Thanks for a great season!  Many of you contributed to a fine season, we owe special gratitude to Storm & Cleody Snaith, Dona Menton, Jamie Ewing, Beth & Jay Lurie.  Also thanks to Jim Saxe for his organization and work for the Rear Commodore’s Cup cookout and to all the volunteers especially Loic, Cleody, Storm, & Dona. 

Thursday night was a great sailing night followed by a cookout, wine by Chris J, and music by Doug Latour.  It was a delightful evening.  I’m thinking more music next year...

Here is a reminder for this coming weekend.  Larchmont Yacht Club will have a Vanguard 15 fleet for the Leukemia Cup, September 10-11. 

Here’s Jamie’s write up from the Rear Commodore’s Cup:

Despite an iffy forecast, the Rear Commodore's Cup on Labor Day Monday turned out to be one of the best sailing afternoons of the summer.  The breeze built all afternoon, from about 5kts to about 14kts, while slowly going right from the S to the SSW.  PRO Phil Hood, supported by Mary and Korey Charles and Marshall of the club staff got in 7 great races with decent variation in the courses.  I was sailing with CPYC junior sailor James Kimball, and he guided us to the win for the day.  Second were Ken and Kurt Charles, and Bill and Julie Nightingale were third.  Fourth was our captain Serge sailing with his recently repatriated daughter Celeste.

One of the great things about Sunday sailing is the inter-generational nature of it, and I think all but two boats yesterday had skippers and crews who were at least twenty years' apart in age.  That was great to see, even if it sometimes means an early retirement if people are getting tired.

Also more than worth of mention was the volunteer team who led our contribution to yesterday's cookout: Jim Saxe, Dona Menton, Storm and Cleody Snaith, Loic Barbedette, and many others.  On the contrary, yours truly deserves chastisement for not pulling his weight at the cookout...

Many thanks also to Serge for organizing this year - there were some true highlights, including last Thursday's final cookout, with music from Doug Latour.

Next, and last for the season, is the Columbus Day regatta on Sunday October 9th.  In the interim, reach out and find anyone who wants to go sailing, or take the time to attend the Leukemia Cup down at Larchmont this weekend!

Cheers
Jamie
#1056

 

Really, Meg (Megan Booth) should be the one writing this, as we both believe that the way she tuned the boat before heading out was really fast.  Basically, we saw it was windy, and I initially moved my sta-masters down to 5.  Meg, remembering that we felt overpowered on Thursday night, tuned them down even further, to 3 1/2 - as low as we've ever been.  We sail at just under 300lbs combined, so we're pretty light when the wind gets north of 15kts, and we need to depower quickly. With winds gusting in the high teens, we figured going very low was worth a try.  After all, it's easier to loosen sta-masters on the water than it is to tighten them.

We soon had our answer - as soon as we turned upwind, be both immediately remarked that the boat 'felt right.'  That right feeling persisted through the afternoon, and though we brought the rig back to 5 for the one medium-air race, we soon were back down at 3 1/2 as the wind built later in the day.  At our very low setting, we could easily foot with the helm remaining neutral - we were sailing, not fighting, the boat.  That allowed us to continue to play the shifts, and the puffs, and the net result was a very strong day.   Thanks again to Meg for the tuning advice!

Our fleet had great turnout yesterday, with 11 boats and a very competitive fleet.  Despite the looming thunderstorms, Marc Jacobi and his team got off 6 great races in some of the best breeze of the summer.  There is one more Sunday left in the summer season, then the Rear Commodore's Cup on Labor Day Monday.  It would be great to end the Sunday season with two weekends of strong turnout!

Jamie
#1056

 

Inside, high tide, 11 boats, decent becoming really good breeze...

It started out as a shifty, holey and sweeping outgoing current evening, then the holes started filling in, but the shifts continued turning it into a really interesting session. On the beats pressure was good, but angle was great. Recognizing the lifts and headers, sometimes coming in rapid succession, was key. Knowing at the start if you were lifted or headed, and if headed, having the ability to tack right away was essential.

In the beginning it was Jay and Beth who did it best. Working it out, especially upwind, were Jamie and Megan. Salvaging good results from ho-hum windward mark roundings, yours truely and Dona.

We generally kept out of trouble on the beats, only rounding first once, but if we were a few places down at least the gap wasn't large. But on the runs, it was about looking over your shoulder to see where the darker streak was, or to see which of the boats on your hip was showing pressure. And then when you could, running off with it wing and wing. In the flat water winging was working at fairly low wind speeds, and even in some holes we would wing if we thought we were lined up for the next alleyway of pressure. But when we weren't lined up, we would often go to jib reach mode in the lulls to move laterally across the run to get in position for where we thought the breeze would fill in... and that's what it was about from our perspective. We were literally able to sail right by other boats five lengths abeam when we had pressure and they didn't, which was fairly often.

We also were paying attention to two other things on the runs: which gybe was favored in terms of the direction of the shift, trying to keep on the gybe that was headed as long as that didn't take us out of the wind, and the other thing was that the outgoing current was sweeping strongly left to right as you looked downwind... it would have been very easy to forget it and wind up having to reach in on port at the end unneccesarily.

New sailors joining us for their first Thursday night were Gabe and JJ, watch out for these college sailors, they're already sailing near the top of our fleet! Don't give 'em an inch, but do go out of your way to say Hi and introduce yourselves, it's great to have more good and fun folks on the race course and to sit down with afterwards as we did last night at the cook out.

Chris J
744

 

Despite overcast skies and almost no wind at 5:30pm, July 28th ended up being another great night at CPYC.  Richard Shattuck and Chris Kinner got in 4 long races for a competitive ten boat fleet.

The initial wind was out of the south, but at about 7pm it shifted to the southwest, where it remained until sunset.  Pressure peaked at about 8-9kts and slowly faded after the shift.

In the end, Meg and I came out on top, and if we were to figure out what made the very slight difference in our favor, it was probably sensitivity to the shifts upwind and downwind.  In the second race, almost a one-tack beat off the line on starboard, we took advantage of a slight left shift to step up the ladder, which got us to the mark just in front of the fleet.  Downwind, we paid close attention to our shroud telltales and weren't afraid to jibe (or head down), according to what they were telling us.  But overall, it was a really tight fleet, and anyone of five boats could have won the night, including Bill Nightingale (sailing with his daughter!), Mike Curtin and Meredith Killion, Chris J and Dona, and Storm and Cleody (who unfortunately got tagged OCS in the last race).  After racing, we adjourned to a leisurely-paced meal at Rizzuto's in Saugatuck.

At dinner after racing, the consensus was that we need to have a cookout, and next Thursday would work great.  Carrie Starr and Meg Booth will organize the food, though everyone is welcome to bring a side (or a little something to drink).  What's important is headcount - if you're planning on sailing next week, or just planning to join us at the cookout, please let Carrie <cbstarr9 at gmail> or Meg <meganpbooth at gmail> know by Wednesday night, so they know how much food to buy.  These cookouts are always a lot of fun - see you there!

Jamie
#1056

 

Thursday July 14th started out inauspiciously, with a southeasterly so weak it took the fleet over a half-hour to sail to the Seymour Rock flats, and then it cut out all-but-entirely after the first start.  Fortunately a surprisingly strong southwesterly filled in immediately afterward, and Chris Kinner got off 5 races before sunset, despite numerous general recalls due to the flooding current.  We were all treated to a brilliant sunset and full moonrise on our sail in.

Meg and I managed to win the day over a very good fleet, though it was tough to point to any one factor as being decisive, save enough boatspeed to rescue us from bad situations.  More importantly, the changing conditions made us alter our strategy a couple of times during the night, requiring us to have a quick debrief between every race.  In the end, having this strategic framework (simply a "let's work the oscillations and favor the right upwind and left downwind" or similar) allowed us to focus on sailing fast throughout.  It may have made the difference.  At the very least, some of our weakest days have come when we've gotten off-track and don't have these chats between races, so the value may come in focus more than even strategy.  And keeping focused through 5-8 races in a session can be VERY difficult.

Finally, make sure you volunteer for a night of RC.  If you haven't yet, speak with Serge to get on the list - last week, we did not have a volunteer RC, putting a resource strain on the club.  More importantly, you can't be scored for the season without RC duty.

Jamie Ewing

 

Back from a long trip, and with a nearly-mended Meg as crew, we had a wonderful day sailing yesterday.  Though only 6 boats were out, the 6-12kt SE breeze made for splendid sailing, and Mike McBride did a wonderful job ripping off races on RC.  It was definitely a day of smiles, as even the standard motorboat chop couldn't deter the fleet.

Ken and Mary Charles pushed us around the course, and it was great to see Dan Marques and Kemp Lewis mixing it up.  The fleet, though small, has been getting a lot faster and more competitive.  And did I mention that it's too hot to spend your Sunday afternoons on land these days?

Meg and I were able to make up a lot of distance downwind yesterday - particularly in the early going when the decision to wing or reach was more difficult (the late day was all winging conditions).  Some thoughts:
 
- Don't get caught in luffing duels.  We quickly passed two boats on one run simply by avoiding engagement.  Sometimes the right move is to jibe away from the mess.

- Communicate your angles.  In lighter, reaching conditions, Meg is continuously offering feedback regarding jib pressure.  If she tells me there's no pressure, I head up until there is some.  If she tells me it's good, I bear off until it gets light (and I use it as a decent proxy for winging conditions - if I can get so low that I can wing it before she totally loses pressure, then I'll just convert to wing-on-wing).

- Watch your overlaps and defend the inside.  A boat that reaches behind you can easily jibe into an overlap in light air, as the Charleses and we did to each other at least twice yesterday.  Watch that inside quarter, and defend.

Other than that, I think Serge is back this week, and we've got the usual treats of racing this Thursday and Sunday.  The Flying Scot NA's are in town, and the club is really decked out - come by and check out the scene!  Also, Thursday night is going to be a lot of fun with all the Scot sailors around as well - definitely worth checking out.

Alright, I guess I should hand the (stolen) mike back to Serge.  Hasta Thursday!

Jamie
#1056

note from Chris J: Early results from Flying Scots... Our own Melanie Dunham and crew Storm Snaith are the 2011 Flying Scot Womens National Champions!! Well earned congratulations are due!

 

Taken by Fleet Captain (and PRO Thursday evening) Serge Karpow and posted in his Picasa gallery...

picasaweb.google.com/skarpow/V152011

 

 

Here’s one individual’s take on the 2011 NEs sailed this Saturday and Sunday, June 25 & 26 at Cedar Point Yacht Club.

Regatta Report

Results

 

13 Boats, 5 Races, W-SW 5-8 knots, flat water, Jim Saxe RC

Race Report from winner of the day Brendan Kopp:

First of all, thanks to everyone who welcomed us back to the thursday night v15 fleet, I'm committed to being a regular member this season and I'm very excited about that!  It was cool to have so many competitive boats out there last night, and it made for some tight racing. 

A couple comments on what Mike and I saw, in no particular order:

For the first few races, the right had better pressure (definitely in race 1, 2, probably race 3 if I remember correctly).  the right also allowed you to keep starboard advantage on the very short upwinds, and hold the inside track on the downwind (critical because there weren't gate marks).  Even though the line was a bit pin-favored even in the first few races, we gave up some of that advantage in order to get to the right on the first beat, and tried to gybe around the top mark back into pressure and towards the inside on the run.  On the last beat the play was to send it right and finish right at the committee boat (this was true all night). 

For the last couple of races pressure started to fill more evenly across the course, and the pin was more favored than it had been in earlier starts.  So our plan changed to pin end starts where we could either tack and cross quickly if the right looked better, or keep going out towards pressure on the left, hopefully with enough speed and height to leebow or tack right on top of any boats coming back from even farther left than we were.  If boats farther left of us had gained enough that we were unable to leebow or tack on top of them when they came back across on port, then we would tack before they crossed us (leeward and ahead), giving ourselves a chance to work boatspeed all the way back to the mark, at which point we could tack directly on (or even a tiny bit below) layline and force them to make a tough decision--either duck us and round behind, leebow and probably foul us (by forcing us to luff above close hauled after tacking in the zone), or cross us if possible but have a delayed tack that forces them to round behind us anyway).  On the runs, getting to the inside was always critical, so when in doubt we went with a gybe right around the top mark. 

Don't have any comments at all really on boatspeed or technical stuff, as we are both newbies to the boat (just went out with whatever pin setting was there, I think 7?, and put tension on to whatever seemed right).  I don't think we had much of a speed advantage at all (We spent a lot of time looking around at the other top boats to see where people were sitting, how high up the board was, etc. etc. so we were basically mimicking boats around us who have more v15 experience).  That said, the one time I did feel a bit faster was once the breeze came up a bit I could get the boat going well pressing pretty hard on the jib, the coming back up to point when the boat had some power in it. 

Okay see you next thursday, thanks again!

bkopp

Click here for results

 

Memorial Day was a perfect "first day of summer" at CPYC.  After a morning thunderstorm cleared out the worst of the humidity, the afternoon was clear, warm and featured a reasonably stable SW sea breeze.  Motorboat wakes were of course an issue, but there was generally enough pressure to power through them.

Sarah Hamm and I spent a little while before the first start looking around the course (so much so that we botched the first start) and noticed a current line curving from the left side to the north (upper right), where apparently the Saugatuck met the Sound.  We figured it would be faster outside downwind, as our VMG would be in the direction of flow, while upwind the middle was better.  As it turned out, there was also more pressure on the left/outside/south side of the course, and the holes were more frequent on the right/inside/north.  That pattern generally held for the afternoon, though the stabilizing breeze and weakening current meant that the middle became more manageable by mid-afternoon, and winging conditions downwind kept the corners out of play.  The only exception was a bizarre leeward mark rounding late in the day that saw the leaders trapped in a massive hole (and 100 degree shift) while those coming later could see it and avoid it.  Charlie Proctor and Madeline Gill kept us very much on our toes, particularly in two-boat tactical situations, and Jay and Dana Lurie were tough to match for straight-line speed.  All in all, it was a great start to the summer season, with racing heating up on Thursdays, Sundays, and in a week, Tuesdays as well.  Thanks to Joe Myers and his RC team for all their help yesterday, and thanks as always to Serge for leading the effort.

Jamie Ewing
V15 1056

 

V-15ers -

Is it just me, or has the weather been stuck in the same rut for nigh on six weeks now?  Nights around freezing, days in the 40s or low 50s.  Five cloudy or rainy days for every one of sun.  This has been the pattern since the beginning of March, and I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it!

Fortunately, the prognosis for this weekend is grand - sunny days with highs in the 60s, straight through.  Spring may finally have arrived, in time for Orthodox Easter, at least.

To that end, there are a couple of fun spring things going on at the club this weekend.

First, Saturday is our day to help with club cleanup.  Arrive at nine, be served breakfast, work for a few hours, eat lunch, disperse.  Not so bad.  (Did I mention sunny and 60s?). 

After helping with club cleanup, come unwind at Partners Cafe, where the House Band will be warming up for their season Saturday night.  This could be your only chance to catch them outside the club this year!  Phil Spector requests (and especially wigs) will be particularly welcome. 

And finally, fleet member Jeff Blauvelt is looking to sell his Vanguard.  Do you know anyone who might be interested?  Let's try to keep boats in the fleet - maybe you know someone in the junior program who's looking for a family boat, or a work colleague who's expressed interest in getting back into sailing, but doesn't want to spend too much???  Let them know about this boat - it's a great deal, and it would be even greater if we could parlay sales like these into sailors for the fleet! 

See everyone Saturday, for cleanup and the party!

Cheers -
Jamie
#1056

Jeff's Listing:
 Vanguard 15  Sail # 839 with dolly.  I have two sets of sails, one set used just one season.  New centerboard plus old one.  Sails dry.  Staymasters.  Green stripe. Canvas cover.  Asking$ 2250 or best offer.  Will deliver anywhere CT shoreline for small additional cost.   - Jeff Blauvelt 203-221-0233 wk  310-403-4840 cel  Boat is in Westport CT. 

The final Sunday of the Vanguard racing season couldn't have been more perfect: bright sun, clear blue sky, nice air and water temps and most important of all excellent breeze. Turnout was a little thin with most of our College sailors back at school, but we did have some good end-of-season jockeying for position with Phil Myerson making a trip back from Connecticut College to try to solidify his series lead. I sailed with my regular Thursday-night crew Dona who was off her usual gig with Storm Snaith who was traveling this week.

The committee work was flawlessly executed by Gianni Cuccio who squeezed in seven races including a two lapper that saw all the boats finish virtually overlapped! But most all of the races were close ...read more 

It was a gorgeous day - bright and sunny with a gusty northerly. The fickle breeze made for an exciting day of racing for the 6 boats smart enough to make it out to enjoy a great day on the water. There was an extremely high tide and the ebb picked up as the afternoon went on but it was the breeze that challenged. The top 3 of us were 1 point apart at the end of a day when leads changed often. All the racing was tight and the boat in last at the weather mark sometimes found that line that would carry them into the lead at the leward mark. Great committee work by our Thistle buddies manning both the start/finish and the mark boat. Thanks to all.   Storm #215  

After some T-storm watching on the Nexrad and some debate in the breezeway, the sailors decided that they'd give it a shot, and other than a bit of a drenching during the first starting sequence the weather was great, though the wind was pretty shifty. It did keep Eric working and, more significantly, it kept our mark boat driver Kelly from getting much reading done as she was way too busy moving marks about.

We did a fair amount of hiking throughout the night trying to keep the boat flat and moving fast by easing the mainsheet in the puffs. I noticed a loose outhauls on several boats last night, I'm a believer in a tight foot on the Vanguard in any kind of decent breeze because I think the main is too deep generally and you have to set your controls to bring it to a more appropriate shape.

The wind moved around a lot and so there were good opportunities to find pressure and a better angle and that was just as true downwind when often it paid to wing out when the wind was centered but nearly as often you could jib reach when the wind strongly favored one gybe over the other.

For us, starting well and having solid speed and handling did the trick. Frank Pizzo clearly has the speed, particularly downdwind, finishing a strong second and coming (very!) close to catching us a couple times, if he can sort out his starts he'll be a terror. Jamie, Niko and Tuck were all duking it out for third, in any given race one of them was fighting with Frank and us for the lead, ultimately they finished in that order. Welcome to new member Marc McMorris and to first-time Thursday nighter Kemp Lewis! - Chris J #744 

Frank Pizzo ran 5 very good races on a light and shifty night.  Pressure, of course was king and when the breeze swung left 45 degrees after the first race, competitors had the added challenge of the waves being misaligned w/ the breeze.  On starboard tack upwind, we had following seas and on port gybe downwind, we were reaching into the waves.  Mark Dinneen won the night by a point counting 3 firsts.  Beth and I were 2nd and Cleody and Storm were 3rd. 4th went to Charles and Venetia (although sometimes it was Venetia and Charles!) who nailed some mighty fine pin end starts.  5th went to defending Sunday champion Jamie Ewing who made the long haul out from NYC to sail his new V15.  After the last race, steady rain and some fresh breeze sped us all back to shore where there was no need to rinse!

Thanks to strong support we are in great shape for tomorrow’s CT Special Olympics Invitational w/ over 18 boats pledged.  Anyone interested in helping should show up at 9:30 am to help rig and launch.  The weather looks a little damp tomorrow but should be great on Sunday when the most competitive Sunday series in years resumes.
JL #1288 

It started out puffy with a great planing broad reach out to the race course followed by a quick scramble to drop the StaMasters down a bit to a setting (6) that flattened out the foot of the jib from our usual setting. A big crowd at the boat made the first start tough (I think about half the fleet felt that way about most of the starts!) followed by a lot of hiking up the beat. Pressure ruled downwind as the key was to stay out of the holes.

RC Jamie Ewing did a great job of recalibrating the course for each race, resetting the windward mark after the fleet rounded it to square it up for the subsequent race. Holes became more of a rule during the night requiring a loosening up of the StaMasters to power up the jib, but the big downfall for many was not recognizing how strongly the current was flowing out on the right (channel) side of the beat. Until the big shift (90 degrees!) during the first leg of the final race, the left panned out on every beat.

After 2 general recalls a black flag was unfurled for that start and while no one was tagged, many of us were buried. An escape to the right bailed out Philip Myerson and Andrew Foster who were three-four behind second place Harry W and both race and night ace Frank Pizzo who won a tie breaker over Chris and Dona followed by Harry Weyher in third.

The Myersons pool got a good workout after the boats were put away as they had us all over for a fleet-sponsored pizza party. Apparently we made a good run at the World Talking Championships at the party but were unable to top last year's efforts, have to try again next time! - Chris J #744
 

Normally I like light air. Beth and I are one of the lighter crews and we have had almost 2 two decades together to learn how to roll tack.  With Beth away however, I was more than happy to help out on r/c last night and with a cold one in my hand I was able to get a good perspective on what was working on a very light air night.

First of all – pressure is king. A V15 (like many boats) goes almost twice as fast in 6 knots of breeze than in 3 knots.  It’s also amazing how much easier it is to see the wind on the water from a stable and slightly higher platform like a motor boat. Next time it’s very patchy, stand on the tank before the start, as high as you can and get a good look.

Second – smooth is fast.  The faster boats weren’t the most kinetic last night. Sure kinetics (within the rules of course) help, but too much can be detrimental when it’s super light. Keeping flow over the sails and blades is what counts. The better teams were able to keep the boat in the right “attitude” upwind and down w/ minimal dislocations.  The top three boats (Frank P in 3rd, Harry in 2nd and Chris/Dona with 3 firsts) all exhibited these traits. I have had many a close race w/ Chris in drifting conditions and am always impressed by his nose for breeze. Downwind, their speed is exemplary and they transition from winging w/ weather heel to 2 sail reaching w/ leeward heel better than any other team. Enough light air discourse for now, I’m off to Corpus Christi for a week – should be breeze! - Jay Lurie #1288
 

It was a slow start for the Vanguard 15 fleet on the Fourth of July, due to the oppressive heat and even more oppressive lack of wind. With the threat of thunderstorms in the afternoon, it seemed as if the fleet of twenty one boats would be forced to stay ashore. However, a few hopefuls left land and found traces of a breeze that would later build and result in a great day of sailing for the Vanguard 15 fleet. Six great races were completed, each with the promise of “one more race” from the race committee.

Ian and Madeline Gill, on Ian’s last day in had an impressive day with finishes of 2-1-1-1-1-4 winning the day with a total of 6 points! Despite all my best efforts, I was unable to catch the infamous Navy sailor until the last race of the day and so I ended up in second overall. Harry Weyher had a solid performance coming in third. It was good to see lots of different faces leading the fleet around the course.  A great 6 races thanks to the able RC of Paul Myerson and Jeff Blauvelt.  - Mark Dinneen #910

Click here for a photo gallery of the day's sailing
 

Marc Jacobi was the master of his (and everyone else’s) domain last night.  W/ Julie’s friend Katie crewing, Marc/Katie hit for the cycle (it’s baseball, look it up) posting finishes of 1,2,3,4 edging Chris/Dona by a point.  Future member Mark Dineen w/ Evan Brown crewing was 3rd.  Evan drove the 4th race and finished 2nd.   4th for the night was Ian Gill w/ Madeline crewing.  Apparently Ian hasn’t just been studying and flying helicopters at Navy as he showed very little rust in his brief return home.  5th place went to Phil H and Julie.  With 20 boats on the line, good starts and good lanes were critical.  After several poor starts, I can attest that it was very difficult to climb back. 
Last night also marked the debut of experimental rule 18 that we have adopted.  The biggest and most apparent change is that the 2-boatlength zone has been expanded to 3-boatlengths.  While there was some back and forth chatter as to where exactly the zone began, no one was inclined to press too hard and the racing was orderly.  It was great to see 20 boats on the line, but w/ over 40 boats in the fleet, this should become the norm.
After sailing, nearly 25 of us made it to Jasmine where Marc Jacobi ate for the cycle (it’s gastronomy, look it up) putting away beef, chicken, shrimp and pork (in the fried rice).  I can also vouch that despite some ribbing and provocation from the older table, the younger table remained dry with no Tsing-tao being delivered or received!
There is NO sailing on Sunday as Tuesday is the Commodore’s Cup.  NOTE – the first race is 1PM w/ BBQ to follow.  And don’t forget Westport fireworks Monday night! - JL#1288 

Very few sailors were greeted today around noon by cloudy and skies and an ugly forecast.  After some heckling the race committee rounded up four boats, five minutes after cancelling the day, and the high tide allowed us to sail inside the cove.  A pleasant easterly lasted for the afternoon with a few occellations that, during the first few races, were impossible to see through the driving rain.  Courses were W1 ending with a single W2.  It rained heavily for the first four races leaving the telltails bogged down and glued to the sails.  Alex and I were able to sail very affectively by feel, using minimal steering to keep the momentum up.  
Towards the end of the day the telltails dried out, but outgoing current became a huge factor as it was from different directions at the top and the bottom of the course.  We attributed this to bending channel around the outside of the cove.  It factored in most at the bottom of the downwind where playing the outside lane and steering into the current early allowed us to get ahead of anyone who was fighting for the inside at the mark.  Current was not a deciding factor in the upwind legs since the majority of the course was in shallow water.  
The competition was good and altough we were uneasy about sailing at first it sounded like everyone had fun.
--Cleve Rueckert 

WOW!  I’ve been racing V15’s on Thursdays for almost 10 years and last night was one of the nicest on memory: boats, breeze and homemade pizza too!  Craig and Mimi rose to the challenge on the water maintaining consistency throughout the night.  Chris and Dona were 2nd, Charles/Venetia won a tie breaker for 3rd ahead of me and Beth.  Of greater significance,  Chris and Dona rose to the challenge OFF the water.  What started as a dare last Thursday at Fat Cat Pie with Chris boasting of his pizza making prowess, became a reality.  And as Yogi Berra once said – it ain’t bragging if you can do it!  And do it they did.  Missing the last two races (they were awarded average finishes once the pizza was deemed acceptable), they sailed in early to grease the gears of production.  With pie after pie rolling out, even Marc Jacobi had enough to eat.  The nice weather certainly helped the turnout, but Chris may have talked himself into a regular Thursday gig.  Maybe we could syndicate it and put it on cable – kind of like Emeril w/ a sailing twist!
The hits keep coming:  Dave D and Marc J on Sunday.  Happy Father’s Day. - JL #1288  

Photos by David Loggie

A healthy 15 plus V-15’s put to sea for the Vice Commodores cup on what felt like the first real day of summer, with hot air rising and no wind but with the hope that something would materialise. Wet suits discarded for shorts and tea shirts, a rash move, but done in the hope that we would be proven wrong. Sadly it was not to be as for most of the afternoon it seemed we were caught in the middle of two opposing breezes which left us in a windless hole bobbing uncomfortably about in what felt like a force 4-5 chop kicked up by the Memorial Day motor boat trippers. I know this is meant to be a report about sailing but as we did not do too much sailing and as we were being knocked about by this “unnatural chop” I was curious to observe...  
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Fresh from winning all seven Vanguard races last Sunday, Fleet Captain Dona Menton extended her run last night by beating former Thursday champion Chris Johannessen across the line in every single race.  Characteristically matter of fact, Dona commented that last night was “no big deal, I’ve been finishing just ahead of Chris for years.”  Beth and I were 2nd followed by Celeste and Serge in 3rd, Kaitlin and Frank in 4th and Sharon B/Tim M in 5th.  Menton credited good starts, good lanes and conservative tactics.  She also said her skipper was pretty good too.

In all seriousness, most crews are under recognized and under appreciated.  Being good crew is like being a pentathlete.  You have to be strong, smooth, smart, a contortionist and a psychiatrist.  You get most of the blame and little of the credit when the opposite is far more accurate.  Your job is to fit in, fill the gaps and make the team stronger, all with little fanfare.  You are like George Harrison: you keep the rock stars in the back of the boat looking like, well, rock stars.  I have been very fortunate, over time to have crewed for a lot of good sailors.  I have tried to learn from every one of them and also to make them all better able to put the boat wherever it need be put.  Win or lose, I have always found some humor and some truth in that I always finish ahead of the person holding the idiot stick.  Remember – crews finish first!

For an opportunity to become both a better skipper and a better crew, join us on 6/18 for an exciting afternoon.  Dona has the details. - JL #1244  

It was a beautiful sailing day once we got out to the course.  After a small delay because of a stalled mark boat and mark placement by Bill and Julie Nightingale, Philip M, and Dona and I, we got started. Flooding current and a steady 5-6 knots from the south gave us 7 races for 7 boats, expertly run by our committee of Tom Little and Ted Gillman. Dona and I had a little birdie with us and managed a sweep for the day.  Competition for 2nd was tight with downwind covering at a premium.  Despite an able capsize by Philip, he beat Bill and Julie on a tie breaker.  Andy and Anick Hoffman showed good speed and interesting moves,  as did Tim Maier and his niece.  And Kemp Lewis and daughter are closing the gap.  Welcome to new sailor Trevor N. and his crew.  Hope to see everyone out soon.    
-Storm Snaith
#215  

ChrisJ/Dona poured it on last night convincingly winning night #2.  Overcoming a few sloppy fouls (yes, they did their turns) early in the evening they counted 3 firsts and 2 seconds after a drop.  Although the current was running in all night, there were different vectors at the top of the course (left to right) than at the bottom where it was more parallel to the rum line.  Chris felt that this favored the middle/right side at the top of the beat and the left side of the run (looking downwind) as the current “added” pressure on starboard tack and on port gybe.  Storm again filled in for Beth last night and we were 2nd for the night after several poor starts and a general reluctance to acknowledge which sides of the course were working.  Storm actually slugged me in the jaw last night out of frustration, hard, true story, mostly.  Charles/Venetia were 3rd (and won a race), Phil M/Amanda were one point back in 4th and also won a race.  Michael Gavin was 5th.  BTW there have been 12 races so far this season and 6 different race winners.  Needless to say the racing is much tighter.  Fat Cat Pizza for dinner. Join us next week.

Reminder: No racing Sunday.  Monday is the Vice Commodore’s Cup.  Noon harbor start, first race is at 1:00 PM.  Sail well, get a nice trophy AND big picnic after AND Steve Shaw appreciation day. - JL #1288
 

The 2006 V15 season got underway on a near perfect Thursday evening.  The predicted thunderstorms never materialized, although we did get some light rain.  The approaching weather did pull the breeze around to the right all night keeping Ched on his toes.  Conditions ranged from flat calm to flat out hiking and back again.  There was a little lump on the course and a strong current running out.  With Beth off to Valencia, I was ably assisted by Storm Snaith and we found our groove early winning three of the first 4 races.  Keys were good starts and good speed. We set the boat up for the lulls and hiked extra hard when it was a little breezier.  ChrisJ/Dona warmed up as the night wore on and wound up 2nd just one point back.  Phil Hood/Julie were 3rd and won a race.  Craig Beardsley sailing w/ Jenn Dunn were 4th and also won a race.  Phil Myerson/Amanda were 5th.

Afterwards, most of us went to Dunville’s to join the Steve Shaw send off party which was in full swing.  Most of the Board was there as well as many staff and CPYC members.  Steve is moving on but it feels like we’ll see him again.  Good luck amigo

Also, there are 6 or 7 new V15 members this year.  They range from experienced sailors to beginning racers and juniors.  If you see someone new, introduce yourself.  If all you end up seeing is their transoms, consider yourselves forewarned! - JL #1288
 

With all due respect to a certain bygone ad campaign, relief on Sunday was spelled C-P-Y-C.  Even if it was over 90 in the parking lot - and worse further away from the water - a light but steady southwesterly breeze kept those on the Sound much cooler than their landlocked brethren.  With the exception of a few gaping holes that found their way onto the Vanguard 15 course from time to time, the breeze was a steady 5-7 knots all afternoon, allowing for 8(?) races to be sailed in the strong ebb.  The favored side of the course varied a bit upwind, with generally stronger wind to be found to the left in the stronger current.  Downwind, staying out in the current seemed to pay off with a bit more regularity.  The occasional botanical sample on the board was dead slow.
 
The highlights of the day came in the form of two (literally) crash lessons in mark rounding techniques during the last two races.  In the second to last race, with the wind...read more 

Well the tide was ripping, and around the time of the last race it became apparent why -- one big assed yellow moon was rising to the east, just over the windward mark. And that was driving the successful strategies of the night...get a good start, go right upwind, go right (looking) downwind.

Dona and I managed to get one of those two ingredients right...the go right one that is...and managed to squeak out Craig Beardsley for the evening as a result. Good starts certainly had nothing to do with it, I was second row each time. But at least being at the boat allowed a quick bail-out to the heavily favored right that got me back in contact by the weather mark. The thing was, the inward sweeping current was much stronger on the left hand layline to the weather mark, which is why it had to be avoided upwind and ridden for all it was worth downwind.

Toby and Craig both pulled off convincing wins and stayed out of any real trouble to get the other two top spots for the night. Newcomer Tuck Northrop finished seventh in his brand new flyer #1505, welcome him when you see him.

A few of the non-weight sensitive crews rendevoused at Fat Cat again for a little more handicapping. If you don't know what I mean, you'll just have to join us next time! - Chris J

 

Here goes a rather brief summary for you. I don't know everyones' names or the numbers competing for which I apologise.
 
Sunday afternoon turned up spectacular sailing conditions, and a fleet of  11  boats. Perfectly blue sunny skies, a building 10 knot easterly breeze - (I think my directions are not quite there yet) - with a flooding tide. I lost count of the races but we had a great mix of short windward leward and triangle courses, with a little chop which mean't getting the waves right paid huge dividends downwind by sailing down the wave driving off to get some forward and leeward gain. Crew co-ordination being important to getting this right....read more... 

Light Air (Again) – Different Winner

Frank Pizzo w/ Caitlin Moore crewing put on a light air clinic last night.  Combining good starts, great speed, near flawless boathandling and sound tactics they posted two firsts and a second.  Chris and Dona were in good form and were second on the night.  Beth and I were third and benefited from the late appearance of Charles Stanley with James May crewing.  Although they missed the first race Charles/James won a subsequent race and were the only ones able to break Frank/Caitlin’s winning streak.  Charles and James ended up 4th for the night and most in need of a throw out.

Afterwards – more Fat Cat Pie (stay away from the jalapenos!).

Next week:  MYERSON POOL/PIZZA PARTY immediately after racing.

Note:  #1288 is fresh water bound.  I’m off to Lake George for three weeks w/ the family.  While I considered submitting Thursday night reports from the Adirondacks, Chris J will instead step back into the earliest of his many roles and keep the fleet updates rolling. - JL #1288

 

I considered writing about how it was another light air night but I’m beginning to feel like the Bill Murray character in “Groundhog Day”.  I also considered writing about the fact that an actual canine ably performed r/c duty, but due to the loudness of the air horns I don’t want to alert PETA to our starting system. Then I decided that w/ Larchmont Junior Race Week (Andrew Foster 1rst in Lasers, Charlie Proctor 3rd in Blue Jays) just ended and our own CPYC Opti extravaganza on tap for Saturday I would acknowledge the presence and contributions younger sailors have on our V15 program.

Juniors were virtually everywhere last night, crewing for Serge, for Josh and for Toby.  But they were also sailing and sailing well.  Harry with Sarah Hamm crewing won a tie breaker for 3rd and Brandon Kopp sailing Matt Conover’s boat was 5th.  Each of these kids is light years better than I was when I was that age.  They are also more focused and levelheaded.  We are fortunate to have so many willing participants in our sailing.  Next time you see them on the water, or rigging up, give them a hand (if they need it) or offer suggestions on boat set-up or tactics.  Or just set a good example by sailing fairly and with respect to all competitors.  And remember, it won’t be too long before they are schooling us! - JL #1288

 

From the very first Dark-N-Stormy (Thanks Eric) to the very last chocolate chip brownie (Thanks Mimi), last night’s BYO V15 Thursday BBQ was a great success.  Making the most of a brief harbor postponement, several of us drooled over JP’s Mustang convertible until a light sea breeze crept in allowing r/c Michael Gavin (with his daughters’ able assistance) to run four great races.  While both sides of the beat paid occasionally, downwind was a one way race track.  W/ the current running out, the left side of the run (looking downwind) paid big particularly at the bottom of the run where the left to right sweep was more pronounced.  Beth and I were first for the evening w/ Chris/Dona second and Craig/Mimi third.  Fourth went to Frank Pizzo sailing w/ his brother while Josh G was fifth.  Philip/Amanda had their moments but faltered a bit on the runs.  Once in, burgers, dogs, steak, chicken and corn on the cob came flying out of everyone’s coolers and onto the grill.  Another timeless summer evening came to a close.  See you next week and don’t forget to make plans for the big Myerson pool/pizza party on August 4th immediately after racing (Ahhh, your fleet dues at work). - JL #1288 

On a cool and damp evening it was good to see 12 V15’s out pushing hard after a two week hiatus.  Normally I really enjoy doing race committee because as Yogi Berra said – You can observe a lot by just watching.  Last night, although enjoyable yielded few meaningful observations from my vantage point.  One side of the line would be clearly favored and yet boats from the “disadvantaged” side would round first.  Ditto downwind, both sides seemed to pay, often on the same leg.  Suffice to say that it was puffy, shifty and a fair amount of current too.  Our fleet is a lot tighter this season and on nights like this, consistency was key.  The most consistent team (and the one that benefited most from the throw-out) was Marc and Diogo.  Marc missed the first start by about 90 seconds but the meticulously prepared, awesomely fast and freely proffered #1288 took care of business for the next four races.  This is Marc/Diogo’s first Thursday evening win, but not likely to be their last.  In 2nd were Chris and Dona who despite winning three races counted two other clunkers –victims of the vagaries of the evening.  In 3rd was the supremely consistent Toby Welles sailing with Hillary Trumbull.  4th went to Phil H/Julie who were just a couple of missed shifts away from winning the night.  5th went to phfast Phil Myerson who won the last race just edging Alan Coutts (yes, his younger brother) and Jocelyn Pollak in the Club boat.

We are peak Summer right now, and although there is plenty of sailing left, make the most of these late evening races!  See you next week when Beth and I will be back! - JL-R/C (and 1288)

 

On a cloudless fourth of July, you can bet that most any boat owner will be out on the Sound.... throwing a nice wake.  Adding to the confused seas, an easterly breeze opposed an ebbing tide – meaning that the wind-driven waves were pronounced.  Fortunately the breeze was solid enough for us to power our Vanguards through the chop; and doing so successfully was important through all of the races.  The wining skipper of the day, Charles Stanley, showed consistent upwind speed.  Several times I noticed him pointing well to weather... read more

 

Alphabet Soup (BFD, OCS, 1J+4C’s), 19 boats, S 5-10, 5 races (and about 10 general recalls), R/C- Eric/Carrie

Well, it was pretty much an awesome night.  Lot’s of boats, nice breeze and not too hot, except for the starting lines.  R/C Eric Robbins used all the laundry he could find; “I” flags, “Z” flags and finally – Blackie.  Still it was barely enough and the difference for the night came down to getting off the line cleanly w/out absorbing a lot of letters.  In very broad terms, the boat was slightly favored all night (although 4 of 5 race winners never started any further up than mid-line), and the left side of the run (looking downwind) seemed to pay. The keys other than starting well were protecting lanes upwind and keeping your air clear downwind.  The fleet seems a little deeper this year and consistency is more important as there are more good boats to disrupt the usual pecking order. read more...

 

Well it wasn’t too light and it wasn’t too buggy, but unfortunately it also wasn’t meant to be.  As our sage sailing master Steve Shaw predicted a confluence of combustible atmospheric conditions conspired to keep us on the concrete (no, I wasn’t an English major).  Had the small cell come through 45 minutes earlier or 45 minutes later we might have had a window to sail.  Instead we opted on the side of caution (right up until we opted to go to the Duck for dinner that is).  Tune in Sunday for your next V15 racing fix where my sources tell me a certain red bearded Jedi master may be joining us.

Come and drink from the fountain of knowledge or just come and drink beer.  Either way expect a scintillating Sunday write up from our own Mark Foster – right Mark?  Happy Father’s Day! - JL#1288

 

17 Boats, 4 Races, Wind – Sometimes, R/C Toby Welles

Beginner’s Luck?

Not bloody likely!  But with the big guns plagued by inconsistency Charles Stanley sailing w/ his daughter Venetra and Frank Pizzo sailing w/ Caitlin Moore were only too happy to fill the void on a very light and tricky evening finishing first and second respectively and notching personal Thursday bests for each.  Charles of course has a great sailing record and is rapidly growing more comfortable in his new V15.  Frank is fresh from another year of paying his dues in NEISA and will only keep getting better.  Despite not winning any of the races Charles and Frank managed to hang in there while others were hanging themselves. When a promising 8 -10 kt southerly fizzled out halfway through the first race R/C Toby Welles did his best to relocate the course and keep us racing. read more...

 

Customer Appreciation Night – 15% Discount

That’s what the sign said at “Jasmine”, and for 15 V15’s, last night was very much appreciated.  Yes it was a little cold (ok, a lot cold) and a little lumpy (more like square moguls), but the competition was hot and friendly (like, well, never mind).  The fleet was revved up and very competitive, more like a mid-Summer night than early June.  With some of our better younger sailors (Harry, Phillip) and some of our better, how should I put it, seasoned sailors (Cleody, Ched) yet to make it out, it looks like a very good season is on tap.  A strong current, a clocking breeze and tight lines made everybody work hard to stay in the front row.   In the end three different teams won races and there were a few new faces in the top five.  5th went to Charles Stanley who sailed w/ his oldest daughter Venetra by virtue of a tie break over Frank Pizzo.  Charles/Venetra won the 3rd race and it is good to see him transition successfully into the V15 which he has not sailed previously. read more...