Author Archives: wpmonkey

Summer is Coming

Posted on by

Summer is Coming

**Spoiler Alert**

This post contains Game of Thrones spoilers, so don’t read it if you are behind on the show.  I got Bill Barr, AG of the USA, to state the conclusions of the report since he was off yesterday.  

“It was fun.  Come out next week.”
 
On Wednesday, three days after the third episode of Game of Thrones aired, or as I call it “The Long Night +3,” six sailors braved the elements, including Owen, Griffin, Eric Ro., Alex, Forest, and me.  Doing a masterful job in the crash boat were Mike T. and Mark.The day was grey, like any other day in the northern climes of Westeros.  Thunderstorms prowled the lake resulting in light, shifty wind.  Wind Alert got it all wrong as it called for 15+.  Wind Alert proved as fallible as all the fanboy sites that predicted Jon Snow would off the Night King.  Nope, there wasn’t a lot of wind, and Arya, a teenage girl weighing a buck five, shattered the NK.  So much for predictions….

Three races, once around were held.  Griffin did his best impersonation of Dany riding Drogon torching the Lannister army in The Loot Train Attack (Season 7, Episode 4 for those keeping score).  He put the foot down and just flew.  Eric and Alex gave him a run one race, but it was pretty much done and dusted so far as who the best guy out there was, and who the best of the rest were as well.

So Griffin’s night was similar to the NK’s in the first half of Sunday’s episode.  The zombies comprising the Army of the Dead were kicking butt and taking names as was the G man.  I wasn’t as fortunate.  I think I know where all the remaining Valerian Steel is – in my boat!  I was slow!!  Sheesh.
As we attempted to get a fourth race off, the dragons flew through the clouds, spitting fire and clapping their wings.  The weather rolled in just like when a White Walker shows up at any spare to fair battlefield, and rain came down like Dany’s tears mourning the dying Ser Joura – slowly at first, and then a downpour! 

We were all soaking wet.  Alex stripped down and pranced about in his underroos.  Was he wanting to prove he’s not like Varys?  All I know is I can’t unsee it…. 

Forest loaded up a boat he will repair Gendry style for the new fleet loaner. Thanks, Forest!

Afterwards, Alex, Eric, Griffin and I went to Lake House.  Hot Pie wasn’t there, but two of his sisters were (they’re really nice!), and they kept us in beer and burgers.  

When the time to leave came, it was raining really, really hard.  Griffin and Eric counted to three to begin their run to their cars.  Eric pulled a Cersei, promising Griffin he would go on three just as Cersei promised Dany she would fight for the living – Eric stayed under cover and Cersei stayed at King’s Landing.  Griffin had a flip flop blow out as he ran, requiring him to double back.  The three stragglers stayed and had another round until the rain lessened.

It was a GREAT night for sailing and cajoling!  Adam, you HAVE to be at the lake next Wednesday as I have to pick your GoT brain.  Please come out, y’all, as the weather is getting better and better.  And yes, SUMMER IS COMING!!

 

Other Activities

The Laser fleet was active this weekend with Mark and Mike taking the FS Districts and Alex and me taking a distant third.  Congratulations, Mark and Mike!  

Griffin joined Jack at Lake Arlington to sail Aeros in the stout conditions.  Griffin reported Jack had one whale of a death roll which resulted from Jack pulling his board up to clear debris.  “Clean up in Aisle 4.”  But Jack righted the boat, and they had a ball.

One funny occurrence Sunday.  Alex was doing his best to get people to come to WR to sail Lasers.  He was talking to one RCYC sailor who said he refused to sail at WR “because you can do everything right and end up in the middle of the fleet.”  Really?  That’s not what I saw last night!!  WR is a great lake to sail on, and we all need to support the club, our fleet, and our lake.  Buy a CSC shirt!!  Represent!!

Weekend Regatta and Polos!

Posted on by

Weekend Regatta and CSC 80th Polos

Kessel Run Regatta: Join us at Viridian on an RS Aero this weekend!! The Kessel Run Regatta, hosted by Viridian Sailing Center is this weekend. Registration + Aeros charter is only $115, a screaming deal! Register here: http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/18808 and contact Jack Hattendorf with any questions. 

CSC 80th Polos: If you haven’t noticed Corinthian Sailing Club is celebrating its 80th year! It has been awhile since CSC has issued a club polo shirt, we have made special one for the 80th incorporating a special logo. All the fleets at CSC are getting them so they can be in their fleet photo. Fleet Photo? Yes, Fleet Photo! We will have our new polos and have a Laser on a dolly in front of CSC. We want everyone to be in it with the special 80th polos. The polos will be on sale for a limited amount of time via our online store. You will be able to sign up at May’s First Friday Party, all transaction will be done by credit cards. A Few Details: Sizes: S,M,L,Xl,XXL – Colors: Navy Blue or White – Cut: Regular Cut – Fabric: Dry Fit or Cotton.

https://corinthiansailingclub.wildapricot.org/store

How Close is Close

Posted on by

How Close is Close?

Yesterday we had five boats participate in consistently windy, shifty conditions. Sailing were Forest, Owen, Alex, Eric Ro., and Griffin. On the chase boat we had Dan, John, and Brig, all of whom had the best seat in the house for some incredibly close racing.

Owen started the night off with a runaway win followed closely by Forest. This race set the tone for what would be an excellent night of sailing by Owen.

The second race was a two lapper, and it was taxing. Griffin did a great job of hiking hard and using lots of boom vang to allow him to sheet out in the puffs, keeping the boat flat and fast. He might not have pointed as high as everyone else, but he was going fast to weather. Downwind he was simply the fastest through a combination of staying in the pressure and sailing the boat aggressively.

Race four saw Eric come to the fore sailing fast and with power. He really didn’t look back.
The last race had to have been one of the best I’ve ever seen. Alex started at the pin, but the predicted leftie really didn’t show up. Owen started at the boat and kept everyone under his thumb. He tacked when he wanted to, and continued to control the tight pack. Alex and Griffin stayed on starboard for a while, deciding to come into the mark on port. Griffin tacked several boat lengths before Alex, made a huge duck of a starboard tacker, and got in the starboard tack line, which was now the white Wall from Game of Thrones. Alex tacked onto port and, like the Night King riding the reanimated dragon Viserion, used his blue boat power to cut a hole in the Wall, tacking just under Griffin.  I was screaming like a kid!  Definitely the move of the night.

But this race was far from over! Yes, Owen had a lead, but the pack of Forest, Alex, Eric, and Griffin compressed to the point where they were four abreast reaching the zone at the leeward mark. Eric was on the outside and swung wide to jibe first. Forest had inside overlap on everyone and made his rounding with Alex right on his tail. Griffin rounded next with Eric closely following, and both tacked to starboard. Owen held onto his lead to win the final race of the evening, and the finishes were boom, boom, boom, boom after him.  How close is close?  Very!

Afterwards, Dan joined Eric, Brig, Forest, Alex, and Griffin at Lake House. It was a great capper to a fun evening of racing.

In order to be scored in the series, one must pay their dues of $50. This is been made painless by using……

More Wind!!

Posted on by
Gorgeous conditions met the eight sailors who competed last night, including Forest, Mark, Griffin, Eric, John E, Brig, Owen, and Adam.  Temps were in the low 70s. Winds were from the south puffing up to, say, 18. In fact, a Corinthian sailor mentioned to me, quite ominously, that it was blowing 18, and we might reconsider going out.  When I told him the youth go out when it’s blowing 40, a look of incredulity met my comment.  Different strokes!

Alex and Jim did a masterful job on the committee boat setting courses.  Five races, including one two-lapper, were completed just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Speaking of horizon, Griffin did a horizon job on the fleet in the first race, breaking away at the start and going fast.  And when it came to fast, no one was quicker than the Young Wizard downwind.  He stayed in pressure and surfed what waves there were better than anyone.

There were some pretty major shifts out there.  In one race, Forest and Mark went from the outhouse to the penthouse by banging the corner opposite the fleet ahead to spectacular results!  As we all know, the lake rewards being on the right side of the shifts, which are often accompanied by pressure.  It’s the best of both worlds if you get it right!!
The wind died in intensity as the racing wore on, but it was still hiking weather until the end.  Griffin scored three firsts with Mark and Brig taking one each.  

Two capsizes were recorded on the evening in the heaviest air first race, with Brig taking a swim while doing a penalty turn, and John must have turned in a decent death roll based on the hooting I heard!  Granted, I had 3 mm neoprene on, but it was not cold at all.

After racing, we retired to Shady’s for some delightful conversation (well, most of it was delightful!).  Jim joined Eric, Alex, Adam, Brig, Forest, and Griffin for a few adult beverages and good food.  When talk turned to Game of Thrones, Brig was banished to the kid’s table with Adam to geek out over the upcoming final season.  TV watching is a sport, you know!!

What a wonderful evening for sailing and friendship.  Dust your boat off and join us!!

First Wednesday Racing of 2019

Posted on by
The weather gods were very kind to provide Chamber of Commerce conditions for the first races of the Spring Series. We had temps in the 60s, mostly North wind between 2 and 12, and water that wasn’t too cold.

With the “A Team” of Eric Ro. and Griffin, ably assisted by their canine companions Zoe and Tiller, running the races, the rest of the group, including Forest, Mark, John E, Tim, Alex, Owen, Brig, and Adam (using one of our loaner boats to great effect!), all had a chance to have their moment of glory. The fleet was extremely close throughout the evening aided in large part by extremely shifty wind, which meant no lead was safe.

The first race pretty much summed up the evening. Tim had a commanding lead starting the last beat to the finish when he didn’t quite sail far enough to a right shift. He could do nothing as three boats sailed right past him! The night was full of similar chutes and ladders – you could go from hero to zero or from zero to hero in nearly the blink of an eye.

Even though the wind was not very strong, we had two capsizes on the evening. Alex scored a perfect 10 on his capsize. At the start of the first race he had the entire fleet pinned when he began a massive roll tack to port. It was a thing of beauty – until he didn’t get to the high side! Hooting and hollering from the race committee boat ensured everyone had a good look of the boat on its side
Eric and Griffin had a running commentary on the races as they progressed. Their mirth was stoked by the 40° shifts that prowled the course. Owen had a knack for being in the right place at the right time when a big one would come through, and he had quite the cheering section as result. The rest of us were on the receiving end of some pretty funny laughter. The committee’s presence and commentary made a fun evening even more fun!

A special shout out to John E and Adam! John E mixed it up in every race and sailed really well, taking a third in the last race. Adam also strutted his stuff in the last race by being in third place at the leeward mark! That’s what makes this fun!

On the evening we had Mark book ending the five races with wins, and Brig, Tim, and Forest snagging wins as well. Owen was the real winner of the second race; however, he sailed the wrong course. Gotta watch that course board.
Speaking of race format, in an experiment to see if we could get by with one crash boat, the starting line was set between two buoys with the committee boat unanchored sighting the line. A  three minute starting sequence and a white board for the course were implemented. This seemed to work out really, really well.

Afterwards the crew went to Lake House for some fine dining. Included were Mandy, Karly, Tim, Forest, John E, Griffin, Eric, Alex, Brig, and Adam. One of the waitresses took a real shine into the dogs, Zoe and Tiller, and fed them yummy bacon. My dog imitation was not quite up to snuff to warrant free bacon, alas.

All in all, a wonderful way to kick off the 2019 season. Using  the Three Bears analogy, the evening was “just right!”

Spring is Here!!

Posted on by

Even though the lake was flooded, debris abound, and breeze in the 20’s, we managed to get three boats on the water for our first practice day to kick off the Spring Season. Way to go Eric Roman, Forest Atkins, and Griffin Orr for splashing their boats in to enjoy some fun rides! I think Forest was the only one of the three not to go for a swim after a death roll!

We never like to see the lake flood, but a flood when the air is warm does bring up the water temperature which is now nearing 60 degrees. This sets us up very nicely for next week, the first official week of scored racing this year. First gun is at 6:00PM and we will race until dark. 

Stay tuned for a notice on race committee assignments, dues, a fleet meeting and also an upcoming loaner / dock work party.

Sailing Season Starts Again

Posted on by

With Daylight Savings this Sunday, we get an extra hour of daylight with the sun setting at 7:30!!! Though this is still early to have scored racing, we will hold practice races next Wednesday, March 13th to get us back in shape and clear all the cobwebs. I am planning to have a rescue boat on the water shortly after 6:00PM, with marks and a horn to set some short courses. Scored racing will begin Wednesday, March 20th, with first Gun at 6:00PM until the days lengthen. If you cannot make it in time for first gun, take your time and join us when you can as we shoot for 3-4 races each night.

Dinner and Arlington Packup After Races!!

Posted on by

Join us on the water tonight for some good fun on the water! Storms have moved out of the area and we are expecting a cool 5-15 knots of breeze out of the south. First gun is at 6:30 and we will race until sunset.

After racing, the fleet will be hosting dinner at the club as we pack boats for the LaserPalooza Regatta this weekend in Arlington. If you have not signed up yet, check out the link here: 
http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/17477#_registration

Also if you have questions about getting you boat to Arlington, please just ask Griffin Orr. The fleet will coordinate to make sure that anybody who wants to go can get their boat to Arlington.

There will be plenty of food but please BYOB. See you on the water tonight!

Tonight’s Forecast!

Sailing Locally And Afar

Posted on by

Wednesday Evening Racing Last Night

Thirteen boats hit the line last night to enjoy near perfect conditions at the lake.  There were 11 full rigs and two radials being sailed exceptionally well by Aubin and Rachel.

Winds were fairly steady straight down the pipe from the south.  BUT, there were shifts in there, and with courses that had a very long weather leg, it made for good tactical and strategic sailing.  

Speed was needed, too, and Chris B. had it in spades, giving up a tad of pointing to get to the next shift.  He sailed his own races, and he was rewarded with four of five firsts on the evening.

Racing in the pack was very close, with some fun mark roundings for the RC to watch.

Speaking of RC, we had Alex as PRO who did a good job making the calls on the course.  The first race was skewed as a big leftie filled in, but things worked out well after that.  He was a bit less stellar on getting participants’ names, so no rundown, but he did a great job running the boat by himself!

Afterwards, Griffin, Tim, Chris, Alex, Eric Ro., Greg, John (back for a few hour layover in Dallas), Forest and Mandy, Porter, and Cindy and Brig (with Angel) hit Lake House.  The young studs who repped in CO had a lively convo regarding their exploits of being out late and still sailing well later in the day(!).  Several Eastern European ladies will be telling stories back home, I am certain….   All in all, a perfect capping of a fun night of sailing.

Texas Laser Contingent Invades CO

DLF Sailors Alex G, Tim P, Eric R, and Griffin O braved an 1800 mile drive to sail on Grand Lake, nestled just west of Rocky Mountain National Park at 8,359 feet. The forecast showed for no wind all weekend, but as we drove in on Friday, there was a fresh breeze of about 15 knots from the east, giving us hope that there would indeed be racing. We could not launch our boats to test sail on Friday as they first had to be inspected for invasive species by the Parks and Wildlife Officer, however this did not stop Alex from hijacking a laser from the swim dock, much to the owners delight (As he no longer had to de-rig his boat)

Saturday started with 27 competitors and a breeze that slowly trickled in around 11:00AM out of the southwest. As race 1 started shortly thereafter, it became abundantly clear that the breeze was not going to last, slowly retreating from whence it came. Griffin took advantage of the direction of retreat and took an unfavorable shift to stay in the breeze, sailing twice the distance of his competitors to take a flyer into the weather mark, having gained a substantial lead. The downwind leg would see the wind die completely, with only the powerboat waves propelling the fleet forward. DLF sailors finished 1, 3, and would be 5, but Alex took his shirt off and neglected to put his PFD back on, thus was summarily disqualified. 

The afternoon saw the breeze shift 180 degrees and fill in to a fresh 10-15 knots for another 3 races seeing Griffin grab two more bullets, Eric a third, and Alex a second.

After festivities with the local sailors, encounters with two black bears, and some additional acclimating to the altitude, Dallas was ready for day 2!

Day 2 started much the same as Saturday with a dying southwesterly breeze, which gave us two races, the second of which Eric scored a third! We readied up for one last race as the wind predictably shifted 180 degrees and picked up to 10-15 knots. This race was one for the history books!! Griffin started at the pin and Alex at the boat, Griffin played the hard left and Alex played the hard right yet, yet still managed to both meet at the top mark ahead of the fleet with Alex having a 1/2 boat length lead!! Welcome to mountain sailing!! On the downwind leg, Alex picked a fight with a Brit, Griffin played it safe down the middle and Tim found a pocket of breeze that found him passing half a dozen boats. With one last upwind, we had to be sure that Texas left their mark on Colorado and we did with Griffin, Alex, and Tim finishing 1, 2, 3, respectively.

Griffin ended up first in the Regatta and exchanged Burgees with the Grand Lake Yacht Club. Team Texas pledged to return next year with even more boats and also extended invitations to the Colorado sailors to attend Wurst fest or Rock the Ice Regattas. Overall this was a fantastic regatta that none of us will forget and none of you should miss out on attending next year!!

Upcoming:

Laserpalooza — Details on this District 15 regatta, to be held the weekend of September 15 and 16 at Lake Arlington may be found here: http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/17477#_registration

JULY 4 — Woo Hoo!!!

Posted on by

Update on Sewage Mess

It appears that the mess has been contained well north of the lake, but official word from on high has not been issued.  Look for it soon, though.  Griffin is keyed into the point of contact on what’s happening with the situation.  But as of right now, ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO!

Aero Regatta

Okay, not Lasers, but several of our little band of merry makers attended Jack Hattendorf’s club away from our club, Viridian in Arlington.  The lake is part of a master planned community and is simply fantastic.  The docks are patrolled by a very large, strong man whom many of you all know, and to whom Alex refers as “Mr. Gough!”  Griffin’s report follows:

Dallas Sailors made their way to the Second Annual Viridian Firecraker Regatta to give a shot at sailing their 20 brand new RS Aero’s! Conditions were quite a bit more tame compared to our last venture to Viridian with winds from the South(ish) at 5-15 both days. 

Forest A, Brig N, Griffin O, Alex G, Eric R, and Jack H, all played a part in the fun. Racing was tight and no lead was ever guaranteed with the crazy shiftiness and variability of speed between boats. At times, one boat could be planing in a puff only tens of feet from another boat with limp sails. 

As pictured above, none of us will forget THE mother of all mark roundings. The leaders were nearing the leeward mark in light breeze when the middle of the fleet hit a puff and started planning, quickly closing the gap. By the time the first boats made it to the leeward mark, the wind was up and the fleet had completely condensed just in time for the carnage to begin! As Brig and several others discovered, these boats can capsize quite easily and unexpectedly. 

At the end of the event, DLF Sailors ended up 3rd, 4th, and 5th. We look forward to coming back for more!

July 4 Activities

In these unsettled times, we all need a place to get away and share time with friends, food, and libations while we celebrate how fortunate we are to live in the greatest country in the world.  The club offers that respite this Wednesday!

Opti Regatta (pre-party) —  Yes, Optis for Laser sailors and others.  The Young Wizard has organized quite the fun event with a  max of 18 boats to be raced beginning at 5:30 pm (First Gun).  Early betting favors Rachel M. of our fleet, but you never know when Mark B. or other dark horse will pull it out!  When I mentioned we are having this event to a person who lives elsewhere, he replied: 

Lets keep in touch and let me know how the Opti sailing goes. I assume it is kids sailing Optis and not you Eric, griffin, forest etc. That would be tragically funny.

Here’s to tragic funniness!!

Main Event — At 7 pm the club party begins, including a band, food, and adult beverages  The band is The Grace Pettis Band, food will be burgers grilled up by the appropriately named Hamburger Man, and libations will include beer, wine, water, and sodas.  Of course, our club is also a great spot to view the fireworks at Fair Park.