Mount Hope Bay Model Yacht Club

DF95 Racing 7/15/25

The early morning showers soon gave way to a sunny, but very humid day with a 6 mph wind from the southwest and a high tide, peaking at 12.14.

Seven members and their boats squeezed onto the beach for a few hours of friendly, competitive fun. Jim Kelly paid us a visit, and Luis was there, but without his boat.

Judy started the races, kept score, and was the voice of reason. (“Time for a water break”). Many thanks, Judy. 

Connie was there too to support Al and take some photographs. 

Kim had family visitors today, so I was in charge of the DroneBuoy, but my many hours of arduous training came to naught when Bill decided he would rather wade out and plant a “throw-in” mark for the start line. This and the pin became a rather long start line. The course was simple: south to the blue mark, then north to the yellow mark, and back to the line, twice around, taken to port.

Variety is the spice of life, so for the third race, the course became once around, for the fourth race, it was one and a half times around, and, finally, for the last two races, we came to the conclusion that we were right the first time and changed back to the original course. Whew!

Our sailors are used to the challenge of wind and waves, but today we had the added challenge of weed, copious weed. Nevertheless, we held six races and had four different winners. Wes won the first race, and Nick the second. The other four races were shared by Bill and Fokka.

Bill had three second places while Fokka had one, so Bill wins the duel and is today’s Champion.

Nick and Greg both had second places. Nick had to leave after the third race, and Greg, with two third-place finishes, took third place overall today, but just one point ahead of Al.

After a great start, Wes was out for two races and finished sixth today, just one point ahead of Mike. 

Fun today, despite the weed in the water and the high humidity.

The full results are attached and can also be found on our website, mhbmyc.org

Racing will continue next Tuesday, July 22nd, when there will be lots of beach as the tide will be at a low at 11.32..

In other news, please join me in wishing Ed Haddad a speedy recovery from a very painful hip fracture. Ed was a past commodore of the club. Get well soon, Ed.

Stay safe…..take care…..have fun,

Derek

DF95 Racing 7/8/25

The early morning fog had lifted by nine, and the high humidity was easing fast. There were still dire warnings of “high heat” and a “thunderstorm watch”, but that couldn’t deter the ten members from bringing their boats to the cove this morning. The tide was approaching a low at noon, and the WSW wind was about 8 mph. It was in the mid to high eighties and quite humid.

Kim was back from the geysers and waterfalls of Iceland and guided the DroneBuoy to its position as one of the starting marks, with the pin being the shore-most mark on this occasion.

The course was south to the blue mark, and sometimes the green as well, then north to the yellow mark, twice around with all marks taken to port.

Judy was there to score and keep track of things, and Connie was there to assist. Thank you both very much.

It was good to see Wilkie, who paid us a visit for a while, and good to see Greg back in good racing form. We missed you both.

Fokka won the first race of the six and went on to win another four. Greg was the only other sailor who won today. Needless to say, Fokka is today’s Champion with 5 points. Second place was more difficult to determine as Wes took two second places, as did Bill. Rob and Nick took the other two second places. Greg took three third places,, Wes took two, and Rob and Greg took one each.

So, Greg and Wes were tied on 15 points, but Greg gets second place by virtue of his win.

It was very hot at the cove, and we had a water break after the third race. Rob took the opportunity to replace his sails. That seemed to work as he finished second in the fourth race. In the fifth, he got tangled with weed, and he missed the sixth as he had a family commitment. Bill also sat out the last three races as his transmitter batteries died.

Despite the really hot conditions, everyone had a good, if sometimes frustrating, time.

Well done, everyone!

The full results are attached and can be found with all the other news on our website, mhbmyc.org

Competition resumes next Tuesday, July 15th, when the tide will be high at 12.14.

Whatever you do in the meantime, stay safe, be kind, and have fun.

Derek

DF95 Racing. 7/1/25

A damp foggy morning brightened a little, and, with no racing last week, and 10 mph SSW winds, seven members were lured to the cove. Kim and his wife, Pat were on the return journey from their adventures in Iceland and Louis and Cindy had told me they would be on holiday. I had family staying with me so my part was just to get the starter and score sheet to the shore. The event was in the capable hands of Judy and Connie. Thank you both very much.

The tide was coming in towards a high at 1.44 pm and the start was formed by a red buoy and the pin and off on a typical course for winds from the south. (I wasn’t there). The temperature was a muggy 78 degrees, the boats were moving well and there were six races.

My interpretation from the scoresheet is that there was some close racing with Fokka and Rob winning three races each. They also had two second place finishes each, and even a fourth place each, so it was a classic tie but Fokka gets first place today because he won the first race. Is this right? Protests on a $10 bill, please.

Bill David with his new boat was consistent with four third places,and that put him third overall today.

Nick had two second place finishes. but had mainsail control problems for the final two races pushing him down to fifth place, tied on points with Al.

Wes finished in fourth place by virtue of his one third place and two fourth place finishes. Mike tailed the field, but, like everyone else, was pleased to be back on the water racing at last.

The results are attached and these, and all the news, can be found on our website, mhbmyc.org

Racing continues next Tuesday, July 8th when the tide will be low at noon from a high at 07.00

Enjoy the July 4th festivities, parades, and family time,

Have fun,

Derek

Heat Advisory 6/24

In view of the severe heat warning, the 11.00 temperature forecast at 91 degrees, and the poor air quality, DF95 racing is cancelled tomorrow.

Thursday looks rainy at the moment, but a decision will be made on Wednesday. I’ll let you know.

Sorry about this,

Stay cool,

Derek

DF95 Racing 6/19/25

The early fog and mist gave way to sun and clouds by race start. It was nudging 80 and very humid, but the 7 mph wind from the southwest helped us to feel a little more comfortable.

The tide was coming in from a low at 08.00, so ideal conditions for racing. Seven members thought so too and brought their boats to the cove.

Judy looked after the starting and scoring, Connie was there to support Al and take some photographs, and Cindy was there to support Louis. Many thanks to you all.

Another welcome visitor was Pat Donovan. Good to see you, Pat..

The course for the first three races was similar to the course used last week: the DroneBuoy and the pin formed the start, then south to take the blue and green marks to port, north to take the pink/white and the red/yellow marks to port, off to the red/white mark taken to port and then around the blue and green marks again and back to the line..The first three races resulted in a win for Bill and two wins for Fokka.

Following the third race and a much-needed water break, Nick and Bill suggested a change to the course, and all agreed. The same start and around the blue and green marks to port, then north to the red/yellow mark, taken to port, back to the blue and green, then north to the red/yellow, and race to the line. In this second series of races, Fokka won two and Nick won one.

Apart from the winners in the six races, Nick and Al both had two second-place finishes, and Bill and Kim had one each.

Third-place finishes went to Al (2), Nick (2), and Bill and Kim, one each.

We had two incidents today. In preparing for the fifth race, Bill’s boat got stuck on the pin at the start. Nick and Kim were bringing the rescue boat down to the shore when the boat released itself. Bill inspected it and, at first glance, thought the sail servo had failed, but, on closer inspection, he found the boat full of water and with no leaks in sight. A mystery to be solved!

The other incident occurred at the same time: Mike’s boat started sailing in circles, so it appeared that “fail-safe” had worked. The boat ended up on the wrong side of the wall, which meant a scramble for Mike. The culprit in this case was a flat battery. Bill and Mike missed the last two races, unfortunately.

Fokka was today’s champion with 8 points, with Nick second with 11 points and Al third with 14.

Bill and Kim tied for fourth with 19 points, but Bill gets the place owing to his one win. 

The full results are attached

All the news is on our website mhbmyc.org

The next race day is next Tuesday, June 24th, when the tide will be going out from a high at 07.44.  Bring water. The temperature forecast is 90

Enjoy the weekend,

Derek

Racing Postponed

Rain is forecast today until 1 pm. A gloomy morning with wind from the east dictates that the prudent thing to do is to cancel racing today

Our “weather day”, Thursday, looks much better. It is a public holiday, Juneteenth, but let’s say we’ll race then.

See you Thursday,

Derek

DF95 Racing 6/12/25

Let me start with an apology to Judy David for omitting a mention of her sterling contribution to last week’s racing. Sorry, Judy, and thank you. Judy was here today and, this time, brought her granddaughter, Maggie. Welcome. Cindy was also here to support Louis. Thank you, ladies.   Connie, along with Al, wasn’t here this morning, and we missed them.

This morning was hot and humid, but the adequate breeze helped us stay comfortable.

Five members thought the conditions were good for sailing and brought their boats and their competitive spirits to the cove. We also had visits from Jim Kelly, Bill Raposa and Dick Mahoney. Good to see you all.

For ease of understanding, I have attached a depiction of the course markers, with apologies to the artists who may be reading this.   Today, the course was set with the DroneBuoy and the pin forming the line. South to take the blue and green pins to port, then north to the pink/white pin to port, and back to the line. As the wind strengthened, after two races, the course was extended by including the red/yellow mark, then onto the red mark to port. South to take the blue and green marks to port and downwind to the line. Whew! 

Nick got off to a great start by winning the first four races, but Bill David won the next five to easily become today’s champion with 12 points. Nick finished the day with a creditable score of 18 points. With two third places and six second places, Kim equalled Nick’s point score but took third place because Nick had more first places.

New model boat sailors, Mike and Louis both had two third place finishes, and it was level pegging with these two, with Mike scoring just one point more.

Well done, everyone. Some very close racing today and lots of fun. 

The results are attached. Don’t forget to visit our website mhbmyc.org  for all the news.

.   . 

Df95 racing continues next Tuesday, June 17th, when the tide will be coming in towards a high at around 1.30.

In the meantime, have a great weekend.

Derek

Racing 6/10/25

The weather forecast for tomorrow, Tuesday, shows showers and rain from 10.00 until 4.00 pmwith temperatures in the mid-sixties and 4 mph winds.

In contrast, Thursday shows sunshine all the way, mid-eighties, and 12 mph winds.

So let’s race on Thursday 

See you at the cove,

Derek

Racing 6/5 continued

A warm day. By the time we got started, it was 80 degrees with a nice wind from the southwest, so we expected the eight protagonists who battled on Tuesday to resume friendly competition this morning. However, this was not to be, as we lost three, leaving only five boats racing. Louis was there without his boat, which is waiting for spare parts. His wife, Cindy, did join us and had the good sense to sit in the shade. We missed Connie today as she had an appointment with a vet and her cat. Hope all went well, Connie.

The intention was to continue with Tuesday’s races today, but the consensus was that we should declare Tuesday’s results null and void and start afresh today. That’s what we did, holding nine races around the same course we used on Tuesday, with the only difference being that the start line was from the pin to the DroneBuoy.

.Fokka won eight of the nine races, and with his one second-place finish as his throwout, achieved a perfect score of eight. Very well done!

Bill David was second with 18 points, followed by Al and Kim, each with 25 points. Al gets third place as he had two second-place finishes to Kim’s one. Mike had fun in fifth place.

Today’s results are attached, and don’t forget, you can get all the news on our website, mhbmyc.org

Good friendly competition this morning with good weather conditions and lots of fun.

The next DF95 racing will be on Tuesday, June 10th, when the tide will be going out towards a low at around 1.00 pm.

Have a great weekend,

Derek

Racing 6/5/25

After a cool start, the morning quickly warmed up and reached the low seventies. This, combined with the promise of a light breeze, enticed 8 members down to the cove.

Judy and Connie were there and looked after the starting and scoring as usual—many thanks.

Apart from the competitors, Bill Raposa, Brad, Bill Northup, and Shelley came along to watch. However, the promise of a breeze failed to materialize, and we waited 30 minutes before sailing could start. We only managed three races before the wind vanished, so the competitors resolved to meet again to continue today’s racing next Thursday.  Unusual, but in the fun spirit of the club, to call a “semi-weather” day.

New members, Mike Todd and Louis Cordeiro, raced today, Louis having acquired Al Meyer’s old boat, sail number 70. A big welcome to both.

Rob set the course with the starting line from the pin near the shore to the red/white mark to the west. Head south and take the blue mark and the green mark to port, then a long leg north through the gate formed by the red/yellow and pink/white marks in the north, and back to the line.

Three races and three winners: Bill David, Fokka, and Rob. Mike finished third in race three, a good start.

We had the DroneBuoy in the water, but it didn’t play a part until it was time to get it out of the water, when it refused to budge. The controller had a little encounter with water a little earlier, so the DB had to be brought to shore by the rescue boat and the efforts of Kim and Mike.

Henry and Al Sampson both had fourth-place finishes.

Today’s racing is to be continued………….. next Thursday, June 5th, when the tide will be coming in from a low at 09.55.

Expecting more favorable winds,

Derek