Hampton Yacht Club – Jon Deutsch

2022 ILCA US Masters: Sunday

For the 4th and final day at the ILCA US Masters the forecast was for less wind, but it started out in the 11-13 range out of the south. This sent the waves directly into the break wall where they ricocheted back into the sailing area making for really lumpy seas.

In the first of two planned races I had a good start at boat, near Gord and Roman. From there I got bounced around upwind trying to stay in clear air. Upwind and downwind I just never felt like I had the moving right boat moving and settled for 14th.

Upwind sailing while adjusting the vang.

Second race I started closer to the pin and went left. Wasn’t as fast as the guys on the right who caught some shifts and was mid-teens at the top mark. Downwind I played the middle and held my position. The wind continued to ease as the race went on and was down to 6 or so. On the second upwind I went middle left and lost a spot or two mostly to people who went way right. Then for the long downwind I went left again hoping to get into pressure sooner. It looked great early on, but towards the bottom of the course the angle was better for those on the right and we all ended up about where we were when we rounded the prior mark. On the final beat to the finish I went way left again. Peter was just a bit ahead of me and we sailed in great pressure while the guys who went right initially had no pressure and I passed about 5 boats to finish in 9th.

Ken, Adam, Jon, Peter, David, Monica, Craig, Gord, James, Mark & Jacques

This event apparently has an award – the Tony Dahlman award for the mid-fleet finisher. That was me, and I ended up coming home with the biggest award given.

Thanks again to Max, Henry and all of the folks at Hampton Yacht Club for hosting the event! Great job!

EVENT WEBSITE | PICTURES | FINAL RESULTS

By Jon Posted on September 13, 2022 Posted in ILCA Sailing, Life, No Quarter Sailing, Sailboat Racing 1 Comment Tagged with 2022 ILCA US Masters Nationals, Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, ILCA, ILCA Masters, ILCA US Masters Nationals, No Quarter

2022 ILCA US Masters: Saturday

Expected a little relief from the wind on Day 3 of the ILCA US Masters National Championship, but ended up getting the same upper teens we had yesterday. Today’s races did not include reaching legs and were all 3 laps that included one extra long downwind leg and 4 upwind legs.

In race 1 I had a good start down by the pin and went most of the way out to the left. Coming back I was 4th around the top mark. Downwind was slow – the waves and current made it hard to find the right angle. Those who figured it out went flying and I was passed on both downwind legs. By the bottom of the 3rd downwind I started to figure it out and everyone was gone. Settled for an 11th finish.

In the 2nd race the wind seemed to pick up just a little – steady 14-16 with gusts to 20. We had one general recall with the current pushing us up the course before a good start under the U-flag. I hung out at the boat, pulled the trigger late after other boats cleared out and had a clean start. I went out to the right and just felt tired going up wind and wasn’t really pushing. I was around 10th at the first rounding. Downwind I started to figure out the waves and actually passed a boat. We did another lap in largely the same positions, only this time when we got to the leeward gate the 8 or so boats ahead just went passed it as if they were doing the final lap to the finish. I quickly conferred with Don next to me and rounded the gate and went upwind. I was the first to do so, Don was just behind me as was Mark and Gord. By the top mark Gord was ahead and I was able to pinch off Don, Mark and Matthew to round in second. Two of them got by me downwind and Mathew got me upwind and I settled for 5th. Of the 8 or so boats who sailed past – 4 of them took NSC (Not Sailed Course) while the other 4 turned back upwind, but were back in the pack.

Boat end start under U-flag. The boat was pointed into the current and away from the wind.

In the 3rd race we had another general recall then a UFD start. I had a fantastic start at the boat and went right. That was not the place to be and on top of that I flubbed a tack, didn’t get under the boom and flipped. I was dead last at the first weather mark. Downwind I got the boat going and riding waves and picked up 4-5 spots. Had a few more good legs, but couldn’t really catch the front pack ahead of me and had the back pack right on my heels. Then on the long downwind I lost it and death rolled. I only lost one spot on that maneuver and was able to pick it back up on the final upwind to the finish in 11th.

After racing we hung out at the club and had drinks on the patio and caught up with folks who dropped by. When the scores were posted there were quite a few folks who got OCS/UFD/NSC and shuffled the positions – particularly by folks who got 2 of those today or had an OCS earlier in the regatta and weren’t able to drop a 26.

EVENT WEBSITE | DAY 3 RESULTS | PICTURES

By Jon Posted on September 10, 2022 Posted in ILCA Sailing, Life, No Quarter Sailing, Sailboat Racing No Comments Tagged with 2022 ILCA US Masters Nationals, Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, ILCA, ILCA Masters, ILCA US Masters Nationals, No Quarter

2022 ILCA US Masters: Friday

The fleet sailing upwind (after the general recall)

Day 2 at the ILCA US Masters at Hampton Yacht Club and we had only a little less wind than yesterday and 3 races planned. When we got out to the course for a 1000 start we had 14-15 knots and slack current. The wind was also a little more right of where it was yesterday and a little less protected meaning we’d have more wave action.

In the first start I was a little slow off the line and boats around me pulled ahead and eventually tacked out. Once clear I went back left and felt like the left side of the course had a little less waves than out on the right. That wouldn’t matter when a nice shift came my way allowing me to lay the mark and round in 6th just behind the leaders. We sailed two laps before reaching down to the bottom mark. All along the way I focused on not making mistakes and keeping the boat going. I was successful there even though I slowly ceded some positions and settled for a 12th. It was nice to be sailing in the pack around the course.

By the second race the current had begun to push us up the course resulting in a general recalled start followed by a start under the U flag. I hung out at the boat end for the start which cleared out seconds before the gun allowing me to come in with speed and have a great start. This time I played the middle right of the course picking shifts and rounded around 5th at the top mark. The wind had eased a bit for that first leg and then picked up for the rest of the race. I stayed in the lead pack and slowly lost some boats mostly on the downwind legs and settled for an 11th.

In the final race of the day the wind was still up and a bit steadier. I was in the middle of the line and in traffic and after a couple minutes had a clear lane to tack into and get out to the right. I had good speed and made up some distance on the leaders and rounded around 5th. Downwind I continued to play it conservatively and gave up a couple boats though the fleet was much more tightly packed and the leaders weren’t far behind. Upwind I picked some shifts and again passed a couple boats enabling me to cross just behind the 4-5 boats in the middle of the beat. By the final top mark rounding some of the boats that went more left had a more favorable shift and I was back in 7th. On the first reach I held my own, but on the second reach, which wasn’t very wide – Mathew, Luke and Don all stayed on starboard by the lee and made up a ton of distance from behind me. Matthew and Luke both got around me and Don was right behind me. The bottom of the course was a little less sheltered and had more waves. I played the middle left on the final beat to weather. Really felt like I had the boat moving through the waves. Caught and passed Luke while Matthew just got me at the line for an 8th place finish.

I saw a big difference in how I was sailing in the last race from the first race. I started to get comfortable making the boat go upwind and was able to pay more attention to whats ahead of me and looking for shifts and staying in clear air. A tighter hiking strap later in the day helped me more easily keep the boat flat and powering through the waves.

EVENT WEBSITE | RESULTS AFTER DAY 2 | PICTURES

By Jon Posted on September 9, 2022 Posted in ILCA Sailing, Life, No Quarter Sailing, Sailboat Racing No Comments Tagged with 2022 ILCA US Masters Nationals, Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, ILCA, ILCA Masters, ILCA US Masters Nationals, No Quarter

2022 ILCA US Masters: Thursday

Day 1 at the ILCA US Masters Championship at Hampton Yacht Club called for wind and we got it. After sailing in light air all summer, I wasn’t too ready for winds in the upper teens gusting into the low 20’s. After the early morning drive to Hampton, unloading and the competitor’s meeting the plan was for 2 races for the 21-boat ILCA7 fleet and 12 boat ILCA6 fleets.

The course was set just south east of the entrance to the Hampton River and was to be a long race with reaching legs. The starts were a little tricky – the RC was running a 3-minute horn sequence that was difficult to hear over the flapping sails and the only visual signal was the P-flag that was up for exactly 1 minute. I had a pretty good start in the first race a bit down the line. With only 21 boats out there, we had plenty of room and as the fleet spread out upwind I was able to get to the right. I came into the top mark right in the tail end of the pack. Downwind felt good, I had the boat moving in the waves and closed the gap on some boats ahead. In the second upwind it became clear there were more shifts to catch and some boats gained and others didn’t. From there we reached out to the wing and to a mark way below the course before another long beat back to the finished. All race I stayed engaged with the tail end of the pack and finished 12th.

In the 2nd race the wind had picked up a little more. I missed the starting horn, but was close enough to the line that when I saw the pack of boats lining up, I was able find a spot and be ready. Unfortunately, 20 seconds before the gun the universal joint connecting the tiller to the extension snapped. I limped over the line so that I’d start in the time limit and then sat for about 3-4 minutes while I got a spare fitting out of my life jacket and set to screwing out the old on and in the new. By the time I was going I was way behind the 7 fleet and just ahead of the 6 fleet and did my best to get upwind and catch some boats.

Downwind I was starting to catch up to the tail-enders and I started cramping up. In trying to not cramp, my reflexes weren’t as sharp and I eventually death rolled and went swimming. From there I just sailed conservatively and eventually was able to reel in a couple boats. I finished 16th – way better than a DNF.

For those wondering how I replaced a tiller extension universal on the water – for years I’ve sailed with a Forespar Carbon Fiber Tiller extension that has a screw in universal joint. I make sure it’s not too tight so I can easily unscrew it with a small pair of pliers in my life jacket or my teeth if I have to. I keep an extra universal joint in my life jacket that comes in handy every couple years on a starting line like today and definitely saves a day of sailing instead of having to go in to fix it. There’s also the base fitting to retrofit most tillers.

EVENT WEBSITE | DAY 1 RESULTS | PICTURES

By Jon Posted on September 8, 2022 Posted in ILCA Sailing, Life, No Quarter Sailing, Sailboat Racing 1 Comment Tagged with 2022 ILCA US Masters Nationals, Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, ILCA, ILCA Masters, ILCA US Masters Nationals, No Quarter, No Quarter ILCA

2022 Southern Bay Race Week

I was able to make 2 of the 3 days of Southern Bay Race Week at Hampton Yacht Club sailing aboard Excitation – a Farr-Dickerson 37 from Fishing Bay Yacht Club. We went out to light winds on Saturday and sailed on the north side of the James just west of the Hampton River. There were so many crab pots in this area the RC had trouble finding places to anchor. We spent the entire day of racing dodging these.

The wind started light, we kept the boat powered up and going fast. We were the longest, heaviest and tallest boat in our fleet and in these light winds we could point higher and sail faster and this was quite an advantage at the start allowing us to start almost any where we wanted. We tended to take conservative starts and wound up being a few seconds late, but this kept us out of traffic and enabled us to pick a lane and easily sail through any boats around us.

With so many other fleets on the course not only did we have crab pots to look out for, but we also had traffic from other legs of the fleet – either the tail end of the fleet ahead or other fleets around the course. With the spinnaker in particular this made it hard to work on our speed since we were always adjusting our course. The first two races went well and

Downwind with the boats in the class after us rounding the short mark, while the fleet before us can be seen in the distance.

As the wind built in the 3rd and 4th race we switched to smaller sails. We struggled a little bit in the 3rd race of the day and redeemed ourselves in the final race and finished 1-1-3-1 for the day.

We enjoyed a great crew dinner Saturday night and I crashed on the boat the club.

Excitation sailing upwind on Sunday at Southern Bay Race Week.

On Sunday we had more wind for 2 more races and thankfully a clearer sailing area. The increased wind made it harder for us to de-power while being right in the sweet spot for a few other boats and we didn’t enjoy the speed advantage that we did the day prior. We were also without our bowman and with one fewer crew member meant I was going forward more often to help out. It was still a good day of sailing and we went easy with the spinnaker keeping our gybes down. We finished 2-5 on Sunday and ended up 2 points out of 2nd place.

All in all a great weekend and thanks to Mayo for having me along! Great sailing sailing with the crew and a fun weekend.

PICTURES | EVENT WEBSITE | RESULTS

By Jon Posted on June 8, 2022 Posted in Life, Sailboat Racing No Comments Tagged with Excitation, Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, Offshore Racing, Southern Bay Race Week

2021 Hampton ILCA Spring Classic: Sunday

What wind we didn’t have on Saturday came on Sunday making for some windy racing. With only 4 boats out today, the regatta came down to how I did against David Hartman who started the day 2 points ahead. We were joined by David Grace, a CNU sailor, and Frank Patch.

I focused on having good clean starts and working to hold my lane off the line on the first beat. We had some current going left to right which lead me to favor the left side of the course and staying on starboard as long as I dared. As would be proven to me, picking shifts to the right would still beat playing the current, especially given the winds in the mid to upper teens gusting to 20.

Radials turning downwind during their final race Sunday

In most of the Races I played the middle left of the course, David G and I would cross tacks and be within a few boat lengths of each other at the top mark, sometime me ahead and sometimes him. I would make up some distance on the reach and David would either pass me or pull ahead on the downwinds. Once I was behind I sailed a little more conservatively to hold my position and not break anything and save my energy for the next start. I did manage to lead one whole race capsized once in another race. David and Frank were usually just behind us on the trapezoid course with inner and outer loops (we sailed the outer).

Britt, David H, Frank P, David G, Jon after racing at Hampton Yacht Club

Racing in this wind was the perfect way to start the season and get comfortable in the boat again. With a regatta at FBYC in May followed by Districts in late May and ILCA Nationals in June – both at Norfolk YCC – this was exactly what I needed to get back into ILCA sailing. Thanks Max and everyone at Hampton Yacht Club for hosting, and to David H, David G, Henry, Britt and everyone else who came out to sail. It was great to get out and go sail somewhere else after not doing any travel regattas last year and nice to see everyone again.

RESULTS | PICTURES | EVENT WEBSITE

By Jon Posted on April 30, 2021 Posted in ILCA Sailing, Life, No Quarter Sailing, Sailboat Racing No Comments Tagged with Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, HYC ILCA Spring Classic

2021 Hampton ILCA Spring Classic: Saturday

Arrival at Hampton Yacht Club with the ILCA on top of the VW Atlas

I have some fond memories of frostbite sailing and a sailing district championship in 1998-1999 and I haven’t sailed a Laser/ILCA dinghy there since. While I had sailed at Hampton on other boats – it was good to be back with my own boat and good to be sailing my first regatta of 2021.

There was some wind to get us out to the course and once there it completely shut off. The ebbing current was starting to build and so I just tied off to one of the marks and sat there for 2 hours. The locals all claimed “It’s never like this in Hampton.”

Tied off to a race mark to wait for wind

Eventually the wind did fill in from the south with just a few knots and a race was started for the 5 ILCA Dinghies as well as for the Radial fleet. I had a great start at the boat and quickly realized I was slow off the line with the wrong outhaul setting. I was half a boatlength ahead of David Hartman coming into the top mark on the port layline and had to duck him. I followed him the rest of the way around the course for a 2nd.

The wind shifted left between races, the course was reset and we sailed another race. I had a great start at the boat and stayed in the middle left of the first beat. Chris went more left while David went more right where there was pressure and both were just ahead of me at the top mark. I followed them downwind and on the 2nd beat we set up much the same with Chris to the left and David to the right only this time there was a lane of wind right down the middle of the course and I was able to stay in pressure and passed both to the top mark and finished in 1st.

By the 3rd race the wind shifted left again and now it lined up so we were sailing directly into the current on the upwind legs making them a very slow slog. Downwind sailing with the wind just faster than the current made it tough to keep the sail set right and doing anything other than just driving down. By the end of the race the wind totally dropped out and the race shortened for both fleets. My efforts to sail in shallower water out of the current took me to less pressure and so I was never able to get around Henry and settled for a 4th.

The race committee towed us in just as it started drizzling. Sitting in 2nd, 2 points behind first and day 2 is tomorrow.

RESULTS | PICTURES

By Jon Posted on April 30, 2021 Posted in ILCA Sailing, Life, No Quarter Sailing, Sailboat Racing No Comments Tagged with Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, HYC ILCA Spring Classic

2016 Southern Bay Race Week: Sunday

Sunday ended up being the day for wind. It started out light as we were heading to the course, but as we were arriving it piped right up. We quickly re-tuned the rig for the windier conditions sailing all the way across and up the river near the naval base.

Dave, pictured above, was our secret weapon. As a local Harbor pilot he quickly identified a current line up the right side of the course upwind. On the other side of the current line we had almost 2+ knots of favorable current. At one point we were 50 yards from another j70 going slower on the other side of the current line and they couldn’t figure out why they were so much slower going so far as to check they weren’t dragging something. We made good gains out there before the rest of the fleet started to figure it out.

Downwind in the breeze we played it conservative with the spinnaker keeping the boat under us and getting around the course cleanly.

A second place finish in the 2nd and final race of the regatta gave us 3rd place for the day, but left us in 5th for the regatta.

PICTURES | RESULTS | PhotoBoat Pictures

By Jon Posted on December 3, 2016 Posted in J/70 Sailing, Life, No Quarter Sailing, Sailboat Racing No Comments Tagged with 2016 Southern Bay Race Week, Hampton VA, Hampton Yacht Club, J70, No Quarter, Southern Bay Race Week

2016 Southern Bay Race Week: Saturday

Racing Saturday at Southern Bay Race Week started light and we were at the inshore course close to Hampton. We got out there and there was a whiff of a breeze and so they started us, but by the time we reached the weather mark, the wind had died and the current was running and nobody could get around it.