Written by Mark Whitehead
Proofreading & Editing by Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride
Layout by Ken Gerber
Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
The Green Salad Regatta
The July 2 Soling regatta will go into our history books with a record twenty-one weed calls. The floating weeds were very fine, unlike any we’ve seen before. Not sure if the ski boats cut them up or if they came from someplace else – spaceships perhaps? One thing for sure, the stronger winds pushed them across the bay onto our course.
We welcomed back from Canada our youngest skipper, Henry Clare. Henry is part of a diplomatic family stationed in Montreal. We estimated that he grew about a foot over the winter so the Canadian food must agree with him. Anyway, welcome back, Henry, it was great to see you!
Also returning to Back Bay for his first regatta of the season was Clint Wolcott. Clint has been in D.C. as a volunteer assisting government workers during their struggles.
Solings Out on the Water
Although they could have done without the weeds, the eighteen skippers who launched at least had great winds for their ten races. Leading the Sailor Class was John Barstow, his three wins and a second putting him at the top with a score of 2.33. (Note that although Chuck Rudinsky had a win and three second-place finishes, he didn’t participate in enough races to qualify for overall placement in the regatta.) In John’s wake and only one tenth behind at 2.44 was Kevin Bennett, who took the second spot with three wins and two seconds, a fifth-place finish in Race 3 making the difference. Wow, only three tenths behind Kevin was Dave Hogenson, whose two wins lifted him to third overall at 2.67. Just two tenths behind that was Clint Wolcott! How close can these skipper scores get?
The Master Class leader was Tim Wright, posting four wins along with four seconds and two weed-call-average scores, finishing the day at 1.56. Jeff Witzel had two wins and two weed-call-average scores as well, calling it a day after the seventh race. He managed a respectable score of 3.17 for second place, however. Rounding out the top three was Linwood Davis, earning three wins and having three weed-call-average scores for an overall score of 3.22.
The “Salad King” was Bob Pacini posting four weed-call-average scores plus a few more he didn’t bother to post. Congratulations, Bob — I think!
US12s Were a No-Go
Trying to rely on weather forecasts is a risky business. The July 1 regatta was rescheduled for July 2 because of dangerous thunderstorms headed our way. They never came. They decided to wait until the US12 regatta was about to begin, the skies opening up with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning. Meteorologists originally claimed that Thursday’s raindrops wouldn’t fall until after 3:00, but NOOOOOOOO! We know weather in New England can be difficult to predict because of so many swirling fronts, but you’d think that with advanced technology, forecasts could be a bit more precise.
Sailing on Back Bay
Join us for Model Yacht sailing 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.
It’s 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.
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
2025-07-02 Soling Sailor Class Regatta | ||||
| Name | Races/Throws (Pct) | Total Pts. | Average | Score |
| Rudinsky, Chuck | 4/0 (40%) | 7 | 1.75 | 1 |
| Barstow, John | 9/1 (100%) | 21 | 2.33 | 2 |
| Bennett, Kevin | 9/1 (100%) | 22 | 2.44 | 3 |
| Hogenson, Dave | 9/1 (100%) | 24 | 2.67 | 4 |
| Wolcott, Clint | 9/1 (100%) | 26 | 2.89 | 5 |
| Clare, Henry | 1/0 (10%) | 5 | 5.00 | 6 |
2025 Soling Sailor Class Season Scores | |||||
| Name | Class | % Regattas | Score | 2024 | Diff |
| Clare, Henry | Sailor | 0% | 0.00 | 10.50 | -10.50 |
| Rudinsky, Chuck | Sailor | 86% | 1.17 | ||
| McBride, Donald | Sailor | 29% | 2.00 | ||
| Bennett, Kevin | Sailor | 100% | 2.57 | 6.67 | -4.10 |
| Hogenson, Dave | Sailor | 29% | 3.00 | 2.25 | 0.75 |
| Opie, Jim | Sailor | 29% | 3.50 | 2.67 | 0.83 |
| Bodenstab, Mark | Sailor | 43% | 3.67 | 5.38 | -1.71 |
| Barstow, John | Sailor | 29% | 4.00 | 3.78 | 0.22 |
| Griggs, Doug | Sailor | 43% | 4.00 | ||
| Corbett, Dave | Sailor | 29% | 4.50 | 5.36 | -0.86 |
| Wolcott, Clint | Sailior | 14% | 5.00 | 3.80 | 1.20 |
| Butler, Jeanne | Sailor | 29% | 5.50 | 10.33 | -4.83 |
| Currier, Dick | Sailor | 29% | 6.00 | 8.14 | -2.14 |
| Curran | Sailor | 29% | 6.00 | 6.00 | 0.00 |
2025-07-02 Soling Master Class Regatta | ||||
| Name | Races/Throws (Pct) | Total Pts. | Average | Score |
| Wright, Tim | 9/1 (100%) | 14 | 1.56 | 1 |
| Witzel, Jeff | 6/1 (67%) | 19 | 3.17 | 2 |
| Davis, Linwood | 9/1 (100%) | 29 | 3.22 | 3 |
| Barstow, Tom | 6/1 (67%) | 27 | 4.50 | 4 |
| Boisvert, Denis | 9/1 (100%) | 42 | 4.67 | 5 |
| Whitehead, Mark | 9/1 (100%) | 46 | 5.11 | 6 |
| Posnack, Al | 8/1 (89%) | 45 | 5.62 | 7 |
| Cundy, Don | 6/1 (67%) | 37 | 6.17 | 8 |
| Monetta, Ted | 9/1 (100%) | 56 | 6.22 | 9 |
| Quinn, Anthony | 4/0 (40%) | 28 | 7.00 | 10 |
| Pacini, Bob | 9/1 (100%) | 68 | 7.56 | 11 |
| Ware, Genie | 9/1 (100%) | 75 | 8.33 | 12 |
| Wilhelm, Bruce | 9/1 (100%) | 83 | 9.22 | 13 |
2025 Soling Master Class Season Scores | |||||
| Name | Class | % Regattas | Score | 2024 | Diff |
| Wright, Tim | Master | 86% | 1.00 | 1.08 | -0.08 |
| Witzel, Jeff | Master | 57% | 2.50 | 2.83 | -0.33 |
| Gates, Rick | Master | 29% | 3.50 | 8.38 | -4.88 |
| Posnack, Al | Master | 86% | 5.17 | 5.18 | -0.02 |
| Monetta, Ted | Master | 100% | 5.71 | 6.43 | -0.71 |
| Jousse, Alain | Master | 14% | 6.00 | ||
| Boisvert, Denis | Master | 86% | 6.17 | 5.90 | 0.27 |
| Leker, Steve | Master | 43% | 6.33 | 7.62 | -1.29 |
| Cundy, Don | Master | 43% | 6.67 | 3.38 | 3.29 |
| Davis, Linwood | Master | 100% | 6.86 | ||
| Barstow, Tom | Master | 71% | 7.20 | 6.25 | 0.95 |
| Whitehead, Mark | Master | 100% | 7.43 | 6.69 | 0.74 |
| Quinn, Anthony | Master | 57% | 7.50 | 8.83 | -1.33 |
| Pacini, Bob | Master | 86% | 8.50 | 8.00 | 0.50 |
| Gerber, Ken | Master | 43% | 8.67 | 9.00 | -0.33 |
| Malay, Bill | Master | 57% | 8.75 | 10.00 | -1.25 |
| Ware, Genie | Master | 43% | 10.33 | ||
| Laird, Richard | Master | 29% | 10.50 | ||
| Wilhelm, Bruce | Master | 71% | 13.00 |
Upcoming Events: [2025 Schedule]
- April 29 – October 28 , 2025 Regattas 1PM-3PM Tuesday Solings, Thursdays US12s
- July 7-11, 2025 Model Yacht Building
- September 11, 2025 Scoring Season Ends
- September 14, 2025 5th Annual RC Laser Regatta – Region 1 Championship, Bow Lake, Strafford NH
- October 28, 2025 Dock Out
Past Events:
- July 5, 2025 Model Yachting Day
- September 8, 2024 4th Annual RC Laser Regatta – Region 1 Championship, Bow Lake, Strafford NH [More Photos]
- July 8-12, 2024 NHBM Model Yacht Building Workshop
- 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