Tag: Open House Regatta

An annual regatta held at Fishing Bay Yacht Club on Memorial Day Regatta. The idea of an Open House is that it’s open to any boat all boats are rated against each other and given their own start time in a pursuit style race. First to finish wins and the event features boats from 12-50′.

We had a nice day for the Open House Regatta with a light breeze out of the east that eventually built to the double digits. Jess and I were sailing aboard Todd’s J99 Battle Rhythm with me doing pit and her trimming the main.

The course would take us from Godfrey Bay out the Piankatank near Stingray Point and back up the river around a mark and then up into a finish in Fishing Bay. The first part of the race was mostly upwind while the 2nd half of the race was mostly downwind.

It was a progressive start race meaning the slower boats start first and the faster boast start last. We were the 2nd to last to to start and as we sailed east on the 2nd leg of the course we started to catch up to a group of boats. We hoisted our spinnaker to head from Piankatank 8 to FBYC B and passed most of them. On that first spinnaker hoist we had a sheet run incorrectly and had to just muscle hold it while we re-ran the lazy sheet as the new sheet and didn’t loose much ground.

By the time we got to FBYC-B we had Sting, Wendas and the Thistle ahead of of. We passed them by the time we got to back to Piankatank 8, but were only just ahead of Sting. We split with Sting and went North while they went south and after crossing we went south as we went north as we worked our way downwind to the west up the Piankatank. They stayed in better pressure of Stove point and were just ahead of us by the time we got to 12. We had a cleaner rounding, came out higher and had a little more speed to be just ahead of them at the finish and get the gun.

PICTURES | RESULTS | VIDEO

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This year for Fishing Bay Yacht Club’s Open House Regatta – Jess and I finally got the Snipe out for this event. This was a progressive start race and we just barely made our start time. The wind started out good out of the west and we had more of it to work with as one of the first boats to start.


By the time we round Piankatank 8 we had passed the boats ahead of us and had a few shining moments in the lead before the big boats rolled us. We got through 80% of the course and were just off Stove Point when the wind shut off again. At the prospect of sitting out there for a while and missing the raft up – we dropped out and took a tow in.

The raft up was fun as ever and we got to cruise on Mad Hatter for ride back around afterward.

PICTURES | RESULTS

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After the Snipe broke yesterday, Jess and I were without a plan for racing FBYC’s Open House Regatta on Saturday.  At 9pm Saturday night that plan came together and we would sail on Mad Hatter with the Flecks. This race is a progressive start distance race – meaning the slowest boast start first and the fastest boats start first and whoever finishes first wins.  This year featured a wide variety of boats including a 30′ trimaran and a Wasp. The weather was slightly overcast, warm with 12-14 knot winds.

We had a great start, hitting our time perfectly.  Only two of the legs were downwind for us, so that kept the spinnaker work for me up on the bow down to a minimum. We sailed the rhumb line and kept the boat going pretty well.  In the end the boat to beat was a 29er – who were able to fly a chute on the tight reaches much better than any of the other boats.  We finished 4th.

Following the race – we rafted up with a couple dozen other boats in Fishing Bay and got to hang out with everyone for a couple hours.  Later we took the boat back around to the dock and joined the dinner and listened to the band.

PICTURES | RESULTS

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The forecast for the Open House Regatta at Fishing Bay Yacht Club improved as we got closer to Sunday and it ended up be great sailing conditions for the few mile progressive start distance race.  This race featured boats from 14′ all the way up to 48′ and they were all handicapped against each other with the slow boats starting first and having a head start over the faster boats. The first boat over the finish line wins.

I sailed a Front Runner with Alan as crew and were among the 24 boats racing under mostly cloudy skies with the wind out of the ESE at 9-11.  As one of the slower boats we were about the 5th group to start and there were 2 other Front Runners racing with us.  The start was across the Piankatank River near Godfrey Bay and took us east and upwind towards the mouth of the Piankatank River.  Sailing down the river we stuck to the North shore near Fishing Bay and Stove point to stay out of the current.

That ended up being the key to the race as we extended out a lead and were able to get far enough ahead of the faster boats that they weren’t able to catch up.  It also helped us that 1/4 of the race was close reaching rhumb line sailing where putting up a spinnaker didn’t really help any.  On the final leg to the finish the J/70 E.L.E. made a pretty good charge and we edged them out finishing less than 1/2 a minute ahead.

Big thanks to Matt for letting us borrow the boat and for Alan doing a great job crewing in his second race.

RESULTS

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This the 3rd annual Open House Regatta which has become one of my favorite events at FBYC given the mix activities, people and sailing being done.  A bring-what-you-got progressive start race for boats 10-50+ ft all racing each other.  Followed by rafting up and socializing followed by dinner and a great blue grass band.

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Given I would be sailing my J/70 in Hampton next weekend, it was packed up yesterday and so today I joined David Hinckle and Tommy Roper aboard David’s J/70 – Air Speed.  We had a good start and did well in the light air on the way out.  On the way back we picked the wrong side of the course and let Nostalgia sneak by us while we couldn’t quite catch any of the boats ahead and settled for 6th.

After returning the boat to the dock I took a launch out to the raft up already in progress.  I managed to go boat-to-boat around the entire circle visiting with folks on each boat.  I also got to go up the mast of one of the larger boats to capture an aerial view.

And despite a little crummy weather late in the evening, we still had fun inside.

RESULTS | PICTURES

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2015 No Quarter Open House

After last year’s successful regatta FBYC held their 2nd Open House Regatta and No Quarter J/70 was among the 30 boats sailing the 8.5nm course in the Piankatank River.  In the spirit of being a fun casual race – I invited a couple co-workers with me who hadn’t sailed much.

Open House No Quarter Crew

We were treated to a gorgeous day with 8-12 knot breezes and mostly sunny skies.  As a pursuit race we started near the end and picked off of a few boats on the upwind.  Being a novice crew we forwent the spinnaker and lost a few spots and finished mid pack.  It was great sailing with Kelley, Dillon & Stephen.   Results

Following the race we took No Quarter to the dock and rode out to the raft up in progress with 29 boats forming a circle.  It was quite a sight and a lot of fun hopping between boats and catching up with folks.  Ned Rennolds had his drone up and caught a few pictures:

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Fishing Bay Yacht Club‘s first ever Open House Regatta was Saturday. This year we tried something new and replaced a distance race for the bigger boats-only with declining participation with a shorter distance race for all boats held at the club and on surrounding waters.  It was cooling being part of the group that came up with the ideas last November and seeing it carried out and how well it went and how great of a time everyone had.

The goal of the event was to have racing at the club – since it’s centrally located where we all like to go anyway, and it’s a holiday weekend so everyone is down at the river.  We also wanted to involve all of our boats and to invite friends to come racing with us in some casual racing.  We finished it up with a raft up and dinner/band in the evening.  Caroline Garrett, Elizabeth Staas, Len Guenther, Mark Hayes and Matt Braun and all of the other volunteers did a great job making the ideas a reality.

5/24 Open House Regatta

I sailed a Front Runner and introduced fellow member Christin Lipscomb and her boyfriend Mike Walsh to the boat as my crew.  It was my first time on the boat in nearly a year.

The race was a progressive start race – meaning the slowest boats start first and the fastest boats start last and whoever crosses the finish line first wins.  The different start times handicap the boats based on their speed.  There was a second progressive start for the >22′ boats which sailed an even longer course.

Our race went alright.  We didn’t have the best first leg and weren’t able to catch the breeze that allowed the boats ahead to really stretch out and not get caught in a wind hole further back.   We had fun and still managed a 6th place and 3rd Front Runner to finish. There were a few other fun moments like where we were unsure which side of the mark we were to round and had boats going both ways.

After racing we put up the boat and joined the raft up of the bigger boats as they finished.  The goal was to make a sunflower where we complete the circle of boats, but we fell short a few boats and ended up with a crescent.  Still it was a fun time having everyone rafted up together hopping between boats and catchup up with everyone and seeing how their races went.

5/24 Open House RegattaJon Deutsch at the top of the mast to take a picture

Once we had most of the boats rafted up – I went up the nearly 70′ mast on Destiny to get a picture.

5/24 Open House Regattaview of the raft up from the top

5/24 Open House RegattaJon Deutsch

Post-raft up I bumped into a Flying Scot sailor at the dock and sprained my ankle which left me laid up icing it for the rest of the evening.

5/24 Open House RegattaEric Bokinsky with Jon Deutsch

Results | Photos

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