Written by Tim Wright, Mark Whitehead
Editing Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, B.B. Wright, Rick Gates
Layout & Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
Spring Series Awards
Soling Fleet
A good crowd showed up for the July 27 Soling regatta, a gathering that included plenty of skippers and spectators. Twenty-three sailors launched for the first regatta of the summer series. The wind held and the fleet was able to complete nine races. Unfortunately, an abundance of weeds were floating about this week, resulting in ten weed calls. The ski club had been practicing off the jump, which probably cut loose more weeds than normal.
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
- 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
We used the one-minute start between classes – a challenge for our dedicated scorekeeper Karen Enos, who appreciated B. B. Wright’s assistance. Since keeping track of so many boats can be difficult, we’ll make some adjustments for less confusion. We certainly can’t thank our scorekeepers enough for the great job they do.
Guest skipper Dennis Nichols participated in the Master Class and placed a respectable seventh place in that class. Howard Germon rejoined the fleet after a couple weeks of hosting the in-laws and outlaws. Howard is a good skipper and certainly challenges the rest of us.
Out on the Water
Joel Nelson seems to be making a habit of leading the Sailor Class. After a year’s layoff, he’s quickly getting back in form. Congratulations also to Ken Gerber, a new skipper with a new Soling who tied for the second spot with Paul McBride. Behind them were Tom Barstow in fourth and Al “the Maryland Menace” Stevens in fifth.
The Master Class was led by Dan Masessa this week, not an easy task. He has been hovering close to the top and finally earned his breakthrough moment. Tim Wright, always tough to beat because he reads the wind so well, finished in second. Returning this week and sailing into a strong third place was Howard Germon. Don Cundy glided into fourth, and Richard Laird’s yacht earned the fifth spot.
US12 Sailing
Thursday, July 29, turned out to be an okay day for sailing. The threat of a storm in the afternoon made the sailors wonder if we could sail until three o’clock. We could and we did. The wind was very soft and very fluky. The gray skies and the cooler temperatures made it more bearable than the hot humid weather we had a few weeks ago. Among our fans were Don Opie and Joanne Wilhelm. Don is a regular at the start/finish line, and Joanne helped out by ringing the bicycle bell to warn the sailors about riders sharing the path. It really helps us when we’re concentrating on our boats. As usual, B. B. Wright was our scorekeeper and kept us moving and making the most of our time.
On the course, Tim Wright got back to his winning ways with seven first-place finishes and two seconds for the nine races. Don Cundy only raced one race before electrical issues in his boat forced him to drop out. He started using Tim’s backup boat, coming in second with a number of second- and third-place finishes. Bill Hagerup had four second-place finishes but got caught in the doldrums. Still, he finished in third place.
Paul McBride has had boat problems in recent weeks but not today. He had a first-place finish plus some thirds and fourths to put him in fourth place. John Simms won the first race then had a harder time with his boat. He did get a number of fourth-place finishes and came in fifth for the day. Bruce Wilhelm had his best day yet, with a second and two third places, finishing sixth overall. Jim Opie’s best finish was a third, but he was in the mix all afternoon, finishing in seventh place.
Paul Wallace had a third-place finish in the last race and took eighth. In ninth, Kurt Clason made his first appearance of the summer and had a fourth in one race. However, he came to sailing when he could have been working. At one point Kurt was on a business conference call while he was racing. What dedication! That might be a first. Still, he made it to sailing, and we loved having him back in the fleet.
The Spring Series awards were handed out. Tim Wright took home first place; John Simms was second and Don Cundy was third.
Join the Fun
The season is underway 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:
Note: The Footy Regatta scheduled for Lily Pond has been moved to Back Bay due to a weed problem.
- August 14, 2021 Sheila Ryan Memorial Footy Regatta, Nor’easter Series Race 4, 9AM Back Bay, Wolfeboro NH
- September 4, 2021 Schooner, Sloop and Electric Boat Day, Nashua Model Yacht Club, Sandy Pond, Nashua NH
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