Laser District 8 News

Revised December 18, 2010

No Frostbiting at Seawanhaka on 12/12/10 - gusts to 38 knots! For a video of a plastic tarp beating itself to death on a J/30 at the club, click here.

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For a short video of Woody Glenn sailing his sloop around us Lasers, click here.

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New feature - Local Laser Listings on Craigslist - for those looking to pick up a boat in the area. They have an RSS feed - subscribe to it and you'll be notified of changes.

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Congratulations to District 8's own Lindsay Hewitt, 6th Place Great-Grand Master at the Laser World Championships at Hayling Island, England. Lindsay was the 2nd high scorer from the U.S, & got a bullet in Race seven! Nice job Lindsay!

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Greetings from Long Island and the surrounding areas. Ahhhh summer sailing in the Hamptons!

Mike Duran and Lynn Sexton once again put together an outstanding summer laser series.  This summer in the fifth annual East End Laser Series, 59 sailors enjoyed 50 races over 8 consecutive Saturday afternoons at 8 of the most beautiful clubs on New York Long Island’s east end. The series included regattas on the North Fork at Old Cove YC, Shelter Island YC and Southold YC; regattas on the South Fork at Breakwater YC, Devon YC, Noyac Bay Informal but Competitive Laser Racing Association and Southampton YC and welcomed Westhampton YS as a new venue. The varied fleet included 10 women and girls, 7 juniors and 2 great grand masters. Race days were generally a 2pm start and 5 or 6 windward-leeward courses with the race committee in the middle.The series winner was Geoff Loffredo with regatta finishes of 1, 2, 2, and 7. Bob Terry (District Web Guru) was second and the top masters sailor with regatta finishes of 1, 3, 3, and 9. Doug Mercer was third and the top great grand master with regatta finishes of 3, 3, 4, and 10. Lynn Sexton was the top woman and top radial sailor. Congratulations to all the racers and a sincere Thank You!!! to the host clubs. Geoff joins previous EELS winners Matt Dougherty (2008), Spencer Olssen (2009) and Rudy Ratsep (2006 and 2007). Better late than never- click HERE for video of the Westhampton YS event on August 21.

Sayville Yacht Club once again hosted the District 8 Championship during a beautiful Mid July weekend. PRO George Becza did a fine job on Saturday managing the light and variable conditions. Sunday showed much more wind after the seabreeze kicked in with Kyle Swenson only getting faster as the breeze built. He won ALL 3 of Sunday's windy races. There was a 3 way tie for second place! The Radial fleet once again was dominated by Ryan Schmitz who clearly benefited from all the practicing at Sayville throughout his stellar young career. Ryan was the most consistent sailor of the weekend just eeking out fellow LISOT sailor Matt Mollerus. The 4.7 fleet fielded 3 sailors with two Shanahans (Brendan was the winner!) and another Cremer sailing.  Congratulations to Sayville Yacht Club for fielding seven sailors and for hosting a great regatta.  

Laser (11 boats) (top)
Series Standing - 6 races scored

1. 190462, Kyle Swenson, , 1-[2]-2-1-1-1- ; 6   
2. 185512, Mike Russom, , 5-1-[12/DNS]-6-2-2- ; 16T   
3. 195428, Lindsay Hewitt, , 2-[5]-4-3-4-3- ; 16T   
4. 175541, James Barry, , 4-4-3-2-3-[8]- ; 16T   
5. 189788, Matt Doherty, , 6-3-1-5-[7]-7- ; 22   
6. 173257, Michael Byrnes, , 3-6-7-[8]-6-4- ; 26   
7. 162020, Ted Cremer, , [9]-7-6-4-5-5- ; 27   
8. 173634, Donald Woodworth, , [8]-8-5-7-8-6- ; 34   
9. 182388, Macklin Fluehr, , [10]-10-8-9-9-9- ; 45   
10. 116812, Andrew Cremer, , 7-9-9-[12/DNS]-12/DNS-12/DNS- ; 49   
11. 190432, Eric Stickney, , [12/DNF]-12/DNC-12/DNS-12/DNS-12/DNS-12/DNS- ; 60  

Laser Radial(14 boats) (top)
Series Standing - 6 races scored

1. 195921, Ryan Schmitz, , 1-2-5-[8]-2-1- ; 11   
2. 195931, Matt Mollerus, , [5]-3-3-1-1-4- ; 12   
3. 15778, Jack Swikart, , 4-1-2-4-4-[6]- ; 15   
4. 187316, Gary Prieto, , 8-[10]-4-3-3-2- ; 20   
5. 196261, Scott Houck, , [6]-6-1-5-6-3- ; 21   
6. 195889, Catherine Shanahan, , 2-5-8-[9]-8-5- ; 28   
7. 173256, Colin Kennedy, , 7-[9]-9-2-7-7- ; 32   
8. 179135, Kaylee Schwitzer, , 10-7-7-[12]-5-9- ; 38   
9. 175218, Andrew Puopolo, , [12]-11-12-7-9-8- ; 47   
10. 169389, Morgan Russom, , [13]-13-6-6-12-11- ; 48T   
11. 183864, Kia Olsson, , [11]-8-10-10-10-10- ; 48T   
12. 197996, Sarah Stubbs, , 3-4-[15/DNS]-15/DNS-15/DNS-15/DNS- ; 52   
13. 193341, Emma Davis, , 9-14-[15/DNS]-11-13-12- ; 59   
14. 167488, Nicholas Klingler, , [14]-12-11-13-11-13- ; 60 

Laser 4.7(3 boats) (top)
Series Standing - 6 races scored

1. 188969, Brendan Shanahan, , 1-1-[2]-1-1-1- ; 5   
2. 188988, Patrick Shanahan, , [3]-2-1-2-2-2- ; 9   
3. 162178, Brian Cremer, , 2-3-[4/DNS]-4/DNS-4/DNS-4/DNS- ; 17   

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Upcoming fall series....

New Fall Series! Hi Folks - Sebago CC Sailing in Brooklyn, NY will be having a Fall Race Series this year for Laser, Sunfish and Force 5. It is open to all sailors in the area, for a minimal fee of $15 (if you are not a Sebago member, & covers the entire series).  You may store your boat at the club for $50 for the duration of the series.

Here are the details -
SCC Sailing announces the Fall Racing Series 2010
Open to all Laser, Sunfish and Force 5 sailors 

Details:
http://sebagocanoeclub.org/pdfs/NOR_SCCSailing_Fall2010.pdf - Notice of Race,
http://sebagocanoeclub.org/pdfs/SI_SCCSailing_Fall2010.pdf Sailing Instructions

7 days of Racing:
SCHEDULE:
Series Days
      Sept. 18, 2010 – Saturday
      Sept. 26, 2010 – Sunday
      Oct. 3, 2010 – Sunday
      Oct. 10, 2010 – Sunday
      Oct. 17, 2010 – Sunday
      Oct. 24, 2010 – Sunday
      Oct. 31, 2010 – Sunday

Series Times:
      12:15 pm - Skippers’ Meeting.
      1:00 pm - First Warning Signal, races to follow. (Water and Snacks available on the water)

Fee $15 for Non-Sebago members, $50 for Series boat storage.
Skippers meeting 11:45, water start 12:30.

Info - http://sebagocanoeclub.org/sailing.html

Holly and Jim, 917-587-0117.......... SCC Sailing

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Another New Fall Series!

All of the great folks at the Dinghy Shop just wanted to let you know that they will be hosting their Laser fall series again this year. Racing will take place on Saturdays, beginning on September 18th and concluding on October 23rd.

If you have any questions feel free to contact them

Dinghy Shop Inc
334 South Bayview Ave
Amityville NY 11701

Email : info@dinghyshop.com
Tel : 631-264-0005
Fax : 631-598-8540

North of buoy 20 on the Great South Bay

Another New Fall Series!

Just wanted to let you know that if you want to sail in Westhampton's fall series it is not to late. You can still sail and reg if you want. Just contact the club and let them know you are interested. You can also leave your boat there for the whole series so no need to step and lower masts. Check out the link for the NOR.

http://www.yachtsquadron.com/sailing_special.php

John Zambriski
Sailing Coach
Westhampton Yacht Squadron
Club # 631-325-8321

Ted Cremer #162020
US Laser Class
D8 Secretary
Voice: 631-868-3726
Fax: 631-256-9164

Race report coming Soon.......

Race Report: Shelter Island Yacht Club, www.siyc.com, on Saturday, July 31 hosted the 5^th of 8 regattas in the 2010 East End Laser Series.

SIYC inhabits a picturesque setting with one of the strongest sailing programs on the East End. This day had to have been one of the 10 best beach days of the year; however a fleet of 6 hopefuls habitually went out in a puff and a whisper to surprisingly enjoy 4 races in less than 5 knots of breeze. An enthusiastic race committee did a terrific job in light and shifty conditions. Geoff Loffredo won the day; and John Kenney was the first Master.  Congratulations to all the racers. Many thanks go to Jeff Bresnahan and the crew at Shelter Island YC who have supported this Series for all 5 of its years.

51 Laser sailors have so far enjoyed 26 races over 5 consecutive Saturday afternoons at 5 beautiful venues on the Long Island’s east end. Up-island racers note, the final 3 regattas are on the South Shore and more accessible to the up-island Laser fleet.

Thank you to Peconic Gardiners Junior Sailing Association, a series sponsor, www.pgjsa.org.

To become a Laser member go to www.laser.org

See you on the water.

Mike 16204

Lynn 100550

Race Report: Breakwater Yacht Club, www.breakwateryc.org, on Saturday, July 24 hosted the 4^th of 8 regattas in the 2010 East End Laser Series.

BYC has a beautiful facility and a good youth program. Racing was held off Havens Beach. A fleet of 17 enjoyed 6 races in 3 to 6 knots West going to 6 to 8 knots South. Mike Matan navigated all the soft spots to take the day with 4 first place finishes. Rachel Gruzen was the 1^st female. Lynn Sexton was the 1^st Radial. James Hannah was 1^st in the 19 to 34 age group. Brett Morgan was the 1^st Apprentice Master; and Mark Webber was the 1^st Grand Master. Congratulations to all the racers. Many thanks go to Mark Webber and the crew at Breakwater YC for a terrific day.

The East End Laser Series continues this coming Saturday, July 31 at Shelter Island Yacht Club on Shelter Island, NY with a 1pm skippers meeting and 2pm first race. See details at www.laser.org, and www.siyc.com.

50 sailors have so far enjoyed 22 races over 4 consecutive Saturday afternoons at 4 beautiful venues on the Long Island’s east end. Mike Matan and Joe Turchiano lead halfway through the series. See www.laserd8.org for mid-series results.

4 regattas remain in the 2010 East End Laser Series. Sail in 3 or more regattas to qualify for series standing.

Saturday, July 31, 2010 – Shelter Island YC, Shelter Island, NY

Saturday, August 7, 2010 – Southampton YC, Southampton, NY

Saturday, August 14, 2010 – Devon YC, Amagansett, NY

Saturday, August 21, 2010 – Westhampton YS, Remsenburg, NY

Thank you to Peconic Gardiners Junior Sailing Association, a series sponsor, www.pgjsa.org.

Are you a Laser member, www.laser.org? We are.

See you on the water.

Mike - 162043

Lynn - 100550

Click here for mid-season scores

Race Report: Southold Yacht Club, www.southoldyachtclub.com, on Saturday, July 17 hosted the third of 8 regattas in the 2010 East End Laser Series.

SYC is a friendly club with terrific facilities, a very nice beach and the beginnings of a good Laser fleet. Saturday 10 sailors enjoyed 6 races in shifty 8 to 10 knots of breeze which built to puffy 10 to 12 knots. The gusts downwind were either a gift or a curse! The sixth and final race was the longest of the day - a 20+ minute windward-leeward twice around in 10+ knots - where 70-something Doug Mercer showed with a first place finish the benefits of good conditioning and clean living. Mike Duran was 1^st overall. Lynn Sexton was the 1^st Radial and 1^st female. SYC member Mary Loffredo was the 1^st Junior. Geoff Loffredo was 1^st in the 19 to 34 age group. Jeff Talan was the 1^st Grand Master and Doug Mercer was the 1^st Great Grand Master. Look for results at www.laserd8.org. Many thanks to Celeste Flick and the crew at Southold YC.

The East End Laser Series continues this coming Saturday, July 24 at Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor, NY with a 1pm skippers meeting and 2pm first race. The regatta will be held at Havens Beach (traveling east from BYC turn left on Havens Beach Road).See details at www.laser.org and www.breakwateryc.org.
See you on the water.
Mike 162043
Lynn 100550

Click Here for video

Race Report: Old Cove Yacht Club in New Suffolk, NY, www.oldcoveyc.com, on Saturday, July 10 hosted the second of 8 regattas in the 2010 East End Laser Series.

OCYC has one of the deepest Laser fleets on the East End. They are young, fast and very dedicated. Saturday, 16 racers waited ashore for thunderstorms to clear, and then on little more than enthusiasm rigged and headed out on glassy smooth water. Magically, as the fleet reached the race committee 4 to 6 knots of breeze filled in and stayed for just over an hour allowing for 4 short but competitive races. Joe Turchiano won the day with 2 bullets and 8 points. Lynn Sexton was the 1^st Radial. Meredith Carroll was the 1^st Female. Colin Keil was the 1^st Junior. Paul Nannig was the 1^st Master. Fred Endemann was the 1^st Grand Master and Mark Rickabaugh was the 1^st Great-Grand Master. See www.laserd8.org for the full results. Thank you to Bill Lehnert and everyone at OCYC for your warm hospitality.

The East End Laser Series continues this coming Saturday, July 17 at Southold Yacht Club in Southold, NY with a 1pm skippers meeting and 2pm first race. See details at www.laser.org, www.laserd8.org and www.southoldyachtclub.com.

39 sailors have so far enjoyed 10 races on 2 consecutive Saturdays at 2 beautiful venues in the East End Laser Series. 6 regattas remain in the series. Sail in 3 or more regattas to qualify for series standing.

Thank you to Peconic Gardiners Junior Sailing Association, a series sponsor, www.pgjsa.org.

We support the Laser Class, www.laser.org.

See you on the water.

Mike - 162043

Lynn - 100550

Click Here for video of the event

Race Report: from Ted, Area B Championships I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to Sea Cliff YC for hosting the Area B regatta. Unfortunately, the breeze was light so the club had to run this one for two days. John Dawson's team were great hosts, and I only wish that we had more sailors support the event!   Congratulations to Ryan Schmidt who will represent Area B at the National O'day Regatta. Ryan, we hosted that regatta at Sayville YC a couple of years back... the regatta is great, and they have a round table discussion after every days racing where the competitors discuss the day. It was one of my favorite regattas to be a part of so you'll want to move on and do the finals! Paul Forester won our regatta at Sayville.... Cam Cullman, Michael Collins and Paul Jon Patin all sailed... It was a great experience.   I believe Mike Matan has the Area B trophy, and when he's done with the engraving, you'll have the opportunity to get your name etched on that trophy as well.

Race Report: NBIBCLRA, East End Laser Series, July 3

Twenty Five Lasers were on the sunny waters of Noyac Bay for the 14th Annual NBIBCLRA July Fourth Extravaganza.  We had 8-11kts  of shifting wind with interesting holes and a flooding tide which made the top mark a challenge. We also had one runaway mark that lead to a premature finish in Race 2; all in all very close racing.

We had six races, so that means one throwout.  Five different boats grabbed firsts and everyone had at least one bad race and one good race.  Congratulations to Derrick who will now get his name added to the perpetual trophy (1st place overall with consistent top 5 finishes), along with Tavis Moonan (2nd overall, and just plain fast) and Greg Ames (3rd overall, including winning a great battle with Rudy in race 5).

In Radials--Joe Slawek (sorry if misspelled) won over Jessica Siegel.  In 4.7s Lynn Sexton won over Jody Sutter.  Good work!

Remember that this is the first race of the 2010 East End Laser Series.  Keep your Lasers packed up for more sailing each weekend.

Thanks to everyone who raced today --a great day on the water

Bud Rogers

Bud Rogers and the Noyac Bay Informal but Competitive Laser Racing Association on Saturday, July 3 in North Haven, NY hosted the first of 8 regattas in the 2010 East End Laser Series.

A record 25 sailors enjoyed 6 races in moderate but challenging conditions. Derrick Galen was 1^st overall, Joe Slawek visiting from Philadelphia and racing in his first Laser regatta was the 1^st Radial and1^st Junior, Jody Sutter was the 1^st 4.7, Denice Fenchel was the 1^st female, Tavis Moonan was 1^st in the 19 to 34 age group, our host Bud Rogers was the 1^st Grand Master and Doug Mercer was the 1^st Great Grand Master. Congratulations to all the winners! A huge thank you goes to Bud and Team Rogers for putting on a great event.

Mike - 162043

Lynn - 100550

Race Report: Cold Spring Harbor District 8 Regatta, CSHBC, June 19

8 sailors raced in 8-12 knot variable breezes from the south on a beautiful sunny day. Typical Cold Spring Harbor condiitons - major shifts and a few holes as the wind bounced between the two land masses. As always, those who could base a proper strategy on predicting the breeze prevailed.

The tricky conditions caused the fleet to split on most races, causing packs of "luckies" & "unluckies!" Mike Matan was not only dominant but consistent, everyone else having at least one bad race that placed them in the bottom half.

Lindsay is conspicuously absent from the results - because he was our host and race committee. Thanks, Lindsay!

Click here for video!

Race Report: Southampton District 8 Regatta, Southampton YC, June 12

12 sailors were greeted by a perfect 12 knot breeze (who cares if if rained a little, its the wind that counts!) A slowly shifting breeze with a few "holes" in it made the racing both strategic & tactical.

Six races saw lots of tight mark roundings. The results don't tell the full story. The competition was very tight, most of the boats staying in a tight pack with lots of passing going on. Brandon & Ted's scores were decided by a tie-breaker, as were Cubby and Doug's.

Welcome to Brian Cremer, sailing the course with a 4.7 rig.

My personal dramatic moment was on the last, windward leg of race 2, I was in the lead when Brandon initiated a tacking duel. I delayed one tack to loosen the cover a bit, waited a couple of seconds too long, & let Brandon split tacks with me. I wound up having to duck on port. On the next cross, I was on starboard, & forced Brandon to duck me, where I was able to immediately tack & re-establish cover. A dramatic end to a great race, & lots of fun.

After racing, we were treated to a world class barbeque, courtesy of Dr. Jim Hull. Steak, salmon, salad, & all the trimmings washed down with beer and wine.

Many thanks once again to our great hosts at Southampton Yacht Club.

Click here for video! Click here for a video of my tantrum!

Bob - 177156

2010 Laser Atlantic Coast Championship Report

  The 2010 Laser Atlantic Coast Championship, hosted at Sayville Yacht Club, attracted 98 competitors from as far away as Texas, Michigan and Puerto Rico. Saturday the sailors were blessed with our usual 12-18 knot SW breezes and an international sized Trapezoid course with inner and outer loops were set for the competitors. The first Laser finished after an hour and 10, and despite the rather large distance, the leaders were still sailing in a relatively tight pack making for some exciting racing. The beats were "long", but the reaches and runs were "fast" so it seemed to all balance out.

There was a pack of six 4.7's that all got lost in Race 1 "we couldn't see the mark!" so PRO Steve Kelley decided to shorten the course for the benefit of the competitors in hopes of getting more races in. Race #3 had to get abandoned near its conclusion on Saturday as a squall moved in and the official boats near the top of the course saw lightning. It was hoped that the cell would continue to move north of the Great South bay as is typical on Long Island and race 3 could be finished but unfortunately the race had to be abandoned.   Saturday night, the competitors were treated to a steak dinner on the Sayville Yacht Club Deck with the band "The Sub Culture" and local "Blue Point" microbrew on tap for those of age. Sayville Yacht Club, headed by Commodore Lenny Camarda and Regatta Chair Paul Abel, did an outstanding job supporting the sailors.   Sunday provided some exceptional conditions with Race 1 held in 18 to 22 from the SW.

Race 1 went of on time and the breeze just continued to build. There were boats capsized all over the course, but they all got their boats up and were able to finish. One 4.7 sailor said . . . "I capsized like 10 times probably" and headed in after the finish. By the time Race 2 went of, the breeze was a steady 22 knots with gusts to 28. Yes there was a pack of sailors raring to go, but all mark boats reported capsized boats pretty much all over the course,,, yes this is Laser sailing and is expected to an extent. On the Standard "Full Rig" courses, there were boats all over on the downwind leg. Newport's Peter Shope was the sailor of the day with a 1 and a 2 making good work of the conditions and sailing exceptionally fast. It was a pleasure watching Pate sail and if not for a couple of unfortunate OCS', he may have won the regatta. Racing was postponed after the conclusion of Race 2 because of the conditions associated with an approaching cold front, and because of the battered and weary support boats that had to tow in multiple broken boats . . . sailors, always remember to tie in your masts...  

The top 4.7 sailor went to Rachel Bryer who posted all bullets. The sailors all matches their finish scores, as in first has all 1sts, second had all 2nds, third had all 3rds! For the most part, they all sailed in a pack, but at the breeze picked up, Rachel only started getting faster.  

Our top Radial sailor was Junior Carson Crain who beat out his older brother Philip who finished third. Looks like Ryan Mynth's C-vane team dominated the radial fleet.  

The Standard fleet title was captured by Junior Greg Martinez who sailed very consistently winning the regatta by 10 points over Puerto Rico's David Alfonso. Cedar Point's Mike Matan was the top Master, finishing third overall and Glen Dickson was the top apprentice Master, finishing 4th, The top five was rounded out by Tom Ramshaw from the International Sailing Academy.  

Special acknowledgments go to past district 8 secretaries Don Woodworth and Lindsay Hewitt who both competed in the radial fleet, and to current District 10 secretary Eric Rettinger from Brandt Beach YC in LBI, NJ. The writer would also like to recognize 13 year old Brian Cremer for completing all the races in the 4.7 fleet in his first laser regatta since leaving optis in some rather epic conditions, and to Christian Cremer who gave up his radial sails to two juniors at the host club and toughed it out sailing a full rig so they could sail the regatta.   

Results courtesy of Regatta Tech          https://www.regattatech.com/scoring/action/showResultsRoster?clubCode=SYC&eventCode=LaserACC10&divisionName=all  

Photos provided by Sayville Yacht Club's own Past Commodore Kenneth Boyle.   http://sycphotos.smugmug.com/

    Ted Cremer #162020

From the back of the pack - Wow, I really appreciate the strength and stamina that goes into sailing a championship course! Local sailor Mike Matan did well, but other locals helped to "round out the fleet." My personal goal was to stay out of last place (achieved, barely!) I was one of over a third of the fleet who called it quits during Sunday's second race. Special congrats to Doug Mercer, top Great-Grand Master, 72 years young, who managed to finish every race! Rob Martinez was robbed of a higher score when he broke his tiller extension. Kia Olsson, 14 years old, hung in for three races while finishing 25th in the Junior radials, while her brother Spencer hung tough in the full rig fleet. Bob Blanco, Matt Doherty (bloodied but survived!) and Christian Cremer (Ted's son) all made respectable showings. Collin Leon scored 6th overall! The local talent in Radials was represented by Ryan Schmitz, Fred Abels, Gary Prieto, Matthew and Douglas Wefer, Geoffrey Loffredo, Andrew Cremer, and Don Woodworth (nice to see him back racing). Great job by the 4.7 sailors, Ted notes them above.

Lindsay Hewitt found himself deep-sea drilling for oil when he stuck his mast 2 feet into the bay bottom and couldn't get the boat righted. Lindsay wants to know, from any shallow-water sailors out there, "what's the best technique to recover from this?" Send your responses to robertterry@optonline.net, & I'll post them.

My personal drama came in the last race, when, with the breeze gusting to 28 kts, I death rolled (& bent my lower mast). I brought the boat back up, only to find the mainsheet wrapped around the hull, rudder, & tiller, with the tiller firmly lashed to port. The boat took off madly downwind, & since I couldn't turn around to free the helm, I tried steering with my weight. That lasted a few boatlengths, after the inevitable capsize I cleared the line while swimming. Looking up, I saw my tiller extension was gone. There it was, floating to windward. I held the end of the mainsheet, swam over to get the extension back, & re-installed it. At least I was able to eventually get back to shore without a tow!

Oh, yes, I did have my cameras onboard. Click HERE for video. For Matt's gruesome injuries, click HERE.

Bob Terry #177156

Race Report - May 29
A great Spring Day for the Seawanhaka Spring Fling, 8 knots of breeze & flat water saw seven racers doing seven two-lap races. Relatively steady winds kept the racing tight - & I mean tight. The final scores don't reflect all of the passing and lead changes that took place - a very tactical day & great fun. Close racing but clean - no collisions, and the only foul I saw was mine in the fourth race, when my boom hit the windward mark. It was a big steel nun buoy, so it made quite a clang! (I did my penalty turn, of course!)
Thanks to the folks at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club on Centre Island, Oyster Bay, for giving us a great day on the water.

Click here for video of the event

Race Report, from Holly, May 21
Hi everyone,
I'd like to report on a wonderful regatta, our second annual spring race held at Sebago Canoe Club for Laser and Laser Radial. Conditions were very good, if you like a steady breeze and a wide open race course. We had ten competitors, coming from as far away as Saratoga, NY, but most from Long Island. Kia Olsson, at sixteen, was our youngest sailor, but nobody fessed up to the oldest spot. We started out in a 6 to 8 mph breeze from the southeast, running three legs windward/leeward. As the wind filled in a little, we ran 5 leg courses, and I moved the marks in a little closer to get more races in. We started a little late (it was a fair distance out to the race course), but still managed five races in the allotted time.

No one sailor dominated the event, and the racing was fairly close, particularly in the middle of the fleet in which there was only a one point separation. Early on, the whole fleet went left, and I was worried the course was not quite right, but as the day went on, the racers were spread out on both sides pretty equally. By the end of the day, the wind had built to around 13mph, with some pretty surfable waves. The current was stronger early on, but did not seem to be a huge factor tactically. I look forward to a winner's report on the day's sailing!

Congratulations to David Nicols for a well sailed, consistent first place finish. Dave Trinder was second, and Matt Doherty third. And once again, thanks to all who sailed and to all who helped run this regatta! See you next year.
Jim Luton

Pictures from the event by our Recorder - Bonnie Aldinger
http://picasaweb.google.com/bonniefrogma/SebagaLaserRegatta5222010?feat=directlink

Pictures from the event by our Recorder - Bonnie Aldinger
http://picasaweb.google.com/bonniefrogma/SebagaLaserRegatta5222010?feat=directlink

There will be more pictures and we're hoping to get a winners report from David Nicols. We'll post the results and links to pictures at http://sebagocanoeclub.org/sailing.html in the next week.

More pictures of the event from Chris Bickford
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=bikk4d&target=PHOTO&id=5475328220792562930&aid=5475326715469508065&authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2huYf51rquYQ&invite=CKHiq5UC&feat=email
<http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=bikk4d&target=PHOTO&id=5475328220792562930&aid=5475326715469508065&authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2huYf51rquYQ&invite=CKHiq5UC&feat=email>

Pictures from the event by our Recorder - Bonnie Aldinger
http://picasaweb.google.com/bonniefrogma/SebagaLaserRegatta5222010  

Event Report: May 8, 2010
Torrential rains greeted me when I arrived at the Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club at 11:00 AM - by noon, the sun was out and other sailors began showing up. In order of arrival were Bob Terry, Kia Olsen, Lindsay Hewitt, Peter Vajko, Matt Doherty, and Bob Blanco. We launched in a 12 kt northerly, & since there was no race committee we decided to do some practice racing with rabbit starts. The wind kept building, turning westerly with gusts over 30 kts! We had to help each other de-rig, because at the end of the day, the anenometer at the club was showing 39 kt gusts. I still have sand in my teeth! Lots of wild planing, everybody was capsizing, & all the action was caught on 2 onboard video cameras. Click here for video.

Race Report: May 1, 2010
The D8 season kicked off with the Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club hosting an early event on the North Shore. Despite a forecast of no wind, four sailars enjoyed a steady 5-6 kts with gusts to 10 kts - yes, they were able to hike! The results are:

1. Steven Jay
2. Bob Blanco
3. Peter Vajko
4. Lindsay Hewitt

Special thanks to Chris and Becky Schmitz as Race Committee!

Happy Spring all!!!  
I'll lead off with thank you's and recognitions.   Seawanhaka's winter program was a great success, thanks for Maryanne Nash's great leadership. Seawanhaka continues to be an awesome host to the district, and there is no way to thank them enough for their great efforts on our behalf. Special congrats go out to Matt Doherty who looks to be on a roll, finishing second in the fall and winning the spring series. Matt sailed 81 races . . . that's 81 more than me! so he'll definitely be a force to recon with going forward. Our top junior looks to be Ryan Schmitz who also was the winner of the Fall season. Ryan is fast , , , he keeps up with this, he'll be sailing in college for sure! Former winter chair and known Viking Eric Johnson finished third, with Bob Blanco and Dave Trinder rounding out the top 5. In all, 47 folks dragged their lasers out and at one time or another sailed in the series. Congratulations to all involved, and THANK YOU! I have attached the overall results - Bob feel free to post them on the website.   I want to thank my loyal webmaster Robert Terry (incidentally, he finished 6th for the season!) for his continued commitment to the website. I was on the phone with Clay Johnson, class treasurer, and he noted that he really liked the site! Liked the video links and the notes from the winners section. That being said,,, you win? you owe me a write up. Ryan and Matt, start getting ready!   Finally, I need to Thank Mike Duran and Lynn for keeping that east end series together and cranking. It represents one of the best summer laser series in the country in terms of numbers... well done! BTW, Mike is really fast in the light and shifty stuff... perhaps he needs to get a laser over to Seawanhaka??? (Yes peer pressure!) We'll have his schedule up soon, and I look forward to going back to North Haven July 4th weekend for Bud's regatta.   Our Spring/early summer season kicks off at Lindsay's this Saturday. The schedule is up on the website https://laserd8.tripod.com/schedule.htm   Skippers meeting at 10 AM... back to back racing until we get tired of racing. Entry fee is $15 . . . same price as last year.   Directions to Cold Spring Harbor as follows:

Cold Spring Harbor BC- Rte. 25A to Cold Spring Harbor at firehouse turn north on to Shore Rd. Bear left around gasoline docks, club on left. Contact: Lindsey Hewitt 516-692-4798   Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club is at 101 Shore Road, Cold Spring Hbr, NY 11724-1198(631) 692-6540

Finally, we'll all be able to register for the Laser ACC's (June 5th and 6th) at Sayville YC tonight. I'm just finalizing the online registration part. PLEASE use the online registration, and mail in the medical-Minor release and the Laser ACC release forms only. If you register online, folks will be able to see who's coming, and it imports into our scoring software. Coaches have their own registration form and they'll mail that in on their own. 

https://www.regattatech.com/registration/action/showEntryForm?clubCode=SYC&eventCode=LaserACC10

Membership in the laser class is mandatory. You can check your membership status below:

https://www.ilcana.org/membermgmt/laser_registration_lookup.php

I have attached all the docs you can get from the registration website:

Medical-MinorRelease, 2010 ACC Laser NOR, 2010 Laser ACC Release, SYC Laser logistics 2010 ACC's, Laser ACC Coach Registration

Sorry I've been out of touch... long winter focused on my kids swim schedules, and getting the ACC's put together. Nothing like hosting a regatta for some 200+ sailors!!!

Hope to see all of you on the water soon! 

Ted Cremer #162020
US Laser Class
D8 Secretary
Voice: 631-868-3726
Fax: 631-256-9164

Five D8 sailors competed in the Master's World Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia August 27-September 5, 2009 Full rigs: Rudy Ratsep, 18th Place --- Mike Matan, 19th Place --- Radial Masters: Fred Ables, 16th Place --- Radial GGM: Lindsay Hewitt, 5th Place. Congratulations guys!

Click here for photo album

Here's a video of the event - catch Lindsay at 1:54

For all the armchair sailors out there (if you're not frostbiting, you know who you are!), check out Dylan Winter's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/dylanwinter1. He's into year 2 of his series "Keep Turning Left". It chronicles his ongoing circumnavigation of England in a 19 foot pocket cruiser, one weekend at a time. Great video, great commentary (Dylan is a BBC announcer).

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!

Check out District 8's videos at https://www.youtube.com/laserd8

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.

For 2009 News and Scores, click here

For 2008 News and Scores, click here

For 2007 News and Scores, click here

For 2006 News and Scores, click here

For 2005 News and Scores, click here

For 2004 News and Scores, click here.

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