Model Yachting News • Week Ending May 16, 2026

Posted on by Paul McBride

Written by Mark Whitehead
Proofreading & Editing by Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, B. B. Wright, Mark Whitehead
Layout and Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry

e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com

Tuesdays Seem to Be Wind Days

Again this week the Soling fleet faced strong winds and even more powerful gusts. The May 12 regatta welcomed thirteen skippers to its course but scored only nine. There were three declaring, “Uh-uh. I’m not going out there!” And on its first launch, Bob Pacini’s boat ended up at the bottom of the bay at the start line.

Denis Boisvert’s schooner didn’t fair so well this week and had to retire with mechanical issues, but out came the #188 VM from the San Antonio collection that survived the challenge.

Denis Boisvert gets VM 188 ready to sail.
Denis Boisvert sails the VM 188.
The VM 188 is in the San Antonio collection.
Skippers Meeting
An unsuspecting Bob Pacini launches his Soling 1068 (with hatch cover), soon to touch down on the bottom of Back Bay.
Ken Gerber and Tim Wright go fishing for sailboats.
Will they catch anything?
Ken snags a boat and raises it
by the tip of the sail.
Boat Retrieved - Hmm, Missing a Hatch Cover
Boat Rescued, Rowing Back to the Dock
Bringing the Rescued Boat to the Dock
Bob Pacini's boat is intact, but missing a hatch cover.
Anthony Quinn launches his boat from the dock.

The fleet managed to complete nine races despite really tough wind conditions. During the fourth race, Bill Malay’s #7 decided it would rather sail on the big lake, heading downriver and out to sea, so to speak. As a consequence, Bill had a very long row to retrieve the old girl. After only four races, Anthony Quinn’s #111 developed issues that ended his day.

Bill Malay 7
Bill Malay had a long way to row to rescue his boat.
Bill Malay rows back to the dock.
Solings head to the first mark.
Solings start the race.
Solings head to the mark.
Ken Gerber 14, Jeff Witzel 820, Denis Boisvert 188
Solings approach the mark.
Doug Griggs 1093, Jeff Witzel 820, Mark Whitehead 12

That left seven skippers who qualified for regatta scoring. Nothing new, Tim Wright defended his standing with eight wins and a score of 1.0 to take top honors this week. Jeff Witzel was right in the thick of things to score an impressive 2.25. Doug Griggs got new sails to improve his sailing prowess and caught the wind to third place and a score of 3.38.

Tim Wright 58
Jeff Witzel 820
Jeff Witzel 820 rounds the mark.
Doug Griggs' Boat with New Sails
May 12, 2026 Soling Scores
 1. Tim Wright     1.00
 2. Jeff Witzel    2.25
 3. Doug Griggs    3.38
 4. Mark Whitehead 4.25
 5. Ted Monetta    5.00
 6. Denis Boisvert 5.00 Sailed VM
 7. Linwood Davis  5.20
 8. Bill Malay     5.00 50% Rule
 9. Anthony Quinn  7.75 50% Rule
10. Bob Pacini     Boat Disaster
11. Bruce Wilhelm  DNR
12. Rick Gates     DNR
13. Ken Gerber     DNR
Join the fun! Young skippers may receive sailboat kits.

US12 Sailing

Both Wednesday and Thursday were predicted rain days so the US12 skippers stayed home to remain dry by a warm fire this week.

Back Bay Sailing

Now that the sailing season is underway, 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.

Quiz and Game Fun Page - Updated 11/4/2022​

Trophy Room

Skippers Memorial

Soling 1M Building Manual

Skippers Knowledge Base

Videos and Photos

Previous Highlights

Score Sheets

US12, Soling Masters, Soling Sailors

Upcoming Events: [2026 Schedule]

  • May 26, 2026 Model Yachting Fair at Camp Brookwoods
  • May 28, 2026 US12 Season Starts. Thursday Regattas 1PM to 3PM
  • June 2, 2026 Soling Season Starts. Tuesday Regattas 1PM to 3PM
  • July 6-10, 2026 Soling Building Workshop
  • August 15, 2026 Sasquatch Footy Regatta
  • 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:

e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com

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Summer Boat Auction will be held Saturday, July 11 at our Moultonborough Campus.

Summer Boat Auction will be held Saturday, July 11 at our Moultonborough Campus.