Canandaigua Lake RC Laser Sailing

We are two weeks into our summer series and it has been a test of strength, courage, and desire for everyone.  On the first Sunday of the meet we were faced with winds of 15 knots and gusts that were almost continuous at 25 plus. (“C” sails were the choice for all.)  Most of the time the boats were laying down just trying to hold their position when a gust came through.  Of the 7 races we had there were 6 different winners.  If you could beat the gust to the leeward mark you were in the lead.  But if you did not, you were looking at your rudder as the high point on your boat.  Miraculously none of us were blown off the dock (strength).

Then there was this past Sunday (Father’sDay) when most of us were sitting down watching the seaweed grow (“A” sails).  Despite the lack of wind at times all the boats were waiting it out (courage). Gary was kind enough to put out marks but had trouble determining a desirable course.  His answer to that was to put a mark in a different location until he ran out of marks (desire).  Racing was a test of patience. The hardest part was to keep your boat going in the right direction with all the motor boat chop pushing you back.

George Nix made better use of his time by taking a few photos of our boats waiting for wind.  You can view them at: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMfQBlEQOyGnjNGYBNpClUhc9z2mH4KvE9vnJPK06vc0dnuFHP3bIzGPOLkIAaC5A?key=TlZucHVsVzVzWHNnSmk5eVRQS0drd3VzMjVQVWFn

Sunday June 26 will be week 4 of our 8 week Summer Series.  The time remains the same, racing from 4-6pm off the south dock CYC.

If you are interested in the standings to date click on: “RESULTS”.

See you on the water!!!!!!!

The Admiral

Knowing  that his only opposition (Jonathan) was going to be absent  for the day, Jack assured us that the series was his and did not need to be contested. As usual no one listened and forced him to take a fifth place finish in the first race. He did however follow up with a win, two seconds and a fourth in the remaining races to lock it up for himself.  “COMPLETE RESULTS”

Richard Mikulec , our newest member, walked away with two wins and the other two went to the Schmidt brothers(Gary &  Bill).

We will take Memorial Day weekend off to allow those of us that get in trouble for always being on the water time to get a little yard work done.  Then it is time to start again with a Summer Series starting June 5th  which will last till the end of July.

Congratulations Jack!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Admiral

May is that month where the RCs have to start giving room to all those oversized boats that block our wind. Occasionally we run into them but no real damage appears to be done.

It has been up and down series for the RCs this spring.  If it was warm there was no wind, if there was much wind it was cold and/or snowing, and if it was just right it was probably raining.  But none of that stops us.  Sunday May 15th was one of those unusual days where a picture or two best tells it all. First thing we did was postpone 15 minutes for rain and then jump right in for the first race of the day with nothing but blue skies. While we had 2 knots of wind at best near shore we had gusts of 15 to 20 at the leeward mark.  A quick postponement after the race to allow for a 15 minute hail and snow shower and then back to blue skies for the second race. It had the same wind conditions but I believe the temperature  had dropped another 5 degrees. Dark clouds once again appeared as time was running out so we bagged it for the day.

It was Jay Niggli and Nate Heinzelman  who looked past their noses to see that a smaller sail would work best given the wind conditions at the leeward mark.  Hence it was 2 bullets for Jay and two seconds for Nate.

May 22nd will be the final day of our Spring Series and as it stands it will be either Jack Bennett or Jonathan Gorbold.  “RESULTS”

The following week off for Memorial Day weekend and into the Summer Series.

The Admiral

There are just 2 Sundays left for determining the order of finish for the Spring Series. Much like the Kentucky Derby it is coming down to the wire.  Jonathan Gorbold has a 1 point lead over Jack Bennett who had 3 wins in Sunday’s races to make it a two horse race.  “RESULTS”

Jonathan
Gorbold

Captain Jack
Sparrow

Sunday May 15th will be the next meeting for these two throughbreds. The field is expected to be large so it will not be a cake walk for either of them. It is expected that there will be over a dozen competitors’ who will be present to act as spoilers.

Maggie Atkins’ boat won the fifth race of the day but had the win taken away after it was discovered that she made a jockey switch giving her transmitter to Steve Heinzelman.  Nate Heinzelman (following his dad’s lead) finished second and third in the following two races.  ( I think Nate is figuring it out.)

Post time for next week’s races will be 4 O’clock off the south dock CYC.  Come early and avoid being shut out of a good spot to set your saddle.

See you on the water!!!

The Admiral

We had 7 races Sunday afternoon which shuffled the deck in the standings for the Spring Series.  Jack Bennett, who had a win, a second, two thirds, and two forths, was overtaken by Jonathan Gorbold who dominated the races with five wins.  Click “RESULTS” for all the scores.

The wind, while sometimes rotating 180 degrees, was present most of the time at 5-7 knots which made for very good “A” sail racing.  The marks were perfectly positioned so that at  times it was a windward leg in any direction.  We did attempt an east/west course for one race with the wind coming from the west which lasted for two legs of the race and then switched back to the north or east depending on where you were on the course.   As luck would have it Barb Urich and Len Redon managed to get tangled up boom to boom with the wind coming from the north which made for a great deal of rowing to rescue the two of them heading to the south end of the lake.

Next Sunday will be week 5 of our 8 week series with the start time being 4pm off the south dock at CYC.  I hope to see everyone there again for another fun filled afternoon of frustration.

The Admiral

The enthusiasm and the weather attracted 15 Lasers and 2 Victoria’s for our 2016 Walkabout races.  It was a day for sunscreen and patience waiting for that puff of wind that would lead you towards the next mark. The first race of approximately 1 mile took just over 1 hour for everyone to complete and the second race back ( which was shortened by a quarter mile to allow us to be back in time for refreshments) took 45 minutes.

The course consisted of a start/finish line and six different marks to be rounded.  With no steady breeze from any one direction it was very important to watch the boat next to you and your telltales in order to keep moving.

In the first race it was Len Redon who took the horn, followed by Terry Schmidt just seconds off the pace, and Jonathan Gorbold in third.  The race back was won by Jay Niggli followed by Bill Schmidt then myself (Nelson Habecker).

After racing we all relaxed outside with Magie’s chili, Terry’s cornbread, Glennis’ lemon cake and cupcakes, and Mary’s sherbet to finish off the afternoon.

The RC Laser Fleet #14 welcomes Nate Heinzelman (#73) as our newest RC Laser member and also Richard Mikulec and his wife with their Victoria’s that have been joining us for the races.

We will be moving our venue to the CYC south dock beginning April 24th with the club then being opened for the season.  Race time on the 24th will be 2-4pm and changing to later in the afternoon (4-6pm) on Sundays thereafter.  I am looking forward to another year of fierce competition.

The Admiral

Captain Jack
Sparrow

It was one eyed Jack aka Captain Jack Sparrow aka Jack Bennett who led the way by posting 3 wins a second and a third to capture first place after seven races were completed.  Anne Gorbold scored 2 wins, Jonathan Gorbold and Maggie Atkins each with one.  “RESULTS”

Although it was a chilly day everyone was dressed with layers ready to fight the elements with the exception of myself. After two races I called for a 10 minute break to warm up my rudder thumb.  The wind was out of the south which made for a great course(walking up and down the dock) to get our exercise tuning up for next week’s “Walkabout”.

We have partnered with “Raceqs” (a GPS phone app) to broadcast our walkabout races live or for your review after the races by clicking on the following link:  http://raceqs.com/regattas/50548     The scheduled time for the first race will be promptly at 2 pm 423 Holiday Harbor, so don’t be late or you will have a hard time trying to catch me.

Richard Mikulec, a new member this year, joined us with his Victoria RC which at times got lost amongst all the “A” sails of the lasers.  It will be interesting to see how he fairs in a longer race if he joins us for the Walkabout races.

The weatherman calls for sunny with a temp somewhere in the 60s so dress attire can be shorts if you wish.

Until next Sunday 2PM

The Admiral

The final day of racing and everything went well until the first race was underway.  It was at the leeward mark that Jay pitch poled with Jonathan right behind him. As luck would have it Jay’s rudder came down over Jonathan’s boom and the two were hitched.  After a short honeymoon I was sent to handle the divorce proceedings.  Another rescue by kayak.  Mary continued to rack up victories in the first three races when we all called for a break in hopes of cooling her down.  Upon returning someone very graciuoslly put Barb’s boat in the water without turning it on. The short video shows our efforts to prevent another rescue.

When all was said and done it was another rescue down the same channel we lost Jay and Jonathan.  Mary unfortunately came right back with another win that clearly made her the Frostbite Series winner for 2015.  She topped it off with a second in the fifth race (but we all believe she was just holding back to make us feel good). If you would like to see the final count click “RESULTS”

We had barely enough time for one final race of the season so we made it a real horse race.  If you have nine minutes to kill please enjoy the race.

At the end we all packed our boats away and moved inside to feast on all the goodies that were brought by everyone and Anne’s pasta, bread, and wine.

With the season coming to an end I would like to thank everyone for all the dedication and efforts that were put in to make this such a successful year of racing.  From the series we raced to the Squaw Island Regatta and toping it off with the Atkins’ Hospitality Regatta, it could not have been better.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all”

The Admiral  Till next year!!!!

The one thing I realized yesterday was that for most of the day Mary was walking up and down the dock in the opposite direction from everyone else.  That meant that while everyone else was fetching the windward mark Mary was already fetching the leeward mark.  “Great sailing Mary”.

Mary – waiting her turn to enter the starting box.

She managed to score 5 bullets and 1 second out of seven races.  Gary Schmidt, who took first place away from her last week, after Mary’s absence from racing, was forced back into second with her return.  With only one race day left in the Frostbite Series it looks like the only one that has a chance of beating her would be Gary, but it will take a very strong performance.  “RESULTS”

We will be meeting up one last time (Sunday 2-4pm) at Holiday Harbor to finish the Frostbite Series and to say good night to our boats until warmer weather arrives or we head south with our bags in hand.

We have been very fortunate this year having the Frostbite weather act more like Fall.

Please join us for a final day of racing, food, wine, and good old fashion cursing on the docks.

The Admiral

Just as forecasted the rain clouds retreated and the sun broke through occasionally for our afternoon of racing.  With everyone using “C” sails it was not uncommon to see boats pitch poling when trying to fetch the leeward mark.  After having to rescue two boats hung up on the other side of the dock due to the strong gusts of wind that would pin your boat there, it was decided to move the mark rather than have to do another rescue.  George Nix had a rather different approach to combating the 25+ knot gusts. He tried starting the fourth race with his “C” sail reefed by allowing the top half of his mast to separate from the bottom half which doesn’t work very well. (One more rescue.)

We were able to get in six races using a modified Olympic course and a one race scramble lap windward – leeward-finish before time ran out.

We then moved inside where we devoured Terry Schmidt’s lasagna, warm bread and cupcake desserts.  Upon finishing with a glass of wine or two some of us just laid back and took a snooze until woken up to go home.

A rough day on the water.

We will be trying to repeat the same scenario again this Sunday with racing from 2-4pm at Holiday Harbor and more of Terry’s lasagna.

See you on the water!!!!!

The Admiral