New SHADES team impressive at weather-blessed Midwinters!!

Tony Krauss made a fine crewing début aboard W3854 SHADES at the 2011 Wayfarer Midwinters Friday 4 February through Sunday, the 6th. Tony and and Uncle Al Schonborn scored 2-1-1-1-1-1-1 to win going away in a 14-boat Wayfarer fleet.

the Lake Eustis SC - MC Scow on right

As has become a tradition, we shared the Lake Eustis waters with 35 MC Scows who were having their annual Train Wreck Regatta at the Lake Eustis SC. Our 7-race series was sailed in mostly great sailing winds and ideal temperatures, and in addition, we were able to welcome a number of most enjoyable newcomers into our midst. The one sour note was the fact that defending champion, Peter Rahn, had his knee lock up on him on the Thursday night before the regatta and was thus unable to sail with us. He and son, Alex, ended up going home on Saturday afternoon.

The flawless shorts-and-T-shirt weather was already available to us on Thursday so that many of us, especially visitors from the less clement climes, got a bit of practice sailing in on the Thursday - see (l to r above) Uncle Al and Tony, Richard and Michele, a still healthy at that time Peter Rahn and son, Alex. And to add to the realism, our main Midwinters organizers, Mike and Dotty Murto, had the draft beer keg fully operational.

Friday greeted us with warm sunshine and light winds. Our host club was already a hive of activity as Tony, Mary and I arrived after our traditional breakfast at The Mason Jar. Even though the 35-boat MC Scow fleet would not be racing on the Friday, a lot of them were there to take part in some Friday on-the-water training organized by the lovable Scott Tillema (above).

We quickly snatched up a few supplementary goodies from the breakfast buffet that Mike and Dotty and other nice LESC people put out early each morning. We then checked our boat which, copying Richard Johnson's fine lead, we were leaving on the Sam Chapin Beach (above) beside the clubhouse for the weekend. All was well, as expected. So there was nothing left to do but drink coffee or tea and chat with friends in temperatures that were about 60°F warmer than what we had left behind  :) :)

 

At the scheduled 1000 hrs, regatta co-chair, Mike Murto (above left), welcomed us and then handed off to our superb Race Officer, Dave Williams (above right) who gave us our Competitors' Briefing. The latter quickly explained that we would be sailing windward-leewards with a windward offset mark all weekend, course length to be 1½ or 2½ sausages as posted on the side of the RC boat. On the Friday, we would use the start mark as our leeward mark, but on Saturday and Sunday, the large number of MCs would necessitate two changes (see photo above):

1. Boats would mark the start line extremities plus there would be a mid-line mark. MCs could start on either half of that line while the Ws would be limited to the right-hand half

By 11-ish we were out and ready to race our one race before the scheduled lunch break ashore. Alas, the wind had other ideas: We got a major shift with just over a minute to go in the countdown which caused our excellent RC to postpone. Minutes later, the wind died entirely and we were towed back to shore for an early lunch. And a very relaxed and extended lunch it was, as the wind took more than two hours to return.

But at last, a nice little 5- to 10-knot breeze that would more or less hold as the afternoon wore on, filled in from the south, and our first of three Friday races got underway at about 1420 hrs. Actually, as Richard Watterson points out, I would be remiss if I didn't point out his and my pivotal role in bringing that wind:

Hi, Uncle Al:

Don't forget to credit me (and you) for bringing (as opposed to breaking) wind on Friday afternoon.  If you remember, we were sitting on the bench sunning ourselves (drinking free beer) and making the best of a windless although otherwise perfect Florida afternoon.  I had the thought that to bring wind, I should invoke the help of Murphy by working on my boat  which would leave me with pants down should the wind come up.  I had wanted to cut my forestay and nicopress (Al's flash: I can't stand to leave this out; it's too great: my Netscape spell checker just suggested that nicopress might be my mis-spelling of knickers!!!!) a loop in with a bungee and  short lead to connect the forestay and keep it taut and not foul my roller furling jib.  Sure enough, almost to the second that you cut the wire, the wind came up and we were hard pressed to finish up and get on the water in time for the racing.   Richard w

After a poor start (above), Al (3854) recovered nicely to lead by about 100 yards at the windward mark. On the run however, Al failed to watch the wind which veered nearly 90° towards the west. Before Al paid proper attention, Jim and Linda Heffernan were passing him, and the second beat became quite interesting as the three leading boats - Jim, Al and Richard Johnson with Michele - all rounded within 20 yards of each other. The RC had reacted well to the shift and was signalling a new windward mark location, much to our delight. In the light winds and with their new sails, Jim and Linda were able to defy Richard's and Al's best efforts to move past, and they rounded onto the run with a lead of several boat lengths over Al (photo below) while Richard lay a solid 3rd.

The ensuing run proved to be the final leg of race 1 as the RC shortened course to finish at the leeward mark, and a depressing one it was for Al and Tony: Despite their very good best efforts, Team 3854 fell further and further behind, and Jim and Linda Heffernan looked unbeatable as they won the opener in great style. Finishing a close 3rd were Richard Johnson and wife, Michele, out of Charlotte, North Carolina. The trio of Jim, Richard and Al would in fact, dominate Friday's racing as they grabbed off the top three places in all three heats. Leading the local Lake Eustis Wayfarers as well as the non-spinnaker fleet in the first race were Jim McIntyre and crew, James (not related) who placed a fine 4th while Michiganders, Jim Best and his wife, Cynthia, returned to Ws after an absence of almost 30 years with an impressive 5th, especially given that their ancient wooden W911 was leaking almost faster than they could bail!


Wasting no time at all, our RC quickly sent us off for race 2 (2½ laps, as was race 3). In slightly healthier winds, Al overcame another less than stellar start, built a lead over Jim (photo above) and subsequently did the "turnabout is fair play" thing to Jim who in fact, was hard pressed to hold off Richard. Maine's Butch Minson sailing his sister, Ellen's local W with his wife, Janice, too 4th place while LESC and non-spi honours went to Jim Lingeman with Dean Grimes who placed 5th.
 

At just after 1615 hrs, we were off for our third and final race of the day. Winds continued in the 4- to 8-knot range, and for the third consecutive time, Tony and Al led the way around the windward mark, but once more, those downwind speedsters, Jim and Linda, got past Al on the ru n and reached the leeward mark with a slight lead (photo above). A slightly early spi douse, however, paid off for Al who took a couple of seconds to look around before rounding. According to the lake surface, the wind seemed patchier on the right side of the coming beat, so Al and Tony decided to tack right at the mark (pic below).


This move ended up being decisive, as W3854 quickly regained the lead. Having been made thoroughly nervous by the Heffernans' downwind speed, Al and Tony chose not to slavishly go with Jim and Linda. This turned out to be another move that paid off, as twice, Al held off going with Jim for a minute or so when Al thought Jim was sailing to a place Al would rather not be. Each time, the SHADES lead increased gratifyingly, and Al ended up doing a horizon job before the race was done. Jim, in fact, got edged out for second place at the finish by Richard and Michele. 4th once more went to Butch and Janice while Ted Benedict, sailing solo, took 5th place as well as LESC and non-spi bragging rights. Pennsylvania's Richard Watterson snagged a 6th but was about to lose his new crew, Diane, who decided in next morning's cooler. stronger winds that the racing experience was a more intense one than she needed at this time.

There was no rest for the weary after this long, warm sailing day though. Just time to unrig, have a couple of glasses of liquid refreshment, and then Commodore Jim was announcing that the USWA AGM was getting underway inside the club (above). By the time we were done, there was the usual glorious LESC sunset on view before it was time go go home to freshen up for our usual Midwinters Friday night trip for dinner at the Quarterdeck in Umatilla.


Saturday greeted us with temperatures in the mid-60s (18°C), gray skies and SW winds of 10 to 15 knots with the occasional stronger gust - conditions that made the winds feel/look more threatening than they really were (above). Sadly, Jim Orth who had done such a great photography job on the water on Friday was no longer available, and we only got a few pics of races 4 and 5 that Mary Krauss took from the dock before lunch. In those races, the only leader that did consistently well was Al who had the weight and the experience to nail down two runaway firsts. Jim Heffernan dropped further back after placing 2-4 while Butch Minson scored a 3-7.


That 7th is misleading, however, since Butch's wife/crew (above left) packed it in for the day after the first race, leaving Butch (above right) to sail the next race solo while giving a fine demonstration how to remain well in control of the boat sailing alone while even some fully crewed boats were feeling challenged. One of those was Richard Johnson who capsized after slipping and falling in his Free Range Chickin before placing 5th in race 5. Jim Lingeman (4th) was again top LESC and non-spin boat in race 4, while another LESC team burst onto the scene this day with quite a flourish:


Mike Tighe crewed on his own W2136 for Tom McNally who, rumour has it, is a sailing instructor, an eminently believable scenario, judging by the way Tom and Mike performed. After missing Friday's races, these two scored a fine 5th in Saturday's opener and followed that up with a sparkling 2nd in race 5 where our usually flawless RC failed to notify either Tom or me that they had moved the windward mark for the last beat. Tom and Mike, in their relentless close pursuit of ourselves, brought to mind that famous line from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: "Who are these guys??!!" Well sailed, fellows!!


And who could forget Jim and Cynthia Best who spent all Friday evening epoxying their transom (above) back to their W911 after their boat began to crack apart after a 30-year rest in storage! They no sooner made it out to the start area in the brisk breeze than their rudder started coming off. I could only watch in mute admiration as Jim stood in the back like a Venetian gondolier, steering a dead run through dozens of MC Scows with an oar that had a yellow plastic blade that reminded of nothing more than Daffy Duck's foot - while Cynthia shouted diminished capacity warnings to all and sundry. In the photo above, they are about to head out for race 5 and place an excellent 3rd. What a fine addition to our group!!!


We got back in to lunch after two races and just before a rain squall (above) and by the time things had settled a bit and we had had lunch, Mary and Diane had decided to visit an art show. Since it was still blowing a cool breeze of about 15 to 20 knots - now from the NW - and drizzling as we headed out for race 6, I decided to leave the CWA camera ashore and there are thus no pics (that I know of!) from this race. Tony and Al took a stranglehold on the series with yet another runaway win and what with the dropping temperatures and occasional showers, we were not at all unhappy when the RC dismissed us for the day. Butch Minson (with a pick-up crew??) nailed down a fine 2nd ahead of Tom McNally who again took LESC and non-spi bragging rights. Rounding out the top 5 was Jim Lingeman.


Once more, our RC looked positively prescient in sending us in on the early side: Not only were many of us getting tired but also we had no sooner put the boats away than the skies opened up for real. The heavy rain forced Saturday BBQ headquarters to move into the kitchen which fazed our oh so capable volunteers not at all and we were soon supplementing our free beer or other beverages including coffee by a fine assortment of barbecued sausages and burgers not to mention salads that were - I hear - delicious. What a lovely spot the LESC clubhouse is for socializing on a rainy night - see photos above.


The last day of our 2011 Midwinters arrived with gray skies, light NE breezes and cool temperatures in the mid-50s F. In deference to the MCs whose Train Wreck Regatta was scheduled for only the weekend days, the first Sunday race had been scheduled for 0900 hrs, which was subsequently deemed too early by most. Sadly, by the time our RC got the word, it was too late to post an official change of time, but the RC cleverly put the word out and about that the next morning at 0900 hrs, they would signal a postponement that would last one hour. True to their word, the RC sent us off at 1000 hrs into a NE wind of about 3 to 6 knots (photo above).

On the first beat of our sausage-windward (1½ legs) course, we had several lead changes and exciting, close racing. It was Jim Heffernan, I believe, who rounded first, perhaps 30 yards up on Uncle Al who was in turn closely followed by Tom McNally. Both Jim and Al pulled away a bit from the spinnaker-less Tom on the run, and Al gained very slightly on Jim. The wind having veered perhaps 20° during the run, Al and Tony decided to tack right around the left gate mark while Jim and Linda elected to hold port tack towards the right side of the course. That area looked awfully flat to us in SHADES so we decided to hold starboard tack which was providing at least reasonable wind pressure. By the time Jim tacked to starboard, we had what appeared to be a substantial lead.


But then we started getting major starboard tack lifts with increasing frequency, lifts that would, if they held, lift Jim inside of us and into the lead. So now I was praying for one more knock that would let us tack and still be able to cross Jim. In one of those rare moments that one's prayers are answered, there was a back in the wind, not huge, but I wasn't going to quibble. We immediately tacked and the wind held long enough to enable us to cross Jim and Linda. Having "defended" the right side where we were guessing the wind would shift to, we tacked "inside" of Jim just in time to be on the inside as what was left of a dying wind finally veered to the east and subsequently well beyond. This enabled us to easily lay the finish line and take the wind ahead of Jim and Linda. Inching his way across the line on a broad reach in 3rd place was Tom who in turn was followed by Butch Minson (photo above). Rounding out the top five once more was Jim Lingeman. Our clairvoyant RC said to us a we finished: "That's it. Head in!" (What the RC saw in photo below) And how right they were! Hours later, Lake Eustis was still a sheet of glass!!



For Tony, Mary and me, it was a relaxing afternoon as we were in no rush to leave. We would have an early dinner out with our hosts, Mike and Dotty, and then return to their place to watch the Super Bowl. An afternoon highlight for me was that LESC's enthusiastic but lone Rebel sailor, Glenda Libby, at last put in an appearance, having just returned from a big boat delivery junket. Wasting no time on formalities, Al got right to the heart of the matter which was that he wanted to buy a 25% share in Glenda's recently acquired second Rebel Lost Cause for $50. Glenda agreed to the deal (photo above) having duly warned me that LC was in pretty bad shape. This satisfies Rebel Class rules that require people helming their Nationals to be at least 25% owners of a Rebel. (It is to be noted that Al had previously canvassed most of his Rebel acquaintances who without exception expressed support for Al's plan.)


A fine lunch was soon served and results posted. In Wayfarers, Uncle Al and Tony Krauss (above left) sailed a sparkling series of six firsts and one second to nail down the overall win for the first time since 2007.


North Carolina's Jim and Linda Heffernan scored an equally impressive runner-up finish, ending up a whopping 13 points ahead of the 3rd-place boat, Butch Minson and his wife, Janice, from Maine (photo below).


Leading the way among non-spinnaker boats were Jim Lingeman (above right) and Dean Grimes of the host club who placed 4th overall and were declared Most Improved according to the Regatta Chairman's secret system. For once, the CWA stats agreed with Mike's assessment, although it shows Jim and Linda Heffernan also beating their seed by two places and thus tying for Most Improved.

After a fine Friday where they scored 3-3-2, Richard Johnson and his wife, Michele, of Charlotte, NC, capsized in race 4 and that pretty much killed their hopes because our Midwinters is a no-drop series. The Johnsons ended up a close 5th behind Jim and Dean.


Bursting onto our scene with quite the splash was Tom McNally (above right) who was helming Mike Tighe's W2136 with Mike as crew. Despite having to count a trio of DNCs from Friday, Tom and Mike placed 6th overall and 2nd among the non-spinnakers as they counted finishes of 5-2-3-3. Well done, Tom and Mike!!


Also ending up with 58 points but losing the tie-breaker were LESC's Mike Murto (above) with crew, Andy Douma, of Ottawa. This put them into 8th overall and won them the Top of the Bottom prize that goes to the team that places at the top of the bottom half of the fleet.


Placing 8th overall and 3rd among non-spinnakers was Richard Watterson of Hummelstown, PA and his series of crews: Diane, Ted Benedict and Jim McIntyre (above left).


Only a point further back, in 9th, were Pat Baldwin with Ed Rojohn who became the first Wayfarer to ever represent the state of Kansas in a North American Wayfarer event. I get the feeling Ed and Pat picked up a fair bit of helpful info for W3473 on this, their first foray amongst other Wayfarers.

A mere four points further back, we had three boats only a point apart from each other: LESC's Ted Benedict was 10th overall despite sailing solo and missing the three Saturday races and crewing for Richard Watterson. Close behind in 11th were Ted's fellow club members, James and Jim McIntyre who packed it in after four races.


And then along came the Bests (above) from Michigan who - according to my records - had a brief W career in 1979 and 80 (and again in 1985?). Despite their many boat problems that would have caused a lesser team to pack it in, Jim and Cynthia hung in there and scored a fine 5-3-7 in the races that they were able to complete. Our clever Regatta Chair, Mike, created a special and very deserved Tenacity Award for them. Among other things, Jim and Cynthia have already committed to sailing the 2013 Wayfarer Worlds in Mississauga. Welcome back, "guys"!!

Last year's Mike Murto crew, Izak Kielmovitch, was in his own boat this year and crewed by W veteran, Peter Hylen whom it was very nice to see again. Izak only sailed Friday's three races but I believe stepped in crew for Butch Minson(?) later.

Saving the best for last, a giant thank you to the Lake Eustis SC, to our Regatta Chairs, Mike and Dotty, and to our Race Officer, Dave Williams, as well as to their various committees who made it all possible. And of course, many thanks to Scott Tillema and the MC gang with whom it is always a ton of fun to share a regatta! The only thing that could have made things even better would have been the presence of Dave Moring and his charming family. Next year, I hope, Dave!!!!