On the Team Jester crew for the weekend of racing were boat owner & current BCYC Commodore, Greg Horvath, John Johnson, Tom Haley, Bruce Niederer, John Thomas, Nina Polis and guest crew on Saturday Charlie Schaufele. Jester Rides High Wind Into Tawas
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Team Jester (Greg Horvath) sailed across Saginaw Bay in the dark of night -- driven by 35-mile-per-hour gusts -- to claim a 3RD place Friday night finish in their fleet. Jester came back on Saturday and earned a 1st place finish in their fleet beating out a VERY competitive Caseville boat by only 10 seconds corrected time for the two-lap windward/leeward race across Saginaw Bay.
FRIDAY NIGHT ACTION -- SURPRISING HIGH WIND GUSTS
Sailboats started the Friday competition from both the Huron Yacht Club in Caseville and the www.baycityyachtclub.com for the race to Tawas.
On the Team Jester crew for the weekend of racing were boat owner & current BCYC Commodore, Greg Horvath, John Johnson, Tom Haley, Bruce Niederer, John Thomas, Nina Polis and guest crew on Saturday Charlie Schaufele.
Shortly after rounding the Gravelly Shoal Light, boat owner Greg Horvath started calling out wind speeds of 25 knots, 30 knots.
"GET THAT KITE (SAIL) DOWN!," was the call, as the dangerous high-gusting wind filled the sails.
In wind gusting to 35 knots, getting a sail down can be a challenge, said Jester crewman John Johnson. "Thankfully, we were able to wrangle the sail down with minimal drama and continued the race with a full mainsail," Johnson added.
Jester continued the race with #3 (small) headsail and mainsail while maintaining consistent boat speeds of 8-10 knots!
According to Johnson, in the dark it can be sometimes difficult to keep track of your competition. Add to that the chaos of the surprise breeze and it becomes almost impossible. "We blasted across the finish line at the entrance to the Tawas State Docks at 1:09:24! That's the earliest most of us have EVER finished the race," Johnson explained. "In 20 years of running this race," Johnson continued, "I've personally finished some races when the morning sun was coming up, so needless to say this was a very exhilarating race!"
In sailboat racing, a handicap scoring system called PHRF ratings is used. It works much the same as a golf or bowling handicap system but is much more complex. Although Team Jester was second in their fleet to cross the finish line at Tawas, they ended up 3rd after the ratings were factored in for the Friday night action. Other local Bay City boats Medicine Man and Rush took the first and second place spots.
After the race, it is a long-standing Tawas Race tradition to wander the docks while enjoying a favorite beverage and swap stories with the other racers. The Jester crew upheld the tradition in style with most of the Jester crew hanging in there until the wee hours.
SATURDAY IS ANOTHER DAY
Saturday dawned to another day of racing with a scheduled "buoy race" on Tawas Bay, hosted by the Tawas Bay Yacht club. "Sometimes shaking off the cobwebs of the prior night can be as challenging as the race," Johnson said about the Saturday morning race.
Start time for the 2 lap windward/leeward race across the Saginaw Bay was 2:00 pm.
Team Jester was up to the task and quickly shifted into race mode once again -- in absolutely perfect conditions with 15-20 knots of breeze and plenty of sunshine. After a hard fought battle, Jester earned a 1st place finish in their fleet beating out a VERY competitive Caseville boat by only 10 seconds corrected time!
In most levels of local sailboat racing, a top 3 finish nets you a flag. The Tawas Bay Yacht Club went a step above, providing winners with a beautiful, engraved, silver platter. There was also a stellar post-race party with a rib-eye dinner and free beer.
All-in-all, it was a fantastic weekend for Team Jester.
If anyone is interested in the exciting, enjoyable sport of sailing, please contact Saginaw Bay Community Sailing at 989-922-SAIL (922-7245) or www.sbcsa.org -- They offer classes for adults and kids 8 and up. Once you "get your feet wet" there, they can help you connect with some of the local racers for some exciting local racing or to simply enjoy a pleasure sail.
Racing on the Saginaw Bay is great fun and oddly, most people in the area don't even know it goes on right in their back yard.
There is a more "relaxed' racing program EVERY Wednesday night from mid-May through mid-September and then Sunday afternoons into October.
There is also a weekend series that is a bit more serious and high level, but classes have also been added for the more casual sailor to just come out and enjoy the fun.
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O. J. Cunningham |
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