Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Editing & Proofreading Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by B. B. Wright, Al Posnack, Paul McBride, Mark Whitehead
Layout by Ken Gerber
Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
The 2023 Season Leaders
After fourteen hard-but-happily-fought regattas for the Soling fleet and fifteen for the US12 fleet, our season champions have been crowned.
The Master Class Soling champion for the 2023 season was Tim Wright. The award for second place went to Al Posnack, with Don Cundy earning third.
Congratulations went to Anthony Quinn, champion for the 2023 Soling Sailor Class. He was followed by Steve Towne in second and Jeff Witzel in third, both new Back Bay Skippers.
Master Class: Tim Wright 1st, Al Posnack 2nd, Don Cundy 3rd
For the US12 2023 season, it was Tim Wright again in first place, John Simms in second place, and Don Cundy in third.
As the competition in all classes increases, it becomes more of a challenge to maintain the high skill level to qualify in the top three – now becoming an elite group of skippers!
Summer Series
Within the regatta season there are two eight-week series, one in the summer and one in the fall. The winners for the Summer Series also were announced.
For the Soling Master Class, it was Tim Wright in first, Al Posnack in second, and Tom Barstow in third.
Top three in the Soling Sailor Class were Jeff Witzel in first, Ken Gerber in second, and Genie Ware in third.
Kudos in the US12 Summer Series went to Tim Wright, first; John Simms, second; and Don Cundy, third.
Promotions
We try to keep the fleets balanced by promoting the top skippers in our Sailor Class to the Master Class. The top skippers in the Sailor Class who earned that promotion this year were Anthony Quinn, Steve Towne, Ken Gerber, Jeff Witzel, and Ted Monetta. Congratulations to all!
Nothing Like Fall Sailing
HOORAH! Sunshine and a decent wind — a wonderful combination for the Back Bay Skippers. Despite rescheduling to our alternate day due to Tuesday’s strong winds, the number of skippers remained high at nineteen who launched Wednesday, September 20. The two classes completed eleven races — something we haven’t accomplished in weeks!
Joining us for his northern stint was Butch Lalime, class of 2021. Butch purchased George Greathead’s Number 126 so he would have a northern boat and a southern boat.
Once the official season ends, scoring changes just a bit. The average score is based only on the races finished, minus a throw-out for every six races. Scores are not accumulated as they are during the regular season — it’s strictly week-by-week bragging rights.
Solings on the Water
Those who could thump their chests and brag were the ones whose sailing prowess could handle the heftier winds this week. In the Master Class, the best in all conditions, Tim Wright with nine wins and a score of 1.0 won the day. Claiming a lack of concentration, Don Cundy had seven second-place finishes and a score of 2.0 for the second spot. Al Posnack, before he broke his rudder shaft, had a first and two thirds, posting a score of 2.7 for third place. With a second and four thirds, Mark Whitehead posted a score of 3.6 for fourth place. Rounding out the top five, Don McBride with a second and three fourths scored 3.7 for fifth place. That is only 2.7 points separating first and fifth.
Master Class Scores 9/20 1 Tim Wright 1.0 2 Don Cundy 2.0 3 Al Posnack 2.7 4 Mark Whitehead 3.6 5 Don McBride 3.7 6 Bill Malay 4.3 7 Paul McBride 5.9 8 Tom Barstow 6.0
A few of the Sailor Class Skippers struggled with tuning from light wind to the heavier wind, but when the spray settled, it was Steve Towne in his twenty-five-year-old boat, #61, who ruled the day with a score of 5.8. A strong contender, Genie Ware scored 7.1 for the second spot, and Anthony Quinn sailed to third place scoring 7.9. Tying for fourth were Jeff Witzel and John Barstow, each with a score of 8.1.
Sailor Class Scores 9/20 1 Steve Towne 5.8 2 Genie Ware 7.1 3 Anthony Quinn 7.9 4 Jeff Witzel 8.1 4 John Barstow 8.1 6 Linwood Davis 11.1 7 Bruce Brown 11.3 8 Butch Lalime 13.3 9 Dave Corbett 16.0
US12 Sailing
September 21, a great day of sailing, it was a cool, crisp day with sporadic winds and we sailed a variety of boats. Many Soling sailors came to join the US12s. Several skippers either switched boats or loaned their boats, so scoring was not easy. Do you score the boat or the skipper? For the sake of our web scorer, Wes Matchett, we will score the boat regardless of who was sailing it. It’s all unofficial anyway.
Today’s idyllic conditions made scoring seem less important. The sailing was less intense and more fun. People had the time to help others tune their boats and help solve problems. In fact, two Soling sailors came with no boats. Each sailed three races with loaned US12s. Even Sabra McBride, wife of sailor Don McBride, felt comfortable enough to bravely try her hand at racing a US12. She finished the race in the middle of the pack! The pace was relaxed and the fun was evident.
We were all winners just for showing up and taking part. Thanks to our scorekeeper, B. B. Wright, who tried to keep up with the skipper and boat switches, until it was suggested that she just score the boats as they crossed, without regard to who was sailing the boat each race. We look forward to another wonderful day of sailing next Thursday.
There are rumors that an 8-foot J boat will make an appearance next week. It was made by a former Back Bay Skipper who was a sailing champion: Ned Lakeman. This boat has passed through several hands since then. With its 10-foot mast, it will be quite a sight to see on the bay!
We welcome sailors of other classes to our US12 regatta — the more the merrier!
US12s on the Water
The scoring for the US12 (and friends) sailing today was different than usual. Due to the switching of sailors and boats, each boat received a score but not the skipper. Since we are no longer counting the scores “officially,” there will be no throw-out score. These are all the scores for each boat, averaged. However, due to my curious nature, I also calculated scores with throw-outs. Coincidentally, when scored using a throw-out, the positions didn’t change, although the score for #101 came down to 3.00, equaling the score of #35, which didn’t sail in enough races to earn a throw-out after losing a shroud.
US12 and Soling Scores 9/21
Boat # Type Score
(no throw) w/throw out
438 US12 2.90 2.44
35 US12 3.00 3.00
101 US12 3.44 3.00
20 US12 3.80 3.44
130 US12 3.89 3.63
10 US12 4.13 3.71
937 US12 5.14 4.33
223 US12 6.33 5.88
61 Soling 6.60 6.60
237 Soling 8.10 7.78
22 Soling 8.56 8.25
126 Soling 9.00 9.00
148 Soling 9.33 9.33
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
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 US12s plus “what you brung”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.
Upcoming Events:
- September 24, 2023 3rd Annual RC Laser Regatta, Bow Lake, Strafford NH (Rescheduled from September 10)
Past Events:
- September 15-16, 2023 Vintage Race Boat Regatta, Wolfeboro Bay
- August 26, 2023 Sasquatch Footy Regatta
- August 5-6, 2023 CanAm Challenge Regatta, Stowe VT
- July 4, 2023 Wolfeboro Independence Day Parade
- July 1, 2023 Model Yachting Day
- May 15, 2023 WCVB Boston Chronicle
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
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, Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024, Western Reserve Model Yacht Club