After spending the night at the Big Wheel Park in St. Mary's GA we had a fairly short trip to Orlando. We were jones'ing big time to see the girls, nothing like seeing them after a week, they practically come out of there skin with excitement. This time was no different except that there was a golden retriever named Sterling in the house that stuck to us like glue. Sterling is five and has just been used to breed and has not had much of a life. Carol thought the 9 days with our two did some good for Sterling, got to see what it is like to be a dog. Cool!
We made it home just before 3 pm, the only traffic we hit was passing through Tampa which is mostly to be expected with the construction. The RV did well after the brake repair done on Saturday. We have to give a plug to Huntersville Ford, they were a pleasure to deal with. We got lucky that we broke down only 2 miles from them, which allowed us to limp to them after the brakes cooled down for a couple hours. We were also fortunate that we did not get them really hot, so we did not damage the bearings, rotors or even the pads.
The folks at LNYC did a fine job with the regatta. Holding an event there during summer is always a little risky due to the high chance for light wind. However, unlike some recent NAC's we got all the races in and the RC did a really good job. We were reminded again why this is one of our favorite venues. I would not have wanted the job of PRO with the weather we had.
The Lintons staged a solid come from behind victory to repeat as NAC champions. This is no small feat considering they needed to overcome Allan Terhunes lead who is a multiple champion himself. Not to mention a bunch of great teams that filled out the rest of the top 10. Way to go Amy and Jeff!!!
John Kreidler is the man! Well most of the time, at least when he is not it he weeds. He was kind enough to stop and offer to help as we waited, stuck on the side of the interstate. It appeared we were going to have to leave the boat behind since the wrecker was unwilling to double tow the RV with the boat attached. He went and found a place off the highway and dropped his boat and came back for ours. In the end we never got a tow, which is a long story but he did take our boat to the Ford dealer. Thanks John, we owe you big time!
Speaking of thanks, we also need to thank Harry Carpenter for his above and beyond assistance with our boat. When we were at LNYC for the Great 48 regatta Harry took our boat back to the factory and left his boat at the club. Our boat had soft side decks that led to a bunch of cracks in the gelcoat around the cockpit. He re-cored the side decks then re gelled the entire deck which turned out excellent. That is an unpleasant enough job that I would have put it off probably forever. After doing these and a few other repairs Harry brought the boat to LNYC for us to sail at the NAC. That is some awesome service! If your boat needs some fixin give Harry a call.
That's it for now, our future event plans may include a trip to Fishing Bay YC for their annual regatta in August. Next year the NAC is in Toms River NJ, like last time we will probably skip that one but we will see. Planning to visit New Orleans in March for the 2014 Midwinters.
Thanks for reading.
Showing posts with label lake norman yc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lake norman yc. Show all posts
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Getting home
First thing, off to see Jeff, our Ford dealer service guy at 8:20 am to encourage him to start working on the RV --quickly. He said they would be working on it "soon." At 10:00, we did a little happy dance and cheers went up from the crowd as they moved our rolling home into a bay!
Jeff came to us with the news that we needed new calipers. The parts were a half hour away... So, some quick mental calculation, a couple of more hours of work and an hour to retrieve various pieces and parts and we figured we would be on the road again around two-ish, we hoped.
At right about 2:00, Jeff said they would be ready to take it for a test drive! The verdict is it rides nicely, no pulling, so it seems we are good to go. At 2:20, the boat is hooked up and we are on the road again. So we get a few miles down the road and , it's fine. Our next stop is to be picking up our dogs in Orlando but that will likely take until midnight or 1 am which won't work so we decided to shoot for st. Mary's GA. It is near the FL/GA line and there is a nice little rv campground there that we stayed at before.
We ended up arriving there just a it was getting dark so the timing was good for some dinner and the much anticipated beer.
Should be under four hours to get to the dogs in the am. Looking forward to seeing them!!
Jeff came to us with the news that we needed new calipers. The parts were a half hour away... So, some quick mental calculation, a couple of more hours of work and an hour to retrieve various pieces and parts and we figured we would be on the road again around two-ish, we hoped.
At right about 2:00, Jeff said they would be ready to take it for a test drive! The verdict is it rides nicely, no pulling, so it seems we are good to go. At 2:20, the boat is hooked up and we are on the road again. So we get a few miles down the road and , it's fine. Our next stop is to be picking up our dogs in Orlando but that will likely take until midnight or 1 am which won't work so we decided to shoot for st. Mary's GA. It is near the FL/GA line and there is a nice little rv campground there that we stayed at before.
We ended up arriving there just a it was getting dark so the timing was good for some dinner and the much anticipated beer.
Should be under four hours to get to the dogs in the am. Looking forward to seeing them!!
Friday, July 19, 2013
The last day of racing
Everyone was awake early and in the water. It's serious, and this is the last day to make the regatta. With only 2 races completed, the RC needs one more to constitute a regatta. They extended the time frame till 3:00 pm, to make sure they get it. Turns out, we raced 3, 4 leg races today. Downwind finishes are our fave, and we had a pretty good day in building 4-6-8 kt breeze. Its kind of strange that we have once again finished 11th at the NAC, third time in four tries. team Tampa had a good time of it with 3 in the top 10 and 5 in the top 13 or something like that. The RC did their best to make good courses, but maybe a little too much time between races getting everything, "just right."
Jeff and Amy Linton prevailed, so happy for them!! two in a row!!
We decided to hit the road before awards, since the ceremony was taking some time to get started and we were anxious to see the girls and get home tomorrow.
Unfortunately , the highway gods had other plans for us. About 12-15 mi down the road from the club, Dave started feeling some resistance on the right side front brake. When we weren't able to roll downhill, and it was pulling hard to the right, we decided it might be time to stop and further assess the situation. Sitting on the side of the road, nervous about the RV and the boat, Chris and Monica Morgan were the first to stop to offer assist. We were on the phone with the roadside assistance people and thought they would send a tow quickly to the nearest Ford dealer, or RV service center. Sadly, they had some misinformation regarding the tow companies who actually tow RVs and service centers who service said RVs. Kreidler was the next poor sod to come along and stop to offer assist. By then, we realized the roadside assistance co was of little help, and we were making other plans. With 3 smart phones and an iPad, we were able to rule out some other tow companies and convince a Ford dealer in Huntersville to work on the RV. After this amount of time, (2hours) the brakes cooled off enough that we were able to drive the 2 miles to the dealer. Kreidler dropped his boat off at a parking lot nearby, and towed our boat to the dealer, as well. Gosh, what a fortunate series of events. Conveniently, a Best Western is located across the street from the dealer, and we are comfy and cool in our post-pool and beer temporary location. Hope to have the rig fixed in the morning sometime, but we'll probably only make it part of the way home, as it would be poor form to wake the Dogsitter up at midnight to get the girls. Miss them so much, but glad they didn't have to play this game, although the Best Western would have been happy to accommodate them, too, for a nominal fee.
So, didn't quite make it as far as we thought we might today, but, for this to happen, it probably occurred at the best time in the best place.
We will see what happens in the am.
Jeff and Amy Linton prevailed, so happy for them!! two in a row!!
We decided to hit the road before awards, since the ceremony was taking some time to get started and we were anxious to see the girls and get home tomorrow.
Unfortunately , the highway gods had other plans for us. About 12-15 mi down the road from the club, Dave started feeling some resistance on the right side front brake. When we weren't able to roll downhill, and it was pulling hard to the right, we decided it might be time to stop and further assess the situation. Sitting on the side of the road, nervous about the RV and the boat, Chris and Monica Morgan were the first to stop to offer assist. We were on the phone with the roadside assistance people and thought they would send a tow quickly to the nearest Ford dealer, or RV service center. Sadly, they had some misinformation regarding the tow companies who actually tow RVs and service centers who service said RVs. Kreidler was the next poor sod to come along and stop to offer assist. By then, we realized the roadside assistance co was of little help, and we were making other plans. With 3 smart phones and an iPad, we were able to rule out some other tow companies and convince a Ford dealer in Huntersville to work on the RV. After this amount of time, (2hours) the brakes cooled off enough that we were able to drive the 2 miles to the dealer. Kreidler dropped his boat off at a parking lot nearby, and towed our boat to the dealer, as well. Gosh, what a fortunate series of events. Conveniently, a Best Western is located across the street from the dealer, and we are comfy and cool in our post-pool and beer temporary location. Hope to have the rig fixed in the morning sometime, but we'll probably only make it part of the way home, as it would be poor form to wake the Dogsitter up at midnight to get the girls. Miss them so much, but glad they didn't have to play this game, although the Best Western would have been happy to accommodate them, too, for a nominal fee.
So, didn't quite make it as far as we thought we might today, but, for this to happen, it probably occurred at the best time in the best place.
We will see what happens in the am.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
The real racing has to wait
another day. It turns out the forecast for little to no wind turned out to be spot on for Thursday. We did a couple hour postponement but at about 11:30 the RC canceled for the day and we were free to roam. We spent a good part of the afternoon at the rental house (SWEET!) with the gang. The house is the second house south of the club and right on the lake. This one is a keeper, for sure. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon in the lake since it was pretty hot, could be worse.
Friday looks a little more promising with the forecasts generally calling for 5 or 6 knots. The time limit for the last race has been adjusted from 1 pm to 3 pm. The start time is 9:30 so if breeze is on we could get 2 or maybe 3 races in.
Fingers are crossed....
Friday looks a little more promising with the forecasts generally calling for 5 or 6 knots. The time limit for the last race has been adjusted from 1 pm to 3 pm. The start time is 9:30 so if breeze is on we could get 2 or maybe 3 races in.
Fingers are crossed....
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The real racing begins...
Today is the first "real" day of racing. This morning, the water was calm, and folks were saying it's starting off worse than yesterday. (Lighter wind)
The RC was going with the forecast and set up a course. We were slow to get going, and they politely postponed to let everyone leave the harbor and have a chance to get to the racecourse.
The RC gamely went after 2 races today. The first, a 5 legger, with variable breeze. The second, in somewhat less breeze, dying around some of us on the torturous downwind leg, and they shortened to 3 legs. We had an ok day, could have been better but after talking with some others it could have been much worse. Results are posted on www.lnyc.org.
If you are into another take on things there is Amy's site www.amysmithlinton.com she has a lot more words than us plus she's smart, so check it out.
Phew! Races over, time for swimming, drinking, snacking, kibitzing, napping, reading, boat adjusting (wow, we were busy), dinner with ferocious ankle biters! Sleep. The RC is already suggesting that we find alternate activities for tomorrow. Hmmmmmm...
The RC was going with the forecast and set up a course. We were slow to get going, and they politely postponed to let everyone leave the harbor and have a chance to get to the racecourse.
The RC gamely went after 2 races today. The first, a 5 legger, with variable breeze. The second, in somewhat less breeze, dying around some of us on the torturous downwind leg, and they shortened to 3 legs. We had an ok day, could have been better but after talking with some others it could have been much worse. Results are posted on www.lnyc.org.
If you are into another take on things there is Amy's site www.amysmithlinton.com she has a lot more words than us plus she's smart, so check it out.
Phew! Races over, time for swimming, drinking, snacking, kibitzing, napping, reading, boat adjusting (wow, we were busy), dinner with ferocious ankle biters! Sleep. The RC is already suggesting that we find alternate activities for tomorrow. Hmmmmmm...
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Day 2 of qualifying, or not
One would think that with all the time we had to write today, that we would have a bunch of stuff written...sadly, there was nothing much going on, so not much to write about.
We were quite amazed that 8 hours could pass, without much notice. A summary : sitting, sweating, swimming, socializing, siesta-ing, stretching, snoozing... Also a good Top Gun chat with Allan Terhune, Paul Abdullah, Steve Shaw, and Jeff Linton. Good questions from the group, and good feedback from the experts.
Then the talk turned to dinner. Team Florida and friends planned for pizza at a local fave Pie in the Sky, and the Mad House and friends have reservations at Joe Fish.
The forecast is not too favorable for racing tomorrow, either, although some seem to feel it is "solid".
While we were chatting on the porch and listening to the RC on the radio, apparently some radio pirates captured the airwaves with a Buffet tune, something about being 5o'clock somewhere? Who could that have been. Then, a rogue rendition of the chicken dance heard between wind reports. Those RC folks are doing quite a job, too bad the wind isn't cooperating for them, much. Funny quote of the day, on the radio topic... A time when "let's go private on channel 70" was heard at an event, just made everyone giggle.
Goal for the day: stay cool and in the shade.
As for sailing, the fleet is split based on the race from yesterday, top half championship and bottom half challenger. There were a couple of requests for championship fleet placement but the committee did not grant them. There is some criteria to these things....
Starts for the rest of the week are scheduled for 9:30. The forecasted wind for tomorrow is solid all afternoon, but it is for 4 knots. Time will tell but we think it is on.
Team Tampa is out for dinner.
We were quite amazed that 8 hours could pass, without much notice. A summary : sitting, sweating, swimming, socializing, siesta-ing, stretching, snoozing... Also a good Top Gun chat with Allan Terhune, Paul Abdullah, Steve Shaw, and Jeff Linton. Good questions from the group, and good feedback from the experts.
Then the talk turned to dinner. Team Florida and friends planned for pizza at a local fave Pie in the Sky, and the Mad House and friends have reservations at Joe Fish.
The forecast is not too favorable for racing tomorrow, either, although some seem to feel it is "solid".
While we were chatting on the porch and listening to the RC on the radio, apparently some radio pirates captured the airwaves with a Buffet tune, something about being 5o'clock somewhere? Who could that have been. Then, a rogue rendition of the chicken dance heard between wind reports. Those RC folks are doing quite a job, too bad the wind isn't cooperating for them, much. Funny quote of the day, on the radio topic... A time when "let's go private on channel 70" was heard at an event, just made everyone giggle.
Goal for the day: stay cool and in the shade.
As for sailing, the fleet is split based on the race from yesterday, top half championship and bottom half challenger. There were a couple of requests for championship fleet placement but the committee did not grant them. There is some criteria to these things....
Starts for the rest of the week are scheduled for 9:30. The forecasted wind for tomorrow is solid all afternoon, but it is for 4 knots. Time will tell but we think it is on.
Team Tampa is out for dinner.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Monday Day 1 Qualifiers
Last night they awarded the Women's NAC Winners, Edie Sullivan, Wendy Diard, and Heidi Gough on the 1st place boat and Morgan Iriel, Kenzie Currie and Kaaren Rue on the 2nd place boat. They had some good wind yesterday, and those we spoke to said they had fun! Team Tampa was solid in the Junior division with father/son representatives Hobbs and Taylor taking home the trophies for 1st and 2nd. Great work, so proud!
Tis morning was interesting because the start was to be at 9:30, which means we all had to be early risers. Several folks launched their boats with their own vehicles to ensure making it to the warning signal on time. The club has tractors available to assist with launching and hauling out, as well, but the addition of the trucks seemed to make the process more smooth. The fleet is split between the ramp and the hoist side of the cove, so we can only really speak to the ramp launching side of the business. We were one of the first to launch with the tractor, so we were able to leisurely put the sails on and head out to the course. Why is it we only see a mark boat? The RC boat remained on the dock, due to the on shore postponement during which we all came back to the dock, as the wind (light to start with) started to die. As folks tied their boats up, John Wake performed a lovely reverse triple lindy to the delight of the crowd! After lunch, a training swim for Deb Aronsen, and a quick siesta for some, listening intently to the radio, we heard they were planning to take down the postponement flag as the random puffs started to organize into some measurable breeze. Everyone scattered! We left the pleasant porch of the Ryan/Kreidler house, re-loaded the cooler and hopped on the boat! If only Dave weren't so tired! Why is Jeff Linton running to the boat? Oh, the dock is hot and his shoes are on the boat...overheard, "I've never seen Jeff Linton run before!"
One race completed, light air, and a crazy shift at the end, not sure why they didn't try for 2 shorter races, but it was nice to have some time to work some bugs out. Again, Team Tampa finished strong (it is still qualifying races, but we're pleased) Morgans were 7th in their race, Lintons 2nd, then in the other group Hobbs were 9th, Taylors 11th, and we were 3rd. Good work, team!
Dinner and, more importantly, beer and wine served to the 68 boats present. One boat retired before starting, hope everything's ok.
Quote of the day; Amy is wearing a fluorescent orange sailing shirt (can be seen from about 10 miles away) and proclaims, "Don't round me bro". If you don't get it you probably don't race sailboats...
Tis morning was interesting because the start was to be at 9:30, which means we all had to be early risers. Several folks launched their boats with their own vehicles to ensure making it to the warning signal on time. The club has tractors available to assist with launching and hauling out, as well, but the addition of the trucks seemed to make the process more smooth. The fleet is split between the ramp and the hoist side of the cove, so we can only really speak to the ramp launching side of the business. We were one of the first to launch with the tractor, so we were able to leisurely put the sails on and head out to the course. Why is it we only see a mark boat? The RC boat remained on the dock, due to the on shore postponement during which we all came back to the dock, as the wind (light to start with) started to die. As folks tied their boats up, John Wake performed a lovely reverse triple lindy to the delight of the crowd! After lunch, a training swim for Deb Aronsen, and a quick siesta for some, listening intently to the radio, we heard they were planning to take down the postponement flag as the random puffs started to organize into some measurable breeze. Everyone scattered! We left the pleasant porch of the Ryan/Kreidler house, re-loaded the cooler and hopped on the boat! If only Dave weren't so tired! Why is Jeff Linton running to the boat? Oh, the dock is hot and his shoes are on the boat...overheard, "I've never seen Jeff Linton run before!"
One race completed, light air, and a crazy shift at the end, not sure why they didn't try for 2 shorter races, but it was nice to have some time to work some bugs out. Again, Team Tampa finished strong (it is still qualifying races, but we're pleased) Morgans were 7th in their race, Lintons 2nd, then in the other group Hobbs were 9th, Taylors 11th, and we were 3rd. Good work, team!
Dinner and, more importantly, beer and wine served to the 68 boats present. One boat retired before starting, hope everything's ok.
Quote of the day; Amy is wearing a fluorescent orange sailing shirt (can be seen from about 10 miles away) and proclaims, "Don't round me bro". If you don't get it you probably don't race sailboats...
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Flying Scot NAC lake Norman YC, Pre regatta crap
The journey begins, Friday, July 12,2013. We finally started packing for real this morning after a busy week with family in town. Dave's parents have been house hunting for a little over a month in the Sarasota/Bradenton area and staying in the Palace de Pardey in Sarasota (thanks so much Lainie and Marshall!!). They have been successful and are showing off the model home to Christy (sis) and Ashlee (niece), who flew in to town Tuesday, today.
The weather forecast seemed a little iffy (thunderstorms likely), in Moorestown, so even though we Pre-registered, the decision to attend still Seemed a little silly. Tis morning, though, final preparations were made, everything (we hope) packed, and we're on the road. The boat has been under refurbishment in MD so it is not behind us, which feels weird. It went to the Homeland with Harry after the Great 48 for some repairs so we have not seen it since then. We may call it the Guinea Pig this week.
Almost exactly 2 hours to the dogsitter's in Orlando. Dropped off the girls with old friend Mia, a small, white dog, and new friend, Sterling, a very sweet golden retriever who enjoys holding hands and being next to you. She even placed a paw on Missy's shoulder for attention. Too cute. Hope Missy doesn't try to eat her. Lexi was busy cleaning up after someone else's breakfast mess to notice new friends. On the road again just in time to experience some noontime Orlando traffic. Mixed in with the traffic is major downpours or the look of one just ahead. the trip through Orlando has us traveling north on 95 on the FL east coast which kind of sucks since that has us closer to the tropical storm offshore. We actually got off lucky with traffic jams considering the weather and were grateful for the traffic feature on the smartphones.
Found a nice state campground in SC, and miraculously it finally stopped raining. It's a smallish state park, but really nice. Very woodsy, lots of dogs, reminding us of the girls. The Edisto River is swiftly running by, good sized sites, electric, clean and mostly bug-free bath houses are pleasant aspects of the park. We were surprised to not have Mosquitos descending all evening. When Kim tried to take pictures in the morning, however, it was a different story! Still, a great stopping point close to I-95 for future trips.
Saturday, July, 13
Awoke to a light rain...it's never far away, some clouds. Able to pack up and said good bye to the friendly Park Ranger by 1000, and pulled into LNYC just before 2:00. Longer (again) than the stated 3 hours that certain electronic devices predict. Everyone seems great! Busy with boat measurement and registration! So many folks helping to make the process run smoothly. With all the land saturated by rain, the parking areas had to be rearranged. Amy and Jeff Linton brought their bikes to make the frequent trips around the cove less taxing and significantly faster. Mark and the Family Taylor, the Hobbs family and us are here to represent Team Tampa.
Dinner with part of the Ryan/Kriedler house gang ended up at the Hickory Tavern. Plans started with Vinnie at his Oyster House, but he apparently got whacked by Eddie, who has evidently taken over, but he hasn't been heard from in a while, either.
More rain expected tonight, as well.
Sunday, July 14
More arrivals and more boat measurement. We needed to finish up, but that required the assist of another vehicle, since the Rv is parked, and pushing the boat from it's assigned spot in the (did we mention mushy?) grass field to the cove would have been difficult. At least we pulled the green list from the measurement lottery (the easiest to measure). Ever-helpful John Wake pulled us around and helped with out boat covers, etc. brief appearance by Ryan at the Rv, looking forward to meeting Stacey! They arrived early this am, probably as Kriedler's crew, Mike, was about to embark on his 20 mi training run, sadly, in on and off rain, which was good from a cooling off standpoint, they may have passed in the driveway. Wake and Kim were not as ambitious but were able to join Mike for a few minutes!
Women's and Junior's NAC events scheduled for today. One came back after breaking the out haul, and another was towed back swamped.
Skipper meeting and welcome party on the slate for Sunday evening, later.
The weather forecast seemed a little iffy (thunderstorms likely), in Moorestown, so even though we Pre-registered, the decision to attend still Seemed a little silly. Tis morning, though, final preparations were made, everything (we hope) packed, and we're on the road. The boat has been under refurbishment in MD so it is not behind us, which feels weird. It went to the Homeland with Harry after the Great 48 for some repairs so we have not seen it since then. We may call it the Guinea Pig this week.
Almost exactly 2 hours to the dogsitter's in Orlando. Dropped off the girls with old friend Mia, a small, white dog, and new friend, Sterling, a very sweet golden retriever who enjoys holding hands and being next to you. She even placed a paw on Missy's shoulder for attention. Too cute. Hope Missy doesn't try to eat her. Lexi was busy cleaning up after someone else's breakfast mess to notice new friends. On the road again just in time to experience some noontime Orlando traffic. Mixed in with the traffic is major downpours or the look of one just ahead. the trip through Orlando has us traveling north on 95 on the FL east coast which kind of sucks since that has us closer to the tropical storm offshore. We actually got off lucky with traffic jams considering the weather and were grateful for the traffic feature on the smartphones.
Found a nice state campground in SC, and miraculously it finally stopped raining. It's a smallish state park, but really nice. Very woodsy, lots of dogs, reminding us of the girls. The Edisto River is swiftly running by, good sized sites, electric, clean and mostly bug-free bath houses are pleasant aspects of the park. We were surprised to not have Mosquitos descending all evening. When Kim tried to take pictures in the morning, however, it was a different story! Still, a great stopping point close to I-95 for future trips.
Saturday, July, 13
Awoke to a light rain...it's never far away, some clouds. Able to pack up and said good bye to the friendly Park Ranger by 1000, and pulled into LNYC just before 2:00. Longer (again) than the stated 3 hours that certain electronic devices predict. Everyone seems great! Busy with boat measurement and registration! So many folks helping to make the process run smoothly. With all the land saturated by rain, the parking areas had to be rearranged. Amy and Jeff Linton brought their bikes to make the frequent trips around the cove less taxing and significantly faster. Mark and the Family Taylor, the Hobbs family and us are here to represent Team Tampa.
Dinner with part of the Ryan/Kriedler house gang ended up at the Hickory Tavern. Plans started with Vinnie at his Oyster House, but he apparently got whacked by Eddie, who has evidently taken over, but he hasn't been heard from in a while, either.
More rain expected tonight, as well.
Sunday, July 14
More arrivals and more boat measurement. We needed to finish up, but that required the assist of another vehicle, since the Rv is parked, and pushing the boat from it's assigned spot in the (did we mention mushy?) grass field to the cove would have been difficult. At least we pulled the green list from the measurement lottery (the easiest to measure). Ever-helpful John Wake pulled us around and helped with out boat covers, etc. brief appearance by Ryan at the Rv, looking forward to meeting Stacey! They arrived early this am, probably as Kriedler's crew, Mike, was about to embark on his 20 mi training run, sadly, in on and off rain, which was good from a cooling off standpoint, they may have passed in the driveway. Wake and Kim were not as ambitious but were able to join Mike for a few minutes!
Women's and Junior's NAC events scheduled for today. One came back after breaking the out haul, and another was towed back swamped.
Skipper meeting and welcome party on the slate for Sunday evening, later.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Great 48, Lake Norman YC, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
We started our trip a little later in the day than usual, since Kim had her only day of Sunfish racing in this Spring series today! The weather has been mostly uncooperative these past few months (a theme we will see repeated this weekend). Up to now, the forecast for Lake Norman is beautiful for the weekend, we're looking forward to a change from the rain and gray skies we've been experiencing in FL this week.
Since we couldn't Priceline a good deal in the Charlotte area, we decided to RV it and it seems like we haven't blogged in a long time.
Ryan planned to arrive at LNYC early in the day, Friday, we hope to meet him for some warmup/tuneup.
Much like the week we've had, there was rain during the entire drive to St Mary's GA. where we stopped for the night at a lovely (although it was difficult to tell through the raindrops) RV park. Nice owners on site invited us back for Sunday's potluck dinner (every weekend, and they have a crowded table for Thanksgiving, too). They have owned the land since 1984 and began work on it, clearing 5 sites to start, in 2006. A Big Wheel RV Park was born with large, level cement pads, big showers/bathrooms, with everything you need. Even with the never ending rain the night is going by quickly! We see a low of 65 deg predicted for tonight, and the Rays vs KC game is postponed due to SNOW??! It could be worse!!
Friday
After misjudging the time needed to drive here when speaking with Ryan, we arrive at LNYC around 3:30. Sadly, a little too late to sail, and probably in the best conditions we'll have all weekend. We finished setting up the boat and establishing our choice parking spot for the weekend, saw some good folks and volunteers fed us three different types of chili for dinner. Wondering the wisdom of eating a bunch of chili before racing, but we appreciate the great job the volunteers do at this club.
It was a brisk and chilly (ha! A pun) walk back to the lee side of the cove, NE wind, it made us appreciate our choice of parking spot. Racing starts at 1:00 on Saturday, hope the wind moderates a little and the sun can make an appearance.
Saturday am
42 boats registered, the forecast has changed dramatically from the before- travel sun and light winds to increased wind, rain, and cooler temps. Worse conditions for Sunday. The RC was optimistic at the skipper's meeting, and more than 1/2 of the registered boats went out to start. After a short postponement, the first race was underway. We were a little surprised that waves had a chance to develop in the lake, and after the start, we ended up coming in after Kim decided she was nervous about sailing downwind. The water was fresh and cold. About 10 other boats decided to come in, as well. The RC lengthened the course for the next two races, and while we were out putting gas in the RV so the generator could run, they had finished the 2nd race and were starting the 3rd 5 leg race of the day.
Paul Abdullah and Alex Krumsieck had 3 bullets for the day,
Steve Shaw and his crew of 2 fine yoots had 3 2nd place finishes
And Harry Carpenter was 3rd for the day.
Saturday night the club hosted a pirate-themed costume party, served yummy BBQ, and we watched the wind pick up even more on the flags outside the club. It was nice to be inside the warm building catching up with friends, Sandy Eustis made a special toast to Charlie Fowler, Ben and Deb had a good day, Chris and Tom discussed their travel plans to France, and John Kreidler would like it to be known that he has never been to a strip club. Maybe it should be narrowed down to a strip club in FL.
Sunday am
Most of the tents on the windward side of the cove were gone by morning...blown away??!! There was a little rain during the early am hours, but not the amount we saw on the radar, that, thankfully swept to our west, or dissipated before arriving. At breakfast, RC announced it would be running some races. A 9:30 start was scheduled, but at 50 minutes till warning signal, only 2 boats were in the water. Only 2 boats on the club side of the cove had their masts up. The sailors were speaking, was the RC listening? After a postponement, and little interest from the racers racing was called for the day, and Saturdays results were final.
Congrats to Paul and Alex!!!
Harry will be taking our boat back to the Homeland for some work, and we'll be seeing the new and improved Piggy at NACs!
We were able to get on the road by 10:30, and, why should it be any different, Dave had to drive through rain till GA.
Quote of the day, "Is that blue sky ahead or some other shade of cloud? As we approach the GA state line and the wall of clouds and rain we are in comes to a very abrupt end.
So hear we are back at A Big Wheel... We arrived in time for the Sunday potluck, cookies on a plate will have to do for our contribution, since we missed the cooking of the main course. Thanks, Karen
Monday, May 9, 2011
Great 48, 2011, Lake Norman YC
Friday, May 6, 2011 Dunedin to LNYC
9:15 Breezy morning in Dunedin, just noticing the weather as we drive north. The winds are mostly southeast. There is a front moving in from the Gulf with a line of heavy rain. We are not able to stay ahead of it so we drive in rain for most of the ride in FL. As we head north the weather improves and when we reach SC it is mostly blue skies.
We have Jeff Penfield's FS5318 DAMFINO in tow. Regular readers will remember that Jeff passed a few months ago and the family wanted to move the boat to the summer home in Canada. We formed a plan where we would bring the boat fron Sarasota FL to LNYC. Linda Danilek (Jeffs daughter) would be meeting us at LNYC and would tackle the rest of the journey up north. This will serve to remind me to do a trailer bearing/hub replacement post on this blog in the near future.
Note to self: pay attention to gas prices. On our last few trips up this way we have seen low gas prices in SC. As we drive through GA we are getting a little low but trying to stretch it to make SC. As it becomes obvious that stretching is going to be risky I take an exit where the gas stations are close to the exit. Gasp! They are both charging $4.09 for regular. Bastards are in cahoots! These guys must be learning from OPEC. Where is Obama's gas gouging szar? I swear every other exit was 3 something a gallon. I decide to get only get a few gallons, just out of principle. Once in SC I take a promising exit and to find.... several stations at $3.69. Nice! A small moral victory.
6:40 pm. Finished the first of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, a supposed best seller. Insert big eye roll here. Its called "The girl with the dragon tattoo" It was one of those slow developing books that was tough to get hooked on, so I guess being trapped in the van for hours was the best way to stick with it. Serial killer tale set in Europe during the mid 1900's, always miserably cold, a bunch of characters you want to see die, the ones that die you wish would live, etc. We finished the thing as we reached the outer circle of highway surrounding Charlotte. So, at least the timing was good.
7:20 pm Anyone hear the cracking open of the first beer? The sun is still fairly high in the sky, and it’s slow-going along Brawley School Rd. – still. Will they ever finish this road project?
Saturday, May 7
Ahh, the late start, a lovely idea for a regatta. We spent the morning saying goodbye to Linda and Roger Danilek, making sure they were A-OK for their trip to Vermont. They had decided not to sail so they could get back home so Roger would not miss school. The car was packed, Damfino in tow. They wanted to make sure we were set with a boat for the weekend, and offered Damfino as the back up boat if the borrowed boat wasn’t available. Fortunately, Bill Ross set us up with a beauty, and we became acquainted with our ride for the weekend. You never know what you’ll get with a borrowed boat, but we ended up with John Slater’s FS4865 so we were in good shape. Thanks to John and Bill for helping us out.
We missed the 11:00 Skipper’s meeting, some bottom scrubbing was in order, but caught up over lunch at noon. Racing was scheduled to start at 1:00, (so civilized!). The RC wisely waited through a bit of a postponement for consistent breeze. Two races were completed in light-ish breeze, then more wind came with some clouds, keeping us on our toes and switching gears.
So far, the top group consists of John and John (Aras and Wake) who are leading by one over Team Dieball (4 pts, and 5 pts). Then with 19 points is Steve Shaw on a borrowed Texas boat with a story (that I couldn’t stick closely enough to hear). Then with 20 points are Harry, Sandy Eustis, Us and Ben Williams. Fun! All three races had close upwind finishes and several places were decided during a last header/lift puff at the finish line. Very exciting! Close enough that we had to wait for the results to be posted to see how they scored us. I think most were surprised to see such soild breeze develop after what looked like a possible drifter.
At registration, we were provided with kilts (wraparound-skirt pieces of plaid material that had been specially cut and held up with twine) and were told to wear them this evening for their strict, “NO KILT, NO SERVICE” policy for the weekend! It was fun and games after racing with a modified Highland Games competition on land with Bocci ball toss, Boom Throwing, and a Barrel toss. Prizes to those who threw the farthest (I think, we were busy testing the local craft brew on tap in the kegerator- someone had to make sure it was safe!). Excellent theme for the Flying Scot sailors and fans. Participants were further entertained by a local bagpiper who played for the happy hour and “Gaming” crowd. Dinner was BBQ pork and sides, we caught up with friends, but, as always, not enough time to talk chat before it was time to rest up for the early morning tomorrow.
Sunday, May 8
Early start for Sunday morning – 9:30 warning signal. Surprisingly, there was breeze on the lake when we arrived to LNYC. The weather folks mentioned 2 kts in town when we checked the TV before leaving the hotel.
It was a cool morning, and, as we’re used to in St. Pete, as the sun rises as well as the temperature, the wind diminishes. Sailing out to the course in a nice southeasterly has us thinking "how long will this last?" By the time the warning signal sounded, it had already lightened considerably. Up the course, it was looking like a serious drifter. In the last minute of the starting sequence, we were on starboard, headed toward the pin, coincidentally; we were also headed toward the club. Very tempting; we chose the club. We had little speed, but we were pointing in the right direction. The race committee signaled another 5 leg race, as they had done Saturday. In the end the race was shortened to 2 legs. Downwind became upwind and it ended with a beat to the finish, for some, a reach for others, and a run for the rest. Local father/son team Chuck and Mark Gise won the only race of the day, Ben Williams and Deb Aronson were 2nd and Harry Carpenter and Adam Keene were 3rd. J&J (5th) ended up in a tie with Dieball (4th) for the regatta. We left before the final results were posted so a link will be added after they are posted at LNYC.
We were able to leave the club around noon. Kim decided to pick up another paperback for the ride home, something light, maybe funny.... Walmart was out of light and funny so, you guessed it, another serial killer. This one takes place in a nice summer camp, USA, rather than cold depressing Europe, so much more fun! Ugh. It is "The Woods" by Harlan Coben in case you care.
About the genre, I guess it is not too surprising as there are probably more serial killer books than anything else, except maybe self-help. The self-help are good for those who read too many serial killer books. Hmmm, could this be a conspiracy in the publishing business... maybe even a vast conspiracy. Anyway, we enjoyed clear sailing all the way home; 9 hours 45 minutes.
Good times, great weather, wonderful Scotters! Thanks, LNYC for a great weekend.
Oh crap, bodies in the woods!
Update; Linda and Roger are safely home with Damfino in Vermont.
9:15 Breezy morning in Dunedin, just noticing the weather as we drive north. The winds are mostly southeast. There is a front moving in from the Gulf with a line of heavy rain. We are not able to stay ahead of it so we drive in rain for most of the ride in FL. As we head north the weather improves and when we reach SC it is mostly blue skies.
We have Jeff Penfield's FS5318 DAMFINO in tow. Regular readers will remember that Jeff passed a few months ago and the family wanted to move the boat to the summer home in Canada. We formed a plan where we would bring the boat fron Sarasota FL to LNYC. Linda Danilek (Jeffs daughter) would be meeting us at LNYC and would tackle the rest of the journey up north. This will serve to remind me to do a trailer bearing/hub replacement post on this blog in the near future.
Note to self: pay attention to gas prices. On our last few trips up this way we have seen low gas prices in SC. As we drive through GA we are getting a little low but trying to stretch it to make SC. As it becomes obvious that stretching is going to be risky I take an exit where the gas stations are close to the exit. Gasp! They are both charging $4.09 for regular. Bastards are in cahoots! These guys must be learning from OPEC. Where is Obama's gas gouging szar? I swear every other exit was 3 something a gallon. I decide to get only get a few gallons, just out of principle. Once in SC I take a promising exit and to find.... several stations at $3.69. Nice! A small moral victory.
6:40 pm. Finished the first of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, a supposed best seller. Insert big eye roll here. Its called "The girl with the dragon tattoo" It was one of those slow developing books that was tough to get hooked on, so I guess being trapped in the van for hours was the best way to stick with it. Serial killer tale set in Europe during the mid 1900's, always miserably cold, a bunch of characters you want to see die, the ones that die you wish would live, etc. We finished the thing as we reached the outer circle of highway surrounding Charlotte. So, at least the timing was good.
7:20 pm Anyone hear the cracking open of the first beer? The sun is still fairly high in the sky, and it’s slow-going along Brawley School Rd. – still. Will they ever finish this road project?
Saturday, May 7
Ahh, the late start, a lovely idea for a regatta. We spent the morning saying goodbye to Linda and Roger Danilek, making sure they were A-OK for their trip to Vermont. They had decided not to sail so they could get back home so Roger would not miss school. The car was packed, Damfino in tow. They wanted to make sure we were set with a boat for the weekend, and offered Damfino as the back up boat if the borrowed boat wasn’t available. Fortunately, Bill Ross set us up with a beauty, and we became acquainted with our ride for the weekend. You never know what you’ll get with a borrowed boat, but we ended up with John Slater’s FS4865 so we were in good shape. Thanks to John and Bill for helping us out.
We missed the 11:00 Skipper’s meeting, some bottom scrubbing was in order, but caught up over lunch at noon. Racing was scheduled to start at 1:00, (so civilized!). The RC wisely waited through a bit of a postponement for consistent breeze. Two races were completed in light-ish breeze, then more wind came with some clouds, keeping us on our toes and switching gears.
So far, the top group consists of John and John (Aras and Wake) who are leading by one over Team Dieball (4 pts, and 5 pts). Then with 19 points is Steve Shaw on a borrowed Texas boat with a story (that I couldn’t stick closely enough to hear). Then with 20 points are Harry, Sandy Eustis, Us and Ben Williams. Fun! All three races had close upwind finishes and several places were decided during a last header/lift puff at the finish line. Very exciting! Close enough that we had to wait for the results to be posted to see how they scored us. I think most were surprised to see such soild breeze develop after what looked like a possible drifter.
At registration, we were provided with kilts (wraparound-skirt pieces of plaid material that had been specially cut and held up with twine) and were told to wear them this evening for their strict, “NO KILT, NO SERVICE” policy for the weekend! It was fun and games after racing with a modified Highland Games competition on land with Bocci ball toss, Boom Throwing, and a Barrel toss. Prizes to those who threw the farthest (I think, we were busy testing the local craft brew on tap in the kegerator- someone had to make sure it was safe!). Excellent theme for the Flying Scot sailors and fans. Participants were further entertained by a local bagpiper who played for the happy hour and “Gaming” crowd. Dinner was BBQ pork and sides, we caught up with friends, but, as always, not enough time to talk chat before it was time to rest up for the early morning tomorrow.
Sunday, May 8
Early start for Sunday morning – 9:30 warning signal. Surprisingly, there was breeze on the lake when we arrived to LNYC. The weather folks mentioned 2 kts in town when we checked the TV before leaving the hotel.
It was a cool morning, and, as we’re used to in St. Pete, as the sun rises as well as the temperature, the wind diminishes. Sailing out to the course in a nice southeasterly has us thinking "how long will this last?" By the time the warning signal sounded, it had already lightened considerably. Up the course, it was looking like a serious drifter. In the last minute of the starting sequence, we were on starboard, headed toward the pin, coincidentally; we were also headed toward the club. Very tempting; we chose the club. We had little speed, but we were pointing in the right direction. The race committee signaled another 5 leg race, as they had done Saturday. In the end the race was shortened to 2 legs. Downwind became upwind and it ended with a beat to the finish, for some, a reach for others, and a run for the rest. Local father/son team Chuck and Mark Gise won the only race of the day, Ben Williams and Deb Aronson were 2nd and Harry Carpenter and Adam Keene were 3rd. J&J (5th) ended up in a tie with Dieball (4th) for the regatta. We left before the final results were posted so a link will be added after they are posted at LNYC.
We were able to leave the club around noon. Kim decided to pick up another paperback for the ride home, something light, maybe funny.... Walmart was out of light and funny so, you guessed it, another serial killer. This one takes place in a nice summer camp, USA, rather than cold depressing Europe, so much more fun! Ugh. It is "The Woods" by Harlan Coben in case you care.
About the genre, I guess it is not too surprising as there are probably more serial killer books than anything else, except maybe self-help. The self-help are good for those who read too many serial killer books. Hmmm, could this be a conspiracy in the publishing business... maybe even a vast conspiracy. Anyway, we enjoyed clear sailing all the way home; 9 hours 45 minutes.
Good times, great weather, wonderful Scotters! Thanks, LNYC for a great weekend.
Oh crap, bodies in the woods!
Update; Linda and Roger are safely home with Damfino in Vermont.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Day 2 of Racing? Perhaps
A beautiful sunrise Sunday morning
Another early am shot of the cove just before the RC assembled and departed
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Wife Husband Regatta, Day 2 of Racing?
Oh, we had to wake up early!! The Race Committee moved the starting time up to 9:00 am! Our boat was overnighting in the water, so all we had to do was ready ourselves, put the sails on and go.
Unfortunately, the "go" part was none too fast...The best wind of the day may have been when we left the dock.
We spent a couple of hours floating around chatting with folks. There was enough wind to sail by the stern of the committee boat to check in, but not much else. Joe and Stacey Brake came by with Tom Lawton on their super-cool flats boat, probably the most appropriate watercraft on the lake today.
Stacy and Joe Brake loading up on the FS paraphanalia for their new son
They had traveled for just today, as Stacey's brother was married yesterday. Baby Beau is due in early January and Stacey looks and feels great. We agree with Stacey when she says, "I don't know many Beaus, but the ones I know I like!" Speaking of names, we spent a little time discussing the name of 4901. Greased Pig might be a contender, if we could just get it to go faster! Some bacon derivatives were also suggested, everything goes better with bacon.
10:30 The RC Boat sounded the horn and raised the flag to send us in.
Another great idea formulated on the water - a Bar Boat! In times like these, a Bloody Mary or a refreshing Gin and Tonic sounds quite nice. The guys on the pin boat thought so, too.
1:45 pm Awards done, boats packed, on the road. Another beautiful, sunshiney day. Interestingly, we have not seen any clouds the entire time we've been here. The trees are just starting to turn color. Again, the folks at LNYC are excellent hosts, and the winning couple, locals Larry and Carla Vitez gave a very nice speech.
The winners; Carla and Larry Vitez!!
The central theme being how sailing the Scot together builds a marriage. She recalled some very special couples who have been influential in their fleet and the class. Very nice.
John Wake seems to make an impression whenever he sails here.
Our friends Sharon and John Wake from Fishing Bay YC
The whole capsizing thing, which was Hans's fault, we know, we don't have to mention again, (others seem to often enough). This time, he had a little incident with the boat on the ramp (shhhh! Don't tell Travis). At least we know there's nothing wrong with the rollers and you don't have to push very hard to launch the thing. Lucky Dog was certainly lucky AND still fast. A little gelcoat work on the transom and centerboard, and she'll be as good as new. It didn't seem to affect their ability to glide through the water, John and Sharon were at the top mark on the first beat in fine form and finished 4th overall and first in the highly contested First Timer's Trophy.
Paul and Leslie Silvernail not only got second, but also an addition to their masthead safety gear for the ride home. (Bikini bottoms found by Andy and Lisa! Hee hee! We are so mischievous when not sailing!
Last night also belonged to air hockey and ping pong - speaking of activities while not sailing! If we hadn't been able to sail at least one race, it may have come down to tournament play at the clubhouse.
Paul and Jeff going at it
Even though we didn't do a lot of racing, we are not disappointed in the trip. Never expected such a lack of wind in October, but we'll certainly come back for another regatta!
Somehow Kim "misplaced" her skivvies which ended up making an interesting mast ornament for the Silvernails
Susan and David Bell just snagged a new RV which is ready to roll back to Tampa
To see results go here for the LNYC website
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Tampa has a buzz....
October 9, 2010
Saturday, first day of racing, one race....
Excellent morning for land sports. Virgina/Carolina friends gathered for a bike ride, no wind, pleasant temps. Skipper's meeting (which Amy missed!) at 10:30 am, a very civilzed time. Some very adventurous souls attempted a go at some early practice, there actually was a slight breeze early...
Andy bought a new fishing pole instead.
Dave and I were able to outfit the boat with our NEW SHEETS! Dave surprised me with new jib and spin sheets which I am very happy with, they make my job(s) much easier. He gifted himself with a new main sheet. We donned the newest sails we have, and after a postponement and some chit chat about whether it was a sucker breeze or not, off we went!
Couldn't believe the start. Hard to manage the upwind, we were with the top group, though, but that could have changed at any moment. Difficult to watch the windward mark rounding. Current was a factor - who would have guessed? Downwind...ugly. Back upwind for a shortened course finish - ouch. That's all we have to say about the subject.
Fortunately, liberally poured drinks, ample keggage and filling dinner and dessert help to erase the thoughts of the day. Did we mention a wine tasting? Oh, boy, could be trouble, avoided that. Beer and Bloody Marys are much more our speed.
Back to the liberally poured drinks-Team Tampa has a buzz....
Saturday, first day of racing, one race....
Excellent morning for land sports. Virgina/Carolina friends gathered for a bike ride, no wind, pleasant temps. Skipper's meeting (which Amy missed!) at 10:30 am, a very civilzed time. Some very adventurous souls attempted a go at some early practice, there actually was a slight breeze early...
Andy bought a new fishing pole instead.
Dave and I were able to outfit the boat with our NEW SHEETS! Dave surprised me with new jib and spin sheets which I am very happy with, they make my job(s) much easier. He gifted himself with a new main sheet. We donned the newest sails we have, and after a postponement and some chit chat about whether it was a sucker breeze or not, off we went!
Couldn't believe the start. Hard to manage the upwind, we were with the top group, though, but that could have changed at any moment. Difficult to watch the windward mark rounding. Current was a factor - who would have guessed? Downwind...ugly. Back upwind for a shortened course finish - ouch. That's all we have to say about the subject.
Fortunately, liberally poured drinks, ample keggage and filling dinner and dessert help to erase the thoughts of the day. Did we mention a wine tasting? Oh, boy, could be trouble, avoided that. Beer and Bloody Marys are much more our speed.
Back to the liberally poured drinks-Team Tampa has a buzz....
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wife/Husband Championship 2010, Friday
October 8, 2010
Friday, practice day
The Fairfield Inn does a lovely breakfast, and prepared us well for the day.
9:40 am The Haywards send the children off with Aunt Lori and Gramma Julie and follow us to Lake Norman. We are excited to see the lake and set the boats up and go sailing!
or not.
1:15 pm Ate lunch at the gazebo near where we have staked out our real estate for the weekend. No wind yet, but the boats are set up and in the water. Ready to go. Did I mention there wasn't any wind? Off to the store to replenish the supplies...
Random thought...one of the dangers of walking lakeside has been encounters with the numerous geese on the property. Never fear--The Goose Patrol is on the job! For real, Lisa and I saw the vehicle on the lake road, and I noted there was much less goose poop to avoid. A very nice improvement to an already lovely place.
After our mission was complete, we received our registration packet and assorted goodies, and decided to make a go of it. A couple of boats had made it across the lake, but didn't look like they would make it back. We stayed close to the club, tried to work on our technique, but the wind was just not with us. Ah, well, we had a nice day, had time to take the boats out, discuss rig tension (and other things) amongst ourselves before dinner.
The boys had been smoking brisket all day, and whetting our appetites for some excellent grub. One of the reasons we love this place..they are fabulous hosts. Appys, drinks, dinner, dessert, it doesn't get much better. Hopefully, we'll add "good racing" to the list tomorrow!
Friday, practice day
The Fairfield Inn does a lovely breakfast, and prepared us well for the day.
9:40 am The Haywards send the children off with Aunt Lori and Gramma Julie and follow us to Lake Norman. We are excited to see the lake and set the boats up and go sailing!
or not.
1:15 pm Ate lunch at the gazebo near where we have staked out our real estate for the weekend. No wind yet, but the boats are set up and in the water. Ready to go. Did I mention there wasn't any wind? Off to the store to replenish the supplies...
Random thought...one of the dangers of walking lakeside has been encounters with the numerous geese on the property. Never fear--The Goose Patrol is on the job! For real, Lisa and I saw the vehicle on the lake road, and I noted there was much less goose poop to avoid. A very nice improvement to an already lovely place.
After our mission was complete, we received our registration packet and assorted goodies, and decided to make a go of it. A couple of boats had made it across the lake, but didn't look like they would make it back. We stayed close to the club, tried to work on our technique, but the wind was just not with us. Ah, well, we had a nice day, had time to take the boats out, discuss rig tension (and other things) amongst ourselves before dinner.
The boys had been smoking brisket all day, and whetting our appetites for some excellent grub. One of the reasons we love this place..they are fabulous hosts. Appys, drinks, dinner, dessert, it doesn't get much better. Hopefully, we'll add "good racing" to the list tomorrow!
Wife/Husband Championship 2010
Wife - Husband Regatta Lake Norman, NC
Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010
About 8:30 am Facebook posting from Andy and Lisa Hayward…they’re on the road to NC! It’s a beautiful morning, starting to get cooler around here, even chilly on this morning’s walk! Wore long sleeves!
Missy and Lexi are on a sleepover at Hadley’s. Dede, Beau, and Ally each have a pup. We miss them already.
Beginning of our trip 9:10 am - leaving the house! On the radio, Ron and Ian are talking about “Johnny Negative” fan behind Ron at the Rays game yesterday. Sadly, Rays lost the first game, David Price had been doing so well! Gotta find the bats. Thank goodness for the other game - a nohitter distraction for the media.
We were hoping to caravan with A&L (Jeff and Amy left last night) but as it stands, they are a solid 2 hrs ahead--See you there!
11:20 Saw a sign on a side of the road BBQ joint that serves chicken, beef, goat, and pork. GOAT! Yikes!! I love me some BBQ, but, yeesh! Wonder how popular it is.
Via Facebook, we saw that Drew is working up a pee. Pass the bucket! I am working on some hunger, good thing we packed some snacks.
We started Nelson Demille’s Upcountry a few weeks ago and haven’t been on enough trips to finish it--back to Vietnam with Mr. Brenner.
Almost 1:00 pm, 1st gas stop just before junction with I-10 toward Jacksonville, but decided to stay on Rte 301, N to I-95. New experiences abound.
Sometimes, new experiences aren’t what they’re cracked up to be…we won’t be doing that again.
1:30 pm yay - on I-95 N
1:40 pm woo hoo - Georgia!
2:40 pm Lisa called to warn us of an incident on Hwy 26, they were instructed to take a detour and reviewed it with us.
We are reminded of the lack of rest stops in GA.
A second call from Lisa informs us that they are on the detour and they are passing where Jeff and Amy are stuck on Hwy 26. They apparently sailed into a hole and Andy and Lisa caught the first great shift (of many, they hope) of the weekend. We are investigating alternate routes. Amy and Jeff’s cell phone is out of battery, but we are able to ascertain that they have been stuck for at least 3 hours.
4:30 pm We hear an alert on the radio that the entrance ramp to Hwy 26 is closed from I-95. Unfortunately, we just passed the recommended detour exit. Turns out, the ramp wasn’t closed, but we decided not to risk it, and traveled further north on 95 and took “a scenic route” through small towns Sumter (which I thought was a county in FL) and Camden on a route called 521.
6:00 pm Andy calls, they’re drinking beer! BEER! Pretty unfair, but good for them. Lisa’s sister lives here, and they will be guarding the children for the weekend.
Dave ponders the things we do for sailing, the traveling, etc., as we pass through another interesting small town, Ridgeway.
6:23 pm Eventually, we make our way to our elusive route north, Hwy 77. We are 70 mi south of Charlotte and we successfully avoided the mishap on Hwy 26. There apparently was a HazMat incident, and the road had been closed since 9:30 am. Wonder if the Linton’s are making any progress?
7:10 pm 10 hours later - NC !! Hope Jeff and Amy are close!
7:40 pm arrive at Fairfield Inn Exit 36!!! 650 miles, we find out later that Amy and Jeff finally set up camp around 8:30 pm.
Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010
About 8:30 am Facebook posting from Andy and Lisa Hayward…they’re on the road to NC! It’s a beautiful morning, starting to get cooler around here, even chilly on this morning’s walk! Wore long sleeves!
Missy and Lexi are on a sleepover at Hadley’s. Dede, Beau, and Ally each have a pup. We miss them already.
Beginning of our trip 9:10 am - leaving the house! On the radio, Ron and Ian are talking about “Johnny Negative” fan behind Ron at the Rays game yesterday. Sadly, Rays lost the first game, David Price had been doing so well! Gotta find the bats. Thank goodness for the other game - a nohitter distraction for the media.
We were hoping to caravan with A&L (Jeff and Amy left last night) but as it stands, they are a solid 2 hrs ahead--See you there!
11:20 Saw a sign on a side of the road BBQ joint that serves chicken, beef, goat, and pork. GOAT! Yikes!! I love me some BBQ, but, yeesh! Wonder how popular it is.
Via Facebook, we saw that Drew is working up a pee. Pass the bucket! I am working on some hunger, good thing we packed some snacks.
We started Nelson Demille’s Upcountry a few weeks ago and haven’t been on enough trips to finish it--back to Vietnam with Mr. Brenner.
Almost 1:00 pm, 1st gas stop just before junction with I-10 toward Jacksonville, but decided to stay on Rte 301, N to I-95. New experiences abound.
Sometimes, new experiences aren’t what they’re cracked up to be…we won’t be doing that again.
1:30 pm yay - on I-95 N
1:40 pm woo hoo - Georgia!
2:40 pm Lisa called to warn us of an incident on Hwy 26, they were instructed to take a detour and reviewed it with us.
We are reminded of the lack of rest stops in GA.
A second call from Lisa informs us that they are on the detour and they are passing where Jeff and Amy are stuck on Hwy 26. They apparently sailed into a hole and Andy and Lisa caught the first great shift (of many, they hope) of the weekend. We are investigating alternate routes. Amy and Jeff’s cell phone is out of battery, but we are able to ascertain that they have been stuck for at least 3 hours.
4:30 pm We hear an alert on the radio that the entrance ramp to Hwy 26 is closed from I-95. Unfortunately, we just passed the recommended detour exit. Turns out, the ramp wasn’t closed, but we decided not to risk it, and traveled further north on 95 and took “a scenic route” through small towns Sumter (which I thought was a county in FL) and Camden on a route called 521.
6:00 pm Andy calls, they’re drinking beer! BEER! Pretty unfair, but good for them. Lisa’s sister lives here, and they will be guarding the children for the weekend.
Dave ponders the things we do for sailing, the traveling, etc., as we pass through another interesting small town, Ridgeway.
6:23 pm Eventually, we make our way to our elusive route north, Hwy 77. We are 70 mi south of Charlotte and we successfully avoided the mishap on Hwy 26. There apparently was a HazMat incident, and the road had been closed since 9:30 am. Wonder if the Linton’s are making any progress?
7:10 pm 10 hours later - NC !! Hope Jeff and Amy are close!
7:40 pm arrive at Fairfield Inn Exit 36!!! 650 miles, we find out later that Amy and Jeff finally set up camp around 8:30 pm.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Communication tips for Wife/Husband Regatta
As a public service I decided to offer this communication lesson before we join our spouses for two days of blissful companionship on Lake Norman. Proper communication is essential if we are to reach our full potential, good luck teams! See you there!
Click to enlarge;
Click to enlarge;
Monday, May 3, 2010
Great 48 Wrap up
Monday, May 03, 2010
8:30 A little Super 8 breakfast and coffee, quick check o' the oil in the van, and we're off. Note to self: on this exit (Darien GA) Clean Stay USA is a new hotel for $45.00, may be something to check out next time. There are a couple of restaurant options that are a step above fast food, so that is always welcome.
12:30
Short stop on the way home at Houndhaven, (www.houndhaven.org) a rescue organization to pick up our new adoptee, Lexi! She is a 2 year old black Lab who was picked up as a stray.
Lexi busy working a bone
On a sad note, Emily/Whisper developed a fever and was not feeling / acting normally and she and Linda spent most of the night at Emergency Vet. They are still running tests, we're hoping for good news and that the lovely yellow lab will be able to cheer for her new favorite baseball team alongside her new family soon.
Almost home, and back to work tomorrow: (
3:30
We arrive home to start the normal "return home" stuff: phone calls, unpacking, sorting laundry, and making Lexi's new home comfy! Thanks Hound Haven for both of our happy girls, our friends for watching Missy and thanks to LNYC for a great weekend! Can't wait to return for Wife Husband in the fall!
One of the club docks above and the club house below
Last is a link to the results
8:30 A little Super 8 breakfast and coffee, quick check o' the oil in the van, and we're off. Note to self: on this exit (Darien GA) Clean Stay USA is a new hotel for $45.00, may be something to check out next time. There are a couple of restaurant options that are a step above fast food, so that is always welcome.
12:30
Short stop on the way home at Houndhaven, (www.houndhaven.org) a rescue organization to pick up our new adoptee, Lexi! She is a 2 year old black Lab who was picked up as a stray.
Lexi busy working a bone
On a sad note, Emily/Whisper developed a fever and was not feeling / acting normally and she and Linda spent most of the night at Emergency Vet. They are still running tests, we're hoping for good news and that the lovely yellow lab will be able to cheer for her new favorite baseball team alongside her new family soon.
Almost home, and back to work tomorrow: (
3:30
We arrive home to start the normal "return home" stuff: phone calls, unpacking, sorting laundry, and making Lexi's new home comfy! Thanks Hound Haven for both of our happy girls, our friends for watching Missy and thanks to LNYC for a great weekend! Can't wait to return for Wife Husband in the fall!
One of the club docks above and the club house below
Last is a link to the results
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Great 48 Day 2
What a great weekend of racing! Really close finishes, lots of place changes (most notable on the beats while crossing tacks), a little shifty, a bit light at times, and some big breeze at other times. Seemed like every condition was out there, just to keep us on our toes, especially today!
Last night, the fajita and margarita party was excellent at the time, but made the 9:30 am start time a little tough to manage this morning (especially for Kim, who really shouldn't have had those last 2).
Dedicated crew hard at work
We had 2 nice races today, long 5 leggers that were a little over an hour long, put us back at the dock around noon. Harry continued the clinic he started yesterday with a first and second on Sunday and first overall. Congratulations to him and Adam Keene.
Harry and Adam picking up the loot
Second was Chris Danilek, third Peter Beam and we moved up to fourth. They had more food and awards, and we were on the road a little after 2-ish.
On route 26, just south of Columbia, we saw an interesting site. We thought, a submarine? Really??
Submarine guy doing about 53 mph! Ugh!!
6:15 entered Hardeeville, finished book (good work, Thorn – save the day, but lose the girl…ah, well), stopped for gas.
7:00-ish, the search for a hotel for the night begins. Exit 94 on I-95 had good restaurants, but none of the hotels looked great, maybe the cops in the parking lot, and the signs saying something like, "Not responsible for stolen items or cars" scared us away.
7:45 Exit 49 wins. Darien's Super 8 will be our home for the night. $50.00-cheap. We'll definitely Priceline something next time…
Last night, the fajita and margarita party was excellent at the time, but made the 9:30 am start time a little tough to manage this morning (especially for Kim, who really shouldn't have had those last 2).
Dedicated crew hard at work
We had 2 nice races today, long 5 leggers that were a little over an hour long, put us back at the dock around noon. Harry continued the clinic he started yesterday with a first and second on Sunday and first overall. Congratulations to him and Adam Keene.
Harry and Adam picking up the loot
Second was Chris Danilek, third Peter Beam and we moved up to fourth. They had more food and awards, and we were on the road a little after 2-ish.
On route 26, just south of Columbia, we saw an interesting site. We thought, a submarine? Really??
Submarine guy doing about 53 mph! Ugh!!
6:15 entered Hardeeville, finished book (good work, Thorn – save the day, but lose the girl…ah, well), stopped for gas.
7:00-ish, the search for a hotel for the night begins. Exit 94 on I-95 had good restaurants, but none of the hotels looked great, maybe the cops in the parking lot, and the signs saying something like, "Not responsible for stolen items or cars" scared us away.
7:45 Exit 49 wins. Darien's Super 8 will be our home for the night. $50.00-cheap. We'll definitely Priceline something next time…
Monday, November 2, 2009
Fall 48 Wrap Up
We are back home with FS 4901 and a pile of soaked sails to dry out. The drive home was uneventful which is good. We stopped for dinner Sunday and got a room without using Priceline which seemed a little wasteful with the good luck we've had. We arrived home early afternoon today to sunny weather and an expected high of 82 degrees, quite a change from Lake Norman.
Weather aside, we loved the club and could add that area to our ever growing list of summer getaway spots! We plan to return there again next fall for the FSSA Wife/Husband Regatta scheduled for October 9 and 10, 2010.
If you would like to see a little video clip from Sunday's race, here you go. It was taken from the clubhouse so it is a little far off but well worth watching.
One observation from being there and watching the video is Allan Terhune's (FS5761) technique is great in all conditions. This regatta really was a battle for second, third, etc, the winner was never in question.
The "Oops" boat in the video was our new boat which was being sailed by Hans Nordanus and John Wake. Hans was kind enough to bring the boat from Annapolis to LNYC where I could pick it up and take it back home to FL. It was good to see them going fast, hopefully I'll be able to do the same. Sadly, we discovered the mast was bent from the capsize, it is a gradual bend just below the topping lift tang. Harry Carpenter has a reputation for being an expert "mast straightener" so we will be calling on him in the near future. I am fairly certain it can be made good as new.
A limerick (inspired by Amy Miller) in honor of it all...
Scot racing at Lake Norman was grand
On Sunday it got out of hand
John and Hans went for a swim
From a boat owned by Dave and Kim
At least the mast didn't get stuck in the sand.
Weather aside, we loved the club and could add that area to our ever growing list of summer getaway spots! We plan to return there again next fall for the FSSA Wife/Husband Regatta scheduled for October 9 and 10, 2010.
If you would like to see a little video clip from Sunday's race, here you go. It was taken from the clubhouse so it is a little far off but well worth watching.
One observation from being there and watching the video is Allan Terhune's (FS5761) technique is great in all conditions. This regatta really was a battle for second, third, etc, the winner was never in question.
The "Oops" boat in the video was our new boat which was being sailed by Hans Nordanus and John Wake. Hans was kind enough to bring the boat from Annapolis to LNYC where I could pick it up and take it back home to FL. It was good to see them going fast, hopefully I'll be able to do the same. Sadly, we discovered the mast was bent from the capsize, it is a gradual bend just below the topping lift tang. Harry Carpenter has a reputation for being an expert "mast straightener" so we will be calling on him in the near future. I am fairly certain it can be made good as new.
A limerick (inspired by Amy Miller) in honor of it all...
Scot racing at Lake Norman was grand
On Sunday it got out of hand
John and Hans went for a swim
From a boat owned by Dave and Kim
At least the mast didn't get stuck in the sand.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
We don't need a bow bag!
Before we get to the racing business the Pricline/Fairfield deal was most excellent dude. I almost felt a little guilty about paying so little for a nice scene, Nah. Not really...
So Sunday morning is a little chilly and still very grey, the Weather Channel reports the local temp at 51 and wind NNW 13. Too be honest, it did not seem that cold when we left the hotel, maybe we have been hot too long, not sure. We are sure about a 9:30 warning signal being too freaking early. Things happen, or they should, but they take some time and 9:30 is not enough. The starting line is mostly downwind from the club, a good thing for us, as we sail toward the line we cannot decide if the class flag is up or not. On our way we see pass several boats returning to the club, cold and wet is the word. The prep flag is obvious, and though we are some distance away we are moving well and looking good for making the start. We arrive at the start line to a hale from our pal Mike Miller "minute 30" were are good to go. The breeze is up and the the start is clean. The only nagging thing is Kim heard the sound of something metal landing on the foredeck and looking quickly, thinks it may have been a clevis pin falling over the side. Hmmmmm, we have started and are on Staboard tack, that clevis pin is good. She asks me if I heard it and I really didn't, I'm hoping it is just the sound of a different boat. Time to tack to port and I hold my breath a little, tack finished and the rig is up so we are safe. We make our way up the beat and a after taking a few heavy puffs decide to head for the club which is easy since it means staying on starboard and sailing right into the cove. Days like this make sailing a borrowed boat a little nerve racking, definently the kind of day when a mishap can cause serious damage.
Several of our friends did very well today, and were pleased with their finishes. We watched some of the race and saw Joe and Stacey flying their chute after rounding the windard mark in second place, and Hans and John were kicking butt in our "new" boat FS4901 (they had towed it to Lake Norman for us, interestingly, Chris Smith, the previous owner, was crewing for Alan Terhune - they were in first, of course). We were busy putting the boat away, so we stopped spectating. Turns out, Hans and John were to be busy soon, too. The race was cut short, after the second upwind leg, so we met the folks coming in. There was a comment or 2 about H & J giving us a nice, clean boat. I first thought they were talking about the waves and spray, and the fresh water...then I heard they were probably cold, and someone said something about John getting his swim in for the morning. All of these comments were leading to a conclusion that I really did not want to think about. We can now confirm the lake is at least 25 feet deep, it's true, they were chilly, and had been towed in, and the boat was much cleaner than when we saw it on Sat. am when Hans had said the fateful words that would prove to haunt him..."Naw, we won't need a bow bag."
Go here for results
So Sunday morning is a little chilly and still very grey, the Weather Channel reports the local temp at 51 and wind NNW 13. Too be honest, it did not seem that cold when we left the hotel, maybe we have been hot too long, not sure. We are sure about a 9:30 warning signal being too freaking early. Things happen, or they should, but they take some time and 9:30 is not enough. The starting line is mostly downwind from the club, a good thing for us, as we sail toward the line we cannot decide if the class flag is up or not. On our way we see pass several boats returning to the club, cold and wet is the word. The prep flag is obvious, and though we are some distance away we are moving well and looking good for making the start. We arrive at the start line to a hale from our pal Mike Miller "minute 30" were are good to go. The breeze is up and the the start is clean. The only nagging thing is Kim heard the sound of something metal landing on the foredeck and looking quickly, thinks it may have been a clevis pin falling over the side. Hmmmmm, we have started and are on Staboard tack, that clevis pin is good. She asks me if I heard it and I really didn't, I'm hoping it is just the sound of a different boat. Time to tack to port and I hold my breath a little, tack finished and the rig is up so we are safe. We make our way up the beat and a after taking a few heavy puffs decide to head for the club which is easy since it means staying on starboard and sailing right into the cove. Days like this make sailing a borrowed boat a little nerve racking, definently the kind of day when a mishap can cause serious damage.
Several of our friends did very well today, and were pleased with their finishes. We watched some of the race and saw Joe and Stacey flying their chute after rounding the windard mark in second place, and Hans and John were kicking butt in our "new" boat FS4901 (they had towed it to Lake Norman for us, interestingly, Chris Smith, the previous owner, was crewing for Alan Terhune - they were in first, of course). We were busy putting the boat away, so we stopped spectating. Turns out, Hans and John were to be busy soon, too. The race was cut short, after the second upwind leg, so we met the folks coming in. There was a comment or 2 about H & J giving us a nice, clean boat. I first thought they were talking about the waves and spray, and the fresh water...then I heard they were probably cold, and someone said something about John getting his swim in for the morning. All of these comments were leading to a conclusion that I really did not want to think about. We can now confirm the lake is at least 25 feet deep, it's true, they were chilly, and had been towed in, and the boat was much cleaner than when we saw it on Sat. am when Hans had said the fateful words that would prove to haunt him..."Naw, we won't need a bow bag."
Go here for results
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Fall 48 at Lake Norman YC
We just got back to the room following a good day of racing. This is our first time visiting here, we had heard it was really nice but we were still impressed, what an awesome club/venue.
Here is one of the club docks from the porch
A view of the cove which is wrapped by club property
The weather was decidedly grey with some early fog/mist which became rain about the time we returned to the club. Three five leg windward leeward races were completed in about 8 to 12 knots of breeze. Allan Terhune with Kris Smith crewing have a commanding lead. We faile to visit the scoreboard before leaving the club so we don't know the actual results. Great reporting eh?!
We had two threes and maybe a 12, Hans had a couple of twos and maybe a six, Mike Miller is up there too so we see tomorrow.
Being Halloween there were some festive ones at the dinner I took some photos but the light was bad so they werent so good;
Here is our oldest skipper recieving an award
Stacey Brake the mermaid collecting and enjoying her prize
We will try to get an update up tomorrow before we hit the road for home.
Here is one of the club docks from the porch
A view of the cove which is wrapped by club property
The weather was decidedly grey with some early fog/mist which became rain about the time we returned to the club. Three five leg windward leeward races were completed in about 8 to 12 knots of breeze. Allan Terhune with Kris Smith crewing have a commanding lead. We faile to visit the scoreboard before leaving the club so we don't know the actual results. Great reporting eh?!
We had two threes and maybe a 12, Hans had a couple of twos and maybe a six, Mike Miller is up there too so we see tomorrow.
Being Halloween there were some festive ones at the dinner I took some photos but the light was bad so they werent so good;
Here is our oldest skipper recieving an award
Stacey Brake the mermaid collecting and enjoying her prize
We will try to get an update up tomorrow before we hit the road for home.
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