TELL TALES 17 (Feb. 13, 2008)

• Birthdays: Today is Cara Patete's birthday and tomorrow is not only Alicia Muscato's birthday but Samuel Dolby's as well. Happy birthday and happy Valentine's Day to all.

• Optional sailing: Only two people expressed interest in optional sailing on Friday. Since we need six, there will be no optional sailing Friday. Three people have signed up for optional sailing on Monday and therefore, we must have three more by the end of regular sailing on Saturday.

• Schedule: This Saturday (Feb. 16) will be regular sailing with winter series race number 8 and race number 9, the last race of the winter series is scheduled for Feb. 23. The spring series starts on Mar. 1 with race 2 slated for Mar. 8 while Mar. 15 will be race 3 along with the boat load for our regatta in Englewood on Mar. 22. Although Mar. 21 is a school holiday, there will be no optional sailing because of the regatta the next day on Lemon Bay.

• Regattas: Our policy for VYBA sailors to meet at the boat trailer prior to a regatta is one hour before the skipper's meeting. That gives everyone time for everyone to rig their boats and for coaches to have a skull session before the skippers gather. For example, the skipper's meeting at our regatta at Englewood's Indian Mound Park is scheduled for 9 a.m. Therefore, VYBA sailors should be there no later than 8 a.m., ready to unload their boats and rig them.

• Lost and found: There is a pair of small glasses in a case on the Pram Shed counter. None of the Bitter Ends have claimed them, so they must belong to someone affiliated with VYBA.

• Publicity: Two stories that concern VYBA sailors appear in the February issue of "Southwinds" sailing magazine. One is about the Portsmouth Yardstick rating system in general and the other is about how VYBA uses it for our Portsmouth division and why. Jin Dietrich (that would be Chloe's mother) has another great photo of our sailors accompanying the articles.

• Valentine's Day Silver Fleet results: VYBA sailors did pretty well in the annual St. Valentine's Day Regatta in St. Petersburg last weekend despite little or no wind Saturday and a gracious plenty of wind Sunday. Tyler Thorpe came in sixth in the Silver Fleet, which had 90 skippers registered. Cara Patete finished ninth and Chloe Dietrich was 19th while Sami Tornese took 28th. The top two finishers were both from San Diego, Calif., demonstrating how tough the competition was.

• Valentine' Day Radial results: Bryan White wound up 19th out of 37 sailors in the Laser Radial category. Justin Doane, a former VYBA skipper, finished fourth in the fleet.

• Other former sailors: Molly McKinney took third, Teal Strammer came in fourth and Michelle Thomas was fifth in the 18-boat 4.7 division in St. Petersburg. Christi Frost finished 10th.

• Series standings: RWB Ð 1, Chloe Dietrich, 22; 2, Cara Patete, 23; 3, Alicia Muscato, 26; 4, Evan Langer, 31; 5, Marissa Phillips, 35; 6, Tyler Thorpe, 36. Ernest Green Fleet Ð 1, Sami Tornese, 17; 2, Garrett Lawlor, 19; 3, Zack Jordan, 20; 4, Stephan VerHulst, 26; 5, Aubrey Khachetoorian, 30; 6, Andrew Sosa, 35; 7, Stefan Johnson, 37; 8 (tie) Jonathan James and Ashlyn Weed, 46. Portsmouth Ð 1, Bryan White, 15; 2, Kyle D'Arcangelis, 18; 3, Mallory Phillips, 19; 4, Jackie Sims, 19.2; 5, Sarah Vogelsong, 25; 6, Samuel Dolby, 25.

• Sailing tip: when sailing off the wind or dead downwind, be sure to raise your daggerboard accordingly, but do not take it out of the trunk until you are ready to haul your boat up on the dock or on a beach. You may need it. Obviously 420 sailors cannot take their centerboards out.