It was a chilly start to the morning, but the water was still quite warm. We were all disappointed to hear that Bill Raposa was the victim of an over-enthusiastic ‘flu shot and would probably not make it down to the cove today.  Recover very soon, Bill. We also heard that Bill David wouldn’t be with us today as his wife, Judy was in the hospital.  We heard later that she was OK and Bill was taking her home. Full recovery soon, Judy.So we lost two of our fiercest competitors and we started racing with only six boats in the water.Wilkie kept score (many thanks to Wilkie), Will, Pat, Ned, and I, and later Manny formed the cheering crowd.  We also welcomed Mike Troy, a friend of Paul’s to the cove.The wind was from the northwest and quite strong and Race Director, Rob Hill explained the course to the six racers starting today.  The diagram of the course is attached. From the start line head to the white mark 1, taken to starboard then towards shore and round the red mark 1 also taken to starboard then sail south to take red marks 2 and 3 to starboard and back to the line.  The first 5 races followed this course, but for the 6th and last race of the morning, Rob added an additional link.  After rounding the first mark the boats returned to the start area, rounded the yellow pin, and then back to white 1 to follow the original course.The six morning races resulted in five wins for Paul and one for Dick Mahoney. Dick was second in three and Paul was second in the one he didn’t win.  Kim and Jim Kelly were the other second place finishers and they each had one third place.  Bill Northup had three third place finishes.The session ended with drama: Bruce’s boat drifted off out of control, so Bruce rowed out a long way to rescue it.  I asked Bruce if he was exhausted, but he replied, “No, but I’m ready for lunch”.  It turned out that Bruce’s boat had stripped a servo gear and he retired.  After lunch, the wind had shifted to come more from the west, so Rob adjusted the start line and we went back to the original course.  Just for the eighth race, Rob again added a link, this time from white 1, back to the start line and around the white pin taken to starboard then back out to white1 and the original course. Bill Northup’s boat also had a problem and was out for the afternoon which left only 4 boats sailing.After the first two races of the afternoon, the wind died and we decided to end the regatta after ten races in total and allow two throw-outs.  By the end of the contest, there were only three boats in the water!  Wilkie also rowed out to rescue Jim’s boat in the ninth race. Paul won three of the four races and Dick won the other. Dick was second twice as was Kim and it was no surprise that the survivors were the top three finishers today.
Regatta Winner          Paul Mercer
Runner-up                  Dick Mahoney
Third Place                 Kim Hanna
Fourth Place               Bill Northup
Fifth Place                  Jim Kelly
Rob made the awards to the top five and, despite the low entry and the 50% attrition we all had a good time.  We expect at least double the entry in the DF95 regatta.
In other news, Ned Popovic told Rob and me that he intends to concentrate on DF95 racing and will donate his Soling to the club.  That’s very generous of you, Ned and we accept with many thanks.
I took some photographs today and,as soon as I sort them out, I’ll send some out.  Probably tomorrow.  As always, these days, Paul has posted the results to our website MHBMYC.org

The next event is the First DF95 Regatta just two days away on Thursday, Sept. 17th. Just get there by 10:45 to enter and don’t forget to bring lunch and chairs.  Awards will be made soon after the end of the last race, so stick around for a while.

The next Soling event is Match Racing on Tuesday, Sept. 22nd.  Tide will be coming in with a high around 1 pm.  This will be limited to 12 entrants, first come first served.  Please let me know if you wish to enter before 5 pm on the day before, Monday, Sept. 21st  Rob Hill has offered to run proceedings.
See many of you on Thursday.
Stay safe and well.
Derek

No racing today, but we did complete 5 days of racing this season.  Thursday weather has not been great for us, but we had some good days and a lot of fun and camaraderie.So the regular season is over and the 2020 DF95 champion is…………………………
Champion        Rob Hill     just one point ahead of
Runner-up          Paul Mercer
Third place        Bill David
Fourth place       Jim Kelly  who was one point ahead of
Fifth place           Jim Pascalides
Next for DF95s is the First Annual Regatta next Thursday…..more to come on this.
Thanks to all who participated as racers or helpers for this series.The history of the five days is attached.Take care, have fun, stay well and stay safe,Derek

Another near-perfect summer day although we could have done with a little more wind.  Soling Fleet Captain, Bill Raposa, laid out the course which was our usual course for low wind conditions.For the wind vaguely from the south, Bill had the start line vaguely east-west.  South from the start line around the south mark, then downwind to the north mark and back to the finish.  All to starboard.  Paul Mercer kindly offered to coach once again.  Seven members raced six races today, but a number of other members visited without boats.  Manny did his usual fine job of scoring and it was good to see Bill and Shelley Northup. Will, Pat, Dick Mahoney, and I cheered on the competitors. We had four different winners today.  Bill David and Jim Kelly won two each yet neither finished in the top three today.  In Bill David’s case, he had a problem with his rudder and finished last in race 4 and was out for the last two races.  In Jim’s case, he didn’t start in the first two races as he spent that time helping someone else. Typical Jim!Our two other winners today were Sue (with some assistance from Paul) and Bill Raposa.  Bill also had two second and two third place finishes to be our overall winner today.Bruce also had two second and two third place finishes to finish second this morning.  Kim had two second place finishes and one third to capture third place overall  The only other finisher in the top three in any race today was Steve Walsh.The only problem we had today, apart from Bill David’s loss of steering, was Sue’s failure to start race 4.  The cause was a plastic bag wrapped around the rudder.Paul has posted today’s results to our webpage mhbmyc.orgEverybody had a really good time, not only today but for the whole nine day series.
And our Soling Champion of 2020 is……………………………………………..
Champion   Bill David
Runner-up   Paul Mercer
Third place   Bill Raposa
Fourth place    Kim Hanna
Fifth place       Bruce Collemer
The full history of the Soling Championship is attached.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement, next Tuesday we have our Twelfth Annual Regatta for Solings.  Just turn up before 10.45 to enter.  No entry fee.  Just bring your boat, lunch, a chair, and friends and family to cheer you on. Awards for the Regatta and the Soling Championship will be made following the Regatta.  Low tide around noon so let’s hope for a perfect breeze.
Before all that we have the sixth and final day of DF95 racing on this Thursday, Sept.10th, weather permitting.
See you at one or all these events.Stay happy, healthy and safe,Derek

Last Thursday amid the confusion of “to race or not to race”, nine or ten members went down to the cove and we spent some time discussing the remainder of the season.We decided:1. We will run the race days as planned so the final race day for Solings is next Tuesday, Sept 8th and for DF95s next Thursday, Sept 10th
2.  We will hold the Annual Regattas as planned with Solings on Tuesday, Sept 15th and DF95s on Thursday, Sept 17th.  The good news is that there is no entry fee this year. Just turn up before 10.45 when the skippers’ briefing will be held. The not so good news is that we have to provide our own lunches.  More details to come.
3.  Regrettably, there will be no Awards Banquet this year.  Awards and recognition will be made immediately following each Regatta.
4.  We will hold a match race for Solings on Tuesday, Sept 22nd and for DF95s on Thursday, Sept 24th.  As usual for match racing, you will need to bring your own lunch and we will need to know entries in advance.
5.  A  revised schedule is attached showing an extension until mid-October, but the intention is to continue racing until either the weather or our cold feet and legs make it prudent to stop.

The first thing to let you know is that member, David Cochran is planning to move from the area and has, most generously, given his Soling to our club.  So sail number 94 now appears on the scoresheet as “Club Boat” and is available for prospective members to sail or for members whose boat is out of commission for a while to use. Thank you very much, David.
Now to today’s racing. It was very hot once again and humid with a light wind, but thirteen members came down to the cove, nine of them with boats.  The members without boats were Wilkie who scored, Manny with the starter, Will, and me.  Soling Fleet Captain, Bill Raposa, set the course;  Off the East-West start line to the south mark, taken to starboard, then to the north mark with the line closed and finally back to the line. After the first three races, Bill adjusted the start line a little and changed the course: south mark taken to port, then north mark taken to starboard, back to the south mark and a downwind finish to the line.  The final four races were run on this course.We welcomed one of Kim’s neighbors, John, as a spectator along with his two granddaughters.Jim Kelly kindly gave up the first two races to let the little girls try their hands at sailing his boat.  Well done, Jim. But no extra points, I’m afraid.Bill David’s wife, Judy, was another guest today.  More than a guest, a lucky charm, as Bill won the first three races, was second in the third and then won the next two. I heard a rumor that he even had a hand in Pat’s victory in the final race.  He easily won first overall today.Paul was the only other race winner today, but he had five second places and one third to finish second overall today. With three third place finishes and three fourth places, Kim was third today followed by Pat in fourth and Bruce in fifth.Sue had some boat problems and only managed one race as did Bill Raposa whose main sheet snapped.  Jim Kelly and Steve finished sixth and seventh, but Jim scored big on Neighborliness Points., 
Lots of fun again todayAnd the fun continues on Thursday, August 27th with DF95 race day 6 when the tide will be coming in from a low at 08.55
Next occasion for Solings is race day 8 on Tuesday, September 1st when the tide will be going out from a high at 08.21
Stay safe and wellDerek

Yet another beautiful day for model boat racing. 14 members made their way down to the cove this morning and at the start of racing there were 14 boats in the water including Kim’s new red hull. and including two guests, Henry DiPietro and Nick Bailey, both of the Newport DF95 group.  The two members not racing were Manny who had the very difficult task of scoring so many boats and Shelley who assisted Manny.  Thank you both very much.There was a very light wind vaguely from the northwest so DF95 Fleet Captain, Jim Pascalides set the course with the start/finish line running north-south, parallel with the beach.  From the line, the short course was north to the black and white mark taken to starboard and back to the line.The first four races were on this course and they were slow, so much so that the wind died completely at one point and it looked like we would have to abandon racing, but then the wind shifted and was now a good breeze coming vaguely from the south, so the line was changed to the more usual east-west line and the boats headed south to take the windward mark to starboard then sail north to take the blue and white mark to starboard and back to the line.  Three races were run on this course making seven races in all.  Jim Pascalides won four of them to become today clear winner. The only other race winners today were Bill David with two and relatively new member, Rich Field. .Rob Hill was second in one race and third in four and such consistency was enough to secure second place overall. In addition to his win, Rich was second once and third twice to establish himself in third place today.  Congratulations, RichOther second place finishers today included Kim who sailed his new red boat to second in the first race, but later had some sail control problems and had to retire eventually; Paul, whose two second place finishes propelled him into fourth place overall; Henry with one second place and a third led to a fifth place overall; and Pat who was later out for two races (cause unknown).Retirees today were Will, Dick, Kim, and me.  It was a most unusual race day, but still very enjoyable.
As usual Paul Mercer has put the full results on our website mhbmyc.org

The next Race Day will be for Solings on Tuesday, August 25th at 11.00when the tide will be coming in from a low at 06.30.  High tide will be at 2.12 pm.
The next time for the DF95s to go racing will be Thursday, August 27that 11.00 when the tide will be coming in from a low at 08.55.Lots of fun as usual today.Please stay safe and well,Derek

A damp and rainy early start to the day soon gave way to sunshine and an adequate breeze.  There were seven boats in the water at the start of racing today and quite a few members who came down to the cove without boats: Manny, who did a fine job keeping score, Bill Raposa who was the race director, Rob who was technical guru, Sue, Will and myself.  It was the usual course with the wind from the south.  Starboard around the windward mark, then head north to the black and white mark, take it to starboard then head towards shore take the blue and white mark to starboard, and back to the line.  The first two races were once around and the final four races were twice around with the line open.Bill David won the first race and three more to finish first overall today.  Paul won the second race and one more and, with three second places, that was enough to finish in second place just one point behind Bill. In third place with two second places and three third places was Dick Mahoney. Jim Kelly was fourth closely followed by Kim and Pat.  Steve didn’t finish the first two races and didn’t start the final four.  We hope the problem gets resolved soon.Albert Meyer again brought his (new to him) Soling to the cove for try-out.  He discovered a leak from the bow, but knows how to fix it.Paul has loaded the full results to our website mhbmyc.org We next race DF95s on Thursday this week at 11.00 as usual, when the tide will be going out from a high at 09.43.
Then, next Tuesday we’ll be racing Solings at 11.00 when the tide will be coming in from a low at 06.30 (high at 2.12 pm)
See you at either or both,Take care, stay safe and well,Derek

The morning started hot and muggy as we’ve come to expect these days. There was quite a heavy local shower and it was still raining very lightly as the members started to assemble at around 10.30.  We had two guests today from the Newport group: Henry DiPietro who was here last week and Nick Bailey.  Both were welcomed, but only Nick raced as Henry had burned out a sail servo, unfortunately.

Nine boats raced today.  We used our usual course but started out by heading north and running the course clockwise with all marks taken to starboard, once around with the line closed.  After the first two races, the wind died.  We took a 10-minute break and a very light wind from the south reluctantly arrived so we had two short races: South to the southerly mark taken to starboard and back to the line. Painful!.  There was now no wind and we quit for the day.  Those present decided to count today as a race day as we had already abandoned racing for one day earlier in the year.

Kim had had our first DF95 cracked hull so, as I haven’t been racing and he has, he borrowed my boat.  I kept score assisted by Jim Kelly’s son, Chris, who had brought along a pair of binoculars.

Thanks, Chris. Soling Fleet Captain, Bill Raposa, also came down to the cove to see how exciting DF95 racing is.  Marginally better than watching paint dry today.

The slow-motion winners today were Paul twice and Bill David and Nick once each.  Bill D, Jim K, Wilkie, and Rob each had one second place and Nick, Paul, Rob, and Bill D..had one third place each.

So Paul was the overall winner today with Bill David second just one point behind.  Nick was third with Wilkie fourth and Kim fifth.

Paul has posted the full results to our website mhbmyc.org  

Paul’s wife, Laura also joined us today and brought her camera so we can expect some new DF95 pictures on our website. Thank you, Laura.

The next race day for DF95s will be Thursday, August 20th at 11.00 when the high tide will be at 09.43

But two days earlier on Tuesday, August 18th we’ll have Soling Race Day 6 at 11.00 when the tide will be going out from a high at 08,07

We still had some fun today, but of a slower, more relaxed kind.

Stay safe and well

Derek

The exceedingly high temperature coupled with high humidity must have contributed to the sparse number of participants this morning, but as things turned out it was not too bad given the cooling breeze that enabled us to hold seven races in good time.  The wind was from our south and we followed, what is now our usual course.  The southern mark was taken to port and the two northern marks to starboard.  Once around for the first two races and twice around for the last five.Only five boats competed.  In fact, there were as many members without boats. Bill Raposa had a problem with his boat today, but he was still a major participant as he laid out the course and acted as our starter.  Wilkie kept score and I helped.  Will and Jim Kelly cheered everyone on and Rob gave technical advice and much help….including sailing for a bit.  There were only two race winners today.  Bill David won four and Paul won three. They both finished on 9 points but Bill wins the day on more first places.  Kim took the lead for the final two races but finally got beaten by Paul.  Kim got two seconds and four thirds to finish in third place overall.  The other sailors were Pat and new member, Albert Meyer who sailed his new (to him) Soling.  Rob gave him a tutorial before racing commenced and help and advice during the competition. Welcome as a racer, Albert.Despite the conditions, everyone had an enjoyable time.  Paul has put the full results on our website mhbmyc.org Soling fun continues next Tuesday, August 18th at 11.00 when the tide will be going out from a high at 08.07
And, before that, next Thursday, August 13th at 11.00 we have DF95 Race Day 4 when the tide will be coming in from a low at 08.45
Our starter is missing.  Whoever has it, could you please bring it to our next race day on Thursday.  Thank you.Stay well and safe and have fun,Derek