FLEET 50 ARCHIVES FROM 2006With Whom Did You Sail Last Season (and How Often)? An analysis of the skipper/crew matchings for the regular 2006 season (excluding out-of-town regattas hosted by other fleets) shows that 127 different crew sailed with 27 different skippers at least once. Frank Gallagher wins recognition as the skipper who hosted the most crew (14) and Rose Gentile and Carolann Brumfield as the individuals who sailed with the most skippers (6). Here are the details. We also sailed in many out-of-town regattas as well -- 59 individual crew members sailed for 17 Fleet 50 skippers in 18 out of town events during 2006, including the Southern Circuit, with one Fleet 50 crew making it to the North American Championships in San Diego. A total of 40 out-of-town race days were included. Details are in this Excel Workbook (130 KB download). Combining the out-of-town and regular season participation, we see Lisbet Kugler as the most active crew, sailing in 33 race days, with Paul Maher second, with 21. Nabeel was our Iron Skipper again this year, on the water as skipper for 40 total race days. That's a lot of racing!
Want to Remove Mildew From Your Mooring Cover? Here's how. But first check with your cover's manufacturer before trying this. Dixie District Fleet Captains' Meeting, Saturday December 9. The Dixie District Fleet Captains held their annual meeting at the home of Todd Johnson in Annapolis the morning of Saturday, December 9. Here are the minutes. Nabeel wins 2006 Purnell Cup! Nabeel is the first Fleet 50 skipper since Phil Grotheer to win the Purnell Cup perpetual trophy. Congratulations! Here are the rules. 2007 Yearbook Report Submitted. We have submitted the 2007 Fleet 50 Yearbook report covering the 2006 season. Check it out here. 4 Lightning Skippers elected to PRSA Board! Four Lightning skippers were elected to fill board positions for 2007 at the Nov 19 PRSA Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. Commodore Jeff Storck was re-elected to fill a second term; Pat McGee was elected to fill the Vice Commodore position; David Thompson was elected to fill the Rear Commodore position; and Nabeel Alsalam was elected to fill the Membership Chair position. Eric Johnson, Yates Dowell, and Brian Lanier were re-elected to their positions of Secretary; Treasurer; and Yellow Book Chair respectively. Bill Kleysteuber earned the Founder's award for his outstanding contributions to the Association in his role as Vice Commodore, including the care and maintenance of the Association's four power boats, and Nabeel received the Fleet Captains' trophy for his work on several Race Committees. This award is given annually for outstanding race committee duty in series sailing. Congratulations and best wishes for all. Hampton Fling Saturday and Sunday, November 11 - 12 -- One of the best venues in the Dixie District, where we sail on the Hampton Flats, location of the Monitor-Merrimac battle of 1862. Four Fleet 50 Lightning Skippers (Nabeel; Red; Pat; and David) and their crews traveled down for the regatta, along with Pat Phelan from Havre de Grace, to join Joe Buczkowski to make a 6-boat Lightning race. Saturday was one of the nicest sailing days of the season, with temperature in the mid 70s, sunny skies, and steady winds from the southwest at around 10 MPH. Making the day even more special was the arrival of the aircraft carrier Wasp, home after three months on station in the Persian Gulf, sailing past the starting line before the first race, to the accompaniment of a 12-gun cannon salute. The weather held for the annual HYC Oyster Roast and potluck dinner in the back yard of Leah Morgan's home, and made for a perfect end to a perfect day. The weather changed overnight, however, and by race time on Sunday the winds were blowing 20 - 25, it was raining (hard at times) and the temperature had dropped to 49 degrees. The Lightnings decided not to race on Sunday, and while some 505s and 470s did venture out of the river, they soon turned back, even before RC was able to set up a course. Nabeel tied with Pat Phelan for first place. Here are the Results. Here are photos. PRSA Fall Finale Regatta Saturday, November 11 -- Skippers meeting was at noon; racing was in the cove or in front of the Power Plant. Participants brought chili, cornbread, hot cider, or whatever was appropriate for a beautiful fall day for the social afterwards. Low tide was at 7:12 AM; high tide at 12:26 PM, so there was depth of water during racing. The river flow was up, at 14,800 CFS (gage height 4.4 ft) and the water temperature a cool 54 degrees. Winds were southwesterly at 6 -10 MPH and the temperature was in the mid 70s under sunny skies. 14 Lasers and 5 Albacores sailed. Frank Gallagher was PRO, with Rose Gentile, Brian Lanier and Stuart Richman as helpers. What a great day to end our 2006 season! Here are the results. PRSA Fall Series Standings and Championship Series Final Results are posted -- Check them out here. Congratulations to Nabeel and crew, who came in first, and to Frank and crew, who came in a close second. Fourteen boats qualified for ranking in the Championship series; twelve in the Fall series. What a great season! PRSA Fall Series # 8, Sunday, November 5 -- Thirteen Lightnings came out on a cool and partly sunny day for the last race of the Fall Series. PRO Rolf Zeisler set a long windward-leeward course and got off three good races before the wind petered out. The Saturday night / Sunday morning low was 36 degrees, and there was a chill in the air in the morning as we got ready, and it never warmed up past 50 degrees. Still, by dressing warmly, we all enjoyed the day. Three skippers showed their double-handing skills by flying spinnakers with only a single additional crew. We welcomed new crew Ken Zimmerman and Sam Atchui, as well as long-lost crew Carolann Brumfield and Kathy Feig. Congratulations to Nabeel, who sealed the Fall Series championship standings with two bullets and a second. Here are the results.. Lighting 14522 has a New Owner! -- Congratulations to Jim Greenwell, who has purchased Lighting 14532, Boonoonoonos. Will we see her on the water on Sunday? Stay tuned! PRSA Fall Series # 7, Sunday, October 29 -- Seven Lightnings came out on a sunny and breezy afternoon and enjoyed 4 good races in a westerly wind before retiring for the day. The big story for this weekend was the major wind storm that was forecasted -- a continuation of the circulation that dumped 20 inches of snow in Colorado and heavy rains in Ohio before working its way north and east through the DC area on Friday night. Continuous winds in the range of 25 - 35 MPH were forecasted for the entire Northeast for both Saturday and Sunday, with gusts to 50. While the highest gust recorded at Regan National on Saturday was only 37 MPH, the gusts did continue into Sunday here and did cause extensive damage in New England as they passed through there. Bobby was away at the Borderline, but other Fleet 50 skippers canceled regatta travel plans because of the weather forecast. Frank won the day with a first, two seconds, and a third, and Nabeel, Rick, and Pat were close behind. Here are the results. Here is Frank's Winner's Perspective. PRSA Fall Series # 6, Sunday, October 22 -- PRO Doug Savage set a triangular course and got off three races in good order. Eleven Lightnings came out on a day that, weather-wise, delivered a whole lot more than promised. And, they responded in interesting ways! Our forecast called for southerly winds at 8 MPH, partly cloudy in the morning, mostly cloudy in the afternoon, with the possibility of light showers developing, and a high of 58 degrees. What we got were mostly sunny skies, a high of 61 degrees, and southerly winds that were in the 7 - 10 range in the morning, but picked up to 16 - 20 in the afternoon. The crew of Moonshadow, showing us their Viking toughness, sailed in shorts. Then, in the second race, Doug Kirby thought it was too warm in the boat, and jumped into the 59 degree water to cool off, causing Red to invoke his "man overboard" technique (bring the boat head to wind and shout "swim faster" at the top of your lungs). Pat and Paul saved the day by picking Doug up and bringing him back to Red's boat. All kidding aside, this does show the importance of wearing PFDs at all times when on the water, which in this case changed a potential tragedy into just an interesting story. Then in the third race, to demonstrate their own swimming ability, both Rick and Frank capsized -- with chutes up, while gybing -- Rick while rounding the mark in close proximity to Pat and Paul -- Pat again saved the day by sending Paul into the water to help get Rick's mast out of the mud. Nabeel won the day with a second and two bullets; Laurie came in second. Way to go Laurie! Here are the results. First Draft of the 2007 Yearbook Report Available for Review! This year's deadline for our yearbook submission is November 15, right around the corner. Fleet Secretary Marian Bruno has created the first draft. Please review it and send your feedback to Marian by November 5. Website sees 10,000th Visit October 16! Thanks to your continued interest, the website visit count is up 19% from last year at this time. See Trends. PRSA Fall Series # 5, Sunday, October 15 -- We had those wacky westerly winds coming from the airport, gusty with frequent 30-degree shifts, occasional 90-degre shifts, and even a 180. Fortunately they stayed in the 8 - 10 MPH range, so all boats remained upright. This made for an interesting and enjoyable fall sailing day under sunny skies, with a high temperature of 61 degrees and an incoming tide that dampened the effects of the current. PRO Khin Thein set a triangular course and got off four races in good order. Nine Lightnings came out to race; five more were at the Frigid Digit. We welcomed the return of Lord Jim to the race course, sailed by visiting skipper Chandler Owen, sailing with Rose Gentile and Gary Stultz. We also welcomed first-time crew members Dan Berry, Shelly Kirby, and Mike Fransella, and the return of Denise Malueg to the PRSA Sunday series. Here are results. Here is Pat's Winner's Perspective. See 2006 Frigid Digit Results: Click here. 41 boats competed, including five from Fleet 50, in challenging conditions on Saturday, and in more moderate winds on Sunday. Here is a story.
Nabeel's Interim Report from the Frigid Digit, Saturday, October 14: "It was tough sailing. The waves meant you needed power to punch through them. But it was breezy enough to put you on your ear also. I didn't do a good job of steering in those conditions. Both Frank and I capsized at the same time within 30 or 40 yards of each other when were were sailing pretty deep, a wave and/or puff heeled us to windward, our chines dug in and our boats bore off and capsized. Still it is always fun. My finishes were 18, 34 (finished after capsizing), and 13. 41 boats total." Winds were from the WSW at 13 - 16 MPH. Fleet 50 is "In the Spotlight" in the current issue of the Lightning Flashes! -- see pages 32/33. Check it out here (6 MB download PDF). PRSA Fall Series # 4, Sunday, October 8 -- The AccuWeather forecast called for winds from the NE at 8 - 9 MPH, switching to easterly in the afternoon, warmer than Saturday, with times of clouds and sun, and a high temperature of 70 degrees. What we actually got were winds from the NE at 10 - 7 MPH until 1 PM, after which it became calm until after 4 PM. Sailing on the lower course this week, to keep the Albacore US National Championships Regatta on the upper course, with three lightning skippers and crew running RC up there, and with 2 Lightning skippers running RC on the lower course, we still were able to get 9 Lightnings on the line for an enjoyable, if light-winded afternoon. PRO Rob Tompkins was able to get three races off on a windward-leeward course before coming in for the day. Congratulations to our Junior skippers (Matt Klise and Katie Keith) for taking the the helm today, and for Junior crew Benny Krosner and Collin Kirby for coming out! Looks like we might be able to field a Junior team or two for next summer's WJMs at Leesylvania. And welcome back Hayden Smith, who crewed for Rick Welch today. Rick, Nabeel, and John Butler finished in a 3-way tie for first place, with 8 points each. Here are the results. Here is Rick's Winner's Perspective. Nabeel named as Regatta Chair for the 2007 Lighting WJM Championships at Leesylvania! Fleets 50 and 329 are coordinating their planning efforts for the 2007 Lightning Women's, Juniors, and Masters (WJM) Championships Regatta at Leesylvania and the 2007 Lightning North American Championships Regatta at Severn Sailing Association on the Chesapeake. The Regattas will be conducted Wednesday, August 15 through Saturday, August 18 (WJMs), and Sunday, August 19 through Friday, August 24 (NAs). Nabeel will serve as Regatta Chair for the WJMs; Steve Constants for the NAs. More to follow -- stay tuned!
PRSA Fall Series # 3, Sunday, October 1 -- Nabeel took the day with 3 bullets and a second on an October afternoon that was perfect for racing, with mostly sunny skies, a high temperature of 72 degrees, and northwesterly winds at 7 - 10 MPH. PRO Jim Graham and crew, with Eric Johnson on the mark boat, set a triangular course and got off 4 races in good order, after the wind switched from southerly to northerly between 11 AM and the first race start at 11:35 AM. The river flow was down, at 2,300 CFS (gage height 2.9 ft), and the water temperature had cooled to a seasonable 67 degrees. Low tide was at 10:12 AM; high tide at 3:20 PM. You shoulda been there! Here are results. PRSA Fall Series # 2, Sunday, September 24. -- The AccuWeather forecast called for a high of 82 degrees, mostly cloudy, with southwesterly winds at 15 - 17 MPH and a chance of afternoon showers, and that's what we got. Chandler Owen dropped in from Nashville and sailed with Jeff -- welcome home, Chandler! Pat McGee won the day for the second Sunday in a row, following a conservative strategy. Way to go, Pat! Here are the results. Here is Pat's Winner's Perspective. SMSA Small Boat Invitational, Saturday and Sunday September 23/24. -- At Solomons Island. Five PRSA boats - 2 Lightnings, 2 Buccs, and an Interlake made the journey to the SMSA clubhouse on Saturday morning to set up for the 10th annual Small Boat Invitational on the Lower Patuxent river. The RC established a long windward-leeward course on the south side of the river, in front of the Naval Air Station, somewhat sheltered from the waves generated by the strong southwesterly wind, and started the first race a little after 11:00 AM. It was a contest of survivorship from that point forward, in 20 - 25 MPH winds with gusts to 35 (one gust of 37 was recorded at 11:20 AM). Twice as many boats capsized as finished the first race, and that was it for the weekend. Nabeel, sailing with Lisbet and Scott sailed away with first place in the Lightning division by a wide margin; Carol Park from Susquehanna took second; Star Mikell took third. PRSA won the Rusty Rudder Participation Award for the most boats from a single club; but Susquehanna pretty much dominated the Lightning division with 4 boats among the 5 finishers. 37 boats registered; 6 finished. Here are the results. PRSA Fall Series # 1, Sunday, September 17. We had light northerly winds, similar to those of the previous Sunday, limiting us to two races of one Windward/Leeward leg each, on an otherwise beautiful Sunday race day. Ten Lightings came out, along with 6 Hobies, 8 Albacores, and 3 Lasers. PRO Bob Astrove, Drivers Harry Keith and Mike Heinsdorf, and their crews, along with new Lightning Skipper Bill Laux and daughter Tracy, ran races in good order and got us back to the docks in time for hot dogs and brewskis. Here are results. Read Pat McGee's Winner's Perspective. 72nd Annual /Presidents Cup Regatta, Sat/Sun September 9/10. --The winds were better on Sunday than on Saturday, and we were able to run 4 races on Sunday in northeasterly 6 - 8 MPH breezes, under sunny skies with a high of 82 degrees. Congratulations to Benjamin Forman and John Butler who took first place, and to new Fleet 50 skipper Jim Ward, who placed second. Frank Gallagher, sailing with Marryann and CJ Fisher placed third, and Matt Klise, sailing with Bob Astrove and TGraham Fisher took fourth. fifteen Lightnings competed. Here are results. 13th annual Leukemia Cup Regatta Saturday, September 9 -- and first day of the 72nd annual President's Cup Regatta -- Light winds that changed direction every hour made for a sailboat racing nightmare, but PROs Bruce Bingman (upper course) and Todd Johnson (lower course) made the most of conditions, and each got a race completed before we retired for the day. Bob Astrove, sailing with CJ Fisher and TGraham Fisher took first place in the Lightning division. Here are results.
Marina took a hit on Friday, September 1. Tropical Storm Ernesto did some damage to the marina and a few boats when he passed through on September 1. Bill Kleysteuber reported that there was a lot of debris and a couple of downed trees in the parking lot and on the aprons in front of the cranes Saturday morning. The staff at Guest Services worked hard this past week to get it cleaned up, and brought in some heavy equipment to get rid of the debris. The wooden piers around the cranes were damaged, and there was a tree down across the launching ramp. As of Wednesday evening the debris was gone and most of the needed repairs had been made. Here are pictures. A message from the Fleet Captain, Posted September 2. Check it out! Website Visits up 20% from 2005! As of the end of August, 2006, the year-to-date number of website visits, 8,312, represents a 20% increase over the number for the same time last year. Thanks, website visitors! See trends. Bobby's Story of the 2006 Woody Regatta posted in the August Flashes! Bob Astrove's nicely-illustrated feature story on the 2006 Woody regatta appears in the August edition of the Lightning eFlashes. Well done, Bobby -- you should consider giving up your day job to become a full-time writer. Also featured: the scoop on the 2006 ACCs. Check it out here (6 MB download). Fleet 50 Open House Wednesday, August 23, 5:30 - 8:00 PM. Fourteen skippers and fourteen guests stopped by to socialize and share information about sailing in PRSA events on a beautiful, but light-wind evening. Nabeel, Frank, Red, and Pat splashed their boats and took guests out for a spin; as luck would have it a nice southerly breeze came up just as skippers were stowing their boats. Check the "I want to Crew" pages in the next few days to get information about the new crew candidates. Nabeel Takes First Place at the 2006 Duck Challenge! Two days of beautiful sailing weather, a first-class sailing marina; good competition, and 7 races (four on Saturday, 3 on Sunday) made for a great regatta in Havre de Grace the weekend of August 19-20. Nabeel, sailing with Russ and Lisbet, took first place, with 3 firsts, 2 seconds, and an eighth. Patrick Phelan, regatta organizer, took second; Jason Werner third; Kevin Macneil fourth; and Jon Guth fifth. Drew Hudson, sailing with Kristen Lopez and Jill Williamson; Joe Warren sailing with John Hart and Carolann Brumfield; and David Thompson sailing with Barb Thompson and Catherine Calvin, also competed. Here are the results. Allan Terhune Is Runner Up in the 2006 North American Championships! The results are in, and Allan Terhune, sailing with Katie Terhune and Kris Smith took second place in the Blue Fleet finals, August 16 - 18, in San Diego. Steve Constants, sailing with brothers Mike and David, placed 23rd. Way to go Dixie District sailors! Here are the final standings . Weekend Sailing August 12 - 13. We had sunny skies, moderate temperatures, and good winds this past weekend, bringing out several Fleet 50 skippers, including Jeff, sailing single-handedly on both Saturday and Sunday, and Joe Warren; Rick and Carolina Welch; Frank Gallagher; Nabeel Alsalam; and David and Barb Thompson on Sunday. David was at the marina on Saturday to install a new spreader on his mast, and, upon uncovering his boat, found enough tiny black ants in the cockpit to make a good Grade B horror flick. Two cans of ant killer on Saturday and a thorough hosing on Sunday made the boat habitable again, but it was scary for a while. Wednesday Night Sailing August 9. The winds were perfect; the current light; and the temperatures just right, and Joe set up marks, but only one boat came out. Joe Warren, sailing with Aimee Storm, got in some good spinnaker practice. Next Wednesday, August 16, is our unstructured evening. Sweet Corn Report. Nabeel and Bobby took their boats and crews to the Susquehanna YC near York PA the weekend of August 5/6, and sailed in light winds on Saturday, and no wind on Sunday. The steaks were yummy, the sweet corn incredible. Bobby placed second, Nabeel 4th. More details here. 2006 Atlantic Coast Championships at Little Egg Harbor NJ. Three Fleet 50 boats traveled to the New Jersey coast the weekend of July 29 - 30 to participate in the ACCs. Nabeel, sailing with Russ and Lisbet placed 13th in a 70-boat field field studded with rock stars. Benjamin Forman, sailing with Tim Olson and Ann Cody, placed 49th, and the Keith family (Harry-Henry-Katie) placed 63rd. Here are their stories. See the July Flashes for a write-up of the 2006 Doc Gilbert Memorial Potomac Cup! Nabeel's write-up is published in the July 2006 edition (4 MB download) of the Lightning eFlashes. Special Olympics Sailing End-of-Season Regatta July 22. Joe Warren and Norm Kruse had an exciting day on the water on Saturday, July 22, in 20 kt. winds, doing match racing with their Special Olympic Athletes on board as crew. Here is Joe's report. Bobby takes First at the 2006 Woody Regatta! Bob Astrove, with dependable crew Billy Astrove and Mat Klise, took first place in the 2006 event, held on Lake Onondaga (Syracuse NY) July 22 - 23. Ithaca skipper Byrne O'Brien, sailing with spouse Karen and Fleet 50 crew Joe Kimak took second. Altogether there were 15 wooden Lightings there, including Doug Dixon's beautifully restored # 584. Here is a report. Nabeel takes First at the 2006 Delaware Governors Cup Regatta! Nabeel, sailing with Pat McGee and Paul Maher on Shadowfax, won first place in the 2006 Delaware Governors Cup Regatta in Rehoboth the weekend of July 22-23. Other Fleet 50 boats participating were Beedobeat, with John Butler, Benjamin Forman, and Tim Olson, which placed second; Deux Poissons et Un Chat, with Ron and Mark Buchanan and Diane Reilly, which placed third, Lord Jim, with Chandler Owen, Rose Gentile, Gloria Gilbert, and Alanna and Gianna Varca, which placed fifth, and String Cheese, with Jim Greenwell, Rob Holzbach, and Jamie Holzbach, placing 8th. Here are the results.
Wednesday Night Sailing July 19. We had a good turnout on a Wednesday night that was without it's usual thunderstorm. Here is Joe's report. Sailing Sunday, July 16. The AccuWeather forecast called for sunny and hot conditions, with northeasterly winds at 12 -13 mph, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 90s. The water temperature was a balmy 86 degrees. Drew and Sousan were out with Paul and Emily, and children Ben, Elsie, and Catherine (See photo). Frank went out single-handed but later linked up with Matt Fitzsimmons and a friend; Red Fehrle was out with sons David and Richard; Russ headed out with Lisbet; and David, Barb, and Catherine went out on Blue Two for some spinnaker practice. It was hot on shore, but not bad in the breeze on the water. David, in an attempt to outdo Jeff's single-handed, chute-up capsize avoidance of last week, did not react fast enough, and capsized in front of the airport. Here are the details. Wednesday Night Sailing July 12. Thunderstorms caused the cancellation of the planned more organized racing for Wednesday, July 12. We'll try again next week. Jeff's lifting bridle breaks while hoisting the boat! A word of sage advice -- check your lifting bridle every time you go out, and replace it with fresh line if you see any wear or if any segment of the bridle line has knots. Jeff didn't, and while he is still alive to tell this story, the ending could have been fatally tragic. Here is his report. Bobby Sails in Ithaca July 8 - 9. Well, actually just July 9, since there was no wind on the 8th. Here is his report. PRSA Downriver Cruise, Saturday, July 8. We did it! We revived the tradition on a beautiful sunny and mild Saturday in July. All week the wind forecast had been for northerly winds around 10 MPH, but at the appointed time of departure they were light, and soon on the river thy were calm. Albacore skipper Mike Heinsdorf, driving the 19-foot Carolina Skiff, saved the day, demonstrating awesome boat handling skills as he snaked his way around the upper Potomac picking up the thirteen boats that had set sail, creating a chain under tow, and delivering us to Ft. Foote in time for our picnic and volleyball game. Thanks Mike! While we were picnicking, the winds came back, and on the return trip we had northeasterly breezes at 8 - 9 mph, enough to make us move smartly, but not enough to heel us over. Four Lightnings, four Lasers, two Interlakes, two Albacores, and a Hobie Cat made up our flotilla. Thanks are also due to Joe Warren, who helped set up, and later put away both powerboats. Here is a story. Wednesday Night Sailing July 5. Calm winds and light rain (and the heavy thunderstorm/flash flood warning) caused the cancellation of the planned more organized racing for Wednesday, July 5. We'll try again next week.
Wednesday Night Sailing June 28. Many Lightning, Albacore, Hampton, and Laser skippers and crew showed up for the Leukemia Cup Kickoff Reception (see below), but only a few ventured out onto the river for sailing. Rick and Russ splashed their boats in time to enjoy the 8 MPH southerly winds, venturing out onto the river where, due to record-setting rains (12 inches in 3 days) earlier in the week, the flow was way up -- 60,000 CFS (gage height 7.5 ft), bringing debris from as far away as West Virginia. The wind died toward the end of the evening as a big storm to the west sucked up all the air, requiring Russ to paddle back to the dock. Here is Russ's report: 2007 Lightning North American Championships to be conducted in Annapolis! The details are still to be worked out, but the ILCA Executive Board has awarded the 2007 Lightning North American Championships to Fleets 329 and 50, with the Women's, Juniors, and Masters North American Championships to be conducted at a nearby location, soon to be finalized. More information to follow soon. Bobby's Article published in Wooden Boat Magazine! Fleet 50's Bobby Astrove wrote an article about the 2005 Woody Regatta in Syracuse, and it has been published in the July/August 2006 issue of Wooden Boat magazine. Congratulations, Bobby! Check it out. Leukemia Cup Participants' and Raceworkers' Kickoff June 28 -- held in conjunction with Wednesday night sailing, and organized by Regatta Chair Laurie Duncan. A delightful gathering of Lightning, Albacore, Laser, Hampton, and other skippers and crew enjoyed the hot dogs, beer, chips and salad while learning more about how to raise money for the upcoming Leukemia Cup in September. Here are the details. Wednesday Night Sailing June 21. Winds were light and variable in the afternoon, but from 6 PM to 9 PM they were a steady 9 - 10 MPH from the south. Bobby said the sailing was fantastic. Five boats were out -- Bobby, sailing with Nabeel; Jeff, sailing with Lisbet; Bob and Diane Wilbur; Frank; and Rick Welch, sailing with Aaron. Frank sailed with George Lea, a Fleet 50 skipper from the 60s. Jeff reports that It was one of the nicest evening sails he could remember in a long time. Conditions were perfect. They all sailed down to the bridge and then took a long downwind leg almost all the way to Haines Point. Then a bunch went to Stars and Stripes for 1/2 price burgers and beer with the Albacores. A good time had by all. You shoulda been there! Weekend Sailing June 17 - 18. Sunny skies and steady southerly winds at 12 MPH on both Saturday and Sunday made for perfect sailing conditions this past weekend. Jeff and Pat were out on Saturday, as was David, sailing with former Fleet 50 skipper George Lea and his daughter Tarey Mellan. A high temperature of 87 on Saturday and 92 on Sunday made for warm conditions on shore, but it felt cooler on the water in a breeze. Did you miss it? Then come on down next weekend and enjoy! Wednesday Night Sailing Started June 14. Winds were light and the forecast called for showers, but that didn't stop the Albacores from going out and having a good time. Bobby and Billy were there as the sole representatives of the Lightning fleet. Winds will be better next week. Special Olympics Sailing started Monday, June 12. Several Lightning skippers in years past have provided boats and drivers for the summer Special Olympics program; boats and skippers are needed again this year, June 12 through July 30. Please contact Fleet Captain David Thompson if you can participate. Here is more information. WSM Opti Fleet? Is there interest in starting an Opti fleet at WSM? Read more about it here.....
2006 Lightning Dixie District Championships Saturday and Sunday, June 10 - 11 - At the Hampton YC, Hampton VA. Six Fleet 50 boats joined another ten from elsewhere in the district on a beautiful sailing weekend at the Hampton YC. Winds were from the northwest at 15 - 20 MPH on Saturday, and around 10 on Sunday, in bright sunshine, clear skies, with high temperatures in the mid 70s.
Frank Gallagher takes first place in the PRSA Spring Series 2006! Twelve Lightnings sailed enough races to qualify for rankings in the PRSA Spring Series 2006. Congratulations to Frank Gallagher for his first place finish, that included 12 bullets in 34 total races, giving him a low point score of 30. Russ Roberts came in a close second, with 39.8 points, and Nabeel was third, right behind Russ with 41.6 points. Here are the details. |
