| 22.Sep.04 | Okay, I admit it. I'm back to gloat. Of the 10 boats mentioned as contenders in the September 10 commentary, I nailed 9 (the TOP nine). The only one that I missed was FLAME and they had two black flags by the end of the third race day. I even had the ordering pretty close. PHANTOM got pushed down because of two OCS calls that were not made on the radio for a really, really long time. But for five of the nine, I got their exact position, for one I missed by one and for one other by two. Only GIGI surprised with a fifth place finish (up five). NBX was the only boat to crack my top ten and she finished tenth. Who woudda thunk it! [Note to myself: Nelson, you will never be this lucky again in your entire life.] Here are the sailmaker results: Top 10: Ullman 5.5 (1st(partial), 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th) North 2.5 (1st(partial), 9th, 10th) UK 1 (5th) Doyle 1 (6th) Surprisingly, perhaps, is the fact that the top twenty results reflect almost to a "T" the percentage of sails used by the entire fleet: North, 8.5 boats, 43% (total fleet - 45%) Ullman, 6.5 boats, 33% (total fleet - 34%) UK, 2 boat, 10% (total fleet - 9%) Quantum, 2 boats, 10% (total fleet - 8%) Doyle, 1 boat, 5% (total fleet - 4%) Here is where to find the professional shots from Fran Grenon (Spectum Photography). Great stuff. Click here. Here are some Friday shots by Marian Howell. Click here. Here are a few of my "milieu" snapshots. Click here. I'm going to try to pursuade Glenn Darden to do a writeup on what made them so dominant this time around. This was Glenn's second NAC after winning in Larchmont in 2001. He also won the J/80 North Americans this year, so he's been around the track with his team. There was other talent out there as well. Also on HOSS was Jim Brady. Jim has not been very active in sailing lately, but he was the 1990 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year (when he won the J/24 Worlds in Ireland), a silver medalist in the Soling at the 1992 Olympics, and member of the victorious 1997 Admiral's Cup team. And yes, he's a registered Cat 1. On PHANTOM (NJ), we had Alec Cutler co-skippering with Mike Lague. Alec just won the 130 boat J/22 Worlds and sails his J/105, HOOKED ON TONICS, out of Annapolis. Yes, there was some damage, but very few penalties decided by protest hearing (one DSQ and one 40% penalty accepted in 416 total scores). The damage was a grounding before the regatta, one close encounter between a stern and topsides resulting in a hole and a withdrawal (repaired overnight), a broken sprit, some headfoil damage, and an encounter with the committee boat, and a few ripped spinnakers, and at least a ripped jib or two. Not bad considering the conditions. The boats, by and large, kept large margins for error especially on the last day. This may have been due, in part, to the "no thowout" format and the large number of points associated with a DSQ. There were numerous acts of good sportsmanship (I was the recipient of one), where flags were held rather than thrown for minor indisgressions. Most of the violations were absolved with alternate 720s on the water. I think that's all he wrote. Hope you enjoyed the commentary. See you at the next big regatta. N. |
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| 19.Sep.04 | I lied. I found a computer in the BYC for a short summary of today's racing. They started an hour earlier (10 a.m.) and got in two long races. The wind was in the low to mid-twenties from the northeast. The weather legs were 1.8 miles. The first race was in a flood tide and the second in an ebb. It was a real challenge sailing and the owners needed to keep larger margins in all their maneuvers. Thus there were only two starts today and only a few boats called over early. Before the start of the first race there were a number of boats who called in to retire for the regatta because of the high winds. The first race was four legs. On the first weather rounding, the chutes went up and there were lots of broaches and roundups and several shredded kites. By the end of the leg there were many sailing bare headed. Takedowns were an adventure if you got to the leeward gate with you kite in tact. KIMA lost her spinnaker halyard on a broach, but sailed the race and finished 18th of 37 finishers without having to raise a chute on the second downwind leg. We sailed wing-and-wing for part of the second downwind, and were passed by some boats, but were remarkably fast even without the kite. We saw 17 knots before the halyard broke and 10 knots after, but going more directly to the gate. The second race was a 5 leg marathon. Since we had no halyard we need to sail without a spinnaker, but still managed a 20 of the remaining 36 boats. LIVE EDGE managed an even greater feat by sailing the entire second race under jib alone. They managed a 25 and 35 in the two races without their main. There will be more stories that I will relate after I deliver the boat home. PPS: Tip for sailing in heavy air and waves: ease the jib outside the spreader so you keep the boat moving and standing up. |
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| 18.Sep.04 | The forecast today was more accurate than the last two days. We had heavy NE winds and lots of rain. After a short postponement ashore the RC sent the fleet out into what appeared to be sailable conditions. They noted that they would start no earlier than 11:30 a.m. But on the way out things turned ugly. Visibility dropped. The wind picked up. And the heavy rollers started appearing. Going downwind to the starting area, boats were seeing 30 knots sustained winds with gusts to 40. Boats started peeling off and going back to the harbor. At the appointed hour the RC decided that discretion was the better part of valor and the fleet agreed. Those who made it all the way to the starting area headed back to the harbor under full power into the wind and waves going at about 3-4 knots over ground. The rain and the spray was stinging on the face. Nobody I talked to was disappointed not to be racing in this stuff. Of course, I did not talk to Jeff Davis and the crew of ROE RAGE. They were out there sailing with full main and jib. There may have been one or two others. Once back to the Club, the racers were greeted with hastily ordered hot New England Clam chowder, sandwiches, pasta, and coffee. Those of us who managed to get home early finally found a use for that Jacuzzi that has been sitting idle for the last few years. So the standings from yesterday remain unchanged. The're posted here. Hooray!!! PS: Yesterday's lesson about sailing in large fleets: When starting, it is not enough to have a hole below you. You must also be off the line. If you get up on the line too early, when you bear away for speed you will use up the hole and there is no place to go except over the line early. Ask some of the boats that were over early yesterday. PPS: No commentary tomorrow since I'll be transporting the boat back to its homeport. Hopefully results will be posted though. |
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| 17.Sep.04 | It's been a long day, folks. Up early, carpool to Marion, launch out to the boat, sail out to the course, three races (one waiting for others to race while we hung around), launch back to BYC, dinner, carpool home. It is now 10 p.m. so this will not be overly long. I am sorry that the results have not been posted yet, but I am assured that they will go up tonight. So the wind today was great and the weather was not half bad. The wind was out of the southwest, mostly in the mid-teens (despite forecasts of 4-6 knots all day long). It was overcast most of the day with some mild spitting. The first race was five legs with a 1.75 mile weather leg. After one general recall, we started our marathon. KIMA achieved her single digit race earlier than expected with a good start in the middle of the line, legging out and keeping out of trouble. While yesterday's northeast breeze was keeping the water flat in the ebb, today's southwest breeze picked up some chop in the daylong ebb. Boats going left and boats going right seemed to converge just boatlenghts apart at the weather mark. KIMA kept with some of the top boats, just nosing ahead of GIGI for seventh at the finish. The second race started with a general, then a general under the "I", then a black flag general in which 18 boats were excused, then a black flag start in which four more were excused (but the remainder kept racing). This was a four legger, so those excused were invited to stick around for the third race. KIMA made the cut under the first black flag, but not the second. It was a long and frustrating wait for the boats to come around. Somebody was lucky. KINCSEM was black flagged, but they did not hear their number called. Turns out that it was some other boat that was over early and KINCSEM received redress. The third race was another four leg race with a 1.7 mile weather leg this time. After a general, the race was started under the "I" and quite a number were called back, after what seemed to be a very long delay. Some boats returned under spinnaker. The regatta dinner was held outside and under the tent at the BYC. It was a hearty BBQ with chicken and pulled pork and plenty of fixin's, all of it delicious. There was plenty of socializing and plenty of stories about the day's events. Tomorrow they are predicting heavy rain and 25 knots of breeze. Hold onto your hats. PS: Yesterday's lesson about sailing in large fleets: Do not jibe early when you are in the top third of the fleet. The wall of starboard tack boats on the layline just shuts off the air completely if you try to cut across. Seems obvious now! |
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| 16.Sep.04 | First, let me set the stage. Marion is a sleepy little New England village on Buzzards Bay. They are probably most famous for an upscale prep school named Tabor Academy. Their town center consists of not much more than a post office and general store. The Beverly Yacht Club and a couple of marinas are part of the small Sippican Harbor milieu where several hundred boats are moored. There are no slips. It is a well-protected harbor and the racing area is about two miles outside the harbor in Buzzards Bay. When we arrived, there was fog and very little wind. The organizers signalled a postponement at 9 a.m. and lifted it at 9:40 when there appeared to be wind and less fog. The racing started on time at 11 a.m. The first race was a three legger in light air. We started the first race in 6-8 knots with crew on the leeward side. The course was 1.4 miles to 50 degrees with offset and gates (as were all the races). The fleet behaved and there was a clean start with no recalls to start the regatta. Fifty two boats were on a line that was sufficiently long with a centerline boat dead on the center of the line. But the boats were still fighting for room on the line. Left paid in the first race with HEY JUDE (one of the many Canadian boats doing well), finding the wind and leading the fleet around the course. In the second race the wind picked up to 12-14 knots and they increase the number of legs to 4 with a downwind finish. After one general recall, the boats started clean under an "I" flag on a course set to 60 degrees magnetic. PHANTOM (the one from NJ) played the right on the first beat and was around first at the weather mark. They kept their lead and picked up the bullet. In the third race there was a general, followed by a start under "I" flag that was abandoned, followed by a black flag start in which four boats were excused from racing. In the second, abandoned start, MGOBLUE was hit and had to retire. This race was started to 65 magnetic with five legs. The wind was supposed to clock right today and did briefly, but on the final leg there was a course change to 35 degrees. In this race, the other PHANTOM (the one from Detroit) figured it out and took the gun. In this race, the wind calmed a bit and the rains started. The telltales pasted themselves onto the sails and those with glasses had trouble seeing. More rainy weather is predicted. KIMA had a consistently improving day -- 26, 24, 22, for a 20th overall. We stayed in the middle so I could have the greatest view of the entire 52 boats that were sailing. If we continue to improve, on this pattern, we should have a single digit result by Sunday. At the end of the day, there were only two boats that avoided the dreaded double digits. The leader PHANTOM (from NJ) had 7-1-2. HOSS had a 3-7-5 and was in third. HEY JUDE took a daily second with a 1-2-12. Since there is no throwout, consistency over the four days will be crucial. Robert Baker, who is largely responsible for marshalling the Canadian contingent, said afterwards "It was very tough out there." More tomorrow. |
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| 10.Sep.04 | Here I go again! I'm goin' out on a limb for the 2004 North American Championship. There are fifty-one of our best teams from across the country (14 fleets!), so the competition is unusually stiff. Leaving anybody off a "top ten" list is certainly going to offend some teams. Well think of it like this: if I don't put a target on your back, you might do better and get up into the top ten after all, or show me up and win it all. Here's who I'm picking for the top ten and why: 1. HOSS (#237) -- From Texas and Newport, Glenn Darden and his partners Reese Hilliard and Phil Williamson have their boat humming. They won it all three years ago at Larchmont and placed second two years ago in Chicago. They were untouchable at the Buzzards Bay Regatta in early August. And guess what -- they actually practice. 2. BOLD FORBES (#523) -- Ed Cummins and Jack Franco are nearly always at the top of the heap in the SoCal fleet. They got a good dose of big waves and big wind in the Newport Rolex in July. They placed second (ahead of HOSS) there in a hotly contested regatta. 3. PHANTOM (#114) -- Mike Lague has teamed up with Fleet #3 veteran Alex Cutler (HOOKED ON TONICS). This is Mike's first try at a NAC, but Alex placed third in this boat in Chicago after a disasterous first day when they broke their sprit. They won three races there and showed incredible speed. In Mike's first Block Island in 2004, he placed second. 4. INDEFATIGABLE (#493) -- Phil Lotz and his family crew will likely lead the local contingent from Fleet #14. He's a veteran of the last year's SF NAC where he finished 7th on a chartered boat. He knows the area and has been hanging around the top of the fleet for the last three years. 5. KINCSEM (#317) -- Joerg Esdorn is always tough and seems to get better and better as a regatta goes along. He's a veteran of two Key Wests (4th this year) and was 2nd to HOSS in the 2001 NAC on his home turf in Larchmont and won Block Island in 2003. 6. ECLIPSE (#50) -- Damian Emery has about six Fleet #6 season championships under his belt and appears in the "Hall of Fame" for winning six consecutive regattas in 1999. He tuned up with a win at Block Island this June. Look for him and his regular crew to move higher if the winds are soft. 7. SAVASANA (#526) -- Ask Brian Keane what SAVASANA means, but be sure to put the accent on the second syllable. Brian has constantly been improving since his 15th at Chicago in 2002. He has a 7th and a 3rd at Key West in the last two years and he's sailing out of his home harbor. Don't underestimate him. 8. PLANET B (#238) -- Fleet Captain Robert Baker has eight Canadian boats at this regatta in preparation for next year's NAC in Toronto. He's won this year's Canadian Championship and he's been three years in Key West (improving each year). I'm not sure it will be Robert, but I'm betting at least one of his group will crack the top ten. 9. FLAME (#281) -- Jim Doane, Jr. has campaigned FLAME with great success for many years with a seasoned crew from his home base in Florida. He has plenty of big fleet experience including Key West (5 times, 2nd in 2002), and Block Island (1st in 2000, 2nd in 2001). 10. GIGI (#424) -- David Wagner topped the fleet of 23 boats in June at this year's Chicago NOOD. He's been to Key West three times with a 3rd in 2002. If he's in the groove, he will run up his share of single digits as the lone representative of Fleet #5. You will probably notice that I have not found space in the top ten for some very, very good boats. Maybe you! There's certainly room for error here, but my prediction is that 7 of these boat will finish the top ten. I'd be very surprised if someone comes out of the pack of unmentioned boats to win it all. Good luck to all. In the words of our Class President Robert Smith, let's "raise the bar for all aspects of this annual event -- pre-regatta administration and on-the-water racing." I'll check back in after the regatta and you can see how well (or poorly) I've handicapped the teams. |
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