By Bob Nayor
Seventeen (17) dinghy sailors braved a pessimistic wind forecast for Round 3 of the TTL Fall Series last Sunday afternoon (Oct 8). On the upside, it was a beautiful day with near-perfect temperatures. Fleets on the line were Lasers, C-14.2s, and Portsmouth, with Sunfish Fleet on Race Committee led by PRO Jen Lee.
Contrary to the forecast, there WAS wind … enough for Jen and the team to click off eight races in two hours. It changed directions frequently – no surprise here – and was anything but steady, but Laser and C-14.2 fleets each ran three races, with Portsmouth finishing two.
Six (6) Lasers raced neck-and-neck for much of the afternoon, with Gordon Briner claiming a bullet in Race 1 and David Newland in second place. David went on to take first in the remaining two races, with Paul Miachika and Mike Bernard earning 2nd-place finishes.
Of the four (4) C-14.2s racing, Dick Krebill’s Tomato Sloop won the 1st race and placed second in race 2 with a third in the final race. Team Ferring (Mike & Maryellen) claimed top honors in races 2 & 3, with Team Simzyk (Ron and Lynn) placing second in the last race. The wind gave out on the leeward leg of the last race, which was finished on a shortened course.
And what a great turnout for the reinvigorated Portsmouth Fleet with seven boats! Three Buccaneers: Marc Danner, new to the Bucc18, Emory Heisler, and Cindy Pillote, John Tapernoux in his colorful Laser 2, and two boats from American Sails with their signature green and purple color scheme, Joel Oglesbee’s American 14.6, Tom and David Gilb’s American 18, and Ed Scheletsky in his Dolphin. Emory Heisler claimed bullets on both races, and Cindy Pillote took second.
Here are a couple of wins that aren’t shown on the scoresheet: Ed Scheletsky‘s Dolphin struggled in the races (it happens!), which was of no concern to Eyla, Ed’s daughter, and crew. She was nothing but smiles for the whole afternoon – that’s a win!
ASU grad student Mo Elbery crewed for John Tapernoux, then applied for AYC membership the next day! Whenever we attract new and younger sailors, that’s a win for AYC and our sport!
Tom and David Gilb didn’t race; but continued to break in their beautiful, brand-new American 18, which they picked up on the east coast from the manufacturer a few weeks ago. It was their second time out with the new boat, and their satisfaction with it was abundantly clear. Buying a new sailboat is always a win!
Many thanks to all the sailors and crews that turned out and raced. And special thanks to the Sunfish Fleet Race Committee veteran volunteers: Jen Lee, Tim Mitchell, Patti Pearson, and Doug Sycamore.
We had a handful of new talent help out too:
- Nate Botts: new AYC member and Sunfish sailor, and first-time on Race Committee.
- Mark Powell: an experienced and competitive sailor, Mark is now interested in joining the TTL racing scene … he’ll be test-driving a Sunfish soon.
- Anto Vukancic: new AYC member and Sunfish sailor, Anto is also the Sunfish Fleet Adopt-a-Boat coordinator.
- Jaden Weber: high school student, new AYC member, new to TTL racing, and first-time on Race Committee.
- Jen Weber: Jaden’s mother and photographer for the day – her photos are fantastic!
A fun afternoon of TTL racing was topped off with a strong turnout at Hundred Mile Brewing for good food, beverages, and lively talk among sailing friends. As temperatures continue to moderate, we’ll see our numbers increase and more boats on the start line. Overall, it was a fun day of TTL racing.
See all the great photos in our SmugMug Photo Album TTL Oct 8: Photos by Jen Weber
