Written by Tim Wright, B.B. Wright, Mark Whitehead
Editing and Proofreading Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, B.B. Wright, Mark Whitehead
Layout & Photo Captions by Paul McBride, Ken Gerber
Games by Dave Perry
Very Much Appreciated
Week in and week out, our scorekeepers are on the job handling their duties and making sure our skippers follow the rules. They are a dedicated team that voluntarily and efficiently keeps track of thirty or more yachts in the two fleets. Our thanks go out to Karen Enos and B. B. Wright for the fantastic job they do.
August 16 on Back Bay
Twenty skippers sailed in this week’s nine-race regatta, including Tom Green, who was presented with a Soling for his birthday last year and finally got the chance to give it a good workout. Tom hails from Laconia, and it’s great to see him sailing with us. Welcome, Tom!
The day’s winds required a left-to-right start, just the opposite from the usual direction. Of course, the customary fickle winds were prevalent throughout the afternoon, giving the skippers fits.
The rescue boat took some abuse from rocks on the shore this week. It’s hard to make rescues when she sits on the bottom of the bay, but a quick run to the hardware store for patching material put her back in action.
Out on the Water
Another skipper rose to the top of the Sailor Class leader board this week. Anthony Quinn got his mojo at full throttle and won this week’s regatta. Bob Brennan didn’t cut him any slack at only eight hundreds of a point behind. Our season leader, Tom Barstow, and Ken Gerber tied for third, eight tenths of a point behind second place. No slouch himself, Jay Burns, only three quarters of a point behind Tom and Ken, took fifth place. Demonstrating just how close the competition was, that’s just one point separating first and fifth.
Scoring six wins in the nine races of the Master Class, Tim Wright led this week’s regatta even though the fleet was hot on his stern. Just a tad over a point behind and with two wins, Don Cundy sailed to the second spot. Holding off many challenges, Mark Whitehead earned third. Steve Leker’s win in the first race helped land him (or should it be “water” him) in fourth overall, with Tim Brand right behind in fifth. Of note, the third through fifth places were all within five tenths of each other.
The US12s Have Had Some Unusual Days
On Back Bay recently, storms have affected the times of our racing and brought some dramatic, changing winds. Thursday, August 18, felt even more unreal for a number of reasons.
The first reason was about the strong winds that delayed the start of racing. No one wanted to sail due to heavy gusts blowing across the bay with a frequency that made sailing seem unwise. Then Don Cundy and John Simms put their boats in and others saw that it was possible. The gusts suddenly seemed both less powerful and less frequent. As other boats were prepared for sailing, time passed. We didn’t start the first race until just before 1:30. The strength of the wind made the races go by quickly. Unfortunately, Anthony Quinn’s boat carrier came apart just before he launched his boat for Race 2. The boat’s resulting fall stretched his rigging too much to continue. Fortunately, he was able to sail a loaner boat for the rest of the afternoon.
Reason two came after the sixth race. Paul McBride’s boat had electrical issues and started for the other side of the bay. A few boats went after it, and after many tries, one of the rescue US12s was able to connect with Paul’s #223. Paul’s boat had a port rudder, so getting it to turn to starboard to get back to the bike path was difficult. Once engaged, the pair sailed on the far side of the ski jump then slowly back to our shore. This was a long and involved rescue that took time to complete.
Reason three: By the end of the afternoon, even with all the delays, we still managed to complete twelve races. Every one of the seven sailors had at least one first- or second-place finish. The fleet had solid starts, competitive racing, and many changes in the order of the fleet throughout each race – a good racing day.
On the course, Jim Opie finished in seventh place, but showed his speed with a second-place finish. The difference in scores from sixth place to second was only one point, 3.80 to 2.80. In sixth place was Paul McBride, who finally got back to sailing his own boat. Just ahead in fifth place was Don Cundy, who also had a second place in the last race. Fourth place went to Anthony Quinn, who had three first-place finishes, all in the last five races. Third went to John Simms, with two firsts and three seconds. John battled some electrical gremlins, sitting out two races to try to resolve the issues. Second place went to Rick Laird. Rick made the journey from Boston with his wife to enjoy the afternoon in a beautiful setting. Rick had a first and two seconds. First place went to Tim Wright, who had six firsts and three seconds.
What might not be apparent in the scores is how competitive the racing has become. Everyone finished close together, and it made for a very engaging day of racing. We thank the scorekeeper for keeping us going so we could get in twelve races, and the fans who really enjoy watching us race. On a day we thought we might not sail, it turned into a very pleasant and challenging afternoon, one of the better recent sailing days.
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
Sailing on Back Bay
The radio-controlled model yachts are on Back Bay in Wolfeboro from 1 PM to 3 PM weekly, the Solings on Tuesday and the US12s on Thursday, weather permitting. Wednesday serves as an alternate day should sailing conditions be poor.
Join the fun! We love to share so don’t be shy about asking to try your hand at the controls. Come watch the show or take a picture. It’s a sight to behold.
Upcoming Events:
- Saturday October 1, 2022 Old Man of the Mountain Footy Regatta, Nor’easter Series, Nashua NH
- Saturday October 22, 2022 Minuteman Footy Regatta, Nor’easter Series, 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, Raritan Yacht Club RC Laser Fleet, Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024