 |
| Word is getting around that the BoatCam brings bad luck. We see no evidence of it whatsoever. |
Today was the last day of the fall frostbite season at the Barrington Yacht Club, and the late season turnout was as strong as ever. Eleven boats took part in the racing today in the fog and murk that blanketed the Barrington River near the clubhouse. At some points skippers in the middle of the fleet couldn't see the boats at the front. There was never a point where the whole course was visible at one time. A shifty 12-15 mph south wind pushed some big waves up the river, making downwind legs more like toboggan runs than sailboat races, and making for interesting mark roundings. The current caused at least one general recall, and an unusually large number of individual recalls. Eventually the fleet lined up 10 or so boat lengths behind the line at the 10 second mark, and even then, some boats were over early.
Ken Charles was the force to be reckoned with today in the A fleet with three 1st's, two 2nd's and a 4th. Bill Brangiforte took 2nd and Scott Greenbaum took 3rd. Mark Stoughton took the B fleet ahead of Alan Silk, Mark Amaral and Erin Abbot.
Overall for the fall season, The A fleet sees Andy David finishing in first place, Bill Brangiforte in 2nd, Ken Charles in 3rd, and MYC's Gary Werden in 4th. MYC's Mark Stoughton and Bernadette Levesque have continued their summer rivalry right into the fall season, finishing a close 1 and 2 in the B fleet, with Alan Silk riding a late season surge into 3rd place. The full fall season results are available on the Barrington Yacht Club web site.
This week's BoatCam sailed with Scott Greenbaum this week, and he graciously provided posed for the picture at the top of this entry. Some skippers are complaining that when the camera is mounted on their boats, their performance suffers. We at MYC Sunfish Fleet News say Balderdash, because we are getting some great shots for the blog, like the one above, and great videos for our You Tube channel. The BoatCam couldn't be a better tool!
You can judge the efficacy of their claims for yourselves in this weeks BoatCam video featuring Scott Greenbaum:
Scott Greenbaum? Really?
ReplyDeleteReally. The wind and the current were at war today. There were at least two and maybe three death rolls out there today. I was only a few feet behind him. He was sailing normally when my sail blocked my view. When he came back into view, he was upside down. Eric Woodman thinks that I stole Scott's air at the same time that a wave hit him.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he could have avoided the roll if he wasn't sailing with his legs crossed like that? I always like to have one foot each on the windward and leeward sides of the boat downwind and my weight at least partly on my feet, so that I can shift weight quickly to balance to the boat if necessary.
ReplyDeleteThe other technique that works well (in a Laser) to avoid death rolls in hairy conditions is to pull the sail further in than 90 degree.
Of course what works in a Laser might not apply to a Sunfish.
Although I guess as I heel more to windward. then more of my weight is on my butt and probably both feet end up on the windward side. But you often see a Laser sailor avoid a death roll by standing up and throwing weight over the leeward rail. That must be harder to do with legs crossed, surely?
ReplyDeleteI'll have to leave that for others to answer as I usually put one leg up on the deck when going downwind, and I'm so big that for me hiking hard is moving my shoulders a few inches outboard.
ReplyDelete