Laser District 8 News

Initial EELS schedule posted 6/04/12 - See the "Schedule" page - chack back for updates.....

Race Report: Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club, Saturday, June 2 - Ten racers responded to the last-minute barrage of e-mails & got to the starting line. A shifty, on and off breeze - but don't let anyone convince you that thare's never any wind on the North shore! The breeze, about 10 kt most of the day, did catch most of us on the wrong side at one time or another. That is, all but Ryan Schmitz, who always seemed to know where to go. (His seventh place was when he decided to give his sister Becky a ride around the race course. He passed me anyway!) Thank you's to Karen Doherty on Race Committee, and Chris and Becky Schmitz on mark boat. Another thank you to Lindsay Hewitt, who put the race together at the last minute. Next stop, District 8 Grand Prix at Sayville YC, go to http://www.regattatech.com/events/SYC/LaserD8GP12 to register.

If you haven't been getting e-mails in the past week, send me an e-mail at robertterry@optonline.net and I'll get you on the list.

Place	Name	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Race 6	Total Points
1	Ryan Schmitz	2	1	3	1	(7)	2	9
2	Lindsay Hewitt	1	3	(6)	5	1	1	11
3	Matt Doherty	4	(5)	1	2	2	4	13
4	Geoffrey Loffredo	3	2	(8)	6	4	3	18
5	David Trinder	(7)	4	2	3	6	8	23
6	Ed Berenblum	5	6	5	9	3	(10)	28
7	Mark Feck	9	(9)	7	4	5	7	32
8	Bob Terry	6	8	4	8	(9)	6	32
9	Bob Blanco	8	7	10	7	6	5	35
10	David Kruse	(DNS)	DNS	9	10	10	9	49

Race Report: Seawanhaka Spring Fling, Saturday, May 26 - Four racers showed up for this year's season opener - lots of e-mail responses, but unfortunately, lots of scheduling conflicts, quite a few people sent "regrets." That didn't stop it from being a nice day out on the water, with sun, mild warmth, & water just cool enough to be refreshing. The 20 degree windshifts? Well, they hit us all & each of us had a chance to play "catch up" after picking the wrong side. The racing was so close (with Lindsay telling the leaders to do 360's when they got too far ahead!) that we wound up with a three-way points tie for First place! Kudos to the race committee for working out all the different levels of tie-breaking. It seems a three-way tie is a different order of magnitude over a two -way tie.

Lindsay is trying to put together a last-minute race at Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club next week, June 2, 2012. We're hoping to bring former racers "back to the fold" as well as sailing with our current stalwarts. New sailors, of course, are always welcome. Some of you may have been away because of new families, or the like. So....please feel free to bring (drag?) along your significant other, kids, what have you. Lindsay will try to arrange a means for spectators to watch at CSHBC, maybe a boat or at least a shuttle boat to the committee vessel. We're hoping to make District 8 sailing something more than showing up, racing, going home. We want to have something for all the sailing widows/widowers out there! Any ideas? Please e-mail me at robertterry@optonline.net. Hope to see lots of folks at CSHBC.

Place		Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Race 6	Race 7	Total Points
1	Bob Terry	2	2	1	(4)	4	3	1	13
2	Lindsay Hewitt	(4)	1	2	3	3	2	2	13
3	Wyz Mooney	3	(4)	3	1	2	1	3	13
4	Frank Seckler	1	3	(4)	2	1	4	4	15

From Ted: Team, I'm off to Sachem pool this afternoon for the "Suffolk County Swim Championships". My son Andrew (also a laser sailor) is coming back for finals. That being said, I cannot make the dinner tonight. I was in the same boat last year - I don't want all y'all to think I don't value the great strides you have accomplished at Seawanhaka. You guys are absolutely awesome and all should stand up and take a bow!

Favor, Please extend my sincere thanks to Marianne Nash for running such a great series. Her dedication to Seawankha's winter program is evident by the clear success of the series. I also need to recognize David Trinder for his commitment to keeping all the scores in order, and for getting the newsletters pushed out to the distinct. I also want to recognize Lindsay for his continued dedication to the sport , , , the kids he has influenced have moved on to be successful on a regional and international level. Lindsay's personal sailing successes are impressive, but I get the sense he appreciates Kia Olsson's success this season at deeper level. I have seen Lindsay leading in a race, only to peel off and work with a fellow competitor to help them improve. His leadership qualities make him one of the most admired people in the class. Eric Johnson also deserves a shout out for his rules seminars and for sailing real well! 7 bullets one day, right!!!! Congratulations to Fred Abels! I was pleased to see him sail so well this season and to come back "home" and support our series. On a personal note, it means a lot to me as I've known him since my sunfish days even. I tend to see Fred more at places like Wrightsville Beach, or Mallets Bay Vermont. He is a great supporter of the regional and national regattas and even heads over to England to visit family and train. He is an exceptionally talented laser sailor and a friend to the district. In the past, Fred has supported many of my Sayville YC events, and I hope to see him at the Master ACC's at Sayville weekend of July 7th and 8th. Final thanks to my faithful webmaster Bob Terry! My guess 100% attendance, and really fast in the light tricky stuff, all while capturing every moment on video! The website is beyond awesome and Bob really cares about the success of the district., Thanks and congratulations to all the sailors that came out this winter!~ See you on the water soon! The kids swimming season is a wrap this weekend and I can't wait to get back into my boat!

Southold Yacht Club plans to invite Lasers again for their annual "Around Shelter Island Regatta." This was lots of fun last year, & a great experience. If you've been thinking of racing but are a little hesitant to try aroun-the-buoys stuff, this race is a great intro. Very low-key, no crowded mark roundings, & incredible scenery. Mark the date: Saturday, July 14.

David's sequence of Eric "demonstrating" the fastest way to recover from a "teabag." See the video at the bottom!

A humorous "safety" warning, taken during last year's Seawanhaka frostbiting - click HERE

Eric Johsnson was kind enough to put his 2010 tactics lecture into print - Click HERE for the text.

A note from Bob - Over the years, every now and then, I get a note from someone asking how to join a race. The short answer - just show up! We'll get you signed in at the site. We don't need advance notice, and we don't hold anyone responsible if they can't make it at the last minute (flashback to last years Southampton YC Regatta, when the alternator on my tow vehicle failed halfway there!) There may be an Invitational or some other event that requires qualifying, check the Schedule, but the vast majority of our events have no pre-registration. Anyhow, just bring your boat to the next regatta that looks good to you and you're in!

News, events, interesting happenings? New boat, career change, new baby? Let me know and we’ll share it on the site! This site is more than just race reports – it’s a great way for all of the good folks in District 8 to keep in touch. Just e-mail me your info for posting.

November 6, 2011	January 1, 2012	February 26, 2012
November 13, 2011	January 8, 2012	March 4, 2012
November 20, 2011	January 15, 2012	March 11, 2012
November 27, 2011	January 22, 2012 start of the Spring Season	March 18, 2012
December 4, 2011	January 29, 2012	March 25, 2012
December 11, 2011	February 5, 2012	April 1, 2012
December 18, 2011	February 12, 2012	April 8, 2012 Happy Easter!
December 25, 2011 Merry Christmas!	February 19, 2012	April 15, 2012