Mount Hope Bay Model Yacht Club

2023 Soling Regatta

A nice sunny autumn day with a strong wind from the west, temperatures hovering around seventy, and a final chance for some competitive racing lured seven sailors with boats to the cove this morning. The tide was high at 11.25 so there was very little beach at the start. Judy was there to keep score and start the races. Thank you very much, Judy. 

Wilkie, Pat Donovan, and Shelly Northup also attended to spur us on.

Rob put in two yellow marks, one between the red/green and the pin to form the start/finish line and one between the southerly red/white and the orange/white to the west. The initial course was: 

South from the start line to a starboard rounding of the red/white mark, then, staying west of the yellow, round the orange/white mark to starboard then back to the line keeping north of the red/green mark, starboard around the yellow at the line and repeat. Twice around. The course was later shortened to cut out the southern red/white mark. Twelve races were held in all with Paul Mercer winning half of them and with three second places and one third became this year’s Soling Regatta Champion.

 Bill David was second with five wins, three second places, and one third and our only other winner today was Kim Hanna who with one second place and three thirds was third overall

Bill Raposa finished fourth with three second places and four thirds.

Rob had to row out for rescues twice today, once for my boat whose vintage rudder servo finally gave up, and once for Bill David’s boat after it tangled with Paul’s. Thank you, Rob.

Bill Northup had rudder linkage problems and didn’t race in the last three races. Jim Kelly had conquered a few problems earlier on but finally also couldn’t compete in the last three races. Bill Raposa sat out the final two races with unspecified problems. 

The full results can be found on our website mhbmyc.org

So that’s the end of the season except for members who wish to continue racing for fun.

Several want to race next Thursday(High tide around 1 pm)

We will need to pull the marks etc. and the date and time for that will be 11 am next Tuesday with a favorable low tide at around 11.20.

Thanks to everyone for a fun season. Come back next year.

Whatever you do in the off-season, smile, stay safe and have fun,

Derek

Awards Banquet

 A large group attended the Awards Banquet yesterday evening to enjoy good food and good company and to recognize the winners of the season. Everyone, I think, had a very enjoyable time.

The Soling race series had been dogged by poor weather and poor attendance. Only 5 days were used for actual racing and the maximum attendance was seven. 

Awards for the Soling race series were won by:

1 Bill David

2 Kim Hanna

3 Paul Mercer

The DF95 series was a different matter. We held races on 13 days throughout the season and on three occasions we had eleven boats competing. The top three awards were made to:

1 Henry DiPietro

2 Paul Mercer

3 Nick Bailey

Henry and Nick were overseas messing about in real boats and Kim is safeguarding their awards.

Awards for the DF95 Regatta were made to:

1 Paul Mercer

2 Bill David

3 Kim Hanna

And last, but by no means least, was the presentation of The Corinthian Trophy and the winner for 2023  is Jim Kelly for his unending helpfulness to whoever needs it. Well earned, Jim.

That’s not quite the end of the season as we have the weather delayed Soling Regatta tomorrow. Let’s have a good turnout. The weather forecast is great.

The full results of the season are attached…..just the Soling Regatta to come.

See you tomorrow?

Derek

DF95 Annual Regatta

Sunny skies, a temperature in the low seventies, declining humidity, and a nice breeze meant that we could hold our DF95 Regatta after a number of weather delays.

Eight sailors brought their boats to the cove this morning and Judy was there, as usual, to keep score. Connie was also there to take some pictures. Thank you both very much.  Al, of course, was with Connie but he couldn’t race as it turned out he had two broken bones and was wearing a large boot on his left foot. We all wish him a rapid recovery.

The tide was going out with a low at 1.39 pm and the wind was vaguely from the north or northwest so Paul put in an extra mark (red) to use with the pin as the start/finish line parallel to the shore. The course was west to the orange, port rounding, then south to the white/orange, port rounding, then north to the red/green, port rounding, back west to the orange, port rounding, and back to the line. That was the course for the first six races. 

After the first six races, we all had a break for lunch.

After lunch the tide was further out and the line was moved so that the pin and the red/green mark became the start line. we had the same course except that the red/green mark was now part of the start line.

The twelve races passed without major incidents, Albert had an issue in race 6 and Wilkie had a problem with the sail servo, either the servo itself or an electrical connection in race 7 and he didn’t race again today. Shelley Northup raced but only for four races

The 2023 DF95 Regatta Champion is Paul Mercer. 

Paul won a commanding eight races and was second in one and third in another one.

In second place was Bill David with three wins, five second places, and four third places.

After a series of battles throughout the contest, Kim Hanna snatched third place from David Vigeant by just one point. Kim had five second places and one third while David had one win, one second place, and five thirds.

Bill Northup’s boat was the only other boat to finish in the top three race places today.

A good day racing, fun to race, and fun to watch.

Congratulations to all the participants.

The full results can be found on our website mhbmyc.org

REMINDER: Our annual Awards Banquet is on Sunday in the Village Clubhouse Great Room at 6 pm. Who is the DF95 Champion, who is the Soling Champion, Who will get awarded the Corinthian Trophy?  Be there to find out. Bring your food contribution. Beer, water, and wine will be provided.

The official season will end next Tuesday, September 19th when we’ll hold the Soling Regatta. The tide will be high at 11.25 so let’s have a big turnout to get wet together. Bring lunch and chairs.

See you at the Banquet,

Derek

Regattas Rearranged

As everybody was affected by the weed at Thursday’s event and others had electrical problems it has been decided that we will nullify that event and start fresh on Tuesday, Sept.12th, with the DF95 Regatta.

That will give more sailors the chance to participate.

Next Thursday, Sept.14th will be the final race day for the 2023 DF95 Championship

The following Tuesday, Sept.19th will be the rescheduled Soling Regatta

And don’t forget the Banquet on Sunday, Sept.17th at 6 pm

Get those boats ready and have a fun and relaxing weekend

Derek

DF95 Annual Regatta 9/7/23

What an odd day! Nine members brought their boats to race and Jim Kelly was there to assist with proceedings in addition. Al Sampson arrived on crutches and without a boat but with Connie and Judy once again kept score. Many thanks, Judy. Al had a foot injury from falling up the steps last Thursday.  We wish you a speedy recovery, Al.  Albert Meyer had a boat but also had some control problems and his boat didn’t get into the water. It felt like Tuesday as there was no wind. We waited 30 minutes but still no wind so we decided to have lunch and wait and hope. At noon there was enough wind to race and we finally got going with eight boats racing.

Rob had thrown in 4 marks as the wind was light. I won’t detail the course as we stopped racing after three races, not because of the wind but because of the weed. Too many boats were getting slowed or stopped by the large amount of weed. We decided to stop racing and continue next week.

As we have more DF95 sailors than Soling sailors, the Soling sailors present agreed that the DF95 Regatta could continue next Tuesday and we’ll move the Soling Regatta to next Thursday with a weather date sometime next May!

Sorry Bill Raposa wasn’t there to have a vote.

Racing today was close with three different winners, Paul, Rob, and Bill David. Kim was second twice and Nick once. Bill, Kim, and David all had a third place so the whole event is wide open……to be continued.

Apart from the weed, there were a few other problems the most serious of which was when Henry DeWolf missed his underwater footing and fell. He’s OK but his radio is not. Rich and David also had electrical issues. Everybody has a few days now to resolve these items.

All the news is on our website mhbmyc.org

Racing continues next Tuesday, September 12thwhen the tide will be fully out at around noon and we will hold our Part 2 of our DF95 Regatta. Bring chairs, lunch, and something to drink.

Thursday next week, September 14th will now be our Soling Regatta. The low tide will be at 1.39 pm.

Enjoy the weekend,

Derek

Solings 9/5/23, Regatta and Banquet News

The heavy mist of dawn eventually gave way to a brighter morning with temperature in the low eighties, quite humid with a very weak breeze from the north, once again. Four members made the trip to the cove in the hope that the wind would strengthen but it was in vain,

So Bill R, Kim, Jim K and I told war stories and fishin’ tales and called it a day

No results can be found on our website mhbmyc.org today but lots of other stuff can!

The next event is the DF95 Regatta, next Thursday, September 7th at 11.00. There will be a minimum of six races before lunch and another minimum of six races after lunch. Bring your own lunch and drinks and a chair. The tide will be coming in towards a high at around 3 pm and, at present, the forecast is for mid-eighties, humid, and a light breeze from the southwest.

The next Soling event is in a week’s time, Tuesday, September 12th, the day we will hold the Soling Regatta when the tide will reach a low at around noon. same format as for the DF95s.

The annual Awards Banquet will take place on Sunday, September 17th at 6 pm in the Great Room at the Village Clubhouse. I’ll send out more details very soon. As it’s a “pot luck” event please give some thought as to what you’ll bring. Beer, wine, water, and soft drinks will be provided by the club.  Spouses, significant others, and family members are all invited.

See you Thursday for the DF95 Regatta,

Derek

DF95 Racing 8/31/23

It was decidedly cooler today but with lower humidity and a very strong breeze from the north. The tide was mid-way, going out and Paul described the waves as “potent”. Nevertheless, eight sailors brought their boats to race today and another eight decided that conditions were too difficult. 

Judy kept score once again for which we thank her. Connie and Shelley were there to cheer on Al and Bill N.

There was a lot of debate this morning about whether we should race. The wind was strong, but the waves were the main subject of the discussion. We decided to wait and, finally, Bill David and Nick put their boats in the water to see how things were. They were OK, Nick with an “A” rig and Bill with a “B”. The general thought was that you need a B rig for the wind but an A rig to power through the waves.

Eventually, Rob called for a show of hands of who wanted to race and those brave or reckless sailors put their boats in the water.

Rob didn’t race today but he set the course: The line was the orange and red marks, upwind to the blue, port rounding, downwind to the orange/red gate, back to blue, and finish downwind.

Despite the weather conditions and the challenge of the course, we managed to run nine races with very little incident. We welcomed guest sailor, Greg LaPlante who has raced with us in the past.

Nick won the first race and was second in the second race, but then, in the third race his transmitter had only intermittent contact with his receiver and that was the end of his racing today.

Henry DiPietro won the second race and proceeded to win five more to easily become today’s champion. The only other winners today were Greg and Al Sampson who also had two seconds and two thirds to finish second overall today. Kim also had two second places and two thirds, enough for a third place this morning. Greg finished fourth just one point behind Kim.

Paul, who had initially decided not to race, couldn’t resist joining the fray and raced from the second race onward. Bill David had fitted his B rig at the last minute and it really didn’t work out for him today. Bill Northup had a series of issues and only managed to complete three races today.

Well done everybody!

And Bon Voyage to today’s winner, Henry who’s off to Spain to sail around Majorca in a real boat.

 The full results can be found on the club website mhbmyc.org

Solings try again next Tuesday, September 5thwhen the tide will be coming in towards a high at just after 1.00 pm

Next Thursday, September 7th is the day of the DF95 Regatta. Please bring your lunch,  something to drink and a chair. The tide will be mid-way coming in to a high at around 3 o’clock. Prepare for fun.

Time to rid the boats of gremlins and have a relaxing weekend.

Happy Labor Day.

Derek

Soling Racing 8/29/23

t was dry but humid and murky this morning at the cove. But, with a gentle breeze, it was OK for racing or so we thought. What little breeze there was soon vanished and the usual three of us chatted and waited and finally abandoned all hope of racing today.

The forecast for Thursday is much better: Cooler, much less humid, and an eleven mph wind from the north.

The next chance for Solings is a week away on Tuesday, September 5th when the tide will be coming in to a high at 1.10 pm.

Before then this Thursday, August 31st, will see DF95s race again when the tide will be going out to a low at around 2 o’clock. that’s one week before the DF95 Regatta.

See you Thursday,

Derek

DF95 Series #15

Another beautiful morning with temperatures in the low seventies, tolerable humidity, and a gentle but strengthening breeze from the south tempted nine members to bring their boats to the cove. We missed regulars, Paul, David, and Rich. Wilkie had left his boat at home needing repair while Charlotte’s boat wouldn’t work as she would like so two more racers didn’t race. This just left the “Magnificent Seven” with boats in the water. Judy looked after the starting and scoring assisted by Connie. Thank you very much.

The course was from the red and pin start line, head upwind to the orange striped mark, then downwind to the blue mark, and back to the line with all marks taken to port.

During the first three races, we had a pleasant diversion as Bill’s and Judy’s real boat put in an appearance captained by their son who saw some very close racing, but no victory for Dad, unfortunately.

The course was changed for the fourth race to twice around and then modified to one-and-a-half time around with a downwind finish for the final four races. That made eight races in all, in case you lost count.

There were only two race winners today, Henry DiPietro who won five, and Nick who won the other three. Henry also had two seconds and was today’s overall winner. Nick had three thirds to go with his wins and finished today in second place.

 Bill had two second places and five third places to take third overall today while Kim was a close fourth with four second places. 

Al Sampson is starting a seaweed collection with his keel and that slowed him down a bit but he still managed fifth place.

Strangest of all, in the sixth race Nick’s and Albert’s boats got entangled out by the moorings and a paddleboarder who was on the beach paddled out and got the boats untangled. So good of him. Thank you unknown paddleboarder. Can you come back next week?

The full results are on our website mhbmyc.org

Solings race next Tuesday, August 29thwhen the tide will be heading for a low at 12.22

The DF95 saga will continue in a week’s time, on Thursday, August 31st when the tide will be heading toward a low at 2.17 pm. That’s just a week before the DF95 Regatta.

Reminder: The Awards Pot Luck Banquet will be on Sunday, September 17th at 6 pm in the Village Great Room so get thinking of what you might bring. The Club will provide Beer and Wine.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Derek

Solings Today 8/22/23

Mid-seventies temperature with low humidity and a strong breeze brought five members with their boats to the cove this morning. Bill Raposa had another appointment so, unusually, couldn’t be there. Kim, Pat, Jim K, and I were joined by Sam Morgan for his first Soling outing this season.

The strong wind was from the north so we set off from the red and pin start to the blue then downwind to the orange, back to the blue, and back to the line. All marks were taken to port.

The first race ended with Sam, Kim, Jim, and me in that order with  Pat’s boat drifting out of control. It eventually came to shore but didn’t race again. 

The second race was another win for Sam with Jim second and Kim third. My boat had intermittent control problems and like Pat’s didn’t race again. Before we could start the next race, Jim also lost control and Pat had to rescue the boat from the rocks so now we just had two boats left.

We then enjoyed four match races between Kim and Sam, with Sam the victor in three and Kim winning the final race of the day. No scores today, but still lots of fun, and Sam was certainly today’s Champion.

The next series of races is for DF95s on Thursday, August 24th when the tide will be coming in towards a high at 2.22 pm

Any advance on five for the next Soling race day? That will be next Tuesday, August 29th when the tide will be going out to a low at 12.22 pm.

Time to get all our electrical contacts actually making contact!

All the news is on our website mhbmyc.org

The weather is looking good for Thursday so see you there.

Derek