Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Proofreading & Editing by Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, B.B. Wright, Diane Guerriere, Mark Whitehead
Captions and Layout by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
Just a Glorious Day
It wasn’t an authentic dog day of summer, but there was sunshine and a good breeze for August’s first regatta. Forecasts actually hovered around the 87-degree temperature and 8-mph winds that were strong enough to push the Soling fleet through twelve races. There were eleven skippers from the Master Class and five from the Sailor Class. One gentleman had a boat problem that couldn’t be fixed so he wasn’t scored. Four skippers sailed from 12:00 to 1:00, transforming into cheerleaders for the rest of the day.
Out on the Water
John Barstow seems to be on a roll, this week earning eight wins, three seconds, and a third for a very impressive first-place score of 1.20. Bruce Wilhelm had three wins to put a solid lock on second place with a score of 2.00. Genie Ware had two wins, scoring 2.90 for third place while our youngest skipper, Austin Parent, earned three seconds for 3.30 and fourth place. Charlie Lincoln’s three thirds and a score of 4.10 put him in fifth place.
Tim Wright led the Master Class fleet with nine wins and a score of 1.10. Just a smidge over one point behind, Jeff Witzel made a comeback this week with two wins and four seconds, scoring 2.30 for the second spot. Al Posnack took third place with one win and three seconds that raised his score to 3.40. Ted Monetta emerged from a slump scoring a second, three thirds, and a final tally of 4.20 for fourth. Rounding out the top five was Bob Pacini, whose second and two thirds landed him a score of 4.22.
The US12 Sailors
We finally had a day of sailing and were extremely grateful to get back on the water. However, the temperature was in the 90s, the humidity was high, and the winds were extremely frustrating. Our scorekeepers, B. B. Wright and Diane Guerriere, both sought shade during each of the races. It was that hot!
The sailors had their own private battle with the wind. It wasn’t just variability of the direction and the velocity; often there was no wind at all and you never knew the source of the next breeze. While the boats never heeled enough to put the lee rail under water, at times they reached hull speed and threw up a big wake. It was a puzzle to figure out and also hard to believe we completed eight races. When it came time to have a ninth race or go home, the vote was unanimous to end the day.
On the water, Tim Wright seemed to have his own breeze. His eight wins earned him a 1.00 scoring average and a win for the day. The rest of the fleet had very competitive racing where places changed constantly during each race. In second place, John Simms had a first and three seconds, and earned a score of 2.71. In third place, and in the first full US12 regatta he has sailed, Steve Leker had two seconds and two thirds to get a score of 3.43. In fourth, Kevin Bennet had his best regatta (also his second ever). He had three thirds and got a score of 3.86. In fifth, Bill Malay had a second and a third, ending with a score of 4.00. In sixth, Chuck Rudinsky had two thirds and a score of 4.57.
Charlie Lincoln didn’t get to sail the full regatta due to boat issues. In an unusual yet cautionary tale, Charlie felt the boat was sluggish in the early races, then lost the ability to pull in his sail. He brought his boat to the dock as quickly as possible, and discovered a pinhole leak at the bottom of the keel. As soon as he pulled it out, the leak was evident. The moral of the story is to bring your boat in if it isn’t behaving normally. We know he will be back on the water to try again.
Many thanks again to the scorekeepers for dealing with the heat, and keeping us going on a difficult afternoon. We hope to see more boats next week.
Back Bay Sailing
The sailing season is well underway so join us on Tuesday or Thursday at 1 PM, weather permitting, to enjoy the fun. Wednesday is set aside if conditions on Tuesday or Thursday aren’t suitable. We welcome you to just watch the spectacle or ask to give it a try – we love to share.
Scores
2026-08-04 Sailor Class Soling Regatta | ||||
| Name | Races/Throws (Pct) | Total Pts. | Average | Score |
| Barstow, John | 10/2 (100%) | 12 | 1.20 | 1 |
| Wilhelm, Bruce | 10/2 (100%) | 20 | 2.00 | 2 |
| Ware, Genie | 10/1 (91%) | 29 | 2.90 | 3 |
| Parent, Austin | 10/1 (91%) | 33 | 3.30 | 4 |
| Lincoln, Charlie | 10/2 (100%) | 41 | 4.10 | 5 |
2026 Sailor Class Season Scores | |||||
| Name | Class | % Regattas | Score | 2025 | Diff |
| Butler, Jeanne | Sailor | 0% | 0.00 | 5.50 | -5.50 |
| Claire, Henry | Guest | 0% | 0.00 | ||
| Corbett, Dave | Sailor | 0% | 0.00 | 4.29 | -4.29 |
| Cundy, Don | Sailor | 12% | 1.00 | ||
| Hogenson, Dave | Sailor | 62% | 1.40 | 2.17 | -0.77 |
| Opie, Jim | Sailor | 62% | 2.40 | 2.88 | -0.48 |
| Barstow, John | Sailor | 62% | 2.80 | 3.33 | -0.53 |
| Ware, Genie | Sailor | 50% | 3.00 | ||
| Wolcott, Clint | Sailor | 38% | 3.33 | 4.50 | -1.17 |
| Wilhelm, Bruce | Sailor | 88% | 3.71 | ||
| Parent, Austin | Sailor | 12% | 4.00 | ||
| Lincoln, Charlie | Sailor | 62% | 4.40 | ||
| Malay, Bill | Sailor | 25% | 4.50 |
2026-08-04 Master Class Soling Regatta | ||||
| Name | Races/Throws (Pct) | Total Pts. | Average | Score |
| Wright, Tim | 10/1 (91%) | 11 | 1.10 | 1 |
| Witzel, Jeff | 10/2 (100%) | 23 | 2.30 | 2 |
| Posnack, Al | 10/2 (100%) | 34 | 3.40 | 3 |
| Monetta, Ted | 10/2 (100%) | 42 | 4.20 | 4 |
| Pacini, Bob | 9/1 (82%) | 38 | 4.22 | 5 |
| Boisvert, Denis | 10/2 (100%) | 52 | 5.20 | 6 |
| Griggs, Doug | 4/0 (33%) | 21 | 5.25 | 7 |
| Gerber, Ken | 10/2 (100%) | 57 | 5.70 | 8 |
| Whitehead, Mark | 10/1 (91%) | 65 | 6.50 | 9 |
| Quinn, Anthony | 4/0 (33%) | 35 | 8.75 | 10 |
2026 Master Class Soling Season Scores | |||||
| Name | Class | % Regattas | Score | 2025 | Diff |
| Wright, Tim | Master | 100% | 1.00 | 1.07 | -0.07 |
| Gates, Rick | Guest | 50% | 3.75 | 3.50 | 0.25 |
| Witzel, Jeff | Master | 88% | 3.86 | 4.64 | -0.78 |
| Davis, Linwood | Master | 88% | 4.00 | 5.07 | -1.07 |
| Rudinsky, Chuck | Master | 88% | 4.43 | 8.80 | -4.37 |
| Posnack, Al | Master | 100% | 5.00 | 5.38 | -0.38 |
| Boisvert, Denis | Master | 50% | 6.50 | 7.58 | -1.08 |
| Monetta, Ted | Master | 100% | 6.50 | 4.67 | 1.83 |
| Barstow, Tom | Master | 50% | 7.50 | 7.55 | -0.05 |
| Gerber, Ken | Master | 62% | 7.80 | 7.30 | 0.50 |
| Quinn, Anthony | Master | 62% | 8.60 | 7.21 | 1.39 |
| Pacini, Bob | Master | 62% | 8.80 | 9.00 | -0.20 |
| Whitehead, Mark | Master | 75% | 9.17 | 7.40 | 1.77 |
| Griggs, Doug | Master | 75% | 10.17 | ||
| Bennett, Kevin | Master | 50% | 10.50 |
2026-08-06 US12 Regatta | ||||
| Name | Races/Throws (Pct) | Total Pts. | Average | Score |
| Wright, Tim | 7/1 (100%) | 7 | 1.00 | 1 |
| Simms, John | 7/1 (100%) | 19 | 2.71 | 2 |
| Leker, Steve | 7/1 (100%) | 25 | 3.57 | 3 |
| Bennett, Kevin | 7/1 (100%) | 27 | 3.86 | 4 |
| Malay, Bill | 7/1 (100%) | 28 | 4.00 | 5 |
| Rudinsky, Chuck | 7/1 (100%) | 32 | 4.57 | 6 |
| Lincoln, Charlie | 4/0 (50%) | 27 | 6.75 | 7 |
2026 Season US12 Scores | |||||
| Name | Class | % Regattas | Score | 2025 | Diff |
| Davis, Lin | 0% | 0.00 | 2.00 | -2.00 | |
| Lincoln, Charlie | Sailor | 0% | 0.00 | ||
| Wright, Tim | Sailor | 83% | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| Laird, Rick | Sailor | 17% | 2.00 | 3.80 | -1.80 |
| Simms, John | Sailor | 83% | 2.60 | 3.08 | -0.48 |
| Tonks, Phil | Sailor | 17% | 3.00 | ||
| Malay, Bill | Sailor | 33% | 3.50 | ||
| Bennett, Kevin | 17% | 4.00 | |||
| Leker, Steve | Sailor | 33% | 4.00 | ||
| Quinn, Anthony | 33% | 4.00 | 4.22 | -0.22 | |
| Wilhelm, Bruce | Sailor | 83% | 4.00 | 5.38 | -1.38 |
| Rudinsky, Chuck | Sailor | 83% | 4.80 | ||
| Opie, Jim | Sailor | 67% | 5.50 | 6.00 | -0.50 |
| McBride, Donald | Sailor | 17% | 7.00 | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Strodel, Robert | Sailor | 17% | 7.00 | 4.60 | 2.40 |
| McBride, Paul | Sailor | 17% | 9.00 |
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
Upcoming Events: [2026 Schedule]
- June – October 2026 1-3PM Tuesdays Solings, Thursdays US12s, Wednesday – Alternate Rain Day
- August 15, 2026 Sasquatch Footy Regatta
- September 13, 2026 6th Annual RC Laser Regatta – Region 1 Championship, Bow Lake, Strafford NH
- September 22, 2026 Soling Season Ends
- September 24, 2026 US12 Season Ends
- September 29, 2026 Soling Enduro
- October 1, 2026 US12 Enduro
- November 3, 2026 Dock Out
Past Events:
- June 25, 2026 AMYA US12 Region 1 Championship
- September 14, 2025 5th Annual RC Laser Regatta – Region 1 Championship, Bow Lake, Strafford NH
- September 10, 2025 Sasquatch Footy Regatta
- July 5, 2025 Model Yachting Day
- July 7-11, 2025 NHBM Model Yacht Building Workshop
- September 8, 2024 4th Annual RC Laser Regatta – Region 1 Championship, Bow Lake, Strafford NH [More Photos]
- July 6, 2024 Model Yachting Day at Back Bay
- June 22, 2024 NHBM Booth at Summer Kick-Off 2024, Pop Whalen Ice and Arts Center
- June 15, 2024 Sasquatch Footy Regatta
- February 2024 Building the Soling 1M Slotted Mast, by Mark Whitehead – Video
- February 2024 How to Win without Going Fast, by Al Posnack – Zoom Video
- October 13-15, 2023 USVMYG Championship Regatta, Honey Brook PA
- September 24, 2023 3rd Annual RC Laser Regatta, Bow Lake, Strafford NH
- September 15-16, 2023 Vintage Race Boat Regatta, Wolfeboro Bay – Video
- August 26, 2023 Sasquatch Footy Regatta
- August 5-6, 2023 CanAm Challenge Regatta, Stowe VT
- July 4, 2023 Wolfeboro Independence Day Parade
- July 1, 2023 Model Yachting Day
- May 15, 2023 WCVB Boston Chronicle
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
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, Raritan Yacht Club RC Laser Fleet, Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024, Western Reserve Model Yacht Club, Joe SanAntonio Fleet Donation, SailFlow, US12 Plans

