Fleet News

• MRA Sailors!  Details on this year's Marblehead Race Week/NOOD Regatta.  Click Here.  We have 8 boats signed up with potentially some heavy hitters coming out of Townie retirement to add competition to the line.  Rumors are floating about that Lew Livermore, Bart Snow and even "The" John Russell may end up out there.  Please let Tip know if you need crew.
• Attention all party animals!  It's time to make the big choice (Lobster, Steak or Burger) and get the sign up form back to Jim Cooke for this year's annual Cooke Out!  If last year was any indication this year's event should not only make the Marblhead Reporter (not the police section...) but will be the talk at all the yacht clubs the following day.  Don't miss it---Thursday, July 24th after the day's race (NOOD/Marblehead Race Week)
• New Boats 4 Sale Listings as well as New Gear 4 Sale listings...check it out (click here)
   
• Check out our new Event Calendar which allows you to see Fleet activites in multiple ways including monthly views, weekly views as well as the traditional listing of events known agenda views. 
• 2008 Nationals to be hosted by the Touisset, RI Town Class Fleet.   (Details here)!
• MRA Sailors - bone up on the Sound-Signal Starting System (Appendix Q of THE RACING RULES OF SAILING) as this is the type of start we will all be utilizing for the 2008 season!  These signals can be seen in the updated Starting Sequence section of any of the MRA pages under the Racing Tab!

2008 Fleet Scuttlebutt

7/19 MRA:  Today was supposed to be blowing between 7 and 11 kts. according to the forecast.  But the forecaster's suck and we ended up with 20 kts plus with lots of gusts.  That being said we had a great showing out on the Brimbles Line, Tip & Dawn made their first season appearance today in Frolic, Double Zero had Connie at the helm and Jim Cooke playing tactician, Ron & Jan Geddes out in Rosy II and then some of the usuals, Nolo, Wabi Sabi and Patience and David Cooke at the helm of Aufblitzen.  The first race had several protests due to near misses (mostly because I don't think we were used to having so many boats out there to contend with) so the penalty turns were flying which put MRA leader Patience towards the back of the heap for the first race.  Tip and Dawn got down to bizness and pulled of a smokin' hot 1st place on race 1.  Race one saw the end of Double Zero as Jim & Connie got their jib fouled around the forestay and had to limp back to harbor to make repairs.  Race 2 saw even gustier winds and tighter competition and despite Tip's magic new sails he was not able to surpass the turbo charged Patience who ended up taking the first place glass.  Tip had to settle for "2nd Best" and Auflblitzen took a narrow 3rd over Wabi Sabi.  The exhausting part of the day was the long, brutal beat back to the mooring facing choppy seas, increasingly strong and gusty winds.   Wheww!  I am just glad no one ended up going for an unepected swim today!
7/17 Twilight Series 2:  A light air night (those of us up harbor killed ourselves to make it to the line on time).  At the Rhodes start no air...at the Town Class start no air...so we floated together in blissful harmony Town Class alongside Rhodes 19's in a twisted mixed marriage until slowly but surely we all started to move...Then someone called out "look at Peter go"...and sure enough he was close to the shore by lighthouse point going like a bad out of hell towards the mark.   It was painful as we all (Townies and Rhodes 19's) bunched up at the 2 marks and then the race was decided by who sailed where and when.  I, myself, was disgusted to not have learned the "always cover Jane" lesson...again...as she tucked in tight towards Fort Sewall and talked across to fly by me and take a 4th place.  Somehow, Tip, with his magic "new" sails...got by Mr. Twilight (Peter Maitland) to take a narrow 1st place leaving Team Maitland in 2nd and Elaine Regis of Double Zero fame in 3rd.  Congrats to all the played the tide and the light winds correctly.
7/13 End of Sunday Morning Series 1:  Townie historians will refer to this race as "The No Race" race.    Normally known for it's light breezes (which is why a lot of the Townie spouses usually like this particular race)this Sunday morning started off with strong gusty winds.  00 was reportedly off the mooring but rumor has it that she broke a boom fitting that scuttled her for the day.  Ultimately only two Old Sea Dogs took to the starting line:  Frolic/Team O'Neil and Jean/Team Maitland.  It was a V W Twice around course that was ultimately shortened.  Somewhere along the line Jean followed Frolic around a mark the wrong way (hence violating the old "String Rule") and by the time both teams realized it both boats decided to retire and thus abandon the race...hence the No Race...Race!  In the end...Team Maitland ended up winning the Sunday Series 1 title.  Good Job Guys!   
7/12 MRA 2:  Congrats to Nolo and Team Barnes who did what only another wooden Townie would be able to do which is beat Patience!  Good job...wish I was there to see history made! 
7/10 End of Twilight Series 1:  Congratulations to Frolic for pulling 1st place for the evening...and a Big Congrats go out to Nolo (Team Snow/Titlton) for taking a very solid first place for Series 1.  Nolo appears to be the boat to beat for the Twilight Series 2 but never make the mistake of counting out #77 Jean who historically has ruled the Twilight Series!  Wabi Sabi ties Elusive for a tie for 2nd place.  High Five Elaine!
7/8 How Berit did it...in her own words!  "I could see from the little racing chart that marks 21 and 19 line point directly to 18. As we beat upwind, we passed those 2 cans. As I was following the wind patches, tacking on headers, etc., I also followed my gut/intuition about how far to go on each tack . . . and finally I could hear the bell! I followed my ears . . . continued upwind, and rounded the mark. Elaine in 00 was about 10 boat lengths ahead of us. As we went downwind, she went right. Apparently she went too far before turning into the harbor. She ended up turning into the harbor somewhere down near Fort Sewall. I just reversed the course I'd done upwind . . . and finally we passed close to 19 . . . then 21, and we tacked into the harbor. Peter thought we'd gone to the Fort, but we did not. We were much closer to the lighthouse. Like I said, we turned into the harbor immediately after 21. I was very happily surprised when I found out we'd won!"  Congratulations again to Berit and Mary Ann for a superb job of navigating in the fog to pull off an unprecedented upset beating Team Maitland by 5 minutes!!
7/6 Sunday Series:  Strange things can happen in the fog!  The morning started out a little iffy on the weather...fog and light variable breezes dominated prior to the start.  After a brief postponement due to variable winds Jim Cooke gave us what would turn out to be a brilliant course for the day.  Jim gave us a 22 to 18 (Twice Around) course.  The brilliance in the course was that we could just barely make out the red nun that was mark 22 from the starting line and past that we were deep in the soup...but wait...Jim gave us a way to locate the next mark as it was a gong and you could find it through the fog by sound...(he's a smart one!)  Anyway we had 8 boats racing and a great close start with Team Maitland leading off the line followed closely by Team Tilton and  Team O'Neill.  We bunched up at the rounding of the first mark with Team Maitland maintaining their first place lead followed by Frolic and Nolo and then Wabi Sabi.  Wabi Sabi and Frolic tacked away towards the right side while Jean, Nolo and Aufblitzen made for the left side.  As we headed towards the right side of the course (towards light house point) we saw Rosy II and Lille Venn approaching to round mark 22.  Wabi Sabi crossed paths once with Rosy II and several times with Aufblitzen before being very alone on the right side of the course.  Wabi Sabi ended up on the starboard layline and met Jean, followed by Frolic, Nolo and Aufblitzen who were approaching mark 18 on the port layline.  Wabi Sabi got set down on the mark and had to do an extra tack to avoid hitting the mark. Then we all set out on the long run to the finish line.  Frolic ended up on a collision course with Marlblehead Rock which ended up hurting their progress.  Wabi Sabi inched past Aufblitzen on the downwind and began a downwind dual with Nolo.  Up ahead we watched Team Maitland under the expert skippering of Mark Maitland and superb navigation and tactical input from crew Peter Maitland cross the line in what we all believed was the first place position.  Wabi Sabi narrowly edged out Nolo by inches to take the number 2 position.  Only later in the day did we all discover that somehow Lille Venn pulled off the upset of the season by crossing the line a full 5 minutes ahead of Team Maitland who was the presumptive winner throughout the race.  Rosy II apparently never made it to mark 18 and retired from the race being happy to have returned safey to the harbor in all that fog.  Congrats to all for a great race and many thanks to Jim Cooke for giving us a mark that made some noise so that we could find it in the fog!  Check out the scores because first place for this series is too close to call.  Team Maitland, Team Tilton and Team Solstad all are within reach of the coveted first place position for the series.  Next Sunday will conclude this series!
 
7/5  MRA:  Series 2 got off to a slow start with very light breezes forcing many to get out the paddle to make it out to the racecourse.  Despite the light conditions we had 5 boats on the line for the start.  Ultimately, the title of this story would be "From Worst to First!".  It was a close start with all but Team Martini on the line at the start.  However, Team Martini's decision to try the extreme right side of the course would ultimately pay off.  Meanwhile, Wabi Sabi in 2nd place faced a fierce attack from Connie Blake, skippering Elusive in 3rd.  The two boats faced off with a tacking duel at the windward mark where Elusive passes Wabi Sabi to take the 2nd place position on the downwind run.  Meanwhile, sailing solo, Peter Maitland of Jean fame decides he likes what he sees on the right side of the course and makes a play for the corner.  Jason Barnes, skippering Nolo, picks the left side of the course.  Between the very light wind and the ensuing wake from the power boats that seemed to constantly cross your bow just as you got a knot of speed going made for a frustrating race for the competitors.  Ultimately, the race committee would shorten the course and finish the only race this day on the downwind run with Team Martini's Patience pulling a solid 1st place followed by Wabi Sabi who edged out Elusive for 2nd and Jean pulling 4th and Nolo in 5th.  
7/3:  Twilight:  3 boats dared to brave the weather on what would be a fateful night for one.  The wind was blowing for a downwind start that was a close one between Jean, Third Time's a Charm & Wabi Sabi.  It was Wabi Sabi around the first Mark with Jean so close you could "Pass the Grey Poupon" between the two boats.  Meanwhile the skies began to darken over Salem.  Positions stayed the same on rounding the 2nd mark to start the upwind leg towards what would be a shortened course and the finish.  The skies morphed into a purply black as Jean and Wabi Sabi made their final tacks towards the line...so close a finish it wouldn't be till the next day that it was confirmed that Wabi Sabi's tack at the pin end edged a narrow 1st place win over Jean with Third Time's a Charm coming in 3rd.  Now the real race started...the one to get back to the mooring before the skies opened up.  The Gilligans Island theme music could be heard in the background as all 3 faced 25 plus knot winds with gusts over 35 kts.  Third Time's a Charm reportedly bounced off at least 1 Rhodes 19 prior to making their mooring and ultimately only Jean would go unscathed as Wabi Sabi would join the infamous Capsize Club after taking a hellacious gust that lifted Dave & Gen Casey off the rail and sent Wabi Sabi over.  After about 20 minutes in the 57 degree water with rain from the overhead thunderstorm pelting them and the only real light being the frequent lightening bolts they were able to get the submerged boat upright and secured to a mooring.  Dave & Gen recieved assistance from the Harbor Master who rescued them from the cold water and ultimately pumped the submerged Wabi Sabi out to get her back home to her mooring.  Many thanks to Gen for all she did to keep Wabi Sabi from any real damage!   Our hat's are off to the true winners of the night, Peter & Mark Maitland for being the only ones able to make it back to their moorings unscathed!
7/2:  Final Launchings:  After an afternoon plagued by thunderstorms the fleet's final two boats are launched.  Ron Geddes' Rosy II is launched by TC Builder/Maintainer Ralph Johnson.  Soon after a group of the TC faithful joined Tip O'neill at the CYC to assist in launching Frolic. 
6/29  MRA:  Wabi Sabi and Elusive show up in the race area as the fog lifts and the breeze picks up only to hear the dreaded sound of the 3 cannon blast indicating the Race Committee's decision to cancel a perfectly good day of racing from the comfort and seclusion of their club decks.  I guess the coffee and pastries at the clubs were extra good this morning.  What a shame!  But congratulations go to Team Martini for winning MRA Series 1.

6/28 MRA:  Wabi Sabi, Elusive & Nolo sail the Brimbles area in search of the EYC Race Committee only to find out that the Race Committee has set up their race course at the mouth of the Harbor.  After relocating to the new location Elusive bows out (as winds and seas build) and Wabi Sabi and Nolo run a "C" course off of a whistle start.  Wabi Sabi takes an early lead but is almost caught by Nolo at the upwind mark on rounding #1.  Wabi Sabi was able to maintain the narrow lead on the next 3 legs to end up with a first with Nolo not far behind.  However, after the finish Nolo's outhaul appeared to come undone and limps back into the harbor with the assistance of the Race Committee chase boat.   That concluded the day of racing.

6/26 Twilight Series:  Rain, high humidity, fluctuating light winds and an amazing comeback all describe this exciting night of TC Twilight racing.  Showers ended just prior to the downwind start.  Wabi Sabi (sailing solo due to lack of crew) hit the line with a good start and ahead of the pack and kept the lead for the first 2 mark roundings but Nolo under the expert skippering of Bart Snow made a well timed tactical play at the windward mark that allowed her to pull ahead of Wabi Sabi.  Meanwhile, Elusive, Aufblitzen and Lill Venn were all staying neck and neck.  The course was shortened and the big play of the night came on the final upwind leg when Jane Cooke and Kirsten Bosworth opted for a prolonged tack towards the center of the harbor that allowed them to come screaming across the bows of  then 1st place Nolo an 2nd place Wabi Sabi.  Aufblitzen took the first place gun followed by observed high 5's in the cockpit of Aufblitzen for a well done comeback to take home a solid 1st.  (Jane has done 2 races and taken 1st in both...hot hot hot!  Congrats to all for a great night of light air sailing!  The absence of Team Maitland opened up the competition a bit.  Point wise, Nolo right now looks unstoppable to take the series at this point!

• 6/22 Sunday:  What Peter Maitland (Mr. Twilight himself) is to the Thursday Night Twilight series...Jane Cooke and Aufblitzen seems to be to the coveted Sunday Morning Series.  Her first race in this series and she skippers her boat to a number 1 spot.  3rd Time's a Charm took an early lead that would have most likely won her the race but for Team Williams decision to round the mark on the wrong side.  By the time they figured that out and went back to round properly they went from "First to Worst".  Could be the beginning of a bid for the coveted "Drunken Sailor Award".  Looks like a battle for 1st is brewing between #3 Aublitzen (Cooke) and #00 Elusive (Regis) while the battle for 3rd place is brewing between #77 Jean (Maitland) and #2074 Lille Venn.
6/21 MRA:  Well the day was all Team Martini as Patience took both number 1 spots.  Aufblitzen sails her first race of the season.  Wabi Sabi and Jean are neck and neck for the number 2 spot going into the final weekend of the series.

6/19 Twilight:  6 boats out on the water for a beautiful night of twilight racing.  The team combo of Bart Snow/Jonathan Tilton turned out to have the right moves with a solid 1st place.  Elusive and Wabi Sabi (with special guest crew Tip O'neill) battled back and forth throughout the course with Elusive taking a narrow 2nd and Wabi Sabi 3rd.  However, in overall standings the two to watch closely battling for 1st place will be Team Nolo (Tilton/Snow) and Team Jean ("Mr. Twilight Series" himself Peter Maitland & Mark Maitland).  However, never count out the quiet stealthy persistence of Elusive (Regis/Cooke) to come from behind to steal one of the top spots.  Third Time's a Charm is going through her sea trials as Dave Williams gets to know his new boat.

6/13 boats in the water:  Patience, Nolo, Wabi Sabi, 3rd Times a Charm, Jean, Lille Venn.  Rumor has it that Peter Maitland has a brand new bottom, faired, honed and slick as snot!  Watch out as early predictions show Team Maitland as the team to beat for the Thrusday Twilight Series. Championship!  Meanwhile, sources inside the administration tell me that Tip's delay in launching Frolic has to do with the fact that he is tricking the boat out with new gear that will make Frolic a monster on the water this year and the favorite to take the NOOD Championship again.  Patience and Team Martini are back after a year hiatus where sources say they were training down under with the Kiwis to fine tune their MRA racing skills.  Team Martini with their rocket ship "Patience" is the team to beat for New England Champion!

4/13 Spring's arrival was made official at the first gathering of Townie Sailors to roll Tilton's "Nolo" and Solstad's "Lille Venn".  It appears that many are looking for an early launch this year to up the odds of winning races while others boat's are still on their trailer.  I feel the pressure building already!