Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Editing Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, Mark Whitehead, B.B. Wright, Dan McPhail
Layout & Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
Twenty-Two Skippers Battle the Heat and Each Other
The heat didn’t slow the Soling skippers as eleven from each of the two classes signed in for the August 24 regatta or a total of twenty-two in all. In an effort to increase the number of races, we went back to the one-minute start between classes. The course was adjusted so that scorekeepers had a good sight line for the finish and boats were required to sail outside the finish-start line, eliminating the crisscrossing problem. It seemed to work, allowing eleven races to be completed.
Videos and Photos
- Back Bay Skippers Video (WMUR NH Chronicles)
- Back Bay Skippers YouTube Channel
- Latest Videos: Solings, US12s, Lily Pond
- Latest Photos: Solings, US12s, Lily Pond
- Photo Gallery
Previous Highlights
- Sasquatch Regatta (Nor’easter Footy Series) 2021, 2019
- Sheila Ryan Memorial Footy Regatta 2021, 2020
- Awards for 2019 Season
- Tim Wright Wins CAN/AM Challenge 2019
- Lake Discovery Camp 2019
- US12 AMYA Region 1 Championship, Nashua
- Spring Skippers Party 2019
Score Sheets
With so much hot weather, weed growth has exploded, sending floaters out to catch unsuspecting rudders and keels. There were eight weed calls this week. We’re looking at a disaster rate of only three percent, but we sure would prefer zero.
Out on the Water
Some new faces worked their way up the Sailor Class leader board this week. Again, our season leader, Steve Leker, won the day, posting four wins this week, plus a second and a third. We suspect Tom Barstow has been practicing on his off days because he posted three wins and a strong second place for the afternoon. Interesting to note, in addition to his three victories, Tom crossed the finish line in second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth in seven other races! With two wins and a second place, Jack Minahan could claim third for the day. One of our newest skippers, Ken Gerber took three seconds for an impressive fourth place. Finally, Bruce Brown showed some really good consistency to sail into the fifth spot with his two second-place and two third-place finishes.
In the Master Class, Tim Wright again took the day but not every race. The weeds snagged him twice, and he and Howard Germon tangled at the start in Race Seven, allowing the commodore to win a race. Howard held second with two wins but just .07 points ahead of Dan Mesassa in the third spot with four second-place finishes. Back in form, Denis Boisvert took the fourth spot with two second-place finishes. Rounding out the top five was Rick Laird, who sailed to the fifth spot with two third-place races.
US12 Sailing
Thursday, August 26, was a hot, sticky day. While there was a nice wind at the start, we saw less and less of it as the day wore on. With back-to-back sailing and little downtime, we managed to squeeze in eleven races. As the wind died, however, the heat and humidity became more and more intense. Still, we had seven sailors brave the day, and all seven sailors raced in all eleven races.
Tim Wright seemed to read the winds correctly most of the time, and had nine wins and two seconds. Paul McBride started the day with two seconds, a third and a first. Those scores helped propel him to second place for the day. John Simms and Don Cundy always have a good rivalry, and this time they tied for third place. John got a first-place finish, and Don had four seconds. Bruce Wilhelm got a second-place finish, and came in fourth for the day. Jim Opie and Paul Wallace had a hard time getting their boats going and finished fifth and sixth. Jim was threatening his boat with total destruction, but the words were spoken in the heat of frustration. We think the boat is safe for the time being.
It was a hard day for sailing due to the unpredictability of the wind. In the end, however, everyone had a good time and survived the heat. Our thanks to the US12 scorekeeper, B.B. Wright, for her diligence and good humor. She is there to support the sailors and has to sit in the sun, all without the fun of sailing.
We are looking forward to next week.
Join the Fun
The season is still going strong, so folks are encouraged to stop by on Tuesday and Thursday at 1 PM to watch the action (weather permitting, of course), or Wednesday if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate on Tuesday or Thursday. Make sure you have your camera at the ready. And don’t forget Lily Pond in Gilford Sunday mornings at 9:00, weather permitting!
Upcoming events:
- Canceled –
September 4, 2021 Schooner, Sloop and Electric Boat Day, Nashua Model Yacht Club, Sandy Pond, Nashua NH - October 30, 2021 MinuteMan Footy Regatta, Nor’easter Footy Series Race 5, Rosemary Lake, Needham MA
Links: American Model Yachting Association, MinuteMan Model Yacht Club, Nashua Model Yacht Club, Marblehead Model Yacht Club, Greater Worcester Model Yacht Club, Sarasota Model Yacht Club, Space Coast Model Sailing Club, Sun Coast Model Sailing Club, Stowe Yacht Club, USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild, Vac-U-Soling, 3D Printed Radio Yachts, US Vintage Model Yacht Group