This morning was misty and muggy, with temperatures in the mid-seventies, winds vaguely from the southwest, and a high tide at noon. With the club meeting being held this afternoon, I hoped for a good turnout and I wasn’t disappointed as eleven members brought their boats determined to race. We held seven races over a course that took the boats south to the red mark, then north to the other red mark, and back to the line with all the marks left to port.

The first variation was to run this course twice around. The next variation was to lengthen the course to substitute the red northern mark with the blue northern mark. This variation was run once and twice around. The result was some very close racing.

It was good to see Jim Pascalides making a rare appearance and good to meet Wes who had come to observe activities and left probably wanting to build a boat. Jim Pascalides will send him some information.

Bill Raposa and Wilkie came to lend support and Judy, Connie, and Shelley not only cheered their husbands on but took charge of scoring. Thank you all very much.

Kim had news of our starter which spent some time on Tuesday in the rain. It didn’t work!

Luckily Paul had a small portable starter with him. Thanks for the rescue, Paul.

In race one, John’s boat suffered from a flat battery and he had to row out and rescue it.

Bill David’s boat succumbed to the same fate in the last two races but without the rescue.

Jim Kelly decided to sit out the final four races. Those were the only “incidents” today with the bulk of the fleet remaining in good shape.

Jim Pascalides won the first race and two more and these wins added to two second places and one third place was just enough to beat Fokka, who had two wins, three second places, and one third place, by just one point

Rob Hill also won a race today and, with two second and two third places, finished third overall. 

The only other winner was Paul who was fourth today followed by Nick and Kim.

Al and Bill Northup were not among the winners today, but they had a lot of fun like everybody else.

The full results are on our website, mhbmyc.org

DF95s race again next Thursday, August 1st when the tide will be the opposite of today, reaching a low at 11.23.

Notes from today’s meeting will be sent out later today.

Whatever you’re doing this weekend, have fun,

Derek

The early morning rain stopped around 7.30 but it remained cloudy and cooler than recent days. There was drizzle in the air but it progressed to rain later in the morning. By the time we had finished the first six races and were having lunch, it started raining again, this time heavily and we abandoned the event at this point.

The wind was from the northeast and was light but adequate. The course was relatively short: NW to the red mark, NE to the blue mark, both taken to starboard, then south downwind to the line.

As you know the Soling fleet has been depleted in recent years but six members made it down to the waterfront today. Al Sampson doesn’t have a Soling but he volunteered to help and did a sterling job starting the races and keeping score. Many thanks, Al. 

Ross Hudson put in an appearance to practice with the DF95 that is on loan from Paul.

Kim’s boat tried to escape during the pre-start practice session and sailed away rapidly off-shore. Kim rowed out quite a long distance to rescue it. Very impressive, Kim!  With the aid of a new battery and a temporary repair to the vang, Kim was ready for the first race. I also had a problem when water got in my boat and everything stopped working. I transferred the rig to a spare boat, but by this time the sixth race was underway, and that turned out to be the final race.

Paul won three races and was second in two more to become today’s champion.

Jim Kelly, sailing Sizzlin’ borrowed from Dick Mahoney. and formerly owned by Ed Haddad, won two races and was second in one.

Bill Raposa was the only other race winner today. He also had one second and three third places to tie with Jim on points. Jim gets second place with the most wins in the tiebreak

Kim, with his slightly wounded boat, had two second and two third places.

At lunch, we got into discussing the good old Soling days when we regularly got 12 to 14 participants. Bill had a list of names of members who sailed Solings in 2019. A long list. How times have changed

The full results can be found on our website mhbmyc.org along with all the other club news.

DF95 racing resumes next Thursdaywhen the tide will be at noon.

Next Thursday is also the date of our club meeting.

1.15 pm at the Sakonnet River Grille on Main Road, Tiverton.

I’ll send an agenda tomorrow 

They are sorry but they can’t do separate checks so please bring cash for your lunch. Kim has kindly agreed to co-ordinate the money side.

See you Thursday,

Derek

A partly sunny morning with a light breeze from the WNW greeted eight members with their boats. It was still hot, in the eighties, and still humid but the breeze helped. Regular sailors, Kim and Paul, weren’t there so Nick rowed out and positioned the starting line parallel to the beach and a new red mark to the west. Many thanks, Nick. The course was to sail west from the line, round the new red mark, taking it to port, then back through the line and round either starting mark and head back to the new red mark once more, and then finish downwind.

We welcomed a new member, Fokka de Jong, sail number 93, and were thankful that, once again, Judy kept score for us. Thank you, Judy.  Wilkie was one of the eight who came to race today but didn’t manage to get the boat working and retired for the day. As he didn’t race today, he’s absent from the score sheet but it was good to see him. Better luck next Thursday, Wilkie.

We held nine races and John Reilly won five of them and was our champion today.

With two wins, two seconds, and four thirds, Bill David was second overall this morning.

Fokka had four second place finishes and finally had a win in the final race, enough to give him third place today but he was only one point ahead of Henry who had one win and three second places.

Rich had a problem with a loose keel and water in the boat so he retired for the day after the third race. Al Sampson was sixth after Nick. I think both had fun but it just wasn’t quite their day.

Some sad news about Betty the dog who usually came down to the beach while we were racing and was a sort of club mascot, died on June 24th. Her owner, Jake came down to the beach today and introduced his new dog, Birdie who, I’m sure, we’ll all get to know.

It was an unusual wind direction and an unusual course, but we had some close racing and it was fun. Well done, everyone.

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

More DF95 racing next Thursday, July 25th when the tide will be high at noon.

Following racing we will hold a club meeting at The Sakonnet Grille Restaurant, 524 Main Road, Tiverton at1.15 pm for lunch and discussion.

But before that, on Tuesday, July 23rd we will hold the first Soling Regatta of the season.

Let’s have a great turnout!  Remember to bring chairs and lunch.

If you are not racing, please consider coming along to help run the races and keep score

In the meantime have a great weekend, see you Tuesday to race, or help.

Derek

The early morning weather was dull and dismal, humid and horrible, and continued the same way most of the morning. Paul had suggested that we shouldn’t use the drone buoy owing to high winds so he arrived early to make other start-line arrangements. Kim and I joined him but he already had a starting mark in the water. Thanks and well done, Paul.

The weather dissuaded some members and only five turned up to race and so they did for six races.

 With a SSW wind, the course was south to the green mark, north to the blue, and back to the line. From the second race, the upwind leg was shortened to the orange mark, but twice around. All marks were taken to port. 

Henry won the first five races and was only prevented from having a clean sweep by John Reilly who won the final race and gathered enough points (three second places) to finish second overall today.

Kim was in third place after a tie-breaker with Paul despite having a DNF when his boat and Paul’s got tangled in the fifth race and then he couldn’t start the sixth. Paul rowed out to the rescue. The final place went to Nick who had borrowed his son’s boat, and ran into a problem in the second race. He had to row out to rescue the boat and couldn’t get it repaired until the fourth race.

Before racing started we welcomed new member Ross Hudson who will be using Paul’s boat, sail number 316, on loan. Welcome, Ross.

All the news and the full results may be seen on our website mhbmyc.org

The next opportunity to race DF95s will be next Thursday, July 18th when the tide will be at a low at 11.15

Have a great weekend,

Derek