PRSA Fall Series # 7
Results

Sunday, November 1, 2009

 

Eric Johnson was PRO, with RC provided by Jim Graham, Steve Parsons, and Wilda Heiss.  We got an extra hour of sleep Saturday night, as we switched from Daylight Savings time back to Standard time, so we were rested and ready to compete.   The AccuWeather forecast (always subject to change)  called for a partly sunny afternoon (with rain ending in the morning), a high of 53 degrees, and winds from the NNE at 10 - 9 MPH. High tide was at 6:48 AM; low tide at 1:05 PM (and high again at 6:59 PM)  Sunset was at 5:08 PM.  The river flow was above normal for this time of year, at 7,710 CFS (gage height 3.7 ft). The water temperature was a seasonal 57 degrees.   Five Lightnings came out, along with one Cat and one Laser.  The rain ended a little after one PM, and the wind picked up, making for good racing for those who came out and stayed out.  Results to be posted soon.

Here is the PRO's report: "After considerable discussion on shore, the two Albacore skippers who showed up decided not to race, ditto for the Cats.  The Lightnings braved the rain and patchy wind early in the day, and were rewarded with good winds and gradually clearing skies.  They were joined by one Cat and one Laser.  We ran three races in a very shifty, predominantly northerly breeze.  Speeds ranged from about 5 to 12, direction from E to NW.  We used the Bayliner and the 19 as RC boats.   Other than the dead radio on the 19, everything worked well.  (Scott used the 16 and 19 yesterday for the Laser clinic - both boats ran well.).  I was joined on RC by Jim Graham, Steve Parsons, and Wilda Heiss."

RC Team:

Eric Johnson (PRO),
Driver Jim Graham
Helpers Steve Parsons, Wilda Heiss

Weather:

Overcast, with showers until 1 PM.  Gradual clearing after that. Generally northerly winds 5 - 7 in the morning; 13 - 12 in the afternoon, with big shifts.  High 53 degrees.

Wind Chart Sunday, 11/01/09:

Winds at National Airport:
  9 AM                  N 6       light rain      52
10 AM            NNE 3       light rain      52
11 AM              NE  5       light rain      53
Noon                NE  7       light rain      53
   1 PM              N 12        light rain     53
   2 PM       NNW  13                           52
   3 PM             N    9                            53
   4 PM       NNE  12                            53 

Here is Joe Warren's report:  -- "Kevin Webb and Tarey Lea sailed with me.  We waited for the drizzle to stop about noon to meet at the marina, so we missed the first two traces.  I was anxious to test my new waterproof smock and waterproof bib--both worked well in keeping me dry and warm.  The big story was finishing 2nd in the 3rd race.  For the first time team Nabeel finished behind team Warren.  So did the crack Gallagher team.  We planned for (or hoped for) a big shift from the East and were on the right side of the course to take advantage of it.  However, I had a senior moment--gave the command to drop the spinnaker as we passed the STARTING line yellow mark on the first downwind leg.  I've never done that before.  My body was warm but my head cold. But, the later wind shift put nullified that. Satisfying way to end the season."

Here is Frank's Report:  -- "Had my regulars….Brenna Copeland, & Mladen Karcic…lots of fun….Brenna drove her first race, and did a fantastic job..time for her to buy her own boat now…!!!!"

Here is Nabeel's report: -- "Rain stopped around 10:30 and Frank & Pat decided they couldn't end the season with no sailing. RC Gave us 3 races."

Here is Jeff's commentary:  " OK, so I got up looked out the window, saw just how miserable it was… and went back to bed. Shame on me and all the rest of us who voted to stay dry. The rain dried up, the breeze came in and 5 Lightnings, with the odd Laser and Hobie Cat for company came out to play. They got three races in before calling it a day. Rick Welch won the day for the Lightnings, while Jim Klein (Laser) and Rod Sellers (Hobie Cat) get honorable mentions for coming out to race by themselves."

 

 

PRSA Fall Series # 6
Results

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Eric Johnson was PRO, with RC provided by the Albacores and others.  The AccuWeather forecast  for Sunday called for mostly sunny skies, a high of 65 degrees, and northerly winds at 10 MPH.  The river flow was above normal,  at 5,360 CFS (gage height 3.4 ft).  The water temperature was a seasonal 58 degrees. Low tide was at 8:42 AM and high tide at 2:25 PM.  Winds were lighter than predicted, and it only made it to 61 degrees, but it was still an improvement over the previous weekend's weather. The Marine Corps Marathon was Sunday morning, so there were street closures in downtown DC, and a view of the runners on the road in East Potomac Park during the first race.

Here is the PRO's report:  "It looked like it was going to be a great day was we were motoring up to the course, with a cool, steady 10-12kt northerly breeze, but the wind started to drop out right around 11:30.  We were seeing pretty dramatic changes in direction, oscillating from NE to NW on about a 10-minute cycle, as well as steadily decreasing wind speeds, so we called it a day after two races. We wound up towing several of the boats in, as the wind dropped to zero after (and during) the last race.  There were six Lightnings, three Cats, and four Albacores in attendance."

Here is Nabeel's report: "It was a beautiful day but the wind was patchy and streaky so it was very hard to fly the spinnaker, especially.  6 boats came out:  Frank, Rick, Jeff, Pat, Russ, and me.  Frank won the day with 2 convincing bullets. It was Russ' last day. He pulled his boat out at the end of the day and took it to SSA. Pat borrowed Collin's mast & boom to be able to sail -- his were destroyed in last Sunday's capsize."

Here is Jeff's Report: "Well it looked promising as we left the dock with northerly breezes in the low teens. By the time we got up to the race course however, it had started to fade. We sailed the first race in 6-8 with big shifts from right to left and back again. The race committee set up a nice long course, triangles for some and WL’s for others. The second race started in 1-4 and faded to near zero by the time I crossed the finish line. Very painful and frustrating race. Anyway, it was a beautiful day to be on the water, and the beers were cold so a good time was had on Ariel. In all 3 Cats, 4 Albacores and 6 Lightnings came out to play. Where is everybody?"

Here is Frank's report: "We had decent starts, not particularly good … Nabeel had a great start … port-tacked the fleet on the first start … just whet we wanted to do … Just kept working the shifts … till we got out front …then just kept looking for good air."

RC Team:

Eric Johnson (PRO),
Drivers Bill Buck, Jim Graham
Helpers Bob Goebes, Diane Goebes, Wilda Heiss

Weather:

Mostly sunny, with northwesterly breezes that faded soon after racing started.  High 61 degrees.

Wind Chart Sunday, 10/25/09:

 

 

PRSA Fall Series # 5
Results

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Bill Kleysteuber was PRO, with RC provided by Albacores.  The AccuWeather forecast (always subject to change) called for cloudy and breezy conditions with rain possible, a high of 43 degrees, and northerly winds at 21 - 22 MPH, with higher gusts.  High tide was  at 8:51 AM and low tide at 3:23 PM.  The river flow was  above normal for this time of year, at 4,290 CFS (gage height 3.3 ft), and was headed higher.  The river temperature was on a downward trend, at 48 degrees.  Actual winds were somewhat lighter than predicted, and the rain stopped by noon, making for some sailable conditions.  Four Lightning skippers came to the Skippers Meeting and decided not to go out; Erich Hesse was the lone Albacore sipper to appear.  Consequently there was no racing.  Pat McGee went out for a recreational sail, caught a gust, capsized, and destroyed his mast in the process.

RC Team:

Bill Kleysteuber (PRO),
Drivers  Scott Snyder, Robert Bennett
Helpers Jason Desjardins, Dan Miller.

Weather:

Overcast and drizzly in the morning with temperatures in the mid-40s; clearing in the afternoon , with a high of 53 degrees; winds from the NNW at 16 - 21 MPH. High tide at 8:51 AM; Low tide at 3:23 PM.

Wind Chart Sunday, 10/18/09:

 

 

PRSA Fall Series # 4
Results

Sunday, October 11, 2009

 Lightning Class Series Summary
 

Pl	Sail #	Skipper	38	39	40	41	Avg
1	14553	Rick Welch, Aaron Boesnecker	1	1	1	1	1
2	14120	Colin Kirby, Doug Kirby	2	4	2	3	2.75
3	15256	Jeff Storck, Len Guenthar, Lisbet Kugler	3	5	4	2	3.5
4	14100	Red Fehrle, Suzan Humphrey	7	2	3	4	4
5	15195	Pat McGee, Laura Lake	4	3	6	5	4.5
6	14037	Joseph Warren, Tarey Lea, Kevin Webb	5	7	5	6	5.75
7	15228	David Thompson, Joe Kimak	6	6	7	8\DNF	6.75

 

RC Team:

Nabeel Alsalam (PRO),
Drivers  John Butler, Stefano de Leo
Helpers Diane Butler, Happy Olmstead, Shelly Kirby, and Collin's friend Michelle Hummel.

Weather:

Mostly Sunny, Temps near 70, winds 6-8 kts generally northerly with some big shifts. Low tide at 09:15am.

Wind Chart Sunday, 10/11/09:

Eight Hobies outnumbered the seven Lightnings on the race course on a beautiful fall 69-degree sunny day!  Not only that, fiver of the 7 Lightnings were short crew!  PRO  Nabeel Alsalam set a long leeward – windward course with the windward mark near the entrance to Roaches Run, and the leeward mark near the entrance to the Anacostia, and got off four races in quick succession.  The winds were in the range predicted (7 MPH) but were up and down, with some serious shifts. One gust knocked over a Hobie in the second race, but other than that the winds were gentle enough to allow double-handed spinnaker flying, some successful.  Low tide was at 9:14 AM and high tide at 2:32 PM.  The river flow was well below normal for this time of year, at 1,410 CFS (gage height 2.7 ft) and the water was a seasonal 64 degrees. 

 

 

PRSA Fall Series # 3
Results

Sunday, October 4, 2009

 

 Lightning Class Series Summary
 

Pl	Sail #	Skipper	34	35	36	37	Avg
1	14553	Rick Welch, Aaron Boesnecker, Mark Carré	3	4	1	2	2.5
2	14566	Frank Gallagher, Mladen Karcic, Brenna Copeland	2	2	3	3	2.5
3	15142	Nabeel Alsalam, Stefano de Leo,   Will Phillippe	9\DNS	1	2	1	3.25
4	14222	Russell Roberts, Len Guenthar, Will Phillippe (first race only)	1	3\SSC	4\SSC	9\DNS	4.25
5	15195	Pat McGee, Pal Maher, Doug Kirby	4	5	5	4	4.5
6	14037	Joseph Warren, Michael Scott, Kevin Webb	5	9\DNS	9\DNS	9\DNS	8
7	15228	David Thompson, Joe Kimak, Catherine Calvin	9\DNS	9\DNS	9\DNS	9\DNS	9T
7	15256	Jeff Storck, Becky Mach, Bruce Heida	9\DNF	9\DNS	9\DNS	9\DNS	9T

RC Team:

Yates Dowell (PRO),
Driver  Chris Bolton (19' skiff)
Helpers Ben Ackerman; Frank Altrichter; Rod Sellers; Isaac Sellers

Weather:

NW 10-15 with gust to 25 slowly fading throughout the day. Temps in the low 70’s. High Tide at 8:59am.

Wind Chart Sunday, 10/04/09:

8 Lightnings and 8 Albacores came out to play on a beautiful gusty day. The RC set up a nice long 3 lap Olympic course with the windward mark all the way up by Roaches Run. Because the wind was out of the NW with frequent shifts west, the “Triangle” portion of the course was not much of an angle. It was more like a very long offset. At the start, winds were in the 10-15 range with gusts to 25. This faded as the day progressed, and actually got quite light by the time everyone came in. Rick Welch won the day for the Lightnings, while Barney Harris took top honors for the Albacores. Special thanks for Special Olympians Frank Altrichter, Rod Sellers, and Isaac Sellers for help on RC.

The day held much promise for sailboat racing.  However, gusty winds picked up starting at 10 AM, and during the period between 10 AM and 1 PM there were gusts recorded as high as 25 MPH.  These prompted David to return to shore before the first race, and Joe Warren after the first race.  Jeff, in the first race, while tacking close to the airport, caught his board in the mud and caught a gust as well, knocking the boat over and sending the crew into the drink for a cold bath.  Fortunately they got the boat upright without further help, although they needed to first dig the mast out of the mud.  Once they got bailed out it was time for them to return to the docks as well.  On the way up to the racecourse Nabeel had his backstay on so hard that in a puff he heeled over with much slack in both leeward shrouds, sufficient to cause his upper to pop out of the clamp holding it into the spreader, and sending the clamp into the water.   He came in to replace the clamp, lost it in the process, borrowed another, and got back on the racecourse in time for the second race.  Joe Warren hit a submerged object just beyond the start line:  "The big event for me was HITTING some underwater obstruction just about 60 feet beyond the starting line on the pin end.  It made a "thud" sound suggesting it was wood.  Over many years I've never hit any obstruction in that area before.  Could this be something new?  The centerboard was pushed up over a foot and the bottom of the rudder hit it knocking out a piece of fiberglass and crushing some of the leading edge wood.  Another 6 inches higher and the rudder would have been broken or a gudgeon pulled out from the boat.

Here is Jeff's story:

We came around the Leeward mark in the first race and tacked off to head for the airport along with Russ. We got there and tacked over to port and got hit with some kind of rogue puff that immediately knocked us down. It’s possible our centerboard was grounded, since we were pretty close to the beach, and we may have tripped over it. Fortunately we had our preventer on, so the centerboard was out and ready for us to right the boat. We finally got her upright and bailed her out. 

At this point, with the boat dry, and my crews’ teeth chattering in the now brisk feeling wind, we decided to call it a day. The only things lost, other than pride, were a couple of mast blocks and the mast partner. Yes, we managed to save the beer. So the day was not a total loss.

More on Jeff's capsize recovery here.

 

PRSA Fall Series # 2
Results

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Lightning Class Series Summary
 

Pl	Sail #	Skipper	31	32	33	Avg.
1	14566	Frank Gallagher, Brenna Copeland, Mladen Karcic	1	2	1	1.333
2	15142	Nabeel Alsalam, Craig Huzway, Stefano de Leo	4	1	5	3.333
3	14627	John Pemberton, Will Phillippe, Brian Ganji	2	3	7	4
4	14553	Rick Welch, Aaron Boesnecker, Charles Scowsailor	5	6	2	4.333
5	7603	Robert Astrove, Doug Dixon                  (SSC)	6	4	6	5.333
6	15256	Jeff Storck, Bruce Heida, Becky Mach	7	7	3	5.667
7	14592	John R. Butler, Diane Butler, Susan Tyler	9	8	4	7
8	14187	Laurie Duncan, Graham Roth, Russ Roberts	8	5	8	7
9	15195	Pat McGee, Laura Lake, Diane O'Halloran	3	10	9	7.333
10	14100	Red Fehrle, Suzan Humphrey                (SSC)	11\DNS	9	10	10

Note: Laurie sailed light in race # 3.

 

RC Team:

David Thompson (PRO),
Drivers Joe Warren, Joe Kimak
Helpers Barbara Thompson, Catherine Calvin, Kevin Webb, Tarey Lea.

Weather:

Partly Cloudy, 75 degrees, Winds generally West 6-10 with some big shifts. High tide at 4:06pm

Wind Chart Sunday, 9/27/09:

What a beautiful day it turned out to be Sunday, although the westerly winds were challenging.  The RC set up a wide Triangle course that made it a real tactical choice for the Lightnings on whether to try and carry the kite on the very tight reach legs. It also made for some interesting reach-to-reach jibes at the jibe mark. As usual when we get a westy, crew work was at a premium. Frank Gallagher was very consistent in winning the day for the Lightnings, while Steve Parsons took the honors for the Albacores. On a side note, it was great to see Khin & Thant on their beautiful new Albacore fresh in from England.  The river flow was currently near normal for this time of year, at 2,120 CFS (gage height 2.9 ft) and the water temperature had cooled to 69 degrees. 10 Lightnings came out, along with 5 Albacores, on a mostly sunny day with westerly winds 6 - 10 MPH.  RC set a triangular course with the windward mark near the airport's radar tower (the one on stilts) and the leeward mark to the east, at the edge of the navigable channel, and started the first race promptly at 11:30.  Winds did change direction and intensity over the course of the afternoon, fading to almost nothing at the end of the third race, before David decided to call it a day and head home. We had most boats put away by 4 PM when an intense, but short rain squall hit, soaking all those who were still securing their craft.

 

PRSA Fall Series # 1
Results

Sunday, September 20, 2009

 

Lightning Class Series Summary
 

Pl	Sail #	Skipper	27	28	29	30	Avg
1	14553	Rick Welch, Aaron Boesnecker, Piercarlo Brunino	4	1	1	1	1.75
2	14566	Frank Gallagher, Mladen Karcic, Rick Walsh	2	3	4	2	2.75
3	15256	Bruce Heida (Storck), Will Phillippe, Brian Ganji	1	7	2	4	3.5
4	15142	Nabeel Alsalam, Scott Bradford, Craig Huzway	3	4	3	5	3.75
5	15195	Pat McGee, Paul Maher, Laura Lake	5	5	5	3	4.5
6	7603	Robert Astrove, Michael Brown	6	2	10\OCS	10\DNS	7
7	15052	Chan Swallow, Beau Swallow, Rich Eytel, Aiden Fitzsimon	10\OCS	6	6	6	7
8	14187	Laurie Duncan, Wendy Schroeder, Will Farley	7	9	7	7	7.5
9	14395	Bob Wilbur, Larry Bradley, Trey Powers	8	8	8	10\DNS	8.5

Scorekeeper: Jeff Storck 

RC Team:

Jeff Storck (PRO)
Drivers, Yates Dowell,  Jim Dillard,
Helpers Maryann Gallagher, Cathy Bleakly, Glenn Daigon, Keith Strasser, Erich Hesse.

Weather:

Mostly sunny 75 degrees. Winds SE-SSW 5-7kts. High Tide 9:58 am; low tide 4:35 PM.  The river flow was  below normal for this time of year, at 1,600 CFS (gage height 2.8 ft), and the water temperature was a seasonal 72 degrees.

Windchart Sunday, 09/20/09: