best of Tom.  Some other successful race tactics were also revealed later at the protest meeting.     

We’ve heard comments that the races are getting more interesting to watch with more participants and as skills improve.   So, come on out and watch the action.  The best place of course is on the Committee Boat where you’ll be practically on top of, but not in the way of the sailors, and where you’ll learn about sailboat racing and get into the spirit and camaraderie of things.

The protest meeting was well attended and lively, with more hypothetical rules questions hotly debated.  The highlight was the unveiling of a modern art woodwork/sculpture entitled “Joint Effort”. “Joint” because the raw material consisted of numerous practice woodworking joints of various types, the effort of Mike Mullinix as part of a class he had taken.   Wayne and Arlene’s granddaughter (and GYC race fan) Mayra, contributed the brilliant creative design of a sculpture that joined the joints.  And Wayne and the Truex’s grandson (and water skiing instructor) Tanner provided the skill and effort of actually joining the joints to Mayra’s design and specifications.   After oohs and aahs, the sailors were informed of the name of the sculpture and got into the "joint effort" spirit of things.  They added a few temporary adornments to the sculpture to make it more “nautical”, such as sweaty sailor’s hats and, yeah, beverage containers (empty). 

"Joint Effort":  With Mayra and Wayne in the background. The sculpture cannot be fully appreciated in this photo because it has been obscured by the sailor's adornments.

That's more like it

A question was raised and Jim Riffle was surprised to learn that an according to an unintuitive rule, a sailor who finds him/herself between a start/finish line marker and another sailboat, has no right-of-way rights whatsoever at the start of the race, and that sailor is considered to be “barging” (Jim and crew Arlene were in that position and were being given the squeeze by John Auld and Paul Haas).  So try not to put yourself into such a position at the start of a race.  One other race rule question was kicked around, but when asked if the rule book should be retrieved and consulted,  those involved knew that the equivalent  of consulting the IRS code would be a party-killer and said…”naaah”.  Also, John Auld and Jim Voelz were asked why they deviated from what seemed the obvious shortest distance to turn markers under wind conditions at the time.  They both had correctly read changes in the wind pattern on the lake far ahead, better than the rest of us, and while their chosen courses didn’t seem to make sense, they proved very advantageous to both.  In that regard, race results were as follows:

First Race:

Laser Class:  Jim Voelz 1^st, Tom Jennings 2^nd, Kevin Preuss 3^rd, Riley Leonard 4^th.

International Class (on a handicapped basis):  John Auld/Paul Hass 1^st, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 3^rd, Sherri Agnew 4^th, Tom Schroeder/Ross Kunkler 5^th, Bianca & Lance Snider 6^th.

All boats on handicapped basis (not for scoring): Jim Voelz 1^st, Tom Jennings 2^nd, Auld/Hass 3^rd, Peggy Voelz 4^th, Kevin Preuss 5^th, Riffle/Truex 6^th, Riley Leonard 7^th, Sherri Agnew 8^th, Schroeder/Kunkler 9^th, Sniders 10th

Second Race:

Laser Class:  Jim Voelz 1st, Tom Jennings 2nd, Kevin Preuss 3rd, Riley Leonard 4th.

International Class (on a handicapped basis):  Sherri Agnew 1^st, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Auld/Hass 3^rd, Riffle/Truex 4^th  Ross Kunkler/Tom Schroeder 5^th,  Bianca & Lance Snider 6^th

All boats on handicapped basis (not for scoring):  Jim Voelz 1^st, Tom Jennings 2^nd, Sherri Agnew 3^rd, Peggy Voelz 4^th, Kevin Preuss 5^th, Auld/Hass 6^th Riffle/Truex 7^th, Riley Leonard 8^th, Kunkler/Schroeder 9^th, Sniders 10^th.

Our next race is August 10^th.   There are five race dates left of the total of eleven scheduled this season, so if you are interested in joining us this season, now is the time to hop aboard.

JULY 13th TROPHY RACE REPORT

(Photos courtesy of Wayne Truex and grandaughter Mayra)

We set a record for number of sailboats in “recent times” with 14 boats participating. “Recent times” are defined by Wayne Truex as going back to the sailboarding days.  I think that would be the 1980s.

All 14 boats & Committee boat on right. Lance in powerboat in foreground. Yeah, get out your magnifying glass, this column is narrow.

Katie Townsend, and Jeff and Susan Rucker, guests of the Aulds, helped Beth Auld and Mimi Riffle on the committee boat.    The thunder in the distance made sailors a wee bit nervous, but Jeff was watching the storm closely on radar (on his smartphone) and the storm stayed well south of the lake. They also  watched diligently for any lightning.   The committee boat volunteers love the new anchor donated by Jim and Peggy Voelz!  Thanks everyone!

Meanwhile, Tug Townsend, Katie’s husband, crewed for John Auld, and was teasingly identified by the other sailors as a “ringer”, and indeed, he is a very experienced sailboat racer and came in 1^st in the International Class in the second race.   And speaking of ringers, we welcomed back Catey Hale for her first race day of the year, as she captained Schroeder’s JY-15 to that boat’s best finishes since… well, since the last time she sailed it!  Ross Kunkler added to his sailboat repertoire when Jon Gall turned over the helm of Truex’s Y-Flyer to Ross in the second race.  At this rate, Ross will be an experienced skipper by the time his AMF Puffer is refurbished. And Bianca Snider welcomed guest crew Stacy Able.  She and husband Walter are developing an interest in sailing, and we hope to see them again.

Thanks to Lance and Bianca Snider for setting up the course.  They jostled us out of our marks-to-port habit with a rare marks-to-starboard course.  Even though Grandview sailors have to very nimble and adaptable given our ever-shifting winds, more than one captain just about blew it in the first race at the first mark, ready to round it on their port side as usual.

Tom Jennings won 1^st in the Laser Class in both races.  Peggy Voelz won 1^st in the International Class in the 1^st race and, as mentioned, Tug Townsend/John Auld finished first in that class in the second race. Both races had exciting starts with all fourteen boats crossing the starting line fairly close together.  But the field spread out after the second mark as a “dead spot” just prior to the second mark wreaked havoc, particularly in the second race followed by variable winds between the second and third mark.  In the second race, Tom Jennings was the only sailor to reach the second mark prior to a very extended period of no wind in the dead spot, and as a result, he finished the race well ahead of all other boats. Based on their relative positions, about half of the boats in the second race experienced pretty much no wind in the second half of the second race, leading to excruciatingly long elapsed finishing times.

The "dead spot": On far left, Tom J.  is first to mark with a wind no one else benefits from.  He goes on to win race by a wide margin

Rain sent the protest meeting indoors at the Truex’s where we also had the pleasure of being greeted by visiting Truex grandchildren Myra and Tanner.   Kevin Preuss had a chance to discreetly clean up after sailing most of the second race with blood all over his face from hitting his head on the centerboard.  He arrived at the Truex dock looking like he had suffered a far worse accident.  After getting started, we waited till enough bottle caps and corks were available for use in diagraming some situations that could have been viable protests.

Corks represent sailboats and the bottlecap represents the 3rd mark

We again had to consult the rule book which can be as clear as the tax code including “defined terms” such as “room at the mark” which led to a separate defined term for “room”, the definition of which assumes you are sailing in a “seamanlike" manner.   We wondered if Auld/Townsend’s boat did a witnessed-360 degree penalty turn for not giving Gall/Kunkler room at the mark as we concluded they should have, or if they had committed some other infraction.  When John arrived later at the meeting he was advised to answer all questions very carefully. And when asked the reason for the penalty turn, he gave the right answer – failing to give room at the mark.  Yes, you have to keep your wits about you when arriving later to the protest meeting.  And if you are there early, make sure to keep your back to the wall and eyes on the entry! And try to act in a seamanlike manner. Thanks Wayne and Arlene, and Myra and Tanner for your hospitality! 

Race results were as follows:

1^st Race (Trophy Race), Laser Class

Tom Jennings 1^st, Jim Voelz 2^nd, Andy Jennings 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, Riley Leonard 5^th, Brad Stinebring 6^th.

1^st Race, (Trophy Race), International Class on handicapped basis:

Peggy Voelz 1^st , Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder 2^nd, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 3^rd, John Auld/Tug Townsend 4^th, Laura Garrett 5^th, Sherri Agnew 6^th, John Gall/Ross Kunkler 7^th, Bianca Snider/Stacy Able 8^th.

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

Peggy Voelz 1^st, Tom Jennings 2^nd, Jim Voelz 3^rd, Hale/Schroeder 4^th, Riffle/Truex 5^th, Auld/Townsend 6^th, Andy Jennings 7^th Laura Garrett 8^th, Kevin Preuss 9^th, Sherri Agnew 10^th, Riley Leonard 11^th, Brad Stinebring 12^th, Gall/Kunkler 13^th, Snider/Able 14^th.  

2n^d Race, Laser Class

Tom Jennings 1^st, Jim Voelz 2^nd, Andy Jennings 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, Riley Leonard 5^th, Brad Stinebring 6^th.

2^nd Race, International Class on handicapped basis:

Townsend/Auld 1^st, Hale/Schroeder 2^nd, Sherri Agnew 3^rd, Peggy Voelz 4^th Laura Garrett 5^th, Riffle/Truex 6^th Kunkler/Gall 7^th.

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

Tom Jennings 1^st, Jim Voelz 2^nd, Andy Jennings 3^rd, Townsend/Auld 4^th, Hale/Schroeder 5^th, Kevin Preuss 6^th, Sherri Agnew 7^th, Peggy Voelz 8^th, Laura Garrett 9^th, Riffle/Truex 10^th, Riley Leonard 11^th Kunkler/Gall 12^th Brad Stinebring 13^th.

INDEPENDENCE DAY BREAKFAST & KAYAK RACE REPORT

In addition to Independence Day, there was a sub-theme of “Christmas in July” with inflatable Christmas lawn ornaments in every nook and cranny of the Hoyt lakefront, creating a lot of red and white to go with the blue water.  

Hoyt's place ready for a celebration

View of Hoyt's after the fireworks.  Tree is in blue.

It was also quite a scene all lit up the night after the fireworks display.   A Christmas tree was decorated with ornaments made at the ice cream social the day before.

Ruth and Harry in red, white and blue.  Ruth picks up on the Christmas sub-theme.

It was quite a big crowd. We even ran out of name tags.   We stopped, reflected, and cheered the reason for all the weekend’s celebrations:  In 1776, a brand new nation was conceived in liberty.  This nation declared that all men are created equal with God-given rights, that power ultimately resides in "we the people”, and that our government would be “of the people, by the people and for the people”.  Revolutionary!    Dan Hoyt made us aware of a charity called “No Greater Sacrifice” that he has become familiar with.  They honor the sacrifice of fallen service members by investing in their children’s capacity for greatness through education: www.nogreatersacrifice.org

Lot owners made some interesting entrances, by kayak, by antique boat, and most noteworthy;  the group rowing the big swim raft with paddles and rakes, while  singing the Star Spangled Banner! 

Patriots arrive by sea at Hoyts via swim raft they paddled from across the lake

 

Bringing to mind General Washington and his troops rowing across the Delaware River, (below) they sang the Star Spangled Banner as they rowed with rakes, oars, and paddles. Look for brooms and shovels to be added next year!

After thanking the Hoyts for hosting breakfast and recognizing them, the Sanders and Marcums for hosting the ice cream social the    day before, and Beth Auld for overseeing the ornament decorating table at the social, we turned it over to Max Henry who directed the kayak race starting from under the row of checkered flags dockside.

The kayak race was exciting!

An energetic start to the kayak race.  Jack takes an early lead, but....

Steve cuts in on Jack and John at the first turn (around the pontoon boat manned by patriotic Jim Riffle)

Malachi pauses to pose

Gene gives it his all.

Corrine digs in hard with her paddle

Bea takes her turn paddling, giving Kristin a rest

John Gall (1^st place) and brother Jackson Gall (2^nd place) again dominated, but had a serious challenge by Steve Willment (3^rd place).  Other racers were Malachi Henry (4^th), Gene Zoellner (5^th), Corrine Orben (6^th), and Kristin and Bea Orben (7^th).  Max Henry had prizes for the racers.  Thanks to Max for organizing and to Jim Riffle for assistance with the course.