Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Editing Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, Tim & B.B. Wright, Mark Whitehead, Steve Leker
Layout Paul McBride
Lily Pond Sailing
The sailing at Lily Pond started slowly. There was no wind when sailors arrived. However, as the morning progressed, the wind slowly increased and by 10:30 it was strong enough to put in the Santa Barbara, which needs a lot of wind to get it moving. Unfortunately, it was moving well when it hit a number of boats, rendering one unusable, needing both rigging and sail repairs.
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
- Awards for 2019 Season
- In Memory of Tom Greig 1956-2020
- Tim Wright Wins CAN/AM Challenge 2019
- Lake Discovery Camp
- US12 AMYA Region 1 Championship, Nashua
- Sasquatch Footy Regatta (Nor’Easter Footy Series)
- Skippers Spring Party 2019
Score Sheets
Once the winds came in, the rest of the morning was great sailing. There were five US12s and two Solings in addition to the Santa Barbara. What started out as a disappointment ended on a high note. We continue to enjoy the sailing at Lily Pond and hope others will make the trip too.
Another Strong Showing of Skippers
Once again we had twenty-one skippers on the shores of Back Bay for our September 8 Soling Regatta. The winds were nowhere near as strong as last week so the fleet could manage only seven races. Why is it the winds disappear about two feet from the finish line? Tim Wright, however, must keep extra wind in his pocket because he suddenly comes up with a puff that the rest of us can’t find.
Tim Brand was our returning skipper this week and posted some excellent scores. As we work through September we tend to lose a few skippers that head home to the flatlands near and far. That’s their loss because some of the best sailing tends to be in September and October.
Out on the Water
Our light-air guru Tim Wright again took the day, posting a win in every race he competed. The commodore once was ahead of Tim approaching the third buoy but missed the buoy under the extreme pressure of the situation and fell way back trying to recover. Next time, Tim!
It was new skipper Eric Leitner who grabbed second place in the regatta with two seconds and a third. Talk about close, Tim Brand was .02 of a point behind Eric for a strong third place, posting a first and a second. Another .4 of a point behind Tim was a tie between Jay Burns and Howard Germon for the fourth spot. Our sailing instructor from the other side of the lake, Al Posnack, had a score only .05 of a point behind that, taking the last spot in the top five. I don’t think we’ve ever had scores that close, and it certainly demonstrates the ever-improving skills of our skippers.
The bottom half of the top ten was led by Dan Masessa, .25 of a point behind the top five with Mark Whitehead another .25 of a point behind that for seventh place. A mere .05 of a point behind that was Rick Lalley in eighth. Ninth place really dropped off because Don Cundy was a full point behind Rick, but Bill Malay made up for it being .2 of a point behind Don to make it into the top ten. The rest of the fleet was just as close, which is totally AMAZING!! Also amazing is our scorekeeper, Ellen Koehler, and her able assistant, B. B. Wright. We appreciate both of them!
US12 Sailing
The US12s on Sept 10 had fickle winds, even more than the usual Back Bay shifts. One minute the boats were moving along and then the next, they were dead in the water. Boats ahead were regularly passed by boats from astern as the momentum would carry them past those sitting and waiting for any kind of wind. Even so, it was good to be on the water and amongst friends.
The first race was won by Paul Wallace, followed in second place by Paul McBride. They each had three top-three finishes of the afternoon.
Our newest member, Bruce Wilhelm, sailed his boat for the first time. It’s a beauty and the finish work is outstanding. Today was his first day of getting used to sailing his boat and the learning curve of remote-control sailing, racing, and Back Bay. It’s good to have Bruce with us.
Jim Opie sailed with us today and had some trouble getting his boat going in the light air, but he stuck with it and was always optimistic.
We had a sailing appearance from Anthony Quinn. He sailed three races with Tim’s green boat and came in second, third, and fourth. It was a treat to have Anthony sailing with us.
John Simms and Don McBride each had good days. Don had six top-three finishes in nine races, and John had four in seven races, including a first. Tim Wright sailed well, especially after the first three races, and gave the others a moving target although he was hard to catch. He had seven firsts in nine races.
Many thanks to B.B. for keeping score and keeping us on track. We owe her a great deal for her steadfast efforts on our behalf.
One thing we are learning from sailing this year is that the score really doesn’t matter in the end. It’s the enjoyment of being together, the challenge of mastering tricky skills, and the fun of friendly competition with a group of good people. We look forward to more sailing before the season ends.
Join Us if You Like
But please maintain at least that six-foot distance. Bring your camera for the show but also bring and wear a face mask. Sailing always begins at 1:00 p.m. on Back Bay at the Lehner Street/Glendon Street municipal parking area, weather permitting. Solings sail on Tuesday, the US12s compete on Thursday, and “what you brung” at 9 a.m. Sunday at Lily Pond in Gilford. Wednesdays are available should a Tuesday or Thursday regatta have to be canceled.
