HOT & HUMID, but good winds! Steve Ross was the RD for the Soling Fleet as skippers sweltered in the monsoonal heat. With moderate westerly breezes, Steve chose medium courses all around. Results follow:
Kerim Baran took over from Steve and RD’d the ODOM Fleet. Winds strengthened as the day went on and there were many lead changes and close races. Results below:
Thanks to EVERYONE who helped make Race Week XV a resounding success!
Now is a perfect time to catch our breath, relax a bit and plan for the remaining few months of 2024. We still have some gaps to fill in our Race Director Calendar. Please review our RD Schedule and pick a date (or two!) We have plenty of seasoned Argonauts who are happy to mentor less experienced members and walk them through the complicated process of running races: 1) Press the Button, 2) Call out the over-early boats, 3) take down finishes. (Yes, it really is that simple…) Remember that Argonauts who volunteer to RD Class Points in a Fleet they also race in will receive their Average Points for that month!
Overcast skies and moderate but shifty westerly winds were the order of the day for DF95 & IOM Points racing. Jess Atkinson set Marks and RD’d both Fleets, selecting combinations of Medium and Long Courses. Results follow:
Next, Jess selected Medium, Long, and Medium-Long-Long Courses for the IOM Fleet. Results below:
Thanks to David Stong who helped Jess with take-down and clean-up at the end of the day. Reminder: RD’s get their Points Averaged for Fleets they RD for…
Clouds and Southerly winds greeted the DF95 Fleet as Point races began. Lots of shifts, holes and lead-changes were the order of the day as RD Jason Brooks chose courses to fit the conditions.
The winds picked up a bit, filled in and moved more westerly by the time the IOM‘s took to the pond. Racing was extremely tight as the fleet remained bunched throughout most of the heats. There were many lead changes; many occurring on the final leg!
Perfect weather for the DF95 Fun Regatta! Plenty of sun and 10 knot westerly (mostly) winds! For the first time in (recorded) history, the Argonauts engaged in Team Racing. Team Captains Kerim Baran and Dennis Rogers chose their respective squads from the skippers present and each was given a Red or Blue pennant to display at their masthead. Standard Racing Rules were used with the following changes: 1) 2-Boatlength Circles, 2) No ‘Proper Course’ restrictions after passing marks, and 3) No penalty for fouling Teammates. Since scores were aggregated for each Team, individual finishes were not as important as helping Teammates who were trying to hold off competitors. This resulted in numerous examples of Teammates intentionally slowing down or maneuvering to ‘gang-up’ on vulnerable opponents! Lots of dicey crosses, slam dunks, and luffing! Special thanks to our beloved ‘Dog-Meister’ Bob Williams who grilled all the Hot Dogs we could eat (and then some…), and Ben Reeve for scoring the Regatta! Results below:
Thanks to Bob Williams who RD’d the IOM Fleet and Fred Rocha who RD’d the DF95’s! Also, a special Welcome Back to Paul Hart who proves you can’t keep a good Skipper down!
Thanks to RD’s Gil Jansky (Solings) & Dennis Rogers (ODOM’s)! Results Follow:
Beautiful, sunny weather with wonky winds! The Dragonflite95 Fleet began in moderate but shifty Southwest winds. Due to the direction, Starboard rounding courses were selected by RD Tom Warren. Though the winds filled a bit over time and veered slightly more westerly, there were some big holes and massive shifts. There were many lead changes, but lawyers took the top two spots with Scotty Harris carrying the day by winning half the races:
Next it was the IOM’s turn and strengthening westerly winds allowed a return to our traditional Port Roundings. RD Chris Staiger ran a combination of Medium and Long courses. Dennis Rogers dominated the fleet of eleven IOM’s; missing a perfect score of “6”‘ by a single point. Results follow:
CONGRATULATIONS to Mark Golison, the 2024 Region 8 Dragonflite95 Champion! Racing was extremely close with 2 of the top 5 positions being decided via tie-breaks. Thanks to our Race Committee Members who worked so hard to host this regatta and congratulations to our Corinthian Award Winner, Henry Johnson!
Video courtesy of Steve Ross & Kerim Baran:
CARNAGE! Both on the Water and Off! Between damaged/malfunctioning boats and damaged infrastructure, we lost a number of ODOMs as well as a downed skipper (due to the collapsed concrete culvert in the control area: Get healed up, Paul!) Despite this, the conditions were beautiful with sunny skies, mild temperatures and good westerly winds. Chris Staiger RD’d the ODOM Fleet with Results below:
Following the ODOMs, the winds moved a bit southerly and became a little more shifty but didn’t slacken much. Gil Jansky RD’d the Soling 50 Fleet where racing was tight and lead changes were common. Overall, great day for Racing (and Gremlins…)
REMINDER: The Dragonflite95 Region 8 Championships are only TWO WEEKS AWAY!!! Get your Entries in! (see below)