2019 Interclub Committee Boat

There have been no sailing pictures yet this year because crewing on a sailboat does not allow time, or hands, available for picture taking. But manning the committee boat does. The boat I crew on, Caleidoscope, is entered in the Interclub and came in 2nd in their class in the first race, which was held in Erie, Penn. The second race, from Erie to Port Dover, there was insufficient wind and the race was cancelled as no-one was going to be able to complete it.

The Committee Boat crew on our way out on Monday morning. Daniele (sorry, partially obscured), Bill (this years Race Marshall), Andy (skipper/owner of "Between the Sheets", our Committee Boat), Gina, Karen, Jaquie.

Rain was in the forecast and it was cool, grey and dismal.

More to the point, there was very little wind. We put up the postponement flag and waited to get some.

It didn't take long and we were able to get them started in a gentle breeze.

Shaibu (a Dover boat) in the foreground and Islay, the yellow boat (also from Port Dover).

It's never good sailing weather when you can see reflection.

As we send the fleets off, one by one, based on their handicaps (Lake Erie PRF), the rest of the boats mill around behind the start line, trying to stay out of each others way.

There goes Caleidoscope.

A close start for Sequence, in the foreground, a Port Dover boat.

The most interesting start was when Nyanza (dark blue boat) decided to start on a port tack. The other boats, on starboard tack, which has the right of way, were coming on fast.

Nyanza realized, rather late, that they couldn't make it across without a collision and had to crash tack.

He ended up directly in the path of The Fish, Seven on the other side of Nyanza was able to speed pass and  Flyer (a Dover boat) saw what was happening and tacked away.

The Fish radioed in that they were protesting Nyanza. Nyanza moved off to the side of the race course and did a 720 penalty (He performed 2 full circles). Then they all sailed off.

After about half an hour of blaring horns, switching flags, counting down over the radio, and taking pictures, our morning job was over and they were all off, heading for Nanticoke buoy, Bluffs Bar and then back to us.

We chatted, snacked, moved the tetrahedron to the finish line, sat on the deck in the sun or in the cockpit in the shade and then the flies came! They are the bane of life on the water. They look like ordinary house flies but they land and bite and it feels like they are taking a chunk out of you. It is better if you can keep your feet up (they like ankles), be in the sun (they like the shade) and stay where it is breezy (seems to blow them away). So Daniele and I spent most of our time sunbathing at the mast. The cockpit was littered with little fly bodies as they were swatted and stamped on. The flies must have been out on the race course, and the wind dropped, so soon one boat after another radioed in that they were retiring from the race. We crossed them off our participant list and watched them motoring in until there was only one that we could see out there.

Here she comes, Damn Yankee (that IS her name)

They were very happy to be finished, complete with the smily face painted below their water line.

There was a fish fry at the yacht club that evening but I opted to go home as I would have to be back at the dock, ready to leave, at 6:15am the next day.

Tuesday was a totally different day; sunny and lots of wind, white caps.

Caleidoscope has a bow wave even with a reefed mainsail and the #2 headsail.

This race, heading to Port Colborne, was a downwind start. Some of the boats opt to start with their spinnakers already flying, no room for error there.

Some put them up when they are clear of the start line.

Either way, its fast

colourful

and doesn't always go

according to plan.

After picking up the tetrahedron, motoring to the dock and tidying up Between the Sheets we all went to the Dairy Bar for breakfast. It was about 9:30 and we felt like we had done a days work. While there one of the boats radioed in to say it would be a fast race and they anticipated being in Port Colborne by noon!

Back home

The kite boarders were also enjoying the wind.