Lake Eustis Wrap Up

Welcome to Florida!

One of our favorite traveling groups received that greeting as they entered the state this weekend. Problem was, it came from a State Trooper and was accompanied by a citation and apparently a questionable sense of humor.

The light winds prevailed again today, fortunately, with slightly more strength than yesterday for 2 out of 3 races. We were able to get a total of six races in which allowed for a throw out. We ended up in a 3-way tie with Ron Baerwitz and Robby Brown. Both of them had higher best scores to break the tie. We feel pretty lucky to have finished as high as we did with some snafus and a 720 (sorry, Ron P)throughout the weekend. Did I mention that Dave is a sucky starter!?

In the last race, there was a time when we worried we wouldn't finish within the time limit (reminiscent of last year...). Andy and Lisa Hayward had a great race going, big lead which they held through most of the race only to hit "the hole". The result wasn't as bad as Jim Egan last year, since Andy only dropped to third place.(sorry, to mention that epic moment once again, Jim). Team Tampa rolled with Mark and Tina first, Dean and Judy second, Andy and Lisa third, Jeff and Amy fifth and we were sixth in the last race.

Jeff and Amy Linton were up to their old tricks scoring first in four of the six races. They never cease to amaze us with their ability to always get a little more out of the boat no matter how tricky the conditions. Awesome job!!


Here we have Amy and Jeff recieving the first place trophy


Caroline and Dave Chapin finished second


Robby Brown with Chris Morgan who finished fourth

We have to mention the great turnout this year. Several boats from out of state, representing N and S Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. Harry took the long way here, via New Orleans, to check out the NEW Southern YC and drop off 4 new Flying Scots. Thank goodness the weather turned warm for the folks! Seems like the first time in a long time we've been warm. In total, 28 boats registered for the event, it was quite a time! We are so fortunate to compete with such a talented group of sailors. Several past Midwinter, National and World Champions are on the list and on the water. Scots Rock!

A crazy idea came to Chuck Tanner while wandering the Scot lot. Since they have Larry Klick sailing with them this winter in the red boat named "Ketchup" why not have the yellow boat in the group be named "Mustard"?

Funny question to Amy and Kim in the bar, "Did you see there were chicks out there in the boats?" (omg, how did they let THAT happen?)

Didn't get to say 'bye to everyone, so hope you all had safe trips back home, and a good time while here in FL!(except the "Welcome to FL" part- sorry, John and Tom)
Come back to Tampa in a couple of weeks for the State Series Finale March 6,7! Hope to see you there!

Lake Eustis - Florida District Championship

We've been looking forward to this weekend for a while and we planned to leave a little earlier on Friday, but lasted work longer than expected, so we did not depart from Dunedin till ~4:30 pm. With the threat of Tampa's rush hour looming, we chose an alternate route north to Hwy 54, over to I-75, then up to 44 East to Eustis!

It was dark when we arrived (~7:00, but folks were milling about and it was good to connect with the Flying Scot group again.

Hello Campers!

Dinner was at Angelo's (tradition here in Eustis)with Harry, his crew, Adam (new Scot owner)Adam's dad, Steve, and Team Wake and Break (John and Joe)much fun!

Impressive sheets, comfortable rooms, Olympics on a nice TV, and good sleep at the Holiday Inn Express in Tavares. Nice breakfast, too. No

Saturday Feb. 20

Forecasts called for light air, and a comfortably late start was scheduled at 11:00 so we didn't have to rush to lake this morning (thank goodness!!)

Interestingly, wind from the West, not the predicted East, so further postponement allowed for more socializing and preparation.

It was indeed, light, but surprisingly steady, although you couldn't tell by looking at the water. Ripples were patchy and uneven, not representative of what was happening above the water.

3 races today, more planned for tomorrow (slightly more wind, too!!)

Sunset celebration with rum punch (complements of Ray Laguna) after yummy dinner at the club. Later, off to The Trough for oysters and more fun!

Rum Punch Ray in action

BTW- we suck at blogging, as we didn't get a copy of the results (probably on purpose)
Go TEAM TAMPA!!

Randomness from the Florida District

In no particular order, rhyme or reason;


**Two Scot regattas, as the season warms, this weekend, Feb. 20 & 21. The Chapins and Lintons, and various other world and national champ types, will delight in schooling y'all at Lake Eustis. Plus the beloved traditional Sarasota SS Cherry Pie on Saturday. Get yer yacht racing on !


**This is Florida darn it and we just had to have a race in January! Thanks to Race Committee Chuck K and Skip, a half dozen Scots enjoyed racing on Sunday on beautiful Sarasota Bay.
Conditions were rather chilly for the faithful and a nice 15+ breeze kept us on our toes. First race was a nice beat.... SPLASH (cold water down the neck).... across.... BASH (bucket of water in the smiling face)...... the bay (course windward leeward, g-b-g) As the fleet worked to windward SPLASH across the bay it became clear that going 3 up was the call of the day. Things were great, boats tacking on shifts, hiking hard, when we all arrived somewhere between mark A & mark C only to find mark B among the Missing .......GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!. We did have a nice planing spinnaker run back across the bay to set up and try again. For the next race the wind had veered so that Mark I was optimally placed. We could see it was on station so off we went for a nice fast loop around the course. Eightball prevailed in conditions to her liking. The Roberts showing nice style with 3 up, were pushing all the way for a 2nd, followed closely by Snowbird and then Peter and Robing Walls. Jeff Penfield and the Wruks probably showed some sense and headed in a little early.


**Just a midweek reminder for Sarasota Sunday, and Charlotte Harbor the following week. Flying Scot 2068 was sold to Port Charlotte this past weekend. The red boat was raced by Charlie Fowler, Al Hersey, and Ronzo, and was the first Scot any number of us at SSS might have taken for a ride. Easily the winning est boat in Florida Scot history, ask Harry Carpenter next week if 2068 is the winning est boat in ALL Scot history ( doesn't hurt to have Danny Pletsch on board when you're mixing it up with the occasional national champion ). Grabbing a Kleenex, C.


**If today's group at SSS is any indication, we should have a Large fleet on the water next Sunday, Jan 24. Come on out, yawl. I thought my crest-of-the-wave roll-gybe demonstrations off the club's docks in the 20k would get everyone launching but it had much the opposite effect. We also discussed Port Charlotte's regatta, Feb 6 and 7, and picked up a couple more boats for the very convenient event. While there talk to Scot builder Harry Carpenter and order a new boom between races. Plenty of Scot racin' upcoming!


**It is difficult to see the wind patterns through the slushy surface. One cannot hope to see that 30 kt gust that is only ten feet off your port quarter. The icy water soaks into the arctic expedition underwear. sounds great. p.s. sorry for my extended abscense. i was in wisconsin and it turned into a longer than expected stay. if you think it is cold here, you should spend 4 hours tailgating at a green bay packers game. those guys actually stand outside in 6 degrees and drink COLD beer.


**Not saying the house is drafty or anything but the living room instruments are showing a windchill of 37 degrees. Some sensible Flying Scot people have indicated that this weekend's scheduled Saturday sailing might be moved to the following weekend, Saturday Jan 16 (Sunday Jan 17 ?). This should give the pans of ice in the harbor time to break up and flow on out. We have time yet to get thoughts around so that we all might land at SSS at the same time to get some good one-design on. Think warm !


**Greetings form frozen Florida!! P.S. This Sucks!

The Eustis Fleet gears up for the Big Regatta

Between cold weather on Saturday and light winds on Sunday, we got in only one race this weekend at Lake Eustis. That was on Sunday. Racing was cancelled entirely on Saturday.

In our one race, three Scots sailed braved the cool air: Dave and Jay Asaibene on 5179, Larry Klick and Nick Chorley on 5150, and Ray Laguna and Glenda Libby on 5770. Pete Smith and I pulled safety boat duty and watched the race from the top mark.

The breeze was light and patchy, but the Scots initially stayed pretty close together. Larry and Nick on 5150 and Ray and Glenda on 5770 traded the lead until about two-thirds of the way up the second beat. Then, Larry and Nick went left while Ray and Glenda went right. Larry and Nick found a breeze which they rode to the top mark and rounded maybe two minutes ahead of Ray and Glenda. Then Larry and Nick hoisted their chute and took a hot angle on starboard, still liking the left side. They found a puff they rode most of the way back down to the finish, working hard to stay in the breeze, while the boats rounding the top mark behind them found nothing but a big hole. Larry and Nick stretched it out downwind like USA over Alinghi and finished first, way ahead of everyone else. Ray and Glenda were the next to find a breeze at the top. They crossed second, with Dave and Jay finishing third.

After the first race, with the breeze still declining, the Race Committee chose to abandon racing for the rest of the day. So, Sunday ended up being a clear, cool, wonderful day to be on the water, but a day when Pete and I didn’t mind being on a power boat.

The next club racing will be in two weeks (February 27 and 28), when we continue our Norton Series.

But – a big BUT – the next racing at the club is just a couple days away: our George Washington’s Birthday Regatta on February 20 and 21. We have 26 Scots already registered – including some really good boats – and we’re hoping for many more.

You have registered, haven’t you? If not, you’ll be part of a small, sad, lonesome group who miss out. Don’t let that happen. Go to www.regattaregistration.com and sign up. While you’re at it, sign up for the clinic on Thursday and Friday sponsored by Schurr Sails and hosted by Hunter Riddle, Andy Fox and Scott Tillema.


There’s more information in the Notice of Race, available at that same site. www.regattaregistration.com.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the regatta this weekend – especially our friends from around the District.

George

Charlotte Harbor Regatta - Day 2

Thankfully, we woke up to dramatically different weather conditions compared to yesterday! Let's go sailing!

The forecast called for 10 – 12 knots of wind from the North and temps in the mid 60's. Unlike many weather forecasts this one proved to be pretty accurate. We started racing at 10 am and by about 1:30 we had the fourth race complete. Harry and Carrie Carpenter led the way for a very convincing victory. If any of you wants a little of that magic the demo boat they sailed is AVAILABLE, so it could be yours…

The volunteers did a great job organizing this inaugural regatta, the effort and attention to detail was obvious. They are making plans now for next years event and should be selecting a date soon. Check out the event website for all the details.

The new Scot fleet based at the Charlotte Harbor YC is eager to be included on the Florida District Championship schedule. This seems like a logical fit, they are up to 4 boats and are enthusiastic for more. Comments?

The Eustis regatta is only two weeks away and we have 23 pre registered. If you haven’t made plans, now is the time.

Charlotte Harbor Regatta - Day 1

Welcome to Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club


"The Mark Boat is taking on water!"

"Another Viper is coming in under duress!"

"Beware of Alligators!"

All quotes heard on the radio as we watched the wind and waves from the beautiful patio of the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club. Kidding about the last one. That is actually a sign beside the retention pond at our hotel.

Seriously, though, we saw some weather forecasts going into this weekend. None looked promising for Saturday, as a front went through on Friday, dumping some rain, and bringing some wind behind it. Several sources revealed roughly the same predictions… 20-25 knot gusts. Not sounding good for the new Pig, tentatively named "When Pigs Fly." Instead of sailing, (aka getting really, really wet and cold) we were invited to spend time in the Whale Room (the lovely bar area at the CHYC where we spent most of the afternoon) with other sailors taking the day off. We conducted some market research on the boat name, fielded suggestions for other names, and sampled the offered adult beverages. Jack and Kaye (saints of said CHYC) and the other CHYC folks made us feel very welcome and comfortable and everyone remarked on the hospitality of the club.

Breeze On

All but 2 Scots attempted to reach the racecourse. (Harry, Carrie, Dave and I watched the mains flogging from the pavilion on land and thought better of it) Those who went out, gave it their best shot, but I believe the consensus was that it wasn't much fun, and decided to return to the dock, with no races attempted.
We'll try again tomorrow.
Scot Row
I don't believe the Vipers can say the same. We saw 2 broken masts (one carbon fiber and one aluminum) there are rumors of others.

Seems that broken spreaders may be the culprit in both boats shown above.

Many thanks to the RC who endured some wetness to allow for races to continue today on this inaugural Charlotte Harbor multiclass Regatta. Racing started Friday, for some classes and the enthusiasm and involvement from the surrounding area for the weekend activities is really exciting.

Off to dinner at Fisherman's Village...

Bonus photo:

One Out of Two on Lake Eustis

The forecast this weekend was for strong winds both Saturday and Sunday. The forecast was wrong on Saturday and we got in two races, but was all too accurate on Sunday and racing was canceled.

On Saturday seven Scots sailed. They included Jack Bazner and Joe Lobato on 3387, Chris Erichsen and Steven Yates on 5339, Ray Laguna and Glenda Libby on 5770, Greg Murphy and Scott Walsh with special guest Francois Simon on 5703, Larry Klick and Nick Chorley on 5150, Ron Baerwitz and Dean Grimes on 3360 and Todd Hunter and me on 5810.

The wind started steady and looked like it would build as predicted – right up to the time it dissolved into a still, cold shower. Both races were on shortened courses and finished downwind; the first after two laps and the second after just one.

In the first race, starboard was favored but people seemed to want to go right to look for more wind. The conditions kept most of the fleet close at the finish. Ron and Dean on 3360 were fasted and finished first. Larry and Nick on 5150 followed in second, just a few lengths astern. Todd and I on 5810 were third, following Larry and Nick by another few boat lengths.

The second race began in a declining breeze and finished in a near calm with rain. We all owe thanks to the Race Committee for keeping it to just one lap! The one downwind leg was a cold, wet drift, and went from a run to a port tack reach. Ron and Dean on 3360 and Larry and Nick on 5150 battled in slow motion for the left end of the finish line only to look up and find Ray and Glenda on 5770 steaming in from the right to steal first place. Ron and Dean crossed second, and Larry and Nick followed in third.

Then? Then we all got out our paddles and rowed back to the dock, soaking wet. At least the exertion kept away the chill.

On Sunday, the forecast for strong wind turned out to be all too true. A number of Scots left the dock, but the Race Committee soon sent everyone back home.

The next club racing weekend is February 13 and 14. That will be the third weekend (out of five) of our Norton series.

If you haven’t already registered for the George Washington Birthday Regatta on February 20 and 21, please do so as soon as you can. You can register on www.regattaregistration.com.