Laser District 12

Revised CYC-SC Results

Glenn — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:30:40 +0000

Anyone who has ever sailed in Charleston knows how strong the current can be! Well, on Sunday the current was ripping against the sailors at the start. This resulted in gaining very little forward motion after the gun, making it extremely difficult to clear the committee boat on port tack. After getting sucked back across the starting line after having started and cleared it, some sailors then chose to sail astern the Committee Boat. The thought process here was that after the start, the boat is no longer a mark of the coarse. Further research by the individuals, who chose to sail this coarse, revealed that they had actually violated rule 28.1. Upon realizing they had broken a rule after the regatta, they chose to retire after finishing (RAF). Please see the revised CYC-SC Regatta Results here http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhfnr87f_19fmwf8fhc&hl=en. Please see Championship Results for Full under Pages to the right.

Regatta Writeup-David Loring-Charleston Harbor

Glenn — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:27:39 +0000

Setup in all races

·         Outhaul – Loose
·         Cunningham – Loose – Just taking wrinkles out
·         Vang – None
·         Mainsheet – anywhere between two block in puffs and up to a foot out in the lulls

Race One
Strategy before start

Tide favored right side bigtime, you could get in behind Castle Pinkney up wind. No matter what tack and head right.

What actually happened?

Started at the pin end with Peter Gamble, we both were punched and were able to tack out immediately towards the right. I stayed on port for most of the leg taking a pretty large lead off the right at the weather mark. Then as a felt great heading downwind WITH THE TIDE I looked back and the rest of the fleet was rounding the offset mark UGHH. I headed back upwind and rounded the offset in about tenth.
Downwind was uneventful and I rounded the leeward mark just outside to peter Gamble to find a 20% lefty no one else had with velocity. Immediately went from tenth to top couple and eventually the left held on, so I had the lead ( LUCKY AS CAN BE, Thanks the Charleston Harbor Gods, they have been good to me over the years ). Held the lead to the finish by covering.
Race Two

Strategy before the start
Tide again favored the right, but the pin was heavily favored

What actually happened?

Wound up over early at the pin, had to go around the end with Glen. Tacked once back onto starboard and quickly found a lane back to the right. Stayed on starboard for most of the leg and wound up leading at the first mark. Held the lead for the rest of the race by favoring the right side and covering.

Race three

Strategy before the start
Not cut and dry, tide had changed and was now with us upwind. Still favor the right, but left could be good at the right time. Play shifts and velocity. Downwind favor high since the tide was taking you left downwind.

What Actually Happened

Had a terrible start in the middle (thought everyone was over ) Peter Gamble pinched me off and I had to fight for clean air. Tacked a couple of times and everyone to the right was gone! 100 yards automatically separated me from the leaders. Strategy changed to save race, pick off boats one by one. I knew people would overestimate the right being very favored and thought I would be able to use that to my advantage (it worked). I stayed to the middle of the course and at times the right looked very strong, but in the end most people over stood the weather mark and I gained late in the leg. Downwind staying high while the tide pushed everyone to the left wound up paying off. Caught five boats for a hard fought fifth.

Race Four

Strategy
Stay up the middle, don’t over stand the weather mark. Tide was going to make little difference in the race.

What actually happened
Had another crappy start, again I think it was Peter Gamble who pinched me off, I quickly tacked out and started working towards clean air. Looked up and already had lost 100 yards again to the leaders!! Wound up gaining some by playing shifts up the middle, but rounded the first weather mark around 7^th. Caught a boat or two on the downwind leg by staying up current. Next beat played my shifts up the middle and gained a few more. This continued the rest of the race for a solid third (happy with the finish for sure ).

Race Five

Strategy
Very light air and needed to make sure to stay in the least current behind Castle Pinkney. The way to do that was to go right early, but the key was not too far right.

What actually happened
Started second row at the boat and could not find a lane of clean air anywhere. Tried to get across the Committee boat three times, tacked four times before crossing the line and finally headed right. Once I got right I was immediately back in the race! Tides make such a difference in light air it is amazing! What I had not really figured out before the start was that the cone of ( least current ) behind the island was only about 100 yards wide. The boats that headed off to the right looked great unless they went too far and the boats on the left were dead. The key was to sail on port until you started losing ground to the boats to the left of you. I found looking back at the boat behind you was key to finding the end of the cone. Once I figured this out I shorted tacked up the middle watching closely the boats on both sides on me! It was unbelievable the difference 100 yards on either side made. This made for a big lead at the first weather mark after a crappy start, got to love sailing in Charleston J. I felt comfortable out in front and that quickly went away as the Butch the second place boat got a 20 degree rightly on my quarter ( don’t you hate that!! ). With only 50 yards left to the finish it was clear if I did not do anything the race was his, so I decided to tack and do a quick duck ( this started a tacking duel) he tacked right ontop of me I tacked back, he tacked, I tacked and I guess good old boat handling for me paid off. My last tack I came out in front and to leeward pinched him off and won by a foot. Fun finish!!!

David

Final Scores Are In - Well Not Quite!

Glenn — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:05:40 +0000

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s Championship Series! Our Laser Class membership is up from last year! The goal for 2008 was 100 paid members and you helped us achieved 108! Keep in mind the Final Scores only include paid class members. If you don’t see your name and you paid your dues please drop me an e-mail laserdistrict12@gmail.com. If you don’t want to miss out on your Laser Sailor magazine, now is a great time to get your dues paid for 2009. Remember if you have lots of Lasers sailor there is a discount for families and you can register on line http://www.laser.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=64.

Please note that the Laser Full Rig results from CYC-SC are being reviewed for rule compliance. We’ll get them posted as soon as this is resolved.

D-12 Sailors bring home silver from D-17, at the No Coast Championships! Oh-Yeah!

Glenn — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:56:22 +0000

The 2008 No Coast Laser Championship was sailed on Lake Lanier on October 11 and 12, hosted by Lake Lanier Sailing Club and managed by Martine Zurinskas. Martine and her volunteer helpers had gone all out to provide a quality event. Practice sailing on Friday afternoon, pizza and beer on Friday night, breakfast on Saturday, huge breakfast on Sunday, steak dinner and two lunches all for $60.00; the most bang for the buck I have seen at any regatta I have attended.

The event attracted sailors from as far away as Utah, with a number of other states represented. D12 was represented by Chip Whitesides, Benton Whitesides, Chris Stang, Kent Leverich, John Fragakis and myself. 49 boats in total, split between 14 radials and 35 full rigs.

The forecast called for 10 to 20 mph on Saturday and more on Sunday so there was a possibility of entering the radial fleet. I held off on the decision until 10:00am on Saturday when I spotted the whitecaps in the distance and decided on the radial. This proved to be the right call.

At the first warning at 12:30 it was blowing in the 18 to 20 knot range with higher gust. The conditions were quite shifty and the waves were a couple of feet tall and very disorganized so I did not make any attempt to steer through them but instead focused on keeping up my speed and keeping the boat as flat as possible. My upwind sail settings were as tight as I could get them and the vang as tight as I could get it without have to loosen it at each tack, since the shifty conditions necessitated a lot of tacking.

The length of the starting line was determined by the number of boats in the full rig fleet so the radials had plenty of room and by staying near the favored end of the line any particular precise maneuvering was not necessary in order get a decent start.

The first race was long with three upwind legs and two downwind so a lot of hiking was called for. I didn’t really get going until the last leg when I moved from fourth to 2nd. It turned out to be a first as the lead boat was disqualified for not completing the required penalty turns following a rule 42 violation. During the next two races I seemed to find a better rythm and ended the day with a 3rd and a 2nd putting me in first overall.

This led to some strategic considerations for Sunday which provided us with even more and shiftier winds than Saturday. I decided to go for it in the first race and if I did well be a little more conservative in the last race. By hiking hard and working the mainsheet with diligence I managed a second and was now in a position to win the regatta as long as I could avoid a really bad score in the last race. Upwind strategy was no different than the other races and I rounded the weather mark in third. On the downwind leg I was very careful to avoid a capsize. I did not try to adjust rig settings other than the vang and I chose the leeward gate mark to avoid gybing even when it was clear that the other mark was the favored one. I finished 3rd and that was enough for a first place overall.

The full rigs,as far as I could tell, were having their share of fun with capsized boats everywhere and close competition for the top spots. D12’s Chip Whitesides distinguished himself by taking 1st grand master.

Overall, this was a terrific regatta providing really exciting sailing an great social activities.

I am sure that all my fellow D12 sailors share my opinion and will join me in extending our thanks to Martine and everyone at LLSC who worked so hard to make this a memorable week end.

Finn

No Coast Scores

CYC-SC Charleston, October 25th and 26th

Glenn — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:24:55 +0000

OK sailors, the gasoline shortage is over (at least at the coast), the spots are starting to run, and deer season is in full swing. What does it mean when all these stars align? A regatta in Charleston! Jerry Callahan and his crew there have been working feverishly to get all the details right for us. Registration forms are on the website. They ask to please register early, as you know this helps with the head-count for food. You may even fax the form in and pay when you get there.

Notice of Race & Registration Form

Fax # 843-722-1817

If you live in the Charleston area and have room to host a sailor or two please do not hesitate to contact Doug Sherwood or myself ! I bet there will be some folks looking for housing. laserdistrict12@gmail.com

Camping is also available offsite, not on club grounds!

Campground Link and Reservations

Charleston County Parks campground is just over the bridge on James Is. maybe 8 minutes from the club. I have stayed here in the past, clean, safe, quiet, but do make a reservation if you plan on staying there.

WOW A REGATTA REPORT FROM THE WINNER!

Glenn — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:34:51 +0000

D12 CENTRAL CHAMPIONSHIP COLUMBIA SAILING CLUB

SEPTEMBER 27-28

The D12 Central Championship was a great event hosted by the Columbia Sailing Club. The members were gracious hosts providing a Friday night gathering for the early arrivals in the middle of a swirling low pressure center. Saturday and Sunday morning, they provided coffee and treats to help clear our heads, and on Saturday evening hosted a happy hour followed by a wonderful dinner on the veranda. Most of the sailors car-camped, sleeping in either their vehicles or in tents. For any of you who have not been to this club, they have a sandy beach to launch from which is immediately adjacent to the camping area and only a stone’s throw from the club. This is a must go regatta located in the center of our district.

23 full rigs and 5 radials came to play despite the turbulent economic times and the threat of no gasoline!

We sailed 5 light air races with the wind between 2 - 8 knots with five different race winners [Robby Wilkins, John Potter, Stanely Hassinger, Charlie Usher and Matthew Widlansky.] Admittedly, these are my conditions, as Peter Gamble always reminds me before any light air race. I sailed a consistent series and won.

The most important aspect of my game plan was to foot towards pressure. I felt that I sailed lower but faster when I was able to get enough lateral separation from my pinching competitors. My starting strategy was to start on the favored third of the line and closer to the middle when the line was neutral. Good line sights were easy to get on the distant shore line, and I was usually punched out at least a boat length at the start. When the pin was favored, I avoided the big crowds at the pin which was a coffin corner and usually a couple of boats were over early and only one or two escaped. After the start, I headed for the side with greater pressure and at times accepted a little dirty air to get out to the “darker water.” After about a third of the weather leg was completed, I took advantage of even the smallest header to start to work back to the middle to avoid banging the corner. Most of the race winners picked the favored side on the first windward leg but frequently were buried in the next race if they picked the wrong side. John Potter, who is one of our larger competitors, won the lightest race of the weekend. Congratulations John! But why did he keep sailing into the light air cove of death on Sunday looking for some phantom cove breeze? The biggest wind shift with a nice velocity increase occurred immediately after finishing the last race. Yes, it came out of the cove! Sorry John, maybe next year. Chris Stang, with his excellent down wind speed, sailed a very consistent series with all his finishes between 4 - 6 and finished 2nd. John Coolidge, who drives from Tennessee and has made all the D12 events, had a great Sunday and finished 3rd. Seph Limehouse finished 4th. Doug Sherwood finished 5th and yes the trophies went five deep and Doug went home with a smile!

The five radials had a good time with the winner coming down to the last race. The radials which started about 6-7 minutes before the full rigs and were well sailed; the leaders were never caught by the full rigs. Benton Whitesides and Foster Marshall had a dog fight and were tied after four races. Foster won the last race and the regatta was his. The full rigs need to pay attention to this young man - rumor has it he is already 6 feet tall. When he fills out he will be ready to challenge the “big wind boys.”

Thanks again to Robert Key and all the Columbia Sailing Club volunteers! This was an outstanding regatta for the second year in a row!

See you in Charleston,

Charlie Usher

166973

CSC-SC Scores

Glenn — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:01:58 +0000

Radial Rig Scores

Full Rig Scores

Championship Scores Updated with Columbia Sailing Club Results!

Glenn — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:10:12 +0000

Congrats to Charly Usher (Full) and Foster Marshall (Radial) for winning the Regatta! Also, congrats to Mathew Widlansky for winning his first D12 race. Thanks again to the Columbia Sailing Club for hosting another great Laser event!

Here’s a quick reminder as we are getting close to the final D12 Event. The final Championships Standings will only include paid class members. If you haven’t joined the class yet you still have time, it’s a small price to pay for all the class does to support us.

Columbia Update - “Irmo Okra Strut”

Glenn — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:50:17 +0000

Anyone coming from out of town to the D12 Championships this weekend:

The Irmo Okra Strut is scheduled for Saturday September 27, which means that
you will be unable to get from I-26 to Lake Murray via Lake Murray Blvd.
Use the following directions instead:

1) Take the Piney Grove Road exit west (left, over I-26 if you’re headed
toward Greenville on I-26).
2) Piney Grove Road will dead end into St. Andrews Road - turn right onto
St. Andrews.
3) The next major intersection, about 1/4 mile, is a fork. Old Bush River
Road is the left fork, St. Andrews Rd. is the right fork. There is a
Wachovia Bank at the fork. Veer left onto Old Bush River Road. Follow Old
Bush River approximately 3.7 miles to a major intersection at the Lake
Murray Dam. (Intersection of Old Bush River, Highway # 6 and Lake Murray
Blvd.)

4) Proceed stright through the intersection, go approximately 1/4 mile and
turn left on the first paved road ro your left, which is Shuler Road.

5) Shuler Road runs into the Columbia Sailing Club.

COLUMBIA NEXT WEEK, CHARLESTON NEXT MONTH

Glenn — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:08:13 +0000

I hope you have checked your trailer tires, counted your tent stakes, shaken the skittles out of your sleeping bag and most of all kept sailing your laser. Speaking of sailing, CYC-SC is going to be hosting us October 25th-26th.

CYC-SC REGATTA NOR

CYC-SC Website / address