Model Yachting News • Week Ending September 2, 2023

Posted on September 3, 2023March 15, 2024 by Paul McBride

Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Editing & Proofreading Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by B. B. Wright, Paul McBride, Kathleen Whitehead, Mark Whitehead, Larry Houle
Layout by Ken Gerber
Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com

The Annual Sasquatch Footy Regatta

On a glorious August 26, the Sasquatch Footy Regatta, postponed because of June downpours, was held on Back Bay. Eleven skippers from the Minuteman Model Yacht Club in Massachusetts and the New Hampshire Boat Museum’s Back Bay Skippers registered for this annual event. Because one skipper from each group decided not to participate, there were nine sailors assembled on the start line for the twelve-race event. Even though the boats are tiny, they sail under the standard sailing rules used internationally. The event uses low-point scoring and allows one throw-out for every six races.

Thanks and appreciation go to the outstanding regatta crew consisting of race director Don Cundy, scorekeepers B. B. Wright and Karen Enos, statistician Kathleen Whitehead, organizer Mark Whitehead, and setup plus cleanup by the commodore and his wife as well as Tim Wright and Skip Koehler plus anyone handy.

The Footy is a development class with the only requirement being that the boats must fit in a box twelve inches long, twelve inches deep, and six inches wide — thus the name Footy. It is amazing the boat designs that are achieved — some are commercially available, some 3D printed, and others scratch-built using just imagination.

Cliff Martin from the Minuteman Model Yacht Club took top honors and the Sasquatch trophy with four firsts, two seconds, two thirds, and score of twenty-one points. Not far behind in second place was Steve Doherty with two wins, three seconds, four thirds, and a score of twenty-five points. Herb Dreher held the third-place spot with two seconds, three thirds, and a score of thirty-three. Fourth went to Tim Wright with forty-three points, and fifth to Jack Burglund with forty-five points.

Name Club Score

1 Cliff Martin            MMYC   21
2 Steve Doherty       MMYC   25
3 Herb Dreher          MMYC   33
4 Tim Wright            BBS       43
5 Jack Burglund      MMYC   45
6 Alain Jousse        MMYC   52
7 Jim Opie               BBS        66
8 Mark Whitehead BBS    74
9 Rick Gates            BBS        76
10 Jim Linville         MMYC     Withdrew
11 Paul McBride      BBS         Withdrew

It Must Be a Record

Twenty-nine skippers arrived for the Soling regatta on August 29. We don’t remember having that many skippers before and might have to move out to Wolfeboro Bay to accommodate our fleet! There were twelve from the Master Class and seventeen from the Sailor Class so some balancing adjustments might be needed for next season. Once again, Karen Enos managed to keep track of everyone on the score sheet!

The winds weren’t even close to the predicted velocity of six to seven miles per hour so we were able to complete only six races. Winds were confusing, blowing in from both east and west, sometimes very light with lots of dead spots. To add to the frustration, there were nine weed calls that stopped the boats dead in the water – especially frustrating when you’re two feet from the finish!

This week, our newest skipper, Dick Currier of Beverly, Massachusetts, picked up the #330 Soling constructed by Bill Quayle, and wearing smiles of enjoyment, he joined the fray.

Out on Back Bay with the Solings

This week, the Sailor Class was led by the Italian Stallion, Anthony Quinn, scoring a first, a second, and two thirds for 2.80 points. With an overall score of 4.00, Jeff Witzel finished second thanks to one first, one second, and one third. Right behind Jeff, Ted Monetta and Steve Towne were locked in a fierce battle for third place, each scoring a win, but in the end, they tied with a final score of 4.20. In fifth was Genie Ware with a second and a third, her final tally not far behind at 4.40.

There was a tie at the top of the Master Class, Tim Wright and Al Posnack both scoring 2.20. Tim won two races and had one second and one third, while Al had one win, two seconds, and two thirds. That leaves the third place to Steve Leker with one win and a second and an overall score of 3.60. With a final score of 4.20, Mark Whitehead took the fourth spot with a second and a third, and not far behind in fifth with a score of 4.40 was Don Cundy, able to brag about one win.

US12 Sailing

For the last few weeks, the US12 fleet has been wishing for more wind. Today, August 31, we made up the deficit and then some. A brisk wind blew in from the north and challenged the boats and skippers alike. There were seven intrepid sailors who started out, but boats were put to the test by the wind’s strength. When the gusts came through, bows were buried, knockdowns occurred, and the spectators got quite a show. Even with many delays for equipment checks and emptying water, we managed to log twelve races. Three boats dropped out during the regatta, but four others sailed in every race. Congratulations to all who put their boats in today. It was a real test.

US12s on the Water

In seventh place, Paul McBride made it through six races before pulling his boat. He managed a third-place finish in the first race. In sixth was brother Don McBride, who became a spectator after four races when his boat didn’t behave well in the breeze. In Race 2, however, he could brag about coming in second. In fifth was Jim Opie, who had a third-place finish and many fourths. Anthony Quinn sailed to fourth place with a borrowed boat, garnishing a second-place finish and two thirds. In third was Don Cundy, who sailed consistently well, with six third-place finishes and two seconds. John Simms was right there all day, with seven seconds and two firsts, grabbing the second spot. Tim Wright had ten wins and proved tough to catch today.

The real winners were all of the sailors who had a great chance to challenge themselves and enjoy a wonderful summer afternoon. Thanks to our scorekeeper, B. B. Wright, and our race director, Don Cundy, for keeping us on task toward the completion of twelve races.

Next week, we hope for a little less wind but just as much sunshine.

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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.