Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Editing & Proofreading Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by B. B. Wright, Paul McBride, Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Layout by Ken Gerber
Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
The Right Call
Another day of conflicting weather forecasts forced Commodore Whitehead to advance the Soling regatta to Wednesday, July 19. With torrential rains hitting Back Bay around 2:30 Tuesday, it certainly was the right call. The alternate day turned out to be spectacular, when sunshine and a good breeze greeted our sailors.
High water and wave action by inconsiderate boaters separated dock sections, but thanks to Al Stevens, Jeff Witzel, Lin Davis, Rick Gates, and Mark Whitehead, all was put right.
Mother Nature’s good mood brought out nineteen skippers for the eleven-race competition, with new skippers Lin Davis, Dave Corbett, and Matt Tibbetts joining the fun after building their boats last week. Dave tested out his boat but decided not to race. However, Lin and Matt were enthusiastically up for the challenge.
US12 Sailing
As usual, the winds on Back Bay in the middle of the summer on July 20 were light, fickle, and tough to read. The seven regulars and one guest were treated to typical weather. Our guest, Bob Shapiro from the Bow Lake Sailing MYC, came to see us sail and bring a boat to one of our sailors. He sailed for the afternoon, learning to sail a different boat than the Lasers they sail on Bow Lake. Not only that, he helped Tim Wright get the dock back together and weigh it down. Thank you, Bob, for coming and pitching in. The dock was reassembled before some of the regular sailors arrived.
It was a treat to get in nine races when the winds were so light. Our scorekeeper, B. B. Wright, was busy observing our starts and recording close finishes, which she combined with breaks in the shade. The heat and humidity seem to be a regular part of the weather these days, and we appreciate her sticking it out with us. Let’s hope for a little more wind next week.
Out on the Water
The always competitive Soling Sailor Class was led by one of our newer skippers Ted Monetta, taking three wins and three second-place finishes to score 2.3. Anthony Quinn, with 3.71 points, had one win and three seconds. Just one tenth behind at 3.8 was another new skipper, Jeff Witzel tallying two wins and a couple of seconds.
Finishing fourth for the day was Clint Wolcott with 5.2 points. Fifth for the day was Jim Opie with two second-place finishes and a total score of 5.5. The last of our top six was Steve Towne with one win and a final score of 5.75. Genie Ware’s total score would have qualified her for fourth, but due to a late arrival, she didn’t complete the required number of races. John Barstow would have landed in a tie for fifth, but he too failed to complete enough races. A young newbie by the name of Matt Tibbets sailed for the first time after constructing his Soling at last week’s workshop. He did an amazing job at the helm finishing twelfth for the day and placing eighth in one race! Another newcomer, Linwood Davis crossed the finish line first in his first race and continued impressively to ninth place overall.
Unbelievable! Commodore Mark Whitehead got on a roll with five first-place finishes to top the Soling’s Master Class! That never happens, and his wife claims he floated into their driveway on Cloud 9. Only three tenths behind in second was Don Cundy with two wins of his own. Four tenths behind Don, Al Posnack captured the third spot and could brag about two wins. Rounding out the top five were Don McBride in fourth and brother Paul in fifth, only three tenths separating the two. Demonstrating the close competition was a difference of only 1.7 points between first and fifth!
On the course, for the US12s, Tim was tough to catch, or at least stay in front of. He won all the races, but the battles were epic for the other sailors in the nine races. Everyone else had at least three finishes in the top four places, and multiple finishes in the bottom half. The conditions kept everyone in contention.
In second place, Bob Brennan finished with seven top-three finishes. Paul McBride came in third, with three second-place finishes. John Simms cruised to fourth, and right behind John was Don Cundy. Don McBride and Bruce Wilhelm tied for sixth place, only one point separating fourth from the sixth-place finishers.
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.
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