Forgive me for the delay in the MC Nationals Regatta Report, not only did we have a race with 25 mph winds start at 8:00 am on Friday, but we also attended a performance by the Grammy award winning band Little Big Town at the Surf Ballroom that lasted late into the night. Needless to say, all the participants are still recovering.
Before I get to the race reports, don't forget that we have a big racing schedule on Harriet this week: Wednesday, July 3rd, at 6:30 pm; Thursday, July 4th, at 10:30 pm; Saturday, July 6th, at 1:00 pm; and Sunday, July 7th, at 10:30 am. Remember that MCs start first through this weekend. M-16s and Open Fleet start first the weekend of July 13 and 14.
Also, Chuck and Wendy Ott will be hosting the
LHYC July 4th Picnic at their house, 4656 Aldrich Ave South, starting at 2:30 pm. Tacos, chips, salsa, guacamole, and soda will be provided. Please bring a dish to share and any libations you would like. The flyer can be viewed HERE.
MC Nationals Day 2
Due to winds predicted in the 30s for much of Friday, PRO Chip Mann decided to start Friday's race at 8:00 am. When we left the dock that morning, the winds were already 14-15 mph out of the West/Northwest, which led to large waves. Given the wind, Maureen and Bill were sailing together and Seymour had his crew, while Curtis and I were again without crew. The Colburns had a rock star start at the committee boat and Curtis was able follow on the right side. I, on the other hand, was buried in the middle of the line with boats above and below me, and had to tack early to get clear air. Maureen and Bill worked the center/right side of the course and stayed at the front of the fleet. Meanwhile, Curtis, Seymour, and I rounded the windward mark in the middle of the fleet. There was a lot of submarining throughout the fleet on the downwind legs, but Curtis, Seymour, and I managed to pick up a couple boats on the first downwind leg. On the second downwind leg, the wind had picked up into the high teens with the waves continuing to build. Unfortunately, Seymour hit the wrong gust and wave combination and capsized; he then retired. On the last upwind leg, the winds were reported at the Clear Lake airport to be sustained at 23-24 mph with gusts up to 28 mph. The Colburns kept the boat flat and took second. Curtis and I could not keep our boats flat and ended in 28th and 34th respectively. After the finish when we were sailing back to the dock, the wind piped up to 25-26 sustained and 33 gusts. Luckily, all the Harriet boats survived on Friday. Unfortunately, that was not the case for the rest of the fleet with several broken stays and bent masts.
That afternoon, we were all in recovery mode: we napped, exercised, and explored the Clear Lake and Mason City area. That night after a party at the Outing Club (the nation's first condominium built in the early twentieth century), we went to the Little Big Town concert.
MC Nationals Day 3
On Saturday, the wind was out of the north, which meant less waves, but the wind was still predicted to be in the middle to upper teens. At the top of the standings, Mark Tesar, Clear Lake sailor and frequent Die Hard regatta participant, and Kenny Wolfe of Texas were tied with 10 points. Maybe it was the final day, but the fleet was much more aggressive at the starts. We had several general recalls with two Z Flag starts. Unfortunately for Mark Tesar, he was over early and did not hear his sail called. This led to his OCS score, and eliminated him from contention. Kenny Wolfe went on to win the race, and take the national championship. In the Harriet contingent, the Colburns tacked early and worked the right side of the course. At the first windward mark, the Colburns were at the front of the fleet, and Seymour, Curtis and I were all in the high teens. Unfortunately, while Curtis and I had survived the first two days without a capsize or breakdown, Clear Lake finally got us in the fourth race. I capsized at the first windward mark when a large gust took me over. Then on the final windward leg, Curtis was hiking hard and another big puff knocked him over. If you watch the Kattack replay of the race, you will see our boats abruptly stop at different points of the race (now you know why). In the end, the Colburns took 5th, Seymour in 19th, I was in 34th, and Curtis in 35th. Due to the high winds and multiple general recalls, the fifth race was canceled.
Final Harriet Standings:
15th-Colburns
31st-Fricton
32nd-Curtis
38th-Seymour.
Click
HERE for the full standings. If you want a less Harriet focused regatta report, click
HERE for Eric Hood's official regatta report.
Final thoughts from the regatta. As you can see from this picture, while we all had ups and downs, we ended the regatta with smiles on our faces. There are several regattas scheduled this year, and I encourage you to go. Not only will you have fun, but you will improve your sailing.
Harriet Racing Review
While we were dealing with winds in the upper twenties in Clear Lake, the wind on Harriet on Saturday was also in the mid-teens with gusts into the 20s. In the MC fleet, in the first race, Mott and Katics took first and second, while John Hovde sailed a strong race to take third. Meanwhile Marquardt, Wold, and Mark Anderson, traded places, but Marquardt was able to take fourth with Wold in fifth. In the second race, Mott again took first, but Wold was fast and took second, followed by Katics, Marquardt, and Hansen. In the M16 fleet, I can't give much detail, but in the first race Team Bastyr/O'Brien and Team Jewett exchanged positions, but Team Bastyr/O'Brien took first. In the second race, Team Jewett sailed mistake free to take first followed by Team Bastyr/O'Brien.
On Sunday, the wind was 8-10 mph out of the north with puffs coming out of the northeast. In the MC fleet, several boats piled up at the committee boat at the start, while the rest of the fleet sailed away to the left of the course. Meanwhile Mott and I, who were involved in the pile up, escaped to the right and took a large righty to move to the front of the fleet. Eventually Mott got caught in some swirly wind towards the second windward mark, which allowed me to create separation from the fleet. Meanwhile, Gantzer sailed with perfect heel angle and kept his boat on the lifted tack to move into second place by a couple dozen boat lengths. On the final leg, after I took first and Gantzer took second, David Hansen was in third and was fighting off Katics and Bowers. A few hundred yards from the finish, Hansen took a header while Katics got a lift that pushed into a third place finish. Then with Bowers closing fast on a port tack, Hansen finally got a puff to finish in fourth with Bowers in fifth. One other note, Mike Bowers was racing with Niko and Charlotte, cheering on Mom, and Jamie Fraser was sailing with his son. In the M16 fleet, Team Daniels/Barbour motored off the line into first, but could not create any separation from Team Wentzell, Team Jewett, or Team Bastyr. On the final upwind leg, Team Wentzell's tactician Meg Wentzell saw a righty, which they utilized to move into first, with Team Daniels/Babour finishing second. On the final leg, Team Jewett had worked to the left and was coming into the finish on port, but Team Bastyr/O'Brien had gained with the righty shifts. At the end of the race, Team Bastyr/O'Brien got one final puff to nose in front of Team Jewett for third place.
Calhoun City of Lakes Regatta
The next regatta is July 20 and 21 at Calhoun. The City of Lakes Regatta. Click HERE for the NOR. We also need safety boat volunteers for half days that weekend. If you can help out, please let me know.
M16 Come As You Are/Midwest Invitational Regatta
Registration is OPEN for our M16 Regatta in August. Click HERE to sign up.