8/17/2024 - Areys Pond Cat Gathering

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https://areyspondboatyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-CG-Results-Final.pdf

Wind Conditions: initially 4-6 kts NW, shifting N, then shifting E.

A challenging day both for RC and racers.  RC had to continually move the marks/line due to the wind shifts and we didn't really get a good windward/leeward course until the last race.  Challenging for racers due to light winds and many no-wind holes trying to reach the next mark.  Still, all boats persevered and were rewarded with some close boat-to-boat racing.    Yes, the last race was too long for the large boat fleet!  We asked our two winners for the day what they thought they did well and here's what they said:

Azure Leisure: Good fortune in the fluky winds of race 1 and 3 drove Saturday’s  results. In race 1, Bluebird and Pleasant dreams were comfortably ahead  at the final mark and as I rounded the mark and came to full speed and  proper course they were hit with a massive header. I immediately tacked  before it hit me and was lifted to be able to fetch the line. Better  lucky than fast.  In race 3, after a less than stellar start on my part,  I found myself in a similar position at the leeward mark before the  long beat. I split from the leaders and headed to the port side of the  course for free wind and position. Fortunately, they sailed into a hole  on the starboard side of the course and the wind gods blessed me on the  left side of the leg.

QA Girl: Racing at Namequoit allows me to improve my sailing.   Winning in short races requires focus on mark rounding especially the leeward mark.   Leaving the mark wide coming downwind provides the opportunity to maneuver to a windward position during the mark rounding.

Wind Conditions: 7-9 kts S/SW

This day was probably the best conditions for racing all season.  Consistent/gentle breeze out of the SW and we had a nice turnout of 4 boats in the 14' fleet and 5 boats in the 15'-19' fleet.  The left side was the preferred path upwind/uphill and boats that went right (west) were generally met with adverse current and a little chop from the nearby channel.  The mark boat kept moving the "W" mark farther to the right each race to encourage more boats to go to the right side uphill, but not many takers.  Downhill was a sleigh ride to the "L" mark.  Mike did a horizon job on the big boats for most of the races.  Jill and John duked it out for the 14's with Jill prevailing on most races.  

Some photos from the day below.  We managed to hand out mini-regatta prizes on the water after racing wrapped up, and if we still owe you a prize let us know.  Hope to see all of you again next season. 

Fair winds,

Your friendly neighborhood Race Committee.

Wind Conditions: 3-7kts, oscillating NNW to SW

Results for this day and for the entire season have now been uploaded to the Racing Results section.  If we owe you a prize, it's coming!   Awards for the top 3 finishers in each class for the season will be given out at the NSA Annual Meeting on September 2nd at 4pm.  Please come if you can.  We also want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you that came out to race this summer (and those that volunteered on the RC/mark boats).  It's really heartwarming to see you out there carrying on our longstanding traditions as a sailing club and it gives us personal motivation to run these races.  Some photos from the day are below.  Perhaps some video coming too when we get time :)

The forecast didn't match the reality for this one...and that's often been the case this summer.  Actual winds were light and spotty, oscillating anywhere between NNW and W for most of the time,  then finally filled in from SW late in the third race.   This made for a lot of work on the mark boat and Rob's pulling muscles are probably feeling it today.  Special thanks to Megan and Rob for helping out on the Whalers.  It makes our work much easier.

During each of the 3 races, potholes of no-wind would magically appear at random somewhere on the course, usually near the start line or just shy before the "W" mark.   John managed to keep the rest of the 14's at bay and finish well ahead in 1st and 3rd races.  The second race had the closest competition between all the 14's and was fun to watch.  From our view, the left side of the course was favored with better breeze most of the time.  With some shifts to the W/SW, Nick and others that took the left side uphill generally made it to the "W" mark first.  And we're not sure who was happier, Pete or Rob & Bill when the last race concluded :)

We have one more mini-regatta planned for September 3rd (fyi, this won't count for the overall season score). 

Fair winds,

Your friendly neighborhood Race Committee.

Wind Conditions: 9-11, NNW.

First for the day in 14' fleet: Jill on QA Girl (with 3 first-places finishes, she is fast)

First for the day in 15' fleet: Rick, Jane, and Ed on Pleasant Dreams (with 4 1st places finishes)

Finally some nice weather!  Good to see so many of you out there after a few weeks of bad wind and bad tides.  This was first time we held 4 races in a single day, so RC is looking for feedback on that.  The first race was Course 1-B and that took much longer than expected, up 40 minutes for the 14' boats who finished, and several didn't follow the whole course.  Lesson for the RC here, only use this course for 15-19' fleet!  We strive for about 20-25 minutes per race.  We moved the W an L marks closer after that.  Because the first one was so long, RC threw in a "sprint" in race 2 (to the W mark and back. course 3-A), taking on 8-10 minutes for most boats.  Now we're back on track and the last two races were about the right duration IMO (course 2-A).  Some close mark roundings during the races and everyone seemed to be in control.  Photo credit: Paul Mclaughlin.

Wind Conditions: 5-9, SE.

Hello Namequoit Racers.  Thank you again to everyone that was able to come out on a re-scheduled day on a holiday weekend.  Also, many thanks to Kevin and Ann Johnson for running a great Mark Boat and to Dick Emmert for helping out on the Race Committee Boat.

Saturday morning saw (again!) dire warnings of dense fog and a forecast for “calm wind becoming SSE 3-5 kts in the afternoon.”  Yes, RC was a little worried.  We arrived on the bay to find a solid 6 kts from the SE and set up a triangle course between the channel and south of Money Head.  The day featured some excellent close racing.  Everyone seems to be getting the hang of the new 3 minute starting sequence and all 5 boats in the >15' fleet hit the line right at the gun.  During Race 1, our initial 6-7 kts decreasing to around 5 kts and the fleet split with some taking the left side and some the right.  Taking the left side up by Hog Island was favored for all three races due to less adverse current, less chop, and consistent breeze.   This allowed Athena and Ripple to pull ahead in Race 1.  Ripple was first to the finish line with Athena and Azure Leisure coming in together for a photo finish.  Azure Leisure took 2nd by a hair, as Mike shot the line at *just* the right moment.

Race 2 was a quick windward/leeward as we waited to see if the breeze would fill back in.  The breeze finally settled in at 7 kts and all of our racers made a quick run up and back to the finish.  Pleasant Dreams took this one well ahead, followed by ANOTHER photo finish with Athena, Azure Leisure and Ripple reaching the line all at the same time...making thing super easy on your Race Committee :(  Athena was the leader in this next group of finishers.

With a steady 7 kts, we set up for a longer final race for all the boats, Course 1B with a triangle, windward/leeward course.   Ripple finished well ahead, followed by Athena and Pleasant Dreams.  Kudos to Pleasant Dreams for making a great recovery from being over early on the final start.  Midway through the final race, the forecasted fog started creeping in on little cat feet so we shortened the race for the 14’ fleet.

Our 14’ fleet featured had some great match racing between QA Girl and Business.  These boats were close all the way around the course, finishing within seconds of each other in all three races.  Congratulations to QA Girl who won all 3 races and 1st place for the day.

Mini-Regatta Results are:

>15' Fleet: 1st: Ripple, 2nd: Athena, 3rd: Pleasant Dreams
14' Fleet: 1st: QA Girl, 2nd: Business

Our next mini regatta is Sunday July 16th.  Enjoy your next weekend off and we’ll see you all on the water next time.

Wind Conditions: 10-12kts SW, shifting to WSW.

Wow, that was an early morning!  Up at 5am checking forecasts and visually checking the wind/fog conditions on the bay (no fog at 7am, but rolled in later).   However, RC's planning efforts pale in comparison the dedication of the Leaf crew, who drives up all the way from Portsmouth RI to participate...and rumor has it even came up Saturday night so they could make the early start!

Our initial plan was to try to set a course which would take at least an hour, since it was only a single-race day.  We were hoping to use course #3, twice around, with the W mark up by the red buoy near the Narrows.  However, before the start, the fog was rolling in a bit and limited visibility so we ended up dropping the W mark as far south as we could see it from RC boat and instead used course #2.   The combination of slightly-higher breeze and shorter distance meant that 15-16' boats completed in about 37 minutes and 14' boats completed in about 40-46 minutes.  We'll strive to lengthen these single races in the future, but it's not easy to predict how fast you all can sail!

The forecast models (save for one) were all calling for 6-10 kts this morning.  Nothing ever goes quite as planned.  Blowing a slight bit more (roughly 12kts) when we arrived on the bay.  RC didn't fly the reefing-required flag because it wasn't predicted to build more than that, but many boats wisely reefed before their start.   One or two may have even un-reefed during the race when the wind lightened up.

It was pretty close racing between all boats in each fleet today, which is nice to see.  Our newest racing member, Mike on "Azure Leisure", captured 1st in the >15' fleet and Jill on "QAGirl" captured 1st in the 14' fleet.  The wind shifted a bit WSW during the race.  Interesting to see different choices being made on the second lap...some boats went left and some went right coming up the L mark.  Right side had a bit more wind about half-way uphill on the second lap, it appeared to us.

Special thanks to Ann and Kevin for manning the mark/crash boat today.  They set a good W-L course and a helped us get a square line at the start.  We hope to entice them to come out again this season.  A few photos below and more photos/videos to come when we get time.

Your friendly neighborhood race committee, Maura & Bill