Woodstock Sailing Team
Ron Wright, MC 2398
Official Blog Site
Summer Sailing Safari 2008

Mid June 2008. 

I am apprehensive about the trip.  A lot has happened since I first laid plans at the end of last year's MC Nationals.  Most regrettably, John Holmes cannot go.  I will miss his friendship.  We founded these Safaris as Lightning sailors in 2003 and shared many cherished memories.

I reached points where I thought I might not go.  At one point, I had to cancel to escort my daughter to college in the northwest.  That changed two weeks later and the trip was back on.  Then came the steady increases in the cost of gas.  To save on gas, I cancelled the lake house I had reserved and planned to camp in the van.  A really great fact about racing in the north is that summer temps are just wonderful:  mid eighties in the day, sixties at night.  But after cancelling the lake house, I learned the Pewaukee Yacht Club does not have shower facilities.  Neither do any of the state parks on the lake.   PYC has posted that free housing is available with local sailors.  I put my name on the list and have been assigned quarters.   Will not know with whom until I arrive.

As I follow the national website it has become more and more evident that the cost of gas is detracting from Southern participation.  Jack Kern is coming from Texas and I am registered from NC.  Two boats out of 47 as of June 11.  In a regatta report from Beaufort, vice-commodore Jeff Annis invited Beaufort participants to sail the back to back regattas in Charleston July 19 and July 25.  He was the first name on an informal scratch list.   That was pretty much that.  There are always a few participants who don't register on-line, but it appears that there will be very little participation from the Southeast.  I hope that doesn't affect participation in two years when the event moves to Atlanta.

To make matters worse, the summer rains have closed the Mississippi to racing in Davenport and it was just a few days ago that Lake Pewaukee opened to power boats - a necessity for running any regatta.

But it still works for me.  I have relatives in the Quad City area on the Mississippi.  I have friends at Lake Davenport Yacht Club where I will race on Sunday, July 20.  The Mississippi recently reopened and as of today, they are racing.  The fleet at Lake MacBride near Iowa City has assured me that Saturday, July 19 will be a club racing day and they have encouraged me to please come.   Past history has shown me that club racing has often been the best part of safari racing. 

I also enjoy the Quad Cities.  My sister/brother-in-laws are gracious hosts and I enjoy their company immensely.  And my better half, Susan, will be travel company to the Quad Cities.

I have trimmed cost way down.  I will not spend one night in a hotel.  We can "haul the mail" from Charlotte to Davenport in one long day.  Once I arrive at the Quad Cities, every other location on the Safari is a short hop. 

I have no illusions about nationals.  I will get my tiller handed to me by the northern sailors.  But I also will really enjoy the sailing and know there is always something to work on.

July 13, 2008

There was great wind today on Lake Wylie.  I sent an e-mail to Fleet 86 seeking anyone interested in last minute sailing.  Bill Schiffli met me at CYC.  The wind was coming from the southwest and we set a course to cross the lake and then race back to CYC.  We ran five great races.  Bill has really improved his sailing and is a very fast racer.  Best thing about this day is we were very closely matched in speed.  It made for great practice whether I was chasing Bill or trying to hold a lead.  I worked on boat speed and used my velocitek to try different settings.  There was great breeze.  I actually vanged a couple of times.

July 17:  Last practice opportunity at CYC Summer Series.

I breeze is forecast, I'll get in one last practice.  If light air is forecast, I'll stay home and finish packing.

Light air.  Home to pack.

Itinerary

July 18:  Travel Day - CYC to Davenport Yacht Club, Mississippi River, Davenport, Iowa.

Baby you can Drive My Car...

We got a late start - 11 AM.  We took 161 up through Kings Mountain and turned east on Hwy 74.  Outside of Rutherfordton, I notice the driver's side fender on the trailer had rotated forward.  I guessed the fender had detached from the trailer at the forward and rear bolts leaving it loose to rotate forward on eth center brace arm.  I pulled off on an exit to inspect it.  As I approached the tire, I could smell burning rubber and knew it was worse than I thought.  As the fender rotated forward, the center bolt on the brace arm had literally cut away one of the tires center treads.  It would be risky driving, but I had no other choice as Jamie Kimball had my spare tire.  I removed the fender and headed north on I-26.  I would try to get a repair in Hendersonville. 

We pulled into a Hendersonville WalMart.  No luck there.  They did not replace trailer tires and they did not have a 13" five lug tire in the store.  I would try a locally owned Michelen dealer I had seen coming off the interstate.  Here we found a great slice of Americana.   They had a tire and fixed us up instantly at a very fair price.  No more Wal Marts for me.  

From there we drove the rest of the way uneventfully.  Today, we would pay the price for the rest of our trip - 14 hours of driving.  We rolled in to Joyce and Dave's at 2 AM EST.  We went straight to bed as I was intent on making the trip over to Lake Macbride in the morning.

It would be Saturday night before I would figure out the trailer problem.  I believe the builder did not construct a clean fit of the three attachment points.  He probably assembled it loosely and then tightened down the bolts, forcing the fender to comply.  Two years of travel had finally caused the fender to break away at the front and rear bolts.  The bolts did not fail.  The fender sheet metal literally cracked all around the two bolts.  I would make due for a few days and re-engineer it Monday.

July 19:  Club racing, Lake MacBride Sailing Club, Iowa City, Iowa [Map]

Sailing, takes me away from where I'm going...

I arose at 9 AM local time and an hour later was cruising I-280 and I-80 toward Iowa City.  The ninety minute trip went quickly.  I stopped at "the world's largest truck stop" for gas.

As I turned north on US 1, signs indicated the road was closed at Solon.  Solon was where I would turn left toward the lake.  I would have to hope the closure was after my left turn.  It was.  In fact, I arrived at Solon just in time for the annual "Beef Days" parade.  As I turned left in the middle of town, I saw people everywhere on both sides of the road.  I had gotten there either just ahead of the parade or just after.  [No, I wasn't in the middle of it, though Boo Boo would have made a fine parade float!]

Lake Macbride Sailing Club is located in the middle of Lake Macbride State Park.  As far as I am concerned, it is a sailor’s heaven.  When the park was opened, there was enough local interest to create a specific sailing area.  There are four ramps with well maintained floating docks.  There is an additional staging dock.   The roads and ramps are concrete.  There is a large parking area.  There is a large, lush, grass field right off the road.  At days end, sailors simply lay their sails out on the grass and roll them up for bagging.  I had not seen that since Pymatuning in 2005.  Large pine trees shaded the fields during set up and pack up.  A picnic shelter served as a meeting and greeting place.  There were no ducks to mess up the grass and docks.  A fenced in security area allowed sailors to leave their boats, mast up, when not sailing.

Some might look down at Macbride State Park.  It is not a private club.  There is no clubhouse.  But for this sailor, the MSP amenities were beautiful and addressed every sailing need one could ask for.

By far, the best thing about sailing Lake Macbride is the local law prohibiting powerboats over 10 hp. There are no 150 hp bass boats, no jet skis, no cruising yachts, and in fact, no wakes.  That fact turned what could have been a boring day into great racing.

We could feel the wind, but we just couldn’t see it.  The local sailing ace and former MC Scow national champion, John Spargo would serve as OD today.  There were some ripples on the water and he encouraged us to launch and give it a try. 

John introduced me to the other six scow sailors and went over a few instructions.

Three boats came over from Iowa State University on the water and brought the ISU pontoon boat.  MSC used a jon boat with, you got it, a 9.9 outboard to set marks. 

On the water, we floated around and caught occasional puffs.  John moved and moved the marks to set a square course.  In watching John, I realized a huge advantage of running a windward/leeward course consisting of 2 legs:  a windward leg and a leeward leg to finish.  For a two lap race, the starting buoy doubled as a leeward mark.  This course configuration allowed for the longest windward legs on a narrow lake, but more importantly, John could adjust for wind direction very easily.

The wind filled into 5 mph with occasional gusts that required hiking.  It was fluky and shifty.  We sailed five great races.  We never once floated.  The lack of powerboat wake allowed us to build and hold max speed in these light winds.  After an initial one lap race, we ran four more two lap races.

I was terrible on the starting line, mostly because of bad luck with wind shifts.  But in race one, I caught and passed one scow on the leeward leg for a third.  In races 2,4 and 5, I sailed real well and placed second each time.   In race three I misunderstood the course instructions and sailed to the wrong mark, coming in dead last!!   All in all, it was a great day of racing.  We stayed out for three solid hours.  The MSC skippers were great competitors and great people.  Once in a tight mark rounding, a skipper reached out and stopped our boats from rubbing.  “No sense in chipping rub rails in club racing.” He said.  On we sailed with no griping and no protests the entire day.

Back on shore, we retrieved our boats and packed up.  The MSC skippers all helped me pack up Boo.  We shared a few stories and debriefed the day.  The MSC skippers all use tell tales on their sails AND shrouds ala my Lightning days. Mike Hammer, who won every race, explained his reasoning to me and I decided to give it a try back in Charlotte.

I packed up and headed back to Joyce’s.  I was greeted with a steak dinner! Yum.

This day was the epitome of the best of the Ron/Jon sailing safaris.  The regattas John and I have sailed together have all been fun, but the casual club racing and fellowship with sailors at Susquehanna, Solomon’s Island, Washington Sailing Marina, and now Lake Macbride have always surpassed the highly competitive regattas for pure fun.

July 20:  Club racing, Davenport Yacht Club, Davenport, Iowa on the Mississippi

You know, if you break my heart I'll go, but I'll be back again...

A really long day.

I got up at 10 o’clock local time and fixed the fender.   I traveled the short distance to Davenport Yacht Club and was there by 11:30.  I wasn’t early enough.

Club racing at Davenport is the closest thing to regatta racing you will find.  Lake Davenport is really just a wide part of the Mississippi River.  It’s wider than usual because it is backed up by a controlled dam.  Actually the entire Mississippi is controlled by a series of dams and locks.  It’s hard to explain, because the dams aren’t like the huge hydro electric dams on the Catawba River.  The drop off on the back side of a Mississippi dam is about nine feet.  Water always flows over the top.  When mother nature in the north sends too much water down river, or torrential rains cause the waters to rise, the engineers open the dams to let more water flow, thus controlling the river level.  Sometimes, as was the case during the summer of 2008, it doesn’t matter if the dams are wide open.  Too much water can still cause the river to rise and flood. 

Things were pretty much back to normal on July 20.  And, there was a great breeze.  Make it 8-9 mph.  We would be hiking all day, but not overpowered. When one races at Davenport, you know in advance there will be two races – one at 1 PM and 1 and 3 PM.   The races will be set up to last approximately one hour and fifteen minutes long.  In today’s breeze, that would mean five long legs.  There would be lots of strategy.

I was working pretty hard at setting up Boo Boo, but before I was really ready, I realized the other scows were heading out.  It was 12:30 and I wasn’t even over the wall [launched].  It was really hot and humid too.  I hurried best I could, launched, and pushed off.  I raised the sail and realized I had not attached the outhaul.  To make a long hot story short, one hat overboard, one pair of sunglasses overboard, and twenty minutes later I was properly rigged and heading for the start: totally exhausted and drenched in sweat.  About 200 yards away from the starting area, the gun sounded and the MCs were underway – without me.  

I was disappointed.  All the way from Charlotte and they couldn’t wait five more minutes for me.  But that’s not how racing is done at Davenport.  There are no skipper meetings for club racing.  Skippers are to know the starting times for each race and are responsible to be there.  I had no one to blame but myself.

I fell in behind the fleet and practiced my catch-up game.  The wind was great and so was the sailing.  I made some gains and made the best of the error.  It was so hot, I kept a river soaked towel around my neck and refreshed it with cool water frequently.

One tradition Davenport does, that I have never seen anywhere else, is take a break between races.   Everyone sails in to the clubhouse.  It gave me a chance for some much needed cooling off and regrouping.

At 3 PM, I was where I was supposed to be, ready to start and run a race.  I carved a great position on the starting line and nailed the start.  I was out front and in the lead – for a few seconds.  “2398 you are over early!” bellowed the line judge.  And I was.  It took me a few yards to clear everyone and go back to start over.  By the time I rounded the starting pin and headed up river, I was way behind.  Well, the wind was great so I went back to the catch up game.  And this time, it paid off.  I caught two boats on the second downwind leg. 

I was so tired and hot, it took me an hour and a half to pack up Boo in the hot sun. The DSC hoist was a Godsend for putting the road cover on.  At 6:30, I headed for the McCall homestead – pretty worn out and just wanting a cold shower.

We went for dinner at the Captain’s Table:  great seafood right on the Mississippi River.  It was just what the doctor ordered for me.

July 21:

Don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky, Stormy Weather....

Around 5:30 AM, we were awakened by stormy weather.  From our waterbed in Joyce’s room, we had a great view through the large double windows.  The trees were swaying severely.  Lightning and thunder were awesome.  The mess the next day was not awesome.  The news reported @200,000 residents without power – including us.  Tree damage was extensive.  Joyce and Dave lost several.  The storm killed a four year old when a tree fell on his campground tent and crushed him.  His siblings are hospitalized in critical condition.  The mayor of Moline, one of the Quad Cites, declared a disaster area.  Winds were clocked at the nearby Quad Cities Airport, which had to close all day, at 94 miles an hour. 

Without power, we couldn’t do a whole lot.  Dave hooked up two inverters to run the refrigerator and an occasional TV set to run the news.  Susan, Joyce, and I drove 30 miles to Galesburg [childhood home of Carl Sandburg] for lunch, ice, and supplies.  As of 7 PM Monday night we have no power and TV news offers no hope for quick restoration.  For me, it is a small distraction.  Joyce and Dave own an energy efficient house.  It stayed cool all day, without AC.  I leave Wednesday morning for Pewaukee.  For Susan, Joyce, and Dave, I can only pray for power quickly.

9 PM CST.  Power restored.

10 PM CST.  Power back off.

July 22:  Lay Day 2

5 AM CST.  Power back on.

We arose to the welcome world of electricity.  The first thing on everyone’s mind was a hot shower. 

We drove into the quad cities for breakfast.  The storm damage was a lot worse that I had imagined.  Not quite Hugo, but still pretty bad.  Most everyone in Moline lost trees.  Some fell on houses.  Power poles were snapped in half.  On balance, we were pretty lucky.

Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream.....

With a little time to kill, I read through my sailing notes, watched John’s Harken/Melges video, read over the Pewaukee sailing advice in Touch of Class, and then found myself checking on my statistics at national sailing events.  Pretty dismal, unfortunately, but perhaps something to build on.  Here is what I found:

Ds = A race was held but I chose not to sail.  In these instances it was due to high winds exceeding my skills!

In the four national regattas I have sailed, there has been an average of 78 boats.  My average place finish is 66.  As a percentage, that means I usually place in the bottom 15%. 

However, these statistics are somewhat skewed by the 2007 Midwinter Championships.  My final place was seriously influenced by the high number of sailors who skipped the final days racing due to high winds.  Still, in the races we did sail, my finishes of 53-49-55 out of 72 boats is without question the best I have sailed.   Take out the 2007 Midwinters, and I clearly am sailing in the bottom 12%.  Ughh.

So much for history, it’s time to move on to goal setting.

I’d like to sail my best national regatta ever.  That would mean I need to finish 51 or higher out of 63 or 19%.  If that doesn’t happen, I would like to beat my average of 15%.  That would be 53 or higher.  That will be easy to track on the water.   Just finish ahead of ten boats every race. 

July 23:  Travel Day - Davenport to Pewaukee Lake, Wisconsin  [Map]

I think I’m in heaven…..

I am in sailing heaven, at least scow heaven.  Everyone who sails a scow, of any kind, should be required to make one pilgrimage to Pewaukee, Wisconsin, for if there is a scow heaven, it is here.

My hosts are Fred and Barbara, a local family.  They live in a lakeside home less than a mile over the water from the Pewaukee Sailing Club.   I can see Boo Boo from their lawn.  They are sailing enthusiasts who raised their family on Lake Pewaukee.  Everyone sails.  Their children are all grown and married except Sara who is a nursing student.  I also met daughter Helen, a teacher and scow sailor.  Out of the goodness of their hearts and a sense of duty to support their club regattas, the Weber’s agreed to host a sailor for the regatta.  I was the lucky skipper assigned to their home.

I might as well be in a resort.  They have offered me the entire basement which opens to the lake on one side.  I have a bedroom, bathroom, great room, and patio.  As I write, a spectacular Midwest sunset is unfolding before me.

Pewaukee is home to the Harken Block Company.  It is a quaint Midwestern village with a surrounding town.  The sailing club is home to large scow fleets.  When we arrived today, sailing school was in progress and a dozen youngsters were learning to sail Optis.  They regularly put twenty ice boats on the line for winter sailing.  I know these things because Fred took me to dinner tonight at a locally owned 5 O’Clock Club and insisted on treating me to a local favorite:  the “Little Cluck” sandwich.  Afterward, he took me on a driving tour of Pewaukee in his beloved, and I would add immaculate, 1990 Buick Reatta.  A local blues band was playing on the village waterfront and several hundred residents were enjoying the sounds. 

Fred grew up with the Harken brothers.  The Harken brothers do not make sailboats.  But they make all the hardware necessary to make a sailboat go.  Even an MC Scow, small by boat standards, uses a two dozen Harken “blocks” to route the control lines so the sailor can make the boat go.  Harken is easily the largest maker of sailing hardware in the world.  Let me leave it at this:  Dennis Connor and most other skippers in the America’s Cup races use Harken blocks.

Pewaukee is home to many of the finest scow sailors to ever or currently sail the boats.

Okay, I’ll calm down….

Me and you and boat named Boo, traveling an’ a livin’ off the land…

The drive up from Davenport was uneventful.  I took my time, stopping often for gas or food.  My only complaint about this entire trip is that the Midwest winters are murder on the Midwest roads.  Time and again, Boo Boo and I bounced over potholes and cracked or broken pavement.

I got tickled going through Mukwonago, Wisconsin!   Just say it ten times and you’ll get the picture.

We arrived at the club to find a well tuned volunteer army to check us in.  I met Chris Gannon, the only familiar face to me, in the parking lot.  We shared greetings and then got in line together with our boats for check in.  Chris and I have newer boats.  The metal weights that make all MC Scows the same weight were sealed in place by the manufacturer and for that small fact, we both were checked in without having to weigh our boats.  I launched Boo and a volunteer moved him around to a waiting dock.  After parking, another volunteer towed me to the mooring area nearby.  Mooring means our boats will stay in the water for the entire regatta.  I like it that way, because it means no banging and scraping on the docks before and after racing.  Mooring means a boat is simply anchored slightly offshore.  More volunteers run “water taxis” to carry skippers to and from our boats.  The anchor stays in the water attached to a small buoy.  Daily, I will simply untie Boo Boo from the buoy and go race.  When done, I find the buoy and tie back up for the night.  A water taxi takes me to shore.

My buoy marker is not just any buoy.  It is Wilson.  I’ll leave that to the reader to figure out, but will say it resembles a famous soccer ball with a red face.

So I close today’s blog by saying this is why I sail and why I travel.  I make great new friends, visit interesting places with beautiful sunsets, and live the closet life to an adventurer I can in this crazy world.

From Pewaukee, Wisconsin,

Ron, Boo Boo, and Wilson

July 24   MC Scow Nationals, Pewaukee Lake.

Day 1

Shot through the heart and you're to blame...

I returned to PYC for day one of the MC nationals.  We were greeted with no wind and after sailing around hoping for wind, the RC sent us in for lunch.  We headed back out at 1 with a great breeze brewing.  We would be hiking all afternoon in 8-10 mph winds.

I had two great starts.  Both times, I drifted perfectly to the line and held my place, shooting out on the front row when the gun went off.  It didn't matter.

I don't have the faintest idea what I am doing.  My boat speed and boat handling were great.  I caught and passed boats downwind and I was never passed in side by side racing upwind.  But I don't have any idea what the geometry of the race course is in my scow.  In race one I rounded the first windward mark ahead of 10-15 boats.  By the end, I beat one boat.  In race 2, I was ahead of 20 boats at the first leeward gate.  I beat one boat at the end. 

I am going to take a pencil tomorrow and mark my headings on the deck to get some idea of where I am going.  I can't be this bad.

July 25

Day 2, MC Scow Nationals, Pewaukee Lake.

Race 3-4

It's the same old song.....

Great starts, solid windward legs, back of the pack by the final leg.  I actually had a last place in race 3.  I think I got beat by a guy who capsized!

Race 5

And...I'm... ready to take a chance again....

I had another great mid-line start.  By my count I was lifted big time and held on to the left corner.  When I tacked back, I had the mark nailed pretty well.  I rounded in the mid forties, by my guess, the best leg I have sailed so far.  I still lost a lot of boats in the remaining 4 legs, but I did do better.    I hit a great lift on the final leg and worked hard to hike and sail a consistent angle of heel.  It paid off.  I turned around after I finished and stopped counting after ten boats.  Back on land I had a 57 out of 68.  11 boats.

I am contemplating tomorrow.  Even with only one race scheduled, the time to retrieve 68 boats, one at a time,  will be at least two hours, especially for the last boats in.  I think I have decided to sneak away in the morning and skip the last race.  We'll see.

A great treat at the evening dinner.  Charles Hedge and the Milwaukee Connection performed.  They were a true blue swing band featuring drums, bass, guitar, vibes, and clarinet.  Not a musician was under 60!  They were awesome. 

July 26:  Travel Day.  Pewaukee Lake to Davenport

On the road again...

Snuck off at 10 AM.  Picked up Susan and we started home with an overnight stop in Louisville.

July 27:  Travel Day:  Louisville to Charlotte.

Home in record time.