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the Clark Lake Fall Regatta
Clark Lake YC * Sept. 24-25, 2005
Race 3 pics
by Dan Hockenberry

After nearly dying, the winds picked up again, and we got a third race in - a short one consisting of a beat to #4, a run back here to #5 and a beat to the finish at #4. In the picture above, there are just seconds before the Interlakes' start.
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As they sail back and forth before their start, Al and Marc have decided there is no reason to change their starting strategy: RC boat end for freedom to tack!
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Seconds before the Rebels' start. Note Jeff Hoover on port tack. He has wisely abandoned an attempt to re-live his race 2 glory but is now in poor shape for the upcoming start, which is the risk you take when you try for a port tack start and fail. Both Brian Main (4160) and Al (not visible near the RC boat) will have the same problem here: leaving too much speed on the boat and getting to the desired location too early, which in Brian's case, is ...  
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... much more costly than Al's. The latter (4180) only had to bear away from his clear air position into John Weakley's dirt (4162). Meanwhile, Woody (4077) has left it just a second or two too late to get up to speed and is about to ...
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... get rolled by Dave Nickels (4176) and John Weakley (to windward of Dave). Al (4180) meanwhile, is in damage-control mode: he does have the freedom to tack, but starboard is so favoured that he and Marc have decided it's worth eating some dirt and trying to pinch out into clearer air rather than tack. A few seconds later ...  
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... Dave and John W. continue to move very nicely in the lead as Derrick Fries in his Sunfish sails alongside briefly to see what he can learn from our start. To windward of Woody (4077), Al continues to pinch and will eventually get clear air and move into the lead around the windward mark. Behind and a bit to leeward of Al is Larry Schmida. Just behind Larry and with Ron Reading on their hip, are Jim and Theresa, who did not get a start to write home about. But one of the beauties of Clark Lake is the fact that it illustrates so well, the saying "Never say die!" By the windward mark, Jim and Theresa were lying 2nd and would ultimately win this race!!!!
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The Sunfish start: Note how Dan Norton (78829) and Derrick Fries (11070) are moving at full speed (spray gushing from under their hulls) as they hit the line. Dan, the winner of race 2, will go on to take this one as well to reach Saturday night dinner with the Sunfish series lead. Note also the course postings on the RC boat: hard to figure out the meaning of the Sunfish course - I mean, they've already reached #5, haven't they??!!
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As can be seen from these Interlake spinnakers, the run from 4 to 5 was ...
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... filled with dead spots and puffs.
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It'll be a mess of Interlakes rounding close together at #5: (l to r) Tim Marriott (1268), Bob Bradley (1338, apparently leading), Ron Gall (1325) and Mike Sharkey (1236, moving nicely under spinnaker!) Between 1268 and 1332, we can see Al (r) trying with limited success to defend his lead over the much lighter Jim and Theresa (l) while Jeff Hoover lurks just behind them.
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More Interlakes converging on #5: (l to r) Jamie Jones (1267), Jim Bradley (1376), Jack Coleman (1269), Brook Smith (1380), Don Wilson (1374)
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Bob Bradley (1332) is about to round first, followed by (l to r) Bob Sagan (628), Ron Gall (1325), Tim Marriott (1268), Jim Bradley (1376), and Brook Smith (1380).
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But it will be Tom Marriott (about to round in 909) who will emerge from this mess to win race 3, and move to within one point of series leader, Bob Bradley.
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Between James O'Brien (1282)  and Paul Geis with Mike Sharkey & friend (1236), Al Schonborn (Rebel 4180) continues to barely hold off Jim Quiniff just behind him while Dave Nickels (off the leeward corner of the 1236 spi) is making this a three- boat race. Paul (1236) looks like he'll give James (1282) a run for his money until ...
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... Mike decides to go fishing! Meanwhile, in the Rebels, Jeff Hoover (3rd from left) is having a good fight with Ron Reading (2nd from left) while Dave Nickels (l) continues ...
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... in a three-way fight for the Rebel lead with Jim (4179) and Al (4180). The latter gybed away after both Dave and Jim had passed him to windward - a move that will now almost pay off in a clear ahead rounding.
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Jim will have buoy room, as it turns out, but being windward boat, he is only entitled to enough "room" to make a seamanlike rounding, which he does very nicely. Al, however, gets to make a more gradual turn, coming in as he does, from well outside, and will keep enough speed to establish ...
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... a safe leeward position on both Jim (4179) and Dave (4176). Dave does however, have the advantage of freedom to tack to starboard which at this point is vastly favoured. All three leaders soon tacked, whereupon Al used his windward position to force Dave and Jim ever closer to the lee shore, where Al hoped they would get progressively less wind. This plan worked to perfection as both Dave and Jim eventually had to tack and cross behind Al. A few more shifts and Al had upped his lead to a good 100 yards over second-place Jim about a quarter-mile from the finish. Now Marc and Al were faced with a dilemma: they had Jim about 100 yards straight off their transom and should ideally convert 30 of those yards into windward lead, but a tack to port would take them closer to the dreaded wind-blocking trees near #4. Finally, Al couldn't stand the nerves any longer and shoved the tiller over to tack - only to find Chuck Quebbeman in his Laser on a port-tack run about 20 yards off his bow. Assuming that the Laser would move forward, Al held his course, figuring he might need to help the give-way boat (the Laser was windward boat) by luffing slightly to clear his boom and transom. Alas, the Laser managed to come to a complete stop such that Al had to luff almost head to wind to drift past - all the while thinking very unkind thoughts about poor Chuck.
By this time, Jim was lifted on starboard and into a nice little puff. As he bore away to a closehauled port-tack course, Al could still cross but not by too much. Marc had already expressed his unhappiness with Al's original tack but was even less amused when Al compounded his error by tacking back to starboard right off Jim's bow - a tactic that would normally work just fine - but not when your boat has very little way on. Marc, to his credit, was his usual model of restraint as Jim and Theresa used their momentum to ghost through our wind shadow. We got our speed up in time to briefly stay bow to bow with Jim, but the latter simply outsailed Al when the pressure was on, moving into a lee-bow position and pulling away to finish a comfortable first ahead of Al (2nd) and Dave Nickels (3rd). Unfortunately for Jim and Theresa, Dan was occupied elsewhere, so that we have no photos of their great finish! Congratulations anyway, Jim and Theresa!
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Meanwhile, back at mark #5, the main body of the Rebel fleet remains closely bunched. Larry Schmida (4191) will round just nicely clear of the mess and go on to take 4th place. John Weakley (4162) is also well placed and will round ...
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... inside Ron Reading (4171). Following them are (l to r) John Hudak, Brian Main, Jeff Hoover and Woody Woodruff. The final beat will be a victory of sorts for Jeff and Brittany Hoover who will pass both John Weakley and Ron Reading to grab 5th place, their best result of the day.
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A few minutes later. Note how (overly) straight the main leeches are on 4162 (too much vang??) and 4194 (far left, too much vang or sheet tension or both??). This tends to be very slow in these light airs. Remember: "When in doubt, let it out!!!"
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The Mutineer finishes his first beat at last.
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Preparing for the final beat: Derrick leads Dan who will, however, pass Derrick to win this race.
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