Model Yachting News • Week Ending November 05, 2022

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

We Just Couldn’t Resist

The Sunken Ship Award had been tucked away for a couple of years, but we felt it was time to dust it off and give it to some deserving Back Bay Skipper. Roger Rice has had a nagging, intermittent electrical issue that coaxed him onto shoreline rocks on a regular basis. The electrical issue we’re ignoring completely, of course, but not the rocks. For that reason, we deemed Roger Rice as the obvious recipient of the 2022 Sunken Ship Award. Congratulations, Roger!

Roger Rice received this year's Screw-Up Award for his boat's propensity for ending up on the rocks.
Joel Nelson was among the first to launch their Solings.

Last Week’s Weather This Week?

Last week, meteorologists predicted no wind, but their forecast was a week early. The wind remained hidden for November 1, making only feeble appearances now and then. The sailors were even baptized by occasional sprinkles. When participants arrived, Back Bay was flat calm. Position on the course determined which end of the fleet got the jump as skippers might float for quite a while before a little puff sneaked in to wake them up and push them ahead.

The November 1 Soling regatta, the last of the season, was attended by thirteen skippers, who amazingly completed eight races. However, it should be pointed out that only half the course was used due to the wind – or lack thereof!

Out on the Water

At this time of year, the scores are for bragging rights only. They ignore the usual minimum number of races required, and are an average of how many races are sailed, whether it is one or eight. A throw-out for every six races continues to be used, however.

A Good Start for Solings
Solings Under Grey Skies, with Sprinkles
Solings are off to a slow start.
Five classes of boats were sailed on Thursday: US12, Soling, Laser, DF95, and Schooner.

Scores
1. Tim Wright          2.0
2. Roger Rice          2.5 (Two races scored)
3. Don Cundy          2.6
4. Mark Whitehead 3.2
5. Bill Malay            4.2
6. Tim Brand           4.7
7. Paul McBride      5.6
8. Tom Barstow      5.8
9. Joel Nelson        6.0
10. Jim Opie           7.0
11. Anthony Quinn 7.5 (Two races scored)
12. Paul Wallace    8.0 (One race scored)
13. Bruce Wilheim 8.2

Three US12s round the second mark ...
... and drift toward the finish line.

The Last Hurrah

With flat, calm waters under blue sky, fourteen skippers gathered on Thursday, November 3, for the last dipping of the keels, followed by dock-out. The weather being what it was, everyone wondered if we were premature to stop the regattas. Experience has shown us, however, that with holidays approaching, the beginning of November is the best time to end the season.

 

Bill Malay helps himself to some refreshments prepared and served by B.B. Wright.
Joel Nelson and B.B. Wright at the Refreshment Table

To add to the festivities, “Mother Wright” set up a goodies table of cookies, cider, and OJ. The sustenance provided fortification for the task of disassembling, loading, and transporting the dock to its winter storage at the museum, another wonderful sailing season concluded.

The crew gets ready to remove a section of the dock, while Bill Malay washes buoys.
The last section of the dock is pulled from the water.
The Dock-Out Crew: Back row - Al Stevens, John Simms, Don Cundy, Bruce Wilhelm, Anthony Quinn, Skip Koehler, B.B. Wright, Tim Wright, Bill Malay; Front Row - Paul McBride, Denis Boisvert, Ken Gerber and friend Abby, Joel Nelson, Mark Whitehead; photo taken by Kent Koehler
Rescue dinghy, dock, and buoys are put away until Spring.

Sailing on Back Bay

The curtain has closed on the 2022 sailing season, but we look forward to seeing you at Back Bay in Wolfeboro when spring rolls around in 2023. Thank you for joining us.

Sailing starts again next Spring. Make it a date!