High Point Winner
Congratulations to Jack and Marti Detweiler on Skimmer for winning the season-long high point competition, ably assisted by Jon Sauer who helmed while Jack's shoulder was healing. Having participated in all fifteen races, Skimmer finished with seven firsts and six seconds, a very consistent performance. Congratulations also to Amanda and Kevin McNeil on Caroline and Jason Goscha on Halcyon for finishing second and third, respectively.
Full year scores for all of the nine boats that raced are:
The overall winner for the year was determined by the CBYRA-sanctioned high point scoring system. In each race in a regatta, boats received points equal to the number of boats she beats, plus one point for starting and one point for finishing. The total points earned were converted to a decimal fraction.
Hospice Cup Regatta - September 20, 2014
Jack Detweiler reports:
Five Alerions met at the mouth of the Severn for the last regatta of the season - Caroline, Magic, Resilient, Rosebud and Skimmer. Winds were light from the south averaging five to seven knots with occasional puffs to eight. The Race Committee set a 3.4 mile, twice around, windward/leeward course and, to speed up the starting process involving 40 boats in seven classes, started the Alerions with the five boats in PHRF Class C. Mixing it up with the faster boats caused quite a melee at the starting line. Only Skimmer got away in clean air, rounded the first mark first having made only one tack and was never threatened.
The Class C spinnaker boats finished well ahead of the Alerions so, for the second race, the fleet got its own start. Caroline had the best start and led at the first windward and leeward marks. She split tacks with Skimmer on the next windward leg and ended up on the slower side of the course as the wind faded and went more westerly. Skimmer led at the second windward mark and the finish.
The scheduled third race was cancelled as the wind and the afternoon were waning. All of the crews retired to a big tent at Bert Jabin's yard for the Hospice Cup Party.
Complete results are as follows:
SpinSheet has photos of the Alerions racing at the Hospice Cup Regatta, here, beginning with photo 29 and again at photo 78 and later.
SERC Fall Regatta - September 6, 2014
Jack Detweiler reports:
We had another great day of racing for the fall one design regatta. The AYC Race Committee did a super job in running 3 good windward/leeward races. Winds were 5 to 10 knots, generally from a southerly direction with some shifts back and forth, requiring the pin boat to make some subtle changes with the marks. Sharing the course with 17 Harbor 20’s and Herreshoff’s, four Alerions raced - Magic, Halcyon, Caroline and Skimmer. The racing was extremely close. First place finishes went to different boats in each of the three races. Skimmer edged out Caroline by one point for first place overall.
The AYC Race Committee had an awards party in the Commodore's Lounge for the 3 fleets racing, with a tray of veggies and a cash bar. Jonah Seiger, Bara Vaida, Jason Goscha and Stacey Anderson (and Jason and Stacey's son Findlay) hosted a great cookout after that for the Alerion Fleet at Mears Marina.
Jason turns out to be quite a griller and, with side dishes brought by everyone, we had a really good time with great food and drink. Marti and I and Jon Sauer and our new Cavalier puppy, "Skipper", joined in the festivities along with our newest fleet members, Jim and Terry Ulmer. Jim and Terry just bought Steve Goodman's boat Ranchor II, Hull # 368, which they have renamed Zephyr. They will be keeping the boat on Gibson Island. Findlay did a great job of walking and entertaining "Skipper" and, I think, had a good time doing it.
We had beautiful views of amazing cloud formations over the Bay and Back Creek. The gathering finally broke up at dusk as black clouds rolled in from the north and west heralding the leading edge of a cold front and its accompanying thunderstorms.
Complete results are:
BB&G Regatta to Benefit CRAB - August 23, 2014
Jack Detweiler reports:
It was an interesting day on the water with a few of the wrinkles that come with sailing a course around government marks in a pursuit-style race. The six Alerions, Blue Moon, Caroline, Halcyon, Juice, Skimmer and our newest fleet member, Rosebud, raced as a class against each other and also against the other 64 boats that started the race. The course was a giant triangle, from the red 2 at the mouth of the Severn to the red/green off Thomas Point Light to the green 87 channel buoy near the eastern shore and back to the start/finish line, port roundings. It was a pursuit start based on each boat’s PHRF rating, with the slowest boats starting first at 1200; our start was at 12:14:03.
The wind was light, five knots or so, and from a generally easterly direction, which made it slow coming off the line. Caroline got a great running start at the committee boat end and moved out to an early lead with most everyone else following her to the left of the rhumb line. Skimmer sailed below the rhumb line and, as the wind slowly increased nearer Thomas Point Light (with rain), she was able to reach up and round the first mark in the lead. The first rounding in these pursuit races is always an interesting affair as a lot of the bigger, faster boats are all converging on the mark at the same time.
The second leg was just as long but was a beat to the green channel mark. The wind continued to build to around 8 to 10 knots with areas of higher and lower pressure and oscillations. Caroline sailed a superb upwind leg, pointing high and staying somewhat to the left, which advantaged her as the wind continued to clock left in a persistent shift to the northeast. Caroline rounded the 87 buoy in first place and held on with the reach across the Bay in increasing wind and rain to the finish.
The award party at EYC was a fun affair with food and drink, silent auctions and a great band, "Misspent Youth". The Harbor 20's won the North Sails Perpetual Trophy for the largest fleet with 9 boats. The Alerion 28's received awards for first, second and third places within our fleet.
Complete race results were:
SpinSheet has photos of some of the Alerions participating in the event here, starting at photo 80.
AYC Summer One Design Regatta - July 26, 2014
Jack Detweiler reports:
We had our best turnout of the year for the Summer One Design Regatta – Blue Moon, Escape, Halcyon, Magic, Resilient and Skimmer. At 1300 hours, the six AE28’s along with 33 boats from four other one design fleets joined the AYC Race Committee boat at the mouth of the Severn River for the start of the two race series. Unfortunately, the wind didn’t show up on schedule.
After a 45 minute postponement, the wind finally stirred, gently, out of the SE. The first race was a four leg windward/leeward course (twice around) with a one mile weather leg. We were the last fleet to start and, with the super light air, they finished our class after only one lap. The congestion at the weather mark was particularly frustrating with the wind dying to 2 or 3 knots and a lot of boats from all classes congregating there. Blue Moon managed to round the weather mark first and find enough clear air to win the race at the end of the downwind leg with the rest of our fleet following close behind.
The breeze built somewhat for the second race to the 5 to 8 knot range. It was again a 4 leg windward/leeward course with the weather mark set one mile to the SSE, the wind going right as it filled. This time we finished all 4 legs with Skimmer beating Halcyon to the finish line by only a few seconds. The rest of the fleet again finished close behind. The skill level of our fleet continues to grow and it becomes more and more exciting with closer racing all of the time.
As we left the race course, the wind continued to build and we had a great reach to Annapolis harbor with 12 to 14 knots. There was an after race party with a keg at the AYC Sailing Center. Awards were given to all the fleet leaders; in our fleet, Skimmer took first place overall, Blue Moon was second and Halcyon third.
Complete results are as follows:
EYC One Design Classic - June 28, 2014
Jack Detweiler reports:
It was a light air day on the Chesapeake that led to be a very interesting race. When the race committee arrived at the starting area, there was a 4 to 5 knot breeze out of the SE. By the time the first race was scheduled to start, the breeze had completely died so racing was postponed. The postponement lasted until around 1:30 PM when a 5 to 6 knot. breeze filled in from the SW. The committee boat set a 4 leg windward/leeward course with the weather mark 3/4 miles away, bearing 230 degrees.
The J/80's started first, followed by the J/70's and then the five Alerions – Blue Moon, Caroline, Halcyon, Magic and Skimmer. Two Alerions started on starboard tack and sailed the left side of the course while the remaining three started on port and went right.
The right side going upwind proved to be the favored side with more wind pressure. Skimmer rounded the weather mark in first place. Downwind, the fleet split apart with everyone trying to figure out where to find the most wind and how hot of an angle they needed to sail to get to the leeward mark first.
The J/80's and J/70's were able to finish the 4 leg course even though the breeze began to die as the race progressed. The race committee decided to finish the Alerion fleet at the leeward gate after only two legs.
The shortened course finish was an interesting affair. Caroline, having gone left, sailed a really hot angle toward the shore and were coming on strong. They had jibed onto starboard tack with a better angle than anyone in the fleet and looked really good coming toward the finish. Unfortunately for them, the shore breeze began to die and a little sea breeze filled in. Blue Moon, being more toward the middle of the Bay took advantage of the situation and nipped Skimmer at the line for a first place finish. Halcyon was close behind in third as they had also favored more of the right side of the course on the downwind leg.
Complete results
Leukemia Cup Regatta - May 31, 2014
Ninety-nine boats of various classes and sizes arrived at the three designated starting areas to compete in this year's Leukemia Cup Regatta. Conditions were nearly perfect, sunny, not too warm and with a 12 knot NE to NNE wind, gusting to 15, holding throughout the three races of the event.
Five AE28's started the first race of 3.2 miles at 1205. Three and one half hours and two more races later, the results were:
Congratulations to all the crews who participated in this worthwhile fund-raising event. SpinSheet has photos of some of the Alerions participating in the event here.
AYC SERC Spring Regatta - May 10, 2014
Jack Detweiler reports:
The weather cooperated again for us this past Saturday, so hopefully that is a good omen for our season. Four AE28's, Blue Moon, Caroline, Halcyon and Skimmer, joined 15 Harbor 20's and five Herreshoffs for the three races in the regatta. The first race was in lighter air and was a triangle plus two windward/leeward legs. It took almost an hour to finish. The wind built somewhat for the second race which was three windward/leeward legs. By the third race, which was two windward/leeward legs, the wind had built to 15 to 20 knots with some higher gusts. There was some light rain, but the heavier squalls seemed to stay over land.
All in all, it was a great day of racing and awards were given out at AYC that afternoon. Here are the official results for our fleet: