Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Editing Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, B.B. Wright
Layout & Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
Sailing on Lily Pond – Sunday September 26, 2021
The Commodore Is Right On!
The Soling regatta was held on Tuesday, September 28, as originally scheduled, Commodore Whitehead insisting that despite cloud cover, there would be no rain and temperatures would hover in the mid-sixties. And just as he predicted, it all happened! Unbelievable!
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
Seventeen skippers launched for a nine-race regatta, and what a hoot it was. Keeping the mood light was a lot of banter and trash talk as the skippers taunted each other during the friendly competition. The wind, however, was its usual fickle self, playing hide-and-seek and surprising us with its direction — except for Tim Wright, of course. How does he do that?
Rick Gates launched two boats this week, which both he and Eric Leitner sailed — very successfully we might add. They sailed a CR-914 very fast boat but not in the Soling class.
Out on the Water
Tim Wright earned top bragging rights again this week, with four first-place finishes. Next in the honor line was Mark Whitehead, with two firsts and second place overall. Our Boston Skipper, Rick Laird, had one win and a couple of second-place finishes to hold a strong third in the regatta. Denis Boisvert also had a race win and took the fourth spot. Tying for fifth overall were Jim Opie and Anthony Quinn.
Unofficial Scores
1 – Tim Wright 2.3 8 – Jack Minahan 6.3
2 – Mark Whitehead 3.7 9 – Genie Ware 7.8
3 – Rick Laird 4.0 10 – John Barstow 7.9
4 – Denis Boisvert 4.3 11 – Al Stevens 8.0
5 – Jim Opie 4.5 12 – Tom Barstow 9.6
5 – Anthony Quinn 4.5 13 – Bruce Brown 12.0
6 – Paul McBride 4.7 14 – Paul Wallace 12.6
7 – Bob Brennan 6.2
Rick Gates and Eric Leitner CR-914 Class 2.4
Did you notice there were no class distinctions? This time of year, the fleets are mixed, and there’s no pressure to maintain a good season average. The scores are merely an average of the races that finished that day. We do have a throw-out for every six races that helps cover an “oops.”
US12 Sailing
US12 Summer Series Awards presented this week.
1st Place Tim Wright
2nd Place Don Cundy
3rd Place Paul McBride
The last day of September was dreary right up until the US12 sailing started. The temperature was in the fifties, and the overcast skies did little to improve the mood of the day. While the wind took a little time to fill in, the eight racers were able to get thirteen races in as the wind freshened. There were many spectators who enjoyed the spirited competition.
On the course, the racing was tight, and everyone had at least a finish in the top half of the fleet. Since we had more skippers than usual and the wind was a little stronger, there were more bumps and rules violations. We need to stay vigilant to keep up the integrity of the sailing.
The three sailors at the back of the fleet were separated by only .24. Paul Wallace started the day with a second and a third-place finish that propelled him into sixth place. Only .06 behind was Bob Strodel, who managed a second and two fourths. Just behind them was Bruce Wilhelm who managed one fourth and two fifths. In fifth place overall was Jim Opie who had four third-place finishes. In fourth was Paul McBride who sailed Tim Wright’s backup boat. He scored a first-place finish as well as two seconds and two thirds. In third overall, Don Cundy finished the day with two seconds and five thirds. John Simms took second with three firsts and four seconds. Tim Wright won the day with nine firsts.
The racers were closer than they have been, and doing well gets harder and harder. It was not unusual to see a pack of five or six boats rounding the second mark all within a few boat lengths of each other. The camaraderie of the sailors and our scorekeeper B. B. Wright makes Thursday sailing a great deal of fun. The scoring is immaterial at this point of the season. The “official” season is over, but we still learn, gaining experience from each race and watching each other. As the season winds down, we hope we get more days like September 30th.
Join the Fun
The season is still going strong despite no scoring, so folks are encouraged to stop by on Tuesday and Thursday at 1 PM to watch the action (weather permitting, of course), or Wednesday if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate on Tuesday or Thursday. Make sure you have your camera at the ready. And don’t forget Lily Pond in Gilford Sunday mornings at 9:00, weather permitting! There will be no sailing on Lily Pond October 3, and October 10 will be the last Lily Pond regatta of the season.
Upcoming events:
- October 6-10, 2021 US VMG National Championship Regatta, Chester Springs MYC, Honey Brook PA
- October 30, 2021 MinuteMan Footy Regatta, Nor’easter Footy Series Race 5, Rosemary Lake, 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