July 24th Race: MORE WIND THAN WE HOPED FOR - YIKES!

Photos courtesy of Kevin Preuss, Lisa Duret and a mystery contributor

After two low-wind races, we really needed a race with some good winds.  We got plenty of wind all right, including some significant capsizing gusts.  Some sailors opted out after sizing the situation up.  Others took the gamble and half of them paid for it with capsizes.  Tom Schroeder's "turtled" boat required assistance from Good Samaritan, Matt Claymon on his jet-ski, to get righted.

Step-by-step photos of the righting process are below.

 

Thanks to Margaret Powers, Arlene Truex and Bob Orben for doing a great job officiating the race.  They stayed anchored in the gusty wind, so well done!   The Voelz family set up a nice long race, appropriate for the winds.  Our safety boat was well staffed also with Jim Riffle at the helm and Kevin Preuss and Lisa Duret assisting and taking some great photos.  Thanks as usual to Beth Auld and Kevin Preuss for organizing. And special thanks to Matt Claymon for helping right the turtled JY-16!

We had fun re-living the exciting race and settling a finish line protest at Arlene's after the race.  Thanks very much Arlene!

Shortly after the start of the race toward 1st mark, all on same tack

 

Boats on different tacks toward first mark.  A gust hits the Thistle (middle)

 

Cartwrights round the first mark (orange flag), while others converge on it

 

Catey and Elizabeth (left) and Tom and Sarah (right) are hiked out and managing the gusts as they head for the second mark

Cartwrights round 2nd mark with Hales right behind

 

Hales round the mark as Tom and Phil approach it, about to meet their fate

Then Laura rounds the mark, just in time to watch Tom and Phil capsize

The strong gust put Tom and Phil in the water before they could stand on the centerboard to prevent the boat from turning completely over.  The centerboard would not stay up, so the only option to right the boat was a line tied to the mast and a pull from a boat or jet ski.  Kevin and Lisa on Jim Riffles pontoon feed out a line for that purpose.

 

Good Samaritan Matt Claymon shows up on his jet-ski and offers to pull the righting line since the jet-ski is more manueverable than the pontoon boat. His generous offer is accepted

 

Matt applied steady pressure to the line which goes up over the gunwale of the boat and is tied to the mast.  Tom and Phil are behind the boat pushing on the submerged gunwale and pulling on the other gunwale.  Shortly after this photo, Tom made his way to the cockpit and lowered the centerboard.  Phil stepped on the centerboard to apply more leverage.

And the boat is righted.

Tom climbs back aboard

Phil's turn

Rescue work completed, Matt departs. Thanks Matt!

Race Results:

 

July 5th "July 4th" Trophy Race Race Report

 This was the "July 4th" Trophy Race (we don't sail on holiday weekends like we did in days of yore since the lake is too busy, but the eons-old traveling trophies still refer to the holidays).

We welcomed a new sailor, Nick Zachidny who crewed for John Auld.   Tom and Sarah Cartwright in the tall-sailed Thistle finished first in both low-wind races, even after applying the substantial handicap for the speedy Thistle. In the second race they were able to sail back to their dock and de-rig the boat while most of the other sailors were still trying to make it from the third mark to the finish line after the wind had died. Kevin Preuss finished 2nd in both races.  In the last race, Auld/Zachidny, Schroeder/Bush and Laura Garrett all finished within seconds of each other. With the low-wind race over, the fickle Grandview wind finally showed up to speed the tired participants back to their docks.

Thanks to Jack and Sandi Miller and Harry and Sandy Meshberger for a flawless job of officiating the race and Jim Riffle for watching over us in the safety boat.  Kevin Preuss not only filled his official role as race chairman, but he and Lisa Duret also set up and took down the course.  And Beth Auld as usual made sure our Committee Boat was well staffed. And it certainly was.

We wished Jim Riffle a happy birthday at the protest meeting after the race. Bernice Rains made jelly filled cupcakes since Jim has a well-known liking for jelly filled baked goods.  Thanks Arlene Truex for hosting us!

Race Results:

 

JUNE 26TH RACE: New additions to the roster and to the fleet!

 

We wish the wind would have provided a warmer welcome for our newest sailors Izzy and Clemence Delfosse in their new-to-them Puffer sailboat, and Lily Garrett, fresh from sailing camp, sailing with Jim Voelz (and teaching him some new low-wind techniques). And Beth Auld crewed for husband John Auld, perhaps not for the first time, but if not it has been many years.   We are happy they all are sailing with us!  Welcome aboard!  

Delfosse's in background with their Puffer.  John Gall in foreground in his Laser

 

A great shot of Beth and John. Too bad we can't show a larger version. 

 

We can zoom in though. Yeah, you can bet reprints will be ordered!

Normally we cancel a race if there is too little wind. In this case, there was plenty of wind in the morning and the forecast from two separate sources called for 8 mph wind, which would have made for a fine race.   But at race time the wind went AWOL.  With 8 boats rigged and at the starting line and our officiating volunteers ready to officiate,  we chose to "race" anyway.   About an hour later the first race was over and we chose not to spend more time drifting around the course chatting again.  Sailors and volunteers returning to their docks were cooled off with a furious downpour.  Some of us gathered at Arlene's after the race and had a fine time.  Thanks Arlene!

We are grateful to our soaked volunteers Jack & Sandy Miller, Steve & Gretchen Fisher, Bernice Rains, as well as Jim Riffle in the safety boat..  Enduring the long race and the rain was above and beyond the call.  They even reeled in all of the race markers after the race. This particular officiating team usually has a gourmet meal during the race and this time was no exception.  They had plenty of time to dine while we inched our way around the course.

The menu was Chicken salad hot pockets, watermelon and cookies.

Steve and Gretchen have captured the spirit with their T-shirts (make sure to look at the backs)!

 

Don't understand this photo?  Well, the goal of anchoring the officiating boat is to anchor such that you are as close to the yellow flag the set-up crew has anchored in the water as possible.  This is a lot harder than it sounds.  You will notice that Jack and Steve anchored such that the yellow flag is touching the side rail of the pontoon boat. That is a perfect anchoring job!  The Orange flag with the buoy attached stays on the officiating boat and forms one end of the start/finish line.

Thanks also to Kevin Preuss assisted by Tom Schroeder for setting up the course. Kevin along with Beth Auld organize the races and we are grateful to them.

 

No need to raise the jib when you have a trolling motor!  And it is easier on your crew.

Race Results are below: Yep, just one race.

 

June 5th Trophy Race, and SPECIAL THANKS

 

Arlene and Levi watch the race

This was our first race of the season, and the "July 4th" Trophy Race.  The wind for the first race, the trophy race,  was light, but picked up for the 2nd race.

Thanks to our volunteers, Beth Auld, Bob Orben and Margaret Powers in the Committee Boat and Jim Riffle in the Safety Boat. And to John Gall for setting up the course.  Committee Boat Chair Beth Auld and Race Chair Kevin Preuss keep the race machinery running smoothly.  And thank you to Arlene Truex for hosting our first protest meeting of 2022!

Speaking of race machinery, SPECIAL THANKS to PAUL HASS for his custom woodworking, creating six new spindles to hold 60 feet of line for each of our race markers!  The old ones had become unworkable.  He did this on short notice just a day or two before the race using one of the better old ones as a template, and even varnished them.  And he used just the right wood.  Thank you Paul! 

 Three of the spindles are pictured below:

 

Race Results are below:

 

 

FIRST MEMORIAL DAY BREAKFAST SINCE 2019 At the Gall's

 We were blessed with a beautiful sunny morning to gather at John and Rachel Gall's for the first Memorial Day Breakfast in a long time.  We stopped and recognized those who died defending freedom, and those among us that served in the military.  Thank you John and Rachel for hosting us!

FIRST SPRING SOCIAL SINCE 2019! At the Olson's

We are so very grateful to Larry and Nancy Olson for hosting the first Spring Social in so long!

This was the first outdoor Spring Social in many years, and the weather was great.  Sorry for not getting a photo during the event, but below is  a photo of their place all decked out.

 

2021 SEASON REVIEW AND AWARDS

In this post you will read about our 2021 season, awards, including some humorous ones, winners of trophies and medals, and some special recognition and thanks. Plenty of photos!

This was the 60^th year for the Grandview Yacht Club – That’s right, it was founded in 1961.

The club serves two purposes:  Enabling socializing among everyone at Grandview,  and competitive sailing for those who are interested.

SOCIAL GATHERINGS

COVID crimped our ability to have large gatherings like the Spring Social and the holiday breakfasts.   We were, however,  able to sneak in a Independence Day breakfast at Clark and Robin Holland's.   And we are grateful for Tom and Sarah Cartwright's willingness to host a Labor Day Breakfast that unfortunately,  Covid harpooned.  So thanks to both couples.

Above and Below: July 4th Breakfast at the Holland's

 

Nevertheless,  sailors and volunteers socialized often with gatherings after each race.  

Weather interfered with our first attempt to hold our annual sock (and mask) burning and nautical poetry readings.  Rain and thunder threatened our second attempt as well. But Sailors must adapt to changing conditions, so we took a different “tack”.   Arlene, our gracious after-race host, welcomed everyone into her home.  We put a bin in the middle of the room and had our ceremonial reading of poetry as we tossed the nasty items into the bin, to be burned later.

 

A mask gets tossed

 

A skit is performed as poetry is read. The mask he is wearing is homemade, entirely from Zoom-era home-office supplies.

For all of the poetry recited and more pictures click here

OUR SAILING SEASON:

To begin the season right,  Jim Voelz held a well-attended racing tips and techniques class.

(Actually the class was held indoors at the GLOA clubhouse, unlike this 2012 class, but you get the idea)

On average, we had 8 boats at each race.

 We had 18 sailors this year and 13 committee boat volunteers.

 On an average race day we had 15 people participating.

We were delighted to welcome Laura Garrett and John Gall back to the Grandview race course after they strayed far to the east and far to the west.  And we welcomed a new sailor, Gary Kotterman. 

 

John Gall

Laura Garrett

VOLUNTEERS RECOGNIZED

We are grateful to our Committee Boat volunteers, and to harbormaster Arlene Truex whose dock is the center of race day activity and hosts us at a gathering after each race. 

<---A complete list of our esteemed volunteers is in the Port Column

 

A typical Committee Boat scene: Lisa waves the 5 minute to start flag. Cindy positions the boat at the starting line, and Bob minds the stopwatch

 

 

Here BETH AULD recognizes volunteers with gifts at the season awards gathering.  We are grateful for Beth, our Committee Boat chairperson.  In addition to often serving on the Committee Boat, she also coordinates with volunteers to see that each race is covered.  In addition she finds unique trophies for the sailors and gifts for the volunteers.

 

 

ARLENE TRUEX (pictured reading a poem at the sock/mask burning party)  is the harbormaster at her lot, the "home port" of the Grandview Yacht Club.   She hosts the protest meetings after prepping for it in the morning and bringing race equipment out to the dock for the Committee Boat and, helping others rig their boats.  And she crews on occasion as well. She has the longest, most demanding race day of all of our participants.  We are very grateful to you, Arlene!

 

Thank you to KEVIN PREUSS, our Race Chairman!  Kevin keeps all the sailors and volunteers informed of all race matters overall and as each race approaches, and coordinates with Committee Boat Chair, Beth Auld. He trains sailors on race course set-up and is often the one lending them an extra hand. He makes the tough calls on weather cancellations and keeps the race equipment ship-shape.

We are grateful for LISA DURET, pictured above, our Secretary/Treasurer.  She is the welcoming face greeting you at social events, keeps our membership roster, collects dues and reimburses for equipment and award purchases and manages the ins and outs of the bank account.   To her right, TOM SCHROEDER is the "Commodore".  He tabulates the individual race scoring and season standings and prepares a lot of the communications you see. He is the lucky fellow who has  Kevin, Beth, and Lisa to depend on in all GYC matters.

 

 

 

 

SPECIAL AWARDS:

Good Samaritans

John Auld and Paul Hass were again good Samaritans helping Dianne  recover from a capsize.  Paul is the rescue swimmer and John skillfully handles the Y-Flyer solo (quite a feat) until Paul climbs back in the boat.

 

Booby Prize

The most powerful, wonderful, calamitous and disruptive force for sailors at Grandview Lake is usually the wind with which we have a love/hate relationship. But for the past two years there is a force that has been even more calamitous and more disruptive and purely awful, with which we have a pure hate relationship. That is Covid 19. So we recorded for history, the infamy of the nasty Coronavirus of 2020 and 2021 by awarding it the Booby Prize complete with a little name plate in its dishonor.   

Ghost Sailor Award

Pictured above is the Commodore awarding the 2021 "Ghost Sailor" award to Tom, Sarah and Ben Cartwright.

The ghost sailor award goes to the sailor who wasn’t here as often as we would have liked, but they really, really truly, scouts honor, cross their heart, wanted to be racing with us and were here “in spirit.

Tom did make it to one race this year, but Sarah and Ben did not.

The Jim Riffle Perfect Attendance Award 

We instituted this award last year, and named it after Jim Riffle, Sailor Emeritus and volunteer, who has always had perfect attendance at everything here at Grandview.   The award itself is a jelly doughnut (Jim's favorite), purchased the day before the gathering at Circle K.

The winners for 2021 were Jim Riffle (of course), Tom Schroeder, Matt Bartlett and Jim Voelz.  Neither Matt nor Jim dared miss a race since that would hand the championship to the other. Ironically, only Tom was present at the award gathering.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Gary Kotterman is our Rookie of the Year. He sailed with GYC for the first time this year, crewing for both Tom Schroeder  and John Auld.

HOLIDAY "TROPHY RACE" WINNERS

"Memorial Day" Race

MATT BARTLETT, pictured hiked out above won the Memorial Day Trophy Race

"July 4th" Trophy Race

CATEY HALE won the July 4th Trophy Race

Labor Day Trophy Race

JIM VOELZ won the Labor Day Trophy Race.  Although he was absent for the awards gathering, he sent an emissary to accept the trophy and easel. Club Secretary/Treasurer Lisa Duret presented the award.

 

CREW AWARDS

1ST PLACE:  PHIL BUSH  Phil (left) Waves after successfully executing a difficult jibe

 

 

2ND PLACE: PAUL HASS    Paul (right) crewing for John Auld

 

3RD PLACE: ELIZABETH HALE (in front) Crewing for Catey Hale

 INTERNATIONAL CLASS AWARDS

 

1ST PLACE: TOM SCHROEDER (right, with feet up, while crew hustles)

 

 

2ND PLACE:  CATEY HALE (left)

 

3RD PLACE: JOHN AULD  (left) with crew Paul Hass

LASER CLASS AWARDS

 

FIRST PLACE:  JIM VOELZ Represented by a third generation delegation.  "Are you a 'bot?" test: click on all the faces you see.  How many person's arms are shown?

SECOND PLACE: MATT BARTLETT  In the middle of the screen by the Dam you can barely see a sail interrupting the trees on the horizon.  That is Matt, way out front on his way to the 3rd mark.  All the other sailboats are on their way to the 2nd mark.

 

 

3RD PLACE:  LAURA GARRETT (left)

CLUB CHAMPION - JIM VOELZ

Jim was very pleased to have two future GYC champions practice accepting the championship trophy. The club champion is the sailor who accumulated the most points during the season (the more boats you finish ahead of in your class, the more points you accumulate).

See you in 2022, Hopefully unmasked!