LABOR DAY BREAKFAST AT THE MESHBERGERS

The GYC’s Labor Day Breakfast was extremely well attended and we were grateful for fine weather. Lot owners and their guests enjoyed the spacious shady lawn and dock at the home of Harry and Sandy Meshberger. We enjoyed donuts, fruit biscuits and gravy, etc.

 

Lot owners and their guests just beginning to gather

Those arriving by land received rides down the hill and those arriving by paddle board, kayak, and boat found plenty of space available.  

Some arrived by kayak

Some arrived by paddle board

We celebrated Labor Day by recognizing the efforts of our association and sewer utility board members. We are grateful to them for keeping our lake, dam, sewage system, and surrounding property in tip-top shape along with attending to the administrative aspects related to having many members.   

All guests received name tags, including Nugget

Thanks again to Harry, Sandy and their many helpers for a fine morning get-together.

AUGUST 30th RACE: Musical Boats & Timed Traffic Lights

Photos and video courtesy of Lisa Duret.

Butterflies ruled; We had eleven boats and fourteen sailors participating, but our sailors seemed to forget which boat they belonged in.  The start of the second race was done in fine unison (and we have a video clip for you).  The wind saw to it that if you were way ahead of the rest of the fleet (or way behind), that would soon change.  This led to some very close finishes.

1st race: Eleven boats head for 1st mark on much different courses

Eight of the boats converge to port (left) on the 1st mark, the other three are off to starboard.

Thanks to our Committee Boat volunteers Beth Auld, Lisa Duret and Bob Orben for running the race for us, and to Kevin Preuss for organizing and also setting up and taking down the course with help from John Gall. And thanks to Wayne and Arlene Truex for hosting the protest meeting.

Seven of the boats round the 2nd mark, starting pole is in the foreground

Our sailors must have felt they were in a rut and needed to change things up.  Who sailed in which boat?   It must have been whatever boat the sailors were standing next to when the music stopped.  It seemed no one was in the boat they belonged in, especially the Voelz dynasty:  Jim sailed Peggy’s Butterfly.  Peggy sailed Laura’s Butterfly, and Laura sailed Jim’s Laser.   We are all wondering what happened at Voelz household during lunch to bring this on.  Did it start with “Your boat is just faster than mine”?  We’ll have to find out at a future protest meeting.   John Gall left his newly refurbished Laser on the lift and sailed the Truex’ s Hobie with Arlene as Crew.  And Tom Schroeder left his JY-15 on the lift and crewed for Catey Hale.   So it’s time for another welcoming pitch to those who are thinking about learning to race, but don’t know how to get started:  Prior to this past race we would have sent you a one-page orientation sheet to read, and you could have crewed for Catey, or for Tom, had a great time, and we would have been able to have one more of our sailboat fleet on the water.  There are two races left, it is not too late!

In the past two years the pattern has been that the first sailors to the first mark would stay ahead the entire race.  This race was much different because the devious Grandview wind decided to overplay its powerful role.   On several occasions, those who were far ahead suddenly found themselves at a “red light” wind-wise, while the rest of the fleet suddenly enjoyed a fast breeze that proved to be the great equalizer.   Kind of like a busy urban thoroughfare with traffic lights timed to sequentially turn green for those driving exactly the speed limit.  But for those accelerating hard from each stop light, it is “1-2-3 red light”, which is the introduction to our background music for this race.  Yes, the 1968 bubblegum-pop song by the “1910 Fruit Gum Company” Click here to start the music if you dare (not recommended – it’s a lame song, and you’ll not be able to get the tune out of your head).   This wind pattern also kept the boats relatively bunched up, which allowed for unusually great photos of the whole fleet, usually difficult to capture. Well done Lisa Duret!  Unfortunately,for many stretches the whole fleet was idling at a “red light” - plenty of time to have a “Chinese fire drill”, perhaps even to switch back into their proper boats – but none did.

We had eleven boats, which made for quite a start.  At Jim Voelz’s “tips and techniques” classes of a year or two ago, rookies among us were taught what the veterans already knew:  Win the race at the start by hitting the starting line with plenty of momentum,  a good course, and hopefully on a starboard tack to have right-of-way just as the starting horn is blown.  As a fleet we have generally been doing quite well at that lately.  And observers said that the start of the second race was quite a sight to see.  We maneuvered around chaotically after the “five-minutes-to-start” horn was blown. Then suddenly with about ten seconds to go, all sails pointed in the same direction and we started in unison.  
 

A tight formation crossing the starting line in relative unison

 You can watch a video of the starting line below.  When the starting horn is blown, suddenly the boats will begin crossing the line.  There wasn't much wind, so not much speed, but it was a good start nonetheless.

The Butterfly Class ruled again in this race.  In the first race, the Butterfly class finished first, second and third (Jim Voelz, Peggy Voelz, and Sherri Agnew) on an overall handicapped basis.  In the second race, again on an overall handicapped basis, Jim and Peggy in Butterflies took 1^st and 2^nd again, with Tom Jennings in a Laser finishing third (but first in the Laser class).

9 of the 11 boats heading for 2nd mark in the 2nd race - Sherri is out front

2nd race heading for the 3rd mark with Hale/Schroeder in the lead before hitting the "stop light"

2nd race, after rounding the mark and getting a green light, all head for the finish line.  Hale/Schroeder still in the lead - but wait - there is the handicap to apply - see handicapped results below

If participants have any additional perspectives on the race, they are welcome to share them, and your are welcome to view them using the "#comments" button at the bottom of the post. Complaints about the music selection will not be published.

Race results are as follows:

FIRST RACE – TROPHY RACE

Laser Class:  Tom Jennings 1^st Place, Andy Jennings 2^nd, Riley Leonard 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, Laura Garrett, 5^th.

Butterfly Class:  Jim Voelz 1^st Place, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Sherri Agnew 3^rd.

International Class: Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder 1^st, John Auld/Paul Hass 2^nd, John Gall/Arlene Truex 3^rd

Overall on Handicapped Basis:

Jim Voelz 1^st Place, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Sherri Agnew 3^rd, Tom Jennings 4^th, Andy Jennings 5^th, Riley Leonard 6^th, Kevin Preuss 7^th, Laura Garrett 8^th, Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder 9^th, John Auld/Paul Hass 10^th, John Gall/Arlene Truex 11^th

SECOND RACE

Laser Class: Tom Jennings 1^st Place, Riley Leonard  2^nd, Laura Garrett 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, Andy Jennings 5^th.

Butterfly Class:  Jim Voelz 1^st Place, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Sherri Agnew 3^rd.

International Class: Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder 1^st, John Auld/Paul Hass 2^nd, John Gall/Arlene Truex 3^rd

Overall on Handicapped Basis:

Jim Voelz 1^st Place, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Tom Jennings 3^rd, Catey Hale/Tom Schroeder 4^th, Sherri Agnew 5^th, Riley Leonard 6^th, Laura Garrett 7^th, Kevin Preuss 8^th, John Auld/Paul Hass 9th, John Gall/Arlene Truex   10th, Andy Jennings 11^th

AUGUST 16TH RACE: Forms of Propulsion

Photos courtesy of Lisa Duret
Que the background music by clicking HERE:

Diana Ross and the Supremes:  "No wind.. (no wind!)…, No rain… (no rain!) ....or winter’s cold… can STOP me baby… (oh baby)…."

Well, we had no wind… (no wind!) .  Our one hour rain delay meant we had no rain… (no rain!) , and we certainly had no winters cold (it was pretty hot actually).  And no wind really can stop me baby, (Oh baby)!  

Although we had thirteen sailors and ten boats lined up to race, only five of us in four boats were gung-ho enough (or whatever) to show up for the race immediately following the ¾ inch of rain we received in about an hour.  The rain stopped with just enough time to quickly rig a boat and get a tow to the starting line.  So we lost most of our sailors.  But we did not lose our wonderful Committee Boat volunteers who took the delay in stride.    

We welcomed back former GYC skipper Dave Brown who was here with wife Marlene for a visit, and sailed the Hobie catamaran with Arlene Truex as crew.   John Gall was also back and sailed a newly refurbished Laser.

The Brothers Gall Laser. It LOOKS fast, and probably is, but we'll have to find out another day.

Well, we showed up, so we all made the best of it.  Since our usual propelling force (wind) "was  not with us", the Race Chairman, seconded by the Commodore, decided to suspend the rules against using other forms of propulsion, but denied the use of the trolling motor on the JY15.    We “raced” almost the entire course by “sculling” rudders rapidly back and forth, or in the case of John Gall, paddling with hands while lying on the front of the boat (picture paddling a surf board out to the waves, but on a sailboat instead, with the stern of the boat sticking up in the air). 

John is leaning over the bow, paddling

The only thing moving here is the jet ski that just exited stage right, leaving a spray.

Yes, “ooching” was also allowed, but no one embarrassed themselves by doing so (see last year's June 1st race report for a definition).  Dave Brown was unhappy with the mechanical advantage of Tom Schroeder’s JY-15 when it came to sculling though.   It seems that boat (which Dave sold to Tom years ago) can extend its rudder out to nearly horizontal, giving it greater leverage.   And that is also the reason Schroeder won the race. 

Fortunately we did enjoy a slight hint of wind between the 1^st and 2^nd marks at just the right angle that we could refrain from sculling, etc. for that segment of the race.

The four boats in same order as the finish.  Sherri looks on from her pontoon boat.  This was the only segment of the course with a trace of wind.

The Committee Boat volunteers were the bobbing gourmet lunch group of the Millers, Fishers, Donna Mount, and Committee Boat chair, Beth Auld.  They had a delicious lunch dinner, albeit without much racing drama for entertainment.  Menu: Two varieties of chicken salad (Steve Fisher's mother's recipe and Gretchen's Fisher's recipe), croissants, cantaloupe and blueberries.  For desert they served peach-stuffed cupcakes and frozen heath bars.

Sherri Agnew set up the race, with help from Kevin Preuss.  Thankfully they set up a short course.  Sherri followed our progress, or lack thereof from her pontoon boat.  Sailors John Auld and Paul Hass were also concerned for our safety as they also shadowed us from their pontoon boat.  There was little risk of capsize, but maybe heat stroke or dislocating a shoulder or elbow joint.

Thanks to our Committee Boat volunteers Jack and Sandi Miller, Steve and Gretchen Fisher, Donna Mount, and Beth Auld, and to Sherri and Kevin for making the race possible.  Thanks also to the Truexs for hosting the protest meeting.

The next race is a "trophy race" and will be August 30th.  May the propelling force be with us for that race.

First and only Race Results: 

Laser Class:  Kevin Preuss 1^st, John Gall 2nd

International Class (on handicapped basis): Tom Schroeder 1^st, Dave Brown/Arlene Truex 2nd

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring): Tom Schroeder 1^st, Kevin Preuss 2^nd, Dave Brown/Arlene Truex 3^rd, John Gall 4^th.

AUGUST 2ND RACE - WELCOME TO THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA !

We benefitted from yet another day of decent wind and a good turnout of fourteen sailors and four Committee Boat volunteers, and some very close finishing times – quite exciting.  Sailors were anxious to get back on the race course after the July 19 race was cancelled due to rain/heat/lack of wind.  We are grateful to those who were lined up to volunteer that day including to Beth Auld, Donna Mount, Bob Orben, Mimi Riffle, Riley Leonard and Lance Snider.    And we are grateful to John Gall who interrupted rigging of his boat to answer the call of another sailor, whereupon he put that sailor on a northeasterly heading on land without delay, an important maneuver.  You have to attend protest meetings to learn about such things.  Thanks to Wayne and Arlene Truex for hosting that protest meeting after the non-race.

But wait, you are here to read about the August 2^nd race:  Well, we were pleased to welcome back Steve Willment in his first race this year, crewing for Steve Tadd in the wooden Thistle.  Tom Jennings and Catey and Graham Hale returned after hiatuses of several races, and are no longer candidates for the ghost sailor trophy (if you are a candidate for the ghost sailor trophy, there are several races left to join us and avoid the "void" of this trophy).

Tom Jennings parked his Laser at the Mullinix’ s dock (thanks!) after he talked Tom Schroeder into letting him race the JY-15, with Schroeder as crew (it’s not too late to sign up for the quantity discount).  During his couple of month sabbatical, Jennings took it upon himself to re-engineer our heavy starting line pole buoy with a much lighter version that made its debut, and worked out quite well, making it easier to set up and take down the race course from now on – Thanks Tom!  

We had a well-staffed Committee Boat with volunteers who did a fine job, especially considering the amount of bouncing around from the heavy traffic.  Thanks Tricia and Bob Zachidny, Mimi Riffle, and Donna Mount!   Catey Hale set up the course with help from race organizer Kevin Preuss, and Catey and Doug Hale took the course down, and a fine course it was – Thanks everyone!
 

We had plenty of wind most of the time, except in certain black holes on the course where magically there was no wind, and once inside, you felt you were in the “Hotel California”, once you check in, you cannot check out (if you prefer a multimedia experience you can start the "Hotel California" music in a new window by clicking here, but don't forget to come back to this window while you listen).   Just ask Catey and Graham Hale and the “Toms” - Jennings and Schroeder.   Approaching the finish line in the first race, both captains made the mistake of getting too far east of the Committee Boat and found themselves stuck.  Particularly the “Toms” who,  only a few feet from the finish line, found it took painful, agonizing ages to finally cross it (more revenge from the Grandview wind for gleeful, disparaging personifications made of it during its Tasmanian vacation early in the season).  

While that may have been the worst black hole on the lake,  there were other areas which had similar effects on our sailors.  Those who avoided the bad spots did well.  Tom Jennings learned all the bad spots in the first race and avoided them all in the second race, winning his class despite the presence of his wind-targeted crew.   Interestingly some weren’t paying attention to the misfortune of the other sailors in the first race and repeated those sailor’s mistakes in the second race.  For instance, the “Toms” started the first race close to the Committee Boat side of the starting line and stayed on the north side of the rhumb line (imaginary direct line from middle of starting line to the first mark) and they were punished by lack of wind.  The rest of the fleet, sailing the south side of the rhumb line must not have noticed their misfortune because many of them switched to the north side in the second race and were similarly punished.  Same thing with the course from the 2^nd mark to the 3^rd mark, and 3^rd mark to the finish line;  If you stayed to the west side of that rhumb line you’re fine, if not “You’re mine” says the devilish Grandview wind, and “Welcome to the Hotel California!”.

Yes, we are adding Hotel California to the “Club Videos and Songs” list of links toward the bottom of the Port column.  And if you haven’t visited that section yet, make sure to click on the link with the video reminding us of Jim Riffle and Joe Prosser on the Hobie catamaran years ago. The size of waves we had to weather on Sunday make it appropriate.  Oh heck, that video is such a classic we will put the link right here. (again, it will open up in a new window - after you watch it, close that window to come back here).

In the first race Jim Voelz, who has an uncanny ability to read the wind, of particular importance this race day, finished far head of all but Catey and Graham Hale in terms of actual elapsed time.  On a handicapped basis,  Jim was farther ahead of everyone.  On a handicapped basis, wow!  The Butterfly sailors, Laura, Sherri, and Peggy (in that order) came in right behind Catey/Graham.  And those four boats finished within 36 handicapped seconds of one and other.  The next closest finisher on a handicapped basis was the Thistle – Steve Tadd/Steve Willment one handicapped minute behind.  The Butterflies are roiling the waters!

The second race had a similar result.  Jim Voelz prevailed.  But Riley Leonard, also in a Laser, seemed tied with a bowline to Jim, and the final leg looked really close between the two of them.  But Jim pulled ahead and beat Riley by about thirty seconds.  Again though, the next boats on a handicapped basis were two of the three Butterflies, Sherri and Peggy in that order and only about half a minute apart.   And although the “Toms” finished fifth on a handicapped basis, Laura Garrett in her Butterfly was only 9 seconds behind them.  So the Butterflies had another strong showing, and the three of them again finished very close to one and other, a very competitive class!

We did have some potential protests that were not filed and are fodder for our fun discussions at protest meetings:  How much room is enough room when allowing “room at the mark”?   "The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind…. ". Another club song?  Also, note that after you touch a mark you need to do your penalty turn at the earliest opportunity after you can get clear of other boats.  And, just by observation, if you have the right of way, and have to alter your course to avoid another boat, go ahead and declare a protest!  We need more protests.

We had a great time at the Protest Meeting and got to visit with the Truex’s son Mike and his family including our much anticipated annual visit with their daughter Mayra.  Donna Mount prepared one of her specialties from a "Gourmet Committee Boat" feast of several races ago.  Oh yeah, I think that same team is volunteering for the next race.  Hmmm…wonder what the menu will be.  Thanks Wayne and Arlene for hosting the meeting!

Sailors, volunteers, and other race observers are encouraged to add their version of these events and to, correct, comment or otherwise add some salt to this report by using the comment feature below.  After all this report came from only one very biased vantage point in the race, and yours might have been better!

First Race Results: 

Laser Class:  Jim Voelz 1^st Place, Kevin Preuss 2^nd, Riley Leonard 3^rd.

Butterfly Class: Laura Garrett 1st Place, Sherri Agnew 2^nd, Peggy Voelz 3^rd.

International Class (on handicapped basis): Catey/Graham Hale 1^st Place, Steve Tadd/Steve Willment 2^nd,  Tom Jennings/Tom Schroeder 3^rd,  Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 4th

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring): Jim Voelz 1^st, Catey/Graham Hale 2^nd, Laura Garrett 3^rd, Sherri Agnew 4^th, Peggy Voelz 5^th, Steve Tadd/Steve Willment 6^th, Kevin Preuss 7^th, Riley Leonard 8^th, Tom Jennings/Tom Schroeder 9^th, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 10^th.

Second Race Results: 

Laser Class:  Jim Voelz 1^st, Riley Leonard 2^nd, Kevin Preuss 3rd

Butterfly Class: Sherri Agnew 1^st Place, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Laura Garrett 3^rd

International Class (on handicapped basis):  Tom Jennings/Tom Schroeder 1^st, Steve Tadd/Steve Willment 2^nd, Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 3^rd

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring): Jim Voelz 1^st , Riley Leonard 2^nd , Sherri Agnew 3rd, Peggy Voelz 4th, Tom Schroeder/Tom Jennings 5^th, Laura Garrett 6^th, Kevin Preuss 7^th,  Steve Tadd/Steve Willment 8th,  Jim Riffle/Arlene Truex 9th.

JULY 12TH "NO WAKE" TROPHY RACE REPORT

(Photos courtesy of Lisa Duret and Dick Bray)
Due to high water, the entire lake was a no wake zone. It was warm, sunny,  and we had a very good and fairly constant wind from the west. It was a great day for a race. And two more of our fleet made it off their trailers for the first time this year and onto the lake.  This lessened the impact of the entire Voelz dynasty being away and not racing with us.  We were glad to have Lance Snider, his brother Kent, and nephew Nick sailing the Sunbird.  And Steve Tadd and his crew Luis Chavez sailed the beautiful (and fast) wooden Thistle.

The Thistle.... and an interloper

We had thirteen sailors, but  there was only one Laser and one Butterfly.  There are several more boats and more importantly, their captains, we would like to see finally get on the water and join us at the protest meetings this year.  Hint: One is a Y-Flyer and two, maybe more, are Lasers.  They are all candidates for the ghost sailor of the year award. And speaking of ghost sailors, Larry Olson made a cameo appearance observing the end of the second race from his paddleboard, and did an impressive job of fighting the wind. 

We also welcomed a new Committee Boat volunteer Dick Bray, and were delighted to have Dave and Linda Maudlin back volunteering with us again along with Beth Auld, Bob Orben and Mimi Riffle.   And everyone was in the mood for a protest meeting, which was a real family affair, with age ranges from very young to not very young (only numerically of course since any Grandview sailor is among the youngest of the people you know).  We used all of the Truex’s chairs, and most of their real estate. 

Lots of fun at the protest meeting

Thanks very much to all the above-mentioned volunteers and hosts, John Gall for setting up, Kevin Preuss for organizing the race, and Jim Riffle for sacrificing the Hobie, and champion crew Arlene,  to John Gall for this race, and backing up the patrol boat as another safety boat.  Thanks also to whoever took down the marks.

Our last mark and the nearby starting line were not far from the north part of the slalom course, and the first mark was to the southwest toward Orben’s cove.

Sailors at the start and....another interloper

Marks were to be rounded by turning to starboard (right).   With the wind from the west, many were tempted to sail to the port side of the rhumb line (direct line from the start to the first mark), but as Bob Orben observed based on years of experience at Grandview, that proved to be a trap.  The wind shadow of the hilly point off lot 22 would block your wind just as you were getting close to the mark, as you got close to the south shore and further into the wind shadow.   Those who stayed to the starboard side of the rhumb line had less chance of losing to the wind shadow of the hilly point.  Catey Hale is right; we need names for these landmarks.

The wind direction was tricky from the first to the second mark, sometimes almost on a close reach (wind coming across front half of boat), sometimes on a beam reach (wind coming perpendicular to boat) and sometimes on a broad reach (wind coming across back half of boat).  You had to keep “teasing the sail” to achieve proper trim.

The first race was the “July 4^th” Trophy Race (We don’t dare sail on July 4^th anymore).  Kevin Preuss dominated the fleet with the second place finishers, Tadd/Chavez coming in over two minutes later on a handicapped basis followed closely by Tom/Matt Schroeder.  In that first race, three boats were side-by-side , inches or less from each other (must have been quite a sight) most of the way from the second to the third mark on a beam reach (uh oh, memory test: we just defined “beam reach” in the prior paragraph).  Leeward (downwind) were John Gall/Arlene Truex on the Hobie catamaran.  In the middle were John Auld/Paul Hass in the Y-Flyer, and windward (you guessed right, upwind) were Tom Schroeder/Matt Schroeder in the JY-15.  This situation was discussed at length later at the protest meeting with some expert input from Tom Jennings.  We think John Gall and Arlene, being leeward, and having the right of way over both other boats, or John Auld/Paul Hass having the right of way over Tom/Matt, could have forced the windward boat(s) off course.  Just like Jim Riffle did to Voelz/Schroeder as shown in the photo in the May 31st race report.  The boat doing the forcing could only justify this if they were sailing a “proper course” to the third mark.  But the trio of boats were so far from the third mark, this could easily have been justified.    Instead, Tom Schroeder got some banter going with the others by forewarning them that it was clear they were all going to be overlapped by the time they got to the mark and that he expected them to give him room at the mark, which they did.  Tom reports that while distraction was not his intention, he had an inkling he might have been on thin ice. 

Re-living the race: bottle caps are boats, cups and cans are marks, fingers and toes are...fingers and toes.

Prior to the second race John Gall and Arlene Truex discussed what they should do differently, and agreed they needed to approach the first mark from the starboard (by now you  know which “hand” that is, right?....right) side to avoid the wind shadow of the to-be-named point.  Their planning paid off.  The catamaran caught a fast wind and overcame its handicap.  They finished one full minute ahead of the next-to-finish boat on a handicapped basis, Sherri Agnew.  Sherri must have tried something different as well, finishing second. Kevin Preuss had another strong race finishing third on a handicapped basis.   Tom Jennings reported that watching from Truex’s dock he saw nearly all of the bottom of the JY-15 for a split second.   Nice save Matt!

Sailors, volunteers, and other race observers are encouraged to add their version of these events and to, correct, comment or otherwise add some salt to this report by using the comment feature below.  After all this report came from only one very biased vantage point in the race, and yours might have been better!

First (TROPHY) Race Results: 

Laser Class:  Kevin Preuss 1^st Place

Butterfly Class: Sherri Agnew 1^st Place

International Class (on handicapped basis): Steve Tadd/ Luis Chavez 1^st Place, Tom/Matt Schroeder 2^nd,  John Auld/ Paul Hass 3^rd, Kent/Lance/Nick Snider 4^th, John Gall/Arlene Truex 5^th.

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring) Preuss 1^st, Tadd/Chavez 2^nd, Schroeder/Schroeder 3^rd, Auld/Hass 4^th, Snider/Snider/Snider 5^th, Gall/Truex 6^th, Agnew, 7^th.

Second Race Results: 

Laser Class:  Kevin Preuss 1^st Place

Butterfly Class: Sherri Agnew 1^st Place

International Class (on handicapped basis):  John Gall/Arlene Truex 1^st Place, Auld/Hass 2^nd, Matt/Tom Schroeder 3^rd, Tadd/Chavez 4th, Kent/Lance/Nick Snider 5^th.

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring) John Gall/Arlene Truex 1^st, Agnew 2^nd, Preuss 3^rd, Auld/Hass 4^th, Schroeder/Schroeder 5^th, Tadd/Chavez 6th, Snider/Snider/Snider 7^th.

JULY 4TH BREAKFAST AND KAYAK RACE

Lot owners, their families and friends were welcomed by Ray and Sheila Ison at their beautiful backyard lake venue, and celebrated the liberty we enjoy.  Still hungry for more of each other’s company and for more sugary goodies, even after the prior day’s  ice-cream social (thanks Sanders, Hoyts and Marcums!), quite a large crowd turned out.      Thanks very much for hosting Ray and Sheila!

The patriotic gathering at the Ison's

Except for coffee consumption and more10 am-ish rather than 9am arrivals, everyone appeared unphased by the prior night of celebration with fireworks, more fireworks, late-night cruising, and…more fireworks.

Some had enough reserve energy to race kayaks in the annual event organized and prizes provided by Max Henry.

Racers prepare as Max explains the course

The Ison's lawn and elevated terrace provided a great view of the race

 It was fun to watch from the lawn and terrace overlooking the inlet, and as you can see below, it was a very competitive race.   Max pointed out that with perennial champions John and Jackson Gall unable to attend, this year’s race was a wide-open opportunity to snag first place. 

And they are off, scrambling to get out front!

Well on their way to the idle zone buoy, its a close race!

Visitors Rob and Kim Cook finished 1^st place in the tandem category. Malachi Henry finished 1st in the single category, followed closely by Josh Gray 2^nd, and Jason Carol 3^rd.  Drew Thompson finished 4^th, but on an age-adjusted basis his finish was very impressive. Older contenders will need to continue training hard if they hope to come in ahead of Drew in the years to come.   

Rob and Kim finish 1st in the tandem with the others close behind

1st place finisher Malachi (right) gives a nod of respect to up-and-comer Drew after the race

Please consider hosting one of the 2016 breakfasts which are a big part of keeping our Grandview community closely knit.  Please contact Tom Schroeder at 317-873-1637 if you are interested.  The Yacht Club provides the coffee makers & supplies, juice/water servers, misc. other supplies, and $100 for donuts, etc., a good use of a portion of membership dues.

JUNE 28TH RACE REPORT: Back From "Down Under" and a Moratorium Foiled

Matt Schroeder captained his first race.  Our mischievous Grandview wind is back from “down under” and has copped an attitude.  The gourmet Committee Boat team from the last race performed an encore of the feast enjoyed at the last race, and picked up some new volunteers in the process – Harry and Sandy Meshberger (welcome!).  They also may have aided sailors who were taking advantage of loopholes in a hastily issued GYC moratorium.  And our regular sailors continue to very slowly come out of winter hibernation.

Our thanks to our eight floating foodie Committee Boat volunteers Steve & Gretchen Fisher, Harry & Sandy Meshberger, Jack & Sandy Miller, Donna Mount, and Mimi Riffle.  While officiating the race from the Committee Boat, they enjoyed another gourmet picnic complete with table cloth and floral centerpiece. 

Jack, Steve, Gretchen and Harry enjoying a 1st class lunch.  We hear there was also a sailing race occurring somewhere on the lake.

Wondering what was on the menu this time?  The appetizer was ham and pepperoni prosciuttos wrapped around mozzarella cheese sticks (Sandy Meshberger), and a main course of hot ham & cheese sandwiches with a slaw with sesame, and sliced tomatoes with basil & oregano (Gretchen Fisher).  

Dessert was apple slices with caramel, and chocolate chip and oatmeal scotchies cookies (Mimi Riffle).  The centerpiece consisted of lilies and various other flowers (Sandy Miller).   GYC officials are concerned about the bar having been raised too high for the Committee  Boat experience, but are pleased that objective #1 of our race guidelines (see 6/14 race report) is  being achieved. 

Because of a similar feast at the last race, GYC officials were also concerned about sailors “jumping ship” from their sailboats to the Committee Boat, and in a preemptive move to keep sailors actually sailing,  issued a temporary moratorium on sailors serving on the committee boat.  Loopholes were found and taken full advantage of though, with food from the feast being shared with those who might otherwise have been sailing.   Jim Riffle for instance, who was allegedly unable to sail in this race, was prohibited from joining wife Mimi on the Committee Boat.  Instead he served as a backup “safety boat” from his pontoon boat, and accepted a plate of food that was passed to him from the Committee Boat. 

We are thankful to Kevin Preuss for coordinating the race and to  Lance Snider for setting up and taking down the race course.  It was a good course despite Lance's apologies for the wind shifting after he set up the course. Lance, observing the race from his powerboat, even shortened the course after determining the wind had died down considerably since he set it up.  Lance’s stated reason for not sailing was “the sailboat is not quite ready”, but they “hope to sail at the next race”.  We are a bit suspicious though and have not yet been able to determine if Lance also used the loophole, and accepted a plate of food from the Committee Boat, and whether that is the real reason he was idling close to the Committee Boat instead of sailing. 

Committee Boat chairperson, Beth Auld and her sister Kathleen,  served as official GYC paparazzi photographers moving about the race course taking photos of sailors  We look forward to seeing the photos at some future date. 

As you can see, Beth and Kathleen were also offered a plate of food from the Committee Boat.

Steve asks Beth if she is sure she does not want any dessert with that

 Sailor emeritus Bob Orben was also observing the race from his wooden boat “At Last”.  And Tom Jennings and Wayne and Arlene Truex along with their many guests watched the race from the GYC’s “home port” at the Truex dock.

With so many observing the race from so many vantage points, and with this blogger only observing from one boat, we encourage additional comments on race occurrences to be shared by clicking on the “# comments”  phrase way down at the bottom right of this post (then follow the prompts).   Click on that phrase to read the comments of others also.

As eerily warned about in the last race report (… “Prepare ye”), it was clear from the start of the first race that our Grandview wind was back as expected, and had an attitude.   It was on again, off again and hard to guess what direction the next breeze would come from.  Although the wind was promising when Lance set up the race course, it stalled as we were waiting to begin.  Some of our sailors, four coming from the western side of the lake and one from the east, were within hearing distance of the 5 minute warning horn. Normally they would easily make it to the starting line in time for the start.  But the wind having died, those from the west barely made it, while Sherri Agnew did not, and had to wait for the second race.  We had a clean start nonetheless.  At the first mark heading to the south end of the main lake, Tom and Matt Schroeder stayed to the starboard side having tested this strategy prior to the start of the race and seeing that the port side was not favored by the wind pattern.  Only Laura Garret and Jim Voelz did the same thing.  Achieving their objective, none of these three boats had to tack to get around the 1st mark as all the other boats did, but in the end this was of little comfort to two of the three.  The other sailors approached the mark from the port side and were a fair distance behind.

At start of 1st race Tom and Matt (far right) head to starboard, most of others to port.

Jim made it around the first mark, and Tom/Matt and Laura were just a bit short of the mark when suddenly their wind died.  But there was still wind on the port side of the mark that pushed all the other boats around it.  Laura, Tom and Matt meanwhile sat there, not having made it around the mark, with absolutely no wind while all the other sailors made it all the way around not only the first mark, but the the second mark as well!  Tom and Matt were drifting closer to the mark and were about to hit it, which would have required a penalty turn, impossible with no wind.  But just in time some large waves came from behind them, pushing them enough that they could steer away from the mark.  Finally the wind picked up and the three sailors continued on their way, muttering salty thoughts about the temperamental Grandview wind whose absence they had enjoyed in the previous three races when fairer winds took its place.  

Approaching the finish line, Andy Jennings and Jim Voelz were far ahead of the rest of the field. Andy was ahead and windward of Jim, blocking Jim’s wind. But with a bit of a wind shift, Jim started pulling ahead.  Andy admitted to a misstep in deciding to cut in behind Jim, thinking the wind shift was not temporary and he wouldn’t suffer much effect of Jim blocking his wind.  But he was wrong and Jim was able to finish just ahead of Andy.   

Due to the on-again, off-again wind,  the first race took nearly twice as long as the June 14^th races.  This gave the Committee Boat volunteers about half an hour to enjoy their gourmet lunch before recording finishing times.  So no one had to gulp down their last bites and complain of indigestion like the last race.  By the way, GYC officials did seriously consider, but decided against buying a special signal flag to indicate “We have now finished lunch; you may now cross the finish line”.

Committee Boat view of John Auld and Paul Hass crossing the finish line after the Committee Boat volunteers finished their lunch.

The wind was somewhat better for the second race having toyed with everyone quite enough for one day frankly.

In the foreground, Kevin Preuss #181287 gets a jump on Andy Jennings #181248 at the start of the 2nd race. 

Riley Leonard and Sherri Agnew, the two who suffered the most from the difficult start of the first race, did particularly well, with Sherri finishing first in the Butterfly class and Riley finishing second in the Laser Class.   Sherri finished just seven seconds ahead of the 2^nd-to-finish Butterfly, Peggy Voelz after catching a more favorable wind and passing just prior to the finish.  Sherri and Peggy finished 2^nd and 3^rd overall on a handicapped basis,  behind only Jim Voelz.

Rookie Matt Schroeder took the helm of the JY-15, his very first time at the tiller for a race.  He did a fine job, and his race results seemed better relative to those that finished ahead of him than his Uncle Tom, for whom the returning Grandview wind seemed to have a particular score to settle.   Detailed race results are down below.

A small, but mighty group gathered at the Schroeder's dock for a protest meeting, the topics of which will remain there.  However on official GYC matters discussed, you may remember from the June 14th race that there was an outstanding question about whether Schroeder/Schroeder  could have demanded "room at the mark" when overlapped well ahead of, and approaching at a ninety degree angle from Auld/Hass.  John Auld reported on the extensive research that he and Paul Hass had done on application of the sailing rules in this instance. It indicated that they indeed would have had to yield to Tom had he asked for room at the mark.  And further, since Auld/Hass were approaching the mark from a ninety degree angle from the rest of the field as well, an imaginary line drawn across the back of their transom would have classified as "overlapped" and therefore also entitled to room at the mark, any other boat close enough to demand it.  Thanks for the detailed research John and Paul!

Our next race is July 12th, and is a "Trophy Race".  All comers are welcome.  For those regular sailors off to a slow start in getting their boat ready to sail this season, please note that it is now, well,  July!

FIRST RACE RESULTS:

Lasers: Jim Voelz 1^st Place, Andy Jennings 2^nd, Kevin Preuss 3^rd, Riley Leonard 4^th

Butterflies: Peggy Voelz 1^st Place, Laura Garrett 2^nd

International: John Auld/Paul Hass 1^st Place, Tom/Matt Schroeder 2^nd

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring, just for fun) Jim Voelz 1^st, Andy Jennings 2^nd, Auld/Hass 3^rd, Kevin Preuss 4^th, Peggy Voelz 5^th, Riley Leonard 6^th, Schroeder/Schroeder 7^th, Laura Garrett 8^th

SECOND RACE RESULTS:

Lasers: Jim Voelz 1^st Place, Riley Leonard 2^nd, Kevin Preuss 3^rd, Andy Jennings 4^th

Butterflies: Sherri Agnew 1^st Place, Peggy Voelz 2^nd, Laura Garrett 3^rd

International: John Auld/Paul Hass 1^st Place, Tom/Matt Schroeder 2^nd

Overall on Handicapped Basis (not for scoring, just for fun) Jim Voelz 1^st, Sherri Agnew 2^nd, Peggy Voelz 3^rd, Riley Leonard 4^th, Kevin Preuss 5^th, Laura Garrett 6^th, Andy Jennings 7^th, Auld/Hass 8^th, Schroeder/Schroeder 9^th.