Hampton Roads Laser Fleet

Hampton Roads Sailing: February 5
February 11th, 2012 1:20 pm by

rigging

“Andrew is a hero,” said my son, Ian, as we packed up from a great day on the water Super Bowl Sunday. “I’ve never seen anyone try so hard for so long. He never gave up. I thought he was amazing”

I thought, “That’s my son talking.” Sometimes it isn’t the winner, the best, the fastest guy on the water who inspires us. It was Andrew, who has dedicated himself to becoming a better sailor and bringing the fun week after week. The circumstances were this: Sunday was blustery and cold, with about 13 knots gusting in out of the North. The air and water temperatures were chilly. Seven sailors showed up, and five were racing, all of the series favorites. A bit of rain in the forecast didn’t help the turnout.

And Andrew took a bath, early on, with a gust-induced death roll. He got stuck trying to get things sorted and get up, and then got cold. But he never gave up, and never gave in. And he kept a happy and cheery outlook even as he asked for a bit of assistance. The group cut the racing short to lend support and get the cold guy back to some onshore warmth. It was a good moment for Hampton Roads Sailing, when the camaraderie we have developed showed itself to be more important than the competition.

Oh yeah, and we got two races in. It was an interesting day with the wily Doug Keiler heading toward a day of domination. Doug was picking the shifts and getting the starts from early on. The results were as follow:

Place Sailor Race 1 Race 2 Total
1 Doug Keiler 2 1 3
2 Neil Ford 1 2 3
3 Mike Moore 5 3 8
4 Robert Suhay 4 4 8
5 Andrew Newbold 3 5 8
8 Andrew Molitor 6 DNF 13
9 Frank Patch DNS DNS -

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Hampton Roads Sailing: January 29
February 5th, 2012 10:11 am by

Downwind

Light air duel. That’s the best way to describe Sunday’s racing on the Elizabeth River – and it was the first time in a long time. Funny day, too. The breeze was moderate but strong while everyone was rigging up in the morning, and died to zilch just as the last stragglers made it out to the line. The wind was forecast to switch and fill, so the nine racers who turned out fiddled around and did silly laser tricks, took a nap, or took a bath when the tricks went wrong – how was the water Neil?

Then, suddenly, the breeze filled without the switch, and we managed to get two solid races in before it died again. Short, but very sweet. It was a talent-packed group this week and David Tunnicliffe showed that no rust had settled on his shorts – which he was in fact wearing. Neil Ford was near the top again, but the shifty, light breezes were punishing for those not in the pressure. Mike Moore had an awesome second race going, leading the pack around three-fourths of the course. Mike and David split tacks on the last windward, with mike going left and david going right, which paid off in the end for david – but it was close.

“It was one of those things were I meant to tack right back and go right, but everyone followed me and I just never got back over,” Mike said.

All in all, it was a great laid-back session that really dusted off the light air skills. Look forward to more like this for the season.

Launching

A thanks goes out to my oldest, Zoltan, for filling in as race committee. Our regulars Ian and Monica both came down with a heavy cold and I couldn’t bring them out – though they wanted to come.

Sailor Race 1 Race 2 total
1 David Tunnicliffe 3 1 4
2 Neil Ford 2 4 6
3 Mike Moore 5 2 7
4 Andrew Newbold 4 3 7
5 Conrad Roos 1 6 7
6 Robert Suhay 6 5 11
7 Doug Keilor 7 7 14
8 Aaron Applegate 8 8 16
9 Frank Patch 9 9 18

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Hampton Roads Sailing: January 22
January 25th, 2012 12:38 pm by

Dock at ODU

Well, it’s officially on in South Hampton Roads. The winter frostbite got off to a great start with 11 sailors rigging up and nine boats taking the line for a 5-race series on the Elizabeth River near Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

Fall favority Neil Ford had his way again, with four firsts out of five. And he has your narrator to thank, too, for surrendering the lead on at least three occasions due to poor leeward mark roundings. YOU’RE WELCOME. Neil really worked the 13-knot breeze that packed a lot of shifts and puffs coming down the course – and fought his way back from a tough start to take second in the fourth race.

And for once, it really felt like winter, with temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s. Fortunately, the chop was light with the shipping terminal providing a bit of protection from the northerly breeze.

A notable performance was turned in by junior sailor Conrad Roos, who really got in a groove. Keeping his boat very flat, getting good starts and defending his position smartly, Conrade had consistent, high finishes all day to end in third.

Race veteran Mike Moore also had a stellar day, and sacrificed the first race to help another sailor get in the water. If he had started, he likely would have had a top three finish. Thanks for the support Mike.

moose hatI would like to extend the group’s thanks to ODU for use of the Lasers and facilities. This series would not happen without you.

One last thanks to my son Ian and Monica and David Tunnicliffe, who kept score and kept the line square.

For those keeping score, here are Sunday’s results: DNS was scored as 10 (nine plus one). Any errors are mine, and I will be happy to correct them. Here’s Ian in his official Race PRO Moose Hat.

Onboard Video by Richard Biggs:

Pre-race onboard video by Robert Suhay:

 

Sailor Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race5 total
1 Neil Ford 1 1 1 2 1 6
2 Robert Suhay 2 4 2 3 2 13
3 Conrad Roos 3 3 4 4 3 17
4 Mike Moore 9 2 3 1 6 21
5 Grey Kiger 4 5 5 7 4 25
6 Graeme Alderman 8 8 9 6 5 36
7 Eric Roos 5 7 8 8 8 36
8 Glenn Atherton 7 6 9 5 DNS 36
9 Richard Biggs 6 9 6 9 7 37
10 Andrew Molitor DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS 50
11 Frank Patch DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS 50

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Hampton Roads Sailing: January 15
January 16th, 2012 8:30 pm by

Hampton Roads FrostbiteIt was a case of a little too much wind, a little too cold, a little short on sailors and a little bit of caution. In short, the diehards that showed up for the spring opener opted to give the racing a pass (we did get around to TALKING a lot about sailing, though): The wind was blowing pretty hard (13 or so) and right out of hampton roads and up the elizabeth river. There were plenty of whitecaps and the river was very bumpy. Temperature never got much above 30 and it just looked a little too much.

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Hampton Roads Sailing: December 11
December 21st, 2011 1:37 pm by

starting line

The wind delivered one final time with 12 plus knots for a ripping finish to a great series. Neil Ford was again the champion – icing the series with a string of firsts. The youth in the fleet battled for the next spots with consistency and determination. Conditions finally felt like frostbite, with temperatures in the 40s or 50s during the day.It was a smaller turnout, with many of the regulars already pressed by the upcoming holidays. I apologize for the delay in getting this notice out, but I was overwhelmed myself with neglected chores and a little bit of fatigue.

I know I can say for everyone who took part in the series, THANKS Old Dominion (Mitch, Charles, Cara) Your support is what makes this community program possible. And thanks to my son, Ian, and his significant other, Monica, for running the race committee. You guys did an awesome job of keeping the action going and shooting video – even while under attack from hungry pelicans. Thanks Lisa for the weekly refreshments and all the behind the scenes support.

Here is the final weekly tally. I am going over the series numbers tonight and will post a final score addendum to get the overall series winners – but I just couldn’t delay getting this out any longer. Wishing everyone happy holidays and a great new year. See you in January when we pick up for the winter/spring series. I have asked santa for some tactics books and a small underwater outboard. We’ll see.

Lisa edited some excellent video of the last regatta.That is me flipping over near the end. I did not get wet, however. Neil says that in itself was much more important than winning, and I think I agree.

Here are the official results for regatta 3. DNF and DNS are scored as 7

Sailor Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 total
1. Neil Ford 1 1 1 1 4
2. Gray Keiger 4 4 2 3 13
3. Eric Roos 5 6 3 2 16
4. Conrad Roos 3 2 4 DNS 16
5. Robert Suhay 2 3 DNF DNS 19
6. Aaron Applegate 6 5 5 4 20
7. Andrew Molitor 7 7 7 7 28

See ya next year,
Robert Suhay

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Hampton Roads Sailing: December 4
December 12th, 2011 9:36 pm by

NeilSometimes, the big winner is not the guy who came in first. That was the case this Sunday on the Elizabeth River as Hampton Roads regular Aaron Applegate logged his first top three finish and another top half of the fleet score among a modestly-sized, but very competitive group of eight Laser sailors.

Aaron got the start right in the second race, held his lane on the first leg of the beat, then matched speed and tacks with the leaders all the way round two legs of the half-mile, windward-leeward course. And it was no easy day, with steady winds of about 8 to 10 knots from the west, northwest, calm water and little current. “I normally find a way to lose it at the end,” said Aaron, “But this time I just hung on.” More than that: he looked good up front.

The overall winner on the day was again Neil Ford, who took all but one race even while helping everyone on the course up their game. (thanks again Neil for the tip on how to shut down a lane.) Your author tried his best to shut it down, but lost a tacking dual and a leeward mark rounding to take second in all but the last race, when it finally came together.

In all, four races were sailed and the the fleet was spared another deadly pelican attack. The wind shut off just as the racers were within earshot of the beach, and sorry again Richard about the aggressive roll gybes that nearly took out your camera, but did take out the mount. Richard has been shooting excellent video of the racing and I will send out a link as soon as he edits it down.

My wife also posted video on the Hampton Roads Sailing group page on Facebook and at the following link on YouTube:

Remember, next week is the final for the fall series and I will have some cool prizes (well, prizes) at the end of the racing session on Sunday. I know a few of the regulars can’t make it due to prior commitments, (Mike, Richard, Doug) so I am calling on the rest of our community to come out and send this one off with a bang.

Here are the official results for regatta 3. DNF and DNS are scored as 8

Sailor Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 total
1. Neil Ford 1 1 1 2 5
2. Robert Suhay 2 2 2 1 7
3. Doug Keiler 3 4 3 6 16
4. Richard Biggs 4 5 5 3 17
5. Aaron Applegate 6 3 6 4 19
6. Glenn Atherton 5 6 4 5 20
7. Anthony Burton 7 7 7 8 29
8. Andrew Molitor 8 8 8 7 31

Again, I would like to thank everyone who came out and made the day such a success, ODU, for making this all possible, Ian and Monica for running the committee boat, and Lisa for all the support and help behind the scenes.

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Hampton Roads Sailing: November 27
December 12th, 2011 12:39 pm by

Doug and Aaron“Drop the beer before the boat,” proffered Mike Moore as Sunday’s racers were cleaning up and washing it down. A curious axiom that engendered a lot of debate. For instance: What if it’s not your boat, but it is your beer? Is there an appropriate corollary then? But is that superseded by a good boat and a bad beer? Or what if it’s a good beer and a bad boat? You see the problem???

But there was no problem on the water as the wind gods delivered another big Sunday. The forecast 8 to 12 turned into an 8 to 16 day, with a little more on the upper end of the scale. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but my legs were killing me last Monday,” said series champion Neil Ford before heading out and hiking his way to another top finish. Skies were clear and the temperatures well above 60 for a series of 5 races on a windward leeward course of about half-mile. Thanksgiving commitments thinned the pack a bit this week, with 8 boats on the water, a little bit sparse after the 17 boats and 13 boats of the previous weeks.

The racing was tight again with last year’s star Doug Keiler rejoining the fun. Congratulations go out to Doug who is taking over Mike Moore’s old boat – and a round of applause on the new ride, Mike. Doug was blazing upwind, but slid down the ranks while practicing deathrolls on the downwinds.

Week 3 StartA hearty welcome goes out to Anthony Burton who made a three-hour trek from Culpeper to join the group. Anthony is a 505 guy, but I think we have him hooked. It won’t be long before you see him up to speed. He is planning on returning next week, too.

There was a really odd – and at the same time hilarious – prelude to the racing this week when a pelican took offense to the committee dropping the leeward mark and began chasing them around the course and raising it’s wings in a threatening demonstration. This is why God made YouTube, and you can watch a bit of the bird action by following this link. It’s a SCREAM. I saw the bird going after my son (and holding up the racing) and tried to chase it off, only to run over it with the boat.

And Lisa made a little thanksgiving-themed video out of the footage from the racing this week. Of course, the film captures my two worst starts of the day. I got peeled off the back twice and just tacked out for the breeze on the right, of course one rung down the ladder.

Good Grief! Frostbite Series 2011 – Week 3 already? from Lisa Suhay on Vimeo.

Richard Biggs also shot some excellent video of the racing. Here is his YouTube video:

Sailor Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 total
1. Neil Ford 2 1 1 1 1 6
2. Robert Suhay 1 2 2 3 5 13
3. Mike Moore 3 3 4 2 3 15
4. Doug Keiler 4 4 3 DNF 2 21
5. Richard Biggs 5 6 6 4 4 25
6. Aaron Applegate 6 5 5 6 6 28
7. Anthony Burton DNF DNF 6 5 7 34
8. Andrew Molitor DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS 40

Again, I would like to thank everyone who came out and made the day such a success. In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, I would like to remind everyone that ODU makes this all possible – thanks Mitch, Charles and Cara. Thanks to Ian and Monica for running the committee boat and fending off killer pelicans. And Thanks Lisa and Mike for the before and after refreshments.

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Hampton Roads Sailing: November 20
November 23rd, 2011 2:10 pm by

Call the it the bluster season. The wind gods delivered big time on Sunday with the second 15-plus weekend in a row.

going for the lineThirteen sailors turned out on the Elizabeth River for the second home regatta in the Hampton Roads fall series. The competition was very tight all day, but it turned into another race for second with Neil Ford taking a string of firsts (and one stinging collapse in the fourth and last race that saw everyone cross the line within 30 seconds of each other.) It was a bunch sprint from the leeward mark with almost all the boats rounding in one big pack. Sorry Charles, the left just didn’t pay off for us and it look like we were going to sneak past everyone right up until that big knock. Oh well.

And there are plenty of regulars missing. Leon had sad news from his unit and had to attend to it. Jimmy, Rick, Emory, Cheryl, Jaclyn, Steve, Charlie hope to see you come back out and play.

A round of applause goes out to Mark Miedama who joined the fleet in an FJ with a first-timer crew. If you couldn’t find the wind, you just had look where the home crowd was heading. Nice job staying competitive in the FJ. Come join us in a Laser next time Mark. Somebody has to stop Neil’s run for victory.
Races were run on a half-mile windward leeward with an upwind finish. While the wind was strong, (15 with stronger gusts and a few big holes) it wasn’t nearly the survival conditions that built the week before and there was a lot of great racing. Temperatures were in the upper 60s and the water is still shortie-friendly.

“Any more fun and it would be illegal,” said Mike Moore as the crew cleaned up. A big round of applause goes to series stalwart Glen Atherton for bringing some awesome home-brew. I think it was a stout, but it didn’t matter. There is nothing that hits the spot after a 2-hour workout like some liquid refreshment. Thanks again to Lisa for providing the pre-race cocoa, though most of it spilled in my cockpit on the two-clock schlepp over to Old Dominion. A big thanks goes to ODU for use of the Lasers as a charter fleet. This series would not happen without their support.

One last thanks to my son Ian and Monica, who not only kept the line square all day, but took pictures and video. Lisa edited the clips down to very watchable bites. Check them out at the Hampton Roads Sailing facebook page. Here’s a link to the video posted on YouTube:

Sorry again, but I am having trouble with programs on my computer. This was written in OpenOffice and the file doesn’t transfer smoothly to Outlook Express. I have attached a copy of the original file and photos to this email. There is a free and easy program online that will convert the OpenOffice file to a word document. The scoreing table was just done by hand to make it easier to read, but there is a table in the document file.

For those keeping score, here are Sunday’s results: DNS and DNF were scored as 13.

Sailor Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race5 total
1 Neil Ford 1 1 1 1 6 10
2 Andrew Newbold 3 3 3 2 2 13
3 Robert Suhay 4 5 2 3 5 19
4 Peter Longhini 2 6 6 5 1 20
5 Charlie Knape 5 2 6 6 3 21
6 Mike Moore 6 4 4 4 4 22
7 Glenn Atherton 8 10 8 7 9 42
8 Richard Biggs 9 9 12 10 7 47
9 Aaron Applegate 11 12 9 9 8 49
10 Eric Roos 10 7 7 DNS DNS 50
11 Graeme Alderman 7 8 11 DNS DNS 52
12 Greg Lanese 13 11 19 DNS DNS 60
13 Tom Etheridge 12 DNF DNS DNS DNS 64
14 Mark Miedama (flying junior)

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Hampton Roads Sailing: November 13
November 16th, 2011 6:11 pm by

Hampton Roads Nov 13 fleet

“You promised epic and that’s what it was, EPIC,” said Leon Garber, as weary and waterlogged sailors were packing up the gear and licking the wounds Sunday afternoon after the home opener for Hampton Roads Sailing’s fall regatta series at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. What a day for sailing on the Elizabeth River and for dinghy sailors at the south end of Chesapeake Bay.

A total of 17 Lasers were on the line for the first race of the day. The wind began at the top end of the forecast, with 14 to 15 knots as boats headed out around 11 a.m. By the time the second race was completed, conditions had built to 25 knots, according to NOAA reports from Norfolk International Airport. On the course, the wind was puffy, with a few big holes, too, and conditions choppy.There was a fair amount of upside down sailing — especially on the downhills — and the old guard was fairly thankfull for the heavy wind workout at the Master regatta which was a comparable challenge. The course was a windward leeward over about a half mile. The first race was once around. The second race, the longest of the day at twice around saw several boats abandon, so the course was shortened to one lap for a final sprint.

The crowd was an excellent mix of young and old, hardcore and novice. Hampton sailor Neil Ford made a glorious return to the Elizabeth with a first place finish for the day, scoring 2-1-1. Neil had attended a few of last year’s regattas and proved he was a boat to beat, and he held up well with some smart corner round tactics. “Get to the mark, stop and get your #@%* together,” Neil explained to a lot of head nodding. Your narrator trailed with a 1-2-3 finish and McKay Hannah (sailing a radial rig) took third for the day with 13 points. Like some of Sunday’s football, her score did not reflect how truly competitive she was, constantly fighting in the front of the race. The third and final race of the day still saw 12 boats start. It was a great kickoff to the series and there was plenty for a long bull session during the clean up.

A big thanks goes out to Jonathan Romero, Leon Garber and Charlie Murphy who ran the race committee. And to David Tunnicliffe for taking on crash boat duties.

My computer is still on the fritz, so I do not have an attached word file, and I couldn’t do anything about the type, but here are the results. If there are any misspellings or incorrect scores, please let me know and I will make the corrections. Conditions were a little tough and water stains made reading a little tough, too. DNS and DNF were scored as 17.

Please enjoy the attached pictures snapped by Jonathan Romero. The first shows most of the fleet just after a start. and the second shows some of the carnage on the track.

REGATTA ONE _Nov.13_2011_ RESULTS

Sailor Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 total
Neil Ford 2 1 1 4
Robert Suhay 1 2 3 6
McKay Hannah 3 4 6 13
Mike Moore 7 5 2 14
Charlie Knape 9 3 4 16
Conrad Roos 6 6 5 17
Alexander Hannah 5 8 8 21
Jaclyn Hollander 13 8 7 28
Gray Kiger 4 DNF 10 31
Eric Roos 8 DNF 9 34
Richard Biggs 11 DNF 12 40
Graeme Alderman 15 DNF 11 43
Aaron Applegate 14 DNS 13 44
Eric Siegel 10 DNS DNS 44
Glenn Atherton 12 DNF DNS 46
Dean Bethel DNS DNS DNS 51
Elizabeth Spaetzel DNS DNS DNS 51

Thanks again to everyone for making the regatta such a success and for helping with the setup and cleanup duties. And thanks again to Lisa for taking the time to prepare the cocoa and cut up oranges for everyone. You’re the best.

Robert Suhay

robert.suhay@pilotonline.com

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Hampton Roads Fall and Winter Series
October 25th, 2011 12:00 pm by

Hampton Roads 2011 Frostbite Week 8Time to gear up for some late fall and winter sailing. Old Dominion University Sailing has given the green light for a series in November and December, so don’t pack away that Laser or dinghy just yet. Lasers will also be available to charter on a first-come first-served.

And in the grand-style of the Tour de France, the series will start with an away game at Fishing Bay Yacht Club, which is hosting their end-of –the-year frostbite on Nov. 6.

I know a number of south bay sailors who wanted to attend that regatta and this would be a way to get our groups together.

So, here is the plan, and you are invited:

Hampton Roads Sailing will host a six-week series starting in Nov. 6 and running though through Dec. 11.

Week 1

The first race, an away game, will be held in conjunction with Fishing Bay Yacht Club. Here is a copy of their NOR as posted on the District 11 Laser Web site (and thanks to Jon Deutsch, who supported the idea)

  • Sunday, November 6th, 2011 (time to be announced)
  • Fishing Bay YC, Deltaville, VA.

For those who have not sailed there, it is a great venue and a really fun group of sailors. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and the sailing in Fishing Bay on the Piankatank River is a blast. Unlike my ad hoc Panga crew at ODU, Fishing Bay has an awesome committee boat with seasoned pros calling the shots. The club is near Deltaville, and about 1:30 minutes at my pokey pace from Norfolk. The club website has excellent directions.

Weeks 2-6

Races will be held at Old Dominion University sailing center, off Powhatan Avenue, in Norfolk Virginia. Skippers meeting each week at 10:30. Races start at 11 and racing will finish up by 1 or 1:30 p.m. That should give everyone time to get a chore done in the morning and still have the afternoon.

The racing is free. Lasers will be available for charter through Old Dominion University for $10 per day. There are eight boats and six full rigs, I believe. They will be chartered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hope to see you all there. And look forward to a complete frostbite schedule starting in the New Year.

Please feel free to send an email with any question or suggestions,

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