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the Clark Lake Fall Regatta
Clark Lake YC * Sept. 24-25, 2005
Race 5 pics
by Dan Hockenberry

Marc and I particularly admired Leland Brode? (3084) and his Sunfish lounging expertise as we awaited race 5 which gave us the same course as, but slightly better ...
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... winds than race 4. The current wind direction favours the RC Boat end and the Interlakes have just gotten off to a fine start.
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Bob Bradley (1332) - in a three-way fight over the series lead with Tom Marriott and Jamie Jones - is moving well off the line but will be stuck on starboard tack for a little while at least. Going into this race, Tom leads the Interlake series with 11 points over Jamie (12 pts.) while Bob has 13 points. It's still anybody's series.
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Sunfish, Dan Norton, admires fine Rebel starts by Jim Quiniff (2nd from left) and Brian Main (r).
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Seconds later, Dave Nickels (2nd from left) is already managing to lift out above Jim (4179). Brian Main (4160) continues to move well but Jeff Hoover (416) is about to become the meat in the 4179/4160 sandwich and will have no escape until some of the starboard mess to windward and astern clears up. In 4180, Marc Bennett now has the helm and is off to a "cautious" start. Still, it fits with our strategy of getting the RC Boat end at all costs - even a late start. In about two seconds, Marc will be the first to tack. And it'll be an easier choice for Marc who is sailing in nothing but dirt than for Dave Nickels who would have to desert a nicely lifted starboard tack.
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A few minutes later, Marc (3rd from left) has already managed to pinch off Dave (4th from left) after being the first to tack. Jeff Hoover (far left) is nicely lifted inside and may be in the lead but will be in tough shape when the wind oscillates back to starboard favoured and both Marc and Dave will be able to cross Jeff (if he gets the same shift, which around here is not a given!!) If all three leaders get knocked say 20°, Jeff will have two bad options: he can hold port and cross behind Marc and Dave when they tack, or tack on the knock and start getting dangerously close to the Eagle Point shore and its series of dead spots. As I remarked to Marc: "All in all, I'd rather be here!"
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The Sunfish start: Derrick Fries (11070) gets the perfect RC Boat end start and a leg up in his winner-take-all battle with Dan Norton who is nowhere to be seen as yet.
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Much better winds for the Interlakes as they near the end of their second reach in this race! Bob Sagan (green spi) and Bob Bradley (far right) have a comfortable edge over the fleet as they ...
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... duel for the lead while approaching mark 5 and the start of their final-leg beat. Were it not for a race 3 10th that he has to count, Bob Sagan would now be making this series a close four-way tussle in the Interlakes.
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Near the mark, Jim Bradley (far left) brings up a puff and threaten to grab an inside overlap on Jamie Jones (1267) and Tom Marriott (909) who are currently fighting over 3rd place.
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Dave Nickels and Todd Schmida lead the Rebels onto the final beat. Dave made the most of a timely lift and puff near the end of the first beat where he took the lead from Marc and Al who were about to round the mark in first but had to tack to keep clear. On the last half of the second reach, Dave increased his lead from two lengths to 200 yards while ...
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... Marc (r) was busy fighting off a threat from Jim and Theresa (4179). Above, Dave has done the right thing by tacking off the favoured starboard tack for a bit in order to put some of his 200-yard lead into each tack.
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Around the mark, Marc (4180) wastes no time following Dave onto port tack. Here, Dave is too far in front to give us dirt and we can boat speed/point test against Dave while avoiding the dreaded wind shadows that Eagle Point might produce for those who hold starboard around the mark. Besides, by following Dave, we can always hope to watch him sail into a hole which we can then tack to avoid!!!
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Meanwhile Larry Schmida rounds 4th just ahead of John Hudak.
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Both Jim (2nd from left) and Larry have also made the early tack to port while a close rounding shapes up among Brian Main (4160), Jeff Hoover (416), Ron Reading and Woody Woodruff (4077). In the far distance that may be Derrick Fries (right Sunfish) we see battling Dan Norton, who will place 1-2 in both this race and the series.
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It's still close as these four enter the Two-Length Zone but it appears that ...
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... Ron and Catie (4171) will get around just ahead of Jeff and Brittany while Woody says ...
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... "after you, Alfonse! Or more precisely, "After you, Brian Main (4160) and John Weakley!!" Meanwhile, on the left, Jim (far left) and Larry continue on port. And to their left, Marc will begin to lift out on Dave. This initiates a certain amount of tacking and Marc continues to nibble away at Dave's lead while taking no undue desperation chances in his eagerness to beat Dave. And in the end, Marc got the last shift right near the finish to grab first place from Dave who just couldn't buy a lucky break in this series. Jim and Theresa took 3rd in both the race and the series while John and Larry would have their second fine Sunday race, grabbing 4th ahead of Larry Schmida and Ron Reading. Ron and Catie thus had a successful beginning and end to their series with a fine 5th and a 6th. 
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