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HBYC Racing News

It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. We’ve had everything this year from shredded mainsails caused by too much wind, to races cancelled because the wind completely died. But through it all, the HBYC racing bunch keeps up the pressure and shows up to race.

We’ve completed the first four points races, with five more races to go. Still to run are the St. Martin’s, Hudson to Hooters, two fun races, and the soon-to-be-infamous Women at the Helm race. There will be more information forthcoming at the meetings, but rest assured the format will be varied and challenging.

The course layout of seven waypoints that do not change seems to be gaining favor among the racers at HBYC. Everyone seems to be comfortable with the locations of the turns, and the variety of courses that can be laid out so that they don’t have to race the same course all the time. I’ll continue to make the courses ‘interesting’ as we get more comfortable racing in close quarters.

If you haven’t signed up to race because you don’t think your boat is fast, remember that the races are all handicapped to allow for differences in vessel age, design, hull speed, etc. Come on out and have some fun with the club and see what you are missing. We continue to have great support from the powerboat crew as they time starts and finishes, lay out courses and generally keep the racers in line.

If you have questions, give me a call at 376-2501 and we’ll get you out for some fun racing with the HBYC group!

Your favorite racing director,

Jack

HBYC Racing

Upcoming Race Events St. Martin’s Race Update   It’s July, it’s hot, and it’s time for the St. Martin ’s race on July 26th, starting at 0800.  With the race starting that early and the course being the same as every other St. Martin ’s race, there seems to be no need for a captain’s meeting.  Here are the particulars.   Start will be at the normal location off Marker 2. All boats will start at the same time. Handicapping will be as with other HBYC races. St. Martin’s light must be rounded on the port side. The finish will be in the opposite direction as the start at the committee boat. The wind will cooperate, but if not the race may be called at the half-way point, at the committee boat’s discretion. Committee boat directions and announcements will take precedence on race day.  Please call the race director with questions at 376-2501.  All racers should let the director know of their desire to race prior to race weekend.         February 23rd Add to Calendar Race Coordinates: 1. 1 0 ft   0:00:00                    N28 21.339 W82 45.695  2. 2 0.6 nm 0.6 nm   219° mag N28 20.886 W82 46.050  3. 3 1.2 nm 0.6 nm   278° mag N28 20.928 W82 46.742  4. 4 1.7 nm 0.6 nm   340° mag N28 21.458 W82 47.013  5. 5 2.3 nm 0.6 nm   41° mag  N28 21.916 W82 46.624  6. 6 2.9 nm 0.6 nm   97° mag  N28 21.889 W82 45.958  7. 7 3.5 nm 0.6 nm   219° mag N28 21.404 W82 46.346  Next race Scheduled:   July 26              St Martin’s August 16         Women at the Helm September 27    Hudson to Hooters October 25        Drag Race November TBA   Fun Race

Hudson Weather Forecast, FL (34667) Type BOAT NAME CAPTAIN Length RATING Sandity Seaker Joe Murray Hunter 40 71.3 Pure Joy George Martin Telstar 28 78.0 Good Ship Lolli Roy Garcia Morgan36OI 82.0 Inspiration Guy Colson Pearson 34 79.0 Lady in Red Gene Michaux Alubat Ovni 35 82.0 Callystos Jim Glessner Catalina 320 80.9 Cat-Can-Do David Zimmer Seawind 24 79.0 Getaway David Zimmer Hobie Getaway 83.3 Ilikai Jim Kitzler Columbia 34 85.1 Katydid Jim Bradfield Columbia 34 85.1 Duntari John Cover Watkins 33 87.5 Time 2 Cruise Don Himes Catalina 31 88.0 Lagniappe Bill Deinema Morgan 33OI 88.1 Foxy Derek Bennett Hunter 30 90.1 Grafix Skip Beattie C&C 27 90.3 Czech Mate Peter Wierzbicki Catalina 27 TR 90.8 Jan's Song Dana Goodwin Morgan 25 91.0 Murph's Ark Tibor Kormanyos McGregor 26D 92.6 Soiree' Jack Kuhlmann McGregor 26D 92.6 Prime Time Gail Prine Com Pac 27 93.0 No Name Irwin Bill Piper Jr. Irwin 25 93.3 Angela M Bill Piper Bayfield 32 93.5 Sandollar Mike Ainsley Watkins 27 94.3 Mr. Lucky Frank Lomozik Gloucester 22 94.4 Esperanza Bill Kelly Tanzer 27 93.9 4 To Go Dave Zimmer Balboa 27 SB 95.6 Froggy Too Pete DelMar McGregor 25 96.0 Second Time Around Ed Gula McGregor 25 96.0 Gaia Mike Reed Catalina 22 96.3 Wayward Wind Curtis Jones Catalina 22 96.3 Why Not Mark Yacht Catalina 22 96.3 Lass Sea Frank Verbeke Clipper Marine 26 96.5 Voyager III Les Emery O'Day 23 98.6 Shark Bait Dave Clark Skipper 20 100.0 Sea Horse Al Friedmann Seaward 22 101.4 Moon Dance Deb Ferguson American 23 103.0 Bertha's Boat Tom Beck Lockey Newport 17 114.4 Watkins 17 Bill Piper Watkins 17 98   For Current points Standings - Click Here

Past Events & Articles CHECK PHOTO PAGE FOR PICTURES Scandia Cup Results April 2008 RACE RESULTS HERE!   AGAIN--- sailors who have not raced and would like to give it a try, please contact the race Director. . Crew looking for a ride, try and set it up before the race. If not show up at the captains meeting. Power Boats ---- Looking to get a great tan and a chance to watch a bunch of “sail boaters” try and save fuel buy utilizing the wind ??? call me if you think you would like to be a committee boat. (It’s a very prestigious position but the pay is lousy!)

HBYC 2008 RACING RULES / SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: COMMUNICATION: VHF 72 Use low power (5W) whenever possible. Keep channel clear for race committee use unless necessary to communicate with another vessel.   SAFETY: Regardless of the rules, right of way or other conditions, use common sense at all times and avoid injuring anyone or any boat. HBYC strongly encourages all participants to wear USCG approved personal flotation devices.   PROTESTS: There are no protests. Participants shall be familiar with the rules and exercise good judgment at all times.   START: Each boat will start on the GPS time designated by the race chairman. Start will be between the YELLOW FLAG on the committee boat and starting buoy unless otherwise noted. Five minutes prior to the start, all boats must be behind the start line. Boats over 27 feet shall keep clear of the starting area five minutes before the start time for the 27 and under boats to give them time and room to stage. When the 27 and under boats start, larger boats can then move to the starting area to stage.   FINISH: End of race will be same as start line, and in same direction as start unless otherwise noted. Boats should note their finish time.   OVER EARLY: If a boat crosses the start line early, it will sail clear of the course and around to the pre-start side of the line and start again. She will stay clear of other boats and has NO rights until she is behind the start line.   ROUNDING MARKS: Round all marks on the PORT side of the boat unless otherwise noted at the captain’s meeting.   ROOM AT THE MARK: The boat furthest from the mark shall give room to the inside boat at the mark and the start.   TOUCHING A MARK: A boat touching a mark must, as soon as safely possible and before passing the next mark, execute a 360 degree turn while keeping clear of all other boats. Until the 360 degree penalty turn is executed, she has NO rights of way. OVERTAKING BOAT: The overtaking boat must keep clear of the boat it is trying to pass. The boat being overtaken shall not sail above or below proper course to block.   OPPOSITE TACK: When two or more boats are on opposite tacks, the boat on a starboard tack (wind over starboard rail) has the right of way.   SAME TACK: When two or more boats are on the same tack and overlapped, the windward boat (closest to wind) shall keep clear of the leeward boat.   PENALTIES: A 360 turn will be required for ANY violation of the rules. Until the penalty turn is completed, the burdened vessel has no rights   SAILS: No spinnakers are allowed unless otherwise noted. Genoas are limited to approximately 150%.

2008 Race Results

Scandia Cup Race Report

There is only one Scandia Cup, but a lot of Scandia Cup races. The latest one was quite the test of men and machines. Here’s what happened.

The captain’s meeting was held on the driveway at the commodore’s house because of the idiots watching the sunset at the pavilions. Don’t they know that this sunset thing happens every single day? Seems to me that they could have watched some other day, or from their own yard, so that we could have had room for the serious business of sailboat racing. Most of the captains caught on to the rules and course layout, so we left it at that.

Two heavyweights came out to officiate and keep order amongst the fleet. Morris Williams and his son brought their cruiser, and Mike and Mary Reed brought Eden to be the start/stop/wait boat. (This part will make more sense in a minute.) No sooner did Morris get on site to place the buoys than he burnt a fuel line in two and had to stop. The fact that he burnt a fuel line in two and didn’t ignite the entire vessel is food for thought. Eden and Soirée joined forces to place the markers, and the racers got ready to rumble.

Here’s an excerpt from some radio traffic, to my best recollection:

Boat A: “Committee boat, committee boat, this is Boat A checking in.”

Committee boat: “Please hold all checkins until the committee boat is ready.”

Later.

Boat B: “Committee boat, committee boat, this is Boat B checking in.”

Committee boat: “There are no checkins! There will be no checking in until the committee boat says there will be checking in. Is that clear?”

Much later.

Committee boat: “The committee boat is now ready to accept checkins. Would all racing boats starting with the letters A through M check in at this time. Boats starting with N through Z will check in next.”

I’ve been racing here for three years, and this is the most orderly checkin process I have ever heard. The normally rowdy racers were all of a sudden the “Yes, sir” crowd, and it was something to behold. I’ll have to remember that in the future.

After the brusque conversation about checking in, racers were not willing to ask many questions about the start. Normally, it goes something like “Racers, this is your five minute warning in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Mark.” That day, here’s what the fleet heard…”Racers………..uh, your five minute mark was a couple of seconds ago.” While AJ starts boats with “The start is in 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, Start”, this day the boats heard…..”2,1,Go!” Nobody said a word.

The racers? Oh, I almost forgot. Eight racers signed up, and it would have been nine if T-Bone hadn’t shelled out a wheel bearing on the trailer and couldn’t get it fixed in time. Racing were Cat-Can-Do, Dunteri, Froggy Too, Grafx, Lady in Red, Pure Joy, Soirée, and Time 2 Cruise. A thirteen- knot wind out of the south made for a course that could be run without a tack, and almost everyone was happy about that.

The small boat start was great with no bruises or bumps. Starts are getting to be more exciting as experience and trust become the norm, as shown by three of the big boats crossing the start line within five seconds elapsed time. Five of the eight starters were across the line within 18 seconds of their respective start times. That ain’t bad. To top it off, of the eight boats starting, the average time lapse between the gun and their crossing the start line was 39 seconds. Compare that to the starts of a couple years ago. This club is stepping up, learning from the past, and striving to do better on the racecourse. It makes a race director proud. (Sniff.)

The course was a switchback involving all five buoys, liked by some and loathed by others. PureJoy and Froggy had their irons in the fire, Grafx was on a search for Teflon coatings on leg two, Lady in Red was loaded for bare, Dunteri was defending her honor, Cat Can Do was cutting a wide swath after the first leg, Time 2 Cruise was hanging on and Soirée was using their new race motto. When the foam settled, so to speak, the results of the 2008 Scandia Cup were:

Third Place : Grafx

Second Place : Lady in Red

First Place : Soirée

Many thanks to Reeds’ and Williams’ for their valiant work corralling the fleet for this race. We couldn’t do it without them, and they are appreciated more than they know. Tell them thanks when you have a chance!

And that’s the way I saw it.

April race report

April Race Picture Gallery

It was promised to be a hoot, and as the day went on, it got hooter. The promise of picking your own handicap was fulfilled, and nine boats signed up for the event: Grafx, Time 2 Cruise, Mr. Lucky, Inspiration, Murph’s Ark, Lady in Red, Good Ship Lollipop, Soirée, and Wayward Wind. The captains were very good about getting out as early as they could to take advantage of the wind and beat the storm that was forecast to blow in after noon.

Forever Young II set up at the start with Dunlop’s and Seier’s on board. AJ may have a vocation as announcer as his voice on the radio calling out start numbers was noted to be very clear and concise. Happ Harrison set up at turn one, Dennis and Ann Ballard at turn two, and George Martin and Vera set up at the final turn before the downwind leg home to the starter boat and buoy. By the time the race started at 1130, it was a very good thing that there were boats at the turns, since the buoys were appearing and disappearing in the waves of a Force 4 wind out of the south.

In the smaller-boat start, Soirée got the lead out of the chute, with Murph’s Ark in hot pursuit, followed by Grafx and Mr. Lucky. Skip gave up a little time at the start, but was making it up rapidly on one leg…I mean leg one. Frank had Bob Straus on board to keep him in control, and had reefed the main in anticipation of a fast course. T-Bone and Laura were flying a lot of cloth and passed Soirée with a vengeance ahead of turn one. It’s notable that T-Bone was having a tussle with his rudder since it had slipped its tether and was trailing his boat by over 30º from vertical. It was a problem, but he was handling it well…without a life jacket as he was hanging over gudgeons outside the boat. Wayward Wind had dropped out due to a tiller that was broken dealing with the increasing wind, even before the race started.

About this time, the bigger boats were getting ready to start. It is a testament to good boat handling and captain’s skills that all five of the over-27’s started within 49 seconds of the gun at 1140. It got interesting really fast as the smaller boats rounded turn one. It was a close-haul to turn two, in now-18 knot winds and building seas. On Soirée, the thoughts of eating lunch on the racecourse quickly turned to thoughts of how to replace the pitcher-full of Mary’s bloody Mary’s that were sloshing around on the cabin floor. T-Bone was trying to reef their main on Murph’s Ark, as was Skip on Grafx, and the word mayhem was muttered onboard more than one vessel. Soirée’s first mate had urged him to double reef the main and fly the smaller jib for this race, and heeding her advice kept him out of the dog house, so to speak.

About the time that the larger boats set out, the wind went up to Force 5, and simple tasks onboard got more difficult by the minute. Dennis and Ann were taking water over the bow on Tropical Intrusion, as was Curious George, but that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm as the fleet passed their marks. A better cheering section would be hard to find, especially on a day like this. At Happ’s boat, the lineup was LIR, Inspiration, T2C and Good Ship Lolli. Attrition was the rule of the day as boats started to DOR in the second lap, either because of the impending tide fall, or the wind and waves. Luck was with the club in that no one got hurt controlling their craft and all made it to the dock safely. The order of boat’s gross elapsed times was Lady in Red, Inspiration, Soirée, and Time 2 Cruise. When the fun race handicaps were applied, the winner was

Inspiration- First Place

Soirée- Second Place

Lady in Red - Third Place

Time 2 Cruise - Fourth Place

Special thanks to Happ Harrison, George Martin and Vera, Dennis Ballard and Ann, AJ and Linda Seier, and Fred and Nancy Dunlop for their untiring efforts to stay dry and keep the contestants inspired. Thanks also for all the pictures of the event.

March Race Report

The calls started coming in on Friday, saying that race day wouldn’t be fit for sailing. The wind was supposed to be up, along with the waves, and that’s exactly the way it turned out. Racing for HBYC was postponed until Sunday, hoping for better weather and warmer temperatures. In weather observance, there is a breeze, and then there is a wind. Overnight, the wind kept blowing.

Showing up to race were Callystos, Time 2 Cruise, Lady in Red, Grafx, Cat Can Do, No Name Watkins, and Soirée. The captain’s meeting was quick and to the point. Cool weather gear was mixed with shirtsleeves, and opinions as to whether or not we should race were mixed as well. The race was scheduled to start 45 minutes late to accommodate the deep draft boats. While we waited, the wind kept blowing.

The first sign that we might be in for a tussle with this year’s Spring Fling was when Curious George was forced to throw in the towel while still in the channel next to Sam’s. Apparently George Martin had opted to save some money when he filled the fuel tank, substituting water for the ever higher priced gasoline that the motor was used to. That’s when the Evinrude went on strike. Lady in Red was quick to turn back and pick up the turn markers and bring them to the course, where Soirée waited to help set them out. While they waited, the wind kept blowing.

Forever Young II posted on site to be the northern mark of the start gate. The racers didn’t know that Tom Sperry had been to early services at church that morning, and heard about the Eye of the Needle in old Jerusalem, and consequently set the start opening at just that width. Since there were only seven boats signed up to race, the start was all or nothing, abandoning the staggered start in favor of a lemming-like run for the line. LIR was throwing her weight around and picking on Grafx, while Callystos and Soirée were dueling for rights at the line. Just then, Cat Can Do came on the VHF with the news that her mainsail had shredded and she was retiring. While we watched David reef the torn sail and try to get back in the running, the wind kept blowing.

The No Name Watkins was circling upwind from the start, keeping her distance and loading sandbags on the windward rail. About that time, Bill Piper changed her name to No RadioWatkins, as his handheld went on the fritz. His plan was to simply wait until the other boats got done squeezing through the start gate and then he would know the race had started. All were accounted for…except Time 2 Cruise. Just as the horn sounded and the race commenced, Time 2 Cruise burst across the line with froth coming off her stern, headed for the first mark. We’re not sure who was sailing her, but that boat was a picture to behold as she tore up the course, leaving the rest of the fleet in her wake. LIR took a penalty turn after edging Grafx too close to the committee boat, showing the fleet how to be competitive and fair at the same time. Soirée crossed next, and was in good position to admire the stern of Time 2 Cruise for the entire first leg. She was hauling the mail, because the wind was definitely still blowing.

A small wind shift just before the first turn made it interesting for the group. A tack was necessary, and LIR and T2C were in very close proximity after the turn, giving each other words of encouragement, I’m sure. Callystos was passing Soirée just prior to the tack when Soirée’s boom, carrying a double-reefed main, came into intimate contact with the side of the captain’s head. (Note to self: the boom hangs lower when the main is reefed.) It wouldn’t have hurt nearly as much if the wind hadn’t still been blowing.

Grafx was gaining, No Name Watkins was gaining, Soirée was holding her own with Callystos, but T2C and LIR were running away with the race. Win or lose, the vision of big headsails trimmed just right and boats leaning with the wind was a sight to behold. No more blood was shed and all finished with smiles on their faces. Pizza and beer were the order of the day, along with sweatshirts and pants, and a great time was had by all. The rain waited until the race was over, but the wind was still blowing.

Special thanks to Forever Young II and Curious George for their tireless efforts to make this racing season the best ever.

Third place trophy- Soirée

Second place trophy- Time 2 Cruise

First place trophy- Lady in Red

Remember the next race on April 5 th, the dreaded Arrowhead course of 1-6-4-2-1, twice around. I can almost guarantee it will be a hoot.

And that’s how I saw it.

Jack

February Race Report

I don’t know if I’m cut out for this kind of pressure. February’s race was another contest where, after an hour and twenty minutes of racing, a mere 45 seconds separated the first and second places. It’s enough to drive a person to drink…

The captain’s meeting was a short and sweet affair dedicated to weather forecasting. Yours truly thought that the front would blow through in time, and he was lucky enough to guess correctly. Race time would find us with ample wind and nine boats ready to rumble under a partly cloudy sky. On the course for the second race of the season were Inspiration, Foxy, Can-can-do, Time 2 Cruise, Lady in Red, Grafx, Callystos, Voyager III, and Soirée. Present to officiate, and break up any fistfights, were Forever Young II, Tropical Intrusion, Happ’s No Name Boat, and Papa Kilo. We were very fortunate to have several committee boats volunteered to help. In fact, there were enough to have a boat at every turn of the 1-6-5-4-1 course. Then the plot began to thicken.

The plan was for the boats waiting at the turns to be inside the course just opposite the marker buoys. Racers had sailed to within a quarter-mile of the first turn and the committee boat was there, but no buoy was visible. The radio channel was abuzz with speculation as to what the rules would have to say about the missing buoys and the approaching racers. Just then, the Vice Commodore made his appearance on the scene, and the resulting parade reminded me of fending off bucket calves back on the farm. Here was Papa Kilo with orange buoys in the back of the boat, and sailboats following him like they were needing fed. Just to keep it interesting, after placing the first marker, Vice Com just kept ambling on towards the next turn with Cat-can-do in hot pursuit. (It made me think of Calf-can-do but I’m kinda twisted like that.) David swears he would have been much faster if he hadn’t had to wait on the turn markers.

But they were here to race, and race they did. The racing seminars held by John and Ray were beginning to bear fruit in that there were boats actually sailing next to each other and not fearing for their lives. Lady in Red was carrying a complete family reunion along with a newspaper reporter and a winch grinder, so they had to be on their best behavior. Best behavior meant that they couldn’t curse and throw things when Soirée baited them with the Burgee de PP, and it also meant that they couldn’t ram her with witnesses on board. Both boats sailed side by side, politely discussing the rules of right of way as they headed for the finish line…behind Cat-can-do. The rest of the field had judiciously decided to fight their own battles and stay out of the way as these two jostled for position ahead of the final turn. The wind had died considerably, so it wasn’t the fast action of a slide into home plate, but rather the much slower pace of old folks softball. As a side note, the Commodore noted that he had some ideas for new sails for Lady in Red, if he could get Chrissie to go along with it. All made it in safely, and vacated the course for a cold iced tea and victuals at Martin Manor.

If you haven’t already, please take a minute to thank Forever Young II, Tropical Intrusion, Happ’s No Name, and Papa Kilo for their tireless work on the race course. This event wouldn’t be much fun without their efforts and oversight.

First Race award: Voyager III

Third Place award: Cat-Can-Do

Second Place award: Lady in Red

First Place award: Soirée

See you in a week or so for 1-5-7-4-2-1 on March 8 th. It’s the first trophy race of the year, and only costs $10.

If you haven’t signed up for the racing practical exercises on the 6 th, it’s not too late!

See you on the water.

Jack

January 2008

January Race Results

I should have seen it coming. No one ran against me for Race Director, and I wondered why. Now I know. Herding cats is nothing compared to holding a captain’s meeting with the Hoodlums from Hudson. But, with some gentle cajoling, waivers were signed and the course was laid out. Questions were few, which is a good sign, isn’t it?

Papa Kilo , with Paul and Denise and son on board did a perfect job of setting out the buoys at the traditional marks for the fun triangle; now known as 1-5-3-1 (to most of the racers…more on that in a minute).

Showing up to race for the ’08 inaugural were Foxy, Murph’s Ark, Time 2 Cruise, Inspiration, Grafx, Esperanza, Soirée (the former M²), Lady in Red, Mr. Lucky, Lagniappe, and some new boat named Cat-can-do. (We’ll get to this new guy in a minute, too.) The small boats were to get the gun at 1445, and the bruins would leave 10 minutes later. Most of the bruins, that is: two of them were late. Why, you might ask.

Inspiration was headed out for the race, and was waylaid by engine trouble. Those of you who know Guy Colson’s email address will no doubt be shocked to know that his vessel could not pass gas, so it would not run. A quick call on the VHF was all it took for Lagniappe to respond to the emergency and tow the stricken vessel back to port. ZZZRRPPPZZZZ(rewind) …was all it took for Lagniappe to respond and tow the stricken vessel back to port. ZZZRRRRPPPPPZZZZ…LAGNIAPPE towing another vessel instead of being towed? What in the name of SeaTow? Sandbar Bill gained some instant redemption for past deeds, but at a cost. Bill was late to the start line, but was granted leniency by the start committee of George and Vera (cute couple, huh?) on Curious George.

In the lead at the line was Soirée, but something didn’t look right. What didn’t look right was the fact that she was loaded like a Cuban immigrant scow. It looked like standing room only on her, but it also looked like a fun time was being had by all. Close on her poop was Murph’s Ark, captained by T-bone and his lovely bride Laura. (I told my son in law Tibor’s real name, but he insisted that T-bone was more fun, and it stuck, at least for the day.) Following close behind were Grafx, Mr. Lucky, Esperanza and …what the hell was that streaking past? Ever see a Porsche pass you with a dog hanging its head out the window? It looked like David Zimmer, but all we could see was someone squinting with tears streaming from his eyes. Was it the wind? Or was it the sheer joy of running, like a newborn colt that discovers he has legs. We wondered why David was shouting “1-3-1-3”. As it turned out, these were the map coordinates that he was going to run, over and over and over. Race? What race? This was a man overtaken by the joy of running in the wind. Papa Kilo barely had the number 2 turn buoy set out when the cat streaked by, with David still hanging his head out the window.

About this time, the large boats were fighting for space at the line, and Lady in Red had somewhat of a rude awakening. Not only was she 10 seconds earlier than she wanted to be, but Foxy was occupying her normal spot at the start line. While Gene was looking for some unsuspecting soul to sell his 10 extra seconds to, Time 2 Cruise was sneaking up like something from the movie Jaws. Her tactics made one think there might be a hired gun onboard. No fouls at the start, so off they went, followed a couple minutes later by Saint Bill, who was breaking out a can of Brasso and polishing his halo on Lagniappe.

Poseidon saw how much fun the fleet was having, and decided to have his way with them. The wind started to die, the fog started to roll in, and the boats began to DOR. T-bone and Soirée were still duking it out, with LIR sneaking past to finish first on the water. The final leg found a bunch of boats bunched up in a bunch, with Grafx trying to decide whether or not getting out the whisker pole made good use of his time. It may have looked like a relaxed race, yet only 46 seconds separated the first three places after handicaps were applied. Now that’s racing! As the fleet was leaving the field, in the foggy distance could be heard a mysterious canine howl, followed by “1-3-1-3….” All the contestants made it in to the docks in fine shape, and there was a rumor of a party at some abandoned house with a pool. What happens in the pool stays in the pool.

Special thanks to Paul, Denise, George, and Vera for their excellent committee boat execution. Also, it’s great to have Mr. Lucky back on the racecourse!

First Race award- Cat-Can-Do Captained by David Zimmer

First place- T-bone and Laura on Murph’s Ark

Second place- Jack and Brenda on Green Card (Soirée)

Third place- Gene and Chrissie on Lady in Red

See you on the water for 1-6-5-4-1 on February 23 rd!

And that’s the way I saw it.

Jack!