Maris Stella Yacht Club and Crabbing Society
trying to take a picture with your cell phone while you are driving 70mph on 84 in connecticut is fun too!
3 points for linda!!
Monday, November 27, 2006
just so you don't think we're not having fun too
trying to take a picture with your cell phone while you are driving 70mph on 84 in connecticut is fun too!
3 points for linda!!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
too much fun
Sailing.
Dad got us into it thirty something years ago.
and sailboat racing. That too.
Well, many seasons of racing at the Surf City Yacht Club had their trials and tribulations. There were some pretty big time serious racers in that club. I'm not so sure that we knew at that time how serious those guys were.
But, we were into the game too and we learned a lot. Thanks, Dad.
And we've stayed in it. Thanks everybody.
Today Dave, Kyle & Ross sailed in the Harbor Sailboats Fall Regatta. This is the club's annual big race.
Many years ago Dave joined the Harbor Sailboats Club and the club has provided a great opportunity for learning more about sailing and sailboat racing. As Dave's original crew I remember that we started at the bottom and finished last or close to last in our first attempts. But we improved. Eventually we won a race. That was awesome. And then we came in first overall for the day. And then we won a series.
Now Dave is the all time series champion. His name is on the club plaque more than ten times. No one else is close.
But this Fall Club Regatta has eluded us. And we have been up against some serious challengers over the years. Some competitors are actually professionals in the sport.
Today was our day.
The race lasted about three hours. We had a good start & reached the first mark in first place but were caught and passed by a boat early on the next leg. We were challenged by two others and dropped into third place. But, we held on. We made some good decisions and sailed well and reclaimed second. And then going back upwind we regained the lead and held on for the final half hour and finished first.
Trophy!
A couple of months ago we needed to do very well in the final day of a series to win the series. We pulled off a 1st, 1st & 1st to win the series by 1/2 point against a very good competitor. We thought that day that we reached the pinnacle of sailing. Well, I think that Dave & I are agreed that today was our best day sailing ever.
And I think that all the members of the Maris Stella Yacht Club have a part in helping in our success today.
I will be sailing again tommorrow in an ocean race. #2 of 3 of the series that I wrote about last week. But nothing can compare to today's race. Sail on.
Too much fun!
Dad got us into it thirty something years ago.
and sailboat racing. That too.
Well, many seasons of racing at the Surf City Yacht Club had their trials and tribulations. There were some pretty big time serious racers in that club. I'm not so sure that we knew at that time how serious those guys were.
But, we were into the game too and we learned a lot. Thanks, Dad.
And we've stayed in it. Thanks everybody.
Today Dave, Kyle & Ross sailed in the Harbor Sailboats Fall Regatta. This is the club's annual big race.
Many years ago Dave joined the Harbor Sailboats Club and the club has provided a great opportunity for learning more about sailing and sailboat racing. As Dave's original crew I remember that we started at the bottom and finished last or close to last in our first attempts. But we improved. Eventually we won a race. That was awesome. And then we came in first overall for the day. And then we won a series.
Now Dave is the all time series champion. His name is on the club plaque more than ten times. No one else is close.
But this Fall Club Regatta has eluded us. And we have been up against some serious challengers over the years. Some competitors are actually professionals in the sport.
Today was our day.
The race lasted about three hours. We had a good start & reached the first mark in first place but were caught and passed by a boat early on the next leg. We were challenged by two others and dropped into third place. But, we held on. We made some good decisions and sailed well and reclaimed second. And then going back upwind we regained the lead and held on for the final half hour and finished first.
Trophy!
A couple of months ago we needed to do very well in the final day of a series to win the series. We pulled off a 1st, 1st & 1st to win the series by 1/2 point against a very good competitor. We thought that day that we reached the pinnacle of sailing. Well, I think that Dave & I are agreed that today was our best day sailing ever.
And I think that all the members of the Maris Stella Yacht Club have a part in helping in our success today.
I will be sailing again tommorrow in an ocean race. #2 of 3 of the series that I wrote about last week. But nothing can compare to today's race. Sail on.
Too much fun!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Another Sailing Story
And this one involves mayhem on only a slightly smaller scale than Ross had to offer.
Last Saturday, after I’d done no sailing for an appallingly long month, Capri 22 racing finally resumed. There was, however, a twist — we would share our race course with another class of boat, the Flying Tiger.
This is a boat with an interesting history. Apparently someone had a yen to design a pure racer that would nevertheless be “affordable” (always a relative term in sailing). In part, the cost-saving measures involved building the boat in China. But, long before the boat was available, or even designed, word of it leaked out to Sailing Anarchy, a web site devoted to sailing and based in San Diego. One thing led to another and before long, people were submitting design ideas to the web site, and (at least in the public version of events) a lot of those ideas made it into the boat. So it may be the first web-designed sailboat.
At any rate, the guy who owns Harbor Sailboats (named Tom Hirsh) bought two of the first ten FTs to be made. Two other San Diegans also bought one each. The boats arrived quite recently, and (I’m guessing here) Tom figured that as long as he was setting up a race course for the Capri 22s, the FTs might as well also use it.
The FTs are vastly faster than the Capri 22s; they’re about 33 feet long at get up to (I’m told) 15 knots in not all that much breeze. So they were to start first, and our start was to be five minutes later. So as we (“we” being Emma and I, by the way) milled about downwind of the starting line, we had a perfect view of their start (and here comes the mayhem part). With about 10 seconds to the gun, two were right alongside one another, approaching the committee boat, when the upwind one suddenly rounded up and rammed the committee boat! I thought at first it was just bad sailing, but then realized I could see the boat’s helmsman holding on to the tiller, but the rudder itself was flailing about in the water; it had literally torn off the transom! Apparently (I didn’t see this part) the same thing happened to a second boat a short way up the first leg. (Tom was the only one to escape damage.) So much for boats on the cheap. Or, so much for web-designed boats. Or maybe both!
With the FTs out of commission, there were still Capri 22s to race — eight of us in all. The wind was blowing about 15 knots, which is pretty strong for those little boats. Emma finished the day with sore arms. We sailed a random-leg course on which the first leg was almost a straight, close-hauled, starboard-tack course. But not quite; and having found ourselves in the middle of the pack at the start, we were the earliest to realize the need for short port tack, took it before anyone else and gained clear air, and by the time we reached the first mark, we had taken the lead. It was a lead we never relinquished, although when we finished we were only half a boat length ahead of the second-place finisher. There were two more races, in which we finished fourth and third, and all our finishes were close; in the last race in particular, the difference between us and the second-place boat was no more than six inches.
It was our friend Steve McNally finishing first in each of the second and third races, for a first place overall. Emma and I finished second overall, with two more days of racing left. Can’t think of a better way to spend a November Saturday!
Last Saturday, after I’d done no sailing for an appallingly long month, Capri 22 racing finally resumed. There was, however, a twist — we would share our race course with another class of boat, the Flying Tiger.
This is a boat with an interesting history. Apparently someone had a yen to design a pure racer that would nevertheless be “affordable” (always a relative term in sailing). In part, the cost-saving measures involved building the boat in China. But, long before the boat was available, or even designed, word of it leaked out to Sailing Anarchy, a web site devoted to sailing and based in San Diego. One thing led to another and before long, people were submitting design ideas to the web site, and (at least in the public version of events) a lot of those ideas made it into the boat. So it may be the first web-designed sailboat.
At any rate, the guy who owns Harbor Sailboats (named Tom Hirsh) bought two of the first ten FTs to be made. Two other San Diegans also bought one each. The boats arrived quite recently, and (I’m guessing here) Tom figured that as long as he was setting up a race course for the Capri 22s, the FTs might as well also use it.
The FTs are vastly faster than the Capri 22s; they’re about 33 feet long at get up to (I’m told) 15 knots in not all that much breeze. So they were to start first, and our start was to be five minutes later. So as we (“we” being Emma and I, by the way) milled about downwind of the starting line, we had a perfect view of their start (and here comes the mayhem part). With about 10 seconds to the gun, two were right alongside one another, approaching the committee boat, when the upwind one suddenly rounded up and rammed the committee boat! I thought at first it was just bad sailing, but then realized I could see the boat’s helmsman holding on to the tiller, but the rudder itself was flailing about in the water; it had literally torn off the transom! Apparently (I didn’t see this part) the same thing happened to a second boat a short way up the first leg. (Tom was the only one to escape damage.) So much for boats on the cheap. Or, so much for web-designed boats. Or maybe both!
With the FTs out of commission, there were still Capri 22s to race — eight of us in all. The wind was blowing about 15 knots, which is pretty strong for those little boats. Emma finished the day with sore arms. We sailed a random-leg course on which the first leg was almost a straight, close-hauled, starboard-tack course. But not quite; and having found ourselves in the middle of the pack at the start, we were the earliest to realize the need for short port tack, took it before anyone else and gained clear air, and by the time we reached the first mark, we had taken the lead. It was a lead we never relinquished, although when we finished we were only half a boat length ahead of the second-place finisher. There were two more races, in which we finished fourth and third, and all our finishes were close; in the last race in particular, the difference between us and the second-place boat was no more than six inches.
It was our friend Steve McNally finishing first in each of the second and third races, for a first place overall. Emma and I finished second overall, with two more days of racing left. Can’t think of a better way to spend a November Saturday!
Monday, November 13, 2006
It Wasn't Boring
I sailed as a crew member in a race last Sunday and I thought that I'd share the story with you guys. As we all know, few sailboat races go perfectly. Well, this race definitely had its share of problems. There will be no names mentioned here because I don't want upset anyone who may accidently read this on a google search. I want to stay friends.
About a month ago I tried to join our club's boat in this particular race but I was a little too late calling the club coordinator and the crew list was already filled. Fortunately for me a regular sailing competitor of the club asked Dave (first names are o.k.) if he was interested in crewing on a boat (exactly the same type of boat that I was trying to sign up for & the type boat that Dave has crewed on for years) that was short-handed in this particular race. Dave was unavailable for this race but he recommended me & so I got the invite.
I show up at the dock on Sunday morning and there are 5 sailors that I regularly race with as well as the boat owner, Bob. And then another guy shows up, and another, and still another. So now we are 10 on a 37 foot boat that needs 6 or 7 crew members. Well, there's enough booze and sandwiches for 15 so we ready the boat and off we go.
The race is to start in about an hour and there is one slight problem...there is no wind. This is typical around here and as it turns out the wind did start to come up just a little after the race officially started. With no wind at start time it was a little bit tricky getting a good run at the line in a crowd of 120+ sailboats and a strong current due to an extreme tide change. Our tactician unfortunately got us to the start line 30 seconds early and the current pulled us over onto the course side and with no wind we were unable to get back and start correctly for four & 1/2 minutes. This was by far the worst start to a race that I've ever experienced. We were quickly in last place among the boats in our class but since the wind was so light no one was very far ahead of us. And the race was about a 20 mile course so there was plenty of room to catch up. But, there were plenty of experienced and competitive sailors on board our boat wondering how this tactician botched the start so badly. Yet, not a negative word was spoken.
The wind was filling behind us and most boats had their spinnakers up on a broad reach out of the harbor and into the ocean. Our tactician decided that it would be to our advantage to sail closer to the wind and aim for the western edge of the harbor where he thought the wind would be strongest. Therefore we stayed with our Genoa to hold that course as spinnaker powered boats in the classes that started after us sped past us. Id never met this guy, our tactician, before but he was given this role on our boat because of his vast racing experience. This higher course heading finally gained us some stonger wind and we put up our chute but unfortunately for us this course took us directly through the notorious seaweed/kelp beds that effectively ended our race. Although we tried to navigate our way safely through the kelp there was so much that it was as if we were sailing through a forest of vines that were reaching out to entangle us. And that they did. We were caught in and dragging with us hundreds of pounds of weeds. We slowed from 8-9 knots to 3-4 knots. We used a special pole to try to release it from the keel and rudder but it wouldn't budge. We managed to sail out of the beds but we still couldn't free our boat of the kelp. So we continued ahead slowly.
After about half an hour we approached the first mark and made our first sound decision...keep clear of the mark. Boats larger and faster than ours started 10 to 15 minutes after our start and they were catching up to us very quickly. The wind was stronger out in the ocean and some boats were approaching the mark with a lot of speed and not much room to maneuver their jibe at the mark. We watched two large boats become entangled, rip out some rigging, break a spinnaker pole and tear some sails. Well, at least we avoided that!
On our kelp dragging reach leg we were caught and passed by just about every boat before we reached the second mark. On this reach our sails and rigging were under a lot of pressure by the wind and by the drag of all the kelp. I was standing on the windward rail when, bang!, the block on the deck that had the spin sheet broke apart and the 3" diameter metal wheel shot out and hit me in the foot and then hit the guy behind me in the chest. Neither one of us got hurt. I was wearing shoes and I think I slowed it down before Matt got hit. The real concern was that all of a sudden the spinnaker sheet was now wrapped around my ankles. But, with the bang the person managing the sheet released her hold on it so there wasn't a tight wrap on my ankles and I was able to slip out before it tightened again.
We managed to get the chute under control and sailed ahead to the second mark. We decided that when we round the mark we would point into the wind, stop the boat and then back down in an effort to free the boat from the kelp. Some kelp released but unfortunately the majority of it was caught up firmly on the keel. After a quick discussion a crew member volunteered to go over and pull the kelp off the keel. Amazingly the owner/captain allowed this solution. My opinion was that this was a crazy and dangerous answer to the situation and that the way things were going for us an answer involving a potential drowning was not a sound decision. But nevertheless this guy stripped down to his skivvies, was handed a diving mask and over he went into the cold ocean. In one minute he sucessfully pulled off a small island/ecosystem of seaweed and we were free of it. Our diver was rewarded with a dry towel, a cold beer and a round of applause. We sailed off in second to last place.
The wind became lighter and a bit flukey (that's a technical term). Oddly, we were in a place on the water where the wind was working for us and taking us on a direct line to the next mark while boats a mile or two ahead of us were either stopped in dead air or moving in a direction away from the mark. We were able to play some weird wind shifts to our advantage and we caught up to and passed quite a few boats. On the down side, now that we were competive again and back in the race we no longer had trust in our tactician and there was discussion and disagreement about every decision. The helmsman needs to point higher, lower; we should tack, not tack; go here, go there; beer not wine. Eventually we are on a course taking us directly back into the kelp beds and we all just lose it to a near mutiny and command a tack away. The tactician thanks the crew for the alert attention to the upcoming kelp.
We are on our final leg to the finish several miles ahead in the harbor and we are feeling good that the boat is sailing well, that we have passed 20 or so boats and we are gaining on some more and most importantly and surprisingly back in contention with some boats in our class. We continue gaining on our competition by riding the lifts and tacking on the headers. We re-enter the harbor that is now at extreme low tide. Our tactician has us sailing the edge of the channel in an effort to max the wind shifts. We are moving nicely at about 7 knots only about a mile from the finish with our eyes on two boats in our class that are only slightly ahead when oooff! the boat stops and we have run aground. We have to start the engine and power full reverse with all crew to leward to get the keel out of the mud. It takes about 5 minutes (seems like an hour) to get out. We are now disqualified. We turn off the engine and return to sailing and after all our troubles cross the finish line before about 10 other boats (I can only imagine what kind experiences they had). The owner/captain is rightfully unhappy that his tactician ran aground and perhaps damaged his boat. All of the crew is concerned about damage as well. We had high hopes in the morning of doing well in the race but come late afternoon its 'keel-haul' the tactician & put this boat to bed.
Actually we had a rather nice little party on the boat afterwards with plenty of food and drink & isn't that what sailing is really all about anyway?
About a month ago I tried to join our club's boat in this particular race but I was a little too late calling the club coordinator and the crew list was already filled. Fortunately for me a regular sailing competitor of the club asked Dave (first names are o.k.) if he was interested in crewing on a boat (exactly the same type of boat that I was trying to sign up for & the type boat that Dave has crewed on for years) that was short-handed in this particular race. Dave was unavailable for this race but he recommended me & so I got the invite.
I show up at the dock on Sunday morning and there are 5 sailors that I regularly race with as well as the boat owner, Bob. And then another guy shows up, and another, and still another. So now we are 10 on a 37 foot boat that needs 6 or 7 crew members. Well, there's enough booze and sandwiches for 15 so we ready the boat and off we go.
The race is to start in about an hour and there is one slight problem...there is no wind. This is typical around here and as it turns out the wind did start to come up just a little after the race officially started. With no wind at start time it was a little bit tricky getting a good run at the line in a crowd of 120+ sailboats and a strong current due to an extreme tide change. Our tactician unfortunately got us to the start line 30 seconds early and the current pulled us over onto the course side and with no wind we were unable to get back and start correctly for four & 1/2 minutes. This was by far the worst start to a race that I've ever experienced. We were quickly in last place among the boats in our class but since the wind was so light no one was very far ahead of us. And the race was about a 20 mile course so there was plenty of room to catch up. But, there were plenty of experienced and competitive sailors on board our boat wondering how this tactician botched the start so badly. Yet, not a negative word was spoken.
The wind was filling behind us and most boats had their spinnakers up on a broad reach out of the harbor and into the ocean. Our tactician decided that it would be to our advantage to sail closer to the wind and aim for the western edge of the harbor where he thought the wind would be strongest. Therefore we stayed with our Genoa to hold that course as spinnaker powered boats in the classes that started after us sped past us. Id never met this guy, our tactician, before but he was given this role on our boat because of his vast racing experience. This higher course heading finally gained us some stonger wind and we put up our chute but unfortunately for us this course took us directly through the notorious seaweed/kelp beds that effectively ended our race. Although we tried to navigate our way safely through the kelp there was so much that it was as if we were sailing through a forest of vines that were reaching out to entangle us. And that they did. We were caught in and dragging with us hundreds of pounds of weeds. We slowed from 8-9 knots to 3-4 knots. We used a special pole to try to release it from the keel and rudder but it wouldn't budge. We managed to sail out of the beds but we still couldn't free our boat of the kelp. So we continued ahead slowly.
After about half an hour we approached the first mark and made our first sound decision...keep clear of the mark. Boats larger and faster than ours started 10 to 15 minutes after our start and they were catching up to us very quickly. The wind was stronger out in the ocean and some boats were approaching the mark with a lot of speed and not much room to maneuver their jibe at the mark. We watched two large boats become entangled, rip out some rigging, break a spinnaker pole and tear some sails. Well, at least we avoided that!
On our kelp dragging reach leg we were caught and passed by just about every boat before we reached the second mark. On this reach our sails and rigging were under a lot of pressure by the wind and by the drag of all the kelp. I was standing on the windward rail when, bang!, the block on the deck that had the spin sheet broke apart and the 3" diameter metal wheel shot out and hit me in the foot and then hit the guy behind me in the chest. Neither one of us got hurt. I was wearing shoes and I think I slowed it down before Matt got hit. The real concern was that all of a sudden the spinnaker sheet was now wrapped around my ankles. But, with the bang the person managing the sheet released her hold on it so there wasn't a tight wrap on my ankles and I was able to slip out before it tightened again.
We managed to get the chute under control and sailed ahead to the second mark. We decided that when we round the mark we would point into the wind, stop the boat and then back down in an effort to free the boat from the kelp. Some kelp released but unfortunately the majority of it was caught up firmly on the keel. After a quick discussion a crew member volunteered to go over and pull the kelp off the keel. Amazingly the owner/captain allowed this solution. My opinion was that this was a crazy and dangerous answer to the situation and that the way things were going for us an answer involving a potential drowning was not a sound decision. But nevertheless this guy stripped down to his skivvies, was handed a diving mask and over he went into the cold ocean. In one minute he sucessfully pulled off a small island/ecosystem of seaweed and we were free of it. Our diver was rewarded with a dry towel, a cold beer and a round of applause. We sailed off in second to last place.
The wind became lighter and a bit flukey (that's a technical term). Oddly, we were in a place on the water where the wind was working for us and taking us on a direct line to the next mark while boats a mile or two ahead of us were either stopped in dead air or moving in a direction away from the mark. We were able to play some weird wind shifts to our advantage and we caught up to and passed quite a few boats. On the down side, now that we were competive again and back in the race we no longer had trust in our tactician and there was discussion and disagreement about every decision. The helmsman needs to point higher, lower; we should tack, not tack; go here, go there; beer not wine. Eventually we are on a course taking us directly back into the kelp beds and we all just lose it to a near mutiny and command a tack away. The tactician thanks the crew for the alert attention to the upcoming kelp.
We are on our final leg to the finish several miles ahead in the harbor and we are feeling good that the boat is sailing well, that we have passed 20 or so boats and we are gaining on some more and most importantly and surprisingly back in contention with some boats in our class. We continue gaining on our competition by riding the lifts and tacking on the headers. We re-enter the harbor that is now at extreme low tide. Our tactician has us sailing the edge of the channel in an effort to max the wind shifts. We are moving nicely at about 7 knots only about a mile from the finish with our eyes on two boats in our class that are only slightly ahead when oooff! the boat stops and we have run aground. We have to start the engine and power full reverse with all crew to leward to get the keel out of the mud. It takes about 5 minutes (seems like an hour) to get out. We are now disqualified. We turn off the engine and return to sailing and after all our troubles cross the finish line before about 10 other boats (I can only imagine what kind experiences they had). The owner/captain is rightfully unhappy that his tactician ran aground and perhaps damaged his boat. All of the crew is concerned about damage as well. We had high hopes in the morning of doing well in the race but come late afternoon its 'keel-haul' the tactician & put this boat to bed.
Actually we had a rather nice little party on the boat afterwards with plenty of food and drink & isn't that what sailing is really all about anyway?
Saturday, November 04, 2006
A new game?
Whenever you see a vehicle with LBI stickers, take a picture with your phone or other device you may have on hand and post it!
NJ = .25 points
Other mid-Atlantic states = 1 point
New England = 3 points
except for Maine = 5 points
Mid-west and South = ? (who cares)
California = 10 points but it can't be your own car
Linda - 3 points! or is it 6 because they had 2 stickers..
NJ = .25 points
Other mid-Atlantic states = 1 point
New England = 3 points
except for Maine = 5 points
Mid-west and South = ? (who cares)
California = 10 points but it can't be your own car
Linda - 3 points! or is it 6 because they had 2 stickers..
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