TELL TALES (Nov. 4, 2009)

SCHEDULE:

Nov. 7 – Fall Series race 10 (last series race for the autumn); Sarasota Yacht Club Invitational

Nov. 14 – Winter Series race 1; (14-15) Naples Cup Regatta, Naples Community Sailing Center

Nov. 21 – Winter Series race 2, boat load; high school regatta (SP 3) at Hollywood; (21- 22)             Carlisle Classic Regatta, Clearwater Community Sailing Center.

Nov. 28-29 – Thanksgiving Regatta, Davis Island Yacht Club, Tampa

Dec. 5 – Winter Series, race 3 and Christmas Boat Parade

Dec. 12 – Jim Pique Memorial Regatta (all day)

Dec. 19 – Winter Series, race 4

Dec. 26 – Optional sailing (1000 to 1500)

SCHEDULE COMMENTS: Sailors who want to go to other regattas are encouraged to do so and we will give them regatta points (an average of your other scores) for the series race you miss, but we cannot afford to send a coach and trailer to all regattas even in the Tampa Bay area. As a warning, this year’s Thanksgiving Regatta costs $85 (a 21.4 percent increase from last year) and $95 if you are not a US Sailing member. The late fee (after Nov. 20) is still another $15.

SERIES STANDINGS:

Green Fleet (after eight races): 1, Louisa Nordstrom, 28; 2, Bogan Whitehead, 37; 3, Truett Whitehead, 37;  4, Justin Frow, 48; 5, Nicolas Hernandez, 50; 6, Alexis Jenkins, 51; 7, John Light, 54; 8, Brianna Trecartin, 57; 9.Garver Whitehead, 62; 10, Evan Dietrich, 77; 11, Jacob Hinshaw, 78; 12, Courtney Purcell, 84; 13, Nicholas Etz, 85; 14, Sara Frajerman. 95. 

Red, White and Blue Fleet (after eight races): 1, Lucas Galarza, 24; 2, Stephan VerHulst, 28; 3, Garrett Lawlor, 33; 4, Samantha Wood, 36; 5, Scott Trecartin, 38; 6, Stefan Johnson, 41; 7, Alex Soodak, 48; 8, Shaun Gallagher, 54.1.  Both Opti fleets will have a throw out in the Fall Series.

Portsmouth Division (after four races): 1, Paul Kreider, 5; 2, Chloe Dietrich, 16; 3, Andrew Sosa, 17; 4, Cara Patete, 19; 5, Sami Tornese, 20; 6, Tyler Thorpe, 22; 7, Carla Johnson, 23; 8, Evan Langer, 27; 9, Blake Erquiaga, 33. There will be no throw out; the minimum is seven races.

SERIES COMMENTS: Some changes in the Green Fleet standings occurred because only one of the six people who were absent, notified us and received excused absentee points. The others garnered unexcused absence points, which is number of boats, 8, plus 4, which equals 12. Also, there’s a high correlation between series leaders and those who stay on Saturday afternoons.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. All Optimist skippers who stay on Saturday afternoons should plan on sailing from 1300 to 1630. Portsmouth sailors should be ready to meet with Capt. John Thomas at 1300 – and not ordering their lunch – and sailing until 1700. Otherwise, you may miss the series race.

2. Flotation bags are a safety feature on Optimists class boats. Keep all of them inflated.

3. Alicia Muscato, former VYBA Opti sailor, captured first place overall at the Lake Eustis Inland Lakes Regatta last Sunday with a 1-1-2-3-6 score in light winds. There was no wind Saturday.

4. With cooler temperatures coming, we caution parents to send us their sailors properly clothed – not just T-shirts – along with a change of clothes in case they capsize. As an aside, one of the Bitter Ends has donated the bottom half of a wet suit. If it fits, you can have it.