The 2019 C420 Midwinters took place at
the US Sailing Center Martin County (USSCMC) near Jensen Beach Florida,
February 16-18. In early December 2018, the USSCMC also hosted US
Sailing Junior Olympics for C420 teams. Both regattas were well-run,
attracted top sailors and should be on the radar of C420 racers looking
for wintertime warm weather sailing. Former Leatherlips sailor Ryan
Clarke is the Sailing Director at USSCMC and he is happy to help in
advance or when you get to sunny Florida. Ryan coordinates 100
volunteers for an event like Midwinters, stands ready for breakdowns,
and lends a hand when needed. The 103-boat fleet at the 2019
Club 420 Midwinters was made up of high school and college-aged sailors
of not more than 22 years old. 2019 Midwinters in February, boasted 80
degree temperatures in warm water and range of 6-18 knots of breeze over
the three day regatta. The first two days were a qualifying round,
where the fleet was divided into two and seeded by a formula. The final
day was a medal round with 52 boats in a gold fleet and 51 boats sailing
in silver. Playing the shifts was key
throughout Midwinters, in chop and wind similar to Hoover. Day one,
brought shifty and puffy conditions throughout the racing, while the
second day of the qualifying round started light, but built for the
final two races. The third day of medal racing started off light, but
the filling sea breeze made for an exciting end to the event. Hoover
junior sailors Grace Squires and Michaela O’Donnell placed second in the
silver fleet and brought home a trophy. It takes a village; and David
Hein (Edgewater YC), attending Jacksonville University, was on-hand for a
practice day, and coached the Ohio girls during the very competitive
regatta. The USSCMC has a great line-up of
PRO’s keeping racing strong and fair. Launching from sandy beaches on
the beautiful grounds of the USSCMC should be in the plans of your next
va-gatta (VAcation- ReGATTA)! Overall results may be found here. Top 5 Gold Fleet Top 5 Silver Fleet Your fleet racing representatives agreed
to a few changes to the HSC Racing Rules for 2019, including: reducing
the restricted area around the starting line from 25 yards to 50 feet
(requires math!), specifying use of the Interlake class flag for the
third start, replacing pursuit race skippers meetings with the posting
of start times and selected wind range by 6:15 p.m. on race day, and
some minor tweaks in other rules. You’ll find the updated Rules in your
directory at Docks-In. The annual race management and
rules & tactics seminars will be given on the evenings of April 17
and 24, respectively. Regatta dates and your fleet’s race committee
assignments have been distributed to each fleet and will also appear in
the directory. Not on the schedule, but equally important, please reach
out to those in your fleet who want to get into racing. As a fleet or
individually, it makes all the difference if you help with boat tuning,
offer to crew, brush with them, or otherwise mentor an aspiring racer.
Your teaching makes them, and in the process you, better competitors. See you on the water. The clubhouse is getting new floors in
the kitchen, hallway and bathrooms! We will be removing all the tile
and are having a vinyl chip epoxy type flooring installed. Work to remove the tile and prep the areas for the install will begin soon. The flooring install will begin the week of March 11th
while the clubhouse is still on winter lock-down. It is vital that no
one enter the clubhouse during the week of March 11th so the floors can
properly cure. Workers will be coming and going that week so while the
house may look open, please DO NOT ENTER. Thank you in advance as this is
very important to the finished product. Additional improvements to the
house this season will include an outdoor ceiling fan on the porch and
we are looking into possibly adding a new drinking fountain with a
bottle filling station. Look forward to seeing everyone at Docks In on March 30th. Saturday’s therapy session was
delightful! While the forecast was suggesting rain, we didn’t encounter
any precipitation till well after beer o’clock. We were also
anticipating that the breeze would build during the afternoon as the big
winds were supposed to reach us that evening. That really didn’t
happen, so we enjoyed a 50 degree day and a shifty ESE breeze in the 5
to 8 mph range. Dave and Stephanie ran 7 races for us that included
many position changes and very close finishes. It’s looking like this week’s
therapy session will again have to be on Saturday as Sunday looks a bit
on the frigid side. Isn’t there something about March coming in like a
lion…. Please RSVP for Saturday so we know we have the requisite
number of participants. As of now, the plan is to sail at the NORMAL
time (Rig at 1, Race by 2). But I will say it was great to
get my Ol’ 515 (my laser number) back on the water after a 6 week
hiatus. Made me think of an old Eagle’s tune Ol’ 55. Ol’ 5-1-5 Well it warmed up so quickly I rigged lickety-splickly, launching my old 5-1-5 As I sailed away slowly, feeling so holy God knows, I was feeling alive And now the breeze is coming up I’m sailing with Lady Luck, the shifts make it tough Breeze beginning to fade, can I lead the parade? Just a-wishing I’d stayed right a little longer Lord, let me tell you the feeling’s getting stronger Now A 20 degree lefty, struck me so deftly Things were now going my way The fleet is all under me This shift’s really helpin’ me I’m fallin’ into first place And now the breeze is coming up I’m sailing with Lady Luck, the shifts make it tough Breeze beginning to fade, now I lead the parade Next beat I am stayin’ right a little longer Lord, let me tell you the feeling’s getting stronger Well February went quickly It passed lickety-splickly, too cold for my old 5-1-5 While the month warmed up slowly, we’re feeling so holy God knows, we’re feeling alive And now the breeze is coming up, yes it is I’m sailing with Lady Luck The shifts make it tough The shifts make it tough Sailing’ with Lady Luck The shifts make it tough Sailing with Lady Luck The shifts make it tough Sailing with Lady Luck It looks like the ice will remain
in place through the weekend. Even though it’s been warm the last 48
hours, my views of Antrim Lake (my surrogate Hoover assessment) suggest
the ice will not be dissipating by Sunday, which is frustrating as the
temperature and wind speed conditions fit the formula. Hence, the
lyrics inspired by Judy Collins who famously sang and Joni Mitchel who
wrote Both Sides Now… Cooling drinks on summer days And skating rinks that let us play And Hoover’s frozen everywhere I’ve looked at ice that way But now it only blocks our fun There’s no sailing for anyone So much sailing we could have done But ice got in our way. I’ve looked at ice from both sides now From drinks to rinks and still somehow It’s ice frustration I recall I really don’t like ice, at all. Wind and waves gives us our zeal Our sailing helps the way we feel It’s our therapy that helps us deal Till the ices gets in our way But now it’s just another day Where there’s ice that’s in our way We want to get our boats and go And be looking for the wind to blow I’ve looked at ice from both sides now From drinks to rinks and still somehow It’s ice frustration I recall I really don’t like ice, at all. Beats and runs with the crowd To say “hey starboard” right out loud Using tactics that make us proud We’ve looked at races that way But now our friends are acting strange They shake their heads, they say we’ve changed Well something’s lost, we’re feeling pained Without our sailing day I’ve looked at ice from both sides now From drinks to rinks and still somehow It’s ice frustration I recall I really don’t like ice, at all. If this isn’t enough, I would suggest you turn to page 6 of your hymnal, as we sing “On the pond again”. On the bright side, the cold
temperatures should facilitate snow making at the local ski venues.
Perhaps I’ll see you at Snow Trails on Sunday evening. When you’re ready were there for you! Reach out to the S.A.i.L. Counselor at lavender.1@osu.edu One or the Columbus TV meteorologists mentioned that our Ohio weather
has been like a soap opera recently. Punxutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania
weather groundhog, came out of his burrow on February 2 and did not see
his shadow, so he predicted an early spring. Jamie Jones said that we
are in the middle of a La Nina (the cold Pacific influence). He also
told me that the warm air that is carried from Hawaii to California is
called the “Pineapple Express” He said that the Midwest is often
influenced by an “Alberta Clipper” that is pushed down from Canada,
while the East Coast is hit by both storms moving north along the coast
and Northeasters. Furthermore, Jamie mentioned that the Great Plains
are frequently affected by other storms that move south from different
portions of Canada. He said that each situation is different, because
each air mass is influenced by surrounding air currents and the
topography over which it passes. And of course the weather is totally
different in the summertime. Isn’t weather absolutely
fascinating–probably because it’s all relative, and so is sailing!
Personally, I think that groundhog was wrong, because it’s supposed to
sleet again today. Lake levels posted 03-01-2019 10:00 EST Flying Scot holiday party held January 26, 2019. It was wonderful to see all of
the participants at Elery and Marsha Block’s house on January 26. In
attendance was Ellery and Marsha Block, Steph Bahr ,Dave Stetson and
guest John Chrystal,Dave and Carla Smith, Ben Blee and Gretchen Curtis,
Dave Lonsdale,Marty Sweterlitsch Patrick and Anne Aubourg,Sandy and Dan
Phalen. We missed all of those unable to
attend. The festivities included catching up with friends around food
and drink. But that wasn’t all. Ben called a business meeting to
order. He thanked our hostess and host Elery and Marsha who has
graciously allowed us to use their home year after year. We discussed
nomination for a new fleet captain and Marty, (my friend) nominated
me,Stephanie Bahr. Faster than Flying Scot off the line in a gale,the
nomination was quickly seconded and unanimously passed before I could
protest. Treasurers report given by Dave
Smith who agreed to remain in this important position. Dues of $20.00
were collected. Ben announced Ross Long,who was unable to attend our
party,had agreed to stay on as our fleet race representative. Ross will
be sending out a sign up sheet for race committee responsibilities. As a
reminder to all members of Fleet 37, race committee is a HSC mandated
obligation, so please sign up as soon as you can! Discussion turned to The Buckeye
Regatta hosted annually by Fleet 37. The date was confirmed as May 18
and 19, the third weekend in May! Please add these dates to your
calendar. Participation with this event is highly encouraged, as this
event promotes and supports Fleet 37 and your Flying Scot. This annual
event is an ALL HANDS ON DECK fleet event. Please contact me, Stephanie
Bahr at stephhms5015@gmail.com to find out how you can help. Discussion occurred around the
review of fleet 37 responsibility for the big boat program. Marty let us
know that we have two boats the fleet is responsible for. Our
responsibility is to set up the boats in the Spring and put away the
boats in the Fall. Sail instruction is charged with care in between.
However,it was suggested we look over the boats monthly to assure the
condition of the boats is such that they are safe for continued use. If
we see anything that could be improved upon, please let me,Jamie Jones
or the head instructor for Sail instruction know what is needed. This is
not a formal responsibility for our Fleet, as Sail instruction is
responsible, but, we have a vested interest, knowledge and experience
which I encourage all to share. The program is part of an effort to grow
our fleet and contribute to our sailing community! Which I believe
Fleet 37 is proud to be a part of! A huge thanks to Jay Huling and Arnie Ishizuka for putting away the boats before Docks Out last Fall. Commodore Marty reviewed some
changes we can expect to boat storage. As you may have read in the
Commodores articles in the Leadline, the city has made changes to our
lease and the approved changes are to help our bottom line(our own and
the clubs). If you have questions or concerns, you can contact Marty directly about changes. Patrick Aubourg announced that he
has his boat for sale and asks if anyone knows of a potential buyer
please direct them to Patrick for details. You can find his contact
information in the directory. We all thanked Ben for his service to the Fleet. We appreciate all his hard work. The business meeting was
concluded and we adjourned for our nautical quiz, winner Patrick
Aubourg, and white elephant gift exchange. The stealing was somewhat
subdued this year. But good fun and laughs were had by all. All I have to say is, watch out
for the return of the infamous box of boating magazines next year! In
the great nautical tradition of sailors helping sailors,the Block’s home
was returned to its original condition. The sailors and their guests
departed with well wishes to all and expressed excitement for the coming
sailing season. I am here to serve the Fleet and happy to do so! Please contact me at (614) 425-0725, texting is fine, or email at stephhms5015@gmail.com to discuss any questions, concerns, or acquire information about our Fleet. Hope to see you all at Docks In! Congratulations, Jamie! Fleet #24 congratulates Jamie
Jones who was PRO at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club for the 2018 Ida Lewis
Regatta over the summer. In January, Jamie and team were awarded the St.
Petersburg Trophy for Race Management Excellence. The presentation was
made at the U.S. Sailing annual awards luncheon held at the Hyatt
Regency in Jacksonville, Florida. Congratulations, Jamie! Go South and Sail! You still have time to head south and sail! Interlake Mid-Winters will be held March 8-10 at David Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida. This is a great time to sail in warm weather and eat great food. YOU SHOULD GO!!! Call another skipper and team up. The Asperys are headed down and would be happy to caravan with fellow travelers. Call Steve Aspery if you have any questions. Or just go ahead and register at: http://www.diyc.org/images/documents/race_docs/18-19/2019-Fireball-Friends-NOR.pdf.pdf With Sympathy Our deepest sympathies to Steve
Aspery who lost his father, David, on January 24 after an extended
illness. Mr. Aspery was 82 years old and a resident of Delaware, Ohio.
Our condolences to Steve, Lisa and family. Been a while since there’s been an MC article so let’s do a quick wrap-up from last year since Masters. We found out that Ted Keller is the best loser. Getting 2nd in both the Masters and Nationals (by losing both in a tie-breaker) is not only great, but it sucks! 2019 will be your year! Mark White is the fastest sailor at Hoover after winning the pursuit races. Jim Bingham did a fantastic job as fleet Captain last year. Mark White is the new fleet captain. Richard Blake is no longer the fleet champ (after 9 years in a row). Clark Wade is… Check out the advertisement in the latest Touch of Class (in case you missed it). I do like the sail. This year we’ve already had a couple Hoover-onians (if that’s a word) travel to Florida for the Train Wreck regatta where 36 showed up to get away from winter. Mike Keenan was 24th, Mark White – 8th and Matt Fisher – 6th. Nice showing! By the time this article is printed we will have had the Mid-Winters. As of the time of this writing, no one from Hoover is registered, but I suspect maybe Matt and Mark will go. Mike Keenan should be there as well. The Cowtown is coming in May. I’m praying for decent weather this year. We should have a big showing with new sailors joining the fleet. Let’s make it the best year yet! –Ann Jones HEARTY THANKS TO STEVE LAVENDER, our outgoing Thistle Fleet Captain for his many fine years of service. Steve is HSC Vice Commodore, and he will now be in charge of helping the Club become greener and more energy efficient.Hoover Junior Sailors at C420 Mid Winters
Racing Report
House Report
The Frostbite Journal!
Journal Entry: Feb. 26
Journal Entry: Feb. 15
Weather Watch: Weather We Like It or Not!
Reservoir Report
Scot Spot
Interlake Interludes
Scow Scoop
A Hail from the Rail
AND A HEARTY WELCOME TO MIKE McBRIDE, our new Thistle Fleet Captain. Mike is a well-known past President of the Thistle Class Association, and he ran the second part of our Fleet meeting like a true pro. Mike and Kim (Pasley) McBride threw an excellent Winter Bash Party, and we really enjoyed their hospitality!
THE FLEET MEETING COVERED:
The Election of Officers. In addition to our new Fleet Captain Mike McBride, Steve Lavender is still our Racing Representative, Kyle Assad graciously consented to remain Treasurer, Bill Miller equally graciously agreed to retain his job of Scorer, and yours truly volunteered to be Leadline correspondent again. Actually, they plied all of us with beer and we were kinda easy!
Payment of dues. Our dues remained the same as last year, although some individuals contributed more to the Thistle Class Association than the required amounts–probably the effects of the beer again! If you haven’t paid your dues yet, please contact Kyle Assad.
Sign-up for Race Committee duties. While still under the influence of the aforementioned beer, we volunteered for our required duties. If you have did not have an opportunity to choose race committee dates yet, you can do that through Steve Lavender.
Tom Hubbell extolled the pleasures of racing in our upcoming Nationals at Sandpoint, Idaho this summer.
Several new regatta dates were announced.
Also, the much-anticipated 2018 racing results were finally announced: In the Wednesday series (counting 10 of 19 races), our winners were: 1.Team Lavender; 2 Team Clyde; 3. Assad/Nye; 4. Team Miller, and 5. Team Ward. Sunday winners included (counting 15 of 47 races): 1. Team Lavender; 2. Team Miller; 3. Team Clyde; 4. Team McBride; 5. Team Assad/Nye; 6. Team Church; 7. Team McNitt; 8. Team Ward; 9. Team Hoar; 10. Team Fisher; 11. Team Andrew; 12. Team Hubbell, and 13. Team Tshantz. Gorgeous pottery trophies handcrafted by our very own talented Rachel Lavender were presented to the winners.
And then we all adjourned for, you guessed it, more beer!
MIDWINTERS WEST RESULTS: That regatta was sailed on January 23-26 at Mission Bay, San Diego, an absolutely gorgeous location. There were 14 boats in the Championship Fleet and 12 boats in the President Fleet. Winners were: 1. Gillum; 2. Pignolet, and 3. Vaughn. The Larry Klein Memorial portion of the regatta was won by Team Gillum, with Team Klein finishing second.
MIDWINTERS EAST is scheduled for February 24-March 1, and the entire regatta will be raced at St. Petersburg Yacht Club, unlike the split regattas we experienced in recent years. On March 24-26 (Sunday-Tuesday), Coach TCA, will hold an intense training event, led by Past TCA National Champ and current Olympic coach Mike Ingham and our very own Past US Sailing President and Past TCA President Tom Hubbell. Racing is scheduled to continue through Friday.
Mid-winters Dreamin’
(To the tune of California Dreamin by the Mamas & the Papas)
All the snow is gone (all the snow is gone)
And the sky is grey (and the sky is grey)
I wish I could sail (I wish I could sail)
On a winter’s day (on a winter’s day)
I know that I could (I know that I could)
Out on Tampa Bay (Out on Tampa Bay.)
Mid-Winters dreamin’ (Mid-Winters dreamin’)
On such a winter’s day
Checked out St Pete’s Weather
At least three times today
Well, I just had to go and see (just had to go and see)
Conditions on the bay (on the bay)
I’m stuck here in Ohio (Stuck here in Ohio)
Where there’s no sailin’ today (no sailin’ today)
Mid-Winters dreamin’ (Mid-winters dreamin’)
On such a winter’s day
All the snow is gone (all the snow is gone)
And the sky is grey (and the sky is grey)
I wish I could race (I wish I could race)
Out on Tampa Bay (Out on Tampa bay)
If only I could have gone (if only I could have gone)
To see Matt lead the way (I’d see Matt lead the way)
Mid-Winters dreamin’ (Mid-Winters dreamin’)
On such a winter’s day (Mid-Wintes dreamin’)
On such a winter’s day (Mid-Winters dreamin’)
On such a winter’s day
DAYDREAMING OF SAILING? On page 5 of the February/March “Bagpipe”, our very own TCA First VP, Tom Hubbell, reminisces about the joyous times he personally experienced while traveling to past regatta. He mentions, “Enjoying a week of vacation with 300 of our close friends”, which has also been my personal experience at lots of Thistle Nationals. On pp. 6-7 of that magazine is a description of the enticing on-shore activities we can experience at Sandpoint, Idaho, the site of our 2019 Nationals. Dave Perry’s Racing Rules Quiz is on pp. 24-25, And last, but certainly not least, on page 27 is the announcement that our TCA Contribution Fund has actually exceeded the goal of $15,000, because an anonymous donor contributed $15,000 to bring the total to a staggering $21,776! That money goes toward Growth and Promotion (which helps sponsor juniors at chevron events), and the Sustaining and Contributing Memberships (in addition to our regular dues) fund the regular expenses or the Thistle Class Association.
WANT TO FIND OUT WHERE TO BUY A USED THISTLE? Contact Steve Lavender, he knows of some for sail (sale).
2019 SCHEDULED THISTLE CALENDAR:
February 24-March 1
Mid-Winters East
St. Petersburg Yacht Club, FL
March 16
Annual Pi Party, St Patrick’s Day, Soupin’ Up The Fleets, Rites of Spring and General Bacchanal Event
We always invite the Leatherlips Thistle Fleet to join us. The site has not been decided, so stay tuned for time and location.
March 31
HSC Docks-In starts at 8 am.
That’s a mandatory work day—all hands on deck! Please don’t move any boats into the lower (West) drysail until the end of the day, it will be appreciated if you bring a breakfast snack or a dessert co complement our main lunch. Also, we hope that you will wear a PFD and bring a change of clothes if you plan to work on or near the water because we don’t want to lose you.
April 13-14
8-Ball Regatta
Geist Reservoir, Indianapolis, IN
April 7
HSC Sunday Racing begins
Thistles have the second start again.
May 4-5
MC Regatta
Thistle Fleet has Race Committee duty both days
May 11
Wet your Thistle Regatta
Hoover Sailing Club–Make sure your boat is ready to go, and we can use your help around the Club!
June 15-16
Lake Erie Districts
Sandusky Sailing Club, Sandusky, OH
June 15-16
Berlin Regatta
North Benton, OH
June 29-30
Great Lakes Championship
Cleveland Yachting Club, Rocky River,OH
July 21-26
Thistle Nationals
Sand Point, Idaho (This location is rated as one of the most beautiful sites in the country, with temps in the 70’s and little chance of rain. Check out the web site for more info—looks like a perfect vacation spot.)
More information on regatta dates and about the Thistle Class can be found here.