Montclair: 1; Ramapo: 0

Last night, in a closely-fought game, the Montclair High varsity soccer team defeated perennially powerful Ramapo High varsity soccer team by a score of 1-0. GO BLUE!!!

Sadly, the Montclair freshman squad was defeated by its Ramapo counterpart. But starting (and full-game playing) centerback Graham Christie was singled out after the game by Montclair coach Stu Ball for excellence in his play.

The visitors cheering squad was sparsely attended, due to the traveling distance. But die-hard soccer fan Marge Christie has, once again, stepped out in front of the crowd. You've heard of the Soccer Mom? Well, the original soccer mom is now the Soccer Grandma!

The August Series

Sailboat racing is a humbling exercise. Sometimes you think that you know what you are doing and everything goes well. Other times you think that you know what you are doing and all goes wrong. Then again, you might think that you don't know anything and find out either that you are correct or quite suprisingly that you know more than you think that you know. There are probably more possibilities & philosophical viewpoints than these four mentioned but they pretty much cover my sailing experience in August.

At the Harbor Sailboats Club in August we had four successive Tuesday evenings of racing of three races each.

8/02
An example of 'think that I know...& all goes wrong.'

After finishing an unexciting 4th out of ten boats in the first race Kyle and I get a very good start in the second race. But more importantly, I was watching the light wind condition change so that the better air was coming from the left side while the right side of the course was dead. So, by starting on the left side our boat and the only other boat on the left side had a big advantage. Four minutes into the race we were moving ahead surely and were 30 to 40 boat lengths ahead of everyone and on what I thought was the layline to the upwind mark. We were looking back at everybody and laughing. So, we tacked.......and stopped. No wind. And worse than that everyone else had some wind now. In fact, the wind was slowly coming to us from the direction of the other boats. By the time the wind reached us everyone had pretty much caught up to us. We had a slight lead overall at the mark but the wind was so light that maintaing any speed going downwind was extremely difficult especially being surrounded by all these sailboats. I can remember plenty of times before when I rounded the upwind mark in 6th or 7th place and passed a bunch of boats going downwind. Well, this night almost everybody passed me. We finished 8th.

The next race was still very light air. We reached the top mark in 3rd but felt like we were dragging an anchor downwind and took another 8. We ended with a humiliating 20 points on the night. And I thought that I liked to sail in light air. With 20 points we are basically dead in the August series. I was so down, I told Kyle that I'm finished, can't do it anymore. "That's my last race." From now on I'm just going to sail for fun. Why ruin sailing by suffering the frustrations of racing. I quit.

8/09
Kyle talked me into racing again. Lets just race for fun. Whatever happens, happens. Lets not be over-competitive. Just enjoy the moment. After all it's better than being at work which is where I would be if I didn't leave early to go race. Lets just clear our minds, relax and sail. And so, we get a 1st, a 2nd and a 1st. And the 2nd was only by about a foot and a half. We sailed so fast and so well that I really don't remember much about it. Why would I ever think about quitting racing? It's fun! I think this was a "don't know anything but surpisingly you do" experience.

8/16
Tonight we have a genuine 'rock star' join our crew. For weeks Dave has been saying that he misses racing on Tuesday nights with the club and so finally he takes a day off and joins the party. In the first race we size up our competition and decide who we want to beat most then we gain a favorable position on him in the pre-start and off we go. Dave steers and Kyle & I crew. We achieve our goal and finish fourth, 3 boats ahead of our chosen competition and so we move up in the standings. In race #2, Kyle steers and does well. The wind is medium strength and it is a good thing that Dave & I have the weight to stabilize the boat. We finish 3rd, but our 'target' finishes first. He's good. Race #3, 3 legs, Kyle still steering, we beat our competition to the upwind mark (we are in second) but he passes us going downwind. On the beat to the finish we are slightly behind him and tack away. The next time we cross, we are ahead and we finish the race in second place and second overall for the night. Kyle steers beautifully and Dave's crew work is impeccable and his tactical calls are excellent. I think this was a "we know what we are doing and everything went well" experience. Have I mentioned that I really like racing? We celebrate in a Mexican restaurant with muchos Margaritas and an iced Tea for Kyle.

8/23
This is the last night of the series. We are tied for first in points with Matt and just one point ahead of Steve and five points ahead of Bob. First place in the series gets the big trophy and a name on the clubhouse wall. (Dave is there nine times!)

The wind is light and that's o.k. We sail nicely upwind (3 boats were over at the start and called back but we stayed clear) and reach the mark in second place just behind Bob. Matt is right behind us. Bob sails into some choppy water and we reach off left as does Matt. We reach back on starboard now and are slightly in first place with Denny running down mid-couse on port. We intercept Denny and declare our rights as a starboard boat but he refuses to get clear of us. He is basically fouling us but my real race is with Matt and so I jibe to cover him and we finish second to Denny with Bob third and Matt fourth. Steve is fifth. We are now two points ahead of Matt, four points ahead of Steve and six points ahead of Bob. We are feeling good! This is our night.

In the second race we get on top of Matt at the start and pretty much smother his sails but we are not sailing that well by focusing on him and so we tack away to get better speed. Except that the speed doesn't come. We try some adjustments but never really get going too well. We approach the layline on port in about fifth place with a starboard boat coming across us. Here I make my big mistake. I should have crossed behind the starboard boat but instead I tacked and I was under the layline with no place to go. By the time I was able to tack back all other boats passed me. I rounded the mark in last place and slow and never caught up with anyone. Hello 8th place and 8 points. Inconceivable! Steve finished first and Matt 4th. Uh oh.

Last race, three legs, we get a good clear start but still the boat is not moving that well. We tack and tack again to get something going but never get into our 'good groove' which is what really makes it happen for us. We are basically scratching and clawing our way upwind and get to the mark in second place behind Bob and just in front of Steve (which is always a good thing). The wind is very light now and we are all slow going downwind except that Matt is moving a little better where he is. We round the downwind mark in third, behind Matt and Bob (who bumps us after we gave him room, a foul which he ignores even after both Steve and I call it out) but ahead of Steve. And here begins the slowest leg of my life. What is going on? I can't steer (yes, I am steering now instaed of Kyle - what a mistake) at all. I'm not pinching, I'm not falling off...I really don't know what I'm doing. I'm choking actually. Nothing is going right. I really just can't move the boat. Where is my wind? Oh no, I'm having a "I don't think I know anything and I truly don't" experience. Everyone else is pointing better and going faster except one boat that actually manages to sail slower than I do. So we finish seventh for the race and the day. Yikes.

A small consolation.....we end up with 50 points, one better than Bob, and get the little 3rd place trophy. Steve gets second and Matt gets first. Matt was so happy that he did a little dance in the parking lot. I don't think anyone else saw it.

It has Arrived!

thanks dave! i owe ya 20 bucks!! plus postage!!! would you settle for 2 or 3 white's subs?

for caroline....

DSC_0019
Originally uploaded by lindachr.

saw this handsome fellow and immediately thought of you!

More Hats Than You Can Shake a Stick At

And yours is on its way!

Presentation of the Trophy

Last years winners



present the trophy



to this years winner!

Surfin' USA

All over Beach Haven and down Holgate way............the waves finally were great today! The tide change from low to high created two hours of great waves and Kyle & I worked them until our arms couldn't paddle for another. Actually, Kyle caught twice as many waves as I did. You should have been there. Tomorrow should also be a good wave day.

Talisman: An object marked with magic signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection.

In a maelstrom of controversy, unparalleled by any of the previously thought contentious regattas, yours truly nevertheless came back from a dismal showing in the club’s “practice races” to secure the trophy amidst bad feeling and hurt pride. Day one, slightly less tumultuous than day two, was aided by able committee person Cathie and her inferior air horn. With Dave securing a tenuous first place at the end of the day, Linda and Ross (once again assisted by his able crew Caroline) tied for second, and Stuart and Kyle in close pursuit, it was anybody’s game. But the second day of racing spelled trouble for our earlier frontrunner, as Linda managed to cross the line first in all three races.

She attributes her remarkable success to three factors: unchecked confusion, rampant frustration and her assorted collection of talismans. “I knew that if I brought my plastic Madonna and lucky Sponge Bob shorts I could relax and everything would fall into place” she remarked. “In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, I let my opponents know about the Madonna but I chose to keep the shorts a secret.” The others apparently arrived without any such articles. In fact, Dave graciously relinquished his brand new “lucky Harvey Cedars Marina hat” to Linda the day before, not realizing its full potential.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the intimidation factor of Linda’s new class-legal sail numbers.

Most improved goes to Skipper Kyle, who pulled off an impressive second place finish in one race while at the same time managing to not capsize.

A Baseball Story

we have no internet access!

so no email, no blogging till maybe saturday if the phone gets fixed. mom and i are at an internet cafe in ship bottom right now. see you saturday.....

Who will be next

The King

Uuggga Booggga Kong!

Upgrades, anyone?

Class Approved Sunfish Upgrades

After final testing at the 2005 World Championships, two new International Sunfish Class approved upgrades for the Sunfish are available now.

Fiberglass Rudder Blade: The design profile for the fiberglass blade is the same as the wood model, with great surface finish and shape. The fiberglass blade also provides excellent durability. All future Sunfish Worlds Boats and Sunfish Pro Boats will be equipped from the factory with the FRP rudder blade. The new Fiberglass rudder blade is also available as an after market item.

Mast Sleeve: Sleeves for stiffening and strengthening the mast are now installed on all Sunfish masts. The stiffener consists of an aluminum sleeve inside the bottom of the mast section that inhibits lower mast bend for a stiffer more durable mast. A mast sleeve retrofit kit is available to equip previously purchased masts.

Checklist

1) At least 4 sailboats
2) A Kayak with anchor
3) Toolbox
4) Another toolbox
5) Markers for the course
6) 50 feet of hose & a nozzle
7) One half dozen sponges (large)
8) A strap or 30 feet of rope for cradle
9) Extension cord for hoist
10) Beer
11) Sunscreen
12) Beer
13) Shark repellant
14) Beer
15) Ice Chest
16) Knee brace (Stu)
17) PFD (Dave)
18) Defibrillator (Ross)
19) Trophy (Linda)

Is it possible to pinch a solar wind?

For those of you who don't read the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis, I recommend you to today's issue and, in particular, the Section B Science Journal article entitled "Mission on the Cheap Will Launch Spaceship That Uses Solar Sails." You have to pay a subscription fee for online service - this is the Wall Street Journal after all!

This coming Tuesday, Cosmos I will be blasting off out of a Russian nuclear submarine somewhere underneath the Barents Sea. Four days later (it is hoped), the rocket will pop open and eight 49-foot-long triangular sails (6,500 sq. ft. of sail area) will emerge and, if it works, the ship will be propelled by nothing more than the solar wind (apparently a space sailboat can reach speeds of 10,000 mph). And I still have difficulties raising the sail on a sunfish!

According to the Journal, "[a]s maneuverable as the sails on water-borne ships, solar sails can tack, which in theory means they could make ports of call at any planet." Of course it's in theory; can't you just imagine a skipper, traveling at 10,000 mph over the millions of miles of interstellar space, screaming "Ready about?" and his faithful crew yelling back "No! You're too early!"?

And when I asked for a second opinion, he said . . .

So . . . three weeks ago (the 17th), I was playing soccer in my usual competitive Tuesday night game. We were ahead by a couple of goals, but we've lost in this circumstance too many times before to take things easy. One of their strikers beats one of our defenders, so I slid over to pick him up. We both chased the ball at full speed, except (lucky me!) I got there first. He crashed straight into me - knee to knee - and I went down like a ton of bricks. I (literally) dragged myself off the pitch (because I couldn't bend my knee). As the sensation slowly came back, I decided to ice it down and apply a little medicinal alcohol. I called the local orthopedist the next morning, but he can't see me until the following Monday (the 23rd). Instead, I checked into the hospital for xrays (nothing's broken). Almost a week later, the orthopedist looks at me for all of about 5 minutes, tells me the medical equivalent of "somethin's hittin' somethin"' and sends me for an MRI. I immediately call for an appointment from the parking lot, but of course I need a precertification from the HMO, which doesn't come through for another 4 days (the 24th, aka the Friday of Memorial Day). I immediately call the radiologist, but there's no time available for an entire week (June 3rd). I get my MRI, and now I have to wait until the following Wednesday (the 8th) to go back to see the orthopedist (fortunately, I was smart enough to make the appointment before having the MRI). So it takes almost a month for me to find out that I have a "grade III peripheral tear in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus associated with complete anterior cruciate ligament tear, grade I mcl sprain, tibial plateau bone bruise and large joint effusion" - aka, a torn acl. But I'm not going in for surgery until after this year's regatta is over. After all, first things first!

The Second Annual Marge Christie Memorial Day Croquet Open

It was a beautiful day for the open - cool temperatures amid clear, sunny skies. With the south course temporarily taken out of commission, the decision was made to set up a short course on the east lawn. The grass was cut long, so a slow game was predicted. Graham (playing the black ball) leaps out to an early lead, but Caroline (playing blue) stays with him to the first stake. Stuart (playing red) roars past them as they struggle between themselves and looks to take an easy win . . . but wait! He gets caught in a bad lie in the mid-course trap! Steady strokes by Caroline lead to a lovely first-round victory, one stroke ahead of Stuart, who (finally out of the trap) just barely finishes a stroke ahead of Graham. Lauren (playing yellow, with some assistance from Cathie and her traditional playing stance) plays a solid game for fourth place, and Mom (playing green, and with a late start) comes in at the end. Game two, and all eyes are on Caroline. She jumps out to an early lead, but an unfortunate series of misstrokes leaves her stranded in the mid-course. Graham and Stuart race to the first stake and engage in a ferocious battle of ball-hitting. While they waste their precious strokes, Cathie (with her partner cheering her on) catches up at the stake, with Mom close behind. Caroline (finally out of the trap) gets back into the game, but it will prove to be too late for her. Graham, realizing the error of his ways, powers his way through the high grass and through the ninth and tenth wickets. Cathie and Stuart are left with no options but to try and keep up . . . but to no avail. Graham closes out the game nicely, a clear stroke ahead of Stuart who finishes one stroke ahead of Cathie. Mom closes out with a solid fourth and Caroline, despite a strong run from behind, ends up with a fifth.

The 28th Annual Oceanside to Southwestern Yacht Race

Kyle and I have been racing regularly on Tuesday evenings on San Diego Bay with the Harbor Sailboats Club. Usually all 14 boats compete in three races and we have been fortunate enough to actually finish first in a couple of races. Kyle mostly steers and I do all the crew stuff. Kyle is learning fast and we are getting to be pretty competitive. Mistakes are made of course but we are learning from our mistakes. We did pretty well in May and finished the series second over all.

Last week Kyle and I were invited by a club member and major racing competitor, Steve McNally (an excellent sailor and fine gentleman), to sail in a 36 mile ocean race from Oceanside to Point Loma aboard a 47 foot sailboat (El Sueno) of which he is a regular crew member. We gladly accepted the invitation. So, on Sunday May 29 we became the ninth & tenth members of El Sueno's crew. Kyle, because he is young and perhaps an up & coming sailing star, got the royal treatment by Brad Alberts, the skipper & owner. Kyle got a special tour of the boat, an explanation of the instruments, the sails, he got to steer the boat in the race, sit along side Brad and discuss tactics and he got to trim the spinnaker. I got to grind winches and help haul in the spinnaker during a sail change and of course sit on the rail. Actually I enjoyed every minute of it to the max. It was like a dream come true. It was work but it was fun. And, neither Kyle nor I fell overboard which was my only fear. There were times that we got the boat moving at 9+ knots which is pretty fast. There were some 'yahoos' from the crew when we really got going!

One cool thing is that of the 50 or so boats in the regatta we were part of a class of 11 boats including a boat named Valhalla of which Dave was a crew member. Although we were the first boat to cross the finish line, because we were one of the biggest boats we were handicapped to a corrected time whereby we gave time to smaller boats to allow for the differences in sizes & speed ratios, and therefore we ended finishing in fifth place in our class. What a great day!

RESULTS FOR CLASS PHRF-3
START DATE: 05/29/2005 START TIME: 11:30:00 DISTANCE: 38.25
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLC HCAP SAIL# BOAT SKIPPER TYPE CLUB FINISH ELAPSED CORRECTED MARGIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 78.00 42733 MALEFICENT CHRIS BENNETT BEN425 CRA 29/16:29:30 4:59:30 4:09:47 LEAD
2 84.00 56266 VALHALLA A&C RASDAL BEN367 SWYC 29/16:50:39 5:20:39 4:27:06 0:17:19
3 72.00 67745 MASQUERADE TIM COKER CHOATE SGYC 29/16:46:16 5:16:16 4:30:22 0:20:35
4 36.00 69408 MISTRESS TOM LAFLEUR SWAN53 SDYC 29/16:23:22 4:53:22 4:30:25 0:20:38
5 18.00 46307 EL SUENO BRAD ALBERTS BEN477 CRA 29/16:13:07 4:43:07 4:31:39 0:21:52
6 96.00 52266 DELIVERANCE DAN SWETT HUNT41 MBYC 29/17:03:44 5:33:44 4:32:32 0:22:45
7 81.00 36764 ARIEL ASARO/SIMON/VORGE BEN367 SDYC 29/16:54:26 5:24:26 4:32:48 0:23:01
8 24.00 51477 COUP D'ETAT RON ELSASSER BEN477 SWYC 29/16:19:23 4:49:23 4:34:05 0:24:18
9 84.00 7085 SORDINO JEFF LASTOFKA BEN376 OYC 29/17:00:53 5:30:53 4:37:20 0:27:33
10 72.00 37133 SAUDADE STEVE LINK S&S47 OYC 29/17:04:11 5:34:11 4:48:17 0:38:30
11 66.00 56345 TE MATAU GREG RITTER BEN473 SWYC 29/17:15:26 5:45:26 5:03:22 0:53:35

Kyle

Kyle 2005, originally uploaded by rosschristie.

Here is a picture of the player who led his team, The Predators, in scoring (5 goals & 7 assists).

Dang that's a big fish

24catfish650
Originally uploaded by lindachr.

big news at the GSP

Widening of Parkway Is Planned on Jersey Shore...

Garden State Parkway upgrade: Good or Bad?
	It's about time!
	45 years too late...
	Traffic? What traffic?
	Exit 63 baby, I'm there!
	Grumble... Grumble... change. bad.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

The Next Generation

I told you that Kyle can sail faster than I can ! Watch out this summer, I think he's getting serious about the Barnegat Light Regatta.

a bit larger for those of us with over 50 eyesight?

CoverGirl

CoverGirl, originally uploaded by rosschristie.

Look, there's mom on the cover!

And the winners of the 2005 Barnegat Light Regatta are . . .

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker

28ivory, originally uploaded by rosschristie.

Back from (presumed) extinction, a live Ivory-billed woodpecker has been confirmed in a swamp in Arkansas.

See 4/28/05 NY Times article....Click here

"What's with all the sand?"

Yes, that's what mom wondered aloud as she got out of her car after arriving in boston...

On the front page of the Boston Globe today was a picture of the bottom of our street!

We're trying to pretend we really live on Long Beach Island. But there is no White's and no Carousel. No Barney either. Plenty of water in our basement but no boogie boarding and no sailing.

a message from mom!!

With the help of Linda actually working inside my computer, I think I've finally got it! It's beautiful weather here -- a little cool but sunny and I'm about to go sit on the patio and read some more of the Hillary Clinton book which I'm really enjoying. It almost reads like having a conversation with her. Then back to this computer where I have waiting something like 45 unread messages -- most of them rehash of stuff I don't want to hear anymore, but you never know when something I need to know is right there in the middle of it all.

Dave, how was the first week of work? And, you never told me what I owe you for Emma's birthday gift -- many thanks of course for doing my shopping.

At long last

Hello bloggers!!!

Let's Go to Whites

Like so many Americans, I'm at least conscious, if not exactly worried, about my weight. In my case, it would be nice to drop 20 pounds or so if only because that would make me more competitive on a Sunfish.

So today I open my paper — that source of all knowledge — and my eye goes immediately to the headline, "Some Extra Heft May Be Helpful." Huh?, I say. And the lead sentence replies, "People who are overweight but not obese have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight, federal researchers are reporting today."

True, it didn't exactly say go faster in Sunfish sailboats, but still, dude, pass the crullers!

Stuart Andrew

Co` latha breith sona dhuibh!

I've Got Good News and I've Got Bad News

The good news is: I'm employed! I start Monday at a software company called Logical Apps. I answered their ad last Tuesday evening, was contacted on Wednesday morning, went for an interview on Thursday, and received an offer today. I guess they liked me.

I'm still not altogether sure what they do, but it has something to do with developing applications that regulate back-office business processes, and I'm sure it's very very important. It's a small company (65-70 people), which in my mind is a good thing, and I will be the entire technical publications department — manager, writer, editor, and general factotum. The company is located in Irvine (Orange County), which, oddly enough, is also a good thing: I can take a train and read the Times in relaxation while all the other poor suckers are slogging it out on the freeway. The best thing, of course, is that I'll have an actual income once again and get to support my daughter and keep my house and all that good stuff.

The bad news is: I'm employed! No more waking up at 8:00 and spending a few hours drinking coffee, reading the paper, and doing crosswords, I guess. Oh well, perhaps that's not so bad after all. But since I'm starting Monday, you can guess I'll be going sailing tomorrow. (Maybe Friday too.)

P.S. I've already secured at least a week of time off in July.

The 50th Annual Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Tournament

The Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Tournament ended at 6:00 PM on Sunday, November 21.
1096 anglers entered 174 striped bass and 374 bluefish.

Fish must be caught from the shores of Long Beach Island only-ocean, inlet, bay, and jetties. No boat fishing

The six-week tournament began Saturday morning, October 9, at 5 a.m. and ended Sunday, November 21, at 6 p.m.

$1000 CASH GRAND PRIZE WINNER - Ric O'Brien, Beach Haven NJ, 41 lbs.\7 oz.

(2)A.W. "Gus" Stasche, Sparta NJ, 40\3
(2)Robert Pfeiffer, Mt. Laurel NJ, 40\3
(4)Mike Fahy, Barnegat Light NJ, 40\2

our dear sisters

let us take a moment, fair captains, to reflect on our dear mournful sisters at maris stella, our namesake....

3 MONTHS

Ross Christie wrote:
> It just dawned on me that LBI Loveladies 2005 is only three months
> away. Which means that perhaps some planning may be in order. First of
> all, who is going and when and for how long? I'm thinking the 2nd & 3rd
> weeks of July.

that sounds good, i will be there then and possibly the entire time. rosemary will have to see what's going on for her around work and whether or not she is pregnant by then, but i'm guessing we will see her for a long weekend.
>
> How is Sunny 2? How is Cher? And what about a racing plan? Longer
> races? Multi-day? How about a really long race around an island perhaps?
>
> Let me know what you guys think. Ross

cher is still under wraps. but the evil winter that darkened our door for an eternity is now an almost distant memory. i decided not to renew my membership at the QYC this year, for several reasons, but rosemary has promised that she will help me to launch cher at other locations accessible to boston. and stuart and i have tentative plans to meet up in connecticut for special tuning regattas.

we definitely need longer races, i'm not saying that's the only reason the winner of barney 2004 won, but that course was way too short!

what we really need is new t-shirts and hats.

but shouldn't this discussion be taking place on the blog???

A Phenomenon of Nature

Beginning a few weeks ago, and as it happens at about this time every year, Painted Lady butterflies have dispersed through Southern California and Arizona on their way to their favorite flowers throughout North America. Some years we see more butterflies than other years and the reason is that with more rain in the winter there is more vegetation for the caterpillars to eat and therfore more caterpillars survive to become butterflies. Well, we had a lot of rain this winter. Lakes that were almost dry are full again. Mudslides have been happening everywhere. And, we've had plants and flowers emerge this spring that I've never seen before. And lots of Painted Lady butterflies. At first we had thousands of them. Then millions (even though I am not truly able to count into the millions) of them were flying by every day. When I went to Las Vegas last week I drove a section of highway in which about a hundred miles were filled with butterflies everywhere. But, all of that was nothing. On Thursday, March 31 from dawn to dusk a megazillion Painted Ladies flew through Southern California! Every cubic yard from the ground up to about 50 feet had a butterfly in it. All were flying north at about 20 mph. It was just an unbelievable endless blizzard of butterflies. And this was happening for hunderds of miles in every direction. All day long. I doubt that I'll ever see anything like that again for the rest of my life. Simply amazing!

The Painted Lady Butterfly

paintedLadyMM, originally uploaded by rosschristie.

On the Bounding Main

The NOODs! No, not (thank goodness) a bunch of sailors running around in their birthday suits, but rather the San Diego installment of the National Offshore One-Design regatta.

This series — ten races over a Friday (egad! people actually skipped work!) Saturday, and Sunday — is a big deal around here, at least among those of us sufficiently enlightened to sail. The number of boats entered was easily in triple figures, although there were many classes and (as the name of the regatta would suggest) each boat raced only against its own kind. Skippers spent big bucks preparing their boats — cleaning bottoms, replacing rigging, adding ringers to their crews....

On Valhalla (I'm happy to say) we stuck with all our regulars, which is to say amateurs one and all. Andy (our skipper) did, however, replace his stainless steel backstay with one made of carbon fiber (in the benighted belief that this would make a difference). We were also serious enough about this thing to hold two practice sessions prior to the race.

With so many entrants, there were two race courses, one for smaller boats (20 to 30 feet, say) and the other for larger. We were on the large-boat course, where legs were about a nautical mile and a quarter — just far enough that as you round one mark you can't actually see the next. You have to pick it up as you go. (Typical conversation: "Does anyone see the mark? Does anyone see the mark? DON'T POINT AT IT!!!")

The courses (once again, as the name of the regatta would suggest) were out on the ocean. As you may know, we've had an uncommonly wet winter here in southern California, and the forecast for race weekend was: Friday, rain, Saturday, rain, Sunday, rain. As it turned out, the weathermen were as foresighted as usual: we had, I think, a brief sprinkle on Saturday. But this is hardly to say that conditions were easy. The skies were solidly overcast on the Friday and Saturday, it was cold on both those days, the wind blew hard — up to 20 knots — all three days, and the swell ranged between large and larger, getting up to perhaps eight feet on the Sunday. Kelp (not actually a weather factor, I'll admit) was a bear.

There were times (lots of them, in fact) when we would come about, I would be trimming the genoa on the low side, and having finished I would need to get up to the high side to hike. The angle of heel on those occasions was such that I would need to grab things with my hands just so that I could climb up. My fifty-some-year-old body is not all that happy about climbing. Still, I don't think life gets better.

So, how'd we do? Well, there were moments when snags in sheets would foul tacks, and other moments when the guys on the bow weren't moving the spinnaker pole quite as smartly as they might, and one when we dropped the spinnaker in the water during a takedown and stopped the boat dead. (Do you have any idea how heavy a spinnaker is when it contains water? I didn't either, until now.) Not to put all the blame on the crew, there were also times when a moment's indecision during a start put us at the back of the fleet, or when a mistake in the helmsman's judgment led to a foul and a penalty turn. So...out of ten boats, someone had to come in tenth. Our best finish, in the final race, was a fifth, and although it may may not seem like much, that was really cool against top talent from all over the country.

The NOODs were two weekends ago, but last weekend it was back to Capri 22 racing. (Back to skippering!) Once again, I had the pro from Dover, Emma, as my crew. Ross was not there because he felt he had to work (which may call into question his bona fides as a sailor — or maybe not). There were four races and, to take all suspense out of it, Emma and I finished second, first, third, and third to take first overall. (Typical conversation during a tack: Dave — "Emma, that has to happen faster." Emma — "I'm going as fast as I can!")

No, the true excitement was that this was bumper-car racing. In the first race we approached the starting line overlapped and to windward of another racer, Sheldon. Knowing that I was a bit early anyway, I stalled my boat, fell below Sheldon and, as I crossed the line and simultaneously the gun went off and all was right with the world, I turned up to my proper close-hauled course. Unfortunately, Sheldon didn't. And, sure enough, he banged into me even though I was the leeward, and so right-of-way, boat. No damage, fortunately; he went on to do his penalty turn, and Emma and I went on to take our second. The second and third races were relatively placid affairs. With about three minutes to go before the start of the fourth, however, I approached the line on starboard while another boat (skippered by someone I don't know) ran along the line on port. As we converged, I called out "starboard," and then "Starboard!" and then "STARBOARD!!" but it did no good. He literally rammed me broadside, apparently unaware that I was even there.

No one was hurt, I'm happy to say (the collision was on the low side of our boat, and both Emma and I were on the high side). The collision did, however, take a triangular chunk out of the rail of my boat, measuring about three inches along each leg, with a crack at the apex stretching another six or so inches along the deck.

Once we disentangled ourselves, I did a quick check, decided we were still seaworthy, and continued the race. We arrived at the first mark in third place (having been hampered by the necessarily impromptu nature of our start), then the downwind leg in third place again. On the final, upwind leg we approached the finish line still in third and on starboard while two boats approached on port. This, of course, made me the right-of-way boat, but I could see the two of them yakking away at each other and paying no attention to me. Again??!!! So this time I started with "STARBOARD!!" and then escalated to "STARBOARD!!!!!!" and the boat on collision course, startled to find me there, rounded abruptly into the wind and missed me.

Damn, I have to find a fleet where I can steer and yet other sailors actually know what they're doing.....

My Tax Dollars at Work

And glad I am of it, I guess...

An Update

As time has passed, the hill has kept sliding. You can see the deep, vertical brown patch above the black tarp; that's all newly exposed earth, and the black tarp marks the fence that used to be at the top of the hill.

You can also see a large pile of loose dirt between the two houses, dwarfing the man standing in front of it. It's there because the City of Carlsbad has moved in to put things right, apparently on a "remove dirt until there's no dirt to remove" plan. They started about 2:30 yesterday and have been working round the clock since then, filling large dump trucks that parade in and out.

(Raven's a little put out by all this, the poor puppy.)

There are vast new neighborhoods being built behind the rim of the hill, and some time ago the early phases of construction involved a lot of dynamiting, followed by the movement of a great deal of earth to create new hills and new flat areas upon which to build roads and houses. Everyone I've talked to in my neighborhood is not merely suspicious, but absolutely certain that all that work played an important part in precipitating this slide. I suspect there'll be some lawyers involved in all this before long.....

If Life Gets Any More Exciting, I May Explode

What a winter! First there was the Christmas sinus infection, then the broken rib, and now this.

As you no doubt know, I live near the top of a hill. You may not have realized without thinking about it, though, that that all the neighborhoods hereabouts are literally carved out of the hillside. Sometime back when, developers cut terraces into the hillside and built houses on the resulting level spaces. And so streets here tend to end in very steep embankments.

As you've no doubt heard, it's rained a lot here lately. Soggy, steeply slanted earth here results in mudslides and, sure enough, the very steep embankment at the end of my street is beginning to slip.

Here's what it looks like:




You can see the tarps spread over the hillside in the hope that they will cause any new water to run off rather than soak in, as well as the sag in the fence (near the top of the embankment, to the left of the house roof) where it has been undermined by the sliding earth. You can also see one of several tractors that have been feverishly digging away the mud that has already slid (at a rate, apparently, of about one inch per hour) and the rented moving van in which Russel (the unlucky owner of the most exposed house, who has lived here since the neighborhood was new) is loading his furniture in the process of moving away. What you can't see (in this admittely amateurish photograph) is the break in the vegetation near the top of the embankment behind Russel's house — a roughly four-foot (top to bottom) strip of vertical brown earth that shows not only how much has already moved, but also how much more below it has yet to come down.

I believe that my house is far enough away to be safe. But we'll see what happens over the next week or so.

Rats Redux

Racing! Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!! San Diego Bay! Nine boats. My first time skippering a 'big boat'. Kyle (Krabby) as my krew. Dave was skippering another boat with his friend Seth (& Seth's 2 young sons on board for tactical advice) as crew. Race#1; K & I are very nervous but we get a good start and half way up the first leg we are in first place on starboard tack with all other boats below us on port. Time to tack...we come about, set the jib sheet and it doesn't want to hold. The wind is pretty strong and Kyle just can't handle the jib. Consequently the lead slip slides away as we flounder on mainsail power alone until I jump forward and bring in the sheet. How did all those boats get ahead of me that quickly? We sail out the course and finish in 7th. Ouch! At least we didn't finish last. I think Dave finished fourth. Race#2; Another good start but with the wind a little too strong for us we (I) don't sail the boat so well and some boats get past me. Still we reach the upwind mark in 3rd place. We get passed at the finish and settle for a fourth. We've improved. We are happy. Dave finished first. Race#3; A pretty good start but I stink at steering. I turn the tiller over to Kyle and suddenly we are moving better. We take a fifth as we are passed again on the downwind leg. But, we are o.k. with fifth. Dave takes a second or third. Race#4; We go for a pin-end port start as the wind has shifted and now favors that start. Dave also recognizes the port start advantage and follows us. Twenty seconds after the gun we are way ahead of the fleet but with me at the helm again and steering poorly Dave passes us from underneath and sails off. I turn the helm over to Kyle again and look at us go! We round the upwind mark in third place. This is a 3 leg race with the finish being at the end of an upwind leg. We round the second mark in fourth place and just inches ahead of the fifth boat. Dave has fallen to a close second place and splits tacks with the first place boat in an effort to challenge it for first. But by going to the left side he has opened an opportunity for the third and fourth place boats to pass him. With Kyle steering we don't catch the third place boat that has now climbed into second but we do hold off the fifth place boat and we cross in front of Dave who is now on a port tack! We need to tack to cross the finish line and barely cross the line in front of Dave who is finishing on starboard. Third place us, Fourth place Dave who yells out "Rats" as he crosses the line. On the day, Dave/Seth & boys take 3rd overall...Ross/Kyle take 4th.

The Numa Numa

This seemed oh so appropriate.

Rats!

Not only an expression of Charlie Brown-esqe pique, but also the name of the animal causing that pique. Apparently there's quite an extended family of them running around in my attic. And while it's unfortunate that rats thrive wherever there are humans, it is fortunate that if we're going to be plagued with them, at least they're very, very stupid.

[Thoughts going through the rat's brain] "Ummm, that peanut butter smells good. Wonder where it came from? Well, who cares, it smells really good. And I wonder what that machine is that it's attached to? Well, who cares, because it smells really, really good and, wow!, it tastes really good too, and..." WHACK!

So I've killed three in the past couple of days, and I look forward to the day when I no longer hear the pitter patter of little feet above my head.

But....

The last one took the bait while I was sitting more or less directly beneath it, and come to find out, they don't just get their necks broken and die quickly and quietly. With all the thumping, I thought it might have been a puma, or at least an opossum. Now it happens that I place the trap just inside the opening to the attic, and that opening is (in the typical fashion) a two-by-three-foot rectangle above my bedroom closet covered by what should probably be plywood but is, in my case, some of that dimpled white foam that ugly ceilings are so often made of. Not strong stuff. And, in my case, a moment's carelessness (while I installed an ethernet cable leading from a router in my bedroom to a computer in Emma's bedroom) resulted in the removal of a corner of that piece of dimpled foam — an approximate equilateral triangle with legs of about three inches — plenty of room for a little beastie to fall through. And in truth, while I watched I saw at least the tail come into plain view.

Now, I don't like the idea of confronting an animal that, although trapped, is very much alive and really pissed off ("But, I was eating peanut butter! How can this happen?"), no matter how small it is in comparison with me, so I immediately called Raven into the room as a first line of defense. For awhile, there continued to be more bumping around in the attic than is likely to occur in a WWF contest. But it stopped. And I was left to wonder — has that thing shuffled off the mortal coil, or has it escaped and run away, or...is it just waiting for me? I happen to have bought an air horn a while back, in order to make a lot of noise on New Year's Eve, so I waited awhile and then blasted a coupe of jolts (Raven didn't like that), got no response from the beastie, and went up into the attic to discover I could add another notch to my belt.

HHHhhhhhhhhh........ (That's me letting out a deep sigh.)

All of this, of course, while true, means that I haven't been sailing enough and so have too little to write about. That's to be resolved soon: On Sunday there's a Capri 22 race, the first in which two of the Christie brothers will contend against one another. More to come.....

Somerville Gates

For those of us who cannot make it to the big apple this week for one reason or another, click here

go!

go!, originally uploaded by rosschristie.

Skipper: were we over?
Crew: we were right on!

Mom, Lance & Carlee

slide.bestoff.jpg, originally uploaded by rosschristie.

Three big winners in the news. Carlee, the German Short-haired Pointer, Best in Show winner of the Westminster Kennel Club. Lance Armstrong declared today that he would attempt a 7th Tour de France championship. Mom earned the title of Queen of Argentine Rummy, by dominating the competition in last week's California A. R. Tournament of Champions.

Let's Go Crabbing

Mysterious Island, somewhere south of the Causeway

A new World Record

Who cares about football! In "Other Sports" today,

LONDON, Feb. 7 (AP) - Ellen MacArthur has endured stormy seas, 65-mile-an-hour winds, a broken sail, burns, bruises and exhaustion - even a close encounter with a whale. The payoff is a solo around-the-world sailing record.

MacArthur, a 28-year-old Englishwoman, completed the 26,000-mile circumnavigation at 5:29 p.m. Eastern time on Monday by crossing an imaginary finish line between Ushant, France, and the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, on the south coast of England.

Her final time was 71 days 14 hours 18 minutes 33 seconds, her control team said.

Boy, Do I Feel Guilty

After all, there you east coast folks are, suffering the cruel torments of winter, even fur-coated cats huddled up for warmth. You send photos and reports of boats buried almost to the point of being lost under snow. And what do I do about it?

Go sailing, of course.

"What?!" you say. "Aren't you injured?!" Well, yes, I suppose so, but I had signed up for a race some time before I fell off the ladder, and I was really looking forward to it, and I'd had almost two full weeks to recuperate. And besides, it's not like I would be crewing; as helmsman I was just going to sit in the stern and hold a tiller. All of which is to say that I guess I'm feeling a fair bit better than I was.

So, to the race details. Last Saturday, we had another of the Capri 22, around-the-channel-markers, all-over-San-Diego-Bay races — something like 10 to 12 nautical miles. My regular crew was notably absent; given that he was taking his Basic Keelboat class, one has to assume he will be not only absent from my boat, but also a competitor from now on. Cool! Fortunately, I was able to replace him, temporarily at least, with my first-string crew, a true old salt, the pro from Dover: Emma.

The early going was inauspicious: a so-so start and less-than-perfect sail trim left us in sixth place out of nine boats at the first mark. The second leg, a reach, saw no changes in position. But the third leg was long, and about five degress off a true run. The three lead boats — for what reason even they couldn't say later on — went way over to the left of the course. The next three of us took a straight-line track for the mark, Emma and I got our boat cookin', passed the two boats sailing with us, and reached the next mark in first place.

The next leg was even more directly down wind, and at this point the wind, previously brisk, dropped to almost nothing. Our speed (and everyone else's) varied from one to one and a half knots. (There was also a need to make way for a tug pulling two enormous barges, but that affected everyone about evenly.) Eventually the wind picked up again but, as tends to be the case on downwind legs, filled in from behind and brought everyone up to us before it started us moving again. We rounded the extreme downwind leg in second.

From here it was several miles of close-hauled sailing to the finish line, and Emma came into her own. (Although for the sake of accuracy I have to say that she also winged the jib beautifully on the downwind legs.) Every tack saw a crisp set of the jib, Emma haulin' hard, cleatin' down, and getting herself out on the rail. Midway along, the race had come down to us and one other boat, skippered by a guy named Jon Miyata. He was a little ahead, and time and again we would near the point of passing him only to be trapped in his wind shadow and fall behind.

Now Jon and I have sailed together on several long-distance ocean races and know each other well. So, naturally, as we battled one another we exchanged a bit of good-natured trash talk. At one point I warned him that if he paid too much attention to keeping me slow, someone might come from behind and pass us both. And sure enough another boat (call it the "mystery boat"; I don't know its skipper) did begin to move up; Jon, perhaps with my warning in mind, broke off to cover him; with our air suddenly clear we surged ahead and won. The mystery boat finished about 10 seconds later, and Jon about 10 seconds after that, consoled in the knowledge that any race is a good race when you finish ahead of Steve McNally (who was a distant fourth).

A fine way to spend a January day. Come to think of it, I don't feel so guilty after all.

Daisy stir-fry

what does a girl have to do to stay warm around here?

Spring is in the Air

January 28th and the wildflowers are blooming like crazy. The rain we had in December and the warm, sunny days we've had in mid-January have colored the hills and canyons with bright reds, yellows, purples and whites.

And, by the way, I've joined the Harbor Sailboats club. Tomorrow I begin the 2 day 'basic keelboating' class. Once I complete the class I am o.k. to compete in the racing program and with Kyle as my crew start collecting some club trophies. Starting gun, here I come!

I'm OK, You're OK?

Sunny II and Dave's boat (Kaigon? Saigon? King Kong?) have weathered the storm nicely, as they are sitting comfortably in the garage. I can't quite say the same for Sunny I and Red Weather, although at least they are visible.

and more expected

live from new england... sometimes when the wind blows it's a complete whiteout.



spring seems a long way away. cher is still visible but "the snoopster" (miata) is now completely buried.

Question of the Day

When your car needs to be fixed, you bring it into the shop, leave it for a few days, and rent another while the work takes place. Why can't they do that with human bodies? "Yeah, I'd like to rent another body while mine's in here for healing. Could I get the 25-year-old stud model? And by the way, there's not really any hurry on the repairs...."

Dave Makes a Decision

That's it! No more physical labor ever! If it's worth doing, it's worth having done by a qualified professional.

These thoughts ran through my mind yesterday about 0.75 seconds into a fall from a ladder — about 10 feet.

The good news: No head injury, and I wiggle my toes and fingers just fine.

The bad news: Broken rib and chewed-up lower back. (Nothing that won't heal in time.) Ah well, I guess I'll be taking an indefinite sabbatical from my Aikido studies....

I can't sail in them, but . . .

Vema III; Mouette; Nyala; Northern Light; Nereus; Vim; Seven Seas; Columbia; Dorothee; Constellation; Intrepid; Valiant; Courageous; Enterprise; Spirit of America; America II - All of them 12-meters and all of them designed by Sparkman & Stephens, who just happen to be a tenant of ours at 529 Fifth Avenue. I met with them yesterday and just walking around, looking at the plans/models/photographs, was awesome. There was a photograph of one of their yachts under sail - it goes for a cool $10 million. The spinnaker alone costs $25,000 (apparently they were out one time, sailing it with the owner in heavy winds . . . they recommended taking the spinnaker down . . . the owner disagreed . . . a few moments later, the spinnaker ripped to shreds . . . oops!). I made a preliminary offer on it - they said they'd consider a trade in of the sunfish!

Happy New Year Back At Ya

And what do sports fans love on New Year's Eve but hate on New Year's Day? For those who haven't solved the puzzle yet, a coded answer:

xbudijoh uif cbmm espq

Happy New Year

A Happy and Healthy New Year to all MSYCers!!!!!

here's marge!

the only way i get computer-smart is when linda comes to visit!

fame

i happened across this entry in a "tips and tricks" site which explains how to check if any other sites have links to your site. so you would type link:msyc.blogspot.com in the google search window and see what it finds....

here's the problem

instead of doing a search for "writer" you should be searching for "sailing".
i found the following using this methodology:

We are actively seeking experienced RF Integrated Circuit (RFIC) Engineers (multiple openings). Understanding of the following analytical techniques desired: Cascaded NF, intercept point, PLL gain/phase margin, spurious analyses, etc.

but wait - here's another... it's true the pay is not much but...

The Ocean Institute, Dana Point CA
INSTRUCTOR: MARITIME PROGRAMS(Positions also available in Science Instruction)DESCRIPTION: Join our maritime instructional staff in providing award-winning educational programs aboard a tallship! Our instructors utilize role-play, combined with traditional teaching skills and strategies, to take students grades 4 and above on exciting voyages of learning. Programs take place dockside in Dana Point Harbor and on the open sea.QUALIFICATIONS: Two or four year degree in social science, drama, or education (work in progress or equivalent relevant experience may be acceptable.)  Applicant should have experience working with groups of young people.  Self-motivation, quick thinking, humor and curiosity are essential.  Background or coursework in California History, U.S. History, sailing, drama, or music is a plus! Conditions of employment: Approximately 10-40 hours per week (varies week to week)  Wage starts at $9.79 per hour with possible increases to $12.00 per hour  Up to two overnights per week and some weekend work may be required

What Does This Mean?

Still trying assiduously to resume my gainful employment, I opened monster.com on the computer the other day. I typed in the keyword "writer," selected the usual filters (San Diego for location, four or five likely job categories), and discovered the usual seemingly endless listings for "Start a business on your home computer and earn six figures while working just two hours a day!!!" Almost hidden among them, however, was a listing for a real job — technical writer for a company that... uh... well, you be the judge:

"CalAmp is a leading provider of comprehensive breakthrough communications access and content delivery solutions, services, and products."

Huh? What do these people do for a living? Is it just me? In order to get the job, do I have to learn how to talk like this?

Just thought I'd share....

#18 on the List

the List of 50 things to do in one's life:

#18. Sail on an America's Cup Yacht

Mom ___ Cathie ___ Kyle ___ Graham ___ Linda ___

Ross ___ Rosemary ___ Caroline ___ Emma ___X

Dave ___X Vanessa ___ Stuart ___ Lauren ___

A Cruise to Remember

Imagine: Someone comes along and says, Hey, why don't you take a ride on this bike that Lance rode in the Tour de France? Well here's a proposition that's arguably better: Someone came up to me and said, Let's sail Stars & Stripes, the boat in which Dennis Connor raced for the Americas Cup in 1995. And so yesterday, off we went cruising.

Some background: I once sailed in a San-Deigo-to-Ensenada race, and another member of the crew was a woman named Camille Rasdal, who has a husband named Andy, who not so long ago bought a Beneteau First 36.7 called Valhalla. Andy and Camille needed crew to race the boat, Camille remembered me, and now I crew for them regularly.

More background: There's a guy who was affiliated in some background way with several of the recent Americas Cup regattas. He purchased two of the boats — Stars & Stripes and Abracadabra — and keeps them at the Broadway pier in downtown San Diego. On them, he takes passengers cruising on San Diego Bay. Andy and Camille decided to reward their crew after a season of racing by taking us out on Stars & Stripes. (Pretty successful racing, I might add: After an admittedly shaky start to the season, we placed third in the West Coast Championships of the Beneteau First 36.7 class, and in the final race of the season we took our first first place.)

But: Back to Americas Cup sailing. The boat was amazing. I know you're wondering, and yes, I did get to steer it. Although I still have great respect for the sailors who compete in Americas Cup racing, I have to say that this was the easiest boat to sail that I've ever been on.

First of all, the hull is made entirely of carbon fiber, which makes it very light; as a result 80 percent of the weight of the hull is concentrated in the bulb of the keel; as a result the boat is incredibly stable. Most large boats have lifelines (wire lines suspended from stanchions about two to three feet above the rails); to hike, you sit on the rail facing outward, with your feet dangling overboard, and lean your chest against the lifeline. As originally designed, an Americas Cup Class boat has no lifelines, because there's no need to hike; no matter how close you are to the wind, the boat heels a tiny bit and just stays there. (S&S now has lifelines, but only because the Coast Guard requires them for the taking out of passengers.)

Second, it's incredibly fast. Lots of times yesterday, we were sailing faster than the wind speed (and this was with a suit of sails that had seen better days). I don't know if you know about sailboat handicapping: Because boats often race against boats of differing capabilities, every boat gets a PHRF (Pacific Handicap Racing Formula, I think) number that corresponds to a number of seconds per mile. The higher your number is, the slower your boat is. Valhalla (a pretty good boat in its own right) has a rating of 80-something (for the sake of explanation, let's say it's 80). If another boat had a rating of 90, then for every mile of a race Valhalla would owe that boat 10 seconds — that is, if the race were three miles long, 30 seconds would be added to Valhalla's time to evaluate its performance against the other boat. Well, the rating for Stars & Stripes is negative 120. It's really fast.

This was a family event, and I was very happy to have Emma with me. (She brought a book along, of course.) I was also thinking of Dad while I was out there — I'm sure he would have loved to have a crack at a boat like that.

There are pictures: go to this link.

Crabs for a Thousand, Please, Alex

Way back in time, last summer, July,
Ken Jennings was the JEOPARDY guy.
Every night at 7:30 we'd turn the show on.
By eight, another two challengers were gone.
Potpourri, religion and questions high tech,
Quick with the answer, he amazed Al Trebek.
Ken'd win about 50 thousand dollars a show.
By December, he'd won a whole lot of dough.
He knew all the questions/answers, whatever...
He even knew NY state governors, clever!
Any category at all: capital cities, Star Trek,
presidents, wine...he's always correct.
He'd get obscure questions about a volcano
I'd just shake my head, "how did he know?"
We couldn't believe he could win every day,
He's so damn smart, he's just gotta be gay.
No category in JEOPARDY was beyond his scope,
Every other contestant would look like a dope.
His unique genius had taken him so far,
That he became an American celebrity star.
But, after 74 games of ruling the Daily Double
he blanked on some questions that gave him real trouble.
Finally it happened...a brain freeze lock,
He couldn't come up with "H&R Block"
Nancy Zerg had it right! and then
the audience gasped, but cheered for Ken!
Thanks Ken for the run, you made it interesting.
You're number one, the all-time game show king.

Not Just a Sunday Stroll around the Bay

One thing that Captain Dave left out was that there was a party at the club after the race and trophys were presented to the first three finishers by the club president. During the presentation Tom consoled those that finished in the back of the fleet by explaining that they shouldn't feel bad about their performances because they were sailing against experienced and competitive sailors and that the top five finishers in the Capri 22 group are all "very good sailors."

Representin'

It may be November in some parts of the world (well, technically, it's November here too), but in San Diego there are still sailboat races to be raced. And so on Sunday Dave, Ross, & Midshipman Krabby, representing the Maris Stella Yacht Club, entered a Capri 22 in the 2004 Harbor Sailboats Fall Fleet Race.

The format was a course around channel buoys from mid-Harbor Island to the northeast tip of Shelter Island, then across the bay, then down past the Coronado Bridge, and finally back up to the western tip of Harbor Island — roughly 10 nautical miles. Boats of all sizes were welcome to enter.

Since larger boats go faster, the start was staggered according to boat capabilities. The 22s were to go off the line at 11:30, the next largest a couple of minutes later, and so on. Chaotic as that may seem, the start turned out to be a little more so as the race committee only set up the line at about 11:20, and at some distance from where everyone had gathered. The committee was determined to hold to schedule, however, so boats turned on engines just to reach the line on time, a planned 10-minute gun was never sounded, and much pre-start maneuvering went by the wayside. Even so, that didn't excuse our having left ourselves in position to be luffed up at the committee-boat end by our old friend Steve McNally and, as a result — how shall I say it — "nudging," "grazing," "kissing" the committee boat itself. Doh! Penalty turn for you, Captain Dave!

But after that we sailed well enough, remaining near the front at the first several marks. The long leg from Shelter Island down past the Coronado Bridge was downwind with crews winging the jib (that is to say, holding it out by hand on the side opposite the main) in a breeze that freshened enough to raise whitecaps on the bay (a much rarer occurrence here than on Barnegat, with our much deeper water and typically lighter winds). Many crew members complained of sore arms at the after-race party. The lead boats (us among them) were initially close enough to hail one another, but near downtown, where the bay widens, they separated into two groups on opposite sides of the course. Near the bridge they converged again and incredibly everyone seemed to be in the same position and the same relative distance apart. Everyone except, that is, for Frederic Hayem — you remember him, the one who you never see anything of him except his transom? Well, we couldn't see anything of him except his transom. Somewhere way ahead.

We rounded the downwind buoy and started some hard tacking (remember, whitecaps, strong breeze) and had a "moment." Somehow we slipped back and lost quite a few boat lengths and positions. But we kept sailing, regained much of what we had lost, and found that Frederic was untouchable, so was the second-place boat (that pesky Steve), but we were neck and neck for third (out of 15 boats, by the way) with a guy named Sheldon Black. We would gain a bit, he would gain a bit; we'd have a good tack, he'd get a good lift, and so on until...we ended a two-and-a-half-hour race with him crossing the finish line 15 seconds ahead of us.

Ah, but all was not lost: It turns out that in that chaotic start Sheldon crossed the line early by about a boat length and a half and never came back to start properly. A race committee would typically, I gather, assess a three-minute penalty for that; our committee had already resolved to be "nice" and assess only a one-minute penalty, but even that was enough to give us the third.

Results and pictures are at this link.

There's been some talk already about the 2005 Spring Fleet Race: Ross might join the club and enter his own boat, and we might be recruiting some high-quality east-coast crewing talent. Waddaya think?

Peace Is Our Profession

The military insanity is closer to home than we thought, or I thought. Next time you are driving down the Garden State Parkway it might be wise to keep your eyes on the sky as well as the road. And a bullet proof vehicle might not be a bad idea.......

Fighter jet strafes New Jersey school


Friday, November 5, 2004 Posted: 7:49 AM EST (1249 GMT)
Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School is cordoned off after it was fired on Wednesday night.


LITTLE EGG HARBOR, New Jersey (AP) -- The target was an object on the ground well within the confines of the Warren Grove firing range, a 2,400-acre scrub pine expanse used by the military to train pilots in bombing and strafing techniques.

But when the heavy gun in the left wing of an Air National Guard F-16 fighter jet fired Wednesday night, it sent 25 rounds of 20mm ammunition smashing through the roof and zinging off the asphalt parking lot of the Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School 3 1/2 miles from the range.

Military investigators are trying to determine how it could have happened.

A custodian was the only person in the school when the shots hit at 11 p.m., and no one was injured.

The jet that fired the rounds was assigned to the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. It returned there after the shots were fired, an Air National Guard spokesman said.

Military officials would not identify the pilot. Operations were suspended at the firing range pending completion of the investigation.

Police were called after the custodian heard what sounded like someone running across the roof.

Police Chief Mark Siino said officers who responded noticed punctures in the roof. Ceiling tiles had fallen into classrooms, and there were scratch marks in the asphalt outside.

The pilot of the single-seat jet was supposed to fire at a ground target on the firing range 31/2 miles from the school, said Col. Brian Webster, commander of the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard, which is responsible for the range.

The plane was flying at 7,000 feet when the rounds were fired from the M61-A1 Vulcan cannon in the plane's left wing. The weapon fires 2-inch-long lead projectiles that do not explode, Webster said.

Webster said he did not know what caused the gun to fire.

"The National Guard takes this situation very seriously," said Lt. Col. Roberta Niedt, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "The safety of our people and the surrounding communities are our foremost concern."

Mike Dupuis, president of the township's Board of Education, said school workers are mindful that the firing range is nearby.

"Being so close to the range, that's always in the back of our minds. It is very scary. I have children in that school and relatives that work there," he said.

Schools in New Jersey were closed Thursday because of a teachers convention.

The Warren Grove range, about 30 miles north of Atlantic City, has been used by the military since the end of World War II, long before the surrounding area was developed.

In 2002, an Air National Guard F-16 that had been practicing at the range crashed along the Garden State Parkway. The plane's pilot ejected safely, and no one on the ground was hurt.

Errant practice bombs were blamed for forest fires that burned more than 11,000 acres of the Pine Barrens near the range in 1999 and more than 1,600 acres in 2002.

Old Barney Photo Contest

We all know of Linda’s idea (it was Linda’s, wasn’t it?) to equip everyone with cameras and see who can take the most photographs of Barnegat Lighthouse likenesses. In case the contest actually takes place next year, I thought I’d stake a claim for the image of Old Barney taken farthest from the actual Old Barney — at Nugent’s Seafood Grille in Del Mar, California, some 2,430 miles away.



[Just a moment of levity in trying times.....]

No Chance

Schilling will not become the new name of my boat inasmuch as I have found out that he is a Bush supporter. Cher on the other hand is an outspoken Bush basher:

"Has everyone lost their f---ing minds? Doesn't anybody remember the illustrious Reagan-Bush years when people had no money and no jobs? What has happened to people's memories? It's like they have Alzheimer's or something ... If you're black in this country, if you're a woman in this country, if you are any minority in this country at all, what could possibly possess you to vote Republican?"

"If you think the president is an ass, fine -- after four years you can vote him out. But the Supreme Court -- that's 30 years! The Jerry Falwells of this world will be right in your back pocket. You won't have one f---ing right left."

"The environment in Texas is the worst environment in the United States. (Bush) has let people who pollute the environment have the choice to clean up the environment; that's like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.

"If you look at Bush's record, if you read Molly Ivins' book, 'Shrub,' it will show you exactly what he's done, what his record is. What he's done in his six years as governor is let other people make his judgments for him, and they tell him, they give him their opinions and he lets them do it. He's stated that he doesn't like to read. He wants someone to tell him what the issue is and give him their recommendation because he doesn't like to read. ... He's not smart enough to be in the White House."

"I don't like Bush. I don't trust him. I don't like his record. He's stupid. He's lazy."

Name Change

So, perhaps Linda will change her boat's name from CHER to SCHILLING?

who would have guessed...

stuart.. at a loss for words.... ????? when he finally gets round to saying something i'm sure it will be worth waiting for!

you should've seen lauren going down the alpine slide at bromley mt. VT this weekend. wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Your Third Post

You guys are really getting warmed up! I can hardly wait to read the third post.

our second first post

. . . hmmm . . . umm . . . cough, cough . . . is this thing on? . . . test one . . . test two . . . test three . . . um, well, um, hi, nice to be here . . .

More words of wisdom from "The Old Geezer"

I saw this on the Sunfish message board and decided it had relevance to our humble association's membership:

You ask how many Sunfish are too many...

Well, if you and your two kids sail, then three is only just enough.

I know of an old geezer has one boat for practice and one boat for regattas and one boat for their kid that left home 10 years ago and another one because there was a great deal on a new boat but it's a shame to sail such a shiny new boat and one that someone abandoned at the lake and he's meaning to fix it up and sell it but he never get's round to it and one in case anyone wants to borrow a boat and one that he keeps on the front lawn just to annoy the neighbors and one that maybe one day his wife that hates sailing might use and one that he can't remember why he has it...

Now THAT's too many.

My first post

is a forgery.. someone must have discovered my username and password!

live from the sunny worlds

But wait...

Maybe they can do it. I can't believe I'm saying this but maybe they can.

It's Ova

It was a good run but it's ova. O-V-A ova. They blew it. It's ova.

Sucked In

I can't believe it. I think they're going to do it.

sailing simulator

if you find you can't sleep at night, here's something fun to keep you occupied:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/volvooceanrace/interactives/sailing/index.html

Close Encounters

Isn't this the summer of close encounters with ocean wildlife? On Sunday last I went swimming (yes, I'm back in the water) off La Jolla and saw a dorsal fin only about 40 feet away and coming in my direction. Fortunately it had the friendly curve that identifies the Pacific White-sided Dolphin and I was of course immediately relieved that it was not a shark. Soon more joined the first dolphin and some came as close as 15 - 20 feet.


Ross

Reach Out Reach Out and Touch Something

.

Rosemary and I went for a sail this afternoon at the tip of Cape Cod, starting near the coast guard station in Provincetown harbor, continuing around Long Point (which we renamed Cape Horn) to Herring Cove. It started out innocently enough, until we started to make our way back. The wind picked up, making the waves quite large, compounded by the passing of numerous whale watching boats which produced big enough wake to surf. Ok so that was fun, navigating the waves without capsizing, until I noticed a RATHER LARGE dorsal fin right next to us. Connected to an equally large shark body. Oh and did I mention that we were in Cher. Very close. Too close. Well, let me say that I was happy enough to reach shore and we will not be venturing out into the ocean in such a small craft anytime soon. It turns out that it was probably a Basking Shark, which is harmless and feeds on plankton, but it was scary enough for us.
.

Here's an idea for a new race for 2005... Start at the Coast Guard Station, sail to Herring Cove, buy a hot dog at the snack bar (be sure to ask for a receipt) and sail back. First one to return alive with an intact hot dog receipt wins.

Womens Beach Volleyball

I hope all of you are enjoying the 2004 Athens Olympics as much as I am. My favorite event so far has been Womens Beach Volleyball with Kerri Walsh and Misty May. I only wish that I had taped their Gold Medal championship game and all the games leading to the championship. I could watch these two athletes forever. I'm ready for the pro beach volleyball tour. USA! USA!

Ross

Blau Painting Wins Contract

The west coast affiliate of Blau Painting has been granted the coveted contract to paint and restore the Casa Christie in La Costa. A classic example of California tract housing, the residence would no doubt be granted landmark status if all the other buildings in the state were suddenly to fall down.

A spokesman for a noted landmarks protection group, California Restorative Architectural Planners, noted, "We were initially worried that the contract was granted to a company with its roots on the east coast, because we thought the firm might be inappropriately concerned with quality. We learned, however, that the company has retained the services of a craftsman whose only qualifications are that he didn't happen to be doing anything else and he did happen to own the house. So we're confident that any impulse toward quality work will be sacrificed to cost-control and expediency, which is, of course, in keeping with the highest tradition of California tract house construction."

Indeed, after spending the better part of an afternoon on the initial wall-scraping phase of the project, the craftsman demonstrated his affinity for the California lifestyle by calling in sick to go body surfing for the next two days. He is reported to have explained, "I saw a TV commercial for spray-painting equipment, where this guy does his own house in about ten minutes and has so much fun that he runs off, does the rest of the neighborhood, and still gets home in time to have a beer before dinner. That was kind of my motivation to take this project, except of course that the neighbors can fend for themselves. I'd forgotten that painting involves actual physical labor."

Rosemary, how did you do this for a living?!! AAhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Blog censorship

I'm afraid I must, as administrator of this blog, censor your post before Rosemary reads it or else she may never set "foot" in the ocean again. And that would be a shame as we made such progress this year in that direction. p.s. maybe you should have tried urinating on your xxxx. It works with snakebites I've heard (or is that sea urchins? even better!). Ouch!

The wind has returned to Quannapowitt! Thank you Charley!!!

Boogie Boarding and More

Went to the beach on Monday for a nice afternoon of wave riding. The were small but the water was warm. Maybe one out of every thirty waves was large enough to catch and that was just fine. Kyle and I were out there together (South Carlsbad State Beach, but we know it as "Rocky Beach") usually riding the same wave because they were so infrequent. The pair of fins that I bought fit o.k. in the store but in the surf world they are too tight. So, I gave them to Kyle and they fit 'little big foot' just fine. I went finless. Small waves are hard to catch without fins but if you stand just where they are about to break you can jump on the board and catch most . We were out there for about half an hour having a good time. We rode a wave nice in, hopped off our boards and started out again when I got xxxx. In a way I can't believe that I've never xxxxxxxxx considering the uncountable number of hours that I've been in the surf. But, now I have. At first it just feels like xxxxxxx into your xxxxx. Then, about five minutes later xxxxx. Let me tell you about the xxxxxxx. Fortunately Vanessa was with us, sitting in a beach chair, xxxxxxxxxx. There was no way that I could have driven home. Hot water, really, really hot water xxxxxxxxxxx. Drive faster Vanessa!!! Screw the red lights!!! Just keep driving!!! Faster!!! Meanwhile the xxxxxxx. Finally we got home and I got my xxxxx into xxxxxxxxxx. Wsheewww. A bottle of beer and a couple of shots of rum helped for a little while until the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Well, me and my xxxxxxxxxxxx stayed home from work the next day. The thing is fins would have xxxxxx if I was wearing them. I'll have to get a pair that fits next time.

Ross

Maris Stella Regatta 2004

July 29, 2004
Loveladies Harbor, Barnegat Bay, N.J.

We have two new boats and three new sailors!!!

Brand new Kaigan (coast + enlightenment) and Sunny II (Son of Sunny) are Champagne Christened and added to the fleet. We are five boats strong now including the virtually brand new Cher and the seasoned Red Weather. Maris Sella Yacht #1 Sunny stayed home this year. So, we have four racing yachts in this year's regatta.

Team sailing is a new concept for us this year as Kyle and Graham join forces as a race entry and Caroline joins Ross for another team entry. Veterans David, Linda and Stuart sail solo.

Five teams, four boats = five races.

Also new this year, we have an official race committee in an official committee boat!! Cathie and Rosemary expertly manage the races from the kayak. A thousand thanks.

After ten days of recreational sailing and tuneups we are ready for the Regatta. The wind is 6-8 knots out of the southeast. The Barnegat Lighthouse is clearly in view just northeast of the racecourse. It's a beautiful day for racing.

They're off! Dave, Linda and Kyle/Graham hit the starting line while Stu attempts a pin side port tack start and reaches the line a little behind the others. O.K., way behind. Dave/Kaigan gets to the upwind mark first closely pursued by Linda/Cher and the Boys in Red Weather a length back. Stu/Sunny II is boatlengths behind. The west coast sailing legend Dave can't hold his lead downwind and is no match for 2003 champion Linda as she blows by for a very impressive race #1 victory. The Kyle/Graham team finishes respectably in third. The committee and the bye team are in awe of Linda's speed downwind and one of us is clearly recalling her amazing downwind passing of Stuart in '03, the leg that modernized the club fleet.

Race #2. Kyle/Graham sit. Ross/Caroline race with Linda, Dave and Stu. Ross/Caroline get a pretty good start in Red Weather but carrying about 260 lbs. of personnel I'm expecting the other three boats to go right by me. It turns out that Caroline is helping a lot to balance the boat and report the status of the other boats going upwind while I concentrate on sail trim. Red Weather is actually holding its own in boatspeed. We make a couple of reasonably smooth tacks and amazingly find ourselves first at the upwind mark. We are going downwind about five lengths in front of Linda but she is definitely going faster than we are. She is closing fast and on starboard. We are in trouble. I can hear her saying, "go Cher, go Cher, go Cher." Caroline is doing a great job of both holding up the daggerboard up and steadying the boom as she warns, "Linda is getting close." We jibe and reach a little bit and pick up some speed. As leeward boat we hold Linda off a little on a northerly course and then bee-line back to the pin end finish line. We just barely beat Linda with Dave and Stu finishing 3 and 4. I think that everyone is surprised that Red Weather could sail with the new boats.

Race # 3. Linda sits out and the boys race in Cher. All I remember about this one is that when we were just about to the upwind mark I asked Caroline where the other racers were and she replied that "Kyle and Graham are pretty close, my dad is right next to them and Uncle Dave is in the water." And that's how race #3 finished with Red Weather in first, the amazing boys in second, Stu third and Dave last.

Race # 4. Stu rests this one. Red Weather gets another good start. At about a minute Dave and Kyle/Graham tack to port while Ross/Caroline and Linda continue on starboard. Linda tacks as does Red Weather. RW reaches the lay line ahead of Linda and K/G & Dave who are coming up on starboard. Another downwind screamer with Linda again closing the gap between second and first. Red Weather holds its lead to finish first, Linda/Cher second, the boys/Sunny II third and Dave/Kaigan last.

Race # 5. Dave sits out and the boys race in Kaigan. Stuart gets a great start and takes command. The boys just edge Red Weather at the top mark with Linda a few lengths behind. Stu stretches his lead downwind and runs away with at least a 15 boatlength victory. The boys lead most of the way downwind but Red Weather edges them at the finish line. Linda finishes in last.

It's all over. The team of Ross and Caroline win the Barnegat Light Trophy for 2004. Last year's champion Linda comes in second. The new generation team of Kyle and Graham come in third. Stuart is fourth. Dave is last.

We follow up racing day with fun sailing on the bay in strong winds and big waves. We certainly had some awesome and unforgettable sailing this summer. Just putting the boats in, taking them out and cleaning them up every day was fun. Using the hoist, tying the bridle knot, jumping off the dock, drinking beer, kayaking, catching crabs....Loveladies 2004 was great.

I can't wait until next year.....more sailors, more boats.

I Miss Barnegat Bay

While we wait for this year's winner to compose his sure to be thrilling post-regatta analysis, let me just say that sailing at Lake Quannapowitt was such a let-down after Barnegat Bay. Murky fresh water (ick) practically wave-less, dirty messy sand-like substance, hardly enough wind to lift my pink feather, no davit (no tying cool rope harness), no after sailing cleanup ritual. It was kindof like riding my bike in the backyard. Two lost seagulls offering a faint reminder of the good times left behind.


Who wants to meet me in Hyannis to watch the World Sunfish Championship? Sept 18-24.

Perhaps compete in the Central South American & Caribbean Championship – Salinas YC; Salinas, Ecuador? (November)


Here's a good tip I picked up on the Sunfish message board (posted by someone who calls himself "Old Geezer, Grand Master Sailor"):

Re: Connecting to Upper Boom
Put duct tape on the boom. Then tie a Clove Hitch over a Snuggle Hitch underneath a Ring Hitch on top of a Prusik Knot and finish it off with a Boom Hitch. Put duct tape over the knots. Paint it all with superglue. Then discover that you tied it in the wrong place and you are doomed to sail the boat forever looking like some recreational sailor who has rigged the sail high enough so he can tack standing up.

2004 Winners

here we go

I'm going to pick up Cher tonight!  See y'all downa shore!!!!

N.S.C.

stands for No Sailing Content. Just a humorous true story with a picture to go with it. First the picture.



So we were driving down Comm Ave. just outside of Kenmore Square (me, Rosemary, Maggie - old friend from Drew, and her partner Barbara) when I saw this Huge Marmaduke-like great dane in a "new beetle" convertible. So I say to Rosemary (who is driving) "get next to them so I can take a picture!". So we are stopped at a red light and the dog is looking away so I go "Doggie! Doggie! Yoo Hoo!!!" so he will look over, and I snap the picture. Next thing I know, the driver rolls up the windows, and we are like "Huh?? Why'd he do that??"..

So off he goes and then emphatically throws us the middle finger.

Now we are really intrigued and start chasing him down Comm Ave. at which point he turns on the winshield washers and proceeds to drench himself and doggie. At which point we are busting a gut laughing. Next thing he puts the top up. Now he seems to be pulling over to park and we are alongside again and he rolls down the window and says ... "Get away from me you FREAKS!"

I swear everyone in Boston is nutty.

No Fear

it's more likely that she has attached a bicycle/paddlewheel aparatus on the stern so that she can get a workout while she sails.....

A New Name....

....for a new boat: Kaigan. This Japanese word means, according to my sources, both "coast" or "beach" and "enlightenment" or "spiritual awakening." It made a great deal of sense to me that the two should go together. (And I need hardly add that Emma approves.)

So Commodore Linda: What do we need to be afraid of? Did you buy an outboard engine?

Be Afraid

With all the new boats I had to do something to maintain my competitive edge.

New Racing Results

The Harbor Sailboats Capri 22 June series is in the books! While past series have been subject to exhaustive (some would say exhausting) analysis, this time we'll just let the official results page do the talking. We'll make this one comment, though: When you get to the photos page, note that the winning skipper's shirt proclaims him a proud member of the Maris Stella Yacht Club and Crabbing Society!

Fleet

Once Stu gets "Sunny II" we will have enough boats to qualify as an official Sunfish Fleet!!