Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Editing & Proofreading Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by B. B. Wright, Paul McBride, Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Layout by Ken Gerber
Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
The Right Call
Another day of conflicting weather forecasts forced Commodore Whitehead to advance the Soling regatta to Wednesday, July 19. With torrential rains hitting Back Bay around 2:30 Tuesday, it certainly was the right call. The alternate day turned out to be spectacular, when sunshine and a good breeze greeted our sailors.
High water and wave action by inconsiderate boaters separated dock sections, but thanks to Al Stevens, Jeff Witzel, Lin Davis, Rick Gates, and Mark Whitehead, all was put right.
Mother Nature’s good mood brought out nineteen skippers for the eleven-race competition, with new skippers Lin Davis, Dave Corbett, and Matt Tibbetts joining the fun after building their boats last week. Dave tested out his boat but decided not to race. However, Lin and Matt were enthusiastically up for the challenge.
US12 Sailing
As usual, the winds on Back Bay in the middle of the summer on July 20 were light, fickle, and tough to read. The seven regulars and one guest were treated to typical weather. Our guest, Bob Shapiro from the Bow Lake Sailing MYC, came to see us sail and bring a boat to one of our sailors. He sailed for the afternoon, learning to sail a different boat than the Lasers they sail on Bow Lake. Not only that, he helped Tim Wright get the dock back together and weigh it down. Thank you, Bob, for coming and pitching in. The dock was reassembled before some of the regular sailors arrived.
It was a treat to get in nine races when the winds were so light. Our scorekeeper, B. B. Wright, was busy observing our starts and recording close finishes, which she combined with breaks in the shade. The heat and humidity seem to be a regular part of the weather these days, and we appreciate her sticking it out with us. Let’s hope for a little more wind next week.
Out on the Water
The always competitive Soling Sailor Class was led by one of our newer skippers Ted Monetta, taking three wins and three second-place finishes to score 2.3. Anthony Quinn, with 3.71 points, had one win and three seconds. Just one tenth behind at 3.8 was another new skipper, Jeff Witzel tallying two wins and a couple of seconds.
Finishing fourth for the day was Clint Wolcott with 5.2 points. Fifth for the day was Jim Opie with two second-place finishes and a total score of 5.5. The last of our top six was Steve Towne with one win and a final score of 5.75. Genie Ware’s total score would have qualified her for fourth, but due to a late arrival, she didn’t complete the required number of races. John Barstow would have landed in a tie for fifth, but he too failed to complete enough races. A young newbie by the name of Matt Tibbets sailed for the first time after constructing his Soling at last week’s workshop. He did an amazing job at the helm finishing twelfth for the day and placing eighth in one race! Another newcomer, Linwood Davis crossed the finish line first in his first race and continued impressively to ninth place overall.
Unbelievable! Commodore Mark Whitehead got on a roll with five first-place finishes to top the Soling’s Master Class! That never happens, and his wife claims he floated into their driveway on Cloud 9. Only three tenths behind in second was Don Cundy with two wins of his own. Four tenths behind Don, Al Posnack captured the third spot and could brag about two wins. Rounding out the top five were Don McBride in fourth and brother Paul in fifth, only three tenths separating the two. Demonstrating the close competition was a difference of only 1.7 points between first and fifth!
On the course, for the US12s, Tim was tough to catch, or at least stay in front of. He won all the races, but the battles were epic for the other sailors in the nine races. Everyone else had at least three finishes in the top four places, and multiple finishes in the bottom half. The conditions kept everyone in contention.
In second place, Bob Brennan finished with seven top-three finishes. Paul McBride came in third, with three second-place finishes. John Simms cruised to fourth, and right behind John was Don Cundy. Don McBride and Bruce Wilhelm tied for sixth place, only one point separating fourth from the sixth-place finishers.
Videos and Photos
Previous Highlights
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 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.
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
Written by Mark Whitehead, Steve Leker, Tim Wright
Editing & Proofreading Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by B. B. Wright, Paul McBride, Mark Whitehead
Layout by Ken Gerber
Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry
e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com
The School Bell Was Rung
The weeklong model-yacht building class of 2023 opened on July 10. Due to a backlog from last year, twelve boats were built with topnotch instruction from a dedicated crew that included Al Stevens, Bruce Wilhelm, Tim Wright, and Mark Whitehead. Participants in the class are John Cavanagh, Dave Slock, Matt Tibbetts, Frank Argersinger, Mark Bodenstab, Curran Owens, Bob Hill, Linwood Davis, David Corbett, Tim Wright, Leo Salvo with Grampa Steve O’Neil, and Kathleen Decamp with her dad, Kevin Burke.
It was a challenge to complete the project in only five days. We almost made it but had to add one more work session. Soon the new skippers will be ready to challenge the finicky waters of Back Bay.
July 11 Soling Regatta
The penultimate regatta of the 2023 Spring Series on July 11 began with blue skies, brisk winds, and nineteen Solings. There were even a few available parking spaces! Bike traffic was light and the few cyclists on the Cotton Valley Trail were courteous. Absent this week was Commodore Mark Whitehead, who was helping twelve new skippers build their Solings under the tent by the museum. Tim Wright also was building a new boat although he was at Back Bay for the day minus his #383 boat. Tim proved his oar ability in the dinghy as he rescued three boats stricken by the choppy water.
The dock was just barely awash at the edge from the recent rains. Numerous weeds were reported and piled upon the shore. The last white buoy near shore looked like a radish in a floating salad yet the vegetation seemed to be well rooted to the lake bottom as the final turn did not ensnare any boats.
The first clock of the day counted down to start the regatta, with three races completed in about fifteen minutes. Thank you, brisk wind! The score sheet posted twelve races at the end of the day so two throw-outs were allowed. The recourse sheet also had several entries for weed, electronic, and rig problems.
Everyone had to stay on their toes (thumbs?) while milling around in the heavier air. Without the benefit of an ongoing race to provide predictive lanes of traffic, the boats swirl around in a constant dance on the water while waiting for the clock to start. An unfortunate collision before the third race resulted in a significant starboard-side hole in the hull of Anthony Quinn’s #937.
US12 Races on July 13
Eight sailors endured the hot air thick with humidity. The wind was more erratic than usual. In spite of the generally light breezes, eleven races were completed. However, due to the extremely variable winds and high humidity, the overall conditions were frustrating at times. Little mistakes could become magnified, and most races had multiple lead and position changes.
On the course, racers’ starts are getting much better. Boats are right behind the line and pushing the limits of how close they can get before they’re considered over early. B. B. Wright’s keen eyes were tested and she kept us honest. We appreciate her scoring while sitting in the sun and the heat.
Out on the Water
The third race for the Solings was especially nice for Jeff Witzel as he sailed to his first win in the Sailor Class. Jeff and his bright green #34 boat went on to capture six wins. Congratulations, Jeff, on winning the day in that class with 1.8! Steve Towne and Ted Monetta each claimed two wins. Bruce Brown and Ken Gerber had one win apiece to round out the Sailors.
Following Jeff just over a point behind was Steve Towne in second place with a score of 3.0. Only three tenths of a point behind Steve was Ted Monetta in third place with a score of 3.3.
The Master Class also had multiple winners with Don McBride and Al Posnack sailing to three wins each. Don Cundy and Steve Leker had two wins apiece, and claiming one win each were Rick Gates and Tom Barstow. The scores were very, very close, but at the end of the day, Don Cundy was first overall at 2.6. Behind him were Al at 2.8, Steven Leker at 2.9, Don McBride at 3.3, and Jay Burns at 3.8. Note that barely more than a point separated first and fifth!
Our unseen yet very much appreciated statistician, Wes Matchett, ran the numbers from scorekeepers, Karen Enos and B. B. Wright.
The US12 class’s Tim Wright was tough to catch with eight wins. In second, John Simms took two races and overcame a slow start with six top-three finishes in the last seven races. Don Cundy had seven top-three finishes, coming in just behind John for third. In his eight races, Anthony Quinn finished the day in fourth place thanks to crossing the finish line one time in second and two times in third. In fifth place was Paul McBride finishing in the top three for the final three races.
In sixth, Bruce Wilhelm had a third in the first race and a win in the fourth. His win wasn’t even close! Bruce got to watch the other sailors struggle in the sun while he rested in the shade. Don McBride and Jim Opie, in seventh and eighth place, both expressed frustration with their boats. It wasn’t the boats. No, it wasn’t them either. Weather had a lot to do with it. The wind shifted frequently. The velocity changes went from strong to nothing. You could be becalmed while others nearby sailed past. At one point, we had all points of sail on both tacks during just one leg of the race.
A Special Treat
There were several visitors. Among them was Bill Java, who brought his model remote-control battleship that has a strobe light on the top so he can easily locate it. It also features dual screws and stabilizing fins along the bottom.
Videos and Photos
Previous Highlights
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 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.
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
