Model Yachting

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.

On the race course, Bill Hagerup won the day. He and Tim Wright had the same number of wins and second-place finishes, but Bill never finished lower than third place, taking first overall just ahead of Tim. In third place was Don Cundy with John Simms right behind in fourth. Rick Parent did well finishing fifth overall, until he left to get back to work. Paul McBride had some issues with his boat, and sailed Tim’s backup boat to sixth. Paul Wallace tried out some mast hoops for his sail, but decided to take them off after the day’s experiment. Bruce Wilhelm had problems with his mast and temporarily dropped out, but came back and got more experience in heavy air.

Paul McBride’s boat had steering issues and he dropped out after two races. In a fun race with four boats at the end of the day, he sailed Tim’s boat to a first place, getting a chance to sail and making it count.

Although the weather wasn’t as cooperative as it could have been, we all had a good time. Thanks to the volunteers who score us and keep us playing by the rules – Karen Enos and B. B. Wright. Their help is appreciated by all of the sailors, and we couldn’t do what we do without them. See you next week.

US12 Sailing
Don Cundy assumed the role of fleet captain this week for the US12s. Diane LaBella graciously filled in as scorekeeper while Don Opie kept everyone on the straight and narrow. The five skippers who launched were John Simms, Don Cundy, Jim Opie, Bob Brennan, and Bruce Wilhelm, finishing in that order. From all reports, it was a great day of sailing.

Tim Wright was hard to beat today, although John Simms managed a couple of times. John came in second for the day with Don Cundy close behind in third and Jim Opie in fourth. Rick Parent and Bruce Wilhelm were hundredths apart in fifth and sixth with Bob Brennan and Paul McBride rounding out the fleet. Paul had some trouble with his boat today but displayed persistence and determination, fixing a serious issue then continuing to race and improving his finishes.

The US12 sailors have a great time every Thursday afternoon, and hope to have more sailors as the season really gets going. Come down and watch. It’s a pleasant way to spend a summer afternoon.

Still, there was plenty of good sailing, although we had only six boats, surprising given the wonderful weather and very pleasant temperatures. Tim Wright again had a good day, with some very close finishes. John Simms, in second, is proving he is back and becoming more consistent from race to race. Don Cundy, in third, appears to have figured out the steering issues and is always a threat at the front of the fleet. Bill Hagerup, in fourth, is getting his boat up to speed after damage done last year (by Tim Wright, unintentionally, of course.) He had suffered a dismasting but put things back together and lived to race again. Paul McBride, in fifth, had two second-place finishes, starting to get his boat going and holding off the others for solid finishes.

To be sure, there were some sailors who thought twice about putting their boats in. We decided to sail but not score, so no one felt the pressure to sail and put their boat in jeopardy. Bruce Wilhelm, one of our newer sailors, was the first to “test the waters” and the wind. After that, we had seven racers honing their skills, with very strong gusts. There were many who had good races, with most people getting in the top three. Some notables were John Simms, who knocked Tim Wright out of the top spot twice, Don Cundy with five top-three finishes, and Bruce Wilhelm with three top-threes. Jim Opie also had a couple of second-place finishes. Paul McBride and Paul Wallace each had some issues with their boats, but they both stayed around to watch the racing. It was a good day for spectators.

Thanks to B. B. Wright for scoring and Don Opie for coming to watch the sailing. It was a remarkable day under some really demanding conditions. Compliments to all who sailed and challenged themselves. Let’s do it again next week!

Our scorekeeper, B.B. Wright, kept the sailors moving, starting races shortly after the last boat finished. This enabled us to finish twelve races, which gave us two throw-outs each. One of our most faithful fans, Don Opie enjoyed watching both the sailors and the boats as they raced by.

We don’t always get such a nice day to sail and certainly enjoyed this one…. and hope for more just like it.