TELL TALES 14 (Jan. 17, 2008)

• Nine VYBA sailors are going to St. Petersburg this weekend for the Southeast Optimist Team Racing Regatta. They are: Stefan Johnson, Aubrey Khachetoorian, Paul Kreider, Evan Langer, Alicia Muscato, Cara Patete, Tyler Thorpe, Sami Tornese and Ashlyn Weed.

• Since most of our sailors will be at the regatta or traveling elsewhere, there will be NO sailing in Venice on Saturday, Jan. 19. However, there will be optional sailing on Monday, Jan. 21, from 1000 to 1500. We plan to try some match racing and sail in the Gulf of Mexico if possible.

• Here are the Winter series standings after five weeks. There are ties in both the Green and Portsmouth fleets and those ties were broken according to the scoring rules.

RWB Ð 1, Chloe Dietrich, 15; 2, Cara Patete, 16; 3, Alicia Muscato, 20; 4, Evan Langer, 22; 5, Marissa Phillips, 23; 6, Tyler Thorpe, 24.

Green Fleet Ð 1, Garrett Lawlor, 15; 2, Sami Tornese, 15; 3, Stephan VerHulst, 17; 4, Zack Jordan, 19; 5, Aubrey Khachetoorian, 27; 6, Andrew Sosa, 29; 7, Stefan Johnson, 32; 8, Jonathan James, 36; 9, Ashlyn Weed, 39.

Portsmouth Ð 1, Kyle D'Arcangelis, 9; 2, Bryan White, 9; 3, Mallory Phillips, 12; 4, Jackie Sims, 15; 5, Samuel Dolby, 16; 6, Sarah Vogelsong, 19.

• Looking ahead: Jan. 26, Winter series, race 6; Feb. 2, Winter series, race 7 and boat load; Feb. 9-10, St. Valentine's Day Regatta, St. Petersburg; Feb. 15, optional sailing; Feb. 16, Winter series, race 8; Feb. 18, optional sailing; Feb. 23, Winter series, race 9 (last Winter series race).

• Sailing tips: you may have seen some of these before and you may see them again, especially if certain sailors insist on performing certain sailing skills incorrectly. For example:

* If someone protests you, don't argue with him or her. Either do your turns, especially if you even suspect that you were in the wrong, or be prepared to face them in the protest room. In other words, look around for witnesses, preferably someone who is NOT from Venice and who agrees with you. Concentrate on the race and going fast. Don't continue the argument. Words to live by: you cannot reason with an unreasonable person.

* Watch your sail's tell tales going upwind and your wind indicator going downwind. This doesn't mean to keep your eyes glued to them, but be aware of what they are doing.

* When sailing upwind, be careful not to fall off (or drive) too far, especially after a tack.

* Going for the finish line, stay between your opposition and the line. Keep them covered.

* You can try a port tack start any time you feel so inclined, but recognize the fact that it is a tricky maneuver and requires speed and split second timing. Also, don't advertise the fact you are going to try it or someone will run down the line and block you.

* Once again: Sailing upwind? Board down! Otherwise, you are going to sideslip and not advance toward the wind as well. Downwind? Board up! Otherwise, you create drag.

* One more time: Don't pull the board up too soon when you round the windward mark. Concentrate on letting out your sail. And put your board down just before you round the leeward mark. It can give you more stability as you round and more time to pull in the sail.

* The "I" flag (phonetic name: India) is similar to prep flag and means that if you are over the start line within one minute of the starting signal, you must go around the end -- either the race committee boat or the pin. It's your choice, but you may prefer the end that is closer.