Laser District 7

New D7 website is up!

2011-12-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

The new website is up and the blog has been moved as well. This blog will no longer be the place to go so make a note.

Everything will be in one place from now on!

http://www.laserdistrict7.com/

New D7 Website coming!

2011-11-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

A New Laser District 7 website will go up over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The web address is new and the blog will be part of the site. Please note that some information was lost regarding classifieds and fleet info. I will rely on you all to email me corrections and/or additions once it goes live.

Thank you for your patience!

Marblehead Frostbiting - tomorrow could be best day of the season!

2011-11-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

From Tom Dailey:

Tomorrow: Best day of the year: SW 10-12k with 65 f
And when we get in, a BBQ in the sun.

Last week: Stein Skaane was third, Wayne Colahan second, and JB won in beautiful conditions. After 8 racing days, no skipper has won two days in a row….only Sam Altreuder has managed to win twice, but not consecutively. Wayne has strung together lots of 2nd places, and a good number of us have regularly partied together in the back of the bus. But consistency at the top is not known in this fleet.

As the sun rises tomorrow, the challenge will fall to JB… first to arise and then to rise to the occasion. And behind that sunny smile will lurk the knowledge that with 10k of wind forecast, winning this day will require one to lean out over the side of the boat a bit. Our man doesn’t like this part of the game, and for all of us who seek to preserve the competitive balance, now you know how to beat him – and his new sail.

First race: 1230
Fee: $10 for those who have it
Prizes: Daily first, top junior, top Corinthian, top Gypsy
BBQ: burgers, dogs, and drinks after sailing

David Frazier wins the Maine Laser Championship!

2011-10-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

From Tom Jamieson

The Maine Laser Championship (MLC) series concluded on October 16th with the "Hippo Cup" in Thomaston, ME. The five month, best three of five regatta series brought in 44 different sailors from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusets and Connecticut. The overall winner was David Frazier of Granby, CT with a dominating score of three wins. In second was Hank Thorburn of Harpswell, ME with 1 second and 2 thirds, third was Gary Orkney of Stongington, CT. with a second, third and fourth, in fourth was Fred Boursier of Warren, ME. with a second, a third and a fifth, and fifth was Tom Jamieson of Belfast, ME. with a third, a fourth and a ninth. Sally Sharp of Enfield, NH won the women's division and Jack Giblin of Marblehead, MA won the youth division. All of the regattas were one day affairs featuring 3 to 8 short races and wonderful hospitality.

The first regatta of the season was held at the Portland Yacht Club on June 26th, under the capable direction of PRO Jack Zinn. Jack bailed us out at the last minute after our other regatta site fell through. Thank you Jack! Six races were held in light to medium winds. Ed Rowe of South Portland convincingly beat 14 other sailors to win the event. Syd Sewall of Hallowell, ME finished second, Hank Thorburn or Harpswell, ME finished third, Stu Nickerson of Portland, ME was fourth and Fred Bousier of Warren, ME was fifth.

The second event was held on July 16th at the Thorburn family farm on scenic Clarks Cove in Harpswell, ME. The first race started in medium wind but built steadily through the afternoon. By the last of eight races all he 22 sailors were exhausted. One of the college age competitors was heard to say "I don't know how these old guys do it, I'm exhausted". Another challenge was the tide which was pushing competitors over the starting line early. PRO Hank Thorburn, tried all manner of strategies to keep competitors back but needles to say general recalls were the norm. First overall was David Frazier of Granby, CT followed by Jack Zinn of Falmouth, ME in second, Tom Jamieson of Belfast, ME in third, Gary Orkney of Stonington, CT in fourth and Stu Nickerson of Portland, ME in fifth. After the racing we were treated to a great dinner.

The third event was held on August 20th outside the harbor entrance to Belfast, ME. The event was part of the "Belfast Marine Heritage Festival" that also included rowing races and a boat building competition. PROs Sandra Squire and Margie Spencer-Smith took the thirteen Laser sailors through 6 races in a steady medium wind. David Frazier showed no mercy as he won five out of the six races and threw out of second. Hank Thorburn finished second in four races and won the last to finish second overall. Fred Bousier was third, George Hazelton of Rockport, ME was fourth and Syd Sewall was fifth.

The fourth event was the "Loon Cup" held on September 17th on Lake Cobbosseecontee in Manchester, ME. PRO Syd Sewall grappled with light and wildly shifting winds and managed to salvage three races for the day. The racing was so close that one point separated the top four boats at the end. After it was all hashed out Duane Delfosse of Windam, ME won a the tie breaker for first over Fred Boursier. And Gary Orkney won the tie breaker for third over Tom Jamieson. Stu Nickerson finished fifth. Our hosts, the Cobbossee Laser Fleet did a fantastic job with the dinner afterward.

The final event was the "Hippo Cup" at the head of the Saint George River in Thomaston, ME. on October 16th. It was an exciting day of racing with gusty winds of 10 to 25 mph. PRO Peter Clapp gave the fleet a variety of courses including the "Harry A" which involved sailing a second reach from the reaching mark to the starting pin and down to the leeward mark. Needles to say there were some wild crashes and in one race Hank Thorburn crossed the finish line while capsized. David Frazier finished first overall with Gary Orkney second, Hank Thorburn third, Stuart McNeil was forth and Tom Whitmore was fifth.

Unfortunately, no team was able the win the Maine Team Championship trophy. In it's inagural year, the trophy was to go to the best combined score for a team consisting of one adult man, one adult woman and one youth. The mounted Laser transom was created and donated by Laser sailor Nick Robinson of Castine, ME. The MLC advisors put up the trophy as an incentive to get more women and youth interested in Laser sailing. But it was not to be, no team could come up with the necessary members this year, so the trophy was awarded to the Thomaston Laser fleet as they were the only Maine fleet to have three member compete in at least three events.

Maine is a beautiful place to sail and we invite all sailors to come next year and bring their families.

Overall Results

Marblehead Frostbite report - week 6

2011-10-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

14 year old Bryce Andreasen leading the fleet

Report from Tom Dailey

Week 6: Richardson Wins in 5-8k Right-Trending Easterly/Southerly

In a day of firsts, four different skippers won heats before Ben Richardson prevailed in the seven races series on Sunday. Gene Ho won his first race, as did 14 year old Bryce Andreasen (pictured), marking the first time a junior (under age 18) won a race in the three-year history of Laser Frostbite sailing at Eastern yacht club. Young Andreasen also led the fleet at several marks in different races, showing flashes of speed and smarts that make him a name to watch in the four remaining weeks of the season. Veterans Sam Altreuder and Richardson were the other winning skippers. On the day Richardson won with second-place finishes in the four races he did not win. Andreasen’s antics were just good enough to beat Wayne Colahan and Spring Champ Stein Skaane – all within one point. Phil Smith sailed consistently with the top group in claiming top Corinthian (top finisher who had not previously won the day), and Gene Ho’s strong finish secured his position as the day’s top Gypsy (finisher from outside Essex County).

Proving again the futility in predicting this ocean’s breeze, a lovely 6-8k westerly at 1000 veered 100 degrees right, settled in a range for a couple of hours before bolting right again, as the last race was finished in a southerly. Without postponement, the race committee kept the races coming, moving the marks between every heat. Racing continues for another 4 Sundays, until just before Thanksgiving. The fleet loaner boat is available this weekend, contact tom.dailey@gfk.com if interested.

Cedar Point YC Fall Regatta - November 5th

2011-10-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

CPYC Frostbite Fleet

Cedar Point has a large and competitive Laser fleet so this should be a fun regatta! The NOR is posted so sign up!

NOR

Opening day for Fleet 413 & Winthrop Sailing-November 6th

2011-10-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Winthrop Frostbite Sailing Club - November 6

Join the Winthrop Frostbite Sailing Club on opening day, November 6, for short course racing followed by pub food and drink at the Cottage Park Yacht Club in Winthrop, MA. Racing will begin at 1:00 PM, but plan to arrive at or before 11:00 AM. Details:

NOR available at http://www.mass-frostbite.org/racing/nor
Registration: 10AM to Noon or register for the season at http://www.mass-frostbite.org/join/dues . Laser full frostbite season fee, INCLUDING boat storage is $190 if not a CPYC member, $150 if a CPYC member. The daily entrance fee is $10 and junior memberships are available at a reduced rate.
Contact: Duane Delfosse duane.delfosse@comcast.net

NOR

Newport's Fleet 413 - November 6

The NOR/SI for the 2011-12 season are attached. They'll also soon be online at

http://www.newportlaserfleet.org/frostbite.htm

This is also where you'll go to register online. However, DO NOT REGISTER YET. We're still in the process of clearing out last year's data. I will let you know when registration is officially open.

NOR/SI

Marblehead Laser Frostbite: Week 5: Shope Wins Day 5; All Safe as Many Capsize

2011-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Andrew Burton, doing it the hard way.

Report written by Tom Dailey:

Peter Shope bested Ben Richardson and the rest of Marblehead's Laser fleet on a windy day that offered 30 knot winds smack dab in the middle of the harbor. Shope, the only skipper not to capsize, used the same dry technique this summer to beat Richardson in the 1:1 final of the 2011 St. Francis Heavy Weather Slalom. A few days later Richardson would claim the Laser World Championship (Apprentice Masters), setting up the rematch in our harbor Sunday.

But Marblehead hero Richardson, found ashore as 3 races started, sang that he had retired to 'save lives' as the winds increased. Denied their showdown, spectators bobbing on moorings ringing the shore were buoyed by Shope's pledge to return one day. On the Lasers themselves, there were no capsized smiles: top junior and lady, Christina Magnosa commented: "It looked worse than it was, and if there were another way to learn to sail on a windy day... but, there just isn't, is there?"

Racing resumes this Sunday with the first heat at 12:30. Race days continue until November 20th.

For more information contact Tom Dailey at Tom.Dailey@gfk.com

Sail Newport Presents... a night with Puma & Rambler-hurry and get your tickets as they are going fast!

2011-10-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

Puma as she prepares to for the start of the VOR

Rambler 100 overturned at Fastnet Rock

Get your tickets now, as this event will sell out!

Come listen to Ken Read talk about Puma and her crew as they ready to get started on the first leg of the 2011-2012 VOR in less than a month. Also hear Jerry Kirby's first hand account of what it took to survive the ordeal at Fastnet Rock. Lastly, get an update from Sail Newport's Brad Read about Newport's preparation for the America's Cup World Series.

As it was so well put by fleet 413 fleet captains, Stu Streuli and Dave Reed, "If you've seen the Kenny/Brad/Jerry Kirby show before, you know it's not to be missed, if only to see how much fun they make of each other."

Purchase tickets here

Tuesday, October 18th at 6:00 pm

Jane Pickens Theater

Newport, RI

$30 per Adult for Non Sail Newport Members

$25 per Adult for Sail Newport Members

$200 for 10 Tickets -- Sail Newport Members only

All local youth sailors under 18: FREE

For more information contact Katie Barker or call 401 846-1983

October Regattas

2011-10-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last Blast Regatta (October 8th)
Quannapowitt YC, Wakefield, MA. NOR

NH Seacoast Regatta (October 15th)
Great Bay YC, Dover NH. NOR

Maine Championship (October 16th)
St. George River, Thomaston, ME NOR

Duane Delfosse wins The Loon Cup

2011-10-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Report/photos from Syd Sewall:

The Loon Cup ....we sail off of a small island connected with a dirt causeway on Lake Cobbosseecontee west of Augusta, ME. It's a beautiful lake, and we often are entertained by Loon and Osprey calls, as well as passing by herons and eagles.

This year's race was on a beautiful but light day. We got in two reasonable W5 type races with a shifty northerly 3-6 kn before the wind died completely. Occasional ripples showed up briefly for the next hour to tempt us to start, but nothing was sustained. Then a consistent S-SW showed up, and we had one more race in 1-5 before hitting shore for a cookout. Results and a photo attached....we had great attendance, with only a half dozen from our local group and the rest from "away".

The last event in our "Maine Series" is in mid October in Thomaston.

Loon Cup results

Ben Richardson wins the 2011 NE Masters Championship!

2011-09-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ben Richardson

Ben is on a roll!

The true sign of a great sailor is one that can dominate in all conditions and Ben has done just that. Fresh off from his win in the Apprentice Master's fleet at the Laser Master Worlds in windy San Francisco, Ben came home to take the win in the super light conditions off of Third Beach in Middletown, RI.

45 sailors came to Third Beach to compete in the 2011 NE Masters Championship and while Third Beach is known for providing a variety of conditions, an unusual weather pattern showed up and light air was all she could squeak out.

Due to the conditions, only 3 races were completed in the two days but the prizes made up for it from a new centerboard and rudder to many more amazing giveaways!

Congratulations to Lynne Shore who finished in 12^th as top female in a very competitive fleet!

Results

Marblehead Laser Frostbite Week1/Ponce de León regatta: 14 boats, beautiful 10k breeze

2011-09-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

Nick La Chance, Marblehead HS Senior, soon to be widely known sail boat racer, and winner of Race 1 on his forst day out, announced his arrival by smoking the fleet on the first beat and never looking back. If you were there you saw how good he is - if you missed it, come out and try to beat him in a couple races before its too late.

In race two Nick did some remedial work on staying up right while JB Braun led the fleet around the course. In race three JB was at it again, alone in front, before the swirling chop got hold of him on leg 2, sending his daggerboard skyward; a pile up at the bottom mark opened the door again, and he recovered to 4th. Race 4 was a blur, don’t remember it. In Race 5, with JB with in position to win the day, he banged out to the right, where he so selfishly had been hording - but denying - more wind. True to form, he tacked and was to cross the port tackers by about two lengths. Then it happened. It was beautiful. A dark blue 35 foot 'racing sailboat' parked itself just inside the starborad tack lay line to hoist its main sail. Beers in hand, puttering forward at about 1kt, main flogging wildly, oblivious to JB's hard-hiking form, the bog boat crew got the sail up most of the way, but it got stuck, or maybe they got tired, and the situation lingered. JB, now bouncing in the chop, going slower, not heading quite as high - he was not going to cross after all. Joy and laghter from the port tackers. And that was it, he finished 2nd.

Nick took top Junior, Christina Mignosa was our top radial, and Jason Yarrington, in 4th place just behind Chris Hufstader, was our top Corintian - well done all!

Thanks to Cheryl and Suzie for RC, another flawless day

PS RC volunteer positions still open - act fast!

Program Reminders

**Sail on Sundays**

Longer season: start Sunday 25 SEP; finish Sunday 21 SEP

More boats: last Fall we averaged 14 on the line

Pool House open for post-race party from Day 1

Prizes

Daily first

Corinthian Daily first: low-point score among those who’ve not previously won the day or the Corinthian

Season top 5, top Junior, Ironman: starting 100% of races in the season (not been done yet… go for it)

Amenities

Hot showers, cold beer

Schedule

People who make the first start arrive: 1145

Skippers Meeting: 1215

Harbor Start: 1230; First Signal: 1300; Last Signal: 1500

Presentation of Prizes: 1600

Fall sailing thru 21 Novermber

Spring Tentative: 6 Sundays– 16 April thru 21 May

Other details: just show up

Eastern Yacht Club 47 Foster Street Marblehead

Other

You probably don’t need it until Spring, but Team1 has good deals on dry suits, etc.

http://www.team1newport.com/

NE Master's pre-register here!

2011-09-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Avram Dorfman has set up a website for the NE Masters where competitors can preregister, see the list of entries, and get the results.  He will  be entering the scores on the water, so sailors will be able to get the results very quickly on their smart phones.

All regatta fees will be collected at the site

http://www.diamondwire.org/fleets/new_england_laser_masters/series

Updated NOR's

2011-09-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Please check the D7 Calendar for updated NOR's : The NE Master's (September 24-25) and The Last Blast Regatta (October 8th)
D7 Calendar

New England Masters Championship (September 24-25th)

2011-09-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Masters sailors,

Yes, there will be another NE Masters Championship and, yes, again off Third Beach in Newport, now for the 8th time at this venue, New England's best, which is why it was chosen for the last US Laser and Radial Olympic trials. The date is September 24-25. Directions and accommodation suggestions are shown on the NOR.

Online pre-registration, unfortunately, is not available at this time. We are still working on it and will inform you when it is set up.

There is a reason for the rather late onsite registration and commencement of racing on Saturday, and that is because of a triathlon that takes place that morning on the roads around Third Beach. Please do not arrive much before 10 a.m. at which time the roads should be open again.

And please notice that rig switching will be permitted throughout the regatta. There should be no reason not to sail. Of course, it is too early to predict the weather, but the summers are getting longer. We are optimistic.

See you soon, and please spread the word,

Peter Seidenberg

Regatta Chairman

401-846-2618 H

401-954-8496 C

From Fleet 413: Ted Green update

2011-09-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

Ted Green sailing for SUNY Maritime

During the weekend, we hope you can each spare a thought, prayer, and/or some positive energy for fellow Fleet 413er Ted Green Jr. who has been a big part of the fleet's youth movement over the past few years, regularly coming back to show the old guys how it's done.

If you haven't heard, on Aug. 24, Ted was involved in a horrific accident and very nearly died. Here's an excerpt from an email we received a few days ago:

"What I understand is that he was taking down a tree and went to move his safety lines down and when he raised his arm over his head it was 3 feet from a 7000 watt line which arced and zapped him. Who knew that electricity in covered lines can still shock you 3- 5 feet away without touching them!!! Big lesson learned. Everyone has been filling in the blanks for him as to what happened but what he does know is that he had his last rites read to him 2 x at two different hospitals - He said if it was not for the speedy response of the Largess crew to get help Ted would not be here with us today. School is on hold - recovery will be well over a year. He is hoping to have movement in his hand and fingers and arm but it is all up in the air.

He welcomes all calls and visits. Ted Sr was there and his family is hanging in there. Reports on his facebook page are encouraging. But it will still be a long road to recovery."

If you feel comfortable calling Ted, don't hesitate. He has his cell phone and we're sure he would love to hear some words of encouragement. You can also leave him a note on his facebook page.

As we hear more about his progress and what we, as a fleet or as individuals, can do to help, we will pass that along. In the meantime, keep him in your thoughts.

Best Regards,

-Stu & Dave

Niantic Yacht Club Regatta cancelled

2011-08-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

Due to hurricane Irene, the NBYC Laser Regatta scheduled for August 27th is now cancelled.

2011 San Francisco Heavy Air Slalom!

2011-08-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Photos from the 2011 Laser Master Worlds

2011-08-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Photos from the Master Worlds and some from the Laser Heavy Air Slalom can be found at the below links:

Chuck Lantz
http://www.pbase.com/chucklantz/root

Chris Ray
http://www.printroom.com/pro/crayivp

Also, people, please check out Laser D7 on Facebook (Laser District 7) and feel free to promote your events, items for sale and any comments there. Many people are on FB and check it frequently!

2011 Master Worlds, Halfway Report from Fleet 413

2011-08-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ben Richardson

Bern Noack

Peter Shope

Brian Fisher

Dave Armitage

Scott Ferguson

Mark Bear

James Jacob

Mike Matan

Fleet 413ers,

Our compatriots are holding their own on wind-whipped San Francisco Bay. They're halfway through a grueling series that's seen the Bay deliver just what everyone expected in terms of wind.

Ben Richardson is cleaning house in the Apprentice Masters Division, having won 5 of 6 races, with Dave Armitage and Brian Fisher also in the hunt for a podium finish. Was it just a week ago that Armo was in the Sailing World offices bemoaning the forecast and predicting that he was going to get "crushed" by the breeze and the competition. I guess "getting crushed" is Kiwi-speak for fourth place.

After a tough start, a 10th for Scott Ferguson and a 22nd for Peter Shope, both have come on strong in the Masters Division. Ferg is currently 3rd, with Shope in 7th. Mark Bear is little further back.

Finally Peter Seidenberg has also recovered from a disappointing first race and is currently 5th in the Great Grand Masters Division.

I think that's everyone. Full results can be found at http://www.sailingresults.net/sa/results/default.aspx?ID=17.4.1

Also don't forget to check out Kim Ferguson's blog, http://lasermasterworlds2011.blogspot.com/

And finally, we'd be remiss in not mentioning Lucas Adam's eighth-place finish at the 2011 Laser Nationals in California, http://www.calyachtclub.com/files/11_LNAC_S1-12b.htm

The NOR for the New England Master's Regatta is posted here. A great chance to come see how much better than you all these guys have become!

That is all!

Stu & Dave

Photos by Kim Ferguson (Faces in the standard fleet)

Inaugural Laser Race Around Shelter Island, NY (July 30th)

2011-07-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

This looks like a fun event being run by the Southold Yacht Club

NOR

Area A Winners: Mark Bear and Callie Naughton

2011-07-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Results can be found here

D7 Women score high marks at the Leiter Trophy

2011-07-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

Report from Kathy Howes at the Leiter Trophy:
Conditions were all over the place from postponement to very light in Races 1-3 (in heavy rain and cold temps) to high wind and big chop on the final day in races 6-8, topping at 23knots (in the middle of San Francisco Bay! Yikes!)

Fleet was 57 laser radials from across the country. The first 6 spots went to sailors from New Jersey, Florida (2), California, and Washington (2).
Cape Cod sailor Quinn Howes (age 16, South Orleans, MA) finished 7th overall and was the top New England sailor.

Cape Cod sailor Elizabeth Dubovik (age 18, Chatham, MA) finished 8th overall.
Here is the US Sailing link to the full event with all Results and Press Releases written by US Sailing:

http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/USJrWomensSinglehanded.htm

Other New England sailors:
12th Page McManus, Marblehead MA
14th India Johnstone, Newport, RI
15th Rachel Bryer, Jamestown, RI
20th Samantha Jackus, Stamford, CT
39th Haley Kachmar, Milford, CT

The girls competing in the event were treated to an evening with Oracle sailors, Simeone Tienot and Shannon Falconne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuI6vVLGC28&feature=youtu.be

Register now for The Newport Regatta! (July 9-10)

2011-06-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Registration is now open for The Newport Regatta!
Come and enjoy two days of competitive Laser racing run by a top notch RC.

Register here

2 New regattas added to the D7 calendar!

2011-06-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

June 25th - Laser & Sunfish Regatta - Massapoag Yacht Club Sharon, MA.
Laser sailing on Lake Massapoag. Skippers meeting at 9 am. A cheap and fun event for all ages, with lunch included! http://www.sailmyc.org/

August 13th - The 19th Annual Crowbar Regatta - Sail Newport Newport, RI.
The Crowbar Regatta is a fundraiser for The Habitat for Humanity. A fun regatta with J/22's with the addition of a Laser start this year.
Enjoy a great day of sailing off of Goat Island and a fun party under the tent at Sail Newport!
No NOR as of yet but until then, if you have any questions contact Steve St. Onge (401) 640-9564 or email at stongemail@gmail.com

Andy Pimental is the 2011 Atlantic Coast Masters Champion!

2011-06-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

Atlantic Coast Masters Championship
New Bedford Yacht Club
June 18-19, 2011

Friday’s weather could have turned off anybody from driving long distances to New Bedford – it rained intermittently all day long. However, those 41 sailors who were not deterred were treated to the legendary sailing conditions that Buzzards Bay is known for when a warm and sunny day generates a SW sea breeze of commonly 20+ knots. Saturday’s race day #1, was one of those days, although the sea breeze only made it up to 15 knots. Since the forecast for Sunday was not as favorable, the RC announced at the skippers meeting that they would try to run more than the scheduled 3 races for the day – and they did, stopping after 5 races. The courses were wwd.-lwd. twice around with a short reaching leg from the lwd. gate to the finish line off the bow of the committee boat.

As predicted, Sunday’s sailing conditions were challenging due to a cirrus cloud covered sky preventing the development of a sea breeze strong enough to overcome the gradient northerly, which pretty well hung in until the cut-off time of 3 p.m. Being also an offshore breeze, the wind fluctuated wildly both in speed and direction to the extend that it caused a start delay of over an hour and four postponements only minutes after the start. Finally, a N 10-5 knot “window” opened for what turned out to be the only race of the day. A second race had to be abandoned half way up the first beat when the battle between the northerly and southerly winds reached a stalemate. The beer boat offered a welcome relieve to the sailors, spread out over a wide area in search of the elusive private breeze advantage.

An insufficient number of pre-registered Radials meant that rig-switching was in effect, which only one sailor tried to make use of by switching after the first race. The age divisions were represented by 3 Apprentices, 18 Masters, 12 Grand Masters, and 8 Great Grand Masters. There were 4 women racing across two age divisions.

Congratulations to the 2011 Atlantic Coast Masters Champion, Andy Pimental (M) who beat out Peter Shope (M) on a tie-break.

The top three divisional winners are:
Apprentices: Ben Richardson, MA; David Armitage, RI; Brian Fisher, RI
Masters: Andrew Pimental, RI, Peter Shope, RI, Mark Bear, MA
Grand Masters: Jorge Abreu, DOM, David Frazier, CT, Gary Orkney, CT,
Great Grand Masters: Peter Seidenberg, RI, Joe Van Rossem, CAN, Amnon Gitleson, CT
Women: Lynn Shore, RI, Susie Pegel, WI, Judith Krimski, MA

For the overall and divisional results see Results
-Peter Seidenberg

Championship of Buzzard's Bay, June 25-26th (O'Day Eliminations for Men & Women)

2011-06-20T08:29:00.000-07:00


The Winners get to sail at The Gorge!

Come and race on Buzzards Bay Saturday, June 25-Sunday, June 26th. The top female and top male will head on to compete in the O'Days on The Gorge

Skipper's Meeting will be at the New Bedford Community Boating Center on Saturday, June 25th at 11:00 am.

Make sure that you are an active Laser Class Member as well as a US Sailing Member.

The NOR is posted here

Atlantic Coast Masters Championship (June 18-19)

2011-06-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Masters Sailors,

The regatta, scheduled for June 18-19 at the New Bedford Y.C., is only one week away. The warm weather, with temperatures in the 70th, is here to stay. Warm and sunny weather, as everybody knows, generates a beautiful sea breeze on Buzzards Bay. 26 sailors have signed up as of today. There will be one fleet, with rig switching in effect. Radials failed to get the required 15 registrations by the deadline to have their own start.

For the NOR, On-line Registration, and Entry List, please go to the New Bedford Y.C. website www.nbyc.com.

For hotel accommodation, see the NOR and the following two, more economical, suggestions:

Dartmouth Motor Inn, 571 State Rd., North Dartmouth, MA 02747, (508) 997-0008, www.dartinn.com, and

Best Western Dartmouth Inn, 737 State Rd., North Dartmouth, MA 02747, (508) 717-0424, www.bestwestern.com

See you on the water,

Peter Seidenberg

Laser Weekend in New Hampshire!

2011-06-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

Racing on Lake Mascoma

It's going to be a beautiful weekend to do some lake sailing!

Saturday, June 4th - Lake Mascoma Spring Regatta
Sunday, June 5th - Lake Sunapee Regatta

NOR

Peter Shope edges out Ted Green to win the 2011 Wickford Regatta

2011-05-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Wickford Regatta hosted 17 Lasers (16 standard and 1 radial) in a two-day event with a tally of 6 races.

Day one started off cold and foggy with little wind but opened up just in time for racing, with classic Narragansett Bay conditions, sunny with a Southerly breeze around 15 knots. Peter Shope clearly dominated in these conditions ending the day with three bullets.

Day two was a bit different ... cold and overcast skies with a dying North Easterly which eventually faded into nothing. In these conditions Ted Green (Wickford Yacht Club) remained consistent with a 3, 2, 2 and Dan Nickerson (Ram Island Yacht Club) pulled out a 1,7,1.

Peter Shope went on to take the prize only one point ahead of Ted Green and three points ahead of Mark Bear (NBYC).

Results

Ben Richardson wins the Pete Milnes Regatta

2011-05-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

Ben prepping his boat at the 2010 Laser Master Worlds

In a very competitive 36 boat fleet with super puffy and shifty conditions (auto-tack style) Ben Richardson takes the win with Steve Kirkpatrick and Brian Fisher close behind.

Several of the competitors in the fleet are practicing and gearing up for the 2011 Laser Master Worlds, which will be held August 7-12 on the very windy San Francisco Bay.

Pete Milnes Regatta results

2011 Laser 4.7 and Master Worlds

2011 Laser Atlantic Coast Masters Championship - June 18-19

2011-05-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Masters Sailors,

This is to inform and remind you that this year's Atlantic Coast Masters Championship will take place on the weekend of June 18-19 at the New Bedford Y.C. It is unfortunate that the spring issue of "The Laser Sailor" failed to list this regatta on the 2011 Regatta Schedule, page 17, even though it has been shown on the ILCA-NA "Masters Events" website since December.

As many of you know from past experience, most recently from the 2008 US Masters, the New Bedford Y.C. knows how to make us sailors feel welcome and give us the top-notch, no-nonsense racing we are looking for, and that on wonderful Buzzards Bay as a bonus!

The pre-registration deadline is May 19. It saves you $25 and guarantees you a fleece jacket.

Please spread the word.

The NBYC website and the NOR (with accommodation suggestions) can be found here.

Peter Seidenberg
401-846-2618 H
401-954-8496 C

D7 May Regatta Schedule

2011-04-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

May 1st
Pete Milnes Regatta - Sail Newport, Newport, RI NOR
May 7th
May Madness - Quannapowitt Yacht Club, Wakefield, MA NOR
May 15th
Laser Spring Series & Area B Eliminations - Cedar Point Yacht Club, Westport, CT NOR
May 21-22
Wickford Regatta -Wickford, RI Preliminary NOR

May 1st - The Pete Milnes Regatta

2011-04-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

From Fleet 413:

Good afternoon everyone,

I hear that it's going to be Mid-50s by Sunday, so no more excuses for idle boats. We're down to the last three weeks, and then the big season-ending send off...the Legendary Pete Milnes Memorial Regatta. Be there, or well...be lame.

Attached is the official NOR and SIs...everything you need to know so you don't have to ask questions at the skipper's meeting, right?

We've got a real, live professional PRO, the lovely and talented Sue Reilly, coming up from Connecticut to make sure the line is square and the courses are perfect (not that they aren't always....) If anyone would like to volunteer themselves or friends/spouses/out-of-commission sailors for mark boat and RC boat assistance, please let us know soon so we have the right number of bodies in each RC boat.

You can come on down early for registration (at 10 a.m.), where the Milnes family will be dishing out breakfast treats and hospitality. Get your paperwork squared away early and get out for some practice runs.

See you Sunday.

Dave & Stu (who's itching to get back out there!)

Season schedule & NORs

Register now for the Wickford Regatta!

2011-04-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hi to everyone,

Registration is now open for the Wickford Regatta. Apologies for being a little slow this year, but the website has been redone and it took longer than expected. Portions of the site are still under construction, but the entry process is up and running. The dates are May 21-22, as previously announced, and we guarantee wind both days this year!

Registration is open now, but there may be a few bugs in with the url in the NoR, so use http://wickford2011.sailspace.net/ if you have any trouble through early next week

We have set cash back incentives for all classes again this year, so please check the NOR for your classes cash back threshold. We hope to be handing out lots of the stuff at registration.

We will be offering limited housing with members once again this year. We will entertain requests only after you have completed registration, so please encourage your members to sign up soon.

See you in May,

Skip Whyte

1st Place Sailing

High Performance Coaching & Consulting

Frostbiting is back in Marblehead...

2011-03-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

From Tom Dailey:

Dear Fellow Yachtsman,

Last Fall we were solidly in double-digit boats on the line, with 14 qualifiers.

The more, the merrier.

16 April is the first day of the spring season – it continues for a total of just six Saturdays, so don't miss it.

Team1 has good deals on dry suits, etc.

http://www.team1newport.com/

Hope to see you out there, and/or back ashore for beer and pretzels and stories,

Tom

Prizes

· Daily first

· Corinthian Daily first: low-point score among those who’ve not previously won the day

· Season top 5, top Junior, Ironman: starting 100% of races in the season

Amenities

· Hot showers, cold beer

Schedule
·     6 Saturdays 16 April through 21 May
·     People who make the first start arrive: 1145
·     Skippers Meeting: 1215
·     Harbor Start: 1230; First Signal: 1300; Last Signal: 1500
·     Presentation of Prizes: 1600
·     Other details: just show up
·     Eastern Yacht Club 47 Foster Street Marblehead, MA

For more information email Tom Dailey at: Tom.Dailey@gfk.com

Enter to win Laser #200000 - Renew your Laser Class Membership before April 1st!!!

2011-03-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

If you want a chance to win Laser #200000, renew your membership to the class and enter to win here before April 1, 2011

Enter here to win in Laser # 200000

Renew your class membership here

Newport Fleet 413 Laser racing & BBQ this Sunday...

2011-03-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Fleet 413ers,

Spring is right around the corner. You know, those warm mornings full of promise and warm sunshine that are always followed around 1 p.m. by a bone-chilling sea breeze and fog and or marine-layer clouds. All the while Providence and Boston bask in the 70s and the evening weathermen tell us how great the day was. Good thing you've all been out frostbiting this winter and toughening up. 50 degrees with a misty fog will seem like bikini weather (if, of course, that's your beach outfit of choice).

Sunday is, however, looking pretty sweet, mid 40s and a moderate northerly breeze. Tim Pitts and Kay VanValkenburgh will be running races for us. We had close to 30 boats last week. Let's get over the hump this week!

In honor of the longer days and better weather, we figured we'd take a break from the bar and the Fleet would sponsor a Fleet 413 BBQ on the sail shed patio after racing. We'll bring burgers, dogs, chicken, and a few other munchies, you bring yourself and whatever else you like to enjoy with your burgers, dogs, chicken, etc. Invite your family and friends, too, if you like. Everyone is welcome. Let's celebrate better weather and of course the camaraderie of suffering together each Sunday all winter. It'll be sort of like if the characters from "The Breakfast Club" gathered for a reunion once a year. It's not that they like each other, they're just bound by a common painful experience.

See you on Sunday!

-Stu & Dave

Masters Midwinters East - Final day

2011-02-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Report from Peter Seidenberg:

There was no racing today. The warning gun for the first race of the day was supposed to be at 10:30, but the postponement flag went up instead at 9:30 with the announcement that there would be no race attempt after 12:30.

The bay looked glassy for most of the morning convincing the RC at around 12:00 that it would be useless to wait any longer, and so they pulled the plug and let us de-rig and pack up. The cook-out at 12:30 was followed by the price-giving at 1:00, and most sailors were on their way home or over to Clearwater Beach for the Open Midwinters East by 2:00 p.m. Some had even packed up and left earlier.

There were no complains, though. We had five fair and square races, including a throw-out, over 3 days in warm and sunny weather - and a lot of time to socialize with Masters sailors from all over the US, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Chile, and Dominican Republic.

Results

Masters Midwinters East - Day 2

2011-02-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

Day 2 report from Peter Seidenberg:

Today started out like yesterday: waiting for wind. The warning gun should have been at 10:30 today, but we had to wait on shore until 1:30 p.m. when a light WSW breeze had developed and covered the whole surface of the bay. The earlier start (over yesterday) allowed us to get 3 races in and, thus, get our throwout.

Race 1 started in WSW 4-5 kn and ended in NW 8-10. The "righty" came in just as the leaders rounded the second wwd mark for the final run to the finish which, of course, turned into a broad reach.

After resetting the course, race 2 was started in NW 8-10 and finished in NW 10-12.

Even though the sun was getting low, the RC decided to go for a third race, which was started, after a general recall, under a black flag. The NW 10-12 held up throughout the race. De-rigging was done, again, under a glorious sunset across the bay.

We have 5 races completed now, the minimum necessary for a throwout. Results can be found here

Master Midwinters East - Day 1

2011-02-19T06:31:00.000-08:00

Peter Seidenberg

Report from Peter Seidenberg:

There's a huge turnout: 70 boats. There was plenty of sunshine, but no wind most of the day. We waited on shore until 3 p.m. when a little NW breeze came up. It took another hour for the wind to stabilize to an unexpected NW 8-12 and a couple of general recalls for the first race to get underway. The course was wwd -lwd twice around, with a short reach from the lwd mark to the finish line off the bow of the committee boat. The wwd leg was 1 nm. The wind was very stable across the course.

The second race followed in short order in essentially the same conditions. It finished not much before a glorious sunset. Unfortunately, the results are not available at this point.

The weather forecast for today (and the next two weeks!) is much like what we had yesterday.

Results are in for Florida Laser Masters & Midweek Madness

2011-02-19T05:58:00.000-08:00

The results have been posted for two of the three Florida Masters events. The final in this triple crown of Masters events will happen this weekend with 63 boats registered!

Click the links below for results as well as the Masters Midwinters East entry list.

Florida Masters results

Midweek Madness results

Laser Masters Midwinters East entry list

2011 Florida Laser Masters Week

2011-02-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

We are still waiting on the results.... in the meantime, here is a video put together by Cal Landau to give you a taste for the exciting conditions!

Best of Both Worlds sailing clinic (March 10th-13th)

2011-02-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

The best of both worlds sailing clinic.

The most effective sailing clinics contain two key elements; excellent coaching and world class training partners. The Laser Training Center in Cabarete, can claim both March 10th to 13th 2011, when internationally acclaimed head coach Rulo teams up with two-time Laser Masters World Champion Scott Ferguson for the: Best of Both Worlds clinic.

Rulo is probably one of the most sought after coaches today in the Laser and Opti class. His ability to help sailors make great speed and boat handling improvements in a short time is well known. The sailing and racing abilities of Scott Ferguson are almost legendary. Scott’s unflappable character and extraordinary skills have been amply demonstrated not only in his successes in the Laser class but also as a key team member of BMW Oracle in the Americas Cup.

There are still some spots available in this clinic. Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity. This event of world class coach, with current world champion sailor is a real once in a life time experience.

Read a sample of the day in the life at the Laser Training center! Click here

For more information contact Ari Barshi
The Laser Training Center

Great article and video from Scuttlebutt...

2011-02-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Performing While Having to be Conservative by Craig Leweck

oh, and look at the photo of Paige hike...now that's hiking! Her tip toes are barely under the strap!

Page Railey

NOR is posted for the Area A's

2011-02-02T09:55:00.000-08:00

Sailing on The Gorge

The Area A's will be held again at the New Bedford Community Boating Center on June 25-26th. Let's see a bigger turnout this year from the ladies and the junior sailors. Last year only one female showed up and just a few under the age of 35.

The winners get to go on to compete at The Gorge!

Area A NOR

The Columbia Gorge Racing Association

Laser Clinic in beautiful Cabarete - March 10-13th

2011-01-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Scott Ferguson will be the guest expert at the Laser Training Center's March 10-13th clinic.

From Seahorse Magazine:
"He won it last year and we thought, OK that's a pretty good effort from someone who spends most of his life over a computer designing rigs for the world's fastest boats. Then he won again this year, at a windy and enormous regatta in the chilly tides of the English Channel to defend his title as Laser Masters World Champion. Scott's now gone and raised the bar..."

Come sail with Scott, hear his comments while being coached by no other than our head coach Dr. Rulo.

For more details and contacts:
http://www.caribwind.com/

Only the hearty... Fleet 413 Lasers sailors head out during NFL Playoffs!

2011-01-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday in Newport it was snowy, windy, freezing cold, and the final of the "wild-card" NFL playoff games so where were you?

Read more and check out the video!

Register now for the Masters MidWinters East

2010-12-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

Registration has opened for the Masters Midwinters East, to be held at sunny, warm, Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, FL February 18-20 (only 10 weeks from now!)

The regatta, hoping for 100 competitors, will feature a top regional Race Committee, awesome breakfast buffets all three days, a gala regatta dinner, and a Sunday cookout. Not to mention, reasonable "Masters" starting times, a camping-friendly Club, and a race area viewable from the Club porch.

Click on the link below for the Notice of Race and Entry Form.
NOR
Online entry with payment by credit card through Paypal is also available at: http://www.regattaprocessing.com/DIYC/LMMW10/index.php

Pre-registration closes on February 8th, 2011.

Laser's 'iron man' keeps winning...

2010-12-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

Peter Seidenberg sailing with Fleet 413

At the age of 73, Peter Seidenberg is still at the top of his game. Read about the making of a champion, his dramatic midnight escape at age of the 26 from East Germany and how he got started sailing the Laser

Read here

Wanna get away? Florida is calling you...

2010-11-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

(Photo: Rob Jones / SmugMug)

From District 13:

How much time do you want to spend sailing your Laser and basking in the Florida sun this winter? You can come down in December and stay into February while you enjoy several different regattas at various venues. Here's the list:

Dec. 11-12 D13 Championships, Lake Eustis, FL

http://www.lakeeustissailingclub.org/forum/index.php

Dec. 26-30 Open Orange Bowl, Miami, FL

http://www.cgsc.org/orange-bowl

Jan. 22-23 Boomerang Regatta, Ft. Lauderdale, FL http://www.lyc.org

Jan. 23-27 Miami OCR, Miami, FL

http://www.usscmiami.org/

Feb. 5-6 Charlotte Harbor Regatta, Port Charlotte, FL

http://www.charlotteharborregatta.com/wordpress/

Feb. 12-13 Florida Masters PBSC, Palm Beach, FL http://www.pbsail.org/

Feb. 15-16 Masters midweek Madness PBSC, Palm Beach, FL http://www.pbsail.org/

Feb. 18-20 Masters Midwinters DIYC, Davis Island, FL http://diyc.org/

Feb. 24-27 Laser Midwinters East

http://www.clwyc.org/

And if that's not enough for you, you can always find a place to sail on any unscheduled weekend. LYC, USSC's(Miami & Jensen Beach), Melbourne YC, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, and DIYC all have short course racing or practice sessions most weekends.

As many of you know, we consult the Farmer's Almanac and only pick dates when the sun will be shining, wind will be blowing, and temperature will be "fine". In other words - perfect Laser sailing conditions. So take your leave of absence, quit your job, kiss your loved one(s) goodbye (or bring'm with), pack up the boat and lots of sunscreen and come on down!

Life is Short -- Sail Fast!

John Moulthrope wins a tough Sunday in Fleet 413

2010-11-24T05:13:00.000-08:00

John Moulthrope

On November 21st, 34 Lasers came out to race in a light and shifty Easterly. Scott & Kim Ferguson along with Carson Turowski & Mark Kroening had a bit of a time setting the race course with the shifting breeze but were eventually able to get off 5 races.

Due to the short work week, Fleet 413 has not yet been able to get the Words of Wisdom from the winner John Moulthrope but...'the way he has sailed in the last few weeks, I'm sure there will be other opportunities down the line.'

Photos - Faces of Fleet 413

Results

Helpful Laser tips from Jon Emmett (GBR)

2010-11-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

Just posted on Facebook by Laser Performance:

Simple but a good refresher for some...also, for those who might not know, the vang is often referred to as "the kicker"outside of the US.

Marblehead Laser frostbite: VanValkenburgh wins race with slack vang, takes first ever Corinthian Daily First

2010-11-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

The s-e grin I can take, but winning with that slack vang puts us all to shame...

From the Marblehead Frostbite Fleet:

Thanks to Susie and Jim for 8 tight races and the pics!

All 14 boats completed all eight races in our deepest turnout yet. The top 5 boats finished the day within 5 points of each other – and four of those positions changed hands in the final race, as Bill Graves and Chris Hofstadter slipped by Sam Altreuter, and Kay VanValkenburgh's, bullet in that final race sealed his claim on the first-ever Corinthian Daily First.

On a brighter note, three junior sailors also sailed within 5 points of each other before Thornton Uhl bested… 811 (sorry, didn’t get your name….please come back next week, you owe us $1 registration). Just think, in thirty or forty years those juniors will look like us, and may learn to appreciate that old frostbite maxim – ‘what happens out there, stays out there’…. It came in handy at the weather mark in race 4 as a gaggle of starboard tackers, hanging by their fingernails in a late header, confronted an opposing gaggle from the left, who suddenly thought they could ‘make it’, but didn’t. 36 car pileup. Then the main event: the ‘there but for the grace of God go I’ this can’t be happening arse-over-elbows light-air flip: once while tacking, and then again downwind while doing something other than concentrating – both in the front group and both moves by the same guy… Finally, all that was topped by the joyless beer cooler, visible but locked in the pool room because somebody forgot the keys… we can laugh now thanks to fast-thinking and generous Jim and Gaele who scrounged alternate beer, wine, cookies and cokes for the post-race party. Running the races was nice, but salvaging the party was really sweet.

Just two more weeks – join us!

Prizes

Daily first

· Corinthian Daily first: low-point score among those who’ve not previously won the day
· Season top 5, top Junior, Ironman: starting 100% of races in the season

Amenities

· Hot showers, cold beer

Schedule

· 6 Saturdays - thru 20 November

· People who make the first start arrive: 1200

· Skippers Meeting: 1215

· Harbor Start: 1230

· First Signal: 1300

· Last Signal: 1500

· Presentation of Prizes: 1600

· Spring: 6 Saturdays to weekend before Memorial Day

· Other details: just show up

· Eastern Yacht Club 47 Foster Street Marblehead

FAST BOYS were FAST

2010-11-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

FAST sailors from D7

From FAST sailing:

FAST BOYS were FAST when they competed in the NESSA Singlehanded Championship (Healy Trophy) @ Duxbury Bay Maritime School on Sunday, September 26, 2010. The sailors all experienced 10-20 knot wind conditions for the 11 races sailed in Radial and 12 in the Full Rig. The winners all went on to compete for the Cressy for the National High School Singlehanded Championship.

Pictured from left to right are :
Radial - 2nd place - OJ O'Connell, 3rd place - Pearson Potts
Full Rig: 2nd place - Dan Nickerson and in 1st place - Luke Adams.

Since 1990, the Cressy has been recognized by the Interscholastic Yacht Racing Association, now the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA), as the ISSA National Singlehanded Championship. The Cressy competition rotates annually among the several ISSA districts, in the Fall of the preceding calendar year. This year the Cressy was held at St. Petersburg Yacht Club, St. Petersburg, FL on October 30-31, 2010.

Healy Results
Cressy Results

More about FAST click here

Nick Thompson in Cabarete January 2011

2010-11-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

Nick Thompson (photo credit: onEdition)

From the Training Center in Cabarete:

Want to compare your boat speed with one of the fastest sailors in the world? Nick Thompson (GBR) is our guest expert at the pre race clinic January 9th-12th, and will try to regain his title in the 9th Caribbean Laser Midwinter Regatta January 14th-16th, 2011.

Cabarete is a great place to bring the family...everyone can have fun while you sail!

For more information contact: laserevents@caribwind.com

Cedar Point Week 4: Want stronger winds? Buy a greener car.

2010-11-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

Although Week 4 was blown out and no racing was held....below are some thoughts from Andrew Scrivan

Want stronger winds? Buy a greener car...
I dug through some of the articles I have saved and found an interesting one that speaks to why we may possibly be sailing in TYPICALLY light wind on Long Island Sound. We all know the theory of how Long Island blocks the potential for a strong CT shore thermal due to all the pavement and buildup on the island, but here is a very different take on the same subject that may apply. - Scrivan

By Maria Jose Vinas

The winds that blow near the surface of the Earth have two beneficial effects: They provide a renewable source of clean energy and they evaporate water, helping rain clouds to build up. But aerosolized particles created from vehicle exhaust and other contaminants can accumulate in the atmosphere and reduce the speed of winds closer to the Earth's surface, which results in less wind power available for wind-turbine electricity and also in reduced precipitation, according to a study by Stanford and NASA researchers.

"These aerosol particles are having an effect worldwide on the wind speeds over land; there's a slowing down of the wind, feeding back to the rainfall too," says civil and environmental engineering Associate Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, co-author of the study with the late Yoram J. Kaufman from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, who died in May 2006. "We're finding a reduction of rain, and that can lead to droughts and reduction of water supply."

Jacobson and Kaufman's study, based on NASA satellite data of aerosol accumulation, measurements of wind speeds over the South Coast Basin in California and in China, and computer model simulations over California as a whole and the South Coast Basin, was published online Dec. 27 in Geophysical Research Letters. The researchers used both the model and data to study the effects of aerosol particles on wind speed and rainfall.

Slower winds, less rain Aerosol particles floating in the atmosphere absorb or scatter solar radiation, and prevent it from getting to the ground. This cools the Earth's surface and reduces daytime vertical convection that mixes the slower winds found near the ground with the faster winds at higher altitudes. The overall effect is a reduction in the speed of near-surface winds, which Jacobson has calculated to be up to 8 percent slower in California.

"The more pollution, the greater the reduction of wind speed," Jacobson says. Aerosol particles may be responsible for the slowing down of winds worldwide. Wind supplies about 1 percent of global electric power, according to Jacobson. Slow winds may hinder development of wind power in China, where it's a needed alternative to dirty coal-fired plants. Aerosols' reduction of the wind also may explain the reduction in the Asian seasonal monsoon and "disappearing winds" in China, observations found in other studies. Moreover, slack air currents may hurt energy efficiency in Europe, where countries like Denmark and Germany have made major wind-power investments.

Slower winds evaporate less water from oceans, rivers and lakes. Furthermore, the cooling of the ground provoked by the aerosol particles reduces the evaporation of soil water. What's more, the accumulation of aerosol particles in the atmosphere makes clouds last longer without releasing rain. Here's why: Atmospheric water forms deposits on naturally occurring particles,like dust, to form clouds. But if there is pollution in the atmosphere, the water has to deposit on more particles. Spread thin, the water forms smaller droplets. Smaller droplets in turn take longer to coalesce and form raindrops. In fact, rain may not ever happen, because if the clouds last longer they can end up moving to drier air zones and evaporating.

CPYC Frostbiting Week #5 this Sunday

2010-11-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

Cedar Point Laser Racing

Another good looking weather forecast for Sunday......
Winds: NW 12-15
Temps: low 50's
High Tide 11:30 am
Sunny
Remember to turn your clocks back one hour....

NOR

Winthrop Frostbite Opening Day is Sunday, November 7th

2010-11-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Join the Winthrop Frostbite Sailing Club on opening day, November 7th for the Pre-Freeze Regatta, short course racing followed by a warm reception with tasty pub fare and drink at the Cottage Park Yacht Club.

Register on-line

http://mass-frostbite.org

NOR

Marblehead Laser Frostbite: Peter Follansbee tops the day

2010-11-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

From Tom Dailey

Top Laser sailor Peter Follansbee traveled down from NH to join us for the day and made it worth the trip. But for his crash/burn in race 2, he made few errors and in fact rarely seemed to even tack or jybe. In at least four of the nine races he one-tacked the beat while the rest of us were busy outsmarting ourselves in the velocity shifts. Oh well. Also, our quick-scores at the post-race brief got it wrong: after Sam Altreuter with 22 points, it was Stein Skaane (32 points) nipping Steve Uhl (34), not the other way round.

In addition to daily First Place, the fleet now will also award a daily Corinthian First Place cup: low-point score among those who have not previously won the day and also a first place cup for first-time race winners. Come on out an join us for some fun and a beer, or at least a warm shower and a beer...and maybe a cup.

Check out the photos on Facebook

EYC Frostbite Schedule
People who make the first start arrive: 1145
Skippers Meeting: 1200
Harbor Start: 1230
First Signal: 1300
Last Signal: 1500
Presentation of Daily First: 1600
Spring: 6 Saturdays to Memorial Day
Other details: just show up

Eastern Yacht Club
47 Foster Street
Marblehead, Ma

A windy day one for Fleet 413!

2010-11-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Wind report from Rose Island on October 31st

Report from Stu & Dave:

Fleet 413ers,

One day in the books and many more to go. Sunday started out fairly innocently, a clearing sky, and moderate westerly. But after two races, Mother Nature dropped the hammer and all I could hear was the dollar bills fluttering off the leech of my (formerly) brand new sail. The breeze picked up to 20 to 30 knots with some steep, unforgiving chop. It might've been a trick. It was no treat. Turnout was light for Day 1, but hopefully we'll have a few more people this coming Sunday (and a little bit less wind). Ferg won the day, with the usual cast of characters in his wake. Results can be found here.

-Stu & Dave

Words of Wisdom, from 2010 Laser Masters World Champ Scott Ferguson

1. The first couple races were puffy and shifty. What is your gear changing progression in the Laser in those conditions?

Everything was happening too quickly to change too much .... so I try to get a good medium setting on everything and keep my head out of the boat and hike hard. With that said in the lighter portion of the day I reach for the outhaul first. In the really windy stuff it is key that vang on right after the start.

2. In one of your interviews at the Laser Masters Worlds you talked about how you'd train by sailing downwind from Point Judith to Newport. It was choppy yesterday, especially for Fleet 413. What, if anything, can you apply from your big-course downwind technique to the short, choppy waves we saw yesterday?

It has taken quite some time for me to become reasonably fast downwind, and it is still a work in progress ..... one big hurtle for me was to become more 'comfortable' especially in the big conditions. The more comfortable you are the more you can focus on the subtleties. So a few key things I try to focus on is 'letting the boat go' by this I mean never fighting the rudder while at the same time finding a good path to catch or sail around waves. One other note here is the mainsheet/boom position really effects the helm balance.

3. How do you sail the boat upwind once the breeze gets over 20, as it did for the second half of racing on Sunday? How do you set your sail up? How do you sail the boat? How do you prevent waves from washing over the bow and into the cockpit?

Very tight cunningham and just leave it. Outhaul about 5 inches off the boom. Vang very hard (like 15 inches of tail pulled after 2 blocked) this allows you to sheet out in the puffs (sometimes I sheet out 1-2 feet but the vang must be very tight to do this), move back to the middle of the cockpit to help with the waves.

4. What are the keys to avoiding the death roll in those conditions?

Leave the board down all the way the whole time and don't let the boom past 90deg the more you overtrim the more stable you are, but the slower you go. I was over trimmed a number of times yesterday just to survive the big puffs

5. Any other lessons from your summer of Laser sailing that you'd care to share with the fleet?

Stay away from the crowds on the start line ... usually means the middle of the line for me, sail your own race.

2010 Fat Boys regatta report & results

2010-10-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Report from PJ Schaffer, Bristol YC

The 2010 Fat Boys of Bristol County Laser regatta was held on Saturday, October 23 at the Bristol Yacht Club. Nine races were expertly completed in a no throw out format rewarding consistent racing. Bristol Harbor displayed it's autumn gusto yet again as the fleet of 29 were tested by a shifty WNW 5-18k breeze. RC Lars Guck & Chad Atkins tested the group with a multitude of courses while Peter Shope, Steve Kirkpatrick, and Andy Pimental battled to the top of the deep fleet. Peter Shope completed the "RI Triple crown" winning the Pete Milnes, Master's NE, and Fat Boys in 2010. He was pushed hard by Steve & Andy, surely an indicator of the upcoming frostbite season. Top Female was Lynn Shore and top radial was Steven Jones. The fleet and RC enjoyed the confines of the BYC Bar for post race snacks & libations while the awards were distributed. Many thanks to the Bristol YC staff, especially Chris & Natalie, for the help during the regatta.

Results

Newport Fleet 413 Frostbite Series begins Sunday October 31st!

2010-10-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

From Stu & Dave

Fleet 413ers,

Day 1 of the season is right around the corner. Hopefully everyone is getting psyched to sail. A number of you did the Fat Boys. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them. In case you didn't hear Peter Shope won, followed closely by Steve Kirkpatrick and Andy Pimental. The good news for week 1 is Peter will be doing race committee. Some quick reminders:

1. Sign up: To help us with scoring and fleet organization, we're asking everyone who thinks they MIGHT SAIL this year to fill out the registration form now. It can be found here, http://www.newportlaserfleet.org/frostbite.htm along with the PayPal links for online payment. This will help give us a master list of names and sail numbers. You can wait to pay until you start sailing (thought the $5 discount will disappear come Monday).

2. Race committee: We have Peter Shope and Brian Fisher doing RC on Sunday. We'd like to add two more less-experienced people to the crew as we'll have two power boats. If you'd like to sign up, let me know. We also need four RC volunteers for each day in November. For December through March we'll only use three unless everything fills up. Sign up now!

3. Parking: It can be busy at Sail Newport in the fall, so please park courteously. No parking in the old fenced in area in Oct and Nov. And no parking along the road or on the grass. Once the spaces to the south of the fence are filled up, use the spots by the Mule Barn or the overflow lot to the SW of the Sail Newport offices.

4. Arrive early on Sunday. Registration can take some time. And the fleet captains would like to get some pre-race practice in as well. If you registered online (THANK YOU!), please remember your signed waiver.

5. The Cedar Point fleet has their fall regatta scheduled for Sat. Nov. 13, just in case one day of Laser sailing per weekend isn't enough for you. The NOR is attached.

6. Classifieds:
• Phil Garland has a boat for sale: Laser #187966 2007 Grey with red stripe. Race rigged with carbon tiller, new vang, blades with bag, top, bottom and spar covers, dolly, race sail and Intensity sail. All in great condition; lightly used boat. $4700.00, p.garland@hallspars.com.

• LaserPerformance Sail + Sport RI formerly known as VSCRI has three event boats left (as of last week). Price is $5,300.00 and comes with a dolly. The boats also qualify for $300.00 in “LP Bucks” (kind of like a rebate). The store’s number is (401) 683-0400.

That's all for now. Fat Boys results and report to follow later this week.
Fleet 413 NOR
Cedar Point Fall Regatta NOR

2010 Fat Boys - Peter Shope is #1 Fat Boy!

2010-10-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

Scores and full report coming tomorrow morning but here is a quick update:

2010 Fat Boys of Bristol County

Bristol Yacht Club

October 23, 2010

Wind: WNW 5-18K
Races: 9
Competitors: 29
RC: Lars Guck & Chad Atkins

1st - Peter Shope 30pts
2nd - Steve Kirkpatrick 31 pts
3rd - Andy Pimental 32 pts

Marblehead Laser Frostbite Fall Season is on!

2010-10-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

From EYC Frostbite group:

We set attendance records the last two seasons and hope to do it again… look for 10+ boats on the line each Saturday – more if it’s windy, and even more if it’s warm & windy.

For those curious about amenities, we can offer a major facilities upgrade this year, and we even have a barbecue planned. All are welcome on shore, on board, or on one of two support boats. Come for sailing, chatting, or just beering.

- Indoor, mildly heated changing area
- Flush, indoor toilets
- Showers
- Nearby launch area
- Fabulous in-harbor friendly, fun sailing area

Schedule
1200 skippers meeting, 1230 harbor start, 1300 first signal
Saturday 16 OCT
Saturday 23 OCT
Saturday 30 OCT
Saturday 6 NOV
Saturday 13 NOV

Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Championship

2010-10-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

David Frazier, Peter Seidenberg & Gary Orkney

David Frazier, Peter Seidenberg and Gary Orkney traveled south last week to sail in the Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters and all three came home with a trophy!

For results and full story click here

Hank Thornburn is the 2010 Maine Laser Champion!

2010-10-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

From Tom Jamieson:

On Sunday 10/10/10 the final regatta of the Maine Laser Championship was held with the overall championship going to Hank Thornburn or Harpswell, ME. Mike Gaffney of Georgetown, ME. finished in second and Syd Sewall of Hallowell in third. The championship was the best three out of four regattas below. Thirty four different sailors competed in the series including out of state guests Gary Orkney of Stonington, CT and Sally Sharp of Dartmouth, NH.

The first regatta held was the "Striper Cup" on scenic Robinhood Cove in Georgetown, ME on July 31st. Twelve boats participated with Hank Thornburn coming in first, Gary Orkney in second and Syd Sewall in Third. Seven races were held in light winds but the scenery (w. sturgeon jumping) and hospitality of the Gaffney family made for a wonderful day.

The second event was the "Hussey Sound Regatta" held at Sailmaine in Portland, ME on August 29th. This was the best attended event with seventeen sailors including three youths. Ed Rowe, Tim Tolford and Finn Hadlock of the Portland Laser Fleet took first, second and third respectively. Five races were held in Portland Harbor with winds ranging from 8 to 22 mph. The reach back to the dock was lots of fun.

The third event on September 11th, was the annual "Loon Cup" on Lake Cobbosseecontee, near Augusta, ME. The event drew 16 sailors with one youth and three women competing. Hank Thornburn dominated again with Mike Gaffney in second and Tom Jamieson of Belfast, ME. in third. After the race we gorged ourselves with the hospitality of the Cobbossee Sailing Fleet. The lake winds were shifty and went between 8-18 mph which made for some interesting racing.

The Final event of the series was the annual "Hippo Cup" sailed in Thomaston, ME and hosted by the Thomaston frostbite fleet. Only eight sailors turned out for what was a great day of sailing. Mike Gaffney won the event with Hank Thornburn in second and Syd Sewall in third. Seven races were sailed in winds of 6-20 mph with two races featuring downwind starts (which made for a very exciting first leward mark).

We invite you all to next years series which will feature a new venue and some spring racing. For more information contact: Tom Jamieson 207 338-3288 or tbjlac@prexar.com.

A very WINDY Last Blast Regatta!

2010-10-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the Quannapowitt Yacht Club in Wakefield, MA. welcomed 22 sailors to a very windy Last Blast Regatta. Congratulations again to Peter Follansbee for another big win!

Nine races were run on the lake and anyone who has sailed on a lake in big breeze knows that the shifts can be big and sudden....the photos tell it all... thank you to Laser sailor and photographer David Ryan.

Final results coming soon but here are the top 10 (22 entered)

(1) Peter Folansbee (297) – (19 pts)
(2) Erik McCaffrey (181092) – (23 pts) and 1st U-18
(3) Phil King (187436) – (31 pts)
(4) David Frasier (161100) – (32 pts)
(5) Peter Seidenberg (189811) – (34 pts) and 1st in Masters & Radial
(6) Gary Orkney ( 170776) – (46 pts)
(7) Robert Cutting (162393) – (51 pts)
(8) Eric Aker (133827) – (66 pts)
(9) Sarah Helbling (196279) – (66 pts) and 1st Woman
(10) Stephen Jones (195450) – (86 pts)

Follansbee wins NH Seacoast Regatta

2010-10-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

From Stephen Kosacz (NH Seacoast Laser Fleet Captain)

15 Sailors were treated to a perfect Fall day complete with beautiful foliage, gradual warming temperatures, and increasing westerly breeze for challenging sailing on Great Bay at the confluence of the Piscataqua, Salmon Falls, and Squamscott Rivers in Dover Point NH hosted by the ever gracious folks from the Great Bay Yacht Club whose performance as Race Committee and "top chefs" made for a great event with sailors from as far away as Connecticut and Rhode Island enjoying a fun filled Labor Day weekend of Laser sailing.

For the 9 sailors who sailed the previous day the Lake Quinapowitt's Last Blast regatta, Sunday's moderating breeze was a welcomed relief but the the windward mark shifts were nearly as challenging.

The top finishers mirrored the previous day's results proving that Peter Follansbee sails well in Saturday's 20-25 knot shifts in Wakefield MA as well as Sunday's 10-15 breezes in his own backyard by edging out Ipswich's Phil King, Connecticut's Dave Frazier (3rd), and Newport's Peter Seidenberg taking the 5th spot.

Results

Lasers for sale!

2010-10-07T04:40:00.000-07:00

Check out the District 7 classified section as there are 5 used Lasers for sale! Perfect for the upcoming frostbite season!

D7 Lasers for sale

Cabarete or Bust!!! You have until midnight tonight....

2010-10-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

News from Cabarete:

JetBlue is offering a one day sale that ends tonight at midnight. You must travel between October 12 – December 15, but the deals are spectacular. $79.00 to Cabarete, airport code (POP).

D7's Scott Ferguson Nominated for Seahorse Magazine Sailor of the Month

2010-10-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Scott Ferguson and his nomination for Seahorse Magazine "Sailor of the Month"
Read more here!

District 7 October Regattas

2010-10-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

District 7 is wrapping up the 2010 regatta schedule with the following October regattas:

October 9th - Last Blast Laser Regatta
(Wakefield, MA) Registration / NOR

October 10th - NH Seacoast Fall Regatta
(Hilton State Park, Dover Point, NH) NOR

October 10th - ME Laser Championship - Regatta #4
(Thomaston, ME) For more information

October 23rd - Fat Boys
(Bristol, RI) NOR

Make sure to check the D7 website for local frostbite schedules and notices! Also, fleet captains...please look at the "Fleets" page and make sure that your information is up to date-Thanks!

Peter Shope dominates at the Seitech New England Master's Championship

2010-09-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Peter Shope with the NE Master's Trophy

Thirty-six Master's descended upon Third Beach in Middletown, RI for the 2010 Seitech New England Master's Championship.

Saturday brought SW 15-18 knots and Sunday, NE 12-15. Peter Shope just back from the UK where he competed in the Laser Master World's was in top shape and easily took the win with a 1,1,1,1,(5),1,1 for the New England Master's Trophy.

In the UK Peter was poised to finish in the top 10 going into the last race but pulled an OCS, which was his second OCS in the championship series and thus could not be used as a throw-out. Well, he played it right in this event and the result was perfect.

When asked to comment on the regatta this past weekend Peter said, 'One thing I really enjoy about Laser sailors is that despite the intense competitiveness and our own desires to win we still find time to cheer each other on. Case in point: I have to thank Lindsay Hewitt who before the regatta told me I could do it and between races reminded me not to push the start so much, e.g., the Worlds'

The RC was, as usual, top notch being run by 2008 Olympic PRO Charley Cook, the conditions were superb and the competitors enjoyed plenty of pizza along with some fun give-away prizes.

Final results

Peter leading the fleet (Photo by Carson Turowski)

Stonington YC Fall Laser Series

2010-09-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

The Stonington Yacht Club (Stonington, CT.) started their Fall Laser series on Saturday, September 18th with 15 boats on the line in light and shifty conditions. The racing was very close and fun.

The series will run every Saturday through November 27 with the first gun at 12:30. See the NOR below.

NOR

Seitech New England Master's Championship

2010-09-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Masters Sailors,

The NE Masters Championship is nearly upon us. The weather forecast for Saturday looks perfect: SW 20-16 kn, 71°F, sunny.
Sunday's weather is almost perfect: NE 13 kn, 62°F, cloudy, some sprinkles.

Water during racing and pizza after racing are provided both days. Lots of good give-aways await the lucky ones after prize-giving.

Don't miss the last NE Masters event of the season! Bring a friend and spread the word.

The NOR, with directions, is attached.

NOR

Laser Master Worlds brings 3 Cubes to D7

2010-09-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

Bruno Fontes video above (practice session for Laser Worlds) pretty much sums up what the first day of racing and the last day of racing looked like at the Master Worlds on Hayling Island - epic!

The USA overall was well represented at the Masters and D7 sailors were a big part of that equation! Bringing home a cube (the coveted World Championship prize) were:

1st Place in the Standard Master fleet - Scott Ferguson
2nd Place in the Grand Master Radial fleet - Alden Shattuck
2nd Place in the Great Grand Master Radial fleet - Peter Seidenberg

Also impressive finishes:
5th Place in Standard Apprentice fleet - Ben Richardson
16th place in Standard Master fleet - Peter Shope (Peter was top 10 going into the last race but had to count an OCS in the last race)

Conditions were challenging as there was just about everything thrown at the fleet from nuking conditions to super light and shifty.


Scott Ferguson -1st Master Standard

Alden Shattuck - 2nd Grand Master Radial

Peter Seidenberg - 2nd Great Grand Master Radial

Ben Richardson - 5th Apprentice Standard

Peter Shope - 16th Master Standard

Final Story
Standard Results
Radial Results

Sail Salem Founder's Cup - Cancelled

2010-09-15T00:38:00.001-07:00

The Sail Salem Founder's Cup scheduled for October 2nd has been cancelled.

Riverside Yacht Club Fall Invitational-update

2010-09-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

There was some confusion as to the RYC Fall Invitational and where to register.

The regatta is now called the USS America Regatta and is being hosted this Saturday, September 11th at the Old Greenwich Yacht Club in Old Greenwich, CT.

Register here

Laser Master NE's need volunteers!

2010-09-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

via RI Yachting.com :

Sailors and Volunteers Needed

Laser Fleet 413 has put out the call. The Laser Master's New England regatta is September 25 & 26 at Third Beach, Middletown RI.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS. This event has always depended on the efforts of Fleet 413 and this year is no exception. WE NEED A FEW SMALL POWER BOATS to serve and crash and mark boats. WE ALSO NEED BODIES for one or two days, to help staff the crash boats, the mark boats, and the race committee boats. 2008 Olympic Head PRO Charley Cook will be running the show. So in addition to doing a good deed for Fleet 413, you’ll get a chance to witness one of the most experienced PROs in the world doing his job. This certainly won’t hurt when it comes time to do your Fleet 413 race committee. We need people who are comfortable running a small boat, but there are plenty of spots for people will less regatta experience (friends, significant others, etc.) Lunch will be provided as will pizza at the end of racing. Gas expenses will be reimbursed for anyone who loans the regatta a crash boat.

Laser Master Worlds 2010

2010-09-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

If you want to follow the D7 gang heading to Laser Master Worlds...check out my (Kim Ferguson) blog:

http://lasermasterworlds2010.blogspot.com

I will report in on the event and the few D7 sailors competing!

September Regatta Schedule

2010-09-02T05:14:00.000-07:00

The Riverside Fall Invitational (September 11th)
Riverside, CT
for more information

ME Laser Championship-regatta #3 (September 11th)
Manchester, ME
NOR

American Yacht Club (September 11th)
Newburyport, MA
NOR

Multi Class Regatta (September 11-12)
Sharon, MA
for more information

Bass River Yacht Club Laser Regatta (September 18th)
South Yarmouth, MA
NOR

Ponce de Leon Regatta (September 19th)
Marblehead, MA
for more information

New England Masters (September 25-26)
Middletown, RI
NOR

Scott Ferguson wins Master's Atlantic Coast

2010-08-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

The Wianno Yacht Club was host to the 2010 Master's Atlantic Coast Championship. Over two days 6 races were completed in mostly light and super shifty conditions. There were 30+ competitors including new Apprentice Master and former World and Olympic Laser sailor, Mark Mendelblatt.

Scott Ferguson, the master of getting a perfect line sight seemed to be off his game from the get go racking up three OCS's in the first three races and closing with a 4th OCS on the second day. It was pretty stunning and somewhat humbling to watch him start 20+ boat lengths behind everyone and by leg two he would be right back in it, snaking his way through the pack. When asked how he does it he replied, 'Just connect the dots - sail to the puffs.' He also works hard on his boat handling as every tack and gybe is an opportunity to gain... surely, his incessant positive attitude doesn't hurt!

The top 3:
1. Scott Ferguson
2. Tim Landt
3. Mark Mendelblatt

Although Mark Mendelblatt won on raw score he had to give up points each race for being younger and in the tiebreaker between he and Tim Landt he had to give the win to the older Landt...Mark learned quickly that there are benefits to being the older guy in the Master's division!

Despite the light conditions, it was a gorgeous place to sail and the club provided plenty of food and wonderful prizes from Magic Marine.

Results

Dave Powlison Wins 2010 Vermont Open

2010-08-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Dave Powlison for his win at the 2010 Vermont Open! With three bullets and one throw-out, Dave was able to stay 2 points ahead of 2nd place finisher, Gary Orkney and 8 points ahead of 3rd place finisher Christine Neville.

Results

Wrapping up August.....

2010-08-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

Upcoming regattas:

August 28th
Riverside Yacht Club Laser Regatta
(Riverside, CT)
More information

August 28th
American Yacht Club Laser Regatta
District 8 (Rye, NY)
NOR
Registration Form

August 29th
Maine Laser Championship
regatta #2 (Portland, ME)
NOR

August 28th & 29th
Master's Atlantic Coast Championship
Wianno Yacht Club (Osterville, MA)
Registration, Sailing instructions & NOR

The Vermont Open is this weekend - August 14-15th

2010-08-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Malletts Bay Boat Club will be hosting the Vermont Open this weekend.

$30.00 entry fee includes all snacks and dinner on Saturday. Full-time student rate is $20.00 and extra meal tickets are $10.00 (spectator boats available.) Please pre-register if possible so that we may get a dinner count!

Come spend the weekend racing Lasers on beautiful Lake Champlain!

NOR

12 Miles of downwind practice...

2010-08-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Leaving the breakwater at Pt. Judith

Last week on a beautiful day in RI with a smokey SW breeze cranking in, Scott Ferguson and Peter Shope decided to do a downwind practice session. The two met in Jamestown where they loaded up their boats and drove with Kim (Scott's tireless Sherpa) to a random beach in Pt. Judith. There they unloaded their boats and carried them one-by-one over some boulders in order to reach the beach where they would launch from. The beach goers were entertained for sure...

View from the seawall lined with curious fisherman

Three hours later... the two arrived with big smiles at a beach in Jamestown where their dollies and equipment were awaiting....thanks to Sherpa-Kim.

Sailing into Jamestown

Ryan Schmitz & Scott Ferguson are the 2010 District 7 Champions

2010-08-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Scott Ferguson & Ryan Schmitz

The 2010 Buzzards Bay Regatta (also the D7 Championship) did not disappoint, despite the light air forecasts and shark warnings.

Day one started off slow with the first race completed in a shifty NW breeze which eventually died leaving the sailors waiting around for most of the day but then... Buzzards Bay conditions finally showed up at around 3pm with a solid SW breeze. The breeze came in halfway through the Standard fleet race # 2 forcing the RC to make a 45-degree course change at the leeward mark. The Radial fleet had an especially long day, as their second race didn't get started until after 4pm.

Day 2 started with a one- hour postponement onshore but then the classic BBR conditions came through as expected- big waves and a strong Southerly breeze of 15 knots with gusts to 18K. Both fleets were able to get 4 races in.

Day 3 started on time with 14 knots peeking at the end of the day at 18 with gusts to 20. Both fleets were able to complete 3 races before the cut-off time of 2pm.

Scott Ferguson of D7 won the Standard fleet (56 boats) with a 2,2,(3),2,1,1,1,1,3 total of 13 points. Erik Bowers of Minnetonka YC and The College of Charleston was nipping at Scott's heels finishing in 2nd and only 4 points behind with 17 points. Peter Shope also of D7 was not far behind in 3rd place with a total of 33 points.

Ryan Schmitz of Port Washington, NY (LISOT) was clearly the dominant one in the 65-boat Radial fleet with a (18), 3, 1, 1,1,1,1,1,1 for a total of 10 points. His performance earned this seventeen-year old from NY The Buzzards Bay Trophy, which is given to the top finisher in the biggest/most competitive fleet.

Final results

Hank Thorburn wins regatta #1 for 2010 Maine Championship

2010-08-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

From Mike Gaffney:

A few newcomers joined the Thomaston and Cobbosseecontee regulars for the first Striper Cup regatta on Robinhood Cove in Georgetown. Hank Thorburn moved from Mass. to his family farm in Harpswell last year and looks forward to doing the rest of the Championship of Maine series as well as frostbiting in Tommytown. Gary Orkney drove up from Stonington CT for this regatta and some biking in Acadia. Roger Howell (Brunswick) brought along his buddy the FedEx guy Mark Stafiej (Phippsburg), and Alex Cogburn (Bath and Castine) tried his hand at Lasering for the first time.

7 Races were held in light and shifty SSE winds just north of Birch Island on Robinhood Cove. With one throw‐out the results follow:

1 Hank Thorburn Harpswell 5 ‐3‐1‐1‐1‐3‐1 10
2 Gary Orkney Stonington CT 2‐4‐3‐2‐5‐2‐2 15
3 Syd Sewall Hallowell 8‐5‐2‐3‐3‐1‐3 17
4 Fred Boursier Warren 1‐1‐4‐6‐2‐6‐4 18
5 Tom Jamieson Belfast 3‐2‐6‐4‐7‐4‐8 26
6 Mark Gaffney Thomaston 6‐9‐8‐7‐4‐5‐5 35
7 Roger Howell Brunswick 7‐7‐5‐5‐6‐7‐11 37
8 Philippe Guillerm Rockland 4‐6‐7‐8‐9‐9‐7 41
9 Chris Biggart Thomaston 9‐8‐9‐9‐11‐8‐6 49
10 Scott Bennington Litchfield 10‐11‐10‐11‐10‐11‐10 62
11 Mark Stafiej Phippsburg 11‐10‐12‐12‐12‐10‐9 64
12 Alex Cogburn Bath 12‐12‐11‐10‐8‐12‐12 65

Much thanks to Noon Weiss for catering, and Tyson Weiss of Fish in the Garden for the cool trophies.

Mike Gaffney

Peter Follansbee & Sara Helbling are overall winners at 2010 Hyannis Regatta

2010-08-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

New Hampshire sailors take the lead at 2010 Hyannis Regatta!

The Standard fleet hosted 33 competitors with 9 races on the board and the Radial fleet, 41 competitors and 10 races. Neither fleet had a throw-out.

Peter Follansbee of New Castle, NH is back on top! Peter pulled out 3 bullets and 1st place overall for the regatta, 5 points ahead of the 2nd place Peter Seidenberg. In the Radial fleet, Sarah Helbling of Nashua, NH sailing for the Quannapowitt YC in Wakefield, MA, topped an impressive fleet of 41 competitors to take the overall win, 6 points ahead of 2nd place finisher Jeremy Herrin.

Results

A side note...both Peter and Sarah have sailed in the same fleet before and out of 20 boats they were 1st and 2nd respectively...see the May Madness results

Christine Neville finishes 4th at US Women's Singlehanded Championships

2010-08-02T05:29:00.000-07:00


Christine after winning Area A's


Christine takes the pin end. (Photo: Julie B. Connerley)

Christine Neville of Richmond, VT and the Malletts Bay Boat Club represented District 7 at the first US Women's Singlehanded Championships. Christine won the Area A's in New Bedford, MA on June 19-20 earning her the spot as the Area A representative. The US Singlehanded Championships (O'Day Trophy) was held at the Pensacola Yacht Club in Pensacola, FL. (July 29-August 1)

The Men's and Women's championships hosted 12 competitors in each class. After 7 races Christine pulled away with a 4th place overall. Nice job!!!

Results

This weekend: Regatta #1 for the Maine Laser Championship (July 31st) & Hyannis Regatta (July 30-August 1)

2010-07-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

There is a lot going on this coming weekend for D7 sailors... Saturday will be the first of four scheduled regattas to be counted towards the Maine Laser Championship. The best 3 regattas will be counted to determine the winners.

NOR
More information

Also this weekend is the 3 day Hyannis Regatta (July 30-August 1)

NOR

Big turnout for the Stone Horse Regatta!

2010-07-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

The Stone Horse Regatta had a big showing in the standard fleet with 48 entries and the radial fleet with 6. Apparently the day started out foggy with light air but opened up to clear skies and breezy conditions.

Colin Smith of Stone Horse YC and Brown University clearly dominated the Standard fleet winning all four races! In the radial fleet the Longerstaey sisters dominated with Oriane Longerstaey taking first and Anoush Longerstaey following close behind in 2nd.

I spoke to one competitor who said the racing was "great," the race committee was "awesome" and the barbecue after racing, "perfect."

Standard results

Radial results

Matt Russell of Tufts University wins Lake Massapoag Regatta

2010-07-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

Judith and her dog Vera

Report from Judith Krimski:

It was a hot and breezy day that brought 13 sailors out for the Lake Massapoag Regatta in Sharon, MA. For those who aren't familiar with the lake, it is approximately 1 mile long and 1/2 mile wide. Saturday's wind was fluky to say the least-giving us typical lake sailing- varying from 5 to 15 with occasional 50 degree shifts. Every race was a huge tactical battle and those that sailed fastest and played the shifts most successfully won the day.

The morning featured predominant shifts coming from course right. At times the left looked promising but as you sailed up the last 1/3 of the course the right took over. With short courses and lots of boat-on-boat action it was a challenge to stay with an overall strategy. After four races the fleet took a short break and was treated to delicious snacks offered by the ever-attentive race organizers. I have to say that Oreos are a fantastic mid-regatta pick-me-up.

Back out on the water at 1:30 we sailed 3 more high intensity races in winds that shifted mostly course left and increased in velocity to 12-15. The RC did a great job of setting an exciting triangle course that took good advantage of solid pressure coming in from the left creating some excellent planing conditions. As per the morning playing the numerous shifts upwind was critical to overall success.

Positions changed hands numerous times during each race but Lake Massapoag regulars came away with top prizes for the day. Tufts sophomore Matt Russell, whose consistent skills showed throughout the day, took top prize, followed closely by Gary Werden from Sharon, MA, and in third position, Tim Entwhistle, a high school student from Mystic Ct. It was a true battle among the top 3 who, at the end of the day, were separated by only three points.

Many thanks to MYC race organizers for keeping it cheap (30 bucks), simple, and really fun. Other regatta committees should take a page from these guys - they managed to give us a great day with lots of races, no protests and good food. In my book, that makes for an excellent time.

Results

Seidenberg wins 2010 German Radial Masters

2010-07-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Report from Peter Seidenberg:

I can report with pleasure and pride that I won the the 3-day German Radial Masters championship, held this last weekend on Lake Tollense, with the city of Neubrandenburg on its north shore, 2 hours north of Berlin. The lake is 7.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. The wind was mostly light, never exceeding 10 mph. As is typical, we never really experienced the best winds, meaning up the lake from the SW. Except for race 1 on Friday, the rest of the 6 races were sailed in NW winds, coming across the lake, shifty and gusty. Mostly due to dying winds, we had 1 race on Friday, 2 on Saturday, and 3 on Sunday, all on trapezoidal courses, with the Standards on the outer and the Radials on the inner loop. I was not only the 1st GGM, but also the 1st overall in the 36-boat Radial fleet. The results of both fleets are attached. Unfortunately, the age divisions are not indicated.

Fran and I are off touring the Baltic coast now for a week, then to Berlin for a family reunion next weekend before flying back to Boston the following Monday.

Radial Results

Standard Results

2010 Stone Horse Laser Regatta ( July 24th)

2010-07-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Register online for the Stone Horse 2010 Laser Regatta on July 24!

Come sail at one of the most gorgeous places to sail...strong SW winds combined with shallow waters and lots of protecting surrounding islands make it a perfect playground for small boat sailors!

Stone Horse YC just hosted a fleet of 120 Optimists with big breeze and big swell and now they are excited for the upcoming Laser regatta. Registrations are just now flowing in...so sign up!

Please fill in the registration form completely. Online registration ($40.00) will be open through July 22. Registrations will be accepted for $45 on race day from 9:30-10:30am at the club. Skippers' Meeting 10:30 am. Racing begins 11:30.

Registration fee of $40.00 includes - regatta, t-shirt, snacks, and post-race barbecue.

Registration

Directions

Lipton Cup Report from Judy Krimski

2010-07-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Future Olympian takes to the water on Quincy Bay

Gary Werden from Sharon, MA. takes the lead on day two

Regatta report written by Judy Krimski
Photos by Leighton O'Connor

After a week of more than extreme heat, Saturday morning dawned steamy with temps in the 80’s. I was excited though to get going down to the beach and rig up for the Lipton Cup, a multi-generational regatta hosted by the Squantum Yacht Club here in Quincy, MA. As I pulled my laser down to the beach (4 blocks away) I thought about what a fantastic venue Quincy bay is for a dinghy regatta. Hopefully this weekend wouldn’t disappoint. The lasers accompanied by club 420s and radials headed out to the Charlie course at 10:00. Fortunately SYC takes a civilized approach to sailboat racing; the course isn’t more than a 5 minute sail from the club and courses are short so you can actually see the windward mark. The RC did a fantastic job of adjusting the course for the wind shifts and was able to get off 5 races before a severe squall came through at about 2:30. For most of the day winds were southwest, 8-10 knots, oscillating approximately 40 degrees most of the day. This made for some very exciting tactical races. The course used was a box course; windward mark with a reaching mark, downwind to a gybe mark, another reaching mark, and upwind to a separate finish. Leads changed hands numerous times and it was pretty much anyone’s race on the last leg. If you misread the shifts, you were toast. Several times the lasers, which started second, overtook the 420 fleet, which made for some interesting tactical maneuvers. We finished the day, beers in hand, and happy to be know that we had one more day of sailing on the bay. On Sunday, we set sail for the Charlie line in brilliant sunshine and a light sea breeze hoping that the wind gods would smile on us. We sailed the box course in two light wind races in about 5 knots. Again the breeze was shifting but finally settled down into a true 10-12knot sea breeze. Since Quincy Bay is so shallow and the northeast fetch is so long it accentuates the swell giving us great downwind sailing. We got off another four races before calling it a day. It was all great fun with good friends and better competition. I am already looking forward to next year. I have to say the sailing this weekend was super fun but interacting with the kids made the whole experience really rewarding. There’s something really cool about seeing kids out on lasers, the new rig configurations help this a lot and it’s awesome. And Congratulations to Gary Werden and Erik Aker, Both from Sharon, MA, for finishing first and second respectively. See you guys down at Massapoag next Saturday for the MYC laser regatta. Can't wait for a rematch!

Many thanks to Leighton O'Connor, nautical photographer, for his great photos! To see more, go to http://www.leightonoconnor.com/

Results

2010 MYC 3rd Annual Laser & Sunfish Regatta (July 17th)

2010-07-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the fun Laser & Sunfish regatta this Saturday in Sharon, MA.
Entry fee is $35.00 with a discount to juniors/students. Included is breakfast and a barbecue!

NOR

Scott Ferguson & Norbert Mongeon are winners at 2010 Newport Coastal Living Regatta

2010-07-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Sail Newport hosted a great event this weekend with 31 Lasers in the Standard fleet and 14 in the Radial fleet. The racing on Saturday was light and shifty with current a big factor. The RC did a great job getting in 5 races on Saturday with hopes of more on Sunday but, unfortunately, the light morning northerly slowly faded all day with a light sea breeze finally filling after the time limit so for many of us, hopes for a throwout race were gone.

Scott Ferguson (Jamestown, RI) won four out of the five races with his worst race being a 6th place. Finishing in 2nd was Peter Follansbee (New Castle, New Hampshire) and in 3rd, youth sailor Bill Kelly (Darien, CT).

The Radial fleet was very diverse in age group ranging from Great Grandmaster down to youth but age didn't seem to be an issue. The overall winner was, youth sailor, Norbert Mongeon (Smithfield, RI) and only 5 points behind him in 2nd was, Great Grandmaster, Peter Seidenberg (Middletown, RI) finishing in 3rd was Sara Helbling (Nashua, NH).

The event, despite lack of wind on Sunday, was great fun with a party on Saturday, t-shirts and a great give away in each participants bag-a Tempur-pedic neck roll pillow. For me, that alone was worth the entry fee!

Standard Results
Radial Results