Tim Wright Reports
The US12 sailing on September 19 was good but a little frustrating. How many times can we mention the shiftiness and uncertainty of the wind? (Just about every week!) The six US12 skippers persevered, however, and completed nine races. Don Cundy showed up despite a hole in his keel that needed attention. Tim Wright has been holding onto Paul Wallace’s boat and brought it to test it out. It was a match made in heaven. Tim told Don he could sail Paul’s boat and give some feedback.
In racing, Tim again won the day with eight first-place finishes. The only boat to beat him all day was Paul Wallace’s boat with Don Cundy at the helm. Don finished second for the day. He also had five second-place finishes to go with his victory in race five. Third place went to Don McBride, who finished just ahead of his brother, Paul. Paul overcame some early difficulties and ongoing steering issues. Fifth place went to a returning sailor. John Simms hasn’t sailed often this year due to boat issues. His boat had a persistent leak, but he purchased a boat from Tim Brand and started shaking off some of the rust. We expect more from him in the future and certainly next year. Jim Opie finished close behind in sixth.
There were some incredibly close finishes. In one race, the third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-place boats were overlapped as they approached the finish. The fifth-place boat crossed while the third- and fourth-place boats were still crossing the finish line. It was very dramatic, and our spectators marveled at the racing.
September 26 is the final day of scored racing for the US12s, then a month or so of unscored sailing until the dock comes out. Tim Wright always brings an extra boat, so if you want to try sailing a US12, come on down.
A Dark Cloud
Every week, Rick Lalley makes a three-hour trip from Thomaston, Maine, showing dedication to the sport and to the Back Bay Skippers. This week, however, a gust of wind knocked his boat off the stand and broke the mast before Rick got near the water. Sadly for Rick was a three-hour trip home and missing the last scored regatta. A real bummer, we all hurt right along with him.
A Blustery Day
We are starting to lose a few skippers to conflicts and commitments, but we still launched eighteen Solings for the September 24 nine-race regatta, the last scored regatta of the season. We will continue to sail till it gets too cold to be enjoyable; we just won’t keep track of the scores — on paper, that is!
Tuesday’s winds made up for the last few regattas. Hard winds for the entire afternoon kept us on our toes. At the beginning of the season, many of the skippers would have called it quits and headed home, but now with a little more confidence, they enjoyed the blustery day.
Breaking News
Bruce Brown, another member of the Building Class of 2018 pulled off his first win in race two. We forgot to reload the water bottle bag, so the awards presentation will be made next week.
John Brucker, Class of 2017, finally got a chance to sail with us again. He works in Danvers, Massachusetts, so it’s a struggle to sail with us. Being a little tentative getting started, John made significant progress after a little tuning help from Tim Wright, placing fourth in races eight and nine. It was a great day to play hooky!
Macklin and his dad join the fun
Back Bay Sailboat Kits
Always looking for ways to educate and improve the experience, especially for the younger set, we are trying out the Back Bay Sailboat Kits. The first to receive a kit was three-year-old Macklin. He and his dad will be working together to build his own sailboat.
Out on the Water
First place in Sailor Class was dominated by the top two finishers this week, both with four race firsts. Don McBride took top honors, and close on his heels was Denis Boisvert. Paul McBride had three second-place race finishes to give him third for the day. Jay Burns showed off his prowess with two seconds and three thirds, and Diane Labella rounded out the top five.
At the top of the Master Class was Tim Wright with seven firsts. New in the top three was Jerry Leach with five second-place finishes. Don Cundy tied for second after sailing to one first, two seconds, and four thirds. Bob Brennan snuck into third, proud of one second-place finish, and Rick Gates captured fourth. Miraculously, Mark Whitehead reached the top five — thanks to the tie by Don and Jerry.
Join the Fun
If you don’t want to build a boat, we’ll help you find a used one. Don’t want to sail? Just come and watch — we put on a great show every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 1:00 PM, weather permitting. Be sure to bring your camera.