Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Proofreading & Editing by Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, B. B. Wright, Mark Whitehead
Captions and Layout by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
Model Yacht Building Week
Starting July 6, eight new skippers embarked on the adventure of building their own world-class Soling yacht. The one-meter Soling is an Olympic-Class design in miniature, and it’s well suited for most conditions that lakes offer. The boats were built from a kit, and the skilled instructors provided a fun and rewarding experience that will last for years to come.
Anthony Quinn made sails for each of the participants, and our dedicated instructors this year were team leader Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright, Bruce Wilhelm, Linwood Davis, Doug Griggs, Don McBride, and Henry Clare. Thank you all for a job well done!
Soling Regatta
The Soling skippers had a few challenges on July 7. First, we used a different course because the wind was coming down Back Bay from right to left. Second, the waterskiing practice seemed to bring some of the weeds up from the bottom, which slowed down sailors occasionally. Third, since the starts were left to right, it made the port/starboard meetings at the start further away and hard to judge.
The rain was threatening for most of the afternoon, and by 2:30 PM, it finally arrived. We managed to complete eight races, and the scorekeepers had to keep their score sheets dry for the last race. As the afternoon wore on, the wind increased and sailing was good, except, of course, for the weeds and the port/starboard issues. On a positive note, there were more 360° penalty turns done, which means people were taking ownership of their mistakes.
Solings on the Water
In the Sailor Class, Dave Hogenson had five wins in eight races and finished first with a score of 1.29. In second place, Jim Opie had a first and sailed consistently well to finish with a score of 2.50. Clint Wolcott is getting back to form and had the other two firsts, finishing just behind Jim with a 2.71 average. Rounding out the top five were Bruce Wilhelm and Charlie Lincoln.
The Master Class had the closest regatta finish of the year so far. Although Tim Wright won the day, it was very close. After five races, Lin Davis was leading, having won three races in a row. Tim won the next three and finished less than 5/10 ahead. Tim’s average was 1.86 while Lin’s was 2.29. In third place was Rick Gates, with one win and a score of 3.86. Bob Pacini was in fourth with a 4.57, and Al Posnack won the first race and finished in fifth with a 5.00 average.
Two other items to mention. Wes Matchett, our offsite scorekeeper, was sighted at the Nick’s Farmers Market. He reported that he is now officially retired from Brewster Academy. He was thanked for his diligence in keeping the online scoring up-to-date. We’re wishing Wes a happy retirement and hope to see him sail before the end of the summer.
in some of the races.
Secondly, I was witness to some kindness that should be mentioned. Ted Monetta came up to me, Tim Wright, at the end of sailing as the rain was starting to fall. He said I should put my boats away and he would cover the rowboat. I thanked him but told him that due to the waterskiing competition this weekend I had hoped to bring in the outer buoys so they didn’t get lost or moved during the event. The next thing I knew, Ted and Lin Davis were rowing out to get the buoys. It was above and beyond the call of duty and greatly appreciated, although very typical for those two helpful sailors.
Again, thanks to the scorekeepers for their diligence and putting up with rain when the sailors wanted to race just one more. This was the final race of the spring season, and next week will be a no-score regatta.
US12 Sailing
The Wolfeboro Water Ski Club practice sessions for this weekend’s tournament postponed the July 9 US12 regatta. The Back Bay Skippers have an amicable working relationship with the ski club and share the bay.
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
2026-07-07 Soling Sailor Class Regatta | ||||
| Name | Races/Throws (Pct) | Total Pts. | Average | Score |
| Hogenson, Dave | 7/1 (100%) | 9 | 1.29 | 1 |
| Opie, Jim | 6/1 (86%) | 15 | 2.50 | 2 |
| Wolcott, Clint | 7/1 (100%) | 19 | 2.71 | 3 |
| Wilhelm, Bruce | 7/1 (100%) | 22 | 3.14 | 4 |
| Lincoln, Charlie | 6/1 (86%) | 28 | 4.67 | 5 |
| Claire, Henry | 3/0 (38%) | 15 | 5.00 | 6 |
| Corbett, Dave | 6/1 (86%) | 35 | 5.83 | 7 |
| Butler, Jeanne | 2/0 (25%) | 12 | 6.00 | 8 |
2026-07-07 Soling Master Class Regatta | ||||
| Name | Races/Throws (Pct) | Total Pts. | Average | Score |
| Wright, Tim | 7/1 (100%) | 13 | 1.86 | 1 |
| Davis, Linwood | 7/1 (100%) | 16 | 2.29 | 2 |
| Gates, Rick | 7/1 (100%) | 27 | 3.86 | 3 |
| Pacini, Bob | 7/1 (100%) | 32 | 4.57 | 4 |
| Posnack, Al | 7/1 (100%) | 35 | 5.00 | 5 |
| Gerber, Ken | 7/1 (100%) | 38 | 5.43 | 6 |
| Monetta, Ted | 7/1 (100%) | 39 | 5.57 | 7 |
| Quinn, Anthony | 7/1 (100%) | 41 | 5.86 | 8 |
| Barstow, Tom | 6/1 (86%) | 43 | 7.17 | 9 |
| Rudinsky, Chuck | 7/1 (100%) | 54 | 7.71 | 10 |
2026 Soling Sailor Class Season Scores | |||||
| Name | Class | % Regattas | Score | 2025 | Diff |
| Butler, Jeanne | Sailor | 0% | 0.00 | 6.12 | -6.12 |
| Clare, Henry | Guest | 0% | 0.00 | ||
| Cundy, Don | Sailor | 17% | 1.00 | ||
| Hogenson, Dave | Sailor | 83% | 1.40 | 2.17 | -0.77 |
| Opie, Jim | Sailor | 67% | 1.75 | 3.12 | -1.38 |
| Malay, Bill | Sailor | 17% | 3.00 | ||
| Lincoln, Charlie | Sailor | 50% | 3.33 | ||
| Ware, Genie | Sailor | 33% | 3.50 | ||
| Wolcott, Clint | Sailor | 33% | 3.50 | 5.00 | -1.50 |
| Barstow, John | Sailor | 50% | 4.00 | 3.33 | 0.67 |
| Wilhelm, Bruce | Sailor | 83% | 4.00 | ||
| Corbett, Dave | Sailor | 17% | 7.00 | 4.71 | 2.29 |
2026 Season Soling Master Class Scores | |||||
| Name | Class | % Regattas | Score | 2025 | Diff |
| Wright, Tim | Master | 100% | 1.00 | 1.07 | -0.07 |
| Boisvert, Denis | Master | 33% | 3.50 | 7.58 | -4.08 |
| Gates, Rick | Guest | 67% | 3.75 | 3.50 | 0.25 |
| Davis, Linwood | Master | 100% | 4.00 | 5.07 | -1.07 |
| Witzel, Jeff | Master | 83% | 4.40 | 4.64 | -0.24 |
| Posnack, Al | Master | 100% | 4.83 | 5.38 | -0.55 |
| Rudinsky, Chuck | Master | 100% | 4.83 | 8.80 | -3.97 |
| Monetta, Ted | Master | 100% | 6.83 | 4.67 | 2.17 |
| Barstow, Tom | Master | 50% | 7.67 | 7.55 | 0.12 |
| Gerber, Ken | Master | 50% | 9.00 | 7.30 | 1.70 |
| Whitehead, Mark | Master | 67% | 9.00 | 7.40 | 1.60 |
| Quinn, Anthony | Master | 67% | 9.25 | 7.21 | 2.04 |
| Pacini, Bob | Master | 50% | 9.33 | 9.00 | 0.33 |
| Griggs, Doug | Master | 83% | 9.80 | ||
| Bennett, Kevin | Master | 67% | 10.50 |
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