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October 14

All good things must come to an end, as does the 2006 KBRS sailing season. The year was filled with some excellent sailing and sailing days. The final cookout turned out as nice as the year with the racers hanging around enjoying each other's company.

The final race decided a number of places. In the end, the Cruising fleet was won by Ron Kinnane, followed by Neil Carlson, and Frank Couch. The final score of Kinnane and Carlson was actually the same, but since Kinnane won more head-to-head races between the two, he wins first place. The Racing fleet was won by Screaming Eagle, followed by Marino Garci, and MOBY. Congratulations to all.

It's bad enough that the mini-weekend on Wednesday night is gone, now the Saturday races are finished as well. We will eagerly await the first race in April when racing resumes. Until then, go for a pleasure sail while the weather holds. Have fun out there. (Been there... done that!)

October 7

Shorts, sandals, t-shirts, and sunglasses... is this really the first week of October? What a wonderful fall we are having. Mother Nature smiled upon us again with a beautiful day of sailing. Winds at the start of the race were brisk, but dropped off towards the end leaving some of the skippers disappointed they didn't decide to take a spinnaker handicap so they could fly a chute on the final downwind. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

Next week is the last race of 2006, and the scores are tightening up. Although Screaming Eagle has cinched the #1 spot in the Racing fleet, the #2, #3, and #4 spots are all going to be decided on the final race. In the Cruising fleet, it looks like the winner could be decided on the last race, there's even a chance for a #1 tie. It's lining up to be a great race to the finish line.

As usual, the final race of the season is followed by the final post-race cookout. Its a great time for all the racers to gather and discuss (or cuss) this season of racing. And if we are enjoying the day in shorts, sandals, t-shirts, and sunglasses... it will be all that much better. Have fun out there.

September 30

The last day of September and all the racers were running around in shorts, t-shirts, and sunglasses. What a day for a race! It's hard to trust a North wind in the summer to remain steady, but now that gets extended into a warm fall day as well. The race started off with a wind from the NE, but on the last beat to the windward mark at least one of the boats opted to pop a chute in order to squeeze the last fraction of speed from a faltering breeze. On the subsequent downwind finish, the chute had to be doused because the wind continued to clock and produced a broad reach. After the first boat completed the race, all the wind died and the lake went to glass. I was quite painful to get that close to the finish line and not be able to cross. Oh well, it was still a beautiful day.

Two more races to go, followed by a cookout. Make the most out of the last few, then prepare for the winter doldrums. Watch out for shallow waters.
Have fun out there.

September 23

Real wind, real racers. Five boats participated in today's race that included big wind and big waves. The lake can really develop some large whitecaps when the breeze is out of the North. The sailboats that perform better in light air were prudent to stay onshore or at the docks. Not even one spinnaker was launched... for good reason. Afterward, all hung around enjoying the sunshine and each others company after the first Saturday race (last week was cancelled due to even higher winds). Three more races to go then we have our final cookout on October 14th. It's refreshing to see how well the skippers and crews operated in such challenging weather. Have fun out there.

September 16

The wind was blowing too hard to have a race this week. With gusts in the mid-30's, there's no reason to launch a race and take a chance on hurting racers or damaging boats. Logic prevails. Have fun out there... but not today.

Sept 13th

Click. That's the sound the 10 guage makes when the shell misfires at the start of the race. But such an inglorious beginning gave way to a great night for a light wind race. A super way to end the Wednesday night racing. Saturday the 16th we'll race at 2pm and again each Saturday until October 14th. After that race will be the last KBRS cookout. The light wind made for a relaxing evening for everyone. The Corsair F27 "Ninnescah Flyer" and the S2 7.9 "Screamin Eagle" finished only 12 seconds apart, first and second overall. There were some other very close finishes as well. I hope the gun never misfires again on my watch.

Sep 6th

Boom, boom, boom. Race cancelled. No wind, no race. Plenty of racers showed up on a nice cool night for another wonderful Wednesday night race, but all was lost without wind. The lake was so calm, a Prindle took almost 2 hours crossing the lake... nothing that the racers wanted to participate in. So three shots signaled the race cancellation and the night. Some of the competitors stuck around shooting the proverbial "bull", but in the end all were disappointed. Better luck next week. Remember, the race starts at 6:30 one more Wednesday night, then we move to Saturdays at 2pm on the 16th. Have fun out there.

August 30th

What a beautiful evening! With partly-cloudy skies and temperatures dropping in the 80's, the Wednesday night race was relaxing and fun.
What a sight to behold with most of the boats on a port tack driving to the windward mark in the vibrant hues of the late-summer dusk. The evening breeze kicked in well enough to provide the necessary propulsion for the skippers as they sailed the marks. With the sun dropping earlier, the races are moved to 6:30 beginning next week, then to Saturdays on September 16th.
Fall is quickly approaching with the addition of the yellow leaves and cooler days providing even more color. Beautiful. Have fun out there.

August 23

Starting is important, but how you finish determines your score. Tonight was a night of close finishes. Three different pairs of boats finished within a few seconds of each other which makes for a heart-stopping-hold-your-breath race that is as exciting to watch as it is to participate (I know because I saw all of them from the committee boat).
In theory, the reverse handicap starts we use in KBRS should promote these type of finishes. The "W2" course forced the racers to end with a downwind sprint and a lot of sailors commented how they liked the course selection.
I suspect we will see more of these in the future.

The race next week is the last 7:00 pm race since the sun is quitting before the boats are giving up. On September 6th and 13th, the races start at 6:30 pm and then the races move to Saturday on the 16th.

August 16th

An old joke goes, "When is a boat not a boat... when it's aground". (Sorry
FC, I couldn't resist.) Yeah, the lake is dropping and leaving some shallow
areas along the shore, but there's plenty of lake to run the Wednesday
night races. For the first time this year, a 5-mile "T" course was set up
challenging the racers with 1-1/3 laps around a triangle. A shift in the
wind didn't deter most of the skippers from flying spinnakers and they were
rewarded with extra speed under their hulls on the two downwind legs.
After the race, the the Blessings hosted a goodbye party for their son,
David, who is heading off to college in Southern Florida. Word has it that
they have a helluva sailing team down there. Maybe David, who spent a lot
of his free time sailing at Cheney, can go down there and show them how to
really sail in the wind. All attendees of the party had a chance to say
"goodbye" and wish David well. But he needs to remember, there's shallow
spots on the ocean as well, and the water goes up and down all the time.
Good luck David and, as always, have fun out there.

August 9

As usual, temperatures are up, and the lake is down. Such is life in Kansas
in August. But that didn't deter eleven sailboats from participating in a
wonderful Wednesday night race. The breeze started out strong but dropped
off a lot by the end of the race providing the stage for a beautiful
sunset. You can really tell the days are getting shorter now, setting a lay
line for fall... and cooler weather. Sail on racers. "Be cool." ¹

¹ Chili Palmer

August 2

Charles Darwin cancelled the race tonight. Actually, Frank cancelled the race, but Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest had a lot to do with it. With a wind line big enough to see on radar hitting the North end of the lake just before the racers were to head out, and a subsequent storm on it's tail, the decision was appropriately made to fire three shots and concede to the weather. But the sailors didn't go away unhappy. A post-race cookout was planned, which meant that the racers got the food out early and had a wonderful evening under the new deck chatting and getting to know each other better. Plenty of fun was had by all, the food was great, and refreshments were cold. Many thanks to everyone who helped with the cooking. Notable was the number of young sailors hanging around. The young ones attending the cookout are all current racers.
Which means that the Wednesday night competitions will continue and a fresh batch of racers will start challenging the "old dogs". Keep in mind, these new sailors have been competing out of state and are doing relatively well.
So,
even if Darwin was the winner tonight, the future winners will only be proven on the lake. Have fun out there.

July 26

It's Christmas in July! A San Juan 21 named Egg Nog finished the KBRS race ahead of everyone tonight. The race was a game of strategy. To use the spinnaker... or not to run the spinnaker??? That was the question. As it turns out, those that opted to waive the spinnaker, was rewarded with a favorable wind shift to the South that basically made the spinnakers useless. All the skippers opting to fly the chutes were only able the gain the benefits at the beginning of the first downwind run. However, during the run, it turned to a beam reach. Suddenly all the spinakers disappeared and the head sails went back up. Strategy, strategy. It's Christmas on Egg Nog!!!

Next week the KBRS racers will competing for a different prize, the run to the barbeque. It's the second cookout of the season and all is in order. Bring a side-dish and prepare to chow down. The strategy is the same... get in front of the food line, and stay there. Strategy! Have fun out there.

July 19

Hot stuff! The nine racers that challenged the 108 deg. weather were rewarded with a great evening on the lake. It feels like the air over the water is at least 15 deg. cooler than on shore. The heat must be affecting at least one of the boats as they had to run their "Gibson #1" spinnaker on their first downwind. Not much windage, but the next upwind leg is a lot easier. With the winds at a mere 10 kts, the spinnakers were flying and the boats responded. Afterward, some of the failthful stuck around and chatted (was that Happy Birthday I heard?). Being the first race of the Fall 2006 series, we are off to a great start. Keep up the great work. Have fun out there, and happy b-day GG. Hot stuff!!!

July 12

All fireworks displays end in a finale, the KBRS Spring 2006 series was no exception. Where do I begin? The race initiated with a faulty committee boat, hence after much troubleshooting, the Race Committee proceeded to run the race from the Lund (not fun, but adequate). The race started great but the weather started to move in. Thanks to the Race Committee using logic, they called Merril Teller (he actually answered the phone) and asked if the storm to the North would impact the race. He promptly stated that he would get off the lake, initiating the 3 shots signaling the cancellation of the competition. Good work by the Race Committee (Screaming Eagle) in stopping the race because the wind rotated 180 deg. and would have severely messed with the boats that just turned the upwind mark and were headed downwind (at the time) with chutes flying. After the canvas was pulled down all the boats beat it into the cove. One exception was the boat whose motor failed and had to sail it into the slip. What a thrill! (???)

With the Spring 2006 Series completed, here are the fleet winners:
Cruising Fleet:
1 - Frank Couch (Hunter 28.5
2 - Dave Goodwin (Catalina 25)
3 - Alan Kostelecky (Catalina 22)
Racing Fleet:
1 - Douthit/Olsen (S-2 7.9)
2 - Greenwood/Pierce (Catalina 30)
3 - Alan Loehr (Capri 25)
Multihull: no boat with enough completions to score
Centerboard: no boat with enough completions to score

See you in the Fall 2006 Series starting next week. The sailing is different in the fall, so good luck. Have fun out there.

July 5

After possibly sailing 4 days in a row over the Independence Day holiday, many of the KBRS racers must have been tired. Only eight sailboats participated in the weekly Wednesday night race. Those that chose to sit out missed a wonderful afternoon of sailing. The winds were great and the air was cool (relative to July). With only one more race to go in the Spring Series, some of the scoring is getting tight. Next week's race results will determine who gets their name on the plaque in the afterdeck.
If you haven't seen the "bragging board" it is on the wall opposite the fireplace, with slots for the winners of the Racing, Cruising, Multihull, and Centerboard fleets. Keep up the good work racers. Remember... have fun out there.

July 4

Six KBRS racers participated in the 2006 Collussus Cup regatta hosted by the Ninnescah Sailing Association. The morning was started with the NSA Board Members serving up a great pancake and sausage breakfast. What a way to start a day. The eight mile "M" course and last minute wind shift negated the use of most of the spinnakers, but color was abound on the lake with the many catamarans participating in the race. Quite a few boats continued sailing on the lake after the race enjoying the wind and the mild temperatures. It made for a great Independence Day celebration.

June 28

The Wednesday night races are a lot of things to a lot of people. To some it's a competition, to others it's a mini-weekend in the middle of a hectic workweek. At this race, it was obvious that it's always for the fun. Some past racers were in town and took time out to come to the lake and race with some old friends. It was great seeing Viki and Gary Cheatum again. When they arrived a lot of the racers came to greet them. After the race ended, many of the participants stayed around to talk while Gary was drying off (you'll have to come to the race to get the whole story). Good friends, good competition, good camaraderie. What a great sport! This editorial usually ends with the parting line "have fun out there". But it's too late... it seems everyone already is. Cheers to all participants. You make Wednesdays fun.

June 21

Nothing like racing a nice 5 mile course on the first day of summer with 12 to 15 kts of wind. The wind remained steady throughout the race which gave the boats a great chance to stretch their legs. If you've never seen the tri-hull Ninnescah Flyer kick up a spray cruising along on a beam reach, it is quite a site. And when the time came to start, off she went like a shot. It was obvious that those boats equipped (and manned) to fly a spinnaker really had an advantage tonight. What a night. The racers are looking forward to many more Wednesday evenings for breaking the toil of a work week. Keep up the great times. Have fun out there.

June 14

It has been said that the racing handicaps for Cheney Lake are most like those on San Francisco bay. Race 8 proved it. Ten boats participated in a very breezy evening of racing. Some boats excelled, others did not. All sailors were challenged and had a great time. New faces were everywhere. Some from out of town, at least one was from another country. He was amazed at the racing and facilities. Congratulations to all the racers that participated. They are all better for the experience.

Next week, many of the racers will meet the minimum number of races needed to participate to get scored. Watch for the numbers! Have fun out there.

JUNE 7

Here comes the fleet! Thirteen boats participated in the June 7th KBRS race. What a spectacle. Once again, three fleets were represented: multihull, cruising, and racing. There's fun for everyone. It was great night to sail. The wind was steady and the skies were bright. There is a lot more racing this summer and fall. Have fun out there.

"There are two basic rules to sailboat racing and they are:
Rule one: Get out in front of the fleet and stay there.
Rule two: When behind, reread rule one."

MAY 31

What else could a sailor want? Ten boats participated in a beautiful evening of racing, followed by grilled burgers, brats, and refreshments at the Afterdeck. Fun is definitely part of KBRS racing. Is sure was nice of the thunderstorms to go around the lake during race and picnic. As night fell, the clouds continued to flash with distant lightning escorting much needed rain to the river and Cheney Lake. Adding water to the lake now will help us during the impending summer months. Many great days of sailing to come. What else could a sailor want... how about more competitors? Have fun out there.

MAY 24

In the watch-making industry, they say timing is everything. It sure was Wednesday night. One hour before the 5th KBRS race was scheduled to start, it looked like we were going to have another race cancellation due to lack of wind. Then at 6:15, the leaves started moving, a nice breeze filled the lake with a small chop, and the sailors got moving. It was nice to see so many spinnakers flying. By the end of the race, the wind had dropped again.
Timing is everything.

Next week the KBRS racers get to enjoy a post-race barbeque so the crews will have extra incentive to get to the finish line. Many are looking forward to it. Nothing like food and refreshments to bring a group together. Have fun out there.

MAY 17

For those that think the wind always blows in Kansas needed to be on the lake during Race 4. Not even a breeze. Three gun shots and the race was cancelled. Moby did actually round the marks twice, but the marks were in the committee boat, and they were DSQ for running the iron gennie. Even Screaming Eagle, the perennial low wind racer winners, couldn't fill their spinnaker. On the brighter side, it was a beautiful evening on the lake.

Have fun out there.

May 10

Again a nice race. Wind was 16-20 out of the Northwest.. We need more racers! Here's some nice pictures Courtesy of Rob Fresh and John Niernberger.