FLEET 50 ARCHIVES FROM 2007

The afternoon high temperature was 53 degrees at 1 PM.   Here are results.  Here are some stories. Here is a video.

Nabeel Wins Purnell Cup 2007!   Congratulations to our own Nabeel Alsalam who took first place in the 2007 Dixie District Purnell Cup competition!  This trophy is awarded each year to the Dixie District skipper who does the best when competing in several out-of-town Dixie District Regattas.  Well done, Nabeel!

Dixie District Fleet Captains' Meeting Saturday, December 8.  At the home of Todd Johnson, Davidsonville MD.  Minutes to be posted soon.

Sail Puerto Rico!  Two Fleet 50 members sailed on the Erin Go Bragh III, sailing from the Puerto Del Rey Marina in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on November 27.  Here are pictures.

2007 Fleet 50 Championship Series Results posted!  Congratulations to the top five finishers: Russ Roberts; Pat McGee; Frank Gallagher; Rick Welch; and Bob Astrove, for your sterling performances in the 2007 Fleet 50 Championship series!   22 Fleet 50 skippers competed in at least one of the 64 races in the series. Here are the final standings.

WJM and Potomac Cup photos added to the Photo Gallery!   Nicely-structured thumbnails have been formatted into pages for the 2007 Potomac Cup and WJM regattas -- click on a selected image to see it full size.  Check it out here!   If you have additional photos, please send them to our webmaster.

PRSA End-of-Season Awards Banquet, Saturday, November 17, 6:30 - 9:00 PM!  64 PRSA skippers, associates and guests convened at the party room of the Marina Towers Apartments, near the Mirant Power Plant, just a short drive south of the Marina.  Emily Pavilon and Barb Thompson were this year's organizers.  Dinner was catered by the Lebanese Taverna.  Congratulations to Craig Huzway, this year's winner of the Founder's Award and to the winners of the Fall Series.  Here are photos.

Hampton Fall Fling, November 10-11.   We always enjoy traveling south at the end of the season to join the activities at the HYC's Fall Fling, racing on the historic Hampton Flats on the James River. This year was no exception.  Nabeel, Jim Dillard, Red Fehrle and David Thompson ventured down to represent Fleet 50, joining six other Lightnings for a ten-boat fleet.  Saturday was damp and chilly, with cloudy skies and northerly winds at 19 - 12 MPH.  Sunday was a delightful racing day, sunny with a high of 55 degrees and northeasterly winds at around 10 MPH.  The high point of the weekend was the annual Oyster Roast, held at the home of Dave and Leigh Chapman just down the street from the HYC. 

Our thanks to PRO Kathy Brady and the entire Hampton RC, and to Joe Buczkowski, the Lightning point of contact, for organizing a sterling event.  Here are photos. Here are the Results.

Russ Roberts reached the BVIs - by Water!  Sterling Fleet 50 skipper Russ Roberts was aboard a 43' sloop on his way to the BVIs, and made it there safely the evening of November 13.  He posted blogs on occasion; here is the latest.

PRSA Fall Finale  Saturday, November 10 --   Robert Bennett was PRO, Martin Howell, Tiffany Bludau, and Becky Mach were RC helpers.  We had  cloudy skies in the morning and partly sunny skies in the afternoon, with northerly winds at 12 - 15 MPH, and a high temperature of 50 degrees.  Low tide was at 2:29 PM. The water temperature was a bone-chilling 48 degrees. No wonder we used to call this event the Fall Frostbite!  Skippers' meeting was at noon; first gun at 12:40 PM, with six races in front of the power plant.  Here are the results.

Website sees the 10,000th visit on November 6!   Lightning friends continue to visit the website daily, just as we ask.  The visit trends are down a little from last year when we hit 10,000 on October 16.  Still, the visit numbers are encouraging, and we will continue to seek and post interesting content for our public.

PRSA Fall Series # 8,  Sunday, November 4 -- Last one for the season!   Race Committee  was provided by PRO Doug Savage plus drivers and helpers.  The AccuWeather forecast called for partly sunny skies, with a high temperature of 62 degrees and winds from the WNW at 7 - 10 MPH.  The river flow was  at 2,500 CFS (gage height 2.9 ft) and the water temperature a very cold 56 degrees.  Low tide was at 10:20 AM, high tide at 4:17 PM.  Eight Lightnings came out along with six Cats, nine Albacores,  two Lasers, an Interlake and a Buccaneer on a cool, weird wind day -- light at first, but picking up in gusts and shifts from mostly a westerly direction.  Jeff, Bob Wilbur, and Frank all tried double-handing; Doug decided to let Red join that elite group and jumped in the water for a refreshing swim, but Red insisted that he come back on board so that they could cross the finish line with a full crew.  We welcomed first-time crew Shelly Kirby on 15228.  Here are the results.  

PRSA Fall Series # 7,  Sunday, October 28 -- Race Committee  was provided by PRO Benjamin Forman plus drivers and helpers.  The weather forecast called for partly sunny skies and a high of 60 degrees, with northerly winds at 15 - 16 MPH, with higher gusts. The river flow was up, at 3,860 CFS (gage height 3.2 ft) and the water temperature a chilly 62 degrees.  High tide was at 10:03 AM and low  tide at 3:45 PM.  The actual winds were higher early in the day, so between the forecast and the actual gusts (28 MPH) after the skippers meeting, many Lighting skippers decided to stay in port. The five who did venture out were rewarded with a solid sailing breeze on a sunny, but cool day.  Rick Welch, sailing with Geoff Bishop and Hayden Smith, capsized twice with chute up, but both times was able to right the boat and finish the race.  Here are the results.

Borderline Regatta was Cancelled!  The cancellation was due to the severe drought in the Kerr Lake area and the resulting low lake levels.  Ramps and docks are currently not usable and the low water also raises safety concerns regarding submerged objects.

PRSA Fall Series # 6,  Sunday, October 21 -- Race Committee  was  provided by PRO Jim Graham plus drivers and helpers.  Another delightful fall day for sailboat racing on the Potomac,  sunny with a high of 80 degrees, with winds from the SSW at 7 - 13 MPH, light for the first two races, then picking up nicely for the third.  The wind oscillated interestingly from S to SSW, favoring a course along the airport on an incoming tide.  We welcomed back crew Geoff Bishop, who has been on assignment in Mexico for over a year, and congratulate David Fehrle who helped Frank sail into first place for the day, and Ethan Roberts who helped Pat McGee avoid capsizing this week.  The river flow was up, at 1,190 CFS (gage height 2.6 ft), and the water temperature was a seasonal 68 degrees.  Low tide was at 10:59 AM. Ten Lightnings came out along with10 Albacores, 3 Cats, 2 Hamptons and a Laser. Here are the results.

New Owner for 10215, Medio y Medio (formerly Black Adder) Sadly one of the owners of 10215 is moving out of the area, so they needed to find a new skipper -- and they have!  Congratulations, Charlie Helfinstine! 

PRSA Fall Series # 5,  Sunday, October 14 -- Race Committee  was provided by the Cats, with Steve Yelland as PRO.  Eight Lightnings came out, along with 9 Albacores, 3 Cats, 2 Hamptons, 2 Lasers and a windsurfer  on a beautiful sunny 72 degree October day with northwesterly winds at 12 - 14 MPH, shifty and occasionally gusty.  Pat McGee caught a gust between the second and third race and capsized, then capsized again as they were getting the boat back up, but still in time to start -- and finish -- the third race.   The river flow at 810 CFS was close to the all-time record low for October 14 of 586 CFS, set in 1931. High tide was at 10:36 AM. The water temperature had plunged to 67 degrees. Frank, Russ, and Red were at the Frigid Digit.  Chandler took first place for the day, with Rick Welch second and Pat McGee third.  Here are the results.

56th Annual Frigid Digit Regatta at SSA, October 13 - 14.  40 Lightnings turned out for this traditional fall event on the Chesapeake, in brisk winds with sunny conditions.  Frank Gallagher placed 21st; Russ Roberts 32nd, and Red Fehrle 39th (after breaking his main sheet in the third race and coming home on Saturday).  Here are the scores.

Fall Series # 4, Sunday, October 7!  PRO Chris Bolton and RC drivers and helpers put on the best three back-to-back races on the Potomac this fall, in nice northwesterly winds on a beautiful warm (high 91 degrees) and sunny summer-like day. The river flow was down, at 892 CFS (gage height 2.6 ft), close to the all-time low for Oct 7, 488 CFS, measured in 1931.   Low tide was at 12:51 PM.  The water temperature was a comfortable 78 degrees. The Albacores were all at West River for the North American Championships, but ten Lightnings, two Cats, four Hamptons, and a Laser came out and were not disappointed, although they did need to paddle to the race course in calm winds before the winds came up, as predicted, a little before Noon.  Rick Welch and Russ Roberts tied for first place; Chandler Owen was third.  Here are the results.

 Lightning 12416 has a new owner!  Bobby's restoration of Sam Zadeh's 12416 attracted experienced sailors Chris and Megan Kent, who purchased it from Bobby -- Red hull, white transom, beautifully restored.  Congratulations Kents!  Hope to see you on the water soon!

 Drew and Sousan say Farewell.  Much loved Fleet 50 members Drew Hudson and spouse Sousan Arafeh, and children Ben and Elsie had moved to Old Lyme, CT in June, but had left 14096 Gray Ghost behind for the summer.  On a recent weekend they returned to pick up the boat and take it to their new home.  It was great to see them once again, and sad to see them driving away with Gray Ghost in tow.  But they will come again to a regatta near us in the future.  So long Hudsons -- we will miss you!

Fall Series # 3,  Sunday, September 30.   Ten  Lightnings, nine Albacores, four Cats, Two Interlakes and three Lasers came out, but the wind did not.  The AccuWeather forecast had called for southeasterly  winds at 6 - 8 MPH, but they were actually light and variable as predicted by the Washington Post.  PRO Frank Gallagher and his excellent RC crew set up a windward-leeward course for a southerly breeze and were able to get one race started and finished, if you can call it that.  By the second windward leg the only thing moving us was the current.  RC mercifully shortened the course and put a wide finish line at the windward mark, and several boats were able to drift through it and finish.   Some boats were able to then work their way down to the marina; the remainder accepted a tow. Still, a bad day on the water is much better than a good day at the office, and the bright sunshine and mild temperatures (high 78 degrees at 4 PM) made for a tolerable afternoon, even without the wind.  Here are the results.

Another Light Air crew joins the fleet!   Hayleigh Morgan Maher was born last Wednesday September 26 at 8:50 PM.  7 pounds 14 oz, 21 inches.  Not yet trained on spinnaker. Congratulations Paul and Emily!

Special Olympians headed to China!  PRSA skippers Dave Dalbec and Yates Dowell headed to China on September 27 with a group of Maryland Special Olympians to compete in the 2007 Special Olympic World Games in Shanghai.  Check out the Team USA website.  Here is more scoop.

SMSA Small Boat Regatta at Solomons Island, September 22-23.   At the mouth of the Patuxent River, with a dinner provided by the Southern Maryland Sailing Association at their new facility at 14490 Solomons Island Road South in Solomons.  There were two races Saturday in patchy breeze, and a 3rd race that was abandoned after the wind shut down.   There were three races on Sunday in a beautiful northerly breeze.   Jim Alman recently arrived from St. Petersburg, FL, sailing with Carol Fisher,  Emily Pavilon, and Kristen Lopez, placed first.  Nabeel, sailing with Debbie Tekavic and TGraham Fisher, placed second.  Other competitors included Joe Friebele and Ed Michels from SSA; Dan Liston and Stuart Alman from Solomons; and Mark Hergon from Havre de Grace.  Here are the results. Here are Photos.

 Fall Series # 2,  Sunday, September 23.  Race Committee  was provided by PRO Rick Welch plus drivers and helpers.  It was a day of brilliant sunshine, with a high of 86 degrees, and fluky northerly winds at 9 - 10 MPH, enough  to allow 4 races.  10 Lightnings were there.  Low tide was at 12:35 PM.  The river flow was down, at 1,150 CFS (gage height 2.6 ft) and the water temperature was 76 degrees.  Burgers and dogs, provided by PRSA, were on the grill after racing.  Here are the results.

Fall Series # 1,  Sunday, September 16!  Race Committee  was provided by PRO Steve Kistler and members of the Hampton Fleet. Nine Lightnings joined three Albacores, a Bucc, four Cats, and four Lasers on a day with a beautiful sailing forecast (northerly winds at 8 - 9 MPH, sunny skies and a high of 70 degrees) that turned into a frustrating sailing experience in light and variable winds -- 90 degree shifts were common and there were some 180s as well.  Race committee, to its great credit, got off 3 races in good order before sending us home for the day.  Two of the Lightnings on the line were crewed by Special Olympians -- Joe Warren had Lauren Levitt and Paul Park;  Alan Rogers, sailing Frank's boat, had Janice Trziak and Khang Lee. Here are the Lightning results.  Check out the actual winds here.

2007 Lightning Yearbooks are in the mail!  The 2007 Lightning yearbooks (covering the 2006 season) are in the mail, and they look marvelous. Check out Marian's complete write-up of Fleet 50's 2006 season.  Thanks, Marian!

Presidents Cup / Leukemia Cup Regatta, September 8/9. - Our traditional kick-off for the fall season was the weekend of September 8/9.   Here are Lightning final results.  Winds were out of the SSE at 8 - 10 MPH on Saturday, and lighter on Sunday.   Here is a story.

Are winds better in the afternoon?  - It would certainly seem so, based on recent observations, but we'll need a statistician to tell us for sure.  Check it out here.

New Cranes at WSM!  - If you have not been to the marina since the new cranes were installed, you have a treat in store for your eyes!  The failing cranes have all been replaced with new models -- still at 1 ton capacity, but with multiple new features and quiet motors. 

 Fleet 50 receives the Neal Steketee Perpetual Award - At the awards banquet of the 2007 Lightning North American Championships in Annapolis, Nabeel Alsalam accepted, on behalf of the fleet, the Neal Steketee Perpetual Award.  This trophy is given each year to the North American fleet that has been outstanding in furthering the purpose of the ILCA in promoting and developing racing in Lightnings, including such things as maintaining entire fleet membership in good standing with ILCA; interesting new people in the sport; publishing the most interesting and best newsletter, conducting an outstandingly fine regatta; establishing a Juniors Program, and insuring high activity in racing in its fleet.  The 2007 award cited Fleet 50's outstanding job in running the 2007 Lightning North American Women's, Juniors, and Masters Championships regatta, under the leadership of our Regatta Chair, Nabeel Alsalam. See photo.

 2007 Lightning North American Championships - in Annapolis.  Final results are in: we see Nabeel in 31st place in the Championship fleet; Frank in thirteenth place in the President's fleet  and John Pemberton placing 19th in the Governors Fleet.  Here are the details.

PRSA Yellow Books are in the mail!  If your PRSA dues are current, look for the 2007 PRSA Yellow Book in your mailbox soon.

2007 Lightning North American Women's, Juniors, and Masters   Championships - at Leesylvania State Park,  August 15 - 18.  This was a world class event sponsored by ILCA and our own Lightning Fleet 50.   Thursday was a weird wind day -- a morning thunderstorm before the first race; one race in good SW breezes 12 - 14 MPH, and a second race in a dying breeze that left the last boats fighting the incoming tide in their attempts to round the weather mark.  Friday was an outstanding racing day, weather-wise, with 8 - 10 MPH SW winds.  Saturday started out well, with 10 - 12 NW winds, but thy died in the middle of the second race, and did not come up again until after the race was abandoned and the boats towed in.  Frank Gallagher, sailing with Emily Pavilon and Terry Burke, placed 7th in the Masters; Nabeel, with Pat McGee and Russ Roberts finished 9th; Doug Dixon, with spouse Gina and middle crew Bob Astrove placed 18th; Jim Dillard, with Nelson Pemberton and Tim Rinaman placed 20th; Joe Warren, with Chandler Owen and Laura Schmidt placed 22nd; and David Thompson, with Catherine Calvin and Joe Kimak,  placed 23rd. Maryann Gallagher crewed for Joanna Beaver, who placed 4th in the Women's division; and Rebecca  crewed for Anne Sterling Bush, who placed 5th.  Here are the final results.  Here are photos.

Sailing Sunday, August 12.  Winds were better than forecasted, a steady 8 MPH from the south, under sunny skies.  David, Joe, and Catherine went out for some spinnaker practice before packing up the boat for the trip to Leesylvania on Wednesday.  Rick Welch was out single-handing, while Joe Warren, Chandler, and Laura Schmidt worked on Joe's boat and talked racing strategy. Frank Gallagher was out on his kayak checking out the sailing scene.  Another good sailing day on the Potomac!

Nine boats compete in the 2007 Duck Challenge!  Steve Constants  and brothers took first place; Jason Werner second, and Nabeel third in the 2007 Duck Challenge, moved up three weeks early so as not to conflict with the NAs.  Sailing weather was excellent and 8 races were sailed.  Here are the results.

Nabeel, Russ, and Lisbet place 14th in the Atlantic Coast Championships! There was the usual tough competition at the 2007 Atlantic Coast Championships at the Cedar Point YC in Hartford CT, the weekend of July 28/29, and Nabeel, Russ, and Lisbet place 14th out of a field of 44.  Here are the details.  Here are some photos.

Matt Klise takes first place at the Woody!  Our own Matt Klise  placed first in a field of 9 boats at the 2007 Wooden Lightning get-together in Syracuse, July 28/29.  Way to go Matt!

PRSA Downriver Cruise Saturday, July 28.  We got away from the docks at 11:30 AM and sailed down to historic Ft. Foote where we beached our boats, hiked up to the picnic area, cooked, ate, and ignored the volleyball set before heading back to the marina around 4:30 PM.   Here is a story .  Here are more details.  The winds were light, as was the attendance (1 Lightning and 1 Flying Scott) and we needed a tow down, but were able to sail home. 

Wednesday Night Sailing -- July 18  We had nice southwesterly and westerly breezes at 10 - 12 MPH, and temperatures in the high 80s.  The  predicted potential thunderstorms were nowhere to be seen.  Frank was out, with Rebecca and Brian, practicing for the NAs; Bobby was out with Billy and Matt, also practicing for the NA Juniors; David was out with Don Beckett, a visitor from Seattle.  Pat went out on an Albacore, but couldn't figure out where the spinnaker was stowed.  Pretty nice for a summer evening in July.

Sailing Sunday July 15 - What a perfect sailing day!  Temperatures were in the high 80s, reaching a high of 93 degrees at 4 PM, with refreshing, steady southerly breezes around 12 MPH.  Rick Welch and family were out, as were Jeff, and David, Barb, and Catherine; Frank was there working his bow chainplate and getting the boat ready for the next regatta.   It was good to see fleet members out enjoying the day!

Is it Safe to Swim in the Potomac?  - Last Saturday's Washington Post front page story reports mixed opinions, including one from PRSA skipper Mike Heinsdorf.  Check it out!

Sailing Sunday July 8 - There were wacky westerly winds 5 - 15 MPH, shifting from NW to SW, especially in the gusts, keeping us on our toes.  The heat wasn't bad on the water in the breeze, but back on shore it was uncomfortable, reaching 97 degrees by late afternoon.  Next weekend promises to be cooler.  Piercarlo, Franco, Emily and Emily were out, as were David and Barbara.   Bobby was there working on his boat.

Sailing the weekend of June 30 - July 1 - We had wonderful weather this past weekend, with mild temperatures and refreshing winds, easterly on Saturday and northerly on Sunday.  With the easterly Saturday winds we were able to reach the length of the river, going from the Wilson Bridge to Hains Point on one long starboard tack, staying in the navigable channel to avoid the shallow water from the low tide conditions.  On Sunday the winds were puffy and shifty, going from 2 in the lulls  to15 or more in the gusts, varying from NE to NW, keeping us on our toes. Sailing downwind from Hains point to the Power Plant we four times caught gusts that lifted us up on a plane for a few seconds. Wee-haw!

Wednesday Night Sailing -- June 27  - Matt, Billy, and TGraham were out in the cove, with coaching provided by Pat McGee and Jeff Storck following on the 13' Whaler.  The air was heavy with humidity and tricky to deal with, coming from the SW ay 8 MPH. 

Wednesday Night Sailing -- June 20  - Several skippers, including Nabeel; Russ; Bobby; David; Collin; and Bob Wilbur took advantage of the excellent weather to have a most enjoyable Wednesday evening sail under clear skies with low humidity, temperatures in the low 80s, and northwesterly winds at 16 - 13 MPH.  It doesn't get any better than this!  New crew Chris Kent and Shelly Kirby sailed with David; Marian Bruno and Laurie Duncan came down to crew for Nabeel.  The low tide at 7:50 PM and a low river flow (3,000 CFS) made for a challenging set of short tacks coming up the channel on the way home, with centerboards getting stuck in the mud mid-channel.  It stayed light until almost 9:30 PM, facilitating securing the boats starting at 9 PM. You shoulda been there! 

Weekend of June 16/17 -- We had lots of opportunities to sail this weekend -- The SSA Spring Series # 2 in Annapolis competed with the Rock Hall one-design invitational on the Eastern Shore, while the Dangerfield Island Sailing Club (DISC) ran the Mayors Cup at the Alexandria River Festival on Saturday.  Jeff, Bobby, and John Pemberton sailed the Mayor's Cup, with Jeff and Bobby each single-handing their boats; Nabeel and Benjamin hit the Rock Hall Invitational.  Here is Jeff's story.  Here is the Rock Hall story.

Dixie District Championships, June 9 - 10, Susquehanna YC.  What a fabulous venue for a district regatta!  We had mostly sunny skies and northerly breezes at 15 MPH on Saturday, getting in four races sailing on a very long windward-leeward course, followed by socializing at a pig roast and calypso band dance before retiring fro the evening.  Unfortunately, there was no wind on Sunday, but the outstanding racing on Saturday was enough to make a good regatta.  Ten Fleet 50 skippers and crew represented our  fleet well, and most qualified for a slot in the North American championships.  Allan Terhune took first place; Neil Fowler second.  Here are the results.   

Fleet Planning Meeting Thursday, June 7.   At Nabeel's house, 7 - 9 PM.  We planned the details for the 2007 WJM Regatta in August.  Notes to be posted soon.

Russ Roberts Wins Spring Series!   Competition for the first three places was very tight -- separated by only 3 points -- and Russ Roberts came out ahead, with 55 points, followed by Pat McGee in second place and Frank Gallagher in third.  Rick Welch finished in fourth place, with 69 points; Bob Astrove finished in fifth place and David Thompson in sixth place.  That's Competition!  Here are the complete results.

PRSA Spring Series # 8, Sunday, June 3.   The last one for the Spring Series! We were supposed to have a nice day with 8 - 12 MPH SE breezes on a cooler (79 degree), cloudy day, but Tropical Storm Barry came through and changed all of that.  We selected the lower course because of the possibility of thunderstorms,  and set up a short triangle in front of the power plant, and raced in a steady soaking rain in easterly 14 - 16 MPH winds with higher gusts.  At least it was relatively warm (69 degrees) and the water was even warmer (84 degrees). PRO Jim Graham got off 3 races before the water got shallow and we needed to come in.  Frank won the day with two bullets and a second; Russ Roberts was second.  Here are the results.

PRSA Spring Regatta Day 2 - Sunday May 27  - What a perfect day for sailboat racing, weather-wise!  We had steady southerly breezes at 12 MPH, allowing a long windward-leeward course on this hazy spring day on the Potomac.  PRO Jeff Storck, with drivers Bill Buck and Joe Warren, got off four races in good order.  Bob Astrove, Bob Wilbur, and Piercarlo Brunino  joined the four Lightnings that raced on Saturday to make a 7-boat Lightning field for the regatta.  Russ Roberts nearly swept the regatta, and came in first with six bullets and a second; Pat McGee was second.  Here are the results.

PRSA Spring Regatta Day 1 - Saturday May 26  - It was a hot one (temperature, not racing speed) on Saturday, sunny with light winds and a high of 89 degrees. PRO Jeff Storck barely got off three races before it was time to  come in, with the first race shortened to just one leg for Cats, Lightnings, and Interlakes, and postponed indefinitely for the Albacores.  The winds did pick up enough to run two more races on a 2-loop windward-leeward course with northerly and northeasterly 8 MPH winds, and strangely, at 4 PM, when racing was over for the day, the winds became southerly, so we had to tack home.  Preliminary standings show Russ in the lead, Pat Second, David Thompson third, and John Pemberton fourth.

PRSA Spring Series # 7, Sunday, May 20.   The AccuWeather forecast called for westerly winds at 14 - 17 MPH, and that's what we got, except that they were extremely gusty at times, with one gust recorded at 29 MPH.  There were also some light periods, especially during the third race, when the wind barely got above 8 MPH.    PRO Bryan Lanier set a short triangular course  aligned on the width of the river and got off four races on a warm and mostly sunny day, with only one boat capsizing, and then only briefly, on the race course.  The big story however was the dramatic rescue of Red's turtled boat that flipped in front of the Naval Research Lab on the way home.  The Coast Guard plucked the hapless three out of the water and brought them back to the dock, after which Red, Jeff, Laura, Pat, Paul, and Jim headed back on the 19 and 16 skiffs, to right the boat and bring her back.  Pat and Paul dove into the 68-degree water, swam under the turtled boat  and somehow pulled the centerboard out far enough to make a ledge to stand on to get it back up.  All went well, and the boat was back at the dock by 5 PM, with mast intact, but chute shredded.  Kudos, Pat and Paul!  Outstanding work!  Here are the results.

The Bayliner is back!   Our sincere thanks to Craig Huzway, who, with help from Bill Kleysteuber, Pat McGee, Jeff Storck and others nursed the Bayliner back to operational status over the past five weeks. Repair work included removing the engine to check out a suspected cracked block (fortunately it was not), rebolting the starter, replacing a timing gear, adjusting the valve clearances, and tweaking the carburetor.   Please give these sailors a big hand when you next see them.

PRSA Spring Series # 6, Sunday, May 13.   Only two Lightnings came out on a beautifully, sunny and clear day with northerly 15 MPH winds, so it was Frank and Pat match racing, with Frank coming out ahead with 3 bullets.  PRO David Thompson, with drivers Red Fehrle and Jeff Storck got off five races before calling it a day.  We towed the Bayliner to the start line to serve as the line boat.  Here are results.

Doc Gilbert Memorial Potomac Cup Regatta, Saturday and Sunday, May 5/6 -- at Leesylvania State Park.  We got off three races on Saturday, in a cold rain, with southeasterly winds at 6 - 15 MPH, but did not race on Sunday when the winds were forecasted to be 20 - 25 with gusts to 35.  Joanne Fisher, sailing with Todd Johnson and Katie Terhune, took first place; John Guth second; Pierce Barden third; Nabeel Alsalam fourth, and Jason Werner fifth.  30 boats competed, including 15 from Fleet 50.   Here are the results.  Here is a link to where photos are posted (note - copyright protected; contact Lorelei Studios for permission to use).

PRSA Spring Series # 5, Sunday, May 6.   The forecast called for winds 20 - 25, with gusts to 35, and it was accurate.  Even though the skies were clear and the sunshine warm, no boats showed up for racing.  Ben Ackerman was PRO, with Keith Strasser, John Taylor, and Justin Taylor as helpers.

PRSA Spring Series # 4, Sunday, April 29.   Winds were gusty and shifty, alternating between almost no wind and brief gusts to about 20, but it was sunny and warm enough for an enjoyable day on the water.  8 Lightnings came out, including the first-time appearance of Medio Y Medio (the former Black Adder) with Piercarlo, Franco, and Emily on board.  We also welcomed new crew Tina Perez, sailing with Bob Wilbur;  Tina Calvin, sailing with David Thompson; and Shane Barnett and Bill Patton, sailing with John Pemberton.  Low tide was at 1:51 PM, and the river flow a seasonal 15,600 CFS (gage height 4.5 ft).   PRO Erich Hesse and excellent crew got off five races before it was time to come in.  Here are preliminary results.

April 28th Work Day at Leesylvania - Our thanks to Jim Dillard; Bob Astrove; Nabeel Alsalam; Jeff Storck; Paul, Emilie and Catherine; David Thompson and Joe Kimak for their service to Leesylvania State Park on Saturday. 

PRSA Spring Series # 3, Sunday, April 22.  Today's weather was a welcome relief from the rains and cold of the past three weekends, with sunny skies and a high temperature of 81 degrees.  Winds were light in the morning, but by 1 PM they came up from the south as predicted, at 8 - 9 MPH.  Twelve Lightnings came out for the day, including the first time appearance of Jim Dillard's new boat, 15311;  John Pemberton's nicely-refurbished 14627; and Bill Laux's 15148.  PRO Ben Ackerman set a short triangular course and got off four races before it was time to come in. Here are the results.

PRSA Spring Series # 2, Sunday, April 15.  The AccuWeather forecast called for winds from the NNE at 15 - 16 MPH, windy and cold with heavy rain, and a high temperature of 52 degrees.  Significantly higher winds were forecasted to kick in later in the evening from the storm system that was developing into a Nor'easter. Actually the temperature never got above 47 degrees;  the river flow was a rain-induced 20,000 CFS (gage height 4.8 ft); and the water temperature was a bone-chilling 50 degrees, and 2.4 inches of rain fell during the day.   Pat McGee was PRO; Eric Johnson and Will Phillippe were the designated drivers.  Bob Astrove was the only Lightning Skipper to show, so racing was cancelled for the day.   Later Pat went out with Paul, Laura Lake, and Bill Kleysteuber, and said the sailing was fantastic, although they were possibly the only boat on the river.  Better weather is predicted for this coming Sunday.

PRSA Spring Series # 1, Sunday, April 1.  A nicer day weather wise than forecasted -- the chilly rain and thundershowers did not materialized -- but winds were lighter than forecasted also, making it a challenging day for the three Cats, five Lightnings; the five Albacores and the Hampton that came out for the first race of the season.  PRO Bob Astrove did an outstanding job running RC with only 2 boats available, and getting off three races in the 3 - 5 MPH easterly to northeasterly winds.   This was the first race using the course flags in lieu of a course board, and that method worked very well.  Here are the results.

PRSA Spring Icebreaker - if you let the dreary weather keep you away from the Ice Breaker on Saturday, you made a mistake. It may have been cloudy and cool, but the breezes out the NE were a perfect 6-8 knots. Lasers and Lightnings showed up and got 7 and 5 races in respectively. Rick Welch won the day for the Lightnings, and Erich Hesse took the honors for the Lasers.  Results here

Southern Circuit 2007  Jim Dillard headed to the 2007 Southern Circuit, towing his new boat 15311, and took Nabeel Alsalam and Justin Morris as crew.  With 3 skippers on board they should go 3 times as fast as the competition, right?  In the first set of races, the Deep South Regatta held in Savannah, Ga., skipper Dillard and crew came in a respectable 38th out of 57 boats, while Nelson Pemberton and his crew including Frank Gallagher came in 43rd.  For a full list of the results........and a description of the first days of racing on the Southern Circuit..............Read Frank's own perspective here......
The second leg of the Southern Circuit took place in Miami, the 2007 Lightning Mid Winter Regatta.  Once again, Jim Dillard represented Fleet 50 admirably by placing 40th out of 59 boats.  See the full results here.
The third and final leg of the Circuit was in St. Petersburg.  Here are the results.

Fleet Planning Meeting Saturday, March 3.  Fourteen Fleet 50 skippers and associates met Saturday, March 3, at the Charleston Room of the Indigo Landing Restaurant to plan the 2007 season, including the Doc Gilbert Memorial Potomac Cup Regatta and the 2007 WJMs.  Here are the minutes..

By-laws posted!  A set of By-laws for Fleet 50 has been drafted.  Read about it here.

Doug Dixon re-joins Fleet 50!    Doug Dixon of Gloucester Point, VA will be re-joining fleet 50 with Lightning # 584.  Doug was a member of Fleet 329 for several years, and of fleet 50 for a few years in the mid 1980's.  # 584 is Doug's third lightning.  Doug is one of the many former owners of #12365, joining Gallagher & Ogle.  And he was the original owner of multiple-time Fleet 50 champion Lightning #14019.   Doug's current boat is a showroom restoration of a classic Skaneateles built boat - right down to soldered shrouds & belaying pins.

#10215, Black Adder, Has New Owners!   Who are they?  Take a look at the Fleet 50 Skippers List.  Congratulations, Franco and Piercarlo!

#10814, Fast & Loose, Has a New Owner!   Who is it?  Take a look at the Fleet 50 Skippers List.  Congratulations, Collin!