Author: Jon

Welcome to Corsica River Yacht ClubWe had some pretty hot racing at the Corsica River Yacht Club Annual Regatta this weekend.  The 100+ degree temperatures might have scared off a few sailors, but those who came were rewarded with nice breezes and some pretty close racing.

I sailed in the 11-boat Laser Standard rig fleet and the wind started out pretty light as we sailed to the course.  Once on the course the wind filled in and while we were racing we saw everything from 5 to about 10. The racing was a lot of fun with 6 or 7 of us really mixing it up at the front of the fleet.  One of the keys to the day was not making any mistakes – all it would take is one little mistake and someone else would be there to capitalize on it.

My day went pretty well with a 6-1-2-1-6.  Two sixes might seem like that would put me out of contention, but the racing was so tight between myself, Nicholas Place, Holger Hinsch and Eric Reinke after 5 races that we actually in a 4-way tie for first.

Saturday evening CRYC had a blue-grass band playing in the pavilion while they put on dinner.  Camping in that heat was a little rough, but bearable thanks to a slight breeze.

On Sunday we had a little more wind than Saturday, but it was even shiftier.  I had a great start in the first race and just got out front and stayed there to win it.  That put me into 1st overall – 2 points ahead of Holger in 2nd.

CRYC Cat BoatsThe second race was a bit more interesting.  I had an ok start, but got out to the right on the first beat which was not the place to be.  I managed to be 5th at the first mark and picked up a spot on the downwind.  Holger was leading the race at that point with Nicholas just behind him.  I knew if they beat me, I had to be right behind them or else they’d move ahead of me in the overall standings.  Holger, Nicholas and, 3rd place boat at the time, Mike Mays went out to the left in what looked like would be a parade.  I went somewhat left behind them but not as hard as they did.  The two boats just behind me went right and got a nice lift coming back and crossing ahead of me.  It looked like the wind would continue going right so I headed off that way.  It did and before I knew it I was on the layline and everyone who had gone left was way over stood.  So in the last half of the last beat I went from 6th to 1st to win the race and the regatta.

2011 Corsica River Annual Regatta Winners

1st Jon Deutsch, 2nd Holger Hinsch, 3rd Nicholas Place

Now that my wrist is starting to heal a bit, it was fun putting some of the things I learned at the laser clinic a month ago into my racing. Corsica River Yacht Club put on another great regatta and I had a great time sailing there and meeting all of the people there. I’m looking forward to going back again especially now that I’ve got my name on one of the perpetual trophies.

Results

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Friday was the final day of the Laser North American Championship at Brant Beach Yacht Club.  We went out for a 10:30 start in what we knew would be a dying breeze.  After one general recall I got a pretty good start in the middle of the line.  I was in the top 20 around the first mark and held that to the downwind where I lost a few spots.  On the second upwind I headed way out to the right, through the Radial Silver fleet that had just started, and found a lot better pressure putting me into the top 10 around that mark.  On the final downwind and reach the wind died and a light sea breeze came in.  I didn’t get far enough out to an edge and those who did were able to get around me.  I finished 26 and that ended up being the only race of the day.

All in all it was a great week of sailing and I was able to learn some things and show myself that I’ve got what it takes to at least be a competitor in a regatta like this.  Winning a race completed the week and was the highlight of my sailing year.  I’ve got 3 annual regattas planned for the next 4 weekends and I’m looking forward to the smaller fleets and fun times that go with them.

Results

Taking the Cape May-Lewes ferry

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Today started out with winds over 20 and gusts even higher.  I sailed out to the course, but sailed right back in.  With self-preservation in mind I was too afraid of one bad capsize and re-injuring my wrist and missing more sailing, so I thought it would be best to sit these conditions out.

I spent the day going for a run and catching up on some reading and email. I missed 3 races, but there 2 more left for tomorrow.

Results

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We sailed 3 more races at the Laser North American Championship today after a 2 1/2 hour postponement on the water.  I won the second race of the day.  During the first race – in which I only beat 4 boats – I figured out the wind/weather pattern and used that to my advantage in the second race.  There were some dark clouds out to the left of the course and everyone was fighting for the pin and going left.  I knew by the pattern a righty was coming and was very close to the boat end at the start and immediately went right.

The righty started coming in and before I knew it I was on the lay line.  After I tacked it was pretty clear the fleet was well below me, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to go left and bring them back.  At the windward mark I had about a 20-boat lead.

It was great being all by myself up front because that meant I could sail the rhumb line and fast.  It felt like a 10-boat regatta where all I needed to do was not make any mistakes, go fast, and pay attention to the wind for any shifts.  I extended my lead on the next 3 legs and had close to a 40-boat length lead, on the boats behind me, after the second upwind.  By the last downwind the fast guys, like regatta leader Clay Johnson, had gotten back up to the front of the fleet and started to close in on me.

On the final upwind leg to the finish a rivet popped out of my gooseneck and fell to the deck.  I just kept racing and crossed the finish in first.  It was a relief I made it without falling apart or being caught and it was a thrill to win a race like that against such great competition.

As soon as I finished I set to work jury rigging my gooseneck to get me through the next race.  In the 3rd race I played the shifts pretty well and kept myself in the front part of the pack putting me in 29th for the race.

I’m currently in 39th with 6 races down and 5 races to go.  If I can finish half as well as I did in the second race today I should be able to stay in the top 40 and pick up some grand prix points.

Results

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Today was the first day of the Laser North American Championship Regatta at Brant Beach Yacht Club.  A few weeks ago I banged up my wrist so I had taken the last two weekends off from sailing other than just going out as ballast.  Yesterday and today were my first two days back out on my wrist.

We were racing with 70 Lasers in one start.  In the first race I had a pretty terrible start and took pretty much the entire race to get my wheels going and get back in the groove.  I finished in the 50’s.

On each start we had numerous general recalls and every start was ultimately under I over Z.  On the second race my tiller universal joint snapped right at the start.  I ended up spotting the fleet two minutes while I made a repair.  I managed to come back and wasn’t even DFL at the first windward mark.  I picked off boats on every leg and wound up 45th.

In the 3rd race I had a reasonable start, hung with the bulk of the fleet and mostly held my position to the finish ending up 44th.

Not my best day on the water, but reasonable given the level of competition.  My wrist held up and hopefully won’t be giving me any problems this week. With a little less wind forecasted  for tomorrow, I should have a better shot at keeping the boat flat and staying in the fleet.

Results

 

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This week the Laser North American Championship is getting underway at Brant Beach Yacht Club. I drove in yesterday evening and got the boat ready today and went for a short practice sail in 15+.  I’ll be sailing in the Standard Rig fleet with about 72 boats.  Another 142 boats will be sailing in the Radial fleet.

Follow updates throughout the regatta on the @LaserNAC twitter account – I’ll be contributing to the off-the-water updates.

Brant Beach Sunset

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I had an awesome weekend in Deltaville.  It started with the Inaugural Deltaville 5k.  With zero training I ran the whole thing and had a respectable finish of 26:07.

Jon at the Deltaville 5k

I took the weekend off from sailing to heal a minor wrist sprain and so  I went right from the 5k to doing race committee at Fishing Bay Yacht Club for the offshore Cut Channel Race.  I got a lot of great pictures of the offshore fleet here.

downwind during the Cut Channel Race

Saturday night was 4th of July partying, fireworks and swimming.  For Sunday’s racing we thought it was going to be a bit windy so I jumped on a Front Runner as a 3rd crew member, but halfway through the race the wind died and I sat out the next two light wind races and instead went sailing on a Byte in the afternoon.  Saturday night we again watched Fireworks.

Fireworks as seen from Fishing Bay Yacht Club. On the left is a firework from Stove Point while in the background are fireworks from Matthews County.

Monday was FBYC’s One Design Long Distance Race.  I normally would have sailed my Laser in this, but again I was sitting out to rest my sprained wrist.  I went out for the start and the first two legs to get some photos.  The entire collection is posted here.

Front Runners and a Mobjack sailing downwind in the One Design Long Distance Race

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Last weekend I was up in Brant Beach New Jersey for a Laser clinic.  I can’t say I am a better sailor just from being there, but I did learn a lot of things I need to practice and apply to my sailing that I hope will make me a lot better in the future.

One of the tenets of the training was to use practice to find where the ‘edge’ is.  Here’s plenty of footage of me ‘finding the edge’.

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