DUE TO COVID19 THERE HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLE CONFUSION ABOUT THE PIFA EVENT AND POND AVAILABILITY. PACIFIC ISLAND FESTIVAL 2021 HAS BEEN CANCELED AND REPLACED WITH VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES.
IOM and DF95 skippers enjoyed good breezes for our waning summer month of September. Lucky we are to have year round sailing on our pond! A special thank you to all participants and volunteers that contribute to the Argonauts success.
Per our Vice Chancellor of sail Fred Rocha..
I think most skippers would agree that this was one of the windiest Saturday points races we have experienced in a long time and a heck of a lot of fun. We were all hopeful Santa Barbara skippers would join in on the excellent winds. Unfortunately, our solo S/B skipper, Dunham Reilly, was unable to race. We need 3 boats San Diego!! Soling 50 and ODOM sailors benefited and got an additional few races under their belts with 6 races per class.
Fred Rocha had the row boat out early and set the marks for the right shifted winds. Ben Reeve was RD for the day with some assistance scoring from Bob Hirsch. Ken Campbell conducted an informative Racing Rules Seminar. Much gratitude to our support team!
Our fleet of six Soling 50’s started their races at noon with consistent building NW winds that increased as the day progressed. Good sailing action with no breakdowns or water below the decks! Yet..
ODOM skippers experienced more pressure on the water from additional wind and equipment challenges. The downwind run & sometimes broad reach became a submarine ride in the right gust. Those little grommet holes for sheets and adjustments all of a sudden welcomed sea water into the hold. Exciting sailing!
After a full day of fun on the pond Ben Reeve was there to man the row boat and extract marks. Gary Martin and Gil washed er all down and locked er away till next time. Scoring cards Ken Campbell.. Thanks all for participating.
San Diego Argonauts culminate Race Week featuring the classic Soling 50 sailboat. This model has deep roots in our RC sailing community, with many extraordinary local sailors competing successfully at a national level. We salute all who continue to support this class.
An early morning rouge tropical front passed through the coastal region, again, but did not disrupt the the consistent onshore flow we have been experiencing throughout the week. The clock started at 11AM sharp and we were off to the races!
September 4th
11:00 Racing Rules of Sailing Seminar 11:45 Skippers Meeting
12:00 – 16:00 Sail Points S/B OD – SOLING 50 – ODOM
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Synopsis for the far southern California coast… At 2 AM, a 1014 mb high was near the Orange County coast, and a 1003 mb low was near Needles. Weak onshore flow will prevail this week.
Todays forecast proved to be fairly accurate as IOM Sailors experienced light to medium pressure from a more westerly direction. Great competition today!!
Special thanks to Kerim Baran for drone footage of todays races.
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Towering cumulus clouds over our local mountains and a warm monsoonal push are the backdrop today at Mission Bay Model Yacht Pond. Sailors enjoyed tropical like weather and consistent sea breezes from the WNW direction. Championship class sailing continues!
Wednesday morning San Diego was greeted by a fast moving monsoonal surge and balmy tropical weather. Thunder storms rolled through and gave way to full sun, providing early sea breezes. Sailors were challenge by shifty pond conditions through out this final day of IOM competition.
The ODOM is our second featured class during San Diego Race Week. This craft has been a highly successful pond sailor due to it agile performance on the water, ease of handling and fleet popularity. This year our event attracted eighteen highly competitive sailors to our National Championship Regatta. All on the starting line at the same time!
On both race days mother nature sent us a wind package from southeast and south. So sailors experienced some of the most challenging and variable winds our pond can offer, testing skill patience and determination.
I scribbled this image in my airplane seat, just a week ago, while traveling back to my home town on Lake Michigan. My father was a passionate sailor and we were active in a very small Lighting fleet of 5 boats. I recalled the names of the skippers and the color of their boats. I remembered how everyone helped each other rig their boats to go fast and prepare for a fun day of sailing on the lake. There was a lot joking and playful poking. But everyone pulled together to make our little club better. Once on the race course it was all business. It was about getting around the course as fast as possible in a seaman like manner. In many ways the sailing was about pushing yourself to be better and having fun as a group. That was over 50 years ago. It is a special honor to be recognized with the Corinthian Award at the 2021 ODOM National Championship Regatta.. Keep Sailing-Gil
And thanks to our top gun pilot Pat Nevitt (and his instructor Ben Reeve for looking over his shoulder as Pat did his first flight) we captured ODOM Race #19 on drone footage, in a series of 4 videos.
The San Diego Argonauts, Sail Division, is proud to host the 2021 National Championship Regatta Series August 4-August 15 and are excited to share the San Diego Model Yacht Pond on Vacation Isle in Mission Bay with some of the best sailors around the world and across the United States. This is truly an international event!
The increasing interest in RC Sailing/Racing is evident by the number of entries in this years Regatta Series. We are excited to announce these entries in the following classes:
The San Diego Argonauts welcome all our friends and visitors to this special event..
Smooth Sailing, Gil
We had a nice day of wind and good attendance for the SOLING 50 SUMMER REGATTA. The class had a 9 boat fleet all eager to earn a shot at the elusive annual chevron award. Competitive RC Sailing at its best! Our top 3 sailors at the podium today all earned that award! CONGRATULATIONS, 1st-Ken Campbell, 2nd-Gerry Wold and 3rd-Kerim Baran. Special recognition to Kerim for achieving his first Chevron. FANTASTIC..
Ok guys – If our friend Bob Williams can go twelve races on two bad knees and a pair of roller-skates – we just don’t have any excuses, do we! Thank you Bob for being our inspiration!
As always- a standing ovation to Fred Rocha for his leadership, support and enthusiasm.. Also a big hand for todays volunteers. Kim Robbins, Greg Williams, Ty Beach (Soling 50 Class Secretary) and Ben Reeves (drone pilot).