The Executive Committee of the International Lightning Class has selected Cedar Point as the host and venue for the 2013 International Lightning Class North American Championship and Nyack Boat Club as host for the corresponding North American Woman's, Juniors and Masters Championship event.

The final results for the Summer Series have been posted.  Congrats to this year's overall winner, Josh Goldman, who had an average finish of 1.08 with drops (1.5 without)!  Dick Thackaberry also continues to impress, finishing 2nd for the season, with a 91% participation rate.  Overall, the fleet had 7 qualifiers for the year. 

1 - Goldman - 1.08
2 - Thackaberry - 2.27
3 - Bogardus / Swann - 2.43
4 - Fried - 2.64
5 - Heller - 2.89
6 - Ratcliffe - 5.29
7 - Bates - 5.55

8 additional boats participated over the course of the season, but did not qualify.

Notice of Race (NOR) and Sailing Instructions (SI) for the 10/1 and 10/2 Lightning Fall Classic Regatta have been posted.  The CPYC House Band will be playing Saturday night.  Come one, come all!

After light winds for the harbor start, it turned into another beautiful day on Monday, 9/5 with wind peaking at 18 kts from the South for the 2nd race.  Congrats to Josh for winning the weekend and locking up the overall Summer Series!  The rest of the Summer Series scoring will now be up to Boxberger to calculate; however, we did end up with 7 qualifiers!

Don't forget our Fall Classic Regatta on 10/1 and 10/2 (the House Band will be performing Saturday night)!  Also, applications for winter storage are due 11/1; all other boats must be removed by 11/15.

Overall Cup Weekend Results
---------------------------
1 - Goldman (4 pts)
2 - Fried (13 pts)
3 - Bogardus (18 pts)
4 - Thackaberry (18 pts)
5 - Heller (20 pts)
6 - Bates (24 pts)

Monday, 9/5
--------------

Race 1
------
1 - Goldman
2 - Fried
3 - Bogardus
4 - Bates (2 person boat - counts towards Summer Series only)

Race 2
------
1 - Bogardus
2 - Goldman
3 - Fried

Saturday, 9/3:
--------------

Beautiful day on Saturday, 9/3 (Winds 7 - 15 out of the SW)! Some tight
finishes in the 3-4-5 positions; not so much for 1-2. Two races completed; same
finishes for both.

Race 1 and 2:
--------------
1 - Goldman
2 - Thackaberry
3 - Heller
4 - Fried
5 - Bates

The magic number to qualify for the Summer Series is now down to 6. The following people have already qualified: Fried, Goldman, Thackaberry, and Ratcliffe. With 5 Race Days remaining, the following people are still in the hunt:  Heller - 4, Lutian - 3, Bates - 3, Bogardus/Swan – 3*, Boxberger - 2, Howe - 2, Radecki – 1, Marselli – 1, Millhiser – 1*, Cuccio – 1, and Proctor – 1*. (* = +1 pot. Race Day Credit if 3 additional Race Days are completed (i.e. there is 1 race day credit for every 5 race days completed with 3 max)).   Those that have qualified still have the incentive of dropping every 7^th race.

The final Doodle Poll for August and Labor Day weekend has been sent out (http://doodle.com/n3gv2p63dv3si87n); please enter your planned race dates. The final Max Participation Day is August 20 with cookout afterwards and the Rear Commodore's Cup is 9/3 (Sat) and 9/5 (Mon) for Lightnings.

Congrats to Ched Proctor with crew Justin Coplan and Stephanie Swan for their 2nd up in Mallets Bay, VT for ACCs! Dave Peck from Niantic was 1st and Peter Hall from Canada (this year's CT/RI Districts winner) was 3rd. Josh Goldman with crew Chris Morgan and Monica Trejoe ended up 10th (including a 2nd in Race 2) in the 40 boat fleet.

Back on the home front, in what may have been the best conditions of the year, Dick Thackaberry won both races and Dave Marseli made his first appearance with Mary Margaret Poster crewing in 10-20 knot winds from the NW. 7/30 results were as follows: Race 1: 1 - Thackaberry, 2 - Marseli, DNF - Ratcliffe. Race 2: 1 - Thackaberry, 2 - Ratcliffe, 3 - Marseli.

The top 5 Lightnings from the Commodore's Cup over July 4th weekend was as follows:  (1) Goldman, (2) Fried, (3) Thackaberry, (4) Ratcliffe, and (5) Howe.

The Doodle (participation) poll for July Fleet Racing has been sent out and the latest series results have been posted. The next Max Participation Day is July 23 with cookout and pool party afterwards at the Wagners/Myersons.  The 16th will include a crew skippering race for Race 2 (if the wind allows) - scores from which will not be counted.

The Flying Scots are looking for clean up help as part of their NA's event at the club on Thursday, July 14. Please contact Marv Pozefsky, mlp8415@gmail.com, if able to assist.

8 CPYC boats at Districts!  Ched Proctor with Jay Mueller and Jay Lurie came in 2nd behind former World Champion, Peter Hall from Canada and thus was our District Champion.  Congrats to them!  Josh Goldman finished 3rd and Gianni Cuccio edged out Bill Bogardus in a tie-breaker for 5th.  Special thanks to the Thackaberry's and our PRO Dick who managed to get 5 races in.  See the following link for full results:  http://lightningclass.org/racing/results/2011/ctridistricts.asp .

Doodle Poll has gone out for the Commodore's Cup this weekend (not sure if this link works, but skippers should have received separate e-mail invitations: http://doodle.com/u6ahh73zg3gm96yz
).  Lightnings will race Saturday, July 2 and Monday, July 4 only.  Make sure you RSVP with the club for the cookout on Monday after racing.

As a reminder, people are asked to remove their boats from the drystall area after racing on the 4th to make room for the Flying Scot Nationals the following weekend.  There is no club racing on July 9.

10 boats on the starting line on 6/18!  The latest Summer Series standings have been posted.  8 CPYC'ers planning to race at CT/RI Districts at Housatonic Boat Club (Stratford, CT) on 6/25 and 6/26.

Itching to give Lightning racing a try?  There are currently two fleet boats available if you are interested in joining the Lightning Fleet on Saturday, June 18, for the first Max. Participation Day.  There will be a fleet cookout afterwards and as an added bonus, if you register and participate in Saturday's event, you are eligible for lots of great prizes as part of the Summer Sailstice celebration (see http://summersailstice.com/content2/248/ and choose "CPYC Lightning Fleet 126 Max. Participation Day" as the event).

E-mail Eric Heller at ebheller@yahoo.com for fleet boat sign-up or to inquire about potential crewing opportunities (this Saturday or anytime during the season).

Note:  The Lightning Fleet will be away June 25 - 26, competing in the CT/RI Districts at Housatonic Boat Club in Stratford, CT.

Based on the Doodle Polls and other input received, I've posted a tracking file with the planned participation for all Summer Series (and some regatta) dates. I will plan to post weekly files, with additional updates as warranted. Don't forget the first Max Participation Day is June 18. Hope to see everyone there!
~Eric

http://www.cedarpointyc.org/Lightning/LightningLibraryRaceResults/tabid/130/Default.aspx

Vice Commodore's Cup - Lightnings
May 28 and 30, 2011 Special thanks to the Bates for hosting the cookout on May 30!
		28-May		30-May
Pl	Skipper	R1	R2	R3	R4	T
1	Josh Goldman	1	1	1	1	4
2	Dick Thackaberry	2	3	4	2	11
3	David Fried	3	4	2	3	12
4	Eric Heller	4	2	3	4	13
5	Alan Bates	6	6	5	5	22
6	Rod Ratcliffe	5	5	6	7/DNF	23

Kudos to Rod Ratcliffe, Dick Thackaberry, and all else that helped put on a great Early Bird regatta on May 21. Despite a foggy and windless start to the day, Dick managed to get 3 races in. (There were even reports of whitecaps later in the afternoon.)  Thanks to all who participated in this year's regatta.  Despite taking the scenic route from Quebec, Canada, Peter Hall made it worth his while by winning all 3 races.  Cedar Pointers Charlie Proctor (also a current Tufts Jumbo) and Dave Fried came in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.  Full race results are pasted below.  Also, congratulations to Lightning sailor, Josh Goldman, who won the Flying Scot event.

Cedar Point Yacht Club
2011 Early Bird Regatta - Lightnings
May 21, 2011
Place	Sail #	Skipper / Crew	From	1	2	3	T
1	15210	Peter Hall / Chantel Leger / Megan Armitage	Royal St. Lawrence YC, Quebec, Canada	1	1	1	3
2	14821	Charlie Proctor / Bill Dodge / Jay Mueller	Cedar Point YC	3	2	2	7
3	14889	David Fried / Maureen Castruccio / Valerie Nanni	Cedar Point YC	7	3	3	13
4	15132	Brian Gibbs / Mike Bogidman / Ty Whitman	Rowley, MA	5	4	4	13
5	14808	John Boxberger / John Howland / Ben	Cedar Point YC	2	5	7	14
6	15296	Ryan Sprole / Beryl Bell / Stephanie Johanson	Nyack Boat Club	8	6	5	19
7	15400	Tim Millhiser / Brouck Anderson / Lilli Millhiser	Madison, CT	6	8	6	20
8	15232	Robert Hall / Paul Gallagher	Lake Wallenpaupack, PA	4	9	11	24
9	14807	Dave Marseli / Mike McBride / Rod Ratcliffe	Cedar Point YC	9	7	8	24
10	15395	Alan Bates / Lydia Bates / Natalie Bates	Cedar Point YC	11	10	9	30
11	15356	John Greifzu Jr. / Mike Borak / Elizabeth Ervin	Darien, CT	10	11	10	31
RC Chair: Dick Thackaberry
Jury Chair: Brian Joyce
Scorekeeper: Kathy Thackaberry / Hank Sykes
Regatta Chair: Rod Ratcliffe

Season Series final scores/standings are posted:

http://www.cedarpointyc.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=K7pbU4ZoEfc%3d&tabid=130&mid =564

Congratulations to Josh Goldman, the new Lightning Fleet 126 Season Series Champion!!!

We have 5 Season Series Qualifiers this year:

(1)    93.5%    Josh Goldman
(2)    86.0%    Dick Thackaberry
(3)    83.5%    David Fried
(4)    77.0%    Eric Heller
(5)    68.4%    Rod Ratcliffe

The Cups were awarded as follows:

Vice Commodore's Cup (Memorial Day)
(1) Josh Goldman
(2) David Howe
(3) David Fried

Commodore's Cup (July 4th)
(1) Eric Heller
(2) Dick Thackaberry
(3) Josh Goldman

Rear Commodore's Cup (Labor Day)
(1) Dick Thackaberry
(2) David Fried
(3) David Howe

Fleet 126 – Cedar Point Yacht Club, Westport, CT

Captain: David Fried

Secretary: David Marseli

Treasurer: Dick Thackaberry

Cedar Point Yacht Club has been home to Lightning Fleet 126 for over 40 years.  CPYC hosted Lightning North American Championships in 2003 and Atlantic Coast Championships in 2007.  Fleet 126 races every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  On the major holiday weekends (Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day), we sail 3-day regattas culminating with club barbeques in a competitive Commodore’s Cup Series.   We also host two invitational regattas.  The Early Bird Regatta takes place the weekend before Memorial Day, and is hosted together with the Flying Scot Fleet.  The Fall Classic takes place the last weekend in September and is run in conjunction with the Thistle Fontelieu Regatta.  The parties at these regattas are becoming legendary, so if there’s any way you can attend, you’ll be happy you came.

The 2008 season started out really well at Cedar Point Yacht Club, with a terrific Early Bird Regatta.  Gianni Cuccio chaired the regatta, which included a North Sails rigging and tuning clinic for us and the Flying Scots.  The racing was tight, with a competitive fleet.  Dave Peck from Niantic out-dueled Gianni for the title, but everyone had a lot of fun, and the North Sails video analysis helped everyone shake off the early season rust.

With North Americans in nearby Newport, we knew Districts was going to be a tough regatta.  So we all spent a lot of time getting ready.  PRO Harrison Gill served the Lightning fleet well again, getting off 4 races over 2 days for the 26 boat fleet.  Gianni Cuccio, Josh Goldman, Dick Thackabery, Ched Proctor and Eric Heller all qualified for NAs.  At NAs a few weeks later, Ched took 11^th, Gianni took 20^th in the Championship Fleet, and Josh took 22^nd in the President’s Fleet.

The 2008 club racing season was a steady season for Fleet 126.  2007 was a season of stellar growth for us, increasing boats on the course and qualifiers.  So, we had a hard act to follow this year.  But we managed to eke out one extra race day this season with 30 races over 15 days.  We had a few more total boats competing in the season, recording 162 total finishes in the season series.  Beating our 2007 numbers was encouraging, but we’re looking forward to an even stronger 2009 with some new boats coming to CPYC and hopefully expanding the fleet even more. 

Fall Classic was a bit of a disappointment, with a terrible weather forecast scaring off most of the fleet.  We ended up with three good races on the first day in iffy weather, with the second day getting cancelled.  Josh Goldman won the event with David Fried in second and visiting skipper Bob Hall from Lake Wallenpaupack taking 3^rd place.

Gianni Cuccio has had a tough stretch… he has not won the fleet championship in two seasons.  His streak of 15 consecutive championships was ended in 2006 by his daughter Laura.  And last year Johnny Jr. took home the championship trophy, named for Gladys Cuccio, Gianni’s mother.  Gianni got back on the tiller this season, and left very little doubt about the final season rankings, winning the Vice Commodore’s Cup, the Commodore’s Cup, the Rear Commodore’s Cup and the Gladys Cuccio Season Championship Trophy.

The major award of Fleet 126 is the Dayton Titsworth Trophy, awarded by the Lightning Fleet to the member who encourages sportsmanship, camaraderie and the love of sailing as exemplified by Dayton Titsworth.  This year we recognized a skipper who has represented Fleet 126 and CPYC well, both in our home waters and at all levels of travel regattas.  Every year, he battles fiercely with our fleet champion, but always in a sportsmanlike manner.  It’s clear that his competitive intensity is more about being on the race course and enjoying himself, rather than the absolute outcome.  He’s always been quick to help out with gear or advice, and he makes a solid regatta travel partner.  All of us in Fleet 126 have been lucky to have this skipper in the fleet.  The 2008 recipient of the Dayton Titsworth Award is Josh Goldman.

If you are interested in coming to Cedar Point Yacht Club to try out a Lightning, we have a very competitive Fleet boat.  Contact Fleet Captain David Fried (friedd_76@yahoo.com), and he’ll reserve it for you.  Or, if you’re interested in crewing, contact anyone in Fleet 126, and they’ll most likely be glad to have you on board.  At CPYC, we offer dinghy friendly facilities and top-notch race committee work.  We hope to see you out on the water next season.