It seems as though a commonly used word at the pond this winter has been the word “COLD”! I believe most of us are pretty much done with it and ready for some warm spring weather. Light southwest winds and thick marine layer is how we started March 4 Points sailing. Luckily some sunshine provided subtle warming as the afternoon progressed.
VC Sail, Steve Ross cracked open the shed, greeted todays skippers and introduced our Race Director, Dennis Rogers. A non eventful skippers meeting was held and a fleet of 10 Soling 50 were on the clock, promptly at noon. Our medium courses was pretty much the norm. Larry Grant, a national Soling 50 champ showed us all how to navigate the race course. Nice sailing to all!
Special thanks to Pat Nevitt for expedited and accurate score cards. We all appreciate our updated scores!
Our ODOM fleet seems to be shrinking! Calling all ODOMS!! It is a long season and a big starting line . There is plenty of time to join in on the fun!
Special thanks to our volunteers Dennis Rogers, RD and Jason Brooks for assisting with marks, scoring and cleanup.. We could not do this without your help and commitment! Thank You!
MARCH EVENTS
March 11 – Soling Fun Day
March 18 – Points for IOM and DF95
March 25 – Make-up for DF95 and IOM (Feb. rain day make up)
Skippers could not have asked for a nicer day of February sailing! Plenty of sun, a few picturesque high clouds and pleasantly mild temperatures. I had anticipated the winds would have been steadier, with an early clearing and onshore flow. That certainly was not the case. Squirrelly would be the best word I could use to describe our pond today. Light variable pressure with an 8mph puff here and there. Challenging!
Volunteers that made today possible:
Steve Delva – Race Director
Gil Jansky – Mark Setting
Steve Ross- Scoring Assistant
Ken Titilah – Skiff Cleanup
Pat Nevitt – Score Keeper
ODOM Skippers filled the pond first with a fleet of seven. Unfortunately we had a few technical problems that thinned the fleet a little. Check those lines and wires! We need to keep our fleets healthy. Thanks to our good group of skippers we sailed with few fouls and a fun competitive spirit. Nice Sailing!
Ken, Jess and Kim making it go!
The Soling 50 fleet had their shot on the course with a fleet of 10 boats. Wind conditions remained variable and even lighter, so short course rounding became the standard.Great sailing guys!
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SPECIAL POND PIZZA & WORK PARTY
Saturday, February 11 – 10AM
Rake some green slime and have a good time. Our pond shores and shallows are in need of a little grooming. Let’s eliminate the slippery stuff and stay off our duff.. All hands are welcome..
It is almost the end of the month and I am way behind on my updates.. Yikes! We have had a busy start of the year with new membership and renewals, 2023 Points Races and planning for a long awaited and well deserved Awards Banquet and Trophy Presentation.. Let’s get started.
LUNCH BREAK
Saturday, January 7 began the first Points Racing of the new year. A truly beautiful San Diego winter day greeted Soling 50 and ODOM skippers eager to improve their skills and scores. Extra light winds in the 3-5 mph range prevailed throughout the afternoon so fleets were assigned short courses. Despite the very light conditions competition was tight at the top of the fleets. Unfortunately ODOM skippers had to scrap the last race of the day due to drifting conditions.
RD-Steve Ross
Mark Setting- Ben Reeve
Scoring- Pat Nevett & Steve Delva
Course wrangling and skiff clean up-Tom Warren
January 14 was scheduled for DF95 and IOM fleets to kick off their 2023 points season. Mother Nature had other ideas with heavy rain and wind in the forecast. Our master VC of Sail, Steve Ross, got us all off the hook early after a number of motivational messages from reluctant skippers. It rained for 3 or 4 days and San Diego received A LOT of rain. IOM and DF95 fleets were rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 28.
IOM and DF95 Fleets Rescheduled Saturday, January 28, 2023
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2022 Awards Banquet and Trophy Presentation
Saturday, January 21 the San Diego Argonauts celebrated a successful year of Scale Boating achievements and R/C Sailing awards. Mission Bay Yacht Club provided a beautiful bayside location and Hawaiian Style Buffet Dinner for the over 40 attendees.
Mark Hallberg greeted our group and introduced club officers. Tom Warren, master of ceremonies, kept the evening lively and guided us through the evenings program.
Rob Wood presented the Scale Division Awards to top members.
2019 SAIL POINTS WINNERS
Tom Warren presented trophies to skippers active in the 2019 sailing season. Due to COVID19 our clubs activities were suspended throughout 2020 and we wanted to recognize the sailors dedicated to our club. Belated Congratulations!
Soling 50
Fillippo Busalacchi
Gerry Wold
Kim Robbins
Santa Barbara
Gerry Wold
Lesty Sala
Bart Klatt
ODOM
Gerry Wold
Kim Robbins
Greg Williams
IOM
Konrad Witt
Larry Grant
Dennis Rogers
DF95
Larry Grant
Konrad Witt
Gerry Wold
2022 SAIL POINTS WINNERS
Bob Williams presented awards to top skippers of the 2022 sailing season. Congratulations!
Gerry Wold – 1ST PLACE ODOMKen Campbell – 1ST PLACE IOMGIL JANSKY- Best Improved SailorBen Reeve – Volunteer of the Year
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FINAL SCORES FOR 2022
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January 28 Points- IOM & DF95
Please don’t be fooled by these beautiful sunny images. A cool grey coastal marine layer dominated most of our day.
Bob Williams was our volunteer RD for the IOM and DF95 fleets. Thank You BOB!
Special recognition to the volunteers that made our racing today possible.
Steve Ross-Scoring Assistant
Pat Nevitt- Score Keeper
Chris Staiger- Marks & Skiff Cleanup
Fred Rocha manned the skiff and set numerous creative course situations. Pesky light south wind forced a skinny upwind leg for the IOM heats. DF95 skippers benefited by a moderate shift of breeze to the SW. Fred moved marks, once again, for sailing a more standard course for our pond.. Believe it or not-The sun was not out this much. Thank You Fred!
See the marine layer?
VC Sail- Steve Ross,
First, I would like to thank all of our volunteers for making Points happen for IOM’s and DF95’s. Bob Williams was the RD for the day, Thank you, Bob! Next, is Chris Staiger assisting with setting the course, also a Huge thank you to Fred Rocha for his racecourse management on a very challenging shifty wind that started with a light South East wind direction slowly shifting to South West. Fred spent most of the day in the dinghy and reorienting the race course with the shifting wind. Finally, I would like to thank Pat Nevitt for doing the scoring with a very quick turnaround on the results. Also, I would like to welcome Jess Atkinson to the Argonauts. Jess took everybody to school by winning the IOM and DF95 in a convincing victory in both fleets. Jess is a lovely guy with a wealth of knowledge of RC sailing.
Special thanks to our new members and all that participated today!
ODOM and Soling 50 skipper finished off their 2022 Racing Season with fair winds and weather. High clouds and filtered sun prevailed most of the afternoon as light NW seas breezes skimmed our pond. Dave Stong was our volunteer Race Director and efficiently managed 6 races for each fleet. Medium courses were the norm for most of the ODOM series. As the afternoon progressed and breezes became inconsistent Soling 50’s responded to the short course. Great fall sailing to close out the season.. thank you all that participated!
Borrowing the comment from Ken Campbell’s Email.. “To see how you finished up in the year-long Championship standings, you will need to attend the Awards Banquet on January 21, 2023.”
DECEMBER EVENTS
Dec. 10 – DF95, IOM Points
DEC. 17 – HOLIDAY PARADE OF LIGHTS
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AWARDS BANQUET
Mark is now actively collecting fees for our awards banquet. The cost will be $30.00 per person. In order to expedite matters, please pay with a check made out to the San Diego Argonauts.
Send Check to: Mark Hallberg
4989 Old Cliffs Road
San Diego, CA. 92120
Or, hand check to Mark at the Pond. Please include the number of guests you are bringing.
Mark would like to have a final count for the MBYC administration by the middle of December. They would be expecting at least 40 attendees. Realize, also, that this get together is for the entire club membership, though Sail Awards will be given out. Both the Scale and Power division members are invited.
This will be our first banquet in a few years and it will be held at an excellent venue. January 21st, 2023. Hor D’Oeuvers are served at 5PM, with dinner at 6PM.
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2023 Membership Drive
Tis the season to renew your San Diego Argonauts annual membership. The process is easy, fast and affordable! Here are a few easy steps to get another fun year of activities and Camaraderie with our unique R/C boat club.
Fill out the 2023 Membership Form that can be downloaded from this website.
$20 cash or check, with completed Membership Form to Gil Jansky.
Endorse $20 check to San Diego Argonauts R/C Model Boat Club.
Mail to:
Gil Jansky
10641 Gabacho Dr.
San Diego, Ca 92124
PayPal – Contact the Purser:
purser@sandiegoargonauts.com
Request a membership PayPal invoice and pay using the link you receive via email (no need to have a PayPal account).
Your support and participation is greatly appreciated.
November is a busy month for our club with voting /changing of club officers, planning a January awards banquet, coordinating the 2023 activities and events calendar and closing out the 2022 Pond Season with More Racing.HERE we GO!
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CARING FOR OTHERS
Wishing Pat a speedy recovery!
One of the most important things we do as as social club is recognize and help members and friends that would benefit from our thoughts and prayers. Patt Nevitt has been fighting health issues for many months. He has sailed and contributed to the Argonauts even when his energy level was low and he felt horrible. Likely, many of us didn’t even realize what he was fighting. Last Thursday Pat had major surgery and is now recovering in the hospital. Tom Warren and others have created a thoughtful incentive for Pat to make a speedy recovery. A picture board full of great memories and get well wishes from us all.. We are all pulling for you Pat!
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2023 Officers
Commodore Mark Hallberg kicked off our meeting today with voting and a club consensus of our 2023 officers. Much appreciation should be directed to our 2022 board members that helped us recover from the dismal COVID years. Great Job!
Congratulations to our new Argonauts Officers:
Commodore- Tom Warren
Vice Commodore Sail- Steve Ross
Vice Commodore Scale- Rob Wood
Vice Commodore Power- Bill Bridge
Secretary- Steve Delva
Purser- Gil Jansky
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AWARDS BANQUETT
Mark is now actively collecting fees for our awards banquet. The cost will be $30.00 per person. In order to expedite matters, please pay with a check made out to the San Diego Argonauts.
Send Check to: Mark Hallberg
4989 Old Cliffs Road
San Diego, CA. 92120
Or, hand check to Mark at the Pond. Please include the number of guests you are bringing.
Mark would like to have a final count for the MBYC administration by the middle of December. They would be expecting at least 40 attendees. Realize, also, that this get together is for the entire club membership, though Sail Awards will be given out. Both the Scale and Power division members are invited.
This will be our first banquet in a few years and it will be held at an excellent venue. January 21st, 2023. Hor D’Oeuvers are served at 5PM, with dinner at 6PM.
We are winding down the final 2 months of the 2022 Sailing Season and today we had a nice showing of Soling 50 and ODOM skippers. It truly was a perfect fall day in San Diego. The sea breeze was a little better than anticipated and ranged from about 2-8mph with shifting directions from W to NNW. Fleets managed 6 races each with mostly medium courses. Nice sailing today!
A big thank you goes to Kim, Tom, Steve for assisting in volunteering as RD’s & helping out with the RD. duties. And thank you Ken for the racing results!
VCS, Bob!
Thank You Kerim Baran for documenting Ken Campbell’s Racing Rules Clinic:
The San Diego Argonauts also held an IOM Fun Regatta on October 8. I understand the event was a lot of fun, but lightly attended. I will post results and other information when they become available.
September 3, 2022. The morning started out very warm and very calm for our Labor Day Weekend Soling and ODOM Points Racing. RD Keith Stemal and Kim Robins set a nice course and the gentle sea breeze kicked in right on time for a hot day of sailing. Ken Campbell’s Racing Rules Clinic covered the topic of proper course.
San Diego Argonauts launched into August points races with full summer conditions. Our pond, located right on the edge of the marine layer shield and sunshine, benefits with prevailing NW sea breezes. Today, our warm small waters event provided 3-13mph conditions. (gusto) FUN!
The topic of Ken Campbell’s racing rules clinic focused on leeward gate rounding. Thank you Ken for another informative discussion.
Five ODOM skippers were on the clock at noon, under the direction of Dennis Rogers. Generously heeling ODOMS began their six race series with all medium courses. Great sailing guys!
Eight Soling 50’s were on the course next to what Chris Staiger described as “one of craziest wind conditions he ever experienced with his Soling.” Boats heeled from a dramatic punch from the right, then appeared headed with little or no wind at all on the bow. I must say, Chris handled it well!
Commodore Mark Hallberg was on site, taking notes and joined the “peanut gallery” for some great camaraderie. VC Bob Williams held the group together with his untethered support and good old fashioned hot dogs after the day of sailing. Thank you all that participated!
It looks like we have definitely overcome the May gray and June gloom syndromes as sailors were greeted by picture perfect summer weather, excellent winds and delightful pond conditions. Also a huge surprise, traffic and parking were quite tolerable for a holiday weekend!
A special thank you for the crew that helped make these races possible. “R” white striped referee RD Ken Campbell, Gil Jansky for left biased and drifty mark setting, Kim Robbins for mark retrieval and skiff clean-up and Bob Williams for post racing hot dog rewards.
CUMULATIVE
The first three ODOM races Gerry Wold was inadvertently affected by a rubber band handicap. During lunch break, Gerry discovered a rubber band wrapped around his keel bulb! Finger printing and DNA sampling are being conducted to determine if it was sabotage or a naturally occurring pond phenomenon? Non the less Gerry is still FAST!
CUMULATIVE
There is a lot to this thing we call sailing and its not just about winning a race, so I asked google:
What’s fun about sailing? What’s so great about sailing?
Answers:
Sailing is an invigorating sport that offers many rewards, not the least of which is that it’s simply so much fun. Imagine white sails billowing against a clear sky, the brisk feel of the breeze on your face, and the gentle motions of the boat as it cleanly slices through the water.
Some sailors gain a profound sense of oneness with their boat, the sea, and the wind. The boat becomes a self-contained universe, the process of sailing becomes all-consuming. Any sense of time changes and expands, small moments becoming more important. Sailing can be a meditative, reflective and engrossing experience.
It seems fitting that our June report would appear on the summer solstice with the surprising monsoon clouds pouring in from the east. Did someone just flip the summer switch?
I’ve been absent most the month but it appears lots of good vibes are happening on our pond. The following is an update thanks to the numerous contributions of club members.
Cultivating interest in our hobby is something all of us should be excited about. Sailing is challenging, engaging and fun. It also helps build and sustain our hobby and club. Here is an experience Ben Reeve had to share. It puts a smile on my face!
Hey Skippers,
Just a happy little story from today…
Sharing your controller with a visitor at the pond can be a very rewarding and heartfelt experience. Today, between races, I overheard someone asking some questions of a skipper who had just taken his boat out of the water. I had just finished a practice race and went over to offer my controller to the Mom, and her two kids. They had driven by and stopped on their way to the airport to see what we were doing and were getting ready to leave back to Colorado.
I handed my controller to Delaney who I found out actually had a little sailing knowledge sailing her very own 18’ day sailor on the lake in CO. She took to the IOM very well, and here’s a photograph of how she felt about it.
As you can see, she’s all smiles and was having a fantastic time. After a few moments of getting used to the controls she even started a race, with me coaching and did pretty well. Her brother Evan was on a DF95 shortly after this with another skipper handing over the controller. Both were all smiles in no time. They didn’t have much time, but after about 30mins we shook hands with Mom and Evan, and I got a little hug from Delaney for making her day. It’s safe to say she is hooked on RC sailing!
SO PLEASE – when someone asks questions, take a moment and share our joys and passion of the sport. Pretty soon these two will be back, and you can bet they will be hard to beat!
Wishing you all good winds!
Ben
SAILING POINTS FOR JUNE
A Note From our Vice Commodore of Sail, Bob Williams:
We have 15 more Pts Races this year and we NEED to fill the following schedule. If you volunteer for a particular date & you cannot make that date it is your responsibility to find a substitute & notify VCS Bob! It is obvious that sailors do not want to get the skiff out to set & pick up marks.If you are not comfortable about doing this , ask for assistance as I am sure others will help you!! If not, I will appoint you some help! Please email me your volunteer RD dates
Thank you, Bob!
July 2 -Sol50,ODOM , S/B
July 23 -DF95, IOM
Aug.6 -ODOM,Sol50,S/B
Aug.13 DF95 Fun Regatta
Aug.20- DF95,IOM
Sept.3 Sol50,ODOM, S/B
Sept.10- DF95,IOM
Oct. 1- ODOM,Sol50, S/B
Oct. 8- IOM Fun Regatta
Oct. 15-DF95,IOM
Nov.5- Sol50,ODOM, S/B
Nov.19-IOM,DF95
Dec.3- ODOM,Sol50,S/B
Dec.10-DF95,IOM
Dec.17-Holiday Lights
2022 Midseason Cumulative Points Update
Thanks to our score keeper, Ken Campbell, posted are cumulative points for active fleets in Sail Division. Club Points Regattas are conducted two Saturdays a month. This year we have skippers sailing DF95, IOM, SOLING 50 and ODOM class RC sailboats on Mission Bay Yacht Model Pond. If you are interested in joining the regatta activity, it’s not too late to get in on the fun.
