Regatta
Downwind War Cornucopia 2007
15 • August • 2008 • 18:39 •
Worlds Photos
13 • August • 2008 • 14:52 •
From Jamie Dike:
This message just came from Bastien who was on our mark boat.
Let me know if anyone wants some and I will forward the requests to him.
Jamie
This is the link to the pictures which I took during the weekend.
Don't know if any of the racers are interested, but I think there is the odd good picture in between. I uploaded in the highest quality I could, however, if someone is interested in particular pictures I'd be more than happy to forward pictures by email.
It was a fun weekend. Bastian
PS: I can’t decide if the title of this post should have an apostrophe as in World’s. Is it possesive or plural? Any of you English teachers care to comment?
This message just came from Bastien who was on our mark boat.
Let me know if anyone wants some and I will forward the requests to him.
Jamie
This is the link to the pictures which I took during the weekend.
Don't know if any of the racers are interested, but I think there is the odd good picture in between. I uploaded in the highest quality I could, however, if someone is interested in particular pictures I'd be more than happy to forward pictures by email.
It was a fun weekend. Bastian
PS: I can’t decide if the title of this post should have an apostrophe as in World’s. Is it possesive or plural? Any of you English teachers care to comment?
2008 Results and Round-Up
13 • August • 2008 • 14:52 •
All the regatta
results have been posted for 2008.
I have also added a new scoring page for the Challenge Cup.
The AGM was held at FBYC during the World Championships and Max Keeping from SummerSalt volunteered to be the new President of the Class. Go figure. Max and his crew Ken are also going to assume the duties of the web site. I will clean up whatever I can so that they have an up-to-date starting point. Let’s all give them our full support.
Pat Wachholz (40 Yard Bin) hands over the reigns of the position of Vice-President to Simon Krall (Red Shift).
We’re sorry to see Andrew (Bender) leave as President, he was definitely one of the best that we’ve ever had.
The NOD was fun. We didn’t have any racing on Saturday for lack of wind but we made it up later in the day when about 25 or so of us took the Open Bics out for a blast. Best fun we’ve had in a long time.
For those that missed the YYC Levels this year, it was the best racing we’ve seen in ages. The wind was furious for both days and the racing was tight. We had many boats on their side, ripped spinnakers and even a few boom ejections were heard around the course. Pablo pulled his heavy air magic out of the bag on Sunday and showed everyone how it’s done. We had a great rum party on Saturday hosted by the Bender team and it was very well attended. We saw some new faces from Ominous and they were introduced to the joys of collision when they tangled with E2 on Sunday. No real damage and no one was hurt so it was all good.
The Worlds at FBYC was a bit soggy this year but we managed to get 8 races finished in mostly light conditions. There were a lot of place changes with a few boat bumps but the bruises weren’t too bad. We had a few new faces from Proximity who were definitely the best dressed team. The band on Saturday was awesome. Congratulations to the winners, it was well earned. And if it’s any consolation, we all made top ten.
Someone counted upwards of 15 boats that may attend the Cornucopia. If you want some good racing then pencil it in. It’s not a bad party either. Bender is cooking on Friday night so be sure to visit them at the barbecue.
I have also added a new scoring page for the Challenge Cup.
The AGM was held at FBYC during the World Championships and Max Keeping from SummerSalt volunteered to be the new President of the Class. Go figure. Max and his crew Ken are also going to assume the duties of the web site. I will clean up whatever I can so that they have an up-to-date starting point. Let’s all give them our full support.
Pat Wachholz (40 Yard Bin) hands over the reigns of the position of Vice-President to Simon Krall (Red Shift).
We’re sorry to see Andrew (Bender) leave as President, he was definitely one of the best that we’ve ever had.
The NOD was fun. We didn’t have any racing on Saturday for lack of wind but we made it up later in the day when about 25 or so of us took the Open Bics out for a blast. Best fun we’ve had in a long time.
For those that missed the YYC Levels this year, it was the best racing we’ve seen in ages. The wind was furious for both days and the racing was tight. We had many boats on their side, ripped spinnakers and even a few boom ejections were heard around the course. Pablo pulled his heavy air magic out of the bag on Sunday and showed everyone how it’s done. We had a great rum party on Saturday hosted by the Bender team and it was very well attended. We saw some new faces from Ominous and they were introduced to the joys of collision when they tangled with E2 on Sunday. No real damage and no one was hurt so it was all good.
The Worlds at FBYC was a bit soggy this year but we managed to get 8 races finished in mostly light conditions. There were a lot of place changes with a few boat bumps but the bruises weren’t too bad. We had a few new faces from Proximity who were definitely the best dressed team. The band on Saturday was awesome. Congratulations to the winners, it was well earned. And if it’s any consolation, we all made top ten.
Someone counted upwards of 15 boats that may attend the Cornucopia. If you want some good racing then pencil it in. It’s not a bad party either. Bender is cooking on Friday night so be sure to visit them at the barbecue.
NOD
19 • June • 2008 • 10:44 •
When getting ready for a road trip it
is imperative that you don’t
forget this item.
NOD
05 • June • 2008 • 15:29 •
The notice of
race for the NOD is posted. As far as I know E2 and Bender will
be making the journey.
Thanks to Chuck for the heads-up.
Thanks to Chuck for the heads-up.
North Americans…
08 • May • 2008 • 15:03 •
Are to be held in Barrie this year.
Pencil it in.
Canada's Cup
15 • October • 2007 • 15:28 •
Team Heartbreaker has beaten Honour to
take the Canada's Cup.
Spectator reports have HB winning by one second in the last race of the series.
The official report from RCYC has the Americans winning by five seconds.
Congratulations to team Heartbreaker.
Spectator reports have HB winning by one second in the last race of the series.
The official report from RCYC has the Americans winning by five seconds.
Congratulations to team Heartbreaker.
Challenge Cup
17 • September • 2007 • 16:15 •
Doh !!
31 • August • 2007 • 10:22 •
The Cornucopia starts tonight. Make
sure you look for this guy. He'll be slinging burgers later in the
evening.
Yes, I have found the coolest tool ever. Simpsonizeme. So get cracking. Let's see those Kirby crew members brought to cartoon life.
Yes, I have found the coolest tool ever. Simpsonizeme. So get cracking. Let's see those Kirby crew members brought to cartoon life.
North American Results
16 • August • 2007 • 16:11 •
Results
06 • August • 2007 • 10:59 •
Youngstown Update
22 • July • 2007 • 19:11 •
From the 2007 Youngstown Level
Regatta event:
Five days and counting to the start of the 34th Annual Youngstown Yacht Club Level Regatta.
US Customs Pre-Arrival Forms Deadline - Midnight July 25th To make your entry into the US by boat easier and quicker make sure you submit the Pre-Arrival Form before the July 25th deadline. Submitting the form found on the Level Regatta page at www.yachtscoring.com will expedite your check-in and get you to the beer line sooner. US Customs will be in the same building as Regatta Registration this year.
Five Courses This Year We have added a fifth race course this year to improve your on water experience. This will give everyone more room on their course and make it easier for the Race Committees to run the best races possible.
For some reason Level participants seem to like to register at the last minute. Fleets are growing every day. As of Sunday there were 23 Beneteau 36.7s registered, the largest fleet assembled to date in North America. There are 12 C&C 29s registered with many past owners coming to town to celebrate the fleet's 30th anniversary. There are strong fleets of J22s, J24s, Sharks, Kirby 25s, Beneteau 40.7s. Check the entry list and encourage your friends to register soon if you don't see them on the list.
The Youngstown Yacht Club looks forward to seeing you Friday night dancing on the lawn to the music of Strictly Hip.
Five days and counting to the start of the 34th Annual Youngstown Yacht Club Level Regatta.
US Customs Pre-Arrival Forms Deadline - Midnight July 25th To make your entry into the US by boat easier and quicker make sure you submit the Pre-Arrival Form before the July 25th deadline. Submitting the form found on the Level Regatta page at www.yachtscoring.com will expedite your check-in and get you to the beer line sooner. US Customs will be in the same building as Regatta Registration this year.
Five Courses This Year We have added a fifth race course this year to improve your on water experience. This will give everyone more room on their course and make it easier for the Race Committees to run the best races possible.
For some reason Level participants seem to like to register at the last minute. Fleets are growing every day. As of Sunday there were 23 Beneteau 36.7s registered, the largest fleet assembled to date in North America. There are 12 C&C 29s registered with many past owners coming to town to celebrate the fleet's 30th anniversary. There are strong fleets of J22s, J24s, Sharks, Kirby 25s, Beneteau 40.7s. Check the entry list and encourage your friends to register soon if you don't see them on the list.
The Youngstown Yacht Club looks forward to seeing you Friday night dancing on the lawn to the music of Strictly Hip.
Youngstown Level Regatta
20 • July • 2007 • 13:51 •
One week until the YYC Level Regatta.
It's shaping up nicely with 5 boats pre-registered.
You can see the list of registrants here.
Ruby Tuesday is registered but I fear that they are not going to make it. See next story.
Cathy Cudmore is coming down from Barrie and Mike Fössi is coming in from Ottawa. I just hope that our buddy Zig is making the trip.
I'm pretty sure that Pablo and Summersalt are going but that's all I've heard.
Pony up team. It's going to be fun. And…
Don't forget to pay your dues before the regatta if you want to collect points.
You can see the list of registrants here.
Ruby Tuesday is registered but I fear that they are not going to make it. See next story.
Cathy Cudmore is coming down from Barrie and Mike Fössi is coming in from Ottawa. I just hope that our buddy Zig is making the trip.
I'm pretty sure that Pablo and Summersalt are going but that's all I've heard.
Pony up team. It's going to be fun. And…
Don't forget to pay your dues before the regatta if you want to collect points.
NOD Results
17 • July • 2007 • 09:54 •
NOD Results
Note that Nemo and First Jump are the only two boats that collect points towards the Challenge Cup.
They paid their dues.
Note that Nemo and First Jump are the only two boats that collect points towards the Challenge Cup.
They paid their dues.
NOD
05 • June • 2007 • 07:05 •
The NOD is fast approaching.
It seems like we just put the boat in the water. Oh wait, we did just put the boat in the water!
Notice of race.
It seems like we just put the boat in the water. Oh wait, we did just put the boat in the water!
Notice of race.
Barrie Regatta
07 • March • 2007 • 20:55 •
Date has been changed to September
15th and 16th.
Barrie Regatta
06 • February • 2007 • 22:18 •
Change of
date.
Hi Rick,
Hope you winter is going well...
BYC would like to host a K-25 Regatta again this year....how does Sept 22/23 sound..that is one of the few dates that would fit...and there should be wind!
Pat
40 Yard Bin
Hi Rick,
Hope you winter is going well...
BYC would like to host a K-25 Regatta again this year....how does Sept 22/23 sound..that is one of the few dates that would fit...and there should be wind!
Pat
40 Yard Bin
2007 Regatta Schedule
11 • January • 2007 • 22:42 •
I have
put up the dates for 2007.
I guessed at the dates based on the 2006 schedule.
If they are off-base someone should let me know as soon as they know what the true dates are going to be.
Don't dawdle. (Yes, it's a real word)
People have to make plans.
I guessed at the dates based on the 2006 schedule.
If they are off-base someone should let me know as soon as they know what the true dates are going to be.
Don't dawdle. (Yes, it's a real word)
People have to make plans.
Barrie
19 • September • 2006 • 10:39 •
Well? Did anyone go? Did you drink
rum? Pictures? Any racing? Johnny 5 needs input.
Barrie
08 • September • 2006 • 09:38 •
It's coming quickly. I'm not going to
be able to make this one and I know that this will disappoint a few
people and I'm sorry for that. I'm going to need some eyes and ears
at the regatta so don't forget to take some notes.
More Cornucopia
08 • September • 2006 • 09:29 •
I was
going to write about the regatta but Simon has pretty much nailed
it so here it is. It was pretty much a non-event.
So another regatta behind us, and another 1300km on the truck. The boat is in Barrie now, and I’m pimping myself out on the dock in Ottawa tonight as I have nothing to sail.
Once again we had a great time at the Cornucopia. This year the guest star was Ernesto. If I remember rightly, Katrina hit on August 29th the year before, and we started the Cornucopia that year on the tail end of a hurricane too. We arrived at about 4.30 on Friday and got the boat launched and tuned in reasonable weather.
In fact, the rain did not start until Saturday morning, and it kept going pretty solidly until Sunday afternoon. We had 8 boats registered, and set off out of the channel in breezy but manageable conditions. The committee set a good course, and we were off to race #1. The start was a bit chaotic, and I don’t think anybody really had the sequence nailed. We didn’t get a clock started until 1 minute to go, and our start reflected that. Pablo and Ruby seemed to make the best of it, and led the fleet out up the beat. Yellow Max (Todd and the guys from Rochester) did well on the left side, and a wind shift near the mark allowed them to get to it first, with those out to the right overstanding. We picked off Ruby here, and into 3rd.
Downwind was a starboard gybe drag race dead down wind to the gate, but hang on, which marks make up the gate? The pin mark on the start finish line was identical to the two gate marks, and in the same vicinity, so you had 3 to pick from. Most of us went left around 2 marks, just to be sure. The pressure had increased significantly by this point, and most (that I could see) opted for a douse followed by a white sails gybe around the left mark. Chaos reigned on the boat, with Tom nearly falling in the water twice, and finally falling through the companionway pulling the sail in after him. Even so, we managed to keep the rounding fairly tight, and sailed around Pablo who were having dousing issues of their own.
Nothing changed on the second beat, except the pressure kept on increasing. The second run was considerably hairier than the first, with a few spectacular wipeouts. For a little while it looked like Paul might get us back, but we took him up until Pablo span out, giving us some breathing room. I’m sure Jamie watched with glee as Pablo rounded up, anticipating picking up a place, but two seconds later they were over on their side as well. I heard that E2 had quite an exciting ride also.
By this time the wind and waves were getting pretty big. We put a reef in, and were still doing 6 kts under main alone, sailing backwards and forwards waiting for the next race to start. The committee had some issues, and had a guy in the water trying to clear a fouled prop. The other fleets on the long distance course were taking a pounding, and 3 marks decided to go sightseeing, never to be seen again. A Laser 28 (Rags) lost their rig, and soon after the racing was called off for the day. I hear that at Bronte Rocks they were ordered off the water by the Coast Guard, so it sounded like everyone had a similar day.
Nobody was more pleased to be heading in than Yolaine, who was suffering quite severely from an affliction that can only be brought on by 2m waves and half a bottle of gin, and can only be cured by sitting in the shade of a large tree.
We had a very enjoyable and comfortable night out of the rain at Chez Bender (thanks guys, that was a life-saver) and then back out into the rain the next morning. London’s tent was completely flat, soaked through, and stuck in a fence, so I’m glad we didn’t have to sleep at the club. Directly after the skippers meeting racing was postponed. The wind was up again, and blowing directly down the channel. With a large standing wave at the entrance, getting out would be very sketchy indeed with an outboard and the wind on the nose, so we held off until noon when things had moderated a bit.
You would never believe that the wind could disappear so completely in such unsettled weather! A drifter was the last thing we were expecting, but that’s what we got. The waves hung around though, making for very sloppy conditions that kept knocking what little breeze there was out of the sails.
We had a terrible start, but went left (the forecast was for backing winds) and everyone else went right. This worked out very well for us, and E2 closed the gap by coming back over. The right did not look good…..Somehow we managed to arrange for our own private puffs, and were the only ones to finish in very frustrating conditions.
Despite the conditions we had a great time. This was our 6th out of town regatta, and the first where the weather affected the racing – that’s not a bad record really.
Once again the hospitality and camaraderie of the fleet was fantastic. If you own a Kirby, and haven’t done one of these yet you have to try it.
Next stop Barrie in 8 days – I can’t wait!.
See you there.
Simon
‘dynamo hum’
So another regatta behind us, and another 1300km on the truck. The boat is in Barrie now, and I’m pimping myself out on the dock in Ottawa tonight as I have nothing to sail.
Once again we had a great time at the Cornucopia. This year the guest star was Ernesto. If I remember rightly, Katrina hit on August 29th the year before, and we started the Cornucopia that year on the tail end of a hurricane too. We arrived at about 4.30 on Friday and got the boat launched and tuned in reasonable weather.
In fact, the rain did not start until Saturday morning, and it kept going pretty solidly until Sunday afternoon. We had 8 boats registered, and set off out of the channel in breezy but manageable conditions. The committee set a good course, and we were off to race #1. The start was a bit chaotic, and I don’t think anybody really had the sequence nailed. We didn’t get a clock started until 1 minute to go, and our start reflected that. Pablo and Ruby seemed to make the best of it, and led the fleet out up the beat. Yellow Max (Todd and the guys from Rochester) did well on the left side, and a wind shift near the mark allowed them to get to it first, with those out to the right overstanding. We picked off Ruby here, and into 3rd.
Downwind was a starboard gybe drag race dead down wind to the gate, but hang on, which marks make up the gate? The pin mark on the start finish line was identical to the two gate marks, and in the same vicinity, so you had 3 to pick from. Most of us went left around 2 marks, just to be sure. The pressure had increased significantly by this point, and most (that I could see) opted for a douse followed by a white sails gybe around the left mark. Chaos reigned on the boat, with Tom nearly falling in the water twice, and finally falling through the companionway pulling the sail in after him. Even so, we managed to keep the rounding fairly tight, and sailed around Pablo who were having dousing issues of their own.
Nothing changed on the second beat, except the pressure kept on increasing. The second run was considerably hairier than the first, with a few spectacular wipeouts. For a little while it looked like Paul might get us back, but we took him up until Pablo span out, giving us some breathing room. I’m sure Jamie watched with glee as Pablo rounded up, anticipating picking up a place, but two seconds later they were over on their side as well. I heard that E2 had quite an exciting ride also.
By this time the wind and waves were getting pretty big. We put a reef in, and were still doing 6 kts under main alone, sailing backwards and forwards waiting for the next race to start. The committee had some issues, and had a guy in the water trying to clear a fouled prop. The other fleets on the long distance course were taking a pounding, and 3 marks decided to go sightseeing, never to be seen again. A Laser 28 (Rags) lost their rig, and soon after the racing was called off for the day. I hear that at Bronte Rocks they were ordered off the water by the Coast Guard, so it sounded like everyone had a similar day.
Nobody was more pleased to be heading in than Yolaine, who was suffering quite severely from an affliction that can only be brought on by 2m waves and half a bottle of gin, and can only be cured by sitting in the shade of a large tree.
We had a very enjoyable and comfortable night out of the rain at Chez Bender (thanks guys, that was a life-saver) and then back out into the rain the next morning. London’s tent was completely flat, soaked through, and stuck in a fence, so I’m glad we didn’t have to sleep at the club. Directly after the skippers meeting racing was postponed. The wind was up again, and blowing directly down the channel. With a large standing wave at the entrance, getting out would be very sketchy indeed with an outboard and the wind on the nose, so we held off until noon when things had moderated a bit.
You would never believe that the wind could disappear so completely in such unsettled weather! A drifter was the last thing we were expecting, but that’s what we got. The waves hung around though, making for very sloppy conditions that kept knocking what little breeze there was out of the sails.
We had a terrible start, but went left (the forecast was for backing winds) and everyone else went right. This worked out very well for us, and E2 closed the gap by coming back over. The right did not look good…..Somehow we managed to arrange for our own private puffs, and were the only ones to finish in very frustrating conditions.
Despite the conditions we had a great time. This was our 6th out of town regatta, and the first where the weather affected the racing – that’s not a bad record really.
Once again the hospitality and camaraderie of the fleet was fantastic. If you own a Kirby, and haven’t done one of these yet you have to try it.
Next stop Barrie in 8 days – I can’t wait!.
See you there.
Simon
‘dynamo hum’
Cornucopia
29 • August • 2006 • 16:25 •
I've had
many enquiries regarding the strap situation at the Cornucopia. I
spoke with Chris Turner today and he assures me that he will put
his straps in the hot dog shack. If you use them please make sure
that they are returned to whence you found them so the next guy can
use them. Chris won't be happy if he finds that the straps have
gone missing.
Frenchman's Bay
25 • August • 2006 • 15:05 •
Dwight
sent me this amazing recap of the NA's so I had to give it special
treatment and it now resides in the Articles section.
Frenchman’s Bay Regatta
August 12-13, 2006
Hey, there’s a regatta at Frenchman’s Bay. Why don’t you bring Gabrielle down? Steve Hall with Blue Streak and Simon Warren with Dynamo Hum will be going down. We can make it a convoy.
Well Gabrielle had been savagely attacked by a Mirage 24 (by a port boat while minding her own business on a starboard tack) in a race just weeks before and was out of commission. How about I crew on Dynamo Hum? And so my first out of town regatta started.
Read the rest of the story…
Frenchman’s Bay Regatta
August 12-13, 2006
Hey, there’s a regatta at Frenchman’s Bay. Why don’t you bring Gabrielle down? Steve Hall with Blue Streak and Simon Warren with Dynamo Hum will be going down. We can make it a convoy.
Well Gabrielle had been savagely attacked by a Mirage 24 (by a port boat while minding her own business on a starboard tack) in a race just weeks before and was out of commission. How about I crew on Dynamo Hum? And so my first out of town regatta started.
Read the rest of the story…
Trash Talk
22 • August • 2006 • 20:51 •
It seems the recent events at
Frenchman's Bay have fired up some of the fleet. From Pat Wachholz
in Barrie:
Stick got spanked at the FBYC regatta and is having a tough time with taking heat from the likes of Hughes and Viscount....anyway in keeping with an interclub rivalry, Dalhousie and Ottawa showed up in force at Frenchman's and Bohica, well let's not talk about them too much...still kind of a sore spot...fortunately Doug and crew held out for a second and kept BYC's name in good standing...
In true Frenchman's style of yesteryear, Barrie will be back in force for the Regatta on September 16/17 2006 with five boats on the line, using Frenchman's as a yardstick, there could be at least 15 Kirby's on Kempenfelt Bay in September...five from here and ten travellers. So, that's Doug, Tangent, Breezin, 40 Yard Bin and this Blue boat...a new Blue boat. Yup, John Osborn is back in the fleet after having picked up a Kirby down in Kingtson...Take that Bohica...you big meanies...It's going to be a blast.
Remember everyone, if you'd like to come up a little early, just get in touch with me and we can arrange it. If you're short a trailer, we could probably fix that too. I'm going to pick up a fellow in Midland...
See you all in September, good luck at Dalhousie,
Pat
40 Yard Bin
We've had the hope of 15 boats before but this time it looks like it could actually happen. That would be amazing. Lets do it.
Stick got spanked at the FBYC regatta and is having a tough time with taking heat from the likes of Hughes and Viscount....anyway in keeping with an interclub rivalry, Dalhousie and Ottawa showed up in force at Frenchman's and Bohica, well let's not talk about them too much...still kind of a sore spot...fortunately Doug and crew held out for a second and kept BYC's name in good standing...
In true Frenchman's style of yesteryear, Barrie will be back in force for the Regatta on September 16/17 2006 with five boats on the line, using Frenchman's as a yardstick, there could be at least 15 Kirby's on Kempenfelt Bay in September...five from here and ten travellers. So, that's Doug, Tangent, Breezin, 40 Yard Bin and this Blue boat...a new Blue boat. Yup, John Osborn is back in the fleet after having picked up a Kirby down in Kingtson...Take that Bohica...you big meanies...It's going to be a blast.
Remember everyone, if you'd like to come up a little early, just get in touch with me and we can arrange it. If you're short a trailer, we could probably fix that too. I'm going to pick up a fellow in Midland...
See you all in September, good luck at Dalhousie,
Pat
40 Yard Bin
We've had the hope of 15 boats before but this time it looks like it could actually happen. That would be amazing. Lets do it.
Cornucopia Regatta
22 • August • 2006 • 20:46 •
We have arranged to have a separate
course at the Cornucopia Regatta for the Kirby 25 fleet. Tom Taylor
will be running the K25 racing course and he assures us that he
will run 4 races on Saturday and 3 races on Sunday, weather
permitting. If the NA's was any indication then this should be a
great regatta with plenty of racing, partying and lots of
shenanigans. There has been quite a bit of interest shown recently
by the Kirby fleet and word has it that there have been enquiries
from boats not seen at regattas this year.
If you haven't attended an event lately now is the time to get your boat on the start line. The Kirby 25 fleet is on fire and waiting to see you.
If you haven't attended an event lately now is the time to get your boat on the start line. The Kirby 25 fleet is on fire and waiting to see you.
"Best Regatta Ever"
22 • August • 2006 • 19:11 •
To borrow a quote from the Bender. The
2006 North American's are now in the history books and WOW!, what a
great regatta. We had twelve boats and the weather was perfect.
Results are
posted and as our new Champion says, they're just "a bunch of
old guys out for a sail." Well it turns out that Mark Bowman was
able to somehow gather together the boys who wrote
this little ditty. They managed to show everyone that they
actually do know what they are talking about and promptly laid a
thrashing on everyone.
We finished fifth and surprisingly we are happy with that because we felt that we sailed really well. The racing was incredibly close all weekend. The mark roundings were crowded but for the most part everyone played nice and civility seemed to be the order of the day. There was an unfortunate incident on Sunday where Summersalt plowed broadside into Pablo and a sail said goodbye to this world. No one was hurt so that was good.
The party on Friday and Saturday was classic K25 and went well into the wee hours. The blender came out as usual and plenty of Mount Gay Rum was put to rest. Ramzi was last man standing at 4:30 am Friday night and was bested by Simon Krall on Saturday night. I don't know how they do it but when the gun went off it was game on. Paul had the best quote of the weekend when I saw him shaving Sunday morning and he said" I was so drunk I thought I was going to die."
I can honestly say that this was one of the best regattas I've ever done. The race committee was very good, the weather was excellent, the racing was tight and the shore party was amazing. Kudos to the Summersalt crew for the best accommodations ever seen at a regatta.
Thanks to FBYC for hosting this event again and all the boats and crew that attended. It's the people that make the event worth doing.
Pictures are posted …minus the Ashley/Graham "too hot for the kiddies" show.
We finished fifth and surprisingly we are happy with that because we felt that we sailed really well. The racing was incredibly close all weekend. The mark roundings were crowded but for the most part everyone played nice and civility seemed to be the order of the day. There was an unfortunate incident on Sunday where Summersalt plowed broadside into Pablo and a sail said goodbye to this world. No one was hurt so that was good.
The party on Friday and Saturday was classic K25 and went well into the wee hours. The blender came out as usual and plenty of Mount Gay Rum was put to rest. Ramzi was last man standing at 4:30 am Friday night and was bested by Simon Krall on Saturday night. I don't know how they do it but when the gun went off it was game on. Paul had the best quote of the weekend when I saw him shaving Sunday morning and he said" I was so drunk I thought I was going to die."
I can honestly say that this was one of the best regattas I've ever done. The race committee was very good, the weather was excellent, the racing was tight and the shore party was amazing. Kudos to the Summersalt crew for the best accommodations ever seen at a regatta.
Thanks to FBYC for hosting this event again and all the boats and crew that attended. It's the people that make the event worth doing.
Pictures are posted …minus the Ashley/Graham "too hot for the kiddies" show.
Yellow Max
22 • August • 2006 • 19:04 •
Our friend Todd Swan writes:
Rick,
We are going to be at your club for the Cornucopia the Friday before. Just need to know what a good time might be to arrive and plop her in. Also do I need to bring anything in regards to that and putting the rig up?
Have had no luck getting on the DYC website, do I need to pre-register before the event?
Swany
Yellow Max
Excellent news. If anyone need straps and you have your own I would suggest that you bring them. Mast crane is no problem. It turns out that they changed the website address and I hadn't changes the link so I will be doing that now. The new address is
www.dalhousieyachtclub.ca
Rick,
We are going to be at your club for the Cornucopia the Friday before. Just need to know what a good time might be to arrive and plop her in. Also do I need to bring anything in regards to that and putting the rig up?
Have had no luck getting on the DYC website, do I need to pre-register before the event?
Swany
Yellow Max
Excellent news. If anyone need straps and you have your own I would suggest that you bring them. Mast crane is no problem. It turns out that they changed the website address and I hadn't changes the link so I will be doing that now. The new address is
www.dalhousieyachtclub.ca
More Pictures From Frenchman's Bay
22 • August • 2006 • 18:38 •
Hi
Again Rick,
It was great seeing you guys down at Frenchman's Bay last weekend! I'm a convert now and I'll be at Dalhousie and Barrie even if I have to swim.
We've got some pictures here.
Dwight Yachuk
It was great seeing you guys down at Frenchman's Bay last weekend! I'm a convert now and I'll be at Dalhousie and Barrie even if I have to swim.
We've got some pictures here.
Dwight Yachuk
North American's
11 • August • 2006 • 10:22 •
A bit late but nevertheless.
Here we go again. It seems as if we just did this. Word is that we have 11 boats confirmed and Under Cover is questionable right now. I've recently had conflicting reports on whether or not we will see them there. We might possibly see a few stragglers who haven't been in touch for a while. This fleet hasn't seen 11 boats since the 2002 NA"s at Bronte Harbour. We don't have a record of 12+ boats at a regatta on this website. This should be a helluva good regatta so if you're on the fence get your boat there. We have our own course and the racing should be really good.
I think our lease on the Invitation Challenge Shield is expiring but we aren't going to give it up without a good fight. So bring it on.
Here we go again. It seems as if we just did this. Word is that we have 11 boats confirmed and Under Cover is questionable right now. I've recently had conflicting reports on whether or not we will see them there. We might possibly see a few stragglers who haven't been in touch for a while. This fleet hasn't seen 11 boats since the 2002 NA"s at Bronte Harbour. We don't have a record of 12+ boats at a regatta on this website. This should be a helluva good regatta so if you're on the fence get your boat there. We have our own course and the racing should be really good.
I think our lease on the Invitation Challenge Shield is expiring but we aren't going to give it up without a good fight. So bring it on.
Danger! Will Robinson, Danger!
10 • August • 2006 • 15:13 •
Danger!
Danger!
For those of you too young to get the humour in this.
The Insanity team has issued an "Oh, by the way" warning for those planning on trailering their boats to the Barrie regatta.
It seems that there is a very low bridge that cannot be avoided.
Ensure that there are absolutely no protrusions extending above the pulpit or stanchions or you will lose them.
They seemed pretty serious about this so take heed.
For those of you too young to get the humour in this.
The Insanity team has issued an "Oh, by the way" warning for those planning on trailering their boats to the Barrie regatta.
It seems that there is a very low bridge that cannot be avoided.
Ensure that there are absolutely no protrusions extending above the pulpit or stanchions or you will lose them.
They seemed pretty serious about this so take heed.
Level Regatta Report
10 • August • 2006 • 15:13 •
So another Level Regatta goes in the
books. Where is this summer going? Things started off with a bit of
a bang, or almost bang when Insanity's trailer tire shredded on the
400. Luckily the tire held together and they managed to get the
spare on and all was well—almost. We DYC members have been
telling the out-of-town boats for years that they should put in at
DYC and sail down the lake to Youngstown. To our surprise and joy
Insanity had planned to do just this thing this year, until they
found out that our crane was broken. Ouch. So pack up the boat and
drive off to Youngstown. We almost had Ashley talked into sailing
down with us but I'm sure that Debbie had the hammer on her.
After repairing the mast sheave we started off to Youngstown in typical fashion and had a nice pleasant sail happening under spinnaker. When the heat got to be too much we stopped for our traditional swim and had an excellent time. Once underway, and just in time it turns out, we were hit by the tail end of a pretty nasty storm. It was quite fun sailing in the torrential rain while the sun was shining on us. We had the most incredible rainbow appear once it passed and the rest of the trip was a nice easy sail into Youngstown. Customs/Immigration was a breeze due to the pre-registration they have now. I thought for sure that Homeland Security was going to pull me aside but luckily it didn't happen. Whew, cornhole still intact.
The party on Friday night was a bit laid back but everyone had a great time. I think the anticipation of racing was holding most back from really letting loose. Saturday dawned bright and beautiful and there was plenty of wind. The racing was intense and mistakes were immediately costly. Jamie and his team on Marauder, including Jeff Kirby, were on fire. They seemed to be pointing in another league from everyone else. We assumed that the new guy had something to do with it but Jamie isn't talking. Big thanks to Marauder for taking Jeff under their wing and showing him a great performance on Saturday. We had a couple of strange round-ups and bad tacks which really affected our standing. Like I said, mistakes were costly and we weren't the only ones making them. There was quite a commotion just off our leeward stern during the second race and we just caught the action where Ruby Tuesday almost punched a hole in the mid-girth of the Bender. Close call for sure on that one. As usual Insanity showed everyone how it was done and had a commanding lead after the first three races.
The party on Saturday really heated up and the true Kirby spirit started to show. The K25 get-together was better than ever so make sure to check out the pictures in the gallery. Max was wasted (Sorry Maxie boy) and had the crazy eye. The highlight of the night for sure was Paul the human blender. Time for some new batteries for that portable unit, or I can try not to forget the real blender again.
Sunday was a different story altogether. Let's just say light and variable was a kind description. We had nothingranging to about 2 knots with as much as 50 degree shifts occurring. The committee started the race but around the second mark things died down to pretty much nothing for what seemed like forever. Floating around for more than an hour was painful to say the least. I had commented after the day that we should have thrown out the anchor and it turns out that the boys on SummerSalt had done just that. A nice move and good use of the rules. We somehow managed to find ourselves in what seemed like a really good position when the wind came back. We were split from Insanity quite some distance and it became a drag race to the finish where, surprise surprise, they nicked us at the line to take the win. If we'd have taken that race we would have locked up third place. We, and most of the other teams, thought that we had third anyway due to the way that they traditionally score at the Levels. There was a 3 way tie for third and usually the last race determines the winner. Even though it didn't go our way this year I was glad to see that they changed the scoring to fall in line with the RRS. Ruby deservedly took third and that's the way it should be.
Of course Insanity took the big prize and I don't think anyone will argue that they didn't deserve it. I told you they would be hard to beat this year. Jamie and his Marauders took second and rightly so. They were easily the second best team on the weekend but we suspect that Jeff Kirby may have had something to do with it. Just kidding guys, good job.
From all accounts it was another great Level regatta and we also got to meet Todd Swan who subsequently sent me this email:
Rick,
It was great to finally get a chance to meet some of you Kirby folks this past weekend at Youngstown. I Hope to make the Corn Cup, if I can swing things domestically and get the crew to commit.
Swany
PS: I guess you guys passed the strip search and cavity check.
Thanks to all the boats who attended for making this such a great event. Results are posted. See you all at Frenchman's.
After repairing the mast sheave we started off to Youngstown in typical fashion and had a nice pleasant sail happening under spinnaker. When the heat got to be too much we stopped for our traditional swim and had an excellent time. Once underway, and just in time it turns out, we were hit by the tail end of a pretty nasty storm. It was quite fun sailing in the torrential rain while the sun was shining on us. We had the most incredible rainbow appear once it passed and the rest of the trip was a nice easy sail into Youngstown. Customs/Immigration was a breeze due to the pre-registration they have now. I thought for sure that Homeland Security was going to pull me aside but luckily it didn't happen. Whew, cornhole still intact.
The party on Friday night was a bit laid back but everyone had a great time. I think the anticipation of racing was holding most back from really letting loose. Saturday dawned bright and beautiful and there was plenty of wind. The racing was intense and mistakes were immediately costly. Jamie and his team on Marauder, including Jeff Kirby, were on fire. They seemed to be pointing in another league from everyone else. We assumed that the new guy had something to do with it but Jamie isn't talking. Big thanks to Marauder for taking Jeff under their wing and showing him a great performance on Saturday. We had a couple of strange round-ups and bad tacks which really affected our standing. Like I said, mistakes were costly and we weren't the only ones making them. There was quite a commotion just off our leeward stern during the second race and we just caught the action where Ruby Tuesday almost punched a hole in the mid-girth of the Bender. Close call for sure on that one. As usual Insanity showed everyone how it was done and had a commanding lead after the first three races.
The party on Saturday really heated up and the true Kirby spirit started to show. The K25 get-together was better than ever so make sure to check out the pictures in the gallery. Max was wasted (Sorry Maxie boy) and had the crazy eye. The highlight of the night for sure was Paul the human blender. Time for some new batteries for that portable unit, or I can try not to forget the real blender again.
Sunday was a different story altogether. Let's just say light and variable was a kind description. We had nothingranging to about 2 knots with as much as 50 degree shifts occurring. The committee started the race but around the second mark things died down to pretty much nothing for what seemed like forever. Floating around for more than an hour was painful to say the least. I had commented after the day that we should have thrown out the anchor and it turns out that the boys on SummerSalt had done just that. A nice move and good use of the rules. We somehow managed to find ourselves in what seemed like a really good position when the wind came back. We were split from Insanity quite some distance and it became a drag race to the finish where, surprise surprise, they nicked us at the line to take the win. If we'd have taken that race we would have locked up third place. We, and most of the other teams, thought that we had third anyway due to the way that they traditionally score at the Levels. There was a 3 way tie for third and usually the last race determines the winner. Even though it didn't go our way this year I was glad to see that they changed the scoring to fall in line with the RRS. Ruby deservedly took third and that's the way it should be.
Of course Insanity took the big prize and I don't think anyone will argue that they didn't deserve it. I told you they would be hard to beat this year. Jamie and his Marauders took second and rightly so. They were easily the second best team on the weekend but we suspect that Jeff Kirby may have had something to do with it. Just kidding guys, good job.
From all accounts it was another great Level regatta and we also got to meet Todd Swan who subsequently sent me this email:
Rick,
It was great to finally get a chance to meet some of you Kirby folks this past weekend at Youngstown. I Hope to make the Corn Cup, if I can swing things domestically and get the crew to commit.
Swany
PS: I guess you guys passed the strip search and cavity check.
Thanks to all the boats who attended for making this such a great event. Results are posted. See you all at Frenchman's.
Level Regatta Photos
10 • August • 2006 • 10:43 •
Jeff Kirby sent this link to the photos that he took at the
regatta.
He has been ordered to provide a full account of his adventures at the regatta. Stay tuned.
Our pictures are in the Gallery here.
He has been ordered to provide a full account of his adventures at the regatta. Stay tuned.
Our pictures are in the Gallery here.
Youngstown Level Regatta
28 • July • 2006 • 09:36 •
I'm leaving for the regatta now. Joe
is probably drunk already, sitting on the boat cursing me. We
busted our mast sheave on Wednesday and luckily Paul still had his
old one so we have to do an emergency repair today just before we
leave.
We were in Youngstown last night making camp and things are looking as usual. We have 7 boats registered so far so we should be on the same course as last year with the J22's and J24's. I will be out of touch with my computer for the weekend so if I don't answer your emails I will get back to you next week. I need a bit of a break. Gin and tonic? Yes please, make it two, and a Mount Gay slushy.
Full report will follow next week and I will be taking my camera. You never know what Jamie has in store for us.
Jeff Kirby, K25-32, Cleo, from Minnesota, is attending. He couldn't bring his boat this time but hopefully we can get him to write about his first time attending the Level Regatta.
Be back soon.
We were in Youngstown last night making camp and things are looking as usual. We have 7 boats registered so far so we should be on the same course as last year with the J22's and J24's. I will be out of touch with my computer for the weekend so if I don't answer your emails I will get back to you next week. I need a bit of a break. Gin and tonic? Yes please, make it two, and a Mount Gay slushy.
Full report will follow next week and I will be taking my camera. You never know what Jamie has in store for us.
Jeff Kirby, K25-32, Cleo, from Minnesota, is attending. He couldn't bring his boat this time but hopefully we can get him to write about his first time attending the Level Regatta.
Be back soon.
33rd Annual Youngstown Level Regatta
12 • July • 2006 • 13:57 •
This can't be good.
The 33rd Annual Youngstown Level Regatta is scheduled for July 29th and 30th. The Notice of Race and Registration form are now available at http://yyc.org/levelregatta/level_home.html . The completed registration form should be faxed to 716-745-7365 or mailed to Youngstown Yacht Club, PO Box 379, Youngstown, NY 14174 by July 21st. Canadian participants will also find an important immigration form and instructions that will help expedite your arrival in Youngstown.
The Level Regatta has been one of the most popular sailing events on Lake Ontario for 33 years. This year, we were forced to make a change to one of the longstanding and popular traditions of the event. Due to changes in New York State liquor laws we can no longer distribute free beer. There is just no way around it. Our Canadian friends can understand this as they have very strict rules regarding beer and liquor giveaways. So this year we will charge $1 per beer. Tickets for six beers are included in the price of each wristband.
In order to make camping more comfortable for our competitors, camping along the waterfront will be reserved for racers only. We are implementing a permit system that will require proof of sailing on one of the competing boats. Information on how to acquire a tent permit will be emailed to the skipper once they have registered for the regatta. Camping for non-racers will be in a location to be announced.
We're proud to have West Marine, Mount Gay, Labatts, Quantum Sails, Doyle Sailmakers Cleveland and the Rob Swain Sailing School (www.swainsailing.com) as this year's major sponsors. The entertainment line-up is fantastic, Mt. Gay hats will be provided, the rum will be flowing at the Mt. Gay bar, and the racing will be a lot of fun.
No free beer? Tent permits? I sense a serious decline in popularity for this regatta. I predict that the parties will move to the rafts where all the asshats will certainly do stupid things and piss everyone off. They'll hardly sell any beer because you can buy much better beer in a can for the same price. I don't really care because most of the time I can't choke down more that six or so of their cheap swill anyway. The rum tent is where it's at. I'd say we better enjoy this one just in case. I sincerely hope that the organizers can overcome this policy change because I really like this regatta for many reasons. Here's hoping for the best.
And don't forget about the cavity checks.
The 33rd Annual Youngstown Level Regatta is scheduled for July 29th and 30th. The Notice of Race and Registration form are now available at http://yyc.org/levelregatta/level_home.html . The completed registration form should be faxed to 716-745-7365 or mailed to Youngstown Yacht Club, PO Box 379, Youngstown, NY 14174 by July 21st. Canadian participants will also find an important immigration form and instructions that will help expedite your arrival in Youngstown.
The Level Regatta has been one of the most popular sailing events on Lake Ontario for 33 years. This year, we were forced to make a change to one of the longstanding and popular traditions of the event. Due to changes in New York State liquor laws we can no longer distribute free beer. There is just no way around it. Our Canadian friends can understand this as they have very strict rules regarding beer and liquor giveaways. So this year we will charge $1 per beer. Tickets for six beers are included in the price of each wristband.
In order to make camping more comfortable for our competitors, camping along the waterfront will be reserved for racers only. We are implementing a permit system that will require proof of sailing on one of the competing boats. Information on how to acquire a tent permit will be emailed to the skipper once they have registered for the regatta. Camping for non-racers will be in a location to be announced.
We're proud to have West Marine, Mount Gay, Labatts, Quantum Sails, Doyle Sailmakers Cleveland and the Rob Swain Sailing School (www.swainsailing.com) as this year's major sponsors. The entertainment line-up is fantastic, Mt. Gay hats will be provided, the rum will be flowing at the Mt. Gay bar, and the racing will be a lot of fun.
No free beer? Tent permits? I sense a serious decline in popularity for this regatta. I predict that the parties will move to the rafts where all the asshats will certainly do stupid things and piss everyone off. They'll hardly sell any beer because you can buy much better beer in a can for the same price. I don't really care because most of the time I can't choke down more that six or so of their cheap swill anyway. The rum tent is where it's at. I'd say we better enjoy this one just in case. I sincerely hope that the organizers can overcome this policy change because I really like this regatta for many reasons. Here's hoping for the best.
And don't forget about the cavity checks.
1226 Kilometres
25 • June • 2006 • 09:20 •
That was the the total round trip. The
2006 NOD is now in the history books and by all accounts was a
great success.
We left Friday morning about 9 AM. I was supposed to pick up Joe at around 8 AM so it was several hours before we got off the subject of time. He likes to be "on schedule". Stopping in Dalhousie to pick up the boat and Max, who was crewing for Paul, was pretty uneventful but anticipation was high. There's nothing quite like the beginning of a road trip to get you excited. Paul was already at the club and pretty close to leaving. In fact he pulled out just ahead of us and we were both off and running just before 10:30.
In short order the Hemi pulled past Paul who was taking it easy on his little truck transmission, which has been "going" for many years now. I did discover, courtesy of Joe, that my truck/trailer combination has no real difficulty doing 130+ Km/hr. I suppose moving from the Aveo to the Hemi gave him some kind of adrenaline rush and we had to tone it down a few times. Easy boy…we'll get there. We also apparently joined the ranks of the ultra-wealthy when he pulled into the "we serve" aisle of the outrageously priced highway gasoline vendor. I reckon that it cost us about $2.80 for a windshield wash. The guy did a good job though.
The strangest thing appeared on the way up to Nepean. I was in the passenger seat so I don't have real good first-hand eyewitness status but by all other reports it appeared quite pasty-white and was apparently pressed quite flat against a piece of glass. It turns out that the vehicle containing said glass belonged to my crew who happened to be passing us on the 401. This strange pasty-white beast made several more appearances over the course of the weekend and curiously didn't seem to be getting much sun. I guess that's why they say "where the sun don't shine."
We arrived in Nepean around 4:30 PM. Paul arrived shortly after us and in no time at all the boats were in the water and rigged. NSC has quite a nice setup for getting boats in and out quickly. We thought that six hours was pretty good considering that we stopped three times and had a windshield wash as well. Tents sprouted, lawn chairs sprang up, Ashley appeared and other familiar faces began to wander by. In no time at all the Hibachi was fired up, beer began flowing and life was good.
As anyone who has ever pitched a tent can attest to, the minute you do pitch that tent the rain gods get an instant message from someone. Yes, it poured. The rain started with a small drizzle around 11:30 when most of the gathering decided to call it quits for the night. The Pablonians and a few of their followers were said to have stayed up past 3 AM however. Saturday morning was pretty much filled with activities related to the drying of clothes, tents and sleeping bags.
After the usual coffee-bagel-poop-skippers meeting-poop-get ice-get water-get beer ritual we were off to the racecourse. Racing on Saturday was a crazy mix of wind/no wind and a healthy dose of 30 and 40 degree windshifts. First to last in less than 30 seconds wasn't unrealistic. We had a nice breather with a no-wind break of about an hour where everyone just soaked up the summer. I'd like to say that we did poorly on Saturday because of some crazy combination of road-weariness, gin/tonic and lack of local knowledge. Too bad Insanity did so well or that excuse might have held some water. It must have been their new spinnaker pimping Barrie Ford. Either way, the racing was challenging.
We did the tourist thing on Saturday night. Ramzi spent some time living/working in Ottawa and took us to all the places a tourist might want to see. Pasty-white showed up again-the Prime Minister would probably not be amused. We found the lost ruby slipper and bumped into the Travelocity gnome as well. Back at the Yacht club the blender made its appearance and we put quite a few miles on it that night. Kirby tent city was definitely the place to be partying. The strangest thing happened to Paul where his shoe somehow became airborne when he slipped on something- or wobbled. The shoe in question landed squarely on his nose. You had to be there. And there were reports that Simon had a problem finding and/or losing some cookies. I wasn't there so I couldn't help him find them. Somehow Max managed to sleep in his tent only a few feet away from the blaring boombox. I heard many grumbles the next morning from some of the non-party participants. Oh well.
Sunday's racing started off quite pleasant. Good breeze and much more steady. For some reason the race committee took a break after the first race and waited for the wind to crank up to the extreme. The second race was a battle, mostly with the boat and not really with anyone else. We just couldn't seem to pull it together. Things were breaking all around us and every way we went seemed to be the wrong way. We decided to get an early start on the crane and bailed out after the second race. I heard that the third race was more of the same with some big wind and lots of fun.
Doug said that Insanity and his crew just got lucky…five times. We didn't find that kind of luck on the course. Hugh and his team on Wave were tough as well and Simon was keeping everyone on their toes. At some point or another every boat seemed to have their moments of brilliance and other moments of desperation. All-in-all the racing was tough and the best team won. The way it should be. We were lousy and it showed. Insanity is going to be tough to beat this year.
Thanks to Simon, Hugh, Dwight, Mike, Steve and the rest of NSC for showing us all a good time.
The results are here.
Check out our pictures here.
Official regatta pictures are here.
We left Friday morning about 9 AM. I was supposed to pick up Joe at around 8 AM so it was several hours before we got off the subject of time. He likes to be "on schedule". Stopping in Dalhousie to pick up the boat and Max, who was crewing for Paul, was pretty uneventful but anticipation was high. There's nothing quite like the beginning of a road trip to get you excited. Paul was already at the club and pretty close to leaving. In fact he pulled out just ahead of us and we were both off and running just before 10:30.
In short order the Hemi pulled past Paul who was taking it easy on his little truck transmission, which has been "going" for many years now. I did discover, courtesy of Joe, that my truck/trailer combination has no real difficulty doing 130+ Km/hr. I suppose moving from the Aveo to the Hemi gave him some kind of adrenaline rush and we had to tone it down a few times. Easy boy…we'll get there. We also apparently joined the ranks of the ultra-wealthy when he pulled into the "we serve" aisle of the outrageously priced highway gasoline vendor. I reckon that it cost us about $2.80 for a windshield wash. The guy did a good job though.
The strangest thing appeared on the way up to Nepean. I was in the passenger seat so I don't have real good first-hand eyewitness status but by all other reports it appeared quite pasty-white and was apparently pressed quite flat against a piece of glass. It turns out that the vehicle containing said glass belonged to my crew who happened to be passing us on the 401. This strange pasty-white beast made several more appearances over the course of the weekend and curiously didn't seem to be getting much sun. I guess that's why they say "where the sun don't shine."
We arrived in Nepean around 4:30 PM. Paul arrived shortly after us and in no time at all the boats were in the water and rigged. NSC has quite a nice setup for getting boats in and out quickly. We thought that six hours was pretty good considering that we stopped three times and had a windshield wash as well. Tents sprouted, lawn chairs sprang up, Ashley appeared and other familiar faces began to wander by. In no time at all the Hibachi was fired up, beer began flowing and life was good.
As anyone who has ever pitched a tent can attest to, the minute you do pitch that tent the rain gods get an instant message from someone. Yes, it poured. The rain started with a small drizzle around 11:30 when most of the gathering decided to call it quits for the night. The Pablonians and a few of their followers were said to have stayed up past 3 AM however. Saturday morning was pretty much filled with activities related to the drying of clothes, tents and sleeping bags.
After the usual coffee-bagel-poop-skippers meeting-poop-get ice-get water-get beer ritual we were off to the racecourse. Racing on Saturday was a crazy mix of wind/no wind and a healthy dose of 30 and 40 degree windshifts. First to last in less than 30 seconds wasn't unrealistic. We had a nice breather with a no-wind break of about an hour where everyone just soaked up the summer. I'd like to say that we did poorly on Saturday because of some crazy combination of road-weariness, gin/tonic and lack of local knowledge. Too bad Insanity did so well or that excuse might have held some water. It must have been their new spinnaker pimping Barrie Ford. Either way, the racing was challenging.
We did the tourist thing on Saturday night. Ramzi spent some time living/working in Ottawa and took us to all the places a tourist might want to see. Pasty-white showed up again-the Prime Minister would probably not be amused. We found the lost ruby slipper and bumped into the Travelocity gnome as well. Back at the Yacht club the blender made its appearance and we put quite a few miles on it that night. Kirby tent city was definitely the place to be partying. The strangest thing happened to Paul where his shoe somehow became airborne when he slipped on something- or wobbled. The shoe in question landed squarely on his nose. You had to be there. And there were reports that Simon had a problem finding and/or losing some cookies. I wasn't there so I couldn't help him find them. Somehow Max managed to sleep in his tent only a few feet away from the blaring boombox. I heard many grumbles the next morning from some of the non-party participants. Oh well.
Sunday's racing started off quite pleasant. Good breeze and much more steady. For some reason the race committee took a break after the first race and waited for the wind to crank up to the extreme. The second race was a battle, mostly with the boat and not really with anyone else. We just couldn't seem to pull it together. Things were breaking all around us and every way we went seemed to be the wrong way. We decided to get an early start on the crane and bailed out after the second race. I heard that the third race was more of the same with some big wind and lots of fun.
Doug said that Insanity and his crew just got lucky…five times. We didn't find that kind of luck on the course. Hugh and his team on Wave were tough as well and Simon was keeping everyone on their toes. At some point or another every boat seemed to have their moments of brilliance and other moments of desperation. All-in-all the racing was tough and the best team won. The way it should be. We were lousy and it showed. Insanity is going to be tough to beat this year.
Thanks to Simon, Hugh, Dwight, Mike, Steve and the rest of NSC for showing us all a good time.
The results are here.
Check out our pictures here.
Official regatta pictures are here.
Insanity
06 • June • 2006 • 16:07 •
From Ashley:
Hello Everyone,
It is not just a rumour that Insanity will be at the NOD....we WILL be making the trek up to Ottawa and to every other regatta this season.
We hope that we will get a great turnout and look forward to seeing you all on the water and sharing a drink (or two) after the races!
See you soon,
Ashley (and the rest of Insanity)
I hope dancing Doug shows up.
Hello Everyone,
It is not just a rumour that Insanity will be at the NOD....we WILL be making the trek up to Ottawa and to every other regatta this season.
We hope that we will get a great turnout and look forward to seeing you all on the water and sharing a drink (or two) after the races!
See you soon,
Ashley (and the rest of Insanity)
I hope dancing Doug shows up.
NOD
06 • June • 2006 • 16:01 •
We
are encouraging people to register on-line and we want all
competitors to note that the registration desk will NOT be open on
Saturday morning. Please see the NOR for
more information - draft SI's will be posted to the
NOD
Webpage within a
few days and the final SI's will be distributed at the event with
your regatta package. NOD Regatta June 16-18, 2006.
Registration now available On-line.
Save time and money by registering
early!
Regards
Bert Ritcey
NOD Chair 2006
Regards
Bert Ritcey
NOD Chair 2006
Youngstown
16 • May • 2006 • 14:50 •
Jeff Kirby from Wayzata, Minnesota
sends us this note:
Rick,
I have just gotten strong reinforcement for coming your way and spending a
weekend with experienced K25 sailors. We just sailed our first race this
year and got our ass handed to us, big time! This was fairly heavy air,
gusting 18 to 20, we were flying our number 3 and flattened the main pretty
well with backstay, cunninham and outhaul. Boats with substantially higher
phrf ratings were outsailing us. Last year we found that in light air we
were fairly competitive but we have a lot of heavy air here and need to know
how to handle it.
I am in the process of setting up meetings in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal
and Toronto for the last week of July. This will be a bit exhausting and I
will be ready for a weekend on the water.
Where should I plan to be on the 28th and when should I plan returning. A
couple of weeks would be great but reality says sometime on Monday.
Regards,
Jeff
I had previously told Jeff that if he was anywhere near Youngstown at the end of July that we would entertain him at the Levels. I'm pretty sure that we can hook him up with a Kirby if he makes it this far. All for one…
Podcast
Rick,
I have just gotten strong reinforcement for coming your way and spending a
weekend with experienced K25 sailors. We just sailed our first race this
year and got our ass handed to us, big time! This was fairly heavy air,
gusting 18 to 20, we were flying our number 3 and flattened the main pretty
well with backstay, cunninham and outhaul. Boats with substantially higher
phrf ratings were outsailing us. Last year we found that in light air we
were fairly competitive but we have a lot of heavy air here and need to know
how to handle it.
I am in the process of setting up meetings in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal
and Toronto for the last week of July. This will be a bit exhausting and I
will be ready for a weekend on the water.
Where should I plan to be on the 28th and when should I plan returning. A
couple of weeks would be great but reality says sometime on Monday.
Regards,
Jeff
I had previously told Jeff that if he was anywhere near Youngstown at the end of July that we would entertain him at the Levels. I'm pretty sure that we can hook him up with a Kirby if he makes it this far. All for one…
Podcast
NOD Bender
04 • May • 2006 • 23:01 •
Bender's Mom said he can't go to the
NOD.
I've been informed that the weekend of June 17th is a celebration of my mothers birth. Relatives and friends from all over Canada are going to be there as well as her three wonderful sons. I'm looking at flights from Ottawa to sneak back and forth but not looking good. Sorry I was really excited about this and bought a truck for the occasion, if I can't go for sure I'll lend my trailer to any one needing it.
Andrew Krall
I'm thinking that he could move the party to Ottawa and everything would be fine. NSC is a nice place, with a waterfront view.
I've been informed that the weekend of June 17th is a celebration of my mothers birth. Relatives and friends from all over Canada are going to be there as well as her three wonderful sons. I'm looking at flights from Ottawa to sneak back and forth but not looking good. Sorry I was really excited about this and bought a truck for the occasion, if I can't go for sure I'll lend my trailer to any one needing it.
Andrew Krall
I'm thinking that he could move the party to Ottawa and everything would be fine. NSC is a nice place, with a waterfront view.
NOD
11 • April • 2006 • 15:58 •
The NOD is fast approaching – 66 days and counting down. Keep an
eye on the NOD website for updates and the
notice of race.
We have 3 boats confirmed traveling from DYC to Ottawa for the
regatta. It looks like this might be the best starting line we've
seen in many years so get your dancing shoes on and come out and
play. I have done this regatta in my Fireball and I can tell you
that they put on a first-class show. The club facilities are
amongst the best I have seen.
Barrie Regatta
20 • January • 2006 • 07:22 •
From our friends in Barrie.
Hi Rick,
Our Dry sail Chair, Dave Morton brought up an excellent point.
I understand that the Kirby's have a Regatta in Dalhousie on Sept 2/3.
Please advertise the fact that out of town crews are welcome to leave their
boats at the Barrie Yacht Club from then until the 16/17 if it helps in
their travel plans.
Sincerely,
Pat Wachholz
Hi Rick,
Our Dry sail Chair, Dave Morton brought up an excellent point.
I understand that the Kirby's have a Regatta in Dalhousie on Sept 2/3.
Please advertise the fact that out of town crews are welcome to leave their
boats at the Barrie Yacht Club from then until the 16/17 if it helps in
their travel plans.
Sincerely,
Pat Wachholz