Canandaigua Lake RC Laser Sailing

RC Laser Spring Series Began by exposing many problems for both boats and skippers.  While many of our fleet were away on spring break those that weren’t were eager to get in the water.

THE PROBLEMS:  Sean Quigley developed a transmitter/receiver problem before the first race had begun.  We tried changing batteries and battery holder in an effort to solve the problem but nothing worked. Our solution was to keep him racing with my boat which was making a constant ticking sound coming  from the main sail servo. That lasted for about an hour until the servo decided to quit completely.  We then decided to use my transmitter/ receiver in his boat that had working servos to keep him racing for the last hour.  Anne Lambert had her rechargeable batteries fail after 30 minutes and needed to replace them before she could continue.  Barb Urich missed the first race wanting to be fashionably late and Jay Niggli missed the first six races realizing he needed to go back home and get his transmitter.

OTHER THAN THAT!!!

The weather was perfect for a spring day of racing.  The temperature was in the high 60s, sunny, and winds that came and went every 10 minutes 2 knots up to 6 knot with a few gusts thrown in.  We were able to get in 8 races with two hours of racing.  Richard Mikulec ripped off 3 wins  early, then Nate Heinzelman and Jack Bennett each had 2, while I struggled to win one borrowing Jack’s boat.

Next week we will be racing at CYC off the south dock 2-4pm  Sunday April 30th.  I’m looking forward to another Sunny day in the 60s with plenty of wind..

The Admiral!!!!!!

“Doesn’t look like Frostbite”

We finished the frostbite series at Holiday Harbor racing off the boardwalk with moderate breezes that were very unpredictable much of the time. The spectators arrived early to try and get a close viewing of the event but were disappointed when asked to leave because of the lack of “Porto Potties”.

It was never a contest for first (Jonathan Gorbold) but it was a close race for second. In the end it was Bill Schmidt hanging on to take second by just .5 points over Jay Niggli finishing third. “RESULTS”

Richard Mikulec surprised all of us following racing by bringing a cooked stack of ribs to go with Anna’s Black Bean soup.

There was some talk that the season should continue but at the time of this writing our weather is to take a turn towards winter in the next few days and the music will soon change to holiday classics. Therefor I would like to wish everyone the best of holidays and look forward to seeing everyone for the beginning of the Spring Series.

The Admiral

It was cold, damp, and rainy at the canal but ten brave racers showed up to take part in what we now call Canal Days.  The advantage of racing near a bridge is that you can get out of the rain and park your wares where they won’t get wet.

The course was set so that you would pass under the bridge with each leg to get a minute or two out of the rain while continuing to race. I personally found that my boat does not like the rain.  Every time I passed under the bridge my boat would stop and just shiver in the wind.  That is what I contribute to my lack luster performance.  Mary and Nate would start out in front in each race but by the third or forth leg I found their boats taking cover under the bridge as well.  In the two hours of racing we managed to reel off four races.   Bill won two, Jonathan won one and Jay won one as well. “RESULTS”

Finally it was time to eat.  Bill & Mary led the way so that Bill could get a fire going and Mary could organize the meal tables.  I decided to follow Jack and Neil which wound up being a tour of the south side of the city.  After passing the same streets twice I took the led with google and got us to their home.

Just the smell inside was enough to warm you up.  Wasting no time when told it was ready, I took the first piece of Mary’s lasagna and tested it for scoring.  Yep that’s a 10.  No need to go further.  While everyone else brought great dishes to complement for which we were all thankful, First Place went to Mary’s lasagna.  Thank You Mary!!!!!

Also:

Just as a reminder:

Annual dues for Fleet #14 RC Lasers expired at the end of October 2016. Your payment of $20 makes you an active member from 11/01/16 thru 10/31/17.

You can pay your dues online if you wish! Click here. Or in person to Maggie Atkins or Nelson Habecker

Thank you for your membership.

The Admiral

Grinding it out pays off this year.

It was Gary Schmidt who was awarded the Bill Blevins Perpetual Award for having the best racing percentage of the year. By finishing second in the Frostbite Series, Third in th Spring Series, and third in the Summer Series he had tallied enough points to declare him the winner.  He was rewarded with a bottle of Bogle Phantom, a photo of himself with his laser, a first place medallion, and of course him name on the perpetual award.  Congratulation Gary!!!!!!!!

Keeping it in the family   —    it was Terry Schmidt who walked away with the most points to declare her the best racing percentage for the ladies division.  She received a bottle of Chandon blanc de blanc, a photo of herself with her laser, and a first place medallion that she can proudly wear.

After all the celebration Saturday night, giving out awards, and patting each other on the back, we all returned Sunday afternoon for six exciting races to complete week two of our Frostbite Series.  It was an up and down day for everyone having five different winners in six races.  The only one to score two wins was Mary Schmidt.  We surely would have had one more race had Mary not decided to unhinge her rudder in the lake which took the dingy, two people, a pair of needle nose pliers, tape, and two retrieving sticks to recover it.  This method of recovery can take a great deal of time.

Next Sunday we are taking a road trip to Rochester to race on the Erie canal just off the South Clinton bridge.  There is plenty of parking just west of the bridge where we will all meet up with racing scheduled from 2-4 pm.  Weather permitting we will throw in a couple of long distance races for exercise before the holidays begin…   Following racing we have all been invited to Bill and Mary Schmidt’s home to enjoy some of Mary’s home made lasagna and stories of the day.

See you on the water!!!!!

The Admiral

Jay Niggli

After adding six more races on Sunday it was Jay Niggli who managed to win the Fall Series.

Fall Series Results

• Jay Niggli                    First
• Nate Heinzelman       Second
• Nelson Habecker        Third

Congratulations Jay!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next Sunday will be the beginning of our Frostbite Series off the south dock CYC.  The club will be holding it’s annual meeting from 2-4 so we will begin racing immediately following the meeting and race until 6pm.

Also just as a reminder:

Sailors’ Night – Saturday, October 22

Sailors’ Night on October 22, 2016, is fast approaching, with cocktails at 6:00 pm and dinner to follow at 7:00 pm.  Be sure to put this great event on your calendar now and call the Club with your reservations and dinner choices at 396-9200.

Filet Mignon bordelaise

Angus Reserve beef tenderloin grilled and coated with a rich bordelaise sauce.  Served with a baked potato and vegetable du jour. $28

Honey-Pecan Salmon on a cedar plank

Fresh Faroe Island Salmon grilled and baked on an aromatic cedar plank, drizzled with honey and topped with chopped pecans. Served with wild rice and vegetable du jour.  $25

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Boneless chicken breast stacked with ham, Swiss cheese and supreme sauce. Served with mashed potatoes and vegetable du jour.  $20  

All entrees are served with a side salad, rolls, and dessert.

I have requested a table for the RCs’.  If you wish to be seated at our table please tell them when you make your reservation.

I hope to see everyone this Sunday for Racing and next Saturday, October 22nd,  for Sailors’ Night.

The Admiral

It looked pretty dismal sitting at the waterfront waiting for the rain to stop and the wind to pick up.  But as luck would have it the clouds lightened, the rain eased, and nine RC racers showed up to partake in five races held.  So, as we had a brief delay  at the start of racing, by 4:15 the boats were in the water.   The marks were set to accommodate a north wind which actually turned to the northeast by race time.  No problem, having all the moored boats out of the way, it was easy to adjust our course and use the mooring balls as marks.  Jonathan Gorbold won the first two races, I lucked out by winning the third due to Jonathan having caught the biggest weed patch of the day, then Bill Schmidt in the forth, followed by Richard Mikulec in the fifth.  After all the scoring was tallied the big winner of the day was Jay Niggli who, without a win, was able to pull within one boat of Nate Heinzelman who is currently atop the leaderboard.  “RESULTS”

I have changed the racing hours for next week to 2-4pm in hopes of giving us better sunlight for the PRO to observe the finish line.  It is the last week and tensions will be running high.

See you next Sunday at 2pm off the south dock CYC to determine the final standing for the Fall Series

The Admiral

With just two weeks remaining in the Fall Series 1st and 2nd is all but a lock for Nate Heinzelman and Jay Niggli.  Nate has increased his lead over Jay  by two boats having a first and second in last week’s only two races.  Oddly enough though the third spot in the series is closer that expected.  After missing the last two weeks  of racing the ladies have drawn uncomfortably close.  I (Nelson Habecker) currently sit with a score of 62 followed by Barb Urich with a 69 and Terry Schmidt with a 70.  COMPLETE RESULTS

I would like to make everyone aware that I have changed the schedule for our 7th week of the series.  We will not be racing this coming Sunday September 25th due to a change in the yacht club’s volunteer night which has moved to that date.  We will now be racing on October 2nd at CYC south dock 4-6pm to complete week 7.

I look forward to seeing everyone on October 2nd.  I can’t afford to miss another week with the ladies so close on my tail….

The Admiral

#73 Nate Heinzelman

After five weeks of an eight week series it looks as if Nate Heinzelman (#73)  or Jay Niggli (#81) will emerge victorious in the Fall Series.  With just three weeks of racing left the two of them are just 2 boats apart but are 16 boats in front of the third boat(#54).  Last week after showing up late and missing the first 2 races Nate was able to reel off two wins, two seconds, and a third in the remaining five to stay in front.

#81 Jay Niggli

Jay is going to have to step it up a notch if he hopes to catch up.

“Complete Results”

Round 6 of this fight will be 4-6pm Sunday Sept. 18th off the south dock CYC.  This could be a “pay per view”.

Richard Phelps again bringing his fast chase boat should there be wind!!!

What a difference a year makes.  Last year the wind gods were so agreeable that we had to extend the race so that it lasted more than an hour.  This year it was hot and without much wind.  We placed a gate for everyone to pass through at the half way mark so that the PRO could shorten or end the race before everyone baked in the sun.  As it turned out Jonathan passed through the gate 15minutes before the shorten course time limit so it was on to Squaw Island.

The entries  were:     #62 Jonathan Gorbold     #81 Jay Niggli     #74 Dick Hallagan     #54 Nelson Habecker     #78 Richaed Mikulec  and team boats #005 Grace Groot with #272 Anne Lambert (Jack Bennett driver)  and #71 Terry Schmidt with #652 Mary Schmidt (Bill Schmidt driver).

It was Jonathan who led the way all the way up to the Squaw Island mark but Jay was able to do the first port rounding and start the long journey back.  Jonathan rounded shortly after and #54 after several tries managed to round and begin the trip back. At about the 2 hour mark Jonathan was able to regain the lead and win with Jay less than a minute behind in second.  Many realizing that  the first, second, and third spots were taken decided to pick up and get the party started.

George Nix was commissioned to develop a video with pictures of the regatta which can be seen at: https://youtu.be/5DfZK2leepM

Official results: #62 Jonathan Gorbold First, #81 Jay Niggli Second, and #54 Nelson Habecker third have been entered into the Hall of Fame.

Thanks to everyone who took part and contributed to all the festivities that followed.  There was watermelon, Cesar salad, potato salad, chips and dip, sweet corn, Hots, Hamburg, Sausage, crock pot of beans, Brownies, Cherry Cheese cake and lemon cake. Oh yes-and plenty of drinks.  I’m sure that I have forgotten something, but, everything was great!!!

Making the mark is only half/ you then have to get back>>>

After an extended stay out west, Jonathan and Anna Gorbold returned to RC racing at CYC this past Sunday.  One would think that after being gone for so long (months) that they would have lost some of their skills.  Not so.  Out of the five grueling races with up and down from anywhere wind, Jonathan won 3 and Anna was able to sneak in with a second in race three.  Nate was able to put in one bullet for the day which still has him leading the series by a healthy margin.  “RESULTS”

It seems that the Wind Gods were just having fun with us.  We would start the countdown starter two minutes prior to each race with plenty of wind but at the end of the two minutes the breeze would disappear.  No one to yell at and no one to foul, just motionless for a bit.  The photo tells it all “SILENT”.

This Saturday will be the Squaw Island Regatta where I am calling for a mostly sunny day with winds out of the north northwest at 9 knots and a pleasant tempature of 78 degrees for a high.  It will be a great day for RC racing.

Hope to see everyone for the regatta and cookout following.

The Admiral