By: Lynn Simzyk
Week two of the TTL Fall Series had a great turnout on the water and ashore. The starting area was busy with six Sunfish, seven Lasers, three Portsmouth, four Juniors, and three ASU FJs. Even three ASF Learn-to-Sail student boats took a single practice start/race.
A special thanks to the C14.2 Fleet for serving on Race Committee. The onshore RC had six members with three first timers who were eager to be trained. On the mark-set boat was newly certified powerboat driver Joanne Aspinall, along with Mike and Maryellen Ferring.
The wind started to fill from the E-NE for the first start. The race had sailors pointing and reaching at a steady clip to the east on a Y-O course. Within the hour, the wind shifted to the W-NW and slowed. RC was on their game and took action to adjust the course according to the new conditions. The remaining races started to the west with an O-Y course. The wind continued to wane after the second race, so without delay, the RC shortened the leeward (Y) mark for the third round of starts.
The Laser and Sunfish fleets each got off three races. There were several close finishes for both fleets. The Lasers had a different winner for each of their three races: Joel Hurley, Paul Miachika and David Newland, respectively. For the Sunfish, Jennifer Lee claimed all three wins. However, it was a close finish for second and third place in the final race. Bob Naylor was a boat length from the finish line when, out of nowhere, Jose Vicente came to take second.
The Portsmouth fleet only got in two races due to the dying winds. Sailing a Byte CII, Kelly Stukbauer finished first in race one, and Cindy Pillote took first in race two.
The ASU FJ fleet ran two races, taking their starts with the Portsmouth fleet. The Juniors also ran three races to hone their sailing and racing skills.
Overall the temperature and weather was favorable, the wind mostly cooperative, and the racing competitive — another great day for Arizona sailors.
