TELLTALES 33 (July 2, 2008)

• Sailing is scheduled as usual this coming Saturday, July 5, starting at 9 a.m. However, the Venice Yacht Club has many activities slated and parking will be at a premium. You may want to car pool. In addition to the regular series races, the VYBA will be involved in some special races so yacht club members can bet on various sailors. Half of the proceeds will come to the VYBA. No word yet on how many races there will be or if there will be any awards for the skippers.

• Thanks to Kyle D'Arcangelis, a certified instructor and Portsmouth skipper, for filling in for Emily Rom this Saturday. She has gone to Detroit for a family wedding, but will be back July 12.

• Back to series races, these are the standings with points after four weeks:

RWB: 1, Stephan VerHulst, 9; 2, Garrett Lawlor, 15; 3, Alicia Muscato, 16; 4, Aubrey Khachetoorian, 23; 5, Stefan Johnson, 23; 6, Cara Patete, 24; 7, Sami Tornese, 25; 8, Chloe Dietrick, 31; 9, Evan Langer, 32; 10, Andrew Sosa, 35; 11, Ashlyn Weed, 35.

Portsmouth: 1, Michelle Thomas, 6; 2, Bryan White, 8; 3, Kyle D'Arcangelis, 14. None of the others have competed in enough races to qualify yet, but there are five weeks left.

• Speaking of races and scoring, Capt. John Thomas may have only one race that counts as the series race for a certain week, or he may have many more. If he has more, he computes the scores from all the day's races for a final series tally. In other words, not all races each Saturday count directly as series races. That way, if someone misses a Saturday for whatever reason, he or she is not penalized ÒxÓ number of races. They are scored only as having an absence.

• Our deepest sympathy and condolences go to Chloe Dietrich, whose grandfather died recently.

• Thanks to Michelle Thomas for serving as a summer instructor for the first four weeks. She will be going to New Jersey soon for six weeks. Bryan White, who has been handling the 420 and special Optimist classes, has shifted to the beginning and advanced classes, starting this week.

• Appreciation also goes to Aubrey Khachetoorian who served as demonstrator for the parent orientation last Saturday. We will need another demonstrator for the next one on July 12.

• From now on, sailing counselors must sign up only for themselves. They should not sign up for someone else because some sailors have 'accidentally' signed for someone else and that person is unable to attend due to another commitment. And again, don't sign up unless you are planning on coming. To sign up or be signed up and not come creates chaos and is unfair to the instructors. That is why we have had sign up sheets for years. And they worked well in the past.

• For those who don't know the VYBA phone number, it is 468-1719. The mailing address is the same as the yacht club: 1330 Tarpon Center Dr., Venice, Fla., 34285.

• Sailing tip from 'Sailing World' magazine: Going upwind or downwind, you need to pick a path through the waves so you can go faster. Even a one-foot wave can make a big difference.

• Gary Jobson has a couple of comments about speed at the starts. First, avoid making radical maneuvers, such as a tack, during the last 20 seconds before the gun goes or the flag drops. If you like running starts, practice your timing so you can be at full speed when you reach the line.

• Gary also suggests that match racing tactics and tacking duels seldom if ever work in fleet racing. Tacking several times within a short time frame can be disastrous and both you and your foe will find yourselves dropping back in the fleet. In other words, don't attack the boat closest to you.