2012 CMBA Nationals, Part II

Saturday morning started off with a Skipper's Meeting at 9 am.  This left competitors with two hours to finish rigging/tweaking boats before the first warning signal at 11am.  This year we had two women and two junior sailors racing with the usual suspects.  Hopefully both categories will continue to grow over time. Photo credits:  Amy Smith Linton.

Nancy Swan setting her race timer.

Susan Bousquet rigging her Shelley Aftermath.

Bob Patterson was also rigging up his Mistral as the morning breeze built at a surprising rate.

Joe helps Susan with some fiddly bit on the Shelley.  The Zeppelin-like bow of Greg Duncan's Connecticut peeks out in the background.

As the wind increased Arch Farmer decided that 10 year old Abby should sit out this day of racing.  She's obviously disappointed.

Meanwhile, defending Champion Jeff Linton gears up for the day.

As the time for the first start approached, the lawn was suddenly filled with sails.

At Elizabeth City we launch the boats by handing them down over the bulkhead.  Getting away is always  tricky when the lawn is the lee shore.

Walt Collins helps Dan Malott in the Connecticut Moth.

After a bit of indecision even your old diarist manages to clear the docks and get cleanly away.

Nancy Swan borrowed Walt Collins' boat Feather for the regatta.

Joe B. watches Susan depart in Aftermath.  The boat's name derives from the fact that Joe is a mathematics teacher and he restored the Shelley in the evenings after work.

Meanwhile, 14 year old Zach takes off in Look Out.  Zach is a recent graduate from the summer sailing school which Greg Duncan oversees.  Hopefully Greg can steer more junior sailors into Classic Moths from that program.

A few seconds after the start of Race 1.  Your diarist is buried in the cluster of boats just passing the Committee Boat.

Jeff Linton, seen here on a downwind leg of the course. 

Walt Collins and Bob Patterson not far behind Jeff.

There were the usual harsh and unpredictable gusts that accompany a NW wind as our new boy Zach soon discovered.

He hung in there and got Look Out back on her feet.

Nancy Swan was not as lucky and had to be towed in after Feather swamped.

Five races were completed by the end of Saturday.  Most skippers were more than ready to haul out!

Back ashore Jeff L. tells John Z. a "knock-knock" joke.  Mike P. doesn't get it.

A beach ball for floatation in the cockpit of the Connecticut.  Dan was no doubt happy that he didn't test its efficiency!  After a bit of socializing, the foiler Moths were rigged up and demonstrated.  I'll post a few pix of that action next time.