2012 WOOD regatta?

[tprice]

Mickey,
How did the boat sail? Hope launching and mast stepping went well. let me know all about it.

I just got home and unhooked the boat. I would also like to thank Carl, the guys at RHYC, and the other sailors for a great weekend. My daughter Chryssie and I accomplished every single one of our goals for the week and had a great time sailing.

Congratulations to everyone who sailed, and thanks again to everyone who sacrificed their time and effort to support a great event.

Mickey Lake
International 210 272 'Coot'

[bamamick]

Launching and mast-stepping and all that went very smoothly. Very simple boat. Very fun to sail. The first race on Sunday we were in position to have a splendid start and the jib halyard adjustment pulled out of the floor. We sailed off the course so that I could fix it and went ahead and sailed the race, following everyone around the course. The sailing was a little odd for me because we were on a collegiate-sized course sailing with dinghies so mainly I was just trying to keep from t-boning anyone. I did have one little scuffle even then, but the party in question was very gracious and it all ended well.

I have the boat at home now and will start sanding and filling tomorrow. I want to have her painted by next Monday so I can take her down to the club. The jib you gave me looks good. I will take it to a friend and ask him to do some stitching on it, and to add a ring on the clew so I can add bullets. I will have to lower the gooseneck to the original position to use the main I bought. After that I will just have to get a new kite. I like the Gibson Island way of sailing with the main and jib. It is just so easy. I mean, my kid and I sailed the boat up this little river in very puffy conditions that I know hit over 20 at times and we were laughing about it (well, she was laughing. I was worried about grounding - again. But I didn't want her to worry so I was laughing while I worried).

As soon as I got home I had a message from someone in Florida, expressing interest in the 210. I gave him your contact info on SA. I hope that was alright?

I told Carl Sunday afternoon that I think this is probably the best boat I have ever bought for the money. I am pretty sure that's true. Having sailed the boat for three days certainly doesn't make me an expert, but I would recommend this boat to anyone interested in a larger daysailor/racer that's easy to handle but still moves pretty well. The 5 knots we had on Saturday didn't really tell us much, but every time the breeze picked up you could see we were trucking, and against the Lightnings and Thistles I feel like that would a decent test.

All in all I am very pleased. I really hope you guys can move all of the boats you have left to sell because they are damn sure worth the money you are asking. If anyone asks me I am sending them your way.

Mickey Lake

Oh yeah, that little trailer worked like a champ. One of the guys at the marina asked me if I thought it'd make it back home? Well, it did just fine.

[blisspacket]

It's much easier to handle backwinded jibs and tender craft than navigating the foto options on the internet. See if this works for more fotos from the crew of Brunelle, mothership to Haiku

http://s1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/blisspacket/

[blisspacket]

Yup, it worked. Good times, thank you Carl and Rock Hall Yacht Club and the Race committees. Great event and fine people. Jay Bliss

[DGentry]

Great meeting you Mickey, and Woxbox, too. Good seeing Carl and the others again, as well. I had a fun time trying out my new boat for basically the first time . . . minus the rig, I think it's going to be pretty darn good. A lower, more traditional canoe rig will make a huge difference in my ability to stay upright, I hope.
Anyway, the wind wasn't blowing much on Saturday (at least at first?), and my knees called it quits two-thirds of the way out to the race course. I'll be back next year!

Thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible!

[Thistle1333]

It was great meeting everyone. We had a wonderful time, and hope to attend next year. The RC did a great job in mixed conditions, but all six of us on the Thistles will submit our votes for some longer courses next year. We're not used to finishing full races in 15 - 20 minutes!

I'm really enjoying some of the photos posted so far. Unfortunately, the only photog's in our group were out racing, although my wife did manage to take a few from land. I've tried attaching them several times to this post, but am always told they're over my quota, despite having paired them down to less than 100 kB each. I've not a photobucket or other image hosting account, so any advice on uploading directly?

[Carl Cramer]

Thanks for yours, Thistle. It was wonderful having you and your mates there.

In terms of posting photos, photobucket, etc. -- please see the FAQ at the top left of this page.

I think it does make sense to race the larger, faster boats on a longer course if that's what you all want.

Dave Gentry -- We missed you! Cut that rig down and come back next year.

[bamamick]

Carl, if you really want a little feedback I would be willing to give it, but only in the spirit of constructive criticism. The RHYC and John did a great job getting in a regatta in what for many of us were very difficult conditions, and I really, really appreciate their efforts.

1. Three minute sequences in 5 knots of breeze (or less) make things very, very congested on the line because everyone is scared to move away and set up for a start. The standard five minute sequence may have been better for most of us, at least strategically. Please note that this may have had something to do with what Dudley was referring to at the awards presentation. People didn't want to stray too far from the finish line and get stuck not starting the next race.

2. One and half lengths per boat is the standard starting line length for one-design courses. Someone commented that we (the 210) took up a lot of the starting line just with our boat, and I agree that if you didn't time it perfectly you were just out of luck on making the line because it was so short. If everyone sailing hadn't been so nice to one another you would have had a lot more shouting and some boat-bumping at pretty much every start. I know for a fact that there were two starts were I was just plain barging but the people below me let me get away with it.

3. I understand that with the wind direction we were going to get major shifts, and honestly, it was surprisingly consistent with it always shifting back to where it started from, but there was one start where NO ONE could make the starting line on starboard, and that start should have been abandoned. Shifts on the beat at that club are to be expected, but the start should be as fair as possible.

4. Longer courses will spread things out and make for less congestion at the marks, especially in a Portsmouth fleet. Speaking personally, they would also make it possible for the larger boats to get up to speed without having to tack as soon as the boat is set up properly. The 210 did just fine in the lighter air. If I had been in my Dragon it would have been miserable.

Essentially we sailed collegiate courses (maybe even a little long for those, but the spirit was the same) with the collegiate sequences. For the small boats like the Windmill and Wayfarer that was probably fine. For the larger boats we may have liked a little more time and longer beats. Most one-design fleets haven't sailed triangles in a decade but if that's what Dudley needed to make his boat go we should have tried a couple, imo. My comments are aimed at making a great event even better, and as I said, John and the other committee members did a great job getting in some races in what were tough conditions, especially on Saturday. The spirit of the event was fantastic and was shared by everyone there, and I think that's what's really important.

I hope no one takes anything I have written in a negative way because it sure isn't meant to be negative. These are just my observations. I saw a bunch of beautiful boats and met a lot of very nice people in Rock Hall, and if I had a boat I could launch at the club I would try to make this an annual event on my calendar even with the distance to travel. It was a privilege to get to sail this event and I really enjoyed it.

Mickey Lake

[Carl Cramer]

Thanks so much, Mickey. I appreciate all the critiques. If you didn't, we'd be stuck making the same mistakes year after year.

All best to you, Carl

[Thistle1333]

Mickey said it better than I ever could, so ditto on everything he said. It was a great event, and I think we can do it even better next year!

[rbgarr]

2. One and half lengths per boat is the standard starting line length for one-design courses. Someone commented that we (the 210) took up a lot of the starting line just with our boat, and I agree that if you didn't time it perfectly you were just out of luck on making the line because it was so short. If everyone sailing hadn't been so nice to one another you would have had a lot more shouting and some boat-bumping at pretty much every start. I know for a fact that there were two starts were I was just plain barging but the people below me let me get away with it.

This is the reason I've stopped racing in our local beer can races during the summer. My boat is about the size of the 210 and the others in the races are considerably smaller. As a result I 'take too much room' on the starting line if I time it well (and who doesn't want to do that?) which results in other boats being spooked by my sharp, plunging stem or squeezed out of good air by my taller rig. Pleas to make the starting lines longer have inexplicably and frustratingly had no effect, so now I just sail alongside the course and take in the view of others enjoying the racing. That has its pleasures also.

[Carl Cramer]

Thanks, all. I've forwarded Mickey's suggestions to the RC, and have asked that they be implemented for next year.

Count on it.

Thanks, Carl

[Dale Genther]

I see no reason why we can't do the changes that you guys requested next year. Just make certain to remind us. Sometimes our memories are not as long as we'd like them to be.

BTW The reason for the 3 minute starts and the short courses was that one of the comments we got last year was that people wanted more races. The way to accomplish this was with shorter courses and shorter start sequences.

[bamamick]

I wish we had known that the 'Sultana' was docked in Chestertown while we were up there. Would have been a fun thing to take a look at. We saw her on the way out of town on Monday.

There really is quite a bit to do in the area where the regatta is held. Pretty nice place to visit. I am very happy that we were able to make the trip.

Mickey Lake

[Carl Cramer]

Thanks, Mickey. We were hoping she's come visit the regatta... but I guess not.

Yes, that is a great area, isn't it?