Sunday was the Fishing Bay Yacht Club J/70 Spring Regatta with 6 boats racing in 14-16 gusting to 20 out of the West. With Andrew, Evan and Mark on board we had a great crew and were really able to get the boat around the course well in the higher winds.  We even kicked it up a gear planning downwind when we could.

We sailed 5 races with some pretty tight finishes with the other boats.  In 3 of the races we finished a boat length or less behind someone.  The shifty and puffy conditions made it both challenging to stay in phase and hard to keep changing modes to keep the boat going fast.

We finished a consistent 1-3-3-2-2 including having to restart on the final racing having been OCS.  Another great day.

The series concludes next Sunday at Spring Series #4.

RESULTS | PICTURES

It took a while to get out on the J/70 for the first time this year and it was a great day for it at the Fishing Bay Yacht Club Offshore Spring Series #3.  Onboard today were Andrew, Evan and Nathan and there were 3 other J/70s in the fleet among the 20 other boats out racing.

No Quarter Aaron Sutten Photo

Saturday started light WNW around 6-8 and built to the 10-13 by the end of the 3rd race.  We had good boat speed up wind, played most of the shifts well and went 2-1-2.  On most of the downwinds Ron Thompson sailing Nostalgia put on a clinic and either pulled ahead if he was ahead or caught up if he was behind.  The next day we realized we had the spinnaker rigged wrong and wasn’t getting it to full hoist.

All in all a great first day back in the boat and excited to continue the season this spring.

Following racing we were hanging around the club as it rained and cleared and we were treated to a beautiful rainbow.

PICTURES | RESULTS

This weekend should have been Fishing Bay Yacht Club‘s Opening Day Race followed by a J/70 clinic on Sunday – but the weather conspired to have it cancelled.  With no sailing to do and only a Blessing of the Fleet and party to attend – it became a work weekend and thus the J/70 that was not yet rigged was packed and hauled to Richmond.

While at home it was easy to get a couple projects done:

11/8 FBYC Laser Frostbite

What a great day to end the sailing season on at Fishing Bay Yacht Club – temperatures that were not too cool and enough wind to make it interesting.  I just received the new MkII Laser Standard sail and was eager to try it out.

Having sailed a few races – it definitely felt a bit tweakier than the other sail – as in – it didn’t stretch as much, so you can really see where it needed adjusting, cunningham, vang etc.  I had a little trouble figuring out when to adjust various things.  All in all it probably wasn’t any faster or slower – but I was definitely slower with the distraction.  I’m looking forward to spending a little more time figuring it out.  Finished 2nd overall in 7 races.

Following sailing I put a cover on the J/70 and helped Mike arrange 2 more boats in his barn.

11/8 FBYC Laser Frostbite

RESULTS

It was a very, very light air day for the final day of the Fall Series at Fishing Bay Yacht Club and the final day of sailing for 2015 for J/70 No Quarter.  John, Andrew and Dave were aboard for a race that started in light air and over 2 hours later nobody was going to finish, so we ended up bagging it and call it a day.  With only 2-3 knots of wind and 1-2 knots of current coming right at us, we just couldn’t make the boat go at times.

Back on shore we dropped the mast and prepared the boat to go into the barn for the winter.

10/31 FBYC Offshore Fall Series 4

RESULTS

10/24 Offshore Fall Series #3

It was a cool, light air day for the 3rd installment of the Fall Series for the Offshore Division at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.  Without many J/70s on the line and both my boat and Double Eagle short on crew – Andrew and I jumped on Double Eagle and I got to drive the day.  All in all it was a fun day and we finished 2nd in both races.  Thanks again to the Double Eagle crew for having me along!

RESULTS

92 Gavin O'Hare

In October I once again played event chairman for FBYC’s Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Championship – this the 34th running of this event and there’s only one more year I won’t be old enough to sail in it.   As always we had a great group of sailors number 45 in total.  Saturday was a bit light allowing us to get in one race before the wind shut off and then didn’t settle down.  Dinner by Alain Vincey was fabulous as well.  On Sunday the wind held in better allowing us to do 4 more races.  Congratulations to Mike Hecky winning this one for his first time – well sailed!

207152 Mike Hecky

This years photos were probably the best I’ve ever gotten.  The sun was just right and my boat driver Mike Russom knew just where to put me to get the good angles.

RECAP | RESULTS | PICTURES

168317 Robert Suhay

Today was quite a breezy day for the 2nd Offshore Fall Series day at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.  Rather than get beat up in the cold and wet conditions most of the J/70s decided to bail and crew on bigger boats.  I ended up on Mad Hatter.

We sailed two races with winds in the low 20’s that eventually eased off a little bit in the 2nd race.  I was mostly in the back of the boat helping trim genoa.

RESULTS