April 25, 2007
What... I wait six months for this? Our first race of the 2007 KBRS season and
it's cold and rainy. Not a very good start. Oh well, there's more to come this
year. At least the lake is full. I guess I can hold on for another week. Maybe
that will give more boats a chance to get in the water. Besides, we just had
snow less than two weeks ago. See you at the races next Wednesday night! Bring
warm weather, favorable winds, and some sunshine.
5/2/07
Finally, we get to race. On an overcast day, the rain subsided just in time to
allow six racers to get on the water and compete. A few new boats were competing
and more will be joining them as the year goes by.
Although only a handful of boats were out, the competition remained strong and
will get better as the summer goes by. We look forward to having teams from last
year join us soon. See ya at the lake on Wednesday!
5/9/07
Okay, I've had enough. Mother Nature better step up and get on board with this
race thing. One week, we have too much wind, cold weather, and rain. The next
week has fair winds. And now, on week three, the lake lays down like glass.
After three shots signaling the cancellation of the race, I think I actually
heard cheers from the shore. But it was still a beautiful night to be at the
lake, if not on it. As a result of two race cancellations, the Spring series is
now reduced to the best of six races. Good luck to all.
5/16/07
Okay, this is getting crazy... and I don't mean the good kind. Two weeks in a
row with too little wind to run a race. So what does a sailor do? Some play
golf, some go watch America's Cup racing, and others just hang around at the
lake. Pray for a good breeze next week.
5/23/07
I don’t know if is unprecedented to cancel 4 out of 5 races, but Mother Nature
hasn’t been kind to the KBRS racers so far this year. Here, after the fifth
week, we have had two races cancelled from high winds, and the same cancelled
from low (actually no) wind. In today’s race, a constant flow of storms traveled
along just west of the lake and dumped 7+ inches of rain on Hutchinson. In
hindsight, we probably could have raced, but the risk would have been too great.
After the tragedy at Greensburg, it better safe than sorry. There are boats that
can handle the rough water and others that shouldn’t try. But one thing’s for
sure, the committee boat has its limits. Chances are that we will race next
week… but who knows. At least there is enough water in the lake now. See ya on
Wednesday (hopefully).
5/30/07
It was obvious tonight that the KBRS racers are starved for sailing. The skies
were threatening to cancel us for a 5th time this year before the race, but the
sailors stayed. The forecast was for low winds, and still the sailors stayed. As
a result, 11 boats had a beautiful night of racing when the skies cleared around
the start gun and the breeze stayed up just long enough to push the boats
through the 4 mile course in a timely manner. And it was a good thing, because
the first cookout of the season was scheduled for tonight. All had a great time
and it was fun seeing so many participants. I’m already looking forward to next
week. See ya at the lake!
6/6/07
Ahhh! What a crappy year for Wednesday night racing with so many canceled races.
We were experiencing 40 mph winds with gusts to 50. From the Afterdeck, you
could see waves splashing up on the point on the East side of the lake. It
looked like must have been going
15 ft. in the air. No place for a casual sailboat race. Hopefully see you next
week. At least there is water in the lake.
6/13/07
Ah yes, a race! The weather cleared just soon enough for 12 boats to get on the
lake and race. The wind speed and direction held steady to enable the skippers
to complete a 5 mile course. What a great evening. With all the cancellations
this year, we are down to completion of 4 races will score the boats for the
final tally. Keep an eye on the stats, 'cause it's going to be a crazy finish.
Some noteworthy items: it was nice to see a few new boats out competing. The
Junior Sailors are out to show the old dogs that they can compete, there's a new
tri-hull out on the waves, and a speedy Capri 22 is doing well. Welcome to the
group, guys.
Cheers to the new competitors and to having the storms clear just long enough to
sail. See ya at the lake.
6/20/07
Sixteen boats! Wow, sixteen boats! What a great sight to see so many people out
having a good time on a Wednesday evening sailing a KBRS race. We had some new
entrants, as well as some from last year that are joining us for the first time.
There are now quite a few boats that have enough points to be scored, a few more
just on the threshold, and others that will make it before the end of the spring
series. It's going to be a fantastic finish to the series on July 11th.
Until then, keep scoring those races and we'll figure out the winners in the
end. On this last day of Spring, all I can say is... bring on Summer and Fall
and all the sailing that entails. See ya on the lake.
5/27/07
Even through the valiant efforts of the race committee, we still had to cancel
the race tonight.
After watching storm after storm come through, we thought maybe, just maybe, we
could race. But the weather wouldn't allow it. One hour before the scheduled
race start, the wind clocked from 15 mph from the NE, to 25 mph from the North.
The three shots were fired signaling the cancellation and it was done... except
for the side party going on near the shore of B dock. What a great time. See ya
on the lake.
7/4/07
The Colossus Cup Race, the oldest annual sailing race in Kansas, was held in
winds shifting between zero and none, and the dream of having a long, full-lake
encompassing race was abandoned. After multiple postponements, the race was
finally started only to have many of the skippers and crew sit motionless baking
in the sun near the first windward mark. A few of the boats decided to retire to
the Afterdeck while the other trudged along. A light breeze finally came up and
allowed a few of the boats to finish. The cup was won by our very own Larry
Greenwood flying his F-27 Trimaran. He was using every square inch of cloth to
move that boat around the course. Oh well, the powerboats were happy on this
Independence Day.
But as the saying goes, a bad day at the lake is still better than a good day at
work. So on that note, it's time to go to the lake and see what kind of day it
is. See ya at the lake!
7/11/07
What a great day for a race. Too bad the wind clocked to the East canceling the
ability of anyone wanting to fly a spinnaker the last race of the Spring Series.
However, the non-spinnaker racers had a field day, and the Cruising Fleet had a
close finish with first three boats crossing the finish line within 15 seconds
of each other. It was quite exciting.
Now that the final race of the Spring Series is over, we have the results. In
the Racing Fleet, Screaming Eagle (S-2 7.9) takes first, followed by Moby
(Catalina 30), and Blue Jay (J-24). The Cruising Fleet was led by Frank Couch
(Hunter 28.5), followed by Ron Kinnane (S-2 6.9), and Bob Born (Capri 30).
And finally, the Multihull Fleet had two contestants led by Larry Greenwood
(F-27) and followed up by Lew Enns (Tremolino). Congratulations to all the
winners.
All the statistics can be found on the KBRS website at kbrs.org, including the
race sheets so you can see the start and finish times of the boats. Check it
out!
Get ready for the Fall Series. The lake is full and the winds are just now
starting to blow. See ya at the lake!
7/18/07
Now we're talking wind! The breeze finally eased up enough to put a number of
boats on the lake for the first race of the Fall Series. The skippers had to
drive hard through some formidable puffs upwind, and run like crazy downwind.
Good thing that flipped Hobie got out of the way before the race started. After
the race the cool breeze kept quite a few sailors on the docks chatting and
laughing in the moonlight. Some, like me, stayed later than others (I'll never
learn). It was just too bad it had to end. Oh well, time to get ready for the
weekend and next week's race. See ya on the lake.
7/25/07
It's hard to describe how much I enjoy my mini-weekend in the middle of the week
(that's what I call the Wednesday night KBRS race). Everyone at work is trudging
through the early part of the week and I just keep reminding myself that I will
be on the lake on Wednesday evening. About noon on Wednesday, my spirits start
picking up and I start checking the wind speed direction. It makes for a
wonderful break, especially when the sailing is like it was tonight. A lot of
the racers chose to pop the spinnakers and it made for a beautiful site coming
at the committee boat from the south. Keep up the good work and bring your
friends next week to enjoy our mini-weekend. See ya on the lake.
8/1/07
Big boats, small boats, multihulls, monohulls, and centerboards... they were all
out tonight. Seven Sunfish sailors joined the usual KBRS racers tonight and
added another dimension to the group. It was really neat seeing the Davids
taking on the Goliaths on the water. In fact, one Sunfish tried to sail away
with the whole race and was only caught on the final downwind leg. There was
even a great example of stealing wind on the final leg in the Cruising class
with three boats fighting for second place. After the race most of the skippers
and crews enjoyed the cookout at the Afterdeck and ate to their fill. Fun was
had by all. Hopefully we can continue getting all the different boats in the
races. See ya on the lake.
8/8/07
What a great evening for a sailboat race! The gusting and shifting wind
challenged boats, skippers, and crews. Quite a few spinnakers gave trimmers all
they could handle and the boats really heeled in the breeze. Again, we had a
number of Sunfish out on the course. In fact one of them won the race. It's nice
to know our Junior sailors are getting instructed by such a competent coach. The
race ended just in time for a huge storm to pass over the lake led by dangerous
windline. It was really impressive to watch it move in. Great evening for a
race. See ya on the lake.
8/15/07
This is the third time this year a KBRS boat had boat problems. Two broken masts
and now a broken rudder.
It sure puts a damper on the fun (and the pocketbook). Otherwise, the lake
provided a beautiful evening of racing. It started out hot and breezy but
settled a lot toward the end. Everyone seems to enjoy the easy racing conditions
and the cool air that came with the sunset. With all the 100+ degree days, it
sure is nice to get out on the lake in the evening and enjoy the dusk and cool
breezes. See ya on the lake... and let's hope the boats don't see anymore
damage.
8/29/07
The lake served up a really nice race tonight. 14 boats, skippers, and crews
participated to some close finishes. Some were split by only a few seconds. The
air is finally starting to cool a little and it makes the sailing quite
enjoyable. (Gotta love the fall on the lake.) Let's see if we can get this lucky
for the rest of the year. See ya on the lake.
9/05/07
Oh man, the sun really goes down
early this time of year! Even with starting the race a half hour earlier, a good
wind, and a 4 mile course, the race still ended just as the sun was setting.
Shorter days will bring cooler temps and (usually) lighter winds.
We only have one more evening race this year and then we move the races to
weekends. The KBRS membership decided to try Sunday afternoons (gun at 3 pm)
starting September 23rd. A few boats have now participated in the minimum number
of races to count toward the final scores. Check out the stats to see the
numbers. Don't let the early sunsets keep you off the lake during the week, it's
really too nice of a time of year not to be out there. See ya on the lake.
9/12/07
The end of summertime is marked in many ways... kids going back to school,
cooler weather, earlier sunsets, and the last KBRS wednesday night race. We have
now reached all those indicators and the racing is being moved to Sunday
afternoons. For me, it's sad that I give up my mini-weekend in the middle of the
week. No longer will I be starting my Mondays knowing that a race is just a few
days away. Monday means
(usually) waiting for the weekends to get out on the lake. Oh well, it was bound
to happen sooner or later. But at least we go into the fall season with 5 more
races to go. Tonight we had 14 boats on the lake. What a great way to spend a
Wednesday evening.
See ya on the lake on Sunday... and don't forget about the cookout afterward!
9/16/07
Wow, what a blow! The first mid-day KBRS race of 2007 started and ended with a
big wind. 20+ mph makes for a pretty interesting race. Four skippers decided to
challenge the weather and go out. Unfortunately, one paid the price with a blown
mainsail. Hopefully the remaining four races of 2007 are a little milder. See ya
on the lake.
9/23/07
Wow, what a day for a race! Winds at 14 knots, warm sun, and good competition.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Check out the scores in the cruising
fleet. It's anyone's guess which boat is going to come out as #1 at this time.
Three more races to go before the 2007 season is complete.
Although this is a competition, all the laughing and joking around after a races
is a testament to the amount of fun is being had before, during, and after a
race. What a great finish to a wonderful weekend.
Special birthday wishes out to KBRS racer Allen who turns 50 on Thursday.
Awesome weekend... missing the Wednesday night get-together. See ya at the lake.
10/7/07
With only one race to go, the scores are really tightening up. In the racing
fleet, Danny Acridge and Frank Couch are vying for 3rd place. Frank really
improved his overall score today with a great display of competition by playing
skipper, trimmer, and railmeat all alone. It was a truly amazing site to see the
skipper call the crew to the rail during the start and they all (he) did it!
Funny Frank... very funny.
In the cruising fleet, there is a tie for 1st between Dave Goodwin and Alan
Loehr. Alan needs to score a first place to improve his score, and Dave needs to
score better than a 3rd. Looks like it will come down to the last race. Gotta
love this sport!
Keep those arms and legs inside the roller coaster, boys and girls, it going to
be a fun ride. See ya at the lake!
10/14/07
As usual, the last race of the year ends with some drama. With 38 mph wind
predicted, only 4 racers showed up. But the wind died early and the course was
set with 6 kts. of wind, then clocked almost 180 degrees during the start
sequence. The four boats finished just in time to get back to the slips before a
thunderstorm surged over the lake. It was really close. In the end, three
skippers were able to claim first place. In the Multihull class, Larry Greenwood
took the title, while MOBY took first in the Racing class, and Dave Goodwin won
the Cruising class.
Although Dave and Alan Loehr had the same score at the end of the series, Dave
had more first place finishes than Alan and earned the honor.
Congratulations to all the winners. Additionally, many thanks to all the
competitors this year, and I am already looking forward to next season. Until
then, see you at the lake, either in the boat, at the picnic tables, or in the
yard.