10/5/08 and 10/12/08
As a reminder that we live in Kansas, the final two races of the year were
canceled as a result of high winds. What a downer! Oh well, now the Sunday
afternoons can be dedicated to peaceful sailing at leisure. The fall series
presented some great finishes. Those running the committee boat had front-row
seats to some great tactics. Skippers and crews, keep up the good work and the
fun level and we'll see you on the lake next spring. Due to the cancellations,
the racers needed six races to count this fall. The KBRS Fall Series results are
as follows:
Racing Fleet
1st - Douthit/Olsen, S-2 7.9
2nd - Kevin Findley, Catalina 22
3rd - Dan Acridge, J-24
Cruising Fleet
1st - Frank Couch, Hunter 28.5
2nd - Mark Simpson, Capri 22
3rd - Alan Kostelecky, Catalina 27
Multihull Fleet
1st - Larry Greenwood, F-27 Trimaran
Thanks to all who participated this year. I'm looking forward to next season
already.
9/28/08
What a great Sunday although the winds were shifty, the maintained a good speed
and kept the sailboats alive. There has been a considerable shift in sailing
talent. Just Cruising, traditionally in the back of the pack in prior years, has
really performed well this fall and consistently finished in top 3. Well done
Alan, I really expect more from you and your crew in the years to come.
Congrats, c-ya on the lake.
The winners tonight are as follows:
Cruising Fleet: Alan Kostelecky
Racing Fleet: Kevin Findley
Multihull and Centerboard Fleets: No participants
9/21/08
We finally received some wind for the Sunday races and was able to run a 5 mile
course. It was a terrific day on the lake with a warm sun and a cooling breeze.
Fall is the best time on the lake so get out there and run around the marks with
us. C-ya on the lake.
The winners today were:
Cruising Fleet - Mark Simpson
Racing Fleet - Screaming Eagle
9/14/08
Oh well, if the winds are too high to risk crew and boat, what is a fleet of
sailors to do on an otherwise beautiful Sunday afternoon? PARTY!!!
Although the race was canceled, the cookout went on without a hitch and the
racing teams enjoyed burgers, brats, ribs (thanks Jim), and beverages. Thanks to
all who chose to travel the miles to the lake and make the afternoon a great
one. Hopefully, next Sunday will be better. C-ya on the lake.
9/10/08
It is a fantastic evening on the lake. Although completely overcast, the air and water are warm and the wind is steady from the southeast. Ten boats came out to race on the final Wednesday night race of the year. An 11 knot breeze allowed the bigger boats in the fleet to finish ahead of those with lighter displacements. Oh well, see you on the lake on Sunday.
Tonight’s winners are:
Racing Fleet: Screaming Eagle (only seconds in front of #2 Fascination)
Cruising Fleet: Alan Loehr (it’s About Time!!!)
Multihull Fleet: Larry Greenwood
9/3/08
Gutsiest bunch of sailors I've ever met. Four boats showed up for our weekly
race in 60 degree temps and a cold North wind. Although it wasn't blowing too
bad, it sure felt cold, especially for us still pumping summer blood through our
veins. The race course was set, then adjusted after the wind shifted to the NW.
After the start, the wind clocked even further to the NW hampering the use of
the spinnakers. It's enough to give a sailor a headache.
(Right, Marilyn?) Oh well, such is life in Kansas.
With the remnants of hurricane Gustuv past us, we can expect a more common
weather pattern in September.
Remember, only one more Wednesday night race, then we move to the weekends to
finish out the fall series.
C-you on the lake.
This week's winners are:
Racing Fleet: Marino Garci
Cruising Fleet: Frank Couch
Multihull Fleet: Larry Greenwood
8/27/08
What a great day to race!!! After last weeks cold beat around the marks, today
turned warm and breezy.
We finally were able to run a 5 mile race in winds that got us there before the
sun disappeared completely. Just remember, the race starts at 6:30 next week, so
get there a little earlier. The winners this week are as follows:
Cruising Fleet: Mark Simpson
Racing Fleet: Kevin Findley
Multihull Fleet: Larry Greenwood
Congrats to all the winners. C-ya at the lake... it's a long weekend.
8/20/08
Cold, in Kansas, in August??? No way. But it was. We had our 3rd cool weather
race in August this week and most sailors were wearing jackets (the smart ones
anyway). Winds were blowing close to 20 when we arrived at the lake, but
steadily dropped to approximately 5 kts at the end. Congratulations to Alan
Kostelecky for his first #1 finish in the cruising fleet. I didn't have a chance
to talk to him (because we were so far behind him) but I'm sure he was excited.
Congrats Alan. C-ya on the lake.
The winners this week were as follows:
Cruising Fleet: Alan Kostelecky
Racing Fleet: Screaming Eagle
Multihull and Centerboard Fleet: no participants
8/13/08
The race tonight may have started with light air, but ended with a fantastic
finish. According to the Race Committee, a Catalina 22 and an S-2 7.9 battled it
out in the final yards of the race to see who was going to take first place in
the Racing Fleet. In the end, the S-2 squeaked by to prevail. The pictures you
can find on the KBRS.ORG website speak for themselves. What a beautiful evening
of racing.
However, it is obvious the days are getting shorter and in mid-September we will
have to move to the weekends to have enough light to run a race. As for tonight,
the winners are as follows:
Racing Fleet: Screaming Eagle
Cruising Fleet: Frank Couch
Multihull Fleet: Larry Greenwood
8/6/08
Lake conditions at 5:00 - no wind. Lake conditions at
5:15 - 29 mph wind. With the storms in the area, the race committee decided it
would be better to cancel the race that attempt setting a course that would
probably swing 180 deg. The mild temperatures kept the sailors hanging around
for quite a while enjoying the evening. C-ya next week.
7/30/08
A mild wind tonight really hampered the larger boats, but those that got on the
lake enjoyed the evening with cooler temps (in the 80's) and the cookout after
the race. All those that participated ate burgers, brats, and everything else
that people brought, and washed it all down with cold refreshments. Thanks again
to all those that helped out (especially Alan Kostelecky, who so graciously
supplied so many of those cold refreshments, and Ralph Hudson, charcoal
champion). This week's winners are:
Racing Fleet: Kevin Findley
Cruising Fleet: Frank Couch
Multihull and Centerboard Fleet: no participants. Flyer gets third for Committee
duty
7/23/08
Wow, what a beautiful evening. The winds were relatively light which enabled the
light-wind boats to excel. The racing fleet finish was exceptionally close with
Fascination and Screaming Eagle battling it out for the finish. In the end, here
are the winners:
Racing Fleet: Screaming Eagle
Cruising Fleet: Mark Simpson
There was no participation in the multihull or centerboard fleet.
What a great night. C-ya on the lake next week.
7/16/08
Great weather for a Wednesday night race. The wind out of the South at around 13. The race committee set an M course of 4 miles and 2 laps. Spinnaker or not was the question in the racing fleet. I saw at least one boat in cruising with reefed main and genoa. The race was off and we had great fun as the boats converged at the finish to the point the race committee had difficulty recording times. Oh for more Wednesday night races like this!.. Come on out and spend a night in real life!
7/9/08
Well, so typical to this years Spring Series, the wind barely blew enough to run
the last race of the series. The winners of this series were as follows:
Racing Fleet
1st - Screaming Eagle
2nd (tie) - Kevin Findley and MOBY
Cruising Fleet
1st - Mark Simpson
2nd - Frank Couch
3rd - Alan Loehr
Multihull
1st - Larry Greenwood
Congratulations to all the winners. The Fall Series starts next week, so C-ya on
the lake!
7/4/08
What a bummer. The Colossus Cup was delayed for an hour but then the breeze rose
just enough to get the race started.
In the end, Mark Simpson won the cruising fleet, Screaming Eagle won the
racing fleet, and Larry Greenwood won the Multihull Fleet (KBRS results only).
Congrats to all those that participated. C-ya on the lake.
7/2/08
We tried, but Mother Nature sucked all the wind away.
At least it was a good time on the picnic tables.
6/25/08
Sometimes I just get lucky. The committee boat was short-handed tonight so the
racers from the boat I usually sail with offered to run the race instead of
participating. The breeze was up so we decided to set a nice 5 mile course.
Twelve boats came out to race on a beautiful night in the middle of the week. I
couldn't have picked a better night to watch the skippers and crews battle to
the finish line. MOBY and Screaming Eagle approached the finish line neck and
neck (or should I say bow and bow). Within the last 50 yards, MOBY pushed ahead of Eagle to win the dual. What a great seat for the audience
(me)! Sometimes I just get lucky. C-ya out there next week.
6/18/08
What a great night for a race. Flat lake at 5 pm, building breeze at 6, and a
steady 10 mph wind at race time. Although the winds were light, even the big
boat that favor a bigger wind seemed to have a good time. And besides, it was
Frank's birthday and Marilyn was giving every racer HS to celebrate.
Awesome night everyone. C-ya next week!!!
6/4/2008 and 6/11/2008
I'm combining two editorials into one. I know the wind can blow in Kansas, but
this is getting pathetic. Please, give us some decent wind to race.
With all the cancellations, we are down to the best of 4. Good luck racers. C-ya
on the lake.
5/28/08
Finally, a nice race evening. The weather looked bleak when we arrived, but as the race began the light drizzle stopped, and we had a nice 3 mile race in about 10 miles per hour wind. After the short race, we had the first KBRS cookout, and everyone had a good time talking about the race as well as what's been happening since last year. Hopefully the bad weather on Wednesday nights is behind us and we can look forward to a great spring series.
5/21/08
One week, too little wind. The next week, too much wind. Welcome to Spring in
Kansas! A valiant effort was made to hold the race, but when it came time to
make the decision, the choice was made to cancel due to high wind gusts. Oh
well, at least we can look forward to a 3-day weekend. Pray for good weather.
5/14/08
What started out as a light-wind evening quickly deteriorated into a no-wind
race. Although some boats were able to finish, others simply decided to drop
their sails and enjoy the evening on the lake.
Oh-well, maybe it will be better next week. See ya on the lake.
5/7/08
It seems we can't get a break with the weather. At 4:30, the winds were light
but it was raining... no reason to cancel the Wednesday night race. By 5:30, the
rain had stopped, the wind had suddenly picked up to about 15 kts and showed no
signs of easing, and the temperature had cooled considerably. After a
consultation with the skippers, it was decided that the best for all was to
cancel the race. Little did we know that the wind wouldn't continue to increase,
and by 7:00 the sun came out (kinda). It was still chilly so I don't think the
racers minded the cancellation too much. Oh well, there's always next week. See
ya on the lake.
4/30/08
Wind at 31 mph gusting to 43. It sucks when you can't sail on Wednesday night.
See ya at the lake...
sometime soon.
4/23/08
Three skippers decided to ignore the overcast skies and participate in the first
KBRS race of 2008. They were rewarded with a nice evening of steady wind, but
only after shifting to the right side of the course immediately after the race
start sequence began. With hourglassed spinnakers and late starts, it was
obvious that the crews were a little rusty. Oh well, there is now one race under
their belt, and the other racers will have to go through the same as well when
they finally get on the water. Let's hope it happens soon. Skippers... get those
bottoms wet and get out there on Wednesday nights! See ya on the lake.
4/20/2008
Today we held the kickoff meeting for the KBRS 2008 season. After the awards
were handed out (see the final commentary from last year to see the winners)we
moved on to the decision-making part of the meeting.
Some decisions that were made included keeping the first two races of the season
on Wednesday at 6:30 instead of moving them to Sunday, not having a Memorial Day
race, and keeping the late-season races on Sunday at 3:00 pm. In addition,
weekly race committees are requested to be in place 1-1/2 hours before the race
start, make sure they get to know the other boats, and reiterating that they are
responsible for stopping a race if poor weather (winds or lightning) ensues. The KBRS board will schedule an on-water "how to run a KBRS race" class soon to help
new members come up to speed on the process. And lastly, the decision was made
to continue to review boat handicaps at the series breaks and the handicaps will
be determined based on actual boat performance.
It was great seeing all the racers again and I look forward to another fantastic
year of KBRS racing.
RACERS... RAISE YOUR SAILS!!!