US12’s Can’t Catch a Break
It’s been tough for the US12 fleet, sailing every week under difficult conditions. Thursday seems to be high-wind day of the week, and August 30 was no exception. The diminished fleet has sailed, but the numbers are way down and scoring has fallen by the wayside. It always seems strange to say there’s too much wind for the sailboats, but that’s been the case. Hard on boats and hard on skippers. A good share of the fleet stays home.
Leading the 2018 Season
It doesn’t seem possible that autumn is almost here. Leading the Sailor Class as we cruise into September is Rick Gates, followed closely in second by Rick Parent, with Jerry Leach hanging on to third.
The Master Class is led by the seemingly invincible Tim Wright, with the formidable Rick Lalley right on his tail in a very strong second. In third is the very surprised Commodore Mark Whitehead.
The Finishing Touches
This week, Anthony Quinn and Paul Wallace added more concrete to the box that will strengthen the dock railing. Our thanks and appreciation go out to both of them!
Out on the Water
A glorious day on September 4 brought out eighteen Solings for their weekly regatta as the winds held all afternoon at about 6 to 7 mph. The pesky vegetation, however, remained a problem with seventeen weed calls. Most sailors took it in stride and just moved on to the next race. Anthony Quinn won the prize for the most weeds, knocking him out of three races. The prize — more gray hair?
We usually talk about only the top three skippers, but back in the pack there is some skillful sailing worth mentioning. Anthony Quinn, for example, sailed to two seconds in races four and seven and a third in race three. Bob Brennan finished second in races five and eight, and Bill Malay scored an unusual second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Jim Opie hit the mark just right and took a win in race six, while Al Stevens picked up the pace for a fourth in the Sailor Class.
Well under the radar, Tom Greig doesn’t want to be scored at all, but was well ahead of the fleet in several races. Tom and Tim Wright, the season leader, have been challenging each other since they were youngsters, and the competitive thrill hasn’t changed.
It’s all about improving, and so far this season, Mark Whitehead leads that category in the Master Class and Paul Wallace in the Sailor Class.
Join the Fun
Weather permitting, the Soling fleet sails on Tuesdays starting at 1PM, and the US12’s compete on Thursdays, also at 1PM. Just head for the municipal parking lot at the end of Glendon Street and you’ll find us along the Bridge-Falls Path. In addition, the Laconia club sails at Lily Pond near the airport in Gilford on Sundays starting at 9AM.
Join us for a great show with many photo ops. And don’t forget to bring the youngsters – we have free-sailing Footies for them to use on Tuesdays. (For those wanting to purchase a Footy, a few are available in the boat museum’s gift shop.) If you want to try your hand at the helm of a radio-control boat, please let us know — we love to share.
Race Results
09-04 Soling Sailor Class Regatta
|
Name |
Class |
Score |
Season Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates, Rick | Sailor |
1 |
1.25 |
| Parent, Rick | Sailor |
1 |
2.50 |
| Leach, Jerry | Sailor |
2 |
3.00 |
| Quinn, Anthony | Sailor |
3 |
4.30 |
| Stevens, Al | Sailor |
4 |
6.50 |
| Wallace, Paul | Sailor |
5 |
5.70 |
| Koehler, Skip | Sailor |
6 |
4.75 |
| Brown, Bruce | Sailor |
7 |
5.83 |
| MacDonald, Wayne | Sailor |
8 |
5.00 |
09-04 Soling Master Class Regatta
|
Name |
Class |
Score |
Season Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright, Tim | Master |
1 |
1.27 |
| Lalley, Rick | Master |
2 |
2.10 |
| Whitehead, Mark | Master |
3 |
4.64 |
| Opie, Jim | Master |
4 |
6.67 |
| Brennan, Bob | Master |
5 |
6.00 |
| Malay, Bill | Master |
6 |
4.80 |
| McBride, Paul | Master |
7 |
7.27 |
Back Bay Skippers 