Race Reports

Race Report November 23, 2024 – Dinghy Dock Day!

We had a great day at the Dinghy Dock, welcoming Bob and Angie back to the fleet and enjoying some tricky conditions in a moderate oscillating SE breeze off the DD with occasional C sail conditions but mostly B. The new marks with improvements had fewer issues today, and only one tried to escape. It was pretty cold so we took a warm-up break in the middle. The sun finally came out at the end, but there was quite a bit of rain too.

It was choppy and rainy and there was a lot of boat attrition due to water in the electronics, and while 9 boats entered the competition, we ended up with only 4 functional boats at the end. Nice to spend time in a warm pub afterward.

Colin on #42 managed the #2 podium spot, with Doug on 04 grabbing #3. #80 won the day with quite a few 1sts.

Race Report November 10, 2024 – It Didn’t Rain (much)

Ten racers showed up to enjoy the brisk conditions sailing off NYC. We started in the drizzle and mist, but the rain eventually stopped. So did the wind, but not until 2:30 or so. Phil blazed around the course with his C sail and blitzed the fleet, losing his 10 second noob starting handicap in the process of winning 5 races. 80 and 02 grabbed the remaining podium places. 5 different boats won races today. Unfortunate we had a few early retirements due to boat failures, and only 7 of the 10 boats sailed all the races.

We managed 15 races before retiring to the pub for beer and wings. The new marks appeared today, and will need some modification for the future but they worked ok. Thanks to Doug and Don for being patient while we figured them out.

Some scoring issues. We missed writing down 02’s first race on the tally, so we put it last on the sheet. Somehow 06’s finish wasn’t written down in race 11 so we calculated average points for that race. Perusing the original score sheet later, it looks like he was 6th, so he should have 52 points instead of 50.

Race Report October 26, 2024 – How many sail changes?

Ten boats showed up for the first race at NYC this fall. The gale the night before had cleared out the dock, giving us a clear race course. The breeze ranged from non-existent to near D sail conditions. We switched from A to B, then to C and back again several times. The reflected waves and chop off the dock as the breeze built made the start line a crazy place, and it was hard to get off the line without some kind of disaster. It also made it hard for the three PI boats tied outside that took a bit of a beating.

We managed 15 races due to the excellent RC work from RO Marsha. 80 got lucky that 93 was a bit rusty, and managed to squeak a win, with 93 second and 04 third.

Race Report October 19, 2024 – Baby When You’re ‘Goon

We went back to the ‘goon for the first race of the 2024 fall series. Amazingly, in spite of the rainfall warnings, it was dry except for a couple of sprinkles. That was because there was a bit of southwest in the breeze creating both a rainshadow on the east of the Island and a windshadow in the ‘goon channel. Our first attempt to round the mark ended up with all the boats but one out in Piper’s Lagoon. We recovered them all, and moved the mark. We learned that we need at least a 10’ tide to make for good racing – the water was a bit thin past the weather mark. We also learned that hip waders are a significant advantage.

We had good sailing conditions, everybody worked out the rust and won races except injured 27, and we retired to Piper’s Pub for enjoyable beer and wings after.

Race Report April 6, 2024 – Out of Towner Regatta

Bob won! Someone send me a writeup!

Race Report March 9, 2024 – Back to the ‘Goon!

We had not much water and a ton of breeze at the start of racing, and control was difficult even with D sails. Then the wind backed right off to B weather, almost A, then gradually built back up to C weather. We managed a pile of races and everyone had their moments of agony. 80 and 01 were the top boats, with 80 just nosing out in front by one point. The next three boats were separated by 3 points!

Race Report February 24, 2024

We squeezed onto the limited space at the pump-out dock at NYC due to the C Shed construction project, but the wind did not cooperate. We managed to get a few races off, and Tom proved to be the light-air ace for the day, with Colin 2nd and Doug 3rd! There were two occasions where we had to rescue all the boats as the wind dropped out completely.

The highlight of the day was Marsha’s birthday party at the pub. Happy Birthday Marsha! We love you, even when you call us over early!

Race Report February 10,2024

The rain held off for most of the racing. We tried a mix of A and B in the beginning, as it was on the edge, but after a couple of races where A was the way, the wind built a little and everyone ended up on B. 15 races today in excellent sailing conditions, though a few left early due to the cold. Tom dominated the fleet today with 7 bullets and keeping a 5th as his worst race. Ken came in second three points behind, and 80 squeaked into third with 32 points, ahead of both Doug and Bob who both won races. Keith almost won a race today! Don, Peter and Dave showed good speed at times. Sadly, we trashed one of the marks, so we have some work to do before the next race. The scorekeeper is going to drink less beer at the pub so the addition is correct next time.

Race Report December 30,2023

The sunshine was out to warm the racers up on December 30, and 8 boats made it to the start line. The wind came through in waves, and some races had to be abandoned due to lack of wind, and later on the current became too strong to race without a lot more wind. Ken would have won the day, but had to leave early. Highlights of the day: 06 did very well in the light air, 27 got a third place finish (best yet?), 55 hardly complained at all, and 61 won a race. Results below:

Race Results

Race Report December 2, 2023

We welcomed newbie Phil to the fleet today – he sailed well, and will be in contention when he gets a full inventory of sails! It was a rare sunny day between rainy days, and we enjoyed the hospitality of Ashley at the Dinghy Dock. The day ended with a tie between Tim and Angie, with Tim coming out on top in the countback.

Race Report October 21, 2023

9 RC Lasers attended the first Fall Series event. Conditions were C sails, though the occasional lull tempted us to try B. We switched a bit too early, but ultimately B conditions settled in. Sailing at the upper end of B caused a few boats to get water in, leading to some early retirements. In the end, Ken schooled the fleet, with Bob and Tim far behind in points. Lots of different winners, but the beer tasted just as good no matter where you finished!

Race Report April 1, 2023

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Decent sunny weather, but 180 degree windshifts as the seabreeze fought with the westerly coming down the channel. The seabreeze won most of the battles, but not all. With the shifty conditions creating passing lanes, almost everyone won at least one race. In the end, #80 prevailed, but things were very close for 2nd, 3rd and 4th with only three points separating them.

Please note the error in the results below, it should show 04 in second place and 55 in third. A 7th place finish for 04 in race 13 should have been dropped.

Race Report March 18, 2023 – Nanaimo Yacht Club

Race Report March 19 – John Vallis

Race Report March 5, 2023 – Pipers Lagoon

Image from the Picture Perfect Vancouver Island FB group courtesy
Art Smith – no idea who took it.

We had a great day revisiting the ‘goon, a favourite venue for a few of us. The ‘goon did not disappoint, with shifty A sail breeze, lots of current, and more than a few groundings in the shallow water. The breeze quit after 7 races. The westerly was filling in, but beer and wings were calling…

Ken (#93) schooled us again today with 12 points, with Tim ( #80) close behind at 13 points and Ron (Crash) C. taking the final podium spot in spite of doing many circles and sounding like a certain prime minister with frequent apologies. No doubt there will be more podia now Ron! Newbie Doug B. managed a 4th place finish on his first day of sailing #43.

Race Report February 18, 2023 – NYC

Race Report February 4, 2023 – NYC

1 93 – 12 points

2   55 –  27

3   90 –  42

4   61 –  44

5   58 –  48

6   06 –  49

7   27 –   64

8   04 –  72

Race Report January 8, 2023 – NYC

It wasn’t really cold, and it wasn’t really windy, but it was really quite rainy. Nevertheless there were 9 RC Lasers on the start line today, which is great for a rainer. The day started on A sails, but the wind gradually built and backed, favouring the left side most of the time even though the current out there was wicked. We switched to B’s and a new page of the results after the first one got wet, and managed 10 races before we all got wet and cold and called it a day.

Ken (#93) schooled us today with 13 points, with John (Pokey the Wonderslug #55) at 20 points and Bob (#90) in the final podium position, squeaking past Tim by a single point. Beer and wings were especially good today, not sure why. Final corrected finish positions are:

Sail #Points
93 13
55 20
90 26
80 27
01 32
04 44
27 58
35 58
61 61
Yeah, a bit screwed up in races 1 and 7, but here it is.

Race Report December 17, 2022 – NYC

The forecast called for flurries in the morning and rain in the afternoon, but instead we had a few clouds, and light winds. Racing was once again close, with Peter on #68 again winning a couple of races, showing us how to trim for light air. The wind decided it had had enough after 9 races having briefly switched to a promising westerley before dieing altogether.

Bob (#03) won the day with 18 points, with Tim and Doug filling out the rest of the podium. Dave (#27) managed to not be last in the majority of the races today, showing good progress in a tough fleet.

It didn’t rain or snow. Again.
Are downward-sloping bulbs fast?

Race Report November 26, 2022 – NYC

A big rainer was forecast, but the day was unexpectedly sunny, with little weed and current and a nice A sail southerly making for excellent racing. The racing was very tight with the fleet often finishing within a couple of minutes. Ken won the day on #93, but the results were very close with 2nd, 3rd and 4th having 34, 35 and 36 points respectively, and 2nd place was only 4 points off the lead boat. #68 is no longer a virgin, and won a couple of races too! We quit as the rain was just beginning, for a more or less perfect day on the water. Beer and wings tasted great afterward as always!

Picture of RC Lasers
Picture of RC Lasers
It didn’t rain!

Race Report November 12, 2022 – NYC

The day was sunny but cool, with a nice westerly coming down Newcastle Channel after a couple of light air races. We stuck with A sails though there were a few B sail moments. Ken dominated the day on #93, and there was a tie for second place between Tom in #01, and John with Pokey the Wonderslug, Tom taking the 2nd place with more 1sts. Beer and wings tasted great afterward!

Picture of RC Lasers

Towner Bay Regatta, November 5, 2022 – Towner Bay

Awesome hosts Colin and Marsha treated us to a great day on Towner Bay! Bob with #03 schooled us on light air sailing – the day required considerable patience with zephyrs appearing from all directions inshore, and a steady southerly outside to challenge anyone with too deep a sail for that breeze. Colin used his local knowledge to bring #42 “Expectarant” in second, and Tim squeaked #80 by Angie (#90) who sailed better than Tim but wisely quit early.

The weiners!
Picture of RC Lasers

Race Report October 25, 2022 – NYC

We came, we raced, here are the results: Bob (#03) and Tim (#80) tied for first, but Bob won with 6 first place finishes to Tim’s 5. Bob attributed the win to taking advantage of Tim being slightly brain dead on the boat-on-boat tactics between the two boats. Ofer (#04) had a good day to take the final podium place! We all were thankful that Ken didn’t show up so someone else could win!

Race Report March 26, 2022 – NYC

Today was the debut of Dave’s new boat! Great to see a new boat in the fleet! Lack of an A sail meant Dave was practicing for the day but it is all good experience for when his A sail finally arrives.

Conditions were light from the SE to SW, with the current slowing building over the day. A sails were used all day.

Today was the day to have boat #80 which seemed to be fast on all points of sail carrying a very deep sail in the light air. Second place was Pokey the Wonderslug (#55) and third went to #93 who graciously gave the rest of us a chance today, unlike most days. #58 won a couple of races today, and #61, who was just off the podium by a couple of points, had speed on everyone else when the breeze backed off.

Race Report March 12, 2022 – NYC

7 racers showed up, and the weather was actually quite good. 93 won the day, followed by speedy Tom with 01. Ohfer (04) had a good day as well, filling out the last place on the podium.

Results
It didn’t rain.
It didn’t rain.

Race Report February 27, 2022 – NYC

A great day was had by the 6 attendees for today’s races. The sun never peeked out but we avoided all rain until it was time to pack up our boats! The wind started out as a brave SE 9-10 knots seeing competitors hanging their “B” sails in an easily managed manner for the first 10 races. The wind veered to SSW 3-5 knots prompting a change to “A”s with a little kick at the end to challenge the big rigs! We sailed 15 races of varying lengths so 3 were able to be chucked. Newcomer Dave had flashes of brilliance while some oldcomers had to overcome issues with batteries, and radios to complete the day. Great day overall, no photos to prove it. The beers at the pub were enjoyed by all. – KH

Close racing between 93 and 55!

Race Report February 12, 2022 – NYC

5 sailors showed up to enjoy the sunshine and sailing. We started on A sails in the light SE wind which gradually eased to nothing. Some folks talked about calling it a day, but then a NW breeze started making its way down the channel. It took its sweet time filling in, but eventually we changed to B sails.

15 races were held, and we actually kept score this time! At the end of the day, 1st place was tied on points, but Ken (#93) won on number of first place finishes. Runner up Tim (#80) had to take a RAF after fouling #93 on the start line and realizing it too late, and lost a first place finish as result.

The steering broke on the NYC runabout again.

It wasn’t raining.

Race Report December 18, 2021 – NYC

After the morning deluge ended, the sun and 5 RC Laser skippers came out. The wind tried hard to go to the SW, then the W, then the NW, and finally settled on alternating between the three in Maple Bay regatta fashion. The tide was high which made it hard to get the marks to stay put, but lots of good racing was had. There we lots of passing lanes due to the wind shifts. Ron showed excellent light air speed. Did we mention that it didn’t rain?

The wind took a little break for a while.

Race Report December 4, 2021 – NYC

It wasn’t raining, instead it was sunny but cold.  4 intrepid sailors braved the sunshine from 11 am to 2 pm with a windward leeward course set up. The wind was consistent except for a couple holes that showed up at inconvenient moments, and the tide was running quite hard at the beginning.    The rumour isn’t that #55 won the day, no bribe money or gratuities having been paid.   No results were recorded but it was a great time with beer afterward on the commodore’s yacht.  Good fun was had by all! Did we mention it wasn’t raining?

Sailing
It wasn’t raining.

Race Report November 27, 2021 – NYC

It was raining.  4 intrepid sailors braved the rain from 11 am to 2 pm with a windward leeward course set up. Surprisingly the wind was a bit patchy in spite of the 15 kt SE forecast.   We shared three boats because #93 was benched with electrical issues. The rumour is that #55 won the day, this rumour being spread mostly by John.   No results were recorded so there is no way to prove it one way or the other.  Good fun was had by all! Did we mention it was raining?

Rain day
It was raining.

Race Report 07 March 2020 – NY C

The second best part of the day…or perhaps the best part for some of us, was that we moved the postrace beer venue to White Sails!! How could we have not done this before. The name is great and the beer is better. Right, so on to sailing. The race was held at the NYC and the course was set east to west along the breakwater. For most of the day the wind was from the east at 3 knots with shifts to the west and gusts to 5 knots. A and then B sails were the order of the day. Early on it was cloudy, then the sun came out and about 1 second after the end of the 15th race it rained like mad. Typical winter RC sailing. Then off for drinkable beer, toting up the scores and discovering that 03BOB completely whipped the field followed by 80TIM with 93KEN in third place. Nice. Welcome back Ron!

NYC:  22 Feb  2020
sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
Bob03161992111111214171
Don06447568586679796717
John55336634767345447515
Alan58578427685864395626
Ron61993376249799999778
Tim80214211332233552252
Angie90755955824452631474
Ken93622143453526123323

Race Report 22 February 2020 – NYC

Another first rate racing day! The wind was from the west at 6-15 knots. B Sails for most with occasional shifts to A or C sails. The start line was relatively short and since there were 11 boats, we had some excitement. The downwind marks (there were two) were easy to round, but moderately difficult to return from. It was great to see new recruits (35Dave, 99Cathy and 58Alan) and in all cases it is certain that they will soon be challenging for the top spots. However, for this race, top honours went to 03Bob in third, 93Angie in second and 90Ken in first place again! Post-sailing afters were held at the “pub with no beer”. Suggestions for an alternative pub venue gratefully accepted.

NYC:  22 Feb  2020
sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
Tom01574237346863161445
Bob0334862323252125312403
Doug04127112121212121212121212121079
Don06910118109109127125675968
Dave35462958655644444536
Colin4323105447672512121212677
John556534651134722512414
Alan587125108687812121212121210710
Angie90102637151241312312382
Ken9312117112421311723271
Cathy998991292981212121212121211411

Race Report 08 February 2020 – NYC

Wow! today was an exhilarating and tough race day. The wind was from the west blowing at about 15+ knots with gusts perhaps as high as 20+.  D sails all the way, boats heeled-over with masts almost touching the water. The start line was relatively short, there were 10 boats and it was difficult to start on starboard tack. The result was that most people stared on port tack and there were crashes and more crashes. The downwind marks (there were two) were also interesting; easy to round but very difficult to return from. All of this produced a score sheet that looks like a picket fence populated with elevenses and elevenses following more elevenses. Despite all of this adversity, the true class of the field came through as it always does, with 93Ken in first place, 03Bob in second and 42Colin third. Welcome to our newest member Alan Sinclair now known as 58Alan.

NYC:  08 Feb  2020
sail number12345678910TotalPlace
Bob037213151514182
Doug042965333431244
Don069776646644436
Cathy35111110111111111111118710
Colin42143221231111183
John5558911111111111111779
Alan5886411111111111111738
Tim80435456411111325
Angie9035811111111111111717
Ken936121425222161

Race Report 25 January 2020 – NYC

Thanks to 55 for this report.

A few of nature’s discomfort inducing forces flexed their muscles this past race day, but the intrepid nine boat fleet endured and enjoyed a quick ten race day of fun at NYC. Those with glasses wished they had windshield wipers and everyone had a persistent drip on the end of their nose. The soggy conditions were ignored and good natured ribbing and laughter was ever present. The shape of one’s foil and awareness of the shifting winds kept some boats out of trouble. A strong current proved difficult for all. Finding the lay-line was tough and “four putting the weather mark” was not uncommon.  Given the wicked current it is not surprising that every race had a few 360 penalty turns as boats struggled to make the mark. “Thank goodness for throw outs!” was heard more than once.

Most skippers earned a top three finish in at least one race.  But, in the end, there can be only one!   #55 pipped #93 by one point to win the day.

In a post race interview the winning skipper was heard to say, “It was the greatest victory in the history of RC racing. Period!” “I had the best day ever… everybody says so!” “Nobody has better wins than me!”

The popular vote may disagree… but every dog has its day…unless it loses its tail, then it has a weak-end.

NYC:  25 January 2020
sail number12345678910TotalPlace
Bob036533466325315
Doug0449711698753497
Don067655877877518
Colin428887215688456
John552111723236151
Tim803764342561284
Angie901346534442253
Ken935422151114162
Dave9992981181191111679

Race Report 11 January 2020 – NYC

Thanks to 02 and 90 for this report.

It started as a C sail westerly day then eased to B with lots of puffs and big shifts. No rain. A short line made for some interesting starts with over earlies and multiple collisions. Once all the circles were done Ken 93 beat Doug 04 by one point, Ang 90 beat Tim 80 by one point for a well-deserved podium finish, beating not only her own husband but several others. She’s happy to have another girl in the fleet. Cathy has a bit of work to catch up and her husband Dave had flashes of brilliance between bouts of mediocracy. It’s good to see the fleet growing.

NYC:  11 January 2020
sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
Keith0211119910101010889999810910
Bob03443658343447155455
Doug04111010451111321526322
Kathy35111188995676788811898
John55556581694764717577
Allan626773779811111111111111989
Tim801164222226253663394
Angie90332164735535342383
Dave92111117168721182234516
Ken93225433451116471311

Race Report 04 January 2020 – NYC

It was quite warm for a winter day with about 8 kt of wind from the SE. As the day progressed the wind increased then decreased then increased. B sails on most boats. The marks were set with the upwind marks to the south and the downwind mark to the north. The start-line was about 15 m long and 8 boats had no problems on the line. As is often the case, honours went to 80Tim followed by 03Bob (now equipped with a new eye that lets him actually see the marks) second and 04Doug in third place. We finished just in time to avoid a downpour. Beer at Millers followed.

NYC:  04 January 2020
sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
03111554141424423282
04462142235233246323
02776666776775787777
06657773557566564636
439999999999999781058
80223311662351112221
90334235313642655385
93545429424117331344

Race Report 14 December 2019 – NYC

It was sunny and a bit chilly with 0 kt of wind from the SE. As the day progressed the wind turned to the west and came down the channel at 0-2 kt. The marks were set with the upwind/downwind  marks to the south and the downwind/upwind mark to the north. The start-line was about 20 m long which made for interesting moments for 10 boats. The McCallums arrived late but when they got going, they were hard to beat! As is often the case, honours went to 93Ken, with 80Tim not far behind in second and 04Doug in third place. Beer at Millers followed.

NYC:  14 December 2019
sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
03457156211935166404
04231737323147277383
06866847545878852677
427118584711768116411818
43111199999111011101111111112010
55623315858353385445
6111111111111111114464713849
80143262666216421342
90574673439592998636
933124211112721534261

Race Report 30 November 2019 – NYC

Thank you Bob for the following report….

It was sunny and cold with 1 knot from the south at NYC. The breeze built to 2 or 3 then backed to the east as a typical gap breeze. The weather mark was moved over to the Newcastle side a LONG way over for some of the old cold eyes but not a problem for our eagle eyed youngster Tom. Everyone won at least one race and at the end of the day Dark Cloud was smiling in second place only 2 points behind the Tominator. Doug was 3rd, 2 points in front of Tim. Ken 93 was in unfamiliar waters at 5th and Bob and Angie filled out the fleet to give us 7 boats overall. An excellent day.

sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
01244251655121117291
03522535187777245486
04651326323346244363
55465174232252321312
80136443514413556384
90777717766564672647
93313662431635763405

Race Report 23 November 2019 – Dinghy Dock Pub

The weather was much better than we expected. The wind was from the SE starting at about 8 nm/h and increasing to about 15 nm/h as the day progressed. No rain. The tide was in flood which made rounding the top mark a bit tricky. The upwind marks were set south of the pub and the downwind mark to the north. The start line was midway and was about 20 m long. To quote Tim “It was actually quite pleasant, with just a few sprinkles in the morning.  No need for a plastic cover over the radio except for a couple races in the morning. 15 races with some challenging weather mark roundings.  Starboard tack was a bitch”. Although several boats suffered temporary failures, the sailing was good! First place went to 80Tim, 04Doug second and 42Colin was third.

sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
03554356257642121394
04223223121521545252
06645665645265654576
42477412414134433343
80132131333313212231
90311544562456357425

Race Report 02 November 2019 – Pipers Lagoon

It was a great day. The wind was from the NW starting at about 5 nm/h and increasing to about 15 nm/h as the day progressed. The weather was fine, a bit of sun and no rain. The tide started as a flood and ended as an ebb. The upwind mark was set in the gap and the two downwind marks were set in the lagoon. The start line was set midway. Through the day, conditions became better and better. Although several boats suffered temporary or fatal failures, the sailing was GREAT! First place went to Tom, followed by Ken in second and Tim in third.

sail number1234567891011121314151617181920TotalPlace
0151521112232532225341321
0476416534316225633435544
0632268888447468546663766
44888888567756788888881158
5524845445664353364556665
61633346868888888888881037
8015852221123741452222363
9347173383551114111114352

Race Report: October 19 2019 – NYC

It was a blustery and rainy day at the NYC main breakwater. The wind was from the west (north to south down the channel). The start line was mid-course with two marks upwind and one downwind. Most started with A sails and then most switched to B sails as the day progressed. There were many boat problems as the rain took its toll. Bob was unable to start and three additional  boats were forced to retire. Ken (93) took top honours very closely followed by the Angie/Bob combination (90) and Don (06) came third for the first time ever. Beer at Miller’s was a welcome and warming end to the day.

sail number12345678910TotalPlace
046653355444334
063334433333243
551177777777446
616777777777557
805542544577345
904225121222142
932411212111101

Race Report: October 4, 2019 – NYC

Unexpectedly, the weather turned warm and sunny!  The wind was pretty perfect; 3-4 kts from the north and east. The course was set on the south arm of the NYC breakwater. The starting line was about mid length with the two upwind marks to the east and the downwind mark inshore to the west. There were minor wind shifts throughout the day, but there wasn’t too much floating eelgrass and the wind kept up through 20 races. Bob’s machine blew a gasket part way through so he went home, got the part, installed it and still managed a third. Angie was a close second and Tim took top honours. Pub-beer rounded out a perfect day.

sail number1234567891011121314151617181920TotalPlace
0323312777327441164233423
0471173555564156356667675
0655424323446624641544554
6134556444653565435457746
8012235131112212512112241
9046641212231333223321342

THIRST 2019

8 boats vied for the coveted mini beer mug at Bob and Angie’s this year. We began with a “push off the dock, no rules, hit somebody at least once after the first mark” race. Doug started the day well with a bullet, Bob 2nd, Don 3rd. Next we had several fleet races and Doug continued to dominate, beating Ken by 2 points, with Bob and John tied for 3rd 8 points back. We had several special races mixed in with the fleet racing. The singlehanded race saw Ken in front (although he used his nose on sheet, there will be a clarification on the rules next year). John was second and Bob 3rd (after crossing 2nd but not finishing his beer in time). The long distance race was out to a mooring ball off Panty Island. Sharp eyed Angie won with John and Doug in 2nd and 3rd. The scramble was won by Ken with John and Doug 2nd and 3rd. Overall results had Ken in first (by a nose). Doug winning a tiebreak with John 2 points behind Ken. Bob 3 points back in 4th. Angie beating Don on a tiebreak 3 points back. Betty did well finishing 7th and technically troubled Ron in 8th. A good day on water, light air but no rain, delicious snacks by Angie afterwards, and every body keen and happy since ITS RADIO SAILING TIME! See you all at NYC October 5th.

Race Report: May 04 2019, Roger Gumbert’s dock

Saturday at Roger Gumbert’s dock started light with B sail puffs. The overall Northwesterly was strong enough to often alter the regular inflow in the Gap and give serious C sails puffs and huge shifts.  Everybody stayed with B sails and we had 20 races. The end of the day had the usual winner with Colin a strong second and Bob and Angie tied for third. Tim and Doug were one point back then Keith showing improvement on a very challenging day.

I’ve thanked Roger for hosting, he said he enjoyed watching.  It’ll be a great venue for flat calm summer days when there’s always a 2 – 3 knot inflow.

May 04 2019 in the gap
sail number1234567891011121314151617181920TotalPlace
0288676577677777777677967
0365317621735435611346533
0443545256456116524414545
4214452432213261352253392
8052234745321654136565546
9036163364564343245721534
9321821113142522463132311

Race Report: Frozen Thumbs #7 – March 30, 2019 – NYC

It was indeed a Super Sunny Saturday to kick off the spring series. The wind was perfect A sail conditions with occasional light spots at the leeward mark.  A relatively short start line caused a few over earlies and a lot of circles. Ken started strong and rarely looked back (forward?), he threw out a 5 after 20 races.  The rest of the fleet had mixed results with 03 challenging Ken at the end, but too little, too late.

sail number1234567891011121314151617181920TotalPlace
0366862763144111124111392
04589939376882256486310807
4285677476461442335854695
43997898988998998999271279
5543354315226583252446523
61772386245573589865810838
8022125242735777461775594
9034546559972664777393776
9311411181313936513262341

Race Report: Mid-Winter Championship. 16 February 2019

Only 6 boats braved the weather for the 2019 Fleet Championships. It was light air from the south then nothing and some rain as we waded through the slush and finally a nice 5 knots from the NW. Ten races completed then off to Millers to warm up and congratulate Ken.

Sail Number12345678910Sum 2 dropPlace
033155221142162
436666455555416
555422632333223
804513377777375
902343544424264
931231113211101

Race Report: Frozen Thumbs #3 – Feb. 2, 2019 – NYC

The sun was out, keeping everyone from freezing, and the wind was from the WNW coming off the dock at a slight angle.  Bob and Angie came out as well; it was nice to have them back sailing with us again.  We had a fantastic race day with steady B-sail winds all day; some of the gusts were C sail strength causing occasional wipeouts with the B.  However, the few sailors that tried their C sails found that there were lulls on the course that slowed them too much, so they switched back to B.  There was strong current and there were big shifts at regular intervals – getting in phase with the shifts was critical – so the occasional passing lane showed up for boats who got themselves behind.  Doug had an amazing day with 04, looking very strong and winning more races than anyone else. In the end slightly more consistent finishes for 80 put Tim on top, and Colin (42) came in third with only 4 points separating the top three places.  Altogether a great day finished off with beer and wings at the Pub.

sail number123456789101112131415TotalPlace
0276F66FF88778787857
03525242222435133304
04631113533351451292
06F877F7F7488787F868
42443231356115126303
55226FCF641664334415
80114442115422262261
90575355467536445566

Race Report: 26 January 2019

Collin and Marsha organized a new venue at Quamichan Lake located just east of Duncan. The site featured a very large dock built for rowers, but perfect for RC laser sailors. This is a good place. We should come back. Seven of us arrived at about 11:00, set up our boats, talked to the rowers and to other park visitors and managed to get in two races. No wind. With what wind there was 04-Doug took first place in both races (2 points), 92-Ken was next with a second and 4th (6 points). 42-Colin and 55-John tied for 3rd (7 points) followed by 06-Don (8 points), 80-Tim (12 points) and 44-Betty (DNF). We had a nice beer on the way home and got back in time to walk the dog.

Race Report   05 January 2019

The race was held at the Nanaimo Yacht Club. No report available.

Sail number123456789101112131415Total minus dropsPlace
Keith02766786735688768747
Doug04125331321132243242
Bill43677257866863676676
Betty44   865477777887818
John55334613643526532384
Ron61543479598445355545
Tim80411124152311414221
Ken93252542214254121273

Race Report – 26 December 2018 – Boxing Day Blowout!

Doug and Ken showed up on time, and later Bill picked stranded Tim up and brought him down at noon.  The day was more pleasant than forecast with no rain and good A-sail breeze initially, rising to B-sail breeze for a bit then alternating between A and B.  10 races, including the “Sydney-Hobart” race which had 5 mark roundings, were held.  Ken (93) won the day with 8 points, followed by Tim (80) with 14 pointd, Doug (04) with 19 points and Bill (43) with 31.

Race Report – 01 December 2018 – Piper’s Lagoon

Bob sent the following report:

Overcast skies and occasional light rain greeted the 7 sailors who gathered at Piper’s Lagoon on Saturday. The flood tide was strong and there was lots of weed and sticks and a few small logs in the water.  8 to 10 knots of cool Northwesterly breeze had everyone wearing “B” sails and raingear.  The weather mark was set right in the narrows and it was a challenge to round it and bear away without hitting the beach.  As the day progressed and it turned to an ebb; strategies changed. The best tactic was from #93 who was leading the first race at the final mark and then allowed 2 boats past so as not to win the first race.  He got a 3rd which he threw out and then dominated the rest of the day to finish with 16 points.

Boat123456789101112131415Drop and SumPlace
                  
031257f2442135412312
04247523c8c9c9c9c9c9ccc767
4264136c9263c9f8c9ccc666
55566655254424343465
807324d3.6433551152534.63
90453347563642234424
933112111112c31c1161

Race Report – 17 November 2018 – Piper’s Lagoon

We had lots of fun! We gathered at Piper’s at about 11:00. The tide was running into the Lagoon (North-South) at a pretty good clip and the wind was from the North at about 5 kt. It was A sails all around. A weak sun was shining and the temperature was about 5O.  It was cool.  Hats and heavy coats and mitts were in evidence. There were two downwind marks and one upwind. The start line was about 10 m long and was positioned just east of the incoming current near the entrance to the Lagoon and the upwind-upcurrent mark was moved several times into and out-of and into the Lagoon. All in all, it made for some tricky sailing. 03Bob made a specular start, but suffered a mechanical failure and was nipped at the end by 05Fraser. 93Ken was third. We really have to do this again. The current is a great challenge and if we have any wind at all in Nanaimo, it will be blowing in the Lagoon.

 123456789101112131415totalPlace
0311311141422341212252
04734752786627315515
053713111221111454231
064464354984567612586
4411111110910910111111888611110
55510554383451111111111637
619996895678115531729
80268238653762643484
9065286737591111111111708
938279762111343272473

Out of Towner- Day 1 – 03 November 2018

Thanks to Bob for this write-up:

Friday was sunny and windy, Sunday was sunny and windy.  Saturday was rain and light air… 6 boats came from Nanaimo for a total fleet of 13 though not all the boats raced every race. We had 14 races with a challenging short start line, and mostly windward leeward courses to the south of the dock.  Tim dominated early then Ken started winning then Fraser got going and finished strong. Tom/Chris and Angie got the only other bullets.  Colin and Marsha were our gracious hosts and Marsha in addition to her RC work once again made some excellent food for all the soggy sailors. Thanks again to Colin and Marsha.

Sail Number1234567891011121314TotalPlace
011313344637826512515
0364423262293978494
0483106711796810464788
051012817211111021281
3391012512121012687851010210
423777238103104299647
44121212121212121212111212121214313
502591012101159728109869
617951198969121212121210711
8018116454757357493
9052838548439146536
9346695113545633462
99111112121212121212121212121214212

Saturday October 20, 2018

For last Saturday, we had 15 races starting in 2 knots from the southwest and then switching to northwest and B sails and then C sails. 01 and 05 got a lot of ones early, 04 got 6 ones later, 03 had a single one and a lot of twos and threes, 42 had 3 ones throughout the day. At the end of the day 05 won a tiebreak with 03, 04 was 3rd, 01 fourth, 42 fifth, 90 sixth, 61 seventh, and 43 eighth.  It was a great warm and sunny and windy day.   Bob

THIRST Regatta. October 12, 2018

Last year (2017) I asked Bob to remind us about the origins and meaning of the THIRST Regatta. Here is a bit of history:

“Thank Heavens Its Radio Sailing Time was invented by Bruce McQuade and has evolved to include 5 events. They are the (1) Lemans (renamed by Doug C as the Lamaze to signify the birth of the boat), (2) then fleet racing, (3) then a singlehanded race (which originally involved one hand holding a beer) or putting one hand in your pocket, (4) then there is a “skybox” race which means everyone stands on our deck, (5) then there is a long distance race which used to go to Pearce’s or the pub.  As participation grows the “skybox” is getting too small for everybody and it is difficult to get enough chase boats for a long distance.  Scoring is best 4 of 5 events, so one can throw out any one event. Racing at NYC will mean we’ll have to change the skybox, perhaps to a “scramble” which means rounding every mark once in any order and any direction. The distance race will just have to be longer, maybe more laps.”

In 2018 things were slightly different. (1) We began with the Lamaze. In 2017 “Results from Saturday Sept 30 2017, have #55 John with the fastest assembly time at 55.96 seconds”. In 2018 John again won the assembly race with a time of 44 seconds (sail assembled and in a sail bag)! Astounding!  (2) We then went on to sail 5 fleet races. (3) Then the long distance, (4) the scramble (sail all 3 marks in any order) and finally the dreaded (5) single handed race. The day ended with 10 additional fleet races. The conditions were perfect! We had warm winds from the west (perhaps 5-8 knots per hour), sunshine and no rain. Here are the results:

Sail numberSkipperLamazeLong DistanceScrambleSingle Handed Sum of 4 special races plus the fleet placeMinus the worst of the preceding 5 scores.Overall placement
3Bob8115 18103
4Doug3464 22164
6Don62911 36258
42Colin47103 30207
43Bill11988 453410
55John5329 26175
61Ron11877 43329
80Tim2632 1481
90Angela7546 26196
93Ken11151 2092
Fleet
Sail number123456789101112131415Total FleetFleet place
32655613314432111393
4893346743986711555
6628929889899897858
42549434466667544556
431111101110911787789781009
55757787595535432587
61484291111111111111111111110410
80111113212111163141
90936655627244625514
93372872154322356382

 Great Ocean Race. 28 April 2018

“Spirit of Graham” (aka 90) wins Graham Millington Mug

It’s hard to explain
When it’s pouring rain
That sailors would be so bold
As to sit for hours
In zephyrs and showers
For a chance at a cup of gold

There was Simon for Tim,
Bob with Jim
Don with George,
Doug, other George
Bill with John,
and Bill and Ron
Chris with Tom,
Then Bill came along.

Colin and Marsha were hiding,
Sandy and Ange were biding…
Then HONK!
Some over earlies we’re told.

With time running short
Most the fleet did abort
To the pub where the beer was cold
All their skills they did tap
To get through The Gap
Colin got silver and Angie gold

Out of Towner Series 3 – 17 March 2017

Out of Towner Series 3
  12345678910111213141516TotalPlace
Bob034215151235233132282
Doug042432232544115254343
Dave333343325423354445425
Colin425121444111441313261
Betty44motor trouble  
Angie901554513352522521364

Winter Series: 03 March 2018 – Nanaimo Yacht Club

We all gathered on the NYC breakwater at about 11:00 in pleasant, even sunny, weather featuring moderate and shifty winds from the south. We began with A sails. The course was set with 2 upwind marks to the south and one downwind mark to the north. As the day progressed, the wind backed to the west then back to the north then back west. Shifty is the word. The fleet continued with A sails. The “old school guys” came through with many firsts. The winner was Tim (80), followed by Bob (03) and John (55). We were a bit light on membership at the pub, but for those of us who did attend, the beer was fine and the conversation finer.

Sail 123456789101112131415TotalPlace
01Tom843764464611731435
03Bob625635111742246362
06Don274547776367563587
55John452172352435627383
80Tim311411247126114221
90Angela567353525243352436
93Ken136224633554475394

Winter Series: 17 February 2018

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club

We all gathered on the NYC breakwater at about 11:00 in pleasant weather featuring moderate and shifty winds from the south west. The consensus was that B sails were in order. The course was set with 2 upwind marks to the south and one downwind mark to the north. As the day progressed, the wind moved to the west coming down the channel, and best of all it gradually increased.  After about race 8 we began to change to C sails. Perfect conditions! We stopped only because we reached race 15 and we were freezing! Doug wasn’t freezing. He was HOT! He started with 3s to 5s but soon progressed to an almost endless stream if 1s. Ken was also a standout. First place honours went to Doug sailing RC04, second was Ken (93) and third was Colin (42).

  123456789101112131415  
Tom015731384623468105495
Bob03666246223655437484
Doug04132522551132114231
Don0638771058978107546778
Colin42824653736261261413
Bill43999989988910991081049
Tim80748374644528352496
Angie904558613757737710607
Ken93211417119414623252

Winter Series: 03 February 2018

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club

We all gathered on the NYC breakwater at about 11:00 in pleasant weather featuring VERY light winds out of the south-east. Definitely a day for A sails. The course was set with 2 upwind marks to the south and one downwind mark to the north. As the day progressed, the wind disappeared altogether. After race 4 when only one boat finished (let’s hear it for Colin), we adjourned to the pub.  First place honours went to Colin sailing RC42, second was Tim (80) and third (again near the top of the list) was Ron (61). Who says old farts can’t sail.

 Boat1234TotalPlace
Tom01911613399
Bob03531013316
Doug04118513378
Don0665713317
Colin42341191
Bill43101212134712
Betty4412711134311
John5542913285
Ron6171313243
Tim8016213222
Angie908108133910
Ken9329413284

Winter Series and Out of Towner Series #2

20 January 2018

Venue: Towner Road, Saanich Peninsula: Chez Colin and Marsha

Race report received from Bob: It was south southeast, really shifty with huge puffs, a bit of rain but not much. A sails with a few people switching to B, but between the puffs there was nothing so one needed the A.  8 boats, Colin had technical difficulties with all 3 boats early and about halfway through Angie’s electronics compartment filled with water and her servos went haywire. We did get 15 races done.

Since the Towner Series is cumulative, some will have a bit of a lead. Never fear, there are two more race days in the Series for others to catch up.

 Boat123456789101112131415TotalPlace
                   
Bob03622311111132242191
Doug04116465343241125313
Dave33434233222613413292
Colin422999999999999991018
Bill43867779796356999817
Ron61791554554564334465
Tim80343122635425551354
Angie90555646499999999806
                   

Winter Series: 06 January 2018

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club

We all gathered on the NYC breakwater at about 11:00 in pleasant weather featuring light winds out of the south-east. Definitely a day for A sails. The course was set with 2 upwind marks to the south and one downwind mark to the north. As the day progressed, the wind began to increase, weed was almost no problem, the conditions were great and we had 2 really good races. Then, with little warning, the wind fell to near zero and after race 8 we adjourned to the pub.  As so often happens at the NYC, 01 (Tom) ran off with top honours. Second place went to 93 (Ken) and third to 80 (Tim).

 Boat12345678TotalPlace
Tom0122116413141
Bob03455105659396
Doug04988631096498
Don06679310888499
Bill437121113111113127711
Betty4413131211121210138312
Colin50133749575407
John551635131311304
Tim80313684141273
Angie9054478934355
Ben92131310927285110
Ken9381227262222

Fleet Championships December 9th 2017
A beautiful day with a 3 knot southerly greeted the 8 sailors who enjoyed 14 races in this no throw out event. Consistency was important and with some of the top boats unable to attend the results were interesting and hard to guess until we gathered at Miller’s Pub to figure it out. Tim80 had three bullets and top three finishes in every race except one 5th. That gave him 33 pts to win the day. Bob03 had five bullets but had to carry a 5th and three 4ths to finish 2nd with 36 pts. John55 had 3 bullets but a 6th and four 4ths pushed him back to 3rd with 39 pts. Ang90 was 4th with 48 pts, Ron61 5th with 73pts, Bill58 6th with 105 pts, Colin42 7th with 106 pts and Betty44 8th with 113 pts. An excellent day, congratulations to Tim, our 2017 Fleet 17 Champion!!

Fall Series and Out of Towner Series #1

25 November 2017

Venue: Towner Road, Saanich Peninsula: Chez Colin and Marsha

We all gathered at Colin and Marsha’s place at about 11:00. It was a bit cold so we rigged our boats in the living room in front of a warm fire! Pretty Nice! Then the trek across the lawn, down to the dock and launch! Well not quite launch. We waited a bit and then another bit for a bit of wind and then launched. It was an A sail day. The wind came from the east the west the north and the south. Class and experience won out. Colin (42) took top honours, followed by Tim (80) and Ron (61). By 15:00 one of our intrepid crew announced that he was either suffering from Parkinson’s or hypothermia. Luckily it was the latter, and Marsha’s hot chilli and delicious bread and salad took care of the problem.

Since the Towner Series is cumulative, some of us have a bit of a lead. Never fear, there are three more race days in the Series for others to catch up.

 Boat1234567891011121314TotalPlace
                  
Don0634556255651354475
Dave3355324744333435434
Colin4222141411242721231
Betty4488865565465568666
Ron6111413333124243273
Tim8043232122516112242
                  

Fall Series: 11 November 2017

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club

We all gathered on the NYC breakwater at about 11:00 in cloudy weather with 6-8 knots of wind out of the south-east. Everyone chose to use B sails. The course was set with 2 upwind marks to the south and one downwind mark to the north. As the day progressed, the wind began to increase slightly but we all stuck with B sails which provided great performance throughout. Weed was only a minor problem, but the weather deteriorated and by the end of the day we all were really pretty wet.  Tim (80) was in his usual excellent form and scored top honours followed closely by John (55) who has been a bit of a standout these last few races. Third place on the day went to Tom (01).

 Boat123456789101112131415Total
Tom0113317581227134329
Bob013124416F4414F3233
Don068446867OC666756670
Colin425855533511111111SSS83
Betty44        8FS    143
John5545136222113512426
Ron617788185375536111171
Tim8022722414572221125
Angie9066673746334645555

Fall Series: 28 October 2017

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club

We all gathered on the NYC breakwater at about 11:00 in pleasant weather featuring light winds out of the south-east. Definitely a day for A sails. The course was set with 2 upwind marks to the south and one downwind mark to the north. As the day progressed, the wind began to increase slightly and then “as so often happens” in light wind conditions at the NYC, the wind swung to come out of the north-west and then back to the south again. Weed was a problem for the first few races but after about race 8 the course was pretty weed-free. Naturally we all adapted and got in some pretty good sailing. Also “as so often happens” at the NYC, 01 (Tom) ran off with top honours. Second place went to 80 (Tim) and third to 93 (Ken).

Boat123456789101112131415TotalPlace
                  
01311115121211713161
03564324633158261394
061091371079610866835878
351110913811711611119513131099
4287131371059714141414141412111
4414141414141414141477111113714012
55646553452343424435
5891189138119101091010131411410
611228998785107958706
802552322112422346322
90737666108468561314707
934834413459341132383
                  

THIRST Regatta. Combined results from first day, 30 September 2017 and Saturday October 14.

I asked Bob to remind us about the origins and meaning of the THIRST Regatta. Here is his summary:

“Thank Heavens Its Radio Sailing Time was invented by Bruce McQuade and has evolved to include 5 events. They are the (1) Lemans (renamed by Doug C as the Lamaze to signify the birth of the boat), (2) then fleet racing, (3) then a singlehanded race (which originally involved one hand holding a beer) or putting one hand in your pocket, (4) then there is a “skybox” race which means everyone stands on our deck, (5) then there is a long distance race which used to go to Pearce’s or the pub.  As participation grows the “skybox” is getting too small for everybody and it is difficult to get enough chase boats for a long distance.  Scoring is best 4 of 5 events, so one can throw out any one event. Racing at NYC will mean we’ll have to change the skybox, perhaps to a “scramble” which means rounding every mark once in any order and any direction. The distance race will just have to be longer, maybe more laps.”

Results from Saturday Sept 30, have #55 John with the fastest assembly time at 55.96 seconds and winning the Lamaze race as well. John also won the first and only fleet race that we managed in the light conditions so he is looking good for his second THIRST trophy.

Results from October 14 brought changes. Several sailors were unable to make the race and Tim joined us introducing Bill Jones to his first RC laser experience. The two shared Tim’s boat and Bill sailed like the pro that he is. The venue was the NYC. The wind was from the east starting at about 2 knots and increasing slowly through the day to >10 knots. There was no rain. Really excellent conditions allowing the fleet to shift from A sails to B and even to C sails. At the end of the day, 01(Tom) won both the fleet race and the overall THIRST TROPHY. A great result! 55(John) maintained his excellent first day results to finish second and 03 (Bob) was third. Another successful event with Tom’s name added to the trophy for the second time (winner of Thirst 2016 and Thirst 2017).

   Fleet RacingFleet total Fleet PositionLamazeSingle HandedScrambleLong DistanceTotalPlace
Boat  12345678910         
                      
01Tom 412435117114 1331161
03Bob 751512331420 27425133
04Doug C 3         80 114111111379
06Don 1376757744343 62666206
33Dave 2         79 1081111114012
35Doug N 1388861865648 8108710338
42Colin 5         82 1251111113810
44Betty 13999911911111178 911109103811
55John 143674223221 3173292
61Ron 62522341081032 46244144
80Tim 1437388676747 7141811277
90Angie 864446652536 59553185
99Peter 13         88 13121111114513
                      

Summer Series: 10 June 2017

Venue: NYC dock – Nanaimo.

We began the day watching the start of the VanIsle 360. There were about 32 boats and the start was pretty sedate. The only bit of excitement came when one of our members had to tell the “PortAuthority Authority Authority!” to move their boat as they were blocking the start mark at the eastern end of the course. We then moved over to the NYC visitor dock which was almost completely empty and surprisingly remained that way through the afternoon. The weather was relatively sunny and we began with A sails in a modest 3 knot wind blowing down the channel. As the day progressed the wind shifted a bit to the north-west and increased just enough to warrant the use of B sails. There was almost no seaweed except for about 30 minutes when the tide changed. Overall the conditions were excellent and our small fleet managed 20 races. Post-race calculations were made at the Dinghy Dock Pub and the results verified that Bob (03) was the convincing winner followed by Doug (04) in second place and Tim (80) a very close third.

Boat1234567891011121314151617181920 TotalPlace
                        
0311451562122112311511 251
0432113121441424235233 342
0653545334555255453354 635
8044322215214341122442 363
9025234463333533544125 494
                        

Summer Series: 27 May 2017

Venue: Mark Bay – Nanaimo.

Ron hosted the race onboard Contessa. It was sunny all day. We anchored in Mark Bay about 300 m SW of the gap between Newcastle and Protection Islands. This location provided excellent steady winds of 3-5 knots blowing in from the Strait. Racing got underway at about 11:30. The tide began to flood at about 13:30 and but had little effect on the race. Three marks were set on the port side of Contessa and one on the starboard side. We used them all. Conditions were so good that we ran 20 races! The post-race “meeting” involved libations onboard Contessa. Third place was a tie between Ron and the still injured Angie. Second place was won by Doug C and FIRST place went decisively to BOB. Another excellent day!!

Boat1234567891011121314151617181920 TotalPlace
                        
0311113311111311321131 191
0424421124252122114414 322
063634266f3635532f6362 615
3555564453434664545665 716
616225523564f4454f2533 543
904363654252523663322f 543
                        

Spring Series: 23 April 2017. The Great RC Ocean Race

Venue: Dinghy Dock Pub.

The fleet comprised 9 RClasers and two IOMs. We met at the Dinghy Dock at noon, signed the register, paid our $10 entrance fee and enjoyed a pre-race spot of lunch, coffee and/or beer. The skipper’s meeting was held at approximately 12:20. The NOR stipulated that the race would be run counter-clockwise around Protection Island keeping the land to our port side. Chase boats were to steer clear of the start line and to avoid interference with competing boats. We then headed off to the water to prepare for the 13:10 start. The weather was a mixture of sun and cloud. There was no rain and absolutely no snow. At the start, the wind was from the south-east at approximately 5 knots. The fleet headed off on time and without incident. Several boats chose to round outside the log boom and others chose the shorter but perhaps less windy inside route between the shore and the log boom. In most cases the shorter, inside route proved to be quicker and by the time we had rounded gallows point, the fleet was spread out over several hundreds of meters. There was only one near-fatality at Gallows as a single RClaser attempted the ultimate shortcut between the lighthouse and the shore. Unfortunately the water was too shallow and both racer and chase boat fetched up on the shore. No worries, both cleared and continued on. The downwind run north up the outside of Protection Island was generally incident-free although there was a bit of a loser-breeze and the fleet began to close up. During the trip north one chase boat insisted on running over it’s race-boat on two occasions bettering another which managed to run down it’s race boat only once. At the gap on the north side of Protection, there was very little wind and a gentle current flowing out into the Strait.  So it was very weak and shifty wind, sometimes with and sometimes against a weak current flowing in the wrong direction. This challenge resulted in a further closing of the fleet. Steve proved again the IOMs are fast and crossed the line 12 minutes before John’s RClaser. Roger’s IOM was two minutes behind and four minutes later Colin crossed the line. Doug was about 5 minutes back, then Bob, Tim, and Don in succession. Doug N. had to fight a substantial increase in wind while exiting the gap and sailing upwind to the line. A special “tip of the hat” to Tom who sailed the race using a computer controlled self-sailing version of RClaser 01. His boat eventually succumb to the log boom which was not on it’s GPS map. Is this a harbinger of the future? Racing while sitting in the pub drinking beer?

Among the RClaser racers, the winner was 55 (John) who whipped the fleet good and proper. Second place honours to 42 (Colin) and third to 04 (Doug C) despite being run over twice. The award for the nearest predicted and actual time was also won by 55 (John).

Among the IOMs, 69 (Steve) prevailed over 90 (Roger), and Steve wins the much coveted Mini Barn Door Award as first to finish overall.

RCLASER – April 23 2017
NameBoat numberElapsed timeClock timePredicted timeChase boat
John551:38:2814:4814:39*Sandy
Colin421:44:1114:5414:30Marsha
Doug C041:49:4214:5914:40George
Bob031:53:2815:0314:33Jim
Tim801:56:1315:0614:31Ken P
Don061:57:1015:0714:27Geoff
Doug N352:16:5515:2615:00David
Ron61DNF  Art
Tom01RET  Doug V
      
IOM     
      
Steve691:26:3214:3614:24Irene
Roger901:40:0614:5014:25Bill

Spring Series: 01 April 2017

Venue: Dinghy Dock Pub.

Eight racers assembled at the Dinghy Dock at noon and began the event with coffee and/or beer. Very civilized. The weather was a mixture of sun and cloud. No rain and absolutely no snow. The day began with a 2 knot breeze from the south-east, then after a few races, the wind shifted to the north-west, then after 2-3 more races the wind went back to south-east and stayed there. Of course all of this required several shifts in mark placement, but after race 9, the SW wind built nicely to a steady 4 knots and the true pros moved to the top of the list. A special “tip of the hat” to Angie, who broken leg and all, participated fully until her boat went belly up after the 9th race. Podium places were taken by 42 (Colin) third, 03 (Bob) second place and 01 (Tom) who took away FIRST place! Congratulations to all. It was great day. The beer was close at hand, we sailed from comfortable chairs and a warm room was just through the door.

Boat123456789101112131415 TotalPlace
                   
01253125716613112 271
03515263521142544 342
04161472473366463 435
06676717287475385 606
42334354849251221 343
55422548155524636 424
61798986334737957 687
9084763166291010101010 728

Spring Series: 18 March 2017

Venue: Colin and Marsha’s front yard

Many thanks to Colin and Marsha who went out of their way to ensure that we enjoyed great competition, facilities and food! The weather was relatively warm and in the afternoon, the sun actually proved that it is still up there somewhere. The big feature was wind (15-29 knots) and the waves (about 1/2 m). We began with D sails! Wow. Then the wind fell a bit and we all switched to C sails. That lasted one race and then we all went to B sails. Eventually we all went back to C sails and stayed with them for the last half of the day. The course was:  start line, upwind mark and return. For longer races we rounded the upwind mark then a downwind mark placed between the start and the upwind mark, then back to the upwind mark and home. It was so fast that we completed 20 races. The score sheet that follows is a direct copy of the one that the score keepers used. The results are the ones that they provided. Given that we ran 20 races with 4 throw-outs, the scores are really close. It was great racing!! Top honours were taken by Tim 80 (third), Aidan 33 (second) and Fraser 05 (FIRST PLACE). It was another fine day of RC-Laser racing!

 Race         
Place12345678910
111141111114803333334
28055880111565533
3458804803380611180
45811145334546111
568066561118045
65653361114111806
           
 Race         
Place11121314151617181920
133565555646
2533331111118033565
3464338011111111180111
41118056333348054
5804808044480411180
661111114646333333
74444444444644444444
 BoatScore
Fraser535
Aidan3339
Tim8048
Doug452
Mike11156
Don659
Betty44110

Spring Series: 18 February 2017

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club breakwater.

The weather was “warm hats with rain clothes nearby”. No rain, cloud with a bit of sun peeping through. It was another pleasant day for sailing. The wind was from the west at 3-4nm. It held up pretty well for the first 90 minutes or so then began to drop and at one point near the end of the race, the wind changed direction! The course was set in the channel with 2 upwind marks and 1 lee mark with the start line about equidistant from each end. Everyone used A sails.  Algae and sea grass were absent, but part way through the race we did experience floating sticks and “sea crap” which caused a bit of trouble for some of us. As always, pure sailing skill won the day. Top honours were taken by Tim 80 (third), Ken 93 (second) and Tom 01 (FIRST PLACE). After the race a few of us retired to the pub at Stones, drank some beer and enjoyed a nice warm-up.  It was another fine day for Nanaimo RC Laser sailing!

 Boat number1234567891011121314 TotalPlace
Tom0131122146413453 291
Bob0327886953648887 739
Doug0464675377154646 576
Don06783510695739524 637
Betty44111110981010101011109102 10910
John5545464439966318 544
Ron61999101824297739 708
Tim8083533782572171 463
Angie905274956138110611 575
Ken9316217218825295 422

February 4th, 2017
7 sailors greeted the snowy venue at the Dinghy Dock pub. We started with A sails and by race #3 everyone was wearing a B. The last few races were with C sails and a cold drizzle which turned to snow as we finished race eleven and retired to the pub for hot soup and cold beer. In a most unlikely turn of events, Tim80 did not win the day, he actually finished 5th! Ken93 had some technical difficulties which gave him some deep finishes but he was one point in front of Tim. Doug04 had a strong day in the fresh breeze finishing in 3rd 2 points ahead of Ken. Tom01 sailed his usual excellent day but was second by 3 points to Bob03. Ron61 beat Ang90 by a point to claim 6th.

Spring Series: 21 January 2017

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club breakwater.

The weather was “mitts and hats”. No rain, cloud with a bit of sun peeping through. Pretty pleasant really. The wind was from the south at 3-4nm. The course was set in the channel with 2 upwind marks and 1 lee mark with the start line about equidistant from each end. Everyone used A sails.  Algae and sea grass were absent and played no part in the outcomes. Pure sailing skill won the day. Top honours were taken by John-55 (third), Bob-01 (second) and Tim-80 (FIRST PLACE). After the race we retired to the pub at Stones, drank some beer and enjoyed a nice warm-up.  It was another fine day for Nanaimo RC Laser sailing!

 Boat Number123456789101112131415 Drop 3 ScorePlace
Bob03247321262536113 282
Doug04153552483747327 415
Don06365477554374664 556
Betty44                968
John55334275611222442 30.23
Ron61996637777665556 697
Tim80811144125113231 211
Angie90422713336451775 394

Spring Series: 21 January 2017

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club breakwater.

The weather was “mitts and hats”. No rain, cloud with a bit of sun peeping through. Pretty pleasant really. The wind was from the south at 3-4nm. The course was set in the channel with 2 upwind marks and 1 lee marks with the start line about equidistant from each end. Everyone used A sails.  Algae and sea grass were absent and played no part in the outcomes. Pure sailing skill won the day. Top honours were taken by John-55 (third), Bob-01 (second) and Tim-80 (FIRST PLACE). After the race we retired to the pub at Stones, drank some beer and enjoyed a nice warm-up.  It was another fine day for Nanaimo RC Laser sailing!

 Boat Number123456789101112131415 Drop 3 ScorePlace
Bob03247321262536113 282
Doug04153552483747327 415
Don06365477554374664 556
Betty44                968
John55334275611222442 30.23
Ron61996637777665556 697
Tim80811144125113231 211
Angie90422713336451775 394

Fall Series: 17 December 2016

Venue: Nanaimo Yacht Club breakwater.

Preface: The Fleet 17 “2016 Championship” was scheduled for 10 December 2016, but was postponed until a future and as yet, undecided date early in 2017. Stay tuned for further announcements.

Report for 17 December 2016: In the meantime while waiting for the Championship, the 2016 Fall Series continued on 16 December with a meeting of 6 intrepid sailors who braved the cold to do battle at the NYC. Actually the conditions were pretty good. The wind was from the southeast at 5-8 nm. The course was set in the channel with 2 upwind and 1 lee mark, start line about equidistant from each end. Everyone used A sails.  Algae and sea grass was rarely seen and played almost no part in the outcomes. So it was just down to pure sailing skill (and a bit of luck) and top honours were taken by Ken (third), Bob (second) and Tim (FIRST PLACE). After the race we retired to warm up, crack a few libations, and tell the usual lies aboard Ken’s sail boat which was moored conveniently alongside the dock. It was another fine day for RC Laser sailing in British Columbia.

 Boat Number123456789101112131415 Drop 3 ScorePlace
Bob03732222414135161 262
Doug04256566251423632 404
Don06564445666654546 586
Tim80413111132261423 211
Angie90345633543316354 415
Ken93121354325542215 303

Fall Series: 26 November 2016

Venue: Dinghy Dock Pub

We all gathered at the Dinghy Dock a bit later than usual as the pub opened noon. Eight sailors set up and got ready to go, but there was almost no wind. So we did what sailors all over the world would have done and we headed inside for a beer and a bit of lunch. At about 13:30 the wind began to build from the northwest, and a really nice moderate-wind sailing day got underway. Given our late start we managed only 10 races. Bob’s 03 packed it in after race 1 and despite his best bedside manner it never really recovered. Tim (80) and Ken (91) fought it out for top honours taking 3 races each. John and Tom were close behind and the rest of us were not so close. All in all it was a fine, rain-fee, if somewhat cold day enjoyed by all.

 Boat Number12345678910 Drop 2 ScorePlace
Tom13314443324 234
Bob3481010101010101010 728
Don68576755662 426
John556432124516 223
Ron617767676777 537
Tim802221312143 141
Angie905655255441 315
Ken931143531255 162

Fall Series: 12 November 2016.

Venue = Nanaimo Yacht Club.

Marsha “in charge” and ruling with an iron fist.

Eleven sailors began the day at 11:00. The wind was from the south-east and was light with A sails all around. The course was set pretty much north to south with the start line about mid-course, two upwind marks and one downwind mark. At about the 5th race the wind pickup up and some switched to B sails, then for the rest of the afternoon as the wind moved to the west and then to the north-west and then back east, A and B sails were exchanged many times by many participants. Four of the 11 sailors were from Victoria (Thanks folks!!) including Betty or newest member (Welcome Betty!!). Angie started the day by whipping us all and that’s pretty much the way it went all day with Angie placing THIRD behind John, a man of mystery who appeared for the first time this year, grabbed the pencil to figure the scores and somehow placed SECOND, behind Tim who sailed way with top honours FIRST. The post-race meeting at Millers was excellent as always and we all made our way home ready to fight again on November 26th Venue TBA.

race

Oct 29, 2016

Colin and Marsha were our gracious hosts for 12 boats in zero to light conditions. There were a lot of small current lines to mix things up, boats stopping and going backwards seemingly at random. The light rain in the morning gave way to a beautiful sunny day but the breeze remained inconsistent with a huge and changing transition zone near the start/finish. Due to the light and flukey conditions we only managed 8 races but much fun was had by all including newcomers Mike #111, Betty #44, and guests Steve #42, Andreas #50 and Aiden/Barry/Bob #58. Fraser hasn’t learned to not win the practice race but otherwise did well. Congratulations to guest Steve (a very experienced IOM sailor), who showed us all how to deal with the challenging conditions.

#42 Steve 2, 1, 1, 3, (4), 2, 3, 1, 13pts
#05 Fraser 4, 4, (8), 1, 2, 4, 1, 5, 21pts
#03 Bob 1, (7), 4, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2, 25pts
#111 Mike 6, 5, (7), 2, 5, 1, 2, 6, 27pts
#61 Ron 5, 6, 6, 5, (10), 6, 9, 8, 40pts
#04 Doug 3, (9), 5, 8, 6, 3, 7, 9, 41pts
#90 Ang 8, 2, (13), 7, 7, 7, 8, 4, 43pts
#93 Ken (13), 8, 3, 4, 8, 13,5, 7, 48pts
#58 Aiden/Barry/Bob 7, 3, (13), 11, 1, 9, 11, 11, 53pts
#33 Dave (13), 10, 2, 10, 13, 10, 6, 8, 59pts
#50 Andreas (13), 11, 13, 9, 9, 8. 10, 10, 70pts
#44 Betty (14), 12, 13, 14, 11, 11, 13, 12, 86pts

Oct 01, 2016
The venue was NYC, 4 boats in attendance, Because 2 large boats were tied up on the channel-side of the south visitor’s dock we set the course from the south corner of the dock where it meets the main breakwater. The start line was set on the channel-side of the south corner of the breakwater. At 11:00 the wind was southwest so the first upwind mark was set 150 m from the breakwater about halfway to shore. Because the forecast called for SE, the second upwind mark was set in a SE direction about 100 m from the start. The downwind mark was set 20 m north of the start line. This proved to be an excellent setup as the wind shifted through the day it was easy to set good courses. All went well until about 12:30 when the rains came. And gosh it really rained. We all got quite wet and during race 7, 06 lost transmitter power and sailed smartly for about 1/2 mile towards the pub on Protection Island. Clearly this was a hint from the gods that we should end the day and head to the pub, but this is the fall series and racing went on! After 11 races we called it a day and 01Tom’s score of 2,2,1,2,1,1,3,1,1,1,1,1, gave him 12 points to win the day. 80Tim was second with 20, then 42Colin with 23 and 06Don with 31. A great start to the fall series, hope to see a full turnout on Oct 15th.

THIRST Regatta, Sept 10
Sunshine and light NW greeted the 10 boats and we began the day with the “Lamaze” race, 03 splashed in 1:04 and went on to win with 80 and 04 2nd and 3rd. Next were 5 fleet races with 01 winning 3 and 90 and 93 taking the others. The singlehanded race was won by 80 with 93 and 90 close behind. Another fleet race and another bullet for 01. Then we had the skybox race, another win for 01 with 93 and 90 behind. 4 more fleet races saw 01 with 2 bullets and 80 and 93 with the other two. The final was the long distance race with 01 winning again followed by 90 and 93.
Lamaze: 03, 80, 04, 06, 99, 93, 50, 42, 90
Fleet, after 2 throwouts:
01Tom 12pts, 93Ken 26pts, 90Ang 31pts, 80Tim 32pts, 42Colin 33pts, 50Dave 36pts, 03Bob 38pts, 04Doug 45pts, 06Don 56pts, 99Peter 80pts
Singlehanded: 80, 93, 90, 42, 04, 01, 03, 06, 99, 50
Skybox: 01, 93, 90, 04, 42, 80, 03, 50, 06, 99
Long Distance: 01, 90, 93, 03, 80, 50, 06, 04, 99, 42
Overall results, after throwing one event:
01 Tom 9pts
93 Ken 9pts
90 Ang 11pts
80 Tim 12pts
03 Bob 19 pts
04 Doug 20 pts
42 Colin 22pts
06 Don 28pts
50 Dave 29pts
99 Peter 35pts

RC Ocean Race – April 16, 2016

The race went around Protection Island counterclock-wise this year.  The race seemed to be proceeding a lot like last year, with Ken on 93 way out in front and Tim on 80 trying to catch up and spoil his win.  However, with both 93 and 80 stalling in the light air at the entrance  to the gap, the rest of the pack closed in like wolves.  93 and 80 had committed to the north side of the channel but it turned out to be a mistake.  In the end, Bob and driver Frank were the winning team, with Paul (36) and Tom (01) filling out the podium.

The Graham Millington mug goes to Bob.  Angela was the first girl to finish, predicted time award goes to Roger, and the “If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all” award goes to Ken Keith.

June 11, Raft up south of NYC
We’d all seen weed and we’d agreed that weed would be trouble, but we’d not seen weed like we’d seen that day. It was light air, ‘A’ sails and weed with a few raindrops as well. It was good tactics to miss the weed so we’d watch for leads through the weeds and we’d tried to keep weed free but we’d all suffered weed. After many rescues from the weedy embraces of Mother nature we’d agreed that the weed won and called it after 13 races. 04 won the first race and despite a good day ended up 2nd to Tim who found his way through the weeds better than the rest of us. Many thanks to Ron for offering his mothership as a race platform.
80Tim 2, (7), 4, 4, 2, 1, 3, 2, 2, (5), 1, 3, 1, 25pts
04Doug 1, (7), 2, 2, 4, 3, (6), 1, 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, 27pts
03Bob 3, 7, 1, 1, (7), 2, 5, 5, 1, 4, 4, (7), 2, 35pts
90Ang (7), 2, 3, 3, 1, (7), 1, 4, 7, 1, 6, 4, 7, 39pts
06Don (7), 1, 5, 5, 3, 5, 4, 6, (7), 3, 5, 1, 7, 45pts
61Ron 6, (7), 7, 6, 7, 4, 2, 3, 3, 6, (7), 7, 3, 54pts

May 29
Sunshine and westerly, perfect B sail conditions greeted the 5 boats who sailed at Bob and Angie’s, Some boats tried a C sail since there were several downwind pirouettes but it wasn’t quite that windy. 03 won the first race and suffered the jinx. 93 wisely held back for a 2nd in race one and won the day not needing to sail the last 3 races which was good because he ended with a string of 5ths. Ang counted 4 bullets and still ended up 4th. After 15 races:
93Ken 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 4, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3, (5), (5), (5), 23pts
03Bob 1, (5), 1, (4), 3, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, (4), 2, 3, 2, 24pts
04Doug (5), 2, 2, 1, 2, (5), 2, 4, 3, 2, (5), 1, 4, 2, 3, 28pts
90Ang 3, (4), (4), 3, (5), 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 2, 1, 1, 1, 30pts
06Don 4, 3, (5), (5), 4, 4, (5), 5, 5, 5, 3, 5, 3, 4, 4, 49pts

SSSS #2
The week long westerly died away as we started the 2nd day of the spring series at Bob and Angie’s. 5 boats completed 20 races in the light and shifty conditions. Several different course options were tried including a round the dock option reminiscent of round the pilings at Stones. Some of the transition zones made it feel like a light air day at a Maple Bay Regatta. Ken93 once again made the fatal mistake of winning the first race and even with 6 more bullets it wasn’t quite enough. Complaints of local knowledge were heard..
03Bob 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, (4), 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 2, 2, (3), (4), (4), 1, 1, 1, 23pts
93Ken 1, 2, (6), 2, (4), 1, 1, (4), 2, 3, (4), 1, 4, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 4, 30pts
01Tom (6), 4, 2, (5), 1, 4, 2, 2, 4, 2, 2, 2, 1, 4, (5), (5), 3, 4, 5. 2, 44pts
80Tim 4, (5), (7), 4, (5), 3, 3, (5), 3, 4, 1, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 50pts
90Ang 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, (5), (5), 3, (5), (5), 5, 5, 3, 5, 4, 2, 5, 3, 3, 5, 56pts

Spectacular Sunny Spring Series #1
A beautiful day with a light northwesterly greeted the 10 boat fleet at NYC. A sails to start with some big holes and strange shifts which gradually gave way to an easterly that had everyone switching to B sails by the end of the day. At one leeward mark rounding a seal was grabbing the mark and pulling it underwater. During one start sequence it was playing with one of the start marks, dragging it completely under water and then letting it pop back up. It’s probably not a good idea to paint your keel to look like a fish.. There were no breakdowns or tangles that required rescue as we completed 15 races. Bob#03 overcame some early technical and weed issues to take the win, Ken#93 had several brain farts with his usually excellent grasp of the rules allowing Colin#55 to sneak through into 2nd by one point. Sunshine#55 beat Doug#04 in a tiebreak for 4th. Tom#01 made the fatal mistake of winning the practice race which doomed him to some inconsistent results and 6th place. Ang#90 would have been in the hunt for 4th but a dead boat gave her 2 dns’s at the end of the day.
Don#06 won race 2 showing his occasional flashes of brilliance. Ron#61 and Doug#35 rounded out the order.
#03Bob (11), (9), 1, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 3, 1, 1, (7), 3, 1, 22pts
#50Colin 3, 3, 2, 2, 5, 4, (6), 1, 2, (7), 2, (7), 5, 4, 4, 37pts
#93Ken 1, 2, 3, 7, 1, (9), (8), (7), 6, 4, 4, 2, 3, 2, 3, 38pts
#55John 2, (8), (9), 1, 7, 5, 4, 6, 5, 5, 6, 4, (10), 1, 5, 45pts
#04Doug 5, 4, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1, 3, 4, (6), 5, (9), 2, 5, (8), 45pts
#01Tom (9), 6, 5, (8), 6, 2, 2, 4, 6, 1, (7), 3, 1, 7, 6, 49pts
#90Ang 4, 5, 4, 4.3, 6, 5, 8, 3, 2, (8), 6, 4, (12), (12), 54pts
#06Don 6, 1, 7, 9, 8, 7, (9), 5, 3, 2, 8, (11), (9), 8, 7, 65pts
#61Ron 8, 7, 8, 6, (10), 8, (11), (9), 9, 9, 3, 5, 6, 6, 2, 77pts
#35Doug 7, (10), (10), 10, 9, 10, 7, 10, 10, (12), 9, 8, 8, 9, 9, 106pts

Frozen Thumbs 2016 overall results.
72 races were run over 5 weekends, 14 competitors in total. Counting 4 of 5 days results in a tie for 1st with John “Sunshine” #55 winning. Congratulations John.
55John (8), 4, 4, 1, 1, 10pts
03Bob 1, 2, 5, (9), 2, 10pts
34Ken 4, 7, (12), 2, 5, 18pts
04Doug 5, (12), 6, 3, 4, 18pts
01Tom 2, 6, 3, 9, (9), 20pts
93Ken 3, (12), 2, 9, 9, 23pts
80Tim (11), 5, 1, 9, 9, 24pts
90Ang 6, 8, 8, (9), 3, 25pts
36Paul 11, 1, (12), 6, 9, 27pts
58Colin 7, 3, (12), 9, 9, 28pts
61Ron 9, (10), 7, 5, 9, 30pts
06Don (11), 9, 9, 4, 9, 31pts
35Doug 11, (12), 10, 7, 6, 34pts
99Peter 11, (12), 12, 9, 7, 39pts

Frozen Thumbs #5
7 boats sailed 15 races in a 3 to 5 knot southerly at the Dinghy Dock pub. PaulKenTimTom were missing so 5 different boats shared the bullets. Ken34 jinxed his day by winning the first race and sure enough some traffic problems and circles and hitting the lone piling put him back a bit till he won the last race. 5 different boats had at least one first. Sunshine55 was hot and posted several good races, throwing out a 4. Bob03 had some technical issues including struggling with a backward mainsheet that could not be fixed since the switch was rusted. His boat died completey in race 9. A replacement transmitter solved the problem. Ang90 had a great day including 2 bullets and 6 seconds, also throwing a 4. If there were no throwouts she would have won the day. Doug 04 had 3 bullets and bunch of thirds. Doug35 had some good results and Peter is still on the steep part of the learning curve but he had good day and gets better all the time.
At the end of the day there was a tiebreak for first, 55 and 03 had identical scorelines with the tiebreak going to throwouts. There was some discussion about using who beat who in the last race as a tiebreak but John had that too.
Results:
55John 2. 1, 2, 3, 1, (8). 1, 3, (5),1, 3. 4, 4, 2, (4), 27pts
03Bob 3, 3, 1, 1, 4, 1, 2, 4, (8), (9), 2, 3, 2, 1, (5), 27pts
90Ang 4, 2, 3, (6), 2, 2, (4), 2, 1, 2, (5), 2, 1, 4, 3, 28pts
04Doug (6), 5, 4, 2, (6), 3, 3, 1, 3, 3, 1, 1, (5), 3, 2, 31pts
34Ken 1, 6, (6), 4, 3, (8), 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, (8), 4, 4, 1, 46pts
35Doug 5, 4, 5, 5, 5, 4, 6, (7), 2, 5, 6, 5, 6, (6), (8), 58pts
99Peter 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 9, 7, 6, 8, (9), 7, 8, 7, (9), (9), 87pts

Frozen Thumbs #4
7 boats enjoyed the best weather yet for a winter race. Sunshine and wind and B sails to start, soon changing to a C although Paul36 tried a D for awhile. The wind eased toward the end and everyone switched to A’s. There were some technical issues, a lost rudder, tangled boats and the usual mayhem at marks. 5 boat were rescued from tangles and rigging trouble. Dark cloud has been renamed sunshine since nary was heard a discouraging word as he ran away with 10 bullets to win the day. Don06 had his first bullet as his results keep improving. Many thanks to Don06 for marks and rescue boat duties.
Results:
55John 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, (2), (2), 1, 1, 1, 1, (3), 1, 1, 14pts
34Ken 2, 1, (8), (6), (5), 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 3, 1, 4, 2, 31pts
04Doug (8), 3, 2, 4, 3, 3, (9), (9), 4, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2, 3, 33pts
06Don 3, 4, 4, 1, 4, 2, (8), (9), 7, 4, 4, 4, (8), 3, 4, 44pts
61Ron 4, (8), (8), 5, 6, 5, 4, 4, 5, 5, (8), 6, 5, 8, 5, 5, 62pts
36Paul (9), (9), 3, 3, 2, 8, 1, 1, 2, 8, 8, (9), 9, 9, 9, 63pts
35Doug (9), 5, (9), 6, 7, 6, 5, (8), 6, 5, 5, 6, 4, 6, 6, 67pts

Midwinter Regatta
The 14 boats attending the Midwinter Regatta at Towner Bay saw sunny conditions and a southerly that gradually backed to the southeast. A sails all around except Paul36 who started with a B to maintain control in the puffs. However there were more lulls than puffs so he soon switched to an A. The start line was in a bit of a transition zone as the SE bent around the point south of the bay and met with occasional easterly, almost northeasterly, puffs over the land. Starts were crowded, several over earlys and 2 general recalls. Finishes were equally crowded, sometimes with several boats overlapped. Marsha did a great job of keeping track, although the fleet needed to be reminded to clear the line after finishing and not sail through twice. With 5 marks to choose from there were several interesting choices for courses including some where the mark was far enough away to create confusion trying to identify your boat in the pack. Tom01 won the first race and was consistent through the day (except race 9) to win by 3 points. 3 boats were tied for second with Paul36 finishing unusually deep in 5th. Tim80 was 6th in front of another tie for 7th where Colin beat Angie. 11th was also a tie where Ron61 beat (guest) Charles sailing #50.
Results after 10 races, 2 throwouts:
01Tom 1, 2, 1, 4, 3, 4, 5, (6), (12), 1, 21pts
03Bob 2, 1, 5, 1, 5, 1, (6), 4, 5, (9), 24pts
05Fraser 4, 3, 6, 2, 1, (11), 3, 1, 4, (6), 24pts
93Ken (6), 5, (9), 3, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 24pts
36Paul (8), 4, 2, 5, 6, (8), 4, 5, 1, 2, 29pts
80Tim (15), 9, 3, (15), 9, 3, 1, 2, 7, 5, 39pts
42Colin 7, 7, 4,(8), 7, (10), 8, 7, 2, 8, 50pts
90Ang 3, 6, 8, (9), 8, 5, 7, (11), 6, 7, 50pts
04Doug 10, 8, (11), 6, 4, 7, (11), 10, 11, 3, 59pts
06Don 11, 10, 7, (15), 10, 6, (15), 13, 9, 11, 77pts
61Ron 5, (15), 12, 11, 12, (15), 9, 9, 8, 12, 78pts
50Charles 13, (15), 10, 7, 11, 9, 10, 8, (15), 10, 78pts
35Doug 12, 12, (13), 10, (13), 12, 12, 12, 10, 13, 93pts
58Kieran 9, 11, (15, (15), 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 110pts

Frozen Thumbs #3
The day began with overcast conditions and a very light to zero southeaster. As the day progressed the sun came out and the breeze built to a fairly steady 3 to 4 knots making for excellent A sail racing. With newcomer Don sailing #91 we had 11 boats on the line, over half the fleet from Protection Island. Ken93 won the first race then got an 8th, a 2nd, an 8th, a 1st, then settled down to a string of good finishes including three more bullets. He had better throwouts however it wasn’t enough to catch Tim80 who owned the pin for most of the day. Either ahead and to leeward or port tacking the fleet, he seemed to always be first to the left. With the crowded line there was the usual share of contact and over earlys, circles and muttering. Tom01 had consistent results to take 3rd, 10 points out of second and 3 points in front of John55 who had to settle for 4th. Ron61 got his first bullet on a race day and enjoyed it so much he got the next one as well. Circles03 kept hitting boats and marks but scraped into 5th. By mutual agreement we ran a bit over our usual 3 hours since we wanted 15 races, actually much of the fleet had their 3 throwouts early in the day, and the conditions were excellent.
At the end of the day:
#80Tim 3,(5),4,2,2,1,(5),3,1,1,(5),2,1,3,2, 25 pts
#93Ken 1,(8),2,(8),1,3,3,4,5,(8),1,1,2,4,1, 28 pts
#01Tom (7),2,(7),4,4,5,1,5,3,4,2,4,3,1,(8), 38 pts
#55John 6,1,5,3,(10),4,(7),2,6,3,4,(8),4,6,3, 41 pts
#03Bob 2,(6),6,5,(7),,6,4,1,(7),2,3,3,5,2,4, 43 pts
#04Doug 5,4,(8),7,3,2,2,(8),2,(7),6,5,7,7,5, 55 pts
#61Ron 9,3,1,1,6,8,6,7,4,5,7,(10).(12),9,(10), 66 pts
#90Ang 4,9,9,(9),8,7,(10),(10),8,6,8,7,6,5,6, 83 pts
#06Don 8,10,3,6,5,9,8,6,(10),(10),(12),6,8,8,7, 84 pts
#35Doug (12),7,(11),11,9,11,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,(12),9, 110 pts
#91Don 10,11,10,10,11,10,11,11,11,11,10,12,(12),(12),(12), 128 pts

Frozen Thumbs #2
Warm and sunny conditions and a light northwesterly greeted the 10 boats who came out for our first adventure at Departure Bay. All agreed it is a good venue and we should return. Many thanks to Paul for the suggestion and the organization of a marks/rescue boat. We started with A sails, a slightly skewed, port tack favoured line, and shifty, puffy breeze. There was adverse current inshore from freshwater runoff halfway up the beat. Tom01 nailed the port tack start in the first race and led all the way to an easy first win. Bob03 and Ang90 followed at a distance to give Protection Island a 1,2,3 to begin the day. It wasn’t to last however as Paul36 recovered from a first race DNF and a couple of “deep” 5th places to once again dominate the day. The breeze built until eventually everyone switched to a B and then back to an A at the end of the day. There were lots of spectators and interest in the boats, maybe we’ll get some more people in the fleet.
Paul36 (11),(5),(5),1,2,1,1,3,4,1,3,1,1,2,1, 21pts
Bob03 2,2,1,2,5,3,2,1,1,(6),5,3,(6),4,(6), 31pts
Colin58 4,1,(8),5,6,5,5,4,2,2,2,(8),(7),1,3, 40pts
John55 6,7,3,3,(7),2,3,2,6,3,(9),(7),2,3,5, 45pts
Tim80 (7),(9),2,7,3,4,7,5,5,4,4,6,(8),5,2, 49pts
Tom01 1,8,7,4,1,7,4,(8),7,5,(8).4.4.6.(11) 58pts
Ken34 5,6,4,(8),(8),6,8,(12),3,7,1,2,3,7,8, 60pts
Ang90 3,3,6,6,4,(8),6,6,(8),(8),7,5,5,8,4, 63pts
Don06 9,4,9,9,(12),9,9,7,(11),9,6,(10),(11),9,7, 97pts
Ron61 8,10,10,10,(11),10,10,(11),11,(12),11,9,9,10,9, 117pts

Frozen Thumbs #1
9 boats came out to NYC for 12 light air races on a nice January day. We had from 0 to maybe 2 knots max, generally light current with lots of rivers and swirls to keep it interesting, and very little weed. The start line was short and crowded, there were several over earlys, and congratulations to the fleet from PRO Marsha when we had a rare “all clear”. The short weather leg made for some interesting 1st mark roundings, some contact, and some circles. Bob03 won the first race and it looked like the jinx was on as he got a 7 and a 6 in the next 2. However his remaining score line of 2,1,2,1,(9),3,4,2,(8) gave him 29 points for a 1 point margin on Tom01 who had a 4,(8),(7),1,3,3,6,1,4,1,1,6 for 30 points. Ken93 was 2 points back with 2,6,3,4,(8),1,3,2,6,3,(7),2. Ken34 had a 3,4,1,3,(9),5,4,4,7,(9),3,5, for fourth overall. Doug04 had 8,1,(9),5,6,(9),2,8,1,6,4,1 to take fifth. Ang90 had 7,2,2,6,2,7,5,5,2,(8),(8),7 for sixth. Colin had (9),3,5,(8),4,4,7,7,5,5,5,3 in seventh. John55 had 6,(9),(8),7,5,6,8,3,8,7,6,4 in eighth. Ron61 finished the day with 5,5,4,,9,7,8,9,2,(9),(10). Much fun was had by all and after racing we gathered at Miller’s for results and beers.

Boxing Day Blowout
It was cold, it rained, it was cold, it was windy, it was cold. 7 brave souls enjoyed the C sail conditions at NYC for the Boxing Day Blowout. Ken93 won the first race and never looked forward, in one race making 7 attempts at the weather mark… Tim80 found the conditions to his liking with 4 bullets, throwing out a 3rd for an easy win. John55 had an excellent day, throwing out a 4th on the way to a solid 2nd place 5 points back. 03 had technical issues in race 2 but Ang90 generously let him sail her boat from race 4 onwards to finish a distant 3rd, 9 points further back and just squeaking by 2 points in front of Ken93. The Paulinator36 was late and missed the first 3 races and very unusually did not win a race to finish 4 points behind Ken. John’s brother Ron found it a challenging day to learn the boat but showed some good speed and had a few good finishes. Ang 90 sailed the first 3 with middling results then got very cold and retired. It was cold.

2015 Fall Series Overall Results 

SkipperSail NumberRace 1
NYC
Race 2
Towner Bay
Race 3
Piper’s Lagoon
Race 4
NYC
Race 5
Dinghy Dock
Race 6Race 7Overall
Tom Barchyn01dncdnc11dnc
Bob Serenius03 2 13 4 2
Doug Compton04446dnc dnc
Don McQueen0686975
Ken Keith34dncdncdncdnc 4
Doug Naylor35107dnc8dnc
Paul Kantor36 1 dncdnc dncdnc
John Vallis55 7 dncdnc 6 dnc
Colin MacGruer58657dncdnc
Ron Campsall619dnc8dnc6
Tim Daniel805dnc421
Angie Serenius9033553
Ken Holland93dncdnc23dnc
Peter Frewin99dncdncdncdnc7

Fall Series #5
It was a bright and sunny day…2 knots from the south greeted the fleet at the Dinghy Dock for the 5th and final day of the Fabulous Fall of ’15 series. The wind soon did a 220 and we raced in a typical “gap breeze” with light spots in close to the pub. Start in close and maybe fetch it? Start out farther in more wind and tack twice? The gorgeous sunny day created a bit of trouble as competitors were blinded by the reflection of the low winter sun as we got near the leeward mark. We changed courses and valiantly carried on with some competitors choosing to fortify themselves with a hot or cold beverage from the friendly staff at the pub. There were some over earlys, some contact, some circles, some weed, some technical issues, a few hookups, and some excellent sailing. With a bunch of different courses there was sometimes confusion about where we go next. Follow Tim was the call. However when Tim called a particularly complicated course and then just said “follow me”, the jinx happened and Angie won the next race. Tim only got 2 bullets in the next 8 races after winning 5 of 7 to that point. #03 now has a couple of firsts in Fleet 17, the fire last spring and today as he was doing well, right behind Tim, suddenly #90 blows through his lee and #34 climbs off his hip and passes to weather…..WTF? Limping in after a deep finish reveals a moon jellyfish on the keel! This is almost December, global warming is here. After 15 races #80Tim won the day with 7 bullets, throwing out a 2nd and two 3rds. In second was #03Bob 8 points back with #90Ang a further 6 points behind to take the final podium position. #34Ken, #06Don, #61Ron, and #99Peter rounded out the order.

Fall series #4
Light air again…lots of current and weed. Colin had electrical issues so he helped Marsha with race committee including calling 2 tight finishes where Angie beat her husband within inches of his Finnish line. After 12 races #01 Tominated the fleet once again with 4 bullets and an 11 point lead on #80 Tim. Where are you Paul??

01 1 3 2 1 1 3 (5) (8) 2 1 2 4 20
03 2 2 5 5 (7) 5 1 6 (7) 5 3 2 36
06 (dnf) 1 (8) 5 6 7 3 3 8 7 6 7 53
35 7 (8) 4 4 (8) 8 8 7 8 6 8 5 65
55 4 (7) 7 3 6 7 2 5 5 3 1 (dnf) 43
80 3 6 (6) 3 2 3 4 1 1 4 4 (7) 31
90 (6) 6 3 (dnf) 2 4 4 2 6 3 5 3 38
93 5 5 1 2 4 1 6 4 4 (7) (6) 1 33

Fall Series #3
Light air at Pipers, with an ebb that made it very interesting at the (usuallly) leeward mark. Those who were unfortunate enough to arrive there in a lull were quickly swept out of the lagoon. After some abandoning and postponing and rescuing boats we quit using that mark. After 8 races Tom dominated the day in Paulinator style with an 8 pt lead on Ken93.

Fall series Race #2
A light air day at Colin and Marsha’s, 5 Protection Islanders made the trip and we managed 10 races. 03 won the day, 33 beat 90 in a tiebreak for 2nd, 04 was one point back in 4th, then 58, 06, and 35.

Fall Series 2015 – Day 1

Awesome sunny C-sail conditions persisted through the day, with a stiff chop to add to the challenge.  With the great turnout, the key strategy was getting off the start line cleanly.  There were many sad stories to tell with multiple circles for many boats.

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14R15R16TotalPosition Overall
032113353136413249312
045634122511546355414
068778847985697634808
35101011711101010109810911111111310
36422151145413111111301
557585666767375773737
58334277464811526611596
619899999891211888861089
806456488322221527445
90112611235273764912393

2015 THIRST Regatta

Sail #LeMazeSingle-HandedSkyboxLong DistanceFleet RacingTotalPosition
0171dnsdns8309
03561096268
04104172144
066988103110
34862105216
36313531121
35121074113211
5515354133
5898917257
8043623122
9027469195
No Number1111dnsdns124812

SSSSS – June 27

6 intrepid sailors braved the sunshine and baking hot temperatures as the Mark Bay raft up endured C sail conditions with overpowered nosediving runs mixed with underpowered lulls and big shifts. 20 races were run and the "Tominator" 01 won the day with 6 bullets and 32 points. Doug 04 had a solid performance with 5 wins and 40 points to take second. Ken 34 was on the podium with 4 bullets and 43 points. "Circles" 03 was 3 points back in 4th and Angela 90 another 3 points back in 5th. Don 06 had some good results but ended up 6th. Thanks to Tom for providing rescue boat service with his kayak and to Angela for setting and retrieving marks.

SSSSS – June 13

5 sailors enjoyed sunny beautiful weather competing in a Mark Bay raft-up.  Puffy B-sail conditions prevailed with occasional wipe-outs downwind in the bigger gusts.  16 races were held and in the end the results were Don/06 – 45 points,  Bob/03 – 35 points, Angie/90(podium finish!) – 33 points, Ken K./34 – 25 points and (cough, cough) some boat with a red stripe with 15 points.  Old sails rule!

Towner Bay Spring Regatta

Wow, what a day – sunshine, breeze, sailboats, kids, kayaks, dinghies, dogs, kites, bevies, bbq.

Major brain-teaser on course – wind shifts galore – really had to keep the brain cells working – had to keep both hands on the ‘wheel’

Dock was full of players & spectators – introduced a bunch of folk to the both the joys when the boats scoot and the frustrations when they don’t   – may even have a couple of converts…

The Pollinator brought almost his whole clan which was fantastic – the junior Pollinites helped with setting the marks and retrieving errant boats – and 36 rocked the day (again).

We had serious racing followed by fun races letting people try out the boats.

Shades of summer to come,

Marsha

Results:

boat            points

36                    18

05                    34

50                    37

58                    45

33                    66

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Great Ocean Race 2015 Results

Open ClassRC Laser Class
CompetitorBoatTimeCompetitorSail NumberTime
Dale ChaseWing Cat (Fang)1:05:20Tim Daniel801:25:20
Tom StevensMarblehead1:13:55Ken Holland931:25:26
Steve KibbleIOM1:29:28Paul Kantor361:27:02
Roger KibbleIOMDNSJohn Vallis551:27:40
Bob Serenius031:29:30
Tom011:30:10
Angela Serenius901:30:41
Colin MacGruer501:30:55
Doug Compton041:31:04
Don McQueen061:33:15
Dave Campbell331:38:39
Ron Campsall611:48:01

Super Spectacular Sunny Spring Series

SSSSS #1 – Dinghy Dock Pub – April 11, 2015

The fleet was greatly cheered by the re-appearance of Bruce (aka RSO), his boat #70, and both sunshine and wind.  Today was an ABAC day with the breeze gradually rising from the west and southwest, then easing, then coming back with a vengeance to end the day off.   The weather marks were placed far enough up the course that it was difficult to see the situation when rounding, and there were numerous giant hair balls at the weather mark.  There was also a strange “weird zone” a few boatlengths from the weather mark – a kind of sand trap for RC Lasers – which would appear and swallow up a boat or two, then disappear.  Avoiding the weirdness became a significant strategy upwind.

Bruce kindly won the first race, accepted the “Curse of the First Blood”, and then spent the day working off the rust.  Half the fleet won at least one race today including 03, 36 (more than a few), 50 (the out-of-towner), 70, 80 and 93.    In the end, Paul and #36 schooled us, though this time there were only two points separating him from the next two boats.  Tim and #80 were first mortal, and Ken (“let’s not have throwouts”) with #93 grabbed the last podium position.

Many thanks to Marsha and Jamie for excellent race committee work, and especially to the little girl who came out on the end dock and reminded us old farts what it is all about with her enthusiastic attitude when she sailed Ron’s boat in absolutely no wind.

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12TotalPosition
03221358288735384
0610107111010101110810109511
345947211832557587
366621115161322271
5012856871275261556
5541312586441393465
618412912461011121288410
70151287999712711739
807312233154116292
909761065769689698
93313442323444293

Mid-Winter Regatta

 
We had our first fire-in-the-hole incident today before racing, with Bob’s 03 trying to give itself a premature  viking funeral.  The first clue was the bubbled surface of the coffee can lid.  No serious damage was done but some components need to be replaced…
 
The best part of the day was the addition of two new members to the fleet, Doug and Ron – Fleet 17 welcomes you!
 
The breeze was on at NYC, and the day started with C sails and a bit of bow-burying even with those.  Later the wind died down and the fleet shifted to B.  Tide was a major factor in the middle of the course.
 
The Victoria crowd came up to give us a run for our money and did very well, except that no-one could really touch Paul, who started the day with six bullets in a row.  First mortal was Tim with 80, and then noob Tom with 01 snuck in to the third place spot – well done Tom!
 
Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14R15R16TotalPosition
018632882256441622453
06 54757 97887 8 86556827
3368786410111111768777918
361111113115 1 14244191
5092644651141553363514
55745753610dncdncdncdncdncdncdncdnc1029
61dncdncdncdncdncdncdnc7711117988812010
80 4 723 224522 322111272
9035463784646 9 5435585
932310111151333231191111666
 

 
 

Frozen Thumbs Overall

Sail #Frozen Thumbs #1Frozen Thumbs #2Frozen Thumbs #3Frozen Hearts #4Frozen Thumbs #5Frozen Thumbs #6Total
01dncdncdncdnc65
033232529
0454dnc38315
0669dnc9dnc731
34dncdnc48dncdnc
3671dnc11dnc10
49dnc8710dncdnc
55dnc6874dnc25
61dncdncdncdnc106
8025143410
9047569dnc22
91dncdnc6dncdncdnc
931325717

 Frozen Thumbs #1 –  January 3, 2015

Location: Nanaimo Yacht Club

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14TotalPosition Overall
0312514724534421333
0445326455343254445
066666dnf56dns66665dns646
368dnsdnsdns1dnsdns1dnsdnsdnsdnsdns5877
8021232132255532282
9034455346122146384
9353143213411313261

 Frozen Thumbs #2-  January 17, 2015

Location: Pipers LaGoon

The ‘Goon served up the usual smorgasbord of difficult conditions, with a strong flood tide and a shifty and variable strength south-to-southwest wind.  Racing started with a mix of A and B sails in marginal conditions, and it looked for a while like B might survive, but the breeze dropped a bit and A sails were the sail for the rest of the day.  Jedi Paul clearly had the force with him and kicked ass, to the point where he didn’t need to sail the last two races – good thing because #36 wasn’t in the mood for more racing and stopped working.  Our newest sailors, Don and Mike, showed that they have learned well from Master Paul and had some higher results, including a fifth from #49 and a 6th from #06.  Bob was first mortal (after we corrected a mistake in the results) followed by 93 in 3rd.   Of the non-newbs, everyone won at least one race, except for Pokey the Wonderslug, but #55 had three 2nds to make up for it.  There were two protests which were resolved in the bar with #80 deciding to RAF after reading the rules on boats tacking inside the zone, and #93 taking a DSQ after tacking too close.

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14TotalPosition
0346131375154334343
0453744246891651414
06881098878968778929
3611212121337101111341
4995689989779887928
5524367757486422526
806104755104213543495
90771026462625176567
9332553613542215362

Frozen Thumbs #3 – January 31, 2015

Location: Pipers LaGoon

The wind took its time showing up and came in a bit from the northeast, so the first set of races were run without the weather mark placed in its usual spot in the “death zone” at the entrance to the lagoon.  Eventually a nice westerly wind filled in and the call was made to move the mark into the channel where the flood tide was wicked – and the carnage began.  There were more than a few giant hairballs at the weather mark, as boats tried to complete a last second tack after not quite fetching.  New racer Tom took a bullet away from the geezers and showed good pace and tactics upwind all day, and demonstrated style smacking the big rock on the west shore while at full speed downwind.  Mike, still working #49 up to speed, managed to sail to a 4th place finish in one race – a great  result for such difficult conditions.   Ken with #34 showed he hasn’t lost his touch after some time away and was in contention in every race, distinguishing himself as the only boat to have no worse than a 6th place finish.  Several boats had to sit some races out due to technical issues, including 93, 55 and 90.  80 managed to disappear into its own private black hole at the start line due to an encounter with some local floating foliage – kindly rescued by John.  If there were two or three more races or one more throwout it would have been 93’s day, sailing consistently and finishing with 7 bullets.  However, 93 ended up having to keep one 6th while 80 managed to ditch all her bad races, so 93 and ended up in a tie-break with 03 for second.   After 15 hard-fought races, frosty beverages were enjoyed by all.

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14R15TotalPosition
03221323532461133263
04
06
34 3 5 3 6 4 43 63 535255414
36
498777 87657647 96 10777
557442369dncdncdncdncdnc dnc dnc dnc858
801121 7122 62 92422221
90535459444324 9 10 10525
91466565 771756544576
9369101012115113311262

Frozen Hearts #4 – February 14, 2015

Location: NYC

At the end of the end of the day we were all wondering “how does he do it?”.  Sure enough, the Paullinator schooled the fleet again today with 7 wins out of 15 races – impressive by any measure.  Consistent starts and rarely out of first place at the weather mark were the keys to success, not to mention blazing downwind speed.   First mortal was Bob with 03, followed by Doug and 04 – Doug won three races to Bob’s two.   It was an unusually shifty and choppy day in Newcastle Channel, with big gusts bringing the fleet down to C sails for most of the day.  The wind eased for the last 5 races but everyone stayed on C sails to avoid further delays – we all wanted to get 15 races in.  Sunshine and strong breeze were a nice change!

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14R15TotalPosition
033313146210662524352
04 6 2 4 55 1 2 1 7 1 5 3 3 5 5 383
06 12 9 8 9 9 9 12 7 5 9 8 10 8 6 7 939
34547776993765779718
36 413123 1 46DNF 1 1 10 11231
49989DNCDNCDNC8888999101010510
55165638369476 2 9 8577
80 8 11 112 427313 34442394
902 7656545454 7 63 6556
91PracticePracticePracticePracticePracticePractice PracticePracticePracticePracticePracticePracticePracticePracticePracticePracticePractice
937524575112228183455

Frozen Thumbs #5 – March 14, 2015

 
Location: NYC
 
If you don’t like the wind speed or direction, wait 30 seconds.  The conditions today went from drifting to boat-flattening gusts in a moment today, with 30 degree shifts on top, as the wind was alternately from the southwest, west, and northwest.  There were lots of passing lanes, however, and you were always one wind shift away from first, or last.  A most interesting sailing day to be sure.
 
We are all in awe of the Paullinator’s consistent performance in our fleet.  So consistent that he finished with exactly the same number of points in 15 races as he did with 16 races in the MId-Winters, with 25 points separating his first place finish from second place.  There was good news today from our newest sailor, Ron, who torched the fleet with a cunning switch to the A-sail during the biggest lull of the day – not quite enough to beat Paul but his first second place finish in a race!   Consistent racing with the slick new #50 put the Collinator into first mortal, and #80 survived several tragic races and a RAF to somehow end up third.
 
Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14R15TotalPosition
013910671599781475626
037628118243965813555
0410845693282775611638
36221313132122221191
505231546753581411442
55448737866414382514
61910910921111101199dncdncdnc11010
8015722109515raf3734453
9087594678781066511779
9363648541464dncdncdncdnc637
 

Frozen Thumbs #6 – March 28, 2015

Location: Mark Bay
 
 Newsflash:  Ken Holland wins the Frozen Thumbs!
 
Ron Campsall kindly provided his amazing RC sailing platform Contessa for the day’s racing in Mark Bay.  The wind was gusty and shifty, and at times it was a bit too much for the A sails that everyone stuck with.  In the end, Ken Holland dominated the day and as a result won the Frozen Thumbs.!
 
Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14R15R16R17R18TotalPosition
015732462841131dncdncdncdncdnc675
03265851631232532332402
04631113443555231444433
0634657575787686dnf75dnf907
358877878787887dncdnc66dnf1108
617284383666676544dnfdnf776
80114364515344345511444
93452622122421421223321

Fleet Championships  –  Dec. 20, 2014

There was a lot of breeze and difficult sailing conditions with a strong current going with the wind in the middle of the course.   Everyone had D sails.  Boat control was very difficult and completing a tack was never assured even with the D sail - boats were caught in irons frequently.  First to get it all figured out was Doug - 04 (Digit) who scored two bullets early on.   Angie on #90 had a win in the middle and looked strong all day.  Tim (#80) had a couple of bad races to start with including one with 4 circles at the start line and looked to be having a bad day.   Paul arrived a little late, but then suffered a boat failure that took him out of the running.  Ken  on #93 had to sit out a race after a DNF due to his boat shutting off after hitting the dock.   Boat failures and other issues took out Colin on 58 and Don on the "other" 93.    In the end, only 4 boats completed all the races, and shared the top of the podium with #93, who only missed two races.  Doug and Ken ended up tied for third, with the tie-breaker going to Doug with two wins to Ken's one.  Luckily for #80, Bob on #03 had to keep a couple of 4th place finishes, which put #80 on top for the day.  Thanks for an awesome day everyone!

Fleet Championships Results

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10TotalPosition Overall
034412313424202
041124545533233
36dnsdns5dnfdnsdnsdnsdnsdnsdns747
583dnfdnsdnsdnsdnsdnsdnsdnsdns726
906345134355285
93 (Ken H)2dnfdns3452241234
93 (Don)96dnsdnsdnsdnsdnsdnsdnsdns758
805251221112121
                                                                                     


               

Fall Series Results

SkipperSail NumberRace 1Race 2Race 3Race 4Race 5Race 6Overall
Bob Serenius032232
Doug Compton043
Ken Keith347
Paul Kantor36115
MIke Silverton4989
John Vallis557496
Colin MacGruer58766
Arne Hensen68
Bruce McQuade7075
Tim Daniel803311
Angie Serenius904775
Tom8
Ken Holland9324
Don91/0658410

FALL SERIES #2 AT N.Y.C. OCT.4,2014

Eight sailors showed up at the Nanaimo Yacht Club for a near perfect fall day of Rc Laser sailing on Saturday. A light south-east breeze allowed 16 fun races with A-sails all around. Paul ( The Paulinator) #36 dominated the day, winning by 25 points over Bob #03, Who claimed second place over Tim #80 on a tiebreaker for the second race day in a row. only six points separated 4th t0 7th place. There were a few weed issues, but as the eel grass rose to the surface of the ocean, the "cream" of Fleet 17 also rose to the top of the leaderboard. Thanks to Marsha for her great rc work, and to Paul's son for his weed picking abilities. 

 

 Towner Bay Regatta – November 22, 2014

There was no sign of November that morning - t-shirts and lawn chairs 
in the sun on the dock waiting for the wind to kick in

It did but only in the very Canadian 'Eh' sail range

Adventurous 93 and 80 made the road trip south upping the 
competitiveness level, but local 05 swept the day, leaving the two 
Billys (58 and 33) to come in last and laster

Overall, not too shabby a day for late November...

Sail #R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13TotalPosition Overall
053411211112311151
931125124441222222
802233333223133253
335544445555544495
584352552334455404