Laser Sailing

Jeff Martin Death is Sailing’s Loss

Kurt Hoehne Community, Laser Sailing 0 Comment
Jeff Martin

The sailing world lost one of its most respected and influential members last Friday when Jeff Martin, Executive Secretary of the International Laser Class Association for 40 years, had a heart attack while skiing in the French Alps.

Martin apparently suffered a heart attack on a chair lift and then fell off the lift. Here’s a report from the Sun.

There have been and will be many outpourings of respect and sadness at his passing. I never knew Martin, 65 years old at his death, personally. But I sailed in a Laser Masters Worlds he ran and it was the best event I’ve ever attended.

Martin stayed at the hel of the Laser class through thick and thin, navigating it through the drama of becoming an Olympic boat while running outstanding regattas in venues throughout the world. He was a big reason for Laser’s success, and in turn that class strength has created countless happy and skilled sailors. As chairman of the World Sailing Classes Committee he played a leading role in the development of our sport.

From the International Laser Class Association:

ILCA is shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Jeff Martin on 11 January 2019 while on a ski holiday with family and friends. 

Jeff’s dedication to the sport of sailing was unparalleled, having served as the Executive Secretary of the International Laser Class Association for 40 years. Jeff was a cornerstone of Laser events, having worked at every Laser Open World Championship except the first one in 1974 where he was a competitor. 

The loss of Jeff Martin will be keenly felt throughout the sailing world and our deepest condolences go out to Jeff’s family and friends. 

In September Martin was one of the inaugural members of the Laser Hall of Fame. Here are the details.

Laser C5 Rig – An Option for Laser’s Future?

Kurt Hoehne Dinghy Racing, Laser Sailing 0 Comment
Laser C5 Rig – An Option for Laser’s Future?

As a strong (zealous?) promotor of the Laser, this video gives me strong emotions in both directions. I’d love to see the Laser evolve faster, but I dread the idea of such a dramatic change that might kill the fleet. The same old questions that has faced the class at every turn.

This C5 rig is intriguing. It has the square top and carbon spars that would certainly add to performance. Julian Bethwaite (29er etc) certainly has the skills to do the changes right. But while the Laser hull shape is certainly timeless, the construction technology is long past its due date and the foils can do with updating.

What to do – with the RS Aero and Melges 14 having raised the bar in the singlehanded classes and gaining traction fast, there are plenty of good reasons to update the Laser. I’d love to see how that rig fares against the Aero. Then again, Laser is still the class internationally and that big a change may capsize it forever. Would changes like that be beating a dead horse that isn’t dead? Hmmm.

C5 Sailing Rig from MainFocusProductions on Vimeo.

Sparkling Turkey Bowl and Laser Districts

Kurt Hoehne 505 Dinghy, Dinghy Racing, Laser Sailing, Racing 0 Comment
Sparkling Turkey Bowl and Laser Districts

The sailing gods must have had a meeting and decided that this year’s CYC-Seattle Turkey Bowl, sailed this past weekend, was going to be spectacular. I can hear them having a chuckle: “Let’s see if we can send everyone home really sore and tired. And while we’re at it, let’s see if they wore warm enough clothes.”

Those gods succeeded. With winds in the high teens on Saturday and into the low teens on Sunday, the race committee could run race after race. And they did. Seven class raced, and eleven races were sailed, except in the Tasar class which only participated on Saturday. The physical nature of each of these boats, and the hiking demands of boats like the Laser and Aero, meant some very sore bodies. The temperatures weren’t all that bad, reaching into the 50s, and the sun was spectacular, but the wind chill tested everyone’s gear and more that a few of us came back to the dock not even in the neighborhood of toasty.

It’s easy to forget what we can have here in the Pacific Northwest. The weekend’s snowcapped mountains, sparkly blue waters, fresh northerly and a contingent of organizers, volunteers and parents made this an event to remember for a long time to come, and a poster-event for future Seattle dinghy events. It’s not always like this, but it can be!

The event also served as the Laser 22 Districts. Thanks to a coordinated effort between kids, coaches and parents the Laser Radial fleet saw 24 entries and the Laser 4.7 class saw three boats. The 4.7 is following the European lead and becoming a popular alternative in the U.S. for kids transitioning out of Optis. There was also a healthy and competitive fleet of a dozen Standard rigs. In the Standard fleet Matthew Stranaghan of Canada overcame the early lead of Brian Ledbetter to win comfortably. Amongst the Radials, Kit Stoll and Owen Timms picked up their rivalry with Stoll coming out on top this time. In the 4.7s, the brothers Cruz and Chase Custodinho were one and two with Delfino Li coming in third.

For me, the quote of the day came from one youngster to another – “Bye – See you at Frigid Digit!” referring to the Seattle Laser Fleet’s big January regatta to be held on the same waters.

In the very competitive RS Aero class, Dan Falk won a hard fought battle over Dalton Bergan and Carl Buchan, ahead of Bergan by a single point. Finishes were very close and the fleet often very tightly packed.

Matts Elf and Brent Campbell won the 505 class, Jacob Posner dominated the Opti class with straight bullets and Jonathon and Libby McKee won Saturday in the Tasars. Jonathan came out on Sunday and sailed in the RS Aero fleet.

Results here. 

These photos courtesy of Brad Greene. Thanks Brad! Click to enlarge.

The Racing Season is Just Starting for Frostbiters

Kurt Hoehne Laser Sailing, Racing , , 0 Comment
The Racing Season is Just Starting for Frostbiters

For some Northwest sailors, it’s time to get the skis and boards in for a tuneup and make sure last year’s skiing gear still fits. For Laser and RS Aero sailors in Seattle, it’s just beginning.

Well, not exactly, since we’ve been sailing all year. But it IS the start of the fall and winter frostbiting season. Last Sunday was the first event of the year, with 17 Aeros, 5 Lasers and even three intrepid Optimist sailors. The conditions weren’t great, with a dying northerly. However, it wasn’t cold and with the fleet tucked in close to Meadow Point, approximately 6 races were sailed. Afterward, most of the racers gathered in the Corithian YC clubhouse and enjoyed a simple, but ample feast.

The Seattle Laser Fleet follows a successful formula of short races in quick succession, with a race committee of fellow Laser and Aero sailors and borrowing small powerboat from one of its members for race committee work and safety. Racing is always followed by a social and eating time, with the food provided by one of the fleet volunteers. It’s low key, and results are not recorded. National and Olympic champions dot the fleet and the wide ranging conversations afterward circle back often to what makes these little boats sail their best.

The RS Aero fleet continues to grow dramatically and the Laser fleet is planning for it’s District Champs, which should draw a number of sailors from all over the Northwest to the CYC Turkey Bowl.

Sunday’s was the first of six events. Loaner boats are available on a first come, first served basis.  Visit the SLF website for details.. To register for frostbiting, follow this link.

If your fleet has frostbiting planned, share the info here (email me). There’s room for sailing and snow sports around here!

To provide a little flavor, here’s the post race reports provided by the Seattle Laser Fleet captain Mark Ross and the race committee Mike Johnson.

Mark Ross:

A very good start to the 2018-2019 Frostbite season as 17 RS Aeros, 5 Lasers and a 3 Optis hit the water for a noon-time start.
     Races began in a light fog, slowly turning to sunny skies and light but very sailable wind. To many of us the tricky current and a big flood was challenging and frustrating but by and large the boats stayed fairly close together, keeping the sailing competitive from start to finish. A perfect starting line made for great practice as boats were gunnel to gunnel with no space to spare, then splitting to opposite sides of the course and vying for room at the marks. Thanks to Race Committee volunteers Jacques Garrigues, Mike Johnson and Naomi Medley for setting a great course, and in-keeping with frostbite style we completed five or six solid races, each about 20 minutes long before the wind died off, finishing the day a little early but still rewarding. Thanks Mike for the pictures. Keep an eye out for the sailish.com blog with a more detailed review of the sailing.
     Almost everyone hung out after racing for an excellent meal put together by food & beverage volunteer Glen Wisegarver. Choice of chili or vegetarian soup, salad and pumpkin pie were plentiful and of course well received. And good conversation ensued as we got to know a bunch of participants new to the program this year and catch up with those we hadn’t seen much of since last season.
 
Frostbite #2 is on November 11, 2018: 
Volunteers for RC and for Food & Beverage are needed.
     The RC Driver will be Doug Stumberger. We need a second volunteer to be RC Assist with Doug.
     We need someone to volunteer for Food & Beverage. 
Volunteer here. Or directly contact Jacques Garrigues (RC Coordinator) and Glenn Wisegarver (F&B Coordinator) if you’re unsure of what to do as they know how to make it simple.
      If you cannot volunteer for Frostbite #2 please go to this link and sign-up for a subsequent frostbite event.

To participate in a Frostbite Event register on-line here.  If you are unable to register on-line bring cash or check.

Fee options: 

(1)  All 6 race days for one low price of $70
(2)  Single race day fees are $20 
(3)  Students thru college fees $5 per race day.
Note: Seattle Laser Fleet membership is NOT required in order to participate. Drop-ins are welcome

Mike Johnson:

     Starting lines were all very close with absolutely no sag in the middle and no second row.  It was almost as through we were starting in an ebb. Boats were evenly distributed down the line, so we did not see a need to adjust the angle.  We did lengthen the line after R2 due to a perception that things were a little too tight. The massive flood was tricky with the weather mark set in 40 ft of water just off Meadow Point requiring sailing around the shifting back eddy.
     I did not get to watch the upwind legs much due to starting the Opti’s in sequence. We watched downwind and did not see one side pay predictably.  There always seemed to be a big East-West split. Downwind it seemed conventional wisdom was to head West to ride the flood, but several times more wind made East pay. Feedback from the fleet was welcomed and most feedback was to keep racing till about 3. We were planning on running two more races to finish up the day, however the wind altered that decision for us and we shortened the last race.
     Our target was 15 to 20 minute races and for the most part that is what we got.  In most races the first boat was to the weather mark in 6 to 8 minutes. For the benefit of future RC teams, it would be good to get a consensus from the fleets if this is ok.

The Positive Energy Pumpkin Bowl This Weekend

Kurt Hoehne Dinghy Racing, Laser Sailing, Youth Sailing , 0 Comment
The Positive Energy Pumpkin Bowl This Weekend

West Vancouver YC’s Pumpkin Bowl is an amazing event geared primarily at youth classes, and Bruce Hedrick and Sailish.com are giddy to be able to help out. Bruce will be providing a look at the weather and Sailish is providing a bit of promotion, not that it really needs it. The event features youth classes, the Laser District 6 Championships and lots and lots of positive energy. PRO Stewart Jones, a rigger in the area and one of the driving forces behind the regatta, explains what makes this event so special.

So what is this Regatta?

We try and fill the Club with Youth Sailors and volunteers to create the greatest energy level you can imagine.

Here is a link to  Regatta Tool Box for the event you can see the numbers of sailors. https://www.regattatoolbox.com/eventDetails?eventID=F2eOyWPXGe – There is much more on Facebook as linked on Regatta Tool Box.

With coaches and racers we have 189 boats registered through the classes. Over 200 sailors plus  over 70 volunteers on the water and over 30 more in the club area helping with launching, parking, lunches and all the other administrative functions that go along with the logistics.

There are four race courses in the area inside Passage Island, down to the lighthouse and up to the Whytecliff Park. We put a volunteer mark set team of boat and two workers on each mark and have safety, spectator boats and media boats all on the water.

.The on water volunteers all attend a safety briefing one evening. They meet their fellow course workers and receive assignment sheets so all know their roles for the day of the event as well as all the safety and crisis scenarios to help the event overcome obstacles. The onshore and on water volunteers are all recognized with a Club hosted BBQ after sailing on Saturday.

We are very proud of our event. Last year in two days we completed 63 races for the Pumpkin sailors.

We have many financial supporters from our membership and others that help to allow us to provide great features to the regatta.

The classes initially include:

  • Opti Green
  • Opti (White, Blue & Red)
  • Laser (4.7, Radial & Full Rig)
  • 420
  • RS Fevas
  • 29er
  • X Class

Other facets and freebies include:

  • Free Technical shirt all logoed up
  • Mercedes toques to all
  • Make your own lunch both days
  • Chilli, soup and hot chocolate after sailing each day
  • Two sittings for dinner, close to 350 meals, maybe more
  • Desert, Ice cream bar
  • Movies for the Opti kids, face painting and pumpkin carving
  • Older kids have a roaring quiz evening with prizes
  •  Many door prizes
  •  Medals for first year Opti kids and Harken plaques for placing in the fleets
  •  A very realistic Witch attends every year as well
  •  A billeting service with members is also well used
  •  Lots of fun as the dinghy season is coming to an end for another year.

So that is Pumpkin, lots of fun and people working together. We have good partnerships with the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue 01 who provide one or two large vessels on the water for the whole regatta if not tasked to a call. Vessel Traffic Services continually reports to mariners of the large number of boats in the area. One deep sea vessel transited on the west side of Bowen Island when leaving Squamish after traffic  ‘filled him in’ on what he was going to encounter at the mouth of Howe Sound.

Please do your best on letting people know about our regatta that will have over 300 people on the water and close to 250 boats going in every direction.

We sent a link to the competitors to look for your  Salish.com posts to get your call on the weather for the regatta.

Thanks for helping Pumpkin Bowl, a weather briefing adds an extra touch, you do it so well.

Regards

Stewart Jones, PRO Pumpkin Bowl

Ed. Note: I don’t know about anybody else reading this, but I’m sitting here at my computer wondering why I’m not headed north with a trailer full of Lasers and Optis.

Northwest Laser Sailors in Ireland – Symes Leads in Radials Brink in 6th in Standards

Kurt Hoehne Laser Sailing, PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
Northwest Laser Sailors in Ireland – Symes Leads in Radials Brink in 6th in Standards

From Day 1. Photograph: David Branigan/Oceansport

There is no regatta quite like the Laser Master Worlds. With 301 entries ranging from “kids” of 35 to Legends of more than 75 years old, it’s a collection of some of the most dedicated and fit sailing athletes. The sense of camaraderie is amazing. And this year’s event, on Dublin Bay, is epic as usual. There are a number of outstanding Northwest Laser sailors attending, including Bill Symes, who’s dominating the Great Grand Master Radial rigs, to Mark Brink returning to Lasers in the Standard rig Grand Master (55-65 year old) class. I’m working on a full report on this regatta which ends on Sunday, but in the meantime after eight races here are how the Pacific Northwesterners stand:

Bill Symes – 1st in the Great Grand Masters Radial Rig

Mark Brink – 6th in the Grand Masters Standard Rig

Jay Winberg – 4th 75+yo Radial Rig

Bob Britten – 6th Grand Master Radial Rig

Jorge Suarez – 50th Masters Standard Rig

Peter Woytkowiak – 25th Grand Master Radial

Dave Jursik – 39th Grand Master Radial

If there are other masters participants you know about, please clue me in! And if there’s anything to contribute on this story (competitor’s tales, photos etc), send it my way.

 

 

 

Pacific Northwest Laser Sailors Enjoy Epic North Americans in California

Jay Leon Laser Sailing, PNW sailors around the world, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
Pacific Northwest Laser Sailors Enjoy Epic North Americans in California

Tight racing is good racing.

One of the great things about racing dinghies is going to international events to make new friends, learn a few new sailing tricks and see how you stack up. And the Laser class is one of the best for that. With 22 (by my count) Pacific Northwest sailors attending the Laser North Americans at Alamitos YC, a few of those tricks are sure to make it back into our fleets. While it’s clear that the PNW contingent was made up mostly strapping young lasses and lads, the “grown ups” have just as much fun. Maybe even more. My friend and fellow Laser Seattle Laser Fleet competitor Jay Leon didn’t quite win on the water, but his appreciation for the event should make anybody who wasn’t there jealous. That, plus these photos courtesy of the Tom Walker gallery, certainly did for me. Check out that gallery – even if you’re not into the moisture and aches of Laser sailing, those photos will get your blood flowing. -KH

The 2018 Laser North Americans – Time and Treasure Rewarded

By Jay Leon

I suspect I am like any sailboat racer, I don’t part with my time and treasure without expectations.  It’s not a super complicated formula.  Need wind.  If wind, need good competition.  If wind and competition, need a competent team to run the event.  That is all I ask.  Oh yeah, it would be nice if it didn’t rain, wasn’t too cold or hot, had no bugs or lightning, the people were welcoming, the logistics worked easily…

Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and Long Beach California delivered it all for the 2018 Laser North Americans.  Regatta chair, Ed Spotskey, took the stage on Thursday morning and told 161 Laser Sailors from 24 countries how much he and his ABYC team loved putting on big events. And Ed, along with PRO Mark Townsend, judge Ben Fels, and what seemed like a battalion of volunteers, lived up to it.

They put together 12 races for the 3 fleets over four days with only a handful of general recalls. Take a look at the results, there were only about a dozen boats called for U flag or black flag violations.  I talked to PRO Mark Townsend about how he accomplished this feat and it was clear he was intently focussed on making the event as fair as possible.  If it didn’t look like his team could accurately record all of the boats over the line, he would postpone.  An elegant solution to a long standing problem.  Also, if you are thinking about the Laser PCCs at CGRA, Mark Townsend will be the PRO.

Long Beach is known for a building sea breeze and so it did on the first day.  Starting at or just under 10, and building to the mid teens as it clocked to the right, it was classic Long Beach.  On the second day, the RC moved the to the course area just outside the breakwater.  The breeze skipped the building part and started right in where it left off the day before with over 15 during the first race and over 20 by the end of the day.  There were enough ten to fifteen degree shifts to keep everyone on their toes.  Day three was a repeat of day 1, and the final day was a bit lighter, only getting to full hiking conditions for the final race of the regatta.

I am sure it was competitive at the front of the full rig fleet.  Unfortunately, even though I was theoretically in the same races, my best view of the leaders was when the results were posted.  Charlie Buckingham, was on the top of the list after each day and ultimately won overall after posting 6 firsts, and he dropped a 4th and the last race — which he did not need to sail.  Chris Bernard never finished out of the top 3 in the first 8 races, and then tailed off a bit but saved second.  Bruno Fuentes from Brazil, finished in the top 3 for 7 races, and finished 3rd overall by just 4 points.  Buckingham and Bernard are both US Olympic team members and grew up sailing in Long Beach.  The two of them along with Fuentes, the Brazilian national laser champ,  finished in this same configuration the last time ABYC hosted the Laser North Americans in 2014.   

I suspect by Sunday the coaches, competitors, and fans were plenty impressed with the show Ed Spotskey and ABYC put on by Sunday.  However, any lingering doubt was dispatched, as 161 Lasers, and 35 coach boats, and all that gear were loaded and on the road by 8 PM — while a local rock and roll cover band played in the park next to the club.

I sat on the back of my car in the sun, listened to the music, and watched it all happen — just glad I had decided to be there.

Results

PNW Laser Youth Sailors On the Move, Abbie Carlson 5th in Leiter Cup and 4.7 North Americans Winner

Kurt Hoehne Dinghy Racing, Laser Sailing, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
PNW Laser Youth Sailors On the Move, Abbie Carlson 5th in Leiter Cup and 4.7 North Americans Winner

All the Pacific Northwest youth activity continues to show impressive results nationally, particularly in the Laser class. There’s so much it’s hard to get it all in, but suffice it to say that there’s a wave of excellent young sailors nationally. Abbie Carlson has found her groove, finishing as the fourth girl in  in the Radial at the US Youth Champs (AnaLucia Clarkson was third), fifth in the Leiter Cup (US Junior Women’s Championship) and winning the 4.7 class at the North Americans sailed from the Alamitos Bay YC in California. Owen Timms has been getting some tips from Isabelle Bertold and has been consistently moving up the boys’ ranks. He finished 12th at the US Youth Champs, 25th in the North Americans (all ages) and won the Radial Class in the WIND Regatta on the Columbia River Gorge.

Here are a few pix from the US Youth Champs, courtesy of US Sailing.

I’m hoping for some more “boots on the ground” reports on the events to spread the word about youth Laser sailing in the PNW. It’s booming. At the WIND regatta, for instance, there were a dozen Radials and an amazing 19 4.7s! Those 4.7 sailors are going to be wicked fast by the time they get to the Radial. PNW adults were in force on the Laser circuits as well, watch for a 1st hand report shortly from Jay Leon from North Americans.

The US Sailing web page dedicated to youth sailing is here.

In the meantime, here’s a report from Cam Hoard, the Seattle YC coach who’s been instrumental in a lot of the success:

US Sailing Youth Championship, hosted by Carolina Yacht Club in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

Practice Day

Abbie and Owen were able to get out on the water for a practice session on Saturday. It was a hot sunny day on the Atlantic Ocean with the sea breeze the area is known for. We started off in 10 knots and by the end were in 15-20. It was a good preview for the first day of racing.

Day 1

The forecast called for the big sea breeze to fill. Initially the ocean had an offshore breeze, not from the SW as predicted. It wasn’t long before the wind clocked around to the SW sea breeze direction and begin to build. The forecast proved to be spot on, we saw high teens to low twenties consistently.

The steady wind brought with it some big wave chop over a moderate ocean swell. The wind didn’t really oscillate or shift at all, the left side was favored but it was all about hiking and working the boat.  It was the day for the big boys.

Owen was in the front pack, working hard to keep the boat at speed. He had a 9-9-9 on the day, the definition of consistent.

Abbie and Ana were in ‘just get around the course mode.’ Not good racing conditions for the lighter sailors. But they were doing it, even smiling a bit.

Laser Full Rigs and i420s were on the same course, there was a little learning curve for the RC to get the timing right and dealing with two small fleets and one big fleet (radials).

Th High Performance course (cats, skiffs, and boards) had good racing but it was a safety boat day with multiple kids coming off the water with injuries and swallowing some water.

Day 2

Similar day in that we tuned up in a lighter offshore breeze. The RC set up the course as it seemed to be sticking around. Shortly after the start the wind began to lose its grip, by the time the fleet was at the first leeward gate the wind was very light. The sea breeze was starting to slowly build and the RC opted to continue to the race and finish the fleet at the second windward mark. Not a championship level race in my opinion, but our sailors came out of it OK. Abbie and Ana were happy to have lighter conditions.

The sea breeze began to build, but with it being later in the day it wasn’t able to get as windy as the previous day.

The RC was able to run three races again. Owen slipped off his 9s and put up a 18-18-19 for the day, not quite able to find that extra gear to work in to the front pack. Ana had a great last race of the day, rounding the last windward mark in first, but slipped to 3rd on the last run. The overlap of the 420 fleet didn’t do her any favors on that… Ana had a 15-26-3. Abbie also put up a couple good scores, her speed was tough to beat. She had a rough 2nd race of the day, the second beat just had everything going against her, she had a 7-44-11.

Day 3

The forecast had a grim outlook, a stalled front over our race area took the wind away and left us with a threat of serious storms. The RC postponed ashore and was going to be giving updates on the hour. They figured they needed a 4 hour weather window in order to safely run races. The great thing about this club is that they have dozens and dozens of rocking chairs, comfort level was acceptable for waiting onshore. 

It was about 12:45pm when they pulled the plug on the day. I think this surprised a lot of people, they had made it sound like they were willing to wait late into the day. I think it came down to the fact that the wind was too light for racing, and the day was only going to get worse. Storms did eventually roll through, but not until much later. It was a good call. Start time was moved earlier for the final day of racing. 

Day 4

The early start seemed like a good call at first. We got out on the ocean and the offshore wind was 5-8 knots. But as the RC got things in the water and started blowing horns and raising class flags, things began to fall apart. First race was abandoned for all fleets. It was a very low marine layer of thick clouds. As that began to burn off the sea and offshore breeze were fighting. The sailors and I had a good time waiting for wind, but we wanted to get races in. 

The breeze came around to the sea breeze direction and started to come together. It was light but race-able. We were getting up to the cut off time, so it looked like we were only going to get one race in. The radials had a general recall so the RC went for the first black flag of the regatta, time was running out and the full rigs and 420s still needed their shot at a final race. The last start got off and our SYC team closed out their 2018 Youth Champs with a 33 for Owen (worst score of the regatta…), 18 for Ana, and 15 for Abbie.

Results – Full results

12th – Owen Timms

25th – AnaLucia Clarkson (3rd girl)

29th – Abbie Carlson (4th girl)

Our friend and SYC Race Team alum Marcus Huttunen won the regatta! He sailed a very consistent regatta and put himself in a controlling position going into the last race.

This was a stronger showing for the trio compared to last year. In 2017 Owen was 17th, Abbie was 42nd, and Ana was 40th. All three moved up. The mix of conditions kept it interesting, the big boys had their first day and then it was light to moderate the rest of the event.

Cam

Easterly for Last Day of the Wind Regatta

Kurt Hoehne Columbia River Gorge, Laser Sailing, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
Easterly for Last Day of the Wind Regatta

Once again the Columbia River Gorge Racing Association host its WIND Youth Regatta and clinics. By the way folks, this is the incubator of the fast oncoming generation of sailors. Andrew Nelson shared this brief video on Facebook today, as the wind at WIND came on as an unusual but very powerful easterly. Even folks who aren’t “on” Facebook deserve to see it. Great sailing!

 

Timms Takes Second at Laser Midwinters, Northwest Sailors Rock in Big Wind and Waves

Kurt Hoehne Laser Sailing, PNW sailors around the world, Racing , 0 Comment
Timms Takes Second at Laser Midwinters, Northwest Sailors Rock in Big Wind and Waves

Owen Timms of Seattle has been steadily moving up through the Laser ranks and finished a very impressive second in Laser Midwinters West in Santa Barbara last weekend. He also graciously provided his impressions from the regatta. Here they are:

Owen Timms. Tom Walker Photo.

By Owen Timms

What a great weekend of sailing in Santa Barbara for the Northwest Laser sailors! The majority of us showed up on Thursday, in driving rain and dark clouds, but the forecast showed great weather on the way for the weekend. Friday was light to moderate, with the wind slowly building. Ending the day with a third, I was sitting in second place. Saturday was supposed to be more breeze, but the first race was sailed in under five knots. Then it turned on, and boy did it turn on!! 6 foot swell with breaking waves and 20+ knots of breeze is no joke. I think the biggest takeaway for everyone on Saturday was fitness is key, and dressing warmly (even while in sunny Southern California) is even more important. I got in on Saturday with numb feet, and shaking from the cold and I know everyone felt the same. On Saturday I scored a 3, drop of 13th, and a 4 to end the day. I was still in second place, and with the first place boat (Ed. note: Isabella Bertold) not sailing on Sunday, it was anyone’s regatta to take. Sunday was forecast to be about the same, with just a little bit less breeze. My goal was to stay consistent, play it pretty conservative and keep top three overall for the regatta. In the first two races of the day I managed a 3 and a 4, just what I wanted. After the second race, the wind switched about 110 degrees, blowing directly off the land. The Race Committee hustled, and we got the last start in with just minutes to spare. I never have sailed in a sea-state like that, swell pushing you upwind, wind chop against you. Steering through swell on the downwind is definitely an experience! Getting a tenth in that race, it secured my second place finish, with my buddy Marcus Huttunen from San Diego taking the win. 

Isabella Bertold. Tom Walker photo.

Of course Timms wasn’t the only Northwest Laser sailor to attend. I count 13 Radials from the Pacific Northwest and at least three more in the standard rigs. There was a significant Northwest presence. Victoria’s Isabella Bertold had a dominating performance of 5,1,1,9,2,2 to start with, sailing knowing she’d miss the last day’s racing because of work commitments. “All good though,” she said. “because it was just a tune-up for the Europeans in May.”

Results.

And, lucky fans get to live vicariously through photography. Here are some from Sharon Green that should get a few people to pull their Laser out from the back of the garage and get out racing! To see the rest of her shots, click here. (It’s worth it!) For the shots in the gallery below, click to enlarge. Also check out the great photography by Tom Walker by clicking on either of his photo credits.