Sarasota Fleet Racing Mayhem

We have been "enjoying" quite a bit of rain lately which is typical for this time of year. The forecast for this weekend was improving so we thought maybe we would give it a go with the Sarasota fleet. It was looking like the perfect day and the weather gods had the storm chance at 20%. In the summer 20% is as low as it gets so we decide to go.

The 7 Scots met up at I mark where we would start the racing, perfect sea breeze, all good. We did the first race and lost the lead to Bob Twinem on the run but we held off Marshall Pardey for second. I recall looking at the cloud bank to the south and thinking it looked a bit odd. It didn't look threatening but the height was impressive and the edges looked really hard but the color was still white. Hmmm...

Race 2 was a good one for us, we did a "Ron" out to the left and rounded with a big lead. Running to the finish the white clouds were getting quite a bit more gray and some occasional rumbling could be heard. Since the weather was coming from the south and we had to go that way to return to the club I pulled out the cell phone for a look at the radar. "Jib up, were are heading in" There is an impressive cell running up the coastline.

We are the only wimps, the rest of the gang does a third race. As we approach the club the south is getting dark, we are pretty sure the others are in for it. We do the fire drill thing at the hoist and scramble to get the mast down before the shit hits the fan. The sky is now pretty black and the rumbling nearly constant. I snapped a couple photos with the cell phone;

Looking out the club dock with breeze on from the south, good that the fetch isn't too long. 

This is taken from the BBQ pavilion looking north where the fleet is. The leading edge of the cell has passed over our heads and is heading north.

One of the newer members of the fleet; Brian and Lisa live in Longboat Key so they high-tailed it back to the canal and arrived before the front. That leaves 5 on the water and we can soon see 4 boats capsized. As it turns out Bob Twinem was the only one who got the sails down in time and did not capsize. He rode out the storm on anchor, a lesson to be remembered. The 4 that capsized all swamped and got a tow back to the club. We also could see one of the boats under tow while still on its side, that was a first. I couldn't figure that out, but assumed the mast was still in tact or the boat would have righted itself or flipped upside down. I was having a bad visual of the mast at this point.

At the ramp waiting for the trailer and the slow drain.

Tow Boat US leaves after making and receiving a deposit from the club dock.

Marshall's boat #400 back at the hoist also doing the slow drain.  Note the small triangular thingy on the port seat.

It turns out this was the boat being towed on its side. When Marshall and Richard were attempting to right the boat they snapped the board off, the triangular piece is the souvenir to remember the day. That explains the strange tow into a spot where they could right the boat, then finish the tow in conventional fashion.

The mast is still staight! I know, WTF!!!!

In fact all the masts were undamaged, another surprise given the length of time the boats were over. All the people were undamaged as well, so it worked out mostly ok.

The proper use and installation of bow bags and transom ports is another story!

Sarasota Fleet Racing

Saturday was a red letter day in our fleet history. We had a super day for racing and when the gulf breeze kicked in the winds were in the 12 -15 kt range. Sue and John Damagala ran 3 races and mixed things up with 3 different course configurations. THANK YOU!! Twelve boats sailed out to the starting area and 10 entered the races. We were joined by the Thinels and Lintons from the Tampa fleet. They came down to get some practice in before heading north to the Flying Scot North Americans. Super exciting news for the day and our fleet was having two new fleet members come out for the first time. Both, Andy Lindgren in Over Easy and Mark George in Scot Free Joined us for the first time. Welcome to our fleet!!! On top of the leader board after the 3 races were The Lintons in first, Don & Stu (Leprechan) second and Ron and Richard (Sidewalk Express) in Third.
Our next race date on the calendar is June 9th. Start time is 4:30 out on the course.

Sue and John were kind enough to bring a camera along and took many photos including the great ones below. Some may notice that they are all of Kim and I, a benefit of having your own blog! You will, of course, want to click on them for the full screen view.

As mentioned above the Lintons and Kim and I were wanting to get a little tiller time in advance of the NAC. This proved to be a good idea in our case since we were feeling a little rusty, the Lintons were rust-free as is common.

Gotta love Sarasota Bay!!

NAC Tune-up in Tampa

The Lintons will soon be at the NAC in Long Island Sound so we rescheduled fleet racing to help get them ready. That may seem silly or unecessary to some but they have been busy sailing other boats so it was time to reconnect with the Scot.

The day was July 3 and as you would expect it was HOT in steamy Tampa. We do a mid afternoon start to give a the sea breeze a chance to develop, but it was a little late in arriving. It wasn't exactly a drifter but it was close, the puffs may have been 5 or 6 knots and the lulls were next to nothing.

Tom Taylor was good enough to RC for us and he kicked it off with a few practice starts. Then we did some 4 leg W/L races with the Lintons enjoying some bullets.

Note the smokestacks in the background...

What's this? A new boat for us.

A puff would be really nice right about now.

After 3 races the gang of about 10 Scots along with a 420 and Windmill had had enough, it was pool time. While putting the boats away the term "Africa hot" was discussed and while Paul agreed he quickly added that Africa has less humidity.

So it was off to the pool with a short detour at the outdoor Tiki bar. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

After an hour or so of sipping cocktails in the pool a few of us decided on a format change. For the August gathering we will convene in the pool at 3 pm. that way we can carefully consider whether we remain there or go sailing. Yeah right!

Good luck Amy and Jeff!

The End of the World Fleet Race, Tampa Edition

Nice turnout Fleet 168, 12 Scots and a 420! We had most of the regular customers present, (in no particular order). Al Thompson and Chris Torro #504, Dawn Naramore and Matt Dalton, Dan Kresge #2262, Dave Clement and Ed Ruark # 2925, Mark and Lilly Taylor and Sean Torro #2007, Dave and Kim Thinel #3998, Dave Bell and Susan Cintron #4156, Jeff and Amy Linton #4925, Paul Silvernail and Leslie Fisher #5026.

A Big welcome (or welcome back) to Tom Mcnally and Dave Thompson, #5179, Calvin Reed and daughter (sorry!) # 2069, and Steve Lewis and Mike Bogatin #3020 and Tom and Tracey Single #234.

Our lone 420 was the dynamice duo of Stu and Drew Taylor.

The early arrivers saw their reflections in the bay around noon but based on our weather prediction by Paulie Silvernail (and a light Southwesterly) the fleet shoved off around 1430. It didn't look very promising at first but it started to show sea breeze rather quickly and soon it was game on! We got off a couple pre planned practice races

before Calvins starboard clevis pin vanished. The RC gathered him up (with the help of Dave Clement) and it was back to some full races.

Race one saw 10k and probably increased a bit, this was just what DC and ER ordered and the Weapon was unleased! followed by Jeff and Amy and Tom and Dave. Race two was similar but with Big Al grabbing third. Race two was notable for Tom and Tracey zooming into the windward mark with gusto and ending on their side! # 234 was kept mast tip up by Tracey until RC provided a mast lift. The final race saw Thompson and Torro putting the lumber down followed by the Lintons and Tom and Dave.

All in all a nice day for breezey boat handiling! Have to give props to Mark and Lilly Taylor and Sean for sailing nicely out of their range! Thanks to Randy Luzier for the RC help, would have stunk without you bud!

Post race eats and frolicking poolside was good stuff, lets make this a regular deal, Yes?

Business:

We are way behind on Dues: $ 20. now, dammit.

Next Practice: June 11th, 1500.

Andyman

It's good to be heavy

Sometimes. Today was one of those days. If you read or heard about the Flying Scot Midwinters you probably know that a passing front blew out the last two days of the regatta. It's been about two weeks since then and, of course, the weather has been perfect. We have had the itch to sail so when we heard the SSS gang was going out Sunday, we decided to join them. How could we resist the awesome weather and beautiful sea breeze that has been running 8 to 12 most days? Wait, what's this forecast for a breezy southerly!?

As we are crossing the Sunshine Skyway and looking at solid heavy whitecaps from the south, we consider a U-turn at the south rest area. A moment or two of discussion and we decide to keep going.

We arrive at the club and it is breezy but not crazy. A few boats still want to go out while some decide to bag it. Then we hear that John Domagala was planning to singlehand and he asked if we would team up. That was an easy one, so we get his boat ready and left ours attached to the van, in travel mode. Fred Strammer wisely grabbed a third, so they were good to go. Jim Egan was unfazed knowing Richard is the best hiking crew on the planet. Ron teamed up with Chuck Tanner, another fan of breeze so they were good. Don and Ted tried it out but not having the mass was tough, so they retired.

Here is the wind shot for the day;



This was only the second time I have sailed a Scot heavy, over 500lbs heavy. Kim and I did sail once with another crew about her size so we may have been 410 ish which was nice until the breeze laid down. No lay down today though, the direction stayed steady, and it held up until we got back to the club. Sweet! We had a good time of it and won the day. Nothing like horsepower on the rail.

Much as I love Sarasota Bay, I don't think we will do more trips there during spring break. I was close to homicidal on both the trip down and the return trip home. Traffic was heavy, but worse than that is the number of usually Ontario tagged cars that are 20 below the speed limit and totally oblivious. UGH!!

BTW, Lainie Pardey took a bunch of photos of the Midwinters which are now running on the FSSA homepage.

Heating up Lake Eustis

The Scot gang over at Lake Eustis had a pretty busy September with multiple race days. Unlike the other fleets in FL their fleet racing is both Saturday and Sunday, instead of just one day. Good to see them back at it after the summer recess, though September in inland FL is still HOT. Think Orlando.

From George;

Here are the results for the first two weekends of club racing at Lake Eustis (September 11 and 12 and September 25 and 26). Welcome back to everyone, and special greetings to Ed Beuapre and Terry Thompson on 5239, who recently joined our fleet, and to Ron and Peggy Stevenot on 3221, who sailed with us once last season but who (we hope) will join us frequently this year.

The next racing weekend is two weekends away, October 9 and 10. Hope to see everyone then!

Saturday September 11, 2010

Racing Abandoned

Sunday September 12, 2010 Race 1

Place
Skipper
Sail


1- Murphy 5703, 2- Erichsen 5339, 3- Grimes/Lobato 3360, 4- Beaupre 5239

Sunday September 12, 2010 Race 2

1- Erichsen 5339, 2- Grimes/Lobato 3360, 3- Murphy 5703, 4- Beaupre 5239

Saturday September 25, 2010 Race 1

1- Laguna 5770, 2- Asaibene 5690, 3- Grimes/Lobato 3360, 4- Stevenot 3221,
5, Murphy 5703, 6- Bazner 3387, OCS Beaupre 5239

Saturday September 25, 2010 Race 2

1- Laguna 5770, 2- Bazner 3387, 3- Grimes/Lobato 3360, 4- Stevenot 3221, 5- Asaibene 5690, 6- Beaupre 5239, 7- Murphy 5703

Sunday September 26, 2010 Race 1

1- Golder 5810, 2- Laguna 5770, 3- Grimes/Lobato 3360, 4- Erichsen 5339, 5- Stevenot 3221, 6- Asaibene 5690, DNF Murphy 5703

Sunday September 26, 2010 Race 2

1- Erichsen 5339, 2- Laguna 5770, 3- Golder 5810, 4- Grimes/Lobato 3360, 5- Murphy 5703, 6- Stevenot 3221, 7- Asaibene 5690



PS Florida Districts in Miami this weekend.

Tampa Fleet Racing / Labor Day

Here is Andy's account of the day;

We had a bit of everything this Saturday, starting with a early calm, rain during rigging, and finally a nice 10-12k seabreeze under bright sunny skies.
7 boats made it out and enjoyed 4 nice races thanks to Matt and Dawn on Conga Rats. Thanks to the RC for watching the young Haywards!
It was nice to have Jason Chavez join us sailing with Keith Lockey, these guys were tough on the starting line!
Racing was extremely close, and the shortish races made boat handling critical.
Paul Silvernail and Leslie Fisher, Mark Taylor and Tina Tinaret, Andy and Lisa Hayward, Dave and Kim Thinel, Al Thompson and Eric, Dean Bell and Cameron Salmon, Keith Lockey and Jason Chavez finished in that order.
Cam owes Dean a new forestay as his ab blasting mega hiking blew it up in the last race, (they where leading)!
All the happening cool people frolicked in the pool and grilled out after the races, thanks to all for the yummy snacks!
Our next event is going to be a Pre Wife Husband practice day, date TBD, but late September. If you plan on going up to Lake Norman, you need to sail one more time prior to hitting the road!

Tampa Fleet Race - August 2010

Shortly after the first start

Our light summer schedule continued Saturday August 14, which was also a DIYC work day. It was our turn to do RC, Kim and I brought out friend Wayne who is thinking about getting a trailerable sailboat. Hmmm, let’s see, what kind of boat comes to mind? Anyway, Leslie and Paul had their powerboat in the water already from the club workday so they offered to be mark boat. Cool, this was going to be like the real thing.

Fleet Captain Andy wisely bumped our starting time back to 3 pm during the summer months to give the sea-breeze some time to find the club. That worked perfectly, early on what breeze there was came mostly from the south but around 2pm it went west and began to fill. By race time it was pretty settled in from 300 degrees and maybe about 6 knots. Perfect.

We had a light turn out of racers since a few “regulars” couldn’t make it and two more were on powerboats. Summer racing in Tampa can be a little iffy, and always HOT so this is understandable. Todays victims; 38-Andy and Drew, 2262-Matt and Dawn, 504- Al and Andy, 3901-Keith and Andreas, 4925-Dave and Ed.


Andy and Al fighting it out

Race 1 - We thought the boat end was a little too favored even after letting out all of our fairly short anchor line. Not wanting to delay we started anyway and to our surprise the whole fleet was late and in the middle of the line. Cool. The left side looked better than the right and it played out that way, Dave and Ed, 4925 scored the first bullet.
>
A familiar site, Dave in the lead

Race 2 – The start was much better, 504, 38 and 2262 were a little OCS but everyone was even including 4925 at the leeward end so we let them go. Dave and Ed sailed another good race and another bullet.

Al about to cross the finish line

Race 3 – We are amazed the breeze is still at 300 and is up to 10 or 11, nice! 38 was OCS and promptly re-started, half way through the race they were within striking distance of Al, who led and Dave who was hot on Al’s heels. When Al’s chute refused to come down at the leeward mark Dave had the lead and another bullet.>

Get that ________chute down!



Now look what you did

Race 4 – Wind still 300! I guess boredom on the mark boat was getting too much for Paul who hopped aboard 3901 for this last race. This was really a cool thing though since Keith and Andreas are new to Scotting and Paul has mucho racing experience. Andy and Drew headed in to the club so race 4 had 4 boats. A clean start and Al grabbed the lead early like he did in race 3. Dave’s string of bullets was on the line, with no spinnaker snafus Al was able to hold him off and win the race.

Here are the results;
Boat # Race 1 Race2 Race3 Race4 Total
4925, 1 1 1 2= 5
504, 3 3 2 1= 9
38, 2 2 3 6= 13
2262, 4 4 4 3= 15
3901, 5 5 5 4= 19


Matt and Dawn charging up wind


Though the forecast was for a high of 95 it never seemed that hot to us, maybe the shade of the bimini had something to do with it. So for a change we have an RC boat and a mark boat to deal with all the shifts you always get at DI and…. You guessed it we never changed the course once. Go figure. Next fleet race is September 11, don’t miss it.

I said Starboard God --------!

July Fleet Racing in Tampa

Saturday saw 11 Scots and a Windmill out for our July Practice. Paul Silvernail
boldly predicted perfect sailing conditions for this event, how does he always get it right? amazing!
We had 8-12 from the West, bright sky, smoking hot, just like Paul said.
What Paul didn't know was that we were sailing Windward leewards with a leeward GATE, ok, he's not perfect! Big thanks to Amy and Jeff Linton for setting up and running the races as well as daycare for the Haywards!
Courses were short, and that kept the fleet packed and verbal. This cozy configuration put a premium on the turns and the ups and downs, whew!
Race winners swaped onto the RC boat, which was neat.
Results are with Amy....
It was good to see Henery Pico over from Merrit Island, we hope he becomes a regular attendee!
Some of the teams bolted off to StPete to catch the Rays game (which they won! Yea!!) Credit to the Ruarks for bringing the Evan good luck charm!!
August 14 is the next date up on the schedule, Please confirm this date and let me know if you will be able to attend as we seem to have a fair number of conflicts on this date, we couls make an adjustment...
Matt and Dawn are August RC thanks!!

Andy

PS Ask Al about the pin setting technique.

Tampa Fleet Race

What a day! 9 boats in the parking lot and 8 on the line. Most teams were out or off the dock by 1330. The weather was reminiscent of the race a few years ago when the fleet got rocked by a 45k squall. Yup, the area was peppered
with thunderstorms but a review of the radar was favorable, HA! The reality was that two cells, one Southwest one Northwest, merged and swept the upper bay. Fortunately, they didn't pack quite the punch of the said infamous storm. That didn't stop Dave Clement and Charlie Clifton from capsizing # 38, something about a ipod..... Dave and Charlie got her up and going without too much fuss however. The majority of the teams beat feet for the harbor yet
Mark and Stu Taylor and Jeff and Tina Tinret stayed out without too much drama.
The weather cleared and Team Taylor, (Tom, Drew, Lilly) did a awesome job with the races in a lightish Eastsoutheasterly. A valiant effort at a fourth race
was attempted but guess what?
It was cool in the pool with big girl/boy drinks followed by a up the river romp aboard Dave Germans big ole retro cabin cruiser ( 42' Chris Craft?)
Bridge clearance was a bit of a issue with the incoming tide but if not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minnow wiggled under!
Results soon, Linton, Silvernail, ???
Great luck to Team Tampa with next weeks NAC's in Mississippi, Rock the Gulf!!
Next Fleet practice is July 10th At 1500 1500 1500 an hour later to get some seabreeze. We need Race Committee for the event.

Andy

Scots in Tampa

Fleet 168, Tampa, April 24,

10 Scot teams and a building sea breeze, perfection! When we left the dock at 1300 the wind was fairly light and the Southerly chop made it challenging to make the boat go well. By the start of racing the breeze was building nicely to eventually full hike and vang on! The first race was tossed out due to a wayward mark, but once that was fixed Deano and Jan ran some nice races, practicing some general recalls along the way, big thanks!

Robbie Brown and Billy Icely won the day followed by Paul Silvernail and Penny Ruark. There was a bit of Darwin going on out on the water as Dave Clement and Ed Ruark mega hiked their forestay into pieces, bang! Mast in water. Andy and Lisa had their mainsail coming apart at a batten seam. Tom and Drew Taylor struggled with a mainsheet shackle but made a nifty on the water repair.

Results: R1 R2 R3 Tot

Robbie Brown and Billy Icely #2052 - 1 3 1 5
Paul Silvernail and Penny Ruark # 5026 - 2 4 2 8
Dave and Kim Thinel # 4901 - 3 1 6 10
Dave Bell and Susan Cintron # 4156 - 5 5 5 15
Al Thompson and Cameron Salmon # 504 - 7 7 3 17
Mark and Stewart Taylor # 5477 - 8 6 4 18
Matt Dalton and Dawn Naramore # 2262 - 6 8 7 21
Andy and Lisa Hayward # 38 - 4 2 dnc 10 26
Tom and Drew Taylor # 4321 - 9 9 8 26
Dave Clement and Ed Ruark # 2339 - dnf dns dns 30

7 of the boats where represented at the post race shin dig at Mark Taylor's new "Love Shack" huge thanks
for the great eats and hospitality, thank you Taylor's! Cam Sam also provided some snacky gourmet cheese stuff but we forgot it in the car and will break it out next event, thanks Cameron! The eagle and the gingerbread man has new homes, watch out!

Business:

1. TSS Commodore's Cup, Saturday May 8th, Apollo Beach. we have 4 teams with verbal commitments for this event. TSS has graciously offered to give Scots their own RC and course, we need to do better than 4 boats to make this work for them. RSVP to me now please!

2. Fleet Dues are due... nuff said, please don't make me get medieval on you!

3. Our current E-mail updates: This is going to be the last bulk E-mail for fleet updates. All future information is going to be exchanged via Facebook. If you want to continue to monitor Fleet 168 activities go to www.
Facebook.com/flying scot fleet 168. No, I don't get a commission, it cost nothing to join. This is a really slick way for us to keep informed about our goings on!

4. I have transom stickers for all paid FSSA members if you plan to attend a sanctioned event get with me.

I had this all typed up last night but my laptop died :(

Andy

Club racing on Lake Eustis

We were able to race on Saturday but not Sunday this past weekend. Saturday was patchy and light but at least there was some breeze. Lake Eustis gave us nothing on Sunday.

In Saturday’s racing, Ron Baerwitz and Dean Grimes on 3360 and Ray Laguna on 5770 traded first places in two close finishes. Ron and Dean took the bullet in the first race, followed by Ray in second and then Andy Fox and Robert Newland on 4350 in third. In the second race it was Ray’s turn to cross first on 5770, with Ron and Dean on 3360 close behind in second place and then me with Todd Hunter on 5810 a bit further back in third.

The complete results are below. I’ll add a couple of things: First, Ray made great use of his new Schurr sails, looking really fast in both races. And second, it’s great to have Andy Fox sailing with us and to see Robert Newland back in a Scot after watching him on an MC for a couple of years. Here’s hoping Andy joins us frequently and that Robert comes back full time to the Scots (no offense to our MC friends)!

The next club racing will be in two weeks (on May 1 and 2), when we continue our Collene Series.

We have just three more racing weekends in the season (May 1 and 2, May 15 and 16, and the Memorial Day series), so be sure to get in some racing while you can!

See you all in two weeks.

George

Club racing on Lake Eustis

We were able to race on Saturday but not Sunday this past weekend. Saturday was patchy and light but at least there was some breeze. Lake Eustis gave us nothing on Sunday.

In Saturday’s racing, Ron Baerwitz and Dean Grimes on 3360 and Ray Laguna on 5770 traded first places in two close finishes. Ron and Dean took the bullet in the first race, followed by Ray in second and then Andy Fox and Robert Newland on 4350 in third. In the second race it was Ray’s turn to cross first on 5770, with Ron and Dean on 3360 close behind in second place and then me with Todd Hunter on 5810 a bit further back in third.

The complete results are below. I’ll add a couple of things: First, Ray made great use of his new Schurr sails, looking really fast in both races. And second, it’s great to have Andy Fox sailing with us and to see Robert Newland back in a Scot after watching him on an MC for a couple of years. Here’s hoping Andy joins us frequently and that Robert comes back full time to the Scots (no offense to our MC friends)!

The next club racing will be in two weeks (on May 1 and 2), when we continue our Collene Series.

We have just three more racing weekends in the season (May 1 and 2, May 15 and 16, and the Memorial Day series), so be sure to get in some racing while you can!

See you all in two weeks.

George

One Out of Two on Lake Eustis

The forecast this weekend was for strong winds both Saturday and Sunday. The forecast was wrong on Saturday and we got in two races, but was all too accurate on Sunday and racing was canceled.

On Saturday seven Scots sailed. They included Jack Bazner and Joe Lobato on 3387, Chris Erichsen and Steven Yates on 5339, Ray Laguna and Glenda Libby on 5770, Greg Murphy and Scott Walsh with special guest Francois Simon on 5703, Larry Klick and Nick Chorley on 5150, Ron Baerwitz and Dean Grimes on 3360 and Todd Hunter and me on 5810.

The wind started steady and looked like it would build as predicted – right up to the time it dissolved into a still, cold shower. Both races were on shortened courses and finished downwind; the first after two laps and the second after just one.

In the first race, starboard was favored but people seemed to want to go right to look for more wind. The conditions kept most of the fleet close at the finish. Ron and Dean on 3360 were fasted and finished first. Larry and Nick on 5150 followed in second, just a few lengths astern. Todd and I on 5810 were third, following Larry and Nick by another few boat lengths.

The second race began in a declining breeze and finished in a near calm with rain. We all owe thanks to the Race Committee for keeping it to just one lap! The one downwind leg was a cold, wet drift, and went from a run to a port tack reach. Ron and Dean on 3360 and Larry and Nick on 5150 battled in slow motion for the left end of the finish line only to look up and find Ray and Glenda on 5770 steaming in from the right to steal first place. Ron and Dean crossed second, and Larry and Nick followed in third.

Then? Then we all got out our paddles and rowed back to the dock, soaking wet. At least the exertion kept away the chill.

On Sunday, the forecast for strong wind turned out to be all too true. A number of Scots left the dock, but the Race Committee soon sent everyone back home.

The next club racing weekend is February 13 and 14. That will be the third weekend (out of five) of our Norton series.

If you haven’t already registered for the George Washington Birthday Regatta on February 20 and 21, please do so as soon as you can. You can register on www.regattaregistration.com.

Flying Scot Frostbiting on Lake Eustis

Happy New Year to All:

Racing in 2010 kicked off cold at Lake Eustis this weekend, with frigid temperatures (for Florida) but generally nice breezes. Six Scots sailed on Saturday, when there was cold but sunshine, and four Scots sailed on Sunday, when there was cold but no sunshine. Hmmm….

Perhaps no coincidence, the big winner of the weekend was Larry Klick, who has just joined us for the winter from his home in Minnesota with his beautiful red Scot named “Ketchup” (5150). Larry won all four races this weekend. I’m sure that was because the weather felt downright toasty to him. After all, our water here is actually liquid!

So, here’s a warm (i.e., not frozen) Lake Eustis welcome to Larry! Now, someone needs to beat him next time!

On Saturday, in the first race, it was Larry in 5150 first, Jack Bazner and Joe Lobato on 3387 second, and Ray Laguna on 5770 in third. In the second race, it was Larry first on 5150, me with Todd Hunter second on 5810, and Ray third on 5770.

On Sunday, the first race saw Larry first on 5150, me sailing with Jim McIntytre on 5810 in second, and Francois Simon solo on 3362 in third. In the second race, Larry was again in first with 5150, Ray was second on 5770 and Jim and I were third on 5810. I apologize for not having the names of Ray’s or Larry’s crew – a reporting error on my part.

The next Club Racing at Lake Eustis is in two weeks, when we kick off our Norton Series. That series will include the club racing weekends of January 16 and 17, January 30 and 31, February 13 and 14, February 27 and 28, and March 6 and 7.

Reminders:

Jenson Beach District Regatta. The Jenson Beach District regatta will be January 16 and 17 at the US Sailing Center in Jensen Beach. The NOR is available at: http://www.usscmc.org/files/NOR%202010%20Flying%20Scot.pdf and you can register at https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_registration_form.php?regatta_id=2542.

Charlotte Harbor Regatta. The Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club’s regatta is February 5-7. Information is available at www.charlotteharborregatta.com.

George Washington Birthday Regatta. Please register as soon as you can for the George Washington Birthday Regatta, which is February 20 and 21. And remember to sign up for Andy Fox’s clinic on the Thursday and Friday before the regatta (February 18 and 19). www.regattaregistration.com.

See everyone in two weeks.
George

Flying Scot racing in December

After last weekend's chilly weather in Jacksonville we were looking for some warmer weather and we got it. It was really an awesome day to be sailboat racing in December. I think it got up to about 76 degrees, that combined with a sweet breeze;



and a Christmas party after sailing, and it's all good.

A couple of "the regulars" couldn't make it but there were 7 teams that did. I think we did 5 races (but maybe six) with pretty short legs so some sail handling was in order. Mark Taylor brought a ringer; Tina and they carried the day easily. Nice job!

Most of the fleet headed over to Mark's house for a Christmas party complete with the Chinese gift exchange thing. We made out better than most;



so no complaints here.

P.S Andy pocketed the much coveted "Dream Lips" lip treatment potion, much to Cameron's dismay! If you see Andy-lina you know what to do!!

Look at the before and after photos! That must be at least a 40% gain in plumpness... and no wrinkles!! AS SEEN ON TV

Talk about a crappy day

A while back I had to make appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, the Dr. showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. He explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left the office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies..

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.

Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons). Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon..

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.'
This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but, have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch?
This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet. After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.

The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on the Dr.?' How do you apologize for something like that? Even a really cold beer offering would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you were actually naked..

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep.. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering (flying) around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to completely burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where the Dr was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew it had to be there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. They had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate. 'You want me to turn it up?' came a reply, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like...




I have no idea. Really.. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood.
The nurse was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when I was told that "It was all over", and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

I know you are thinking "What does this have to do with sailing?" Well, as I mentioned in the previous post we have missed the last 6 months of fleet races. Then it hit me, it was that damn colonoscopy! I had one done Friday June 12 the day before a fleet race where I was scheduled to do RC. Fortunently, Mark and Tom Taylor had their powerboat so I had it easy, I was still feeling a little "drained" from the "Space Shuttle" action and it was about 127 degrees that day. These colonoscopies are serious business!.

The other thing is the site has been getting some traffic so I thought I should say something, even if it was crap.

PS Credit for the story goes to Dave Barry, with some edits.

Flying Scots enjoy the steady breeze at DIYC

I know what you are saying "There's no such thing as steady breeze at Davis Island" which is true 99% of the time. We just did the 1% day! The breeze was both steady in velocity and direction.

Here's proof for the non-believers

One thing about the chart; the yellow directional arrows were off a bit, maybe more than a bit, more like about 100 degrees. We started at 2 pm in a westerly, maybe 270 - 280 (but we left our compass at home) and just enough for some micro-whitecaps. The W/L course was short with only about 20 minutes needed to finish the 4 leg races. I think we did 6 races but it might have been 7, hard to keep track. I do remember we started with a last (we decided it was time to practice sailing over the spin sheet) and finished with a first.

It was a little strange to be sailing again at DI, seems like a really long time since we did. This is our home fleet but it seems there have been a variety of very excellent reasons why we have't been able to sail. Hard to beleive but it may be like 6 months or so...

Here is Andy's official report;

Saturdays practice had 10 teams on the premises and 8 out on the line. Dave and Kim Thinel # 812, Mark Taylor with Dean Bell #4321, Jeff and Amy Linton #4925, Al Thompson and Cameron Salmon # 504, Andy and Lisa Hayward #38, Paul Silvernail and Leslie Fisher # 5026, Dave Bell and Susan Cintron # 4156, Chris Morgan and Crew # 2052, Keith Lockey and Darren sailed # 3185 near us but did not race, and Bill Adikes # 3998, never got it wet.

The weather was the best I can remember, if not perfect, a full hike, vang on Westerly with fairly smooth water. (Although the studs on #4321 did not appear to be hiking!)

Big thanks to Dave Clement and Andrew Fuddy for some super Race Committee! Here is the blow by blow from them;

Race #1

Pack bunched up at the pin for the first start of the day. Amazingly, there was not one boat called OCS. Was this a practice race? A left shift helped the boats on the left get ahead and #4925 rounded first and never looked back, winning the race. They were followed by #2052 and #4321.

Race #2

All clear with #38 winning the start. Nice start! It appeared there was a port starboard issue between #4925 and #4321. You must have a plan in case the other boat does not respond to a ‘tack or cross’ request. It appeared 5026 or 4321 rounded first. At this point there are two packs with tight racing in each. #38 is working low on the run and is looking good until Thomas the train showed up to steal ALL of the breeze. #4321 and #4925 managed to escape the chaos (an understatement) at the leeward mark. #4925 was able to sail a little higher and eventually lee bow #4321 and take the lead which would last till the finish.

Race #3

General recall after RC calling the line stated, “There all over!”.

Second start was clean except for #4321 who was OCS.

We think #504 rounded first, but 5026 definitely had the chute flying first and lead the pack to the leeward mark. Somehow #4925 passed #5026 at the rounding and led the fleet up the second beat. The finish was #4925, #5026 and #38.



Race #4

All clear with Al and Cameron really, really, really close. Nice start! Three boats take the left side and 4 to the right. #38 is the first to the mark from the left hand side. Then #504 and #4321. There is some separation to the next pack. #504 rounds the leeward mark in first. Up the beat, there is better breeze on the left hand side. #4321 is smoking the fleet up the beat and extends the lead. Get the chute up!!!!!!!!! A good gybe coming into the finish and while crossing the line, the skipper hails, “I GOT YA!!!”

Race #5

Clean start, but just barely. Either a very aggressive fleet or better yet, “It was the current pushing us over.” –Al Thompson #4925 rounded first and held on the lead for the win. #504 decided to move the weather mark a little to the left. Thanks guys!


Race #6

There is much debate over whether or not this race counted due to the horrible line and windward mark placement. I guess the RC can’t get it right every time. There are some rumors that the two boats near the pin end of the line were over, but no flags were flown. #812 had a nice beat and were first to the windward mark followed closely by the pack. With blistering speed, #5026 passed #4925 downwind and rounded in third behind #812 and #504. #812 won the race with #504 in second.


Back to Andy; The shorter courses and a practice format kept the racing tight, and brought out the aggressive side of some teams (Guilty!) But we all got in some badly needed reps to help us prepare for the Thanksgiving Regatta.

The Lintons did their thing, but Mark and Deano got them in a race, did someone else get them? and I think most of the teams lead a race or was close to leading.



R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Tot

#4925- 1 1 1 2 1 5 =11

#5026- 5 3 2 6 3 3 =22

#812- 8 5 4 5 2 1 =25

#504- 4 6 5 4 6 2 =27

#2052- 2 4 6 7 5 4 =28

#4321- 3 2 ocs 8 1 dnf 8 dns 7 =29

#38- 6 7 3 raf 8 raf 8 dns 7 =39

#4156- 7 8 dns 7 dns 7 dns 7 dns 7 =43



The gang hit Tates but alas, the Dominoes stayed in the box, next time!

So far it's only the Lintons and the Haywards present on the online registration list for the DIYC Thanksgiving Regatta, it's November 28th and 29th register now!

This is the most words ever for a fleet race, thanks Dave C.!

Flying Scots give it a go on Lake Eustis

We raced only on Saturday this past weekend (October 24 and 25), since that was the only day the breeze cooperated – and even then it cooperated somewhat grudgingly.

Eight Scots turned out on Saturday: Dave and Jay Asaibene in 5179, Ray Laguna and Charles Devereau in 5770, Pete Smith and Mary Anne Bennett in 715, Jack Bazner and Joe Lobato in 3387, Chuck Smith and Tony Tussing in 5125, Francois Simon and Dean Grimes in 3362, Ron Baerwitz, sailing solo in 3360, and me with Nick Chorley in 5810.

Ron in 3360 was the big winner for the day. He placed first in both races, with never a serious challenge from anyone. His success was due, no doubt, to outstanding crew work, even if his crew did lead him over the line early in the first race. Nick and I in 5810 managed second in each race, but only because we caught some lucky breaks. In the first race, we split from the fleet and managed to hold off Ray and Charles in 5770, who finished third. In the second race, Francois and Dean in 3362 were ahead of us the entire final windward leg to an upwind finish, when a magic lift pointed us straight for the stern of the Committee Boat and a second place finish, leaving Francois and Dean in third, no doubt wondering whether there is justice in the world.

On Sunday, although we again had a good turnout of Scots, the Race Committee abandoned racing after about half a windward leg. No races were completed.

Complete results are posted on the Lake Eustis Fleet website. Thanks to everyone who came out this weekend.

This past weekend ended our Keenan Series, and I’ll get series results out shortly. Our next series – the Hartge Series – begins on November 6 and 7.


Reminder: Sarasota District Regatta; November 6 and 7 are also the dates of the Sarasota District Regatta. Dave Thinel has previously distributed the Notice of Race, but I’ll attach another copy to this e mail. I plan to attend (with Nick Chorley’s help), and I know Ray Laguna has been thinking about going as well. I’d love for us to have a good turnout from Fleet 150. Sarasota Bay is a wonderful place to sail, and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron are outstanding hosts.

Thanks to all. George

The Heat Is On

The Lake Eustis and Tampa fleets both faced the summer heat, check that, the October heat that seems like July. WTF. Here is the blow by blow;

Light wind this weekend at Lake Eustis, but at least it was miserably hot.

It’s easy to understand intellectually that the heat will break soon, but it’s sure hard to believe it!

Saturday, six Scots raced: Ray Laguna and Glenda Libby in 5770, Dave and Jay Asaibene in 5179, Ann Ireland and Joe McConkey in 5366, Francois Simon, ably assisted by Francois Simon, in 3362 (but confusingly sporting sails with 770 on them), Jack Bazner and Joe Lobato in 3387, and me with Dean Grimes in 5810.

Both races were sailed in light but not minimal air. There was enough breeze to sit on the rail at times, but not so much that anyone was overpowered. Each race was two laps to a downwind finish.

In the first race, Ray and Glenda led the whole way in 5770, although Dean and I did our best to make them nervous, especially downwind. Ray, though, did a terrific job of keeping to the inside on the downwinds and we were unable to get past them. Ray and Glenda crossed the finish line first in 5770, Dean and I followed in 5810, and Jack and Joe were third in 3387.

In the second race, Dean and I were over early and had to round the pin end to restart (my fault entirely). We continued on port and caught a nice breeze on the right side. Thus, we switched roles with Ray and Glenda, and managed to lead the whole race, with nervous moments both upwind and down as Ray and Glenda came on fast. Dean and I held on for first in 5810, with Ray and Glenda second in 5770 and Francois Simon, working both ends of his boat, third in 3362.

All in all, in spite of a depressingly light forecast, Saturday produced some nice sailing.

On Sunday, though, another depressingly light forecast proved depressingly accurate. A number of sailors showed up at the club and launched their boats, but most were intimidated by the shifty one or two knot breeze and did not sail. That and the 90+ degree heat and humidity.

In the first race, there were just two Scots on the water – Chuck Smith and Tony Tussing in 5125 and Dean and me in 5810. The race was a reach-fest, as the wind went left and stayed there the whole time. Dean and I finished first and Chuck and Tony came across second.

The second race on Sunday was much the same, with port tack strongly favored, but at least Francois joined us on the water. Annoyingly so, because he sailed fast and finished first, followed by Dean and me in 5810 and Chuck and Tony in 5125.

David Leather of the MC fleet pinch-hit for Dave Williams on the Committee boat this weekend, and did a great job. Many thanks to David.

Lake Eustis. The next fleet racing at Lake Eustis will be in two weeks – October 24 and 25. We’re supposed to get cooler temperatures later this week. Let’s all hope for some cool weather and steady breezes in two weeks!

Florida Districts. The next Florida District regatta is in Sarasota on Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8. I’m seriously thinking about attending, and it would be great to have a good turnout from our fleet (even though that regatta conflicts with a club racing weekend). The Sarasota Sailing Squadron make wonderful hosts, and Sarasota Bay is a shockingly beautiful place to sail. The regatta ought to be a great deal of fun. I’ll e mail everyone a link to the NOR as soon as I can, and if you’re thinking of going let’s coordinate by e mail..

Thanks to all who braved the heat this weekend. I’ll look forward to seeing everyone in two weeks.

George

Here is the scoop from Tampa;

It's October, it's the Fall, a chill is in the air, NOT! Fortunately for the six teams that came out on Saturday the 8-12k Southwesterly did keep us moving.

Big thanks to Dave Bell, Susan Cintron, Keith Lockley and Mark Taylor for running the 5 nice races, well done!

The racing was very tight, the breeze was shifty enough that no lead was safe, and I think that every finish had multiple overlapped boats at the downwind finish. No team dominated but in the end Dave Clement and new crew Andrew prevailed with the most consistent score line. The breeze built as the day progressed
and Al and Cameron got faster, winning the last race and the tiebreaker for second with Paul and Leslie.

Results:

Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Tot

Dave Clement / Andrew # 4925 1 3 2 1 2 9
Al Thompson / Cameron Salmon # 504 4 4 1 2 1 12
Paul Silvernail / Leslie Fisher # 5026 2 1 3 3 3 12
Dean Bell / Lisa Hayward # 5477 3 5 4 4 4 20
Drew and Andy Hayward # 38 5 2 5 5 dns 7 24
Matt Dalton / Dawn Naramore # 2262 6 6 6 6 dns 7 31

Our next practice is Sat November 7th @ 1400. Jay Tyson has volunteered to be Race Committee, BIG thanks Jay! And the next biggie is the DIYC Thanksgiving Regatta Nov 28, 29th that is always a great turnout and a fun time!

Andy

Kim and I attended neither of the above, instead we had committed to running races for handicapped kids in Clearwater. I know,I know, they wanted handicapped people to run the reces, blah blah blah, I get that.

In the morning we had little breeze and big current so I spent a good part of the time towing the sailors upcurrent before they got sucked under the Clearwater Pass bridge and out to the gulf. There were, fortunently, no incidents. The southerly sea breeze kicked in right after lunch so the kids on the afternoon shift had a good time of it. I had lots of practice with the Boston Whaler.

Make plans now for Sarasota Nov 7 and 8!