Wednesday Night Series: 2018

test race

Mar 29, 2019      Wind Conditions: Medium

None

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Race 15

Aug 22, 2018      Wind Conditions: Medium

The crew of Fuzzy Logic was RC tonight, and with a gusty breeze coming out of the WNW, set an I-3 course with Cotton Point as the windward mark and Hogback Reef as the leeward mark. With the west breeze dominating at the start, boats tacked to port immediately. There were many tight (and verbose) crossings on the first upwind leg. The lead boats jibed out to the east after rounding Cotton Point, except for Wild Thing following a breeze line down the west shore on starboard into a hole, forcing a jibe back east halfway down the leg. woot! sailed a higher angle than the J/24s, and ended up on the right side of the course with Wild Thing. Animal led the way for most of the race, until Witch Way got the inside track at leeward mark rounding and held on to cross first for line honors. Animal crossed second and Spirit third. For the second time this season we had a rare tie on corrected time, this time between Spirit and Moonlighting. After race festivities were at the Olde Log Inn.

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Race 14

Aug 15, 2018      Wind Conditions: Light

Another light and variable night, with the crew (and family and friends and neighbors) of Crackerjack as our RC tonight. With the hint of a breeze coming out of the west, an I-3 course was set with a dropped mark to windward, and Hogback Reef as the leeward mark. A large fleet of 13 boats (nice to see Brass Ring out for the first Wed night this summer) drifted toward the start line. Witch Way and T started down at the pin end. There was a crowd at the boat end, including Spirit, Vaporize, Moonlighting and Judy. A barging foul by Vaporize resulted in a 720. Wild Thing started just to leeward of that group and reached the windward mark first in one long starboard tack, with Witch Way and T rounding next. Wild Thing extended to the south on a wind line out of the west, but wound up stranded as the breeze died, then filled in from the north. Vaporize rounded the windward mark near the back of the back after her penalty turns at the start, jibed to port and got the benefit of the new breeze first, pulling ahead downwind and crossing first for line honors and second place on corrected time. Moonlighting crossed next and took the win, with Witch Way crossing and finishing third. After-race festivities were at the Garrison.

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Race 13

Aug 08, 2018      Wind Conditions: Light

There was a light drizzle and the threat of rain as we got our boats ready tonight, but the rain stopped right on cue at the start and we enjoyed a beautiful light breeze evening on the lake. The crew of Brass Ring was RC tonight, setting up just off the southern Lake George Club buoy for an I-5 course with North Canoe as the windward mark and a dropped ball just north of the Club as the leeward mark. And a nice square start line. Starting at the pin end of the line we had Spirit, with Witch Way to weather, then Judy, Wild Thing, Vaporize and Animal all getting a clean start in the front row. Judy, Animal and Witch Way were the first to flip over on to the long port tack to the mark. Spirit and Wild Thing continued left in search of more pressure. About two thirds of the way up the leg Vaporize took a clearing tack and went further left, reaching the windward mark first, with Wild Thing close behind. The two sportboats extended away from the fleet downwind. Wild Thing sailed a deeper course than Vaporize, pulling ahead at the first leeward mark and maintaining her lead to cross first for line honors. There was some radio chatter about a boat dragging the leeward mark during the first rounding, but RC (with assistance from Bob Rippel) had everything back in place for the final downwind leg. After Wild Thing and Vaporize finished, we saw Witch Way next around the final mark, with Animal close behind sailing deep and claiming the inside lane, while Moonlighting came in on a hotter angle, followed by Uncle Ludwig. On corrected time, Wild Thing takes the win by just four seconds over Moonlighting in second, and Witch Way took third. After race festivities were at the Olde Log Inn.

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Race 12

Aug 01, 2018      Wind Conditions: Light

The crew of High Jinx was our RC tonight, and as boats made their way out to the start line it looked like a painfully light night. With virtually no wind showing on the water, the RC optimistically set a W-3 course with North Canoe as the windward mark. Most boats were down at the leeward end of the line, trying to get boat speed and clear air. Uncle Ludwig sat below the line and hoisted her jib in the final minute; Vaporize came across on port, tacking back at the boat a little too early and wound up starting deeper down the line. Wild Thing tacked on to the boat-end layline at the 5-minute warning, and was able to build momentum and hold for a clean air start at the windward end. Witch Way got off cleanly at mid-line, and Spirit took the pin end. The first half of the first leg was all about keeping the boat moving in the extremely light air. A breeze line started to fill in from the south east, and Wild Thing reached it first, extending to the left on starboard. Witch Way tacked over to port once she reached the pressure. With a solid 5 out of the S/SE, Wild Thing hit the top mark first and extended downwind. Witch Way led the rest of the fleet around the mark. It was a long starboard jibe down to the leeward mark, with port tack favored back to the finish at North Canoe. Wild Thing crossed first for line honors and the win on corrected time, with Witch Way and Moonlighting finishing second and third. After race festivities were at the Diamond Point Grill.

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Race 11

Jul 25, 2018      Wind Conditions: Medium

The rain gods gave us a nice dry window and a nice south breeze for our race tonight. The crew of Stinger was RC, setting an I-5 course with North Canoe as the windward mark and a dropped ball as the leeward mark. The start line was very long and pin-favored, but a firmly set anchor resisted attempts to re-set the pin. Witch Way, Spirit started at the favored pin end, Uncle Ludwig chose the boat end, and the rest of the fleet found clean lanes along the ample line. The red boats led the way, with Vaporize and Witch Way staying left upwind and reaching the top mark first. Downwind, the sport boats rode the long favored starboard jibe, while the J/24s sailed a deeper course close to the rhumb line. Moonlighting, Spirit, Animal and Wild Thing all reached the leeward mark together, battling for position in the rounding. On the second upwind leg, Vaporize and Witch Way favored the middle, while Wild Thing and woot! stayed right out to the starboard layline. The second downwind was very similar to the first, and on the short upwind finish leg it was now the boat end of the line that was favored. Vaporize held on for line honors, with Witch Way taking the win on corrected time. Moonlighting and Animal took second and third. Festivities were at Sushi Yoshi after the race.

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Race 10

Jul 18, 2018      Wind Conditions: Heavy

Another breezy night, with whitecaps starting to show on the lake as we all made our way out to the start line. The crew of T was our RC tonight, setting an I-5 course in the North wind, with a dropped ball as windward mark and North Canoe as the leeward mark. There was a bit of confusion at the start, with the pin end of the line dropped to starboard of the signal boat, and a timing snafu. However, in a steady breeze with few shifts, boats that were able to find a clean lane managed to work their way up in the fleet and in some cases overcome a late start. Wild Thing struggled at the start with a jib furler jam, finally crossing the start line well behind the fleet. Jaded came out to race for the first time this year, struggling a bit with the spinnaker on the first downwind leg. And a photo finish as Vaporize held off Witch Way by two seconds for line honors, and Witch Way took the win on corrected time, followed by Moonlighting and Animal in second and third. After race festivities were at the Diamond Point Grill.

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Race 9

Jul 11, 2018      Wind Conditions: Heavy

A breezy night with winds out of the north in the mid teens. The crew of woot! was our RC and set an I-5 course using a dropped windward mark and North Canoe as leeward mark. At the start, Cut Loose had the pin end to herself, Wild Thing opted for a clear lane in the center of the line, and the rest of the fleet converged at the boat end of the line. Animal led that group off the line, and Witch Way quickly recovered from an uncharacteristic start in the back of that pack to close with the other J/24s. Wild Thing crossed the fleet to take the lead halfway up the first beat, and led the rest of the way around the course, electing to not fly the kite and sail wing-and-wing down the rhumb line (as did Spirit and one or two others). Animal battled with Witch Way in close proximity throughout the race. They split on the second upwind leg, with Witch Way going hard to the west, and converged still just behind Animal. Wild Thing took line honors, Animal got the win on corrected time, holding off Witch Way at the finish by just a couple of boat lengths. And a rare tie on corrected time between Uncle Ludwig and Fuzzy Logic. After race festivities were at the Diamond Point Grill.

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Race 8

Jun 27, 2018      Wind Conditions: Heavy

It was a full foul weather gear evening. The crew of Vaporize was our RC tonight, and were properly thankful for the bimini top on their pontoon boat. With a solid 8-10 out of the SSE, RC set a W-2 course with the Diamond Island buoy as the windward mark. At the start it was Moonlighting and Wild Thing at the boat end, with the J/24s favoring the pin. All boats took the east side of the Canoe Islands on the upwind leg. Witch Way and Animal seemed to stay in very close contact throughout the race. With the rain came big gusts of 15+... woot! did a great job keeping the boat flat and moving fast, reaching the top mark just ahead of the J/24s. On the run back to the finish, Spirit and Wild Thing took the western route while woot! led the other boats in taking the Canoe Islands to port. The rain and breeze built over the course of the last leg (on Wild Thing we cracked the 10-knot mark on the speedo for the first time this year). Congratulations to woot! for taking line honors, and the west side of the course was just favored enough to push Spirit ahead of Witch Way and Animal for the win on corrected time. The rain forced a cancellation of the planned raft-up, and festivities were moved to the Olde Log Inn.

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Race 7

Jun 20, 2018      Wind Conditions: Medium

Thanks go out to Tony for arranging a switch of Committee Boat Duties with Ellen and the crew of JUDY. She sent the eight sailboats off on a nice long I-5 course in 10 knots from the south using the South Canoe buoy as a windward mark and set a leeward mark just past the Start/Finish line set in front of the LGC; great for the spectators on the East Terrace. It was a beautiful evening for a race. At the start, most of the boats battled for the heavily favored pin end, It was difficult to make the pin so the entire fleet tacked to port to cross the line. Spirit opted for clear air at the boat but took most of the port tackers sterns before tacking to port also. From there Vaporize sailed their race and maintained the lead, with Witch Way, Animal, Spirit and Uncle Ludwig close behind. At the leeward mark rounding it was Vaporize, Witch Way, Animal, Spirit, Craic Attack, Uncle Ludwig, Moonlighting and Cut Loose. The race continued but the final finish order did not change much. Spirit gained some distance on Animal at the leeward mark and split tacks for the last beat to the finish. Going right was favored but at the finish line it wasn’t enough. Animal just cleared Spirit’s starboard bow, tacked, and finished just in front. Congratulations to Witch Way for the win on corrected time. And a big "at-a-boy" goes to Russell Merchant on Craic Attack for their second place on corrected time, edging out Animal and Spirit. After race festivities were at the Garrison.

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Race 6

Jun 13, 2018      Wind Conditions: Medium

The crew of Wild Thing was race committee tonight, and braved a bit of powerboat-related drama to send the racers off on a nice long W-4 in 8-10 from the south, using the South Canoe buoy as a windward mark. The threatened rain never materialized, and it was a beautiful evening to sail. At the start, seven of the nine boats battled for the pin end, and the pin itself scored a win over Cut Loose when they tried to luff up to clear the ball. Spirit opted for an uncontested clear air lane at the boat end, and Moonlighting started mid-line. Animal recovered from their second row start in the pin-end cluster, going hard left to Long Island and rounding the windward mark first. From their, they sailed their race and maintained their lead, with Witch Way close behind throughout. At the leeward mark rounding, it was Animal, Witch Way, Judy, High Jinx, Spirit, Vaporize, Uncle Ludwig, Moonlighting, Cut Loose. The breeze dropped slightly as the race continued, but the final finish order did not change much — Spirit gained a couple of places, and High Jinx dropped a bit. Congratulations to Animal on their first win of the season. Witch Way and Spirit finished second and third, respectively. After race festivities were at the Olde Log Inn.

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Race 5

Jun 06, 2018      Wind Conditions: Light

At 6pm it was looking like a better night for water skiing than sailing. The crew of Cut Loose was our Race Committee tonight, and they set a W-4 course, dropping a mark a short distance north in anticipation of a very light night. However, a breeze line from the north moved slowly toward the fleet, arriving just in time to give everyone wind to work with at the start. Witch Way opted for a clean start mid-line, with only one or two boats below her near the pin. Wild Thing started just to leeward of the larger pack battling for the boat end. The breeze filled in and strengthened, and appeared to be better on the east side of the course. Spirit went right early, heading out to the starboard layline. Wild Thing also played the right side and led the fleet around the first mark, extending her lead on each leg. At the second windward mark rounding, RC signaled a change of course and added a leg, changing the W-4 to a W-5. Wild Thing jibe-set at the top mark to stay east in the diminishing breeze, and continued to extend for line honors and the win, with Witch Way and Uncle Ludwig crossing next to take second and third.

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Race 4

May 30, 2018      Wind Conditions: Medium

The crew of Spirit was our RC tonight, and set an I-5 course with a south wind in the 8–12 range. North Canoe was our windward mark and Cotton Point was our leeward mark. An aggressive start, with a lot of action at the boat end — Vaporize protested Moonlighting for barging, they were called over early, restarted and exonerated their foul with a 720. Vaporize reached the top mark first, just ahead of Wild Thing, Judy, Witch Way and woot! The J/24s sailed close to the rhumb line downwind, with the sport boats taking a wider line to the east — Vaporize sailing high, Wild Thing a little deeper, and woot! deeper still. There was a port/starboard protest on the downwind leg from Uncle Ludwig against Judy, who accepted a DSQ after review with the RC. At the leeward mark, big gusts from the southwest made spinnaker takedowns exciting, and on the long upwind back to North Canoe Wild Thing and woot! worked their way back into the lead. RC changed course to shorten the next leg, and set up a finish near the start line. woot! and Wild Thing rounded the last mark together and split, with woot! gaining on the east side to cross first for line honors. Witch Way, Cut Loose and Uncle Ludwig took the top three spots on corrected time. After race gathering was at the Olde Log Inn.

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Race 3

May 23, 2018      Wind Conditions: Heavy

Race Committee tonight was the crew of Uncle Ludwig setting an I-7 course using a dropped mark near the west short for a windward mark, and Hogback Reef as the leeward mark. A funky northwest wind with big gusts from the west made for a challenging evening. Some, including Spirit, Vaporize and woot!, elected to fly spinnakers downwind. Others, like Witch Way and Wild Thing, ran wing-on-wing down the rhumb line. Spirit crossed first for line honors and the win, with Animal and Witch Way close behind for second and third. After-race gathering was at the Olde Log Inn.

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Race 2

May 16, 2018      Wind Conditions: Medium

The crew of Animal was our race committee tonight, on a cool, breezy night with winds a steady 8–12 out of the South, small white caps for about 20 min or so and gusts in the 15 range. The course was a W-4 with North Canoe as the windward mark and a very large, visible orange tetrahedron as the pin end of the line and leeward mark. Most of the fleet stayed on starboard after the start heading left, with Wild Thing starting on port near the boat end taking a short hitch to the right side. Witch Way and Cut Loose led the pack crossing back to the center of the course, and around the first windward mark it was Witch Way, Cut Loose and Wild Thing, all within a couple of boat lengths of each other. On the first downwind leg Wild Thing pulled in front of the J/24s to lead around the next two marks and cross first for line honors, while Witch Way, Cut Loose and Spirit took the first three spots on corrected time. Notes from the RC: "Left side of course seemed favorable in the oscillating conditions. Good driving, hiking and gear changing to keep the bow down was key to top performers." High Jinx retired halfway through the race with a halyard issue. Notes from John Haller on woot!: "When we saw a crew from another boat overboard our immediate reaction was to go to the boat's rescue and specifically the crew member that lost connection with his boat. At this time of year, the water is incredibly cold. Time in the water before hypothermia sets in is about 10 minutes. We all had our lifejackets on although not signaled by the race committee." In the RRS Fundamental Rules under Safety 1.1. "A boat or competitor shall give all possible help to any person or vessel in danger." The crew was quickly recovered thanks to the heads-up actions of the crew of woot! and the race committee. woot! has been awarded redress (three minutes) in accordance with RRS Rule 62.1c.

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Race 1

May 09, 2018      Wind Conditions: Light

A beautiful night for our first race of the 2018 season. A light south breeze (3–5 at 200°) on a warm night. Rob and Carl, the crew of Witch Way, handled RC duties tonight, setting an I-5 course using North Canoe as the windward mark and a dropped ball as the leeward mark. A clean start, with the J/24s and the lone J/22 on the leeward half of the start line, Wild Thing to windward of that group, with woot! and Vaporize at the boat end. Wild Thing rounded the top mark first, with Animal close behind. Wild Thing extended away from the fleet on the first downwind leg, and with the breeze dropping on the second upwind leg, RC signaled a shortened course, with a downwind finish back at the start line. Wild Thing crossed first in the dying breeze for line honors and the overall win, with Animal and Uncle Ludwig taking second and third, respectively. A great turnout with ten boats showing up for the first night, and a good showing as well after the race at the Diamond Point Grill.

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