2007 / 2008 FLEET CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Fleet 21 ~ Oceanside, CA

Race Day 3 Report

Well, Race Day Three turned out to be a small, but very successful series of five races between the two boats that showed up to brave the breezes.  Hugh and Stevy Mast gave a wonderful demonstration of how to dominate the  start line for four out of the five races while Given Harrison (aka "Capn' Newbie), and crew, Lou Servatka, finally got their act together with a competitive start in race five.  Shortly thereafter they were actually able to get Hugh to briefly change course in a tacking dual in order to finish ahead in the last race of the day.

Early on in the series, Hugh and Stevy presented Given and Lou with several opportunities to practice their 360's -- valuable lessons in use of right of way.   That Hugh guy really knows how to  maneuver his boat into an advantageous position.  This of course created a great learning  experience for Given and Lou who hope to use their newly acquired skills in coping with such shenanigans to their advantage in the remainder of the winter series.

Thanks go out to Monty Yearly who was good enough to once again provide Gringo as the committee platform, and to Tim O'Conner who took on the official committee duties with the assistance of his son, Tim Junior, along with his nephew, Jeff Salorio, who together did a great job of handling the flags.

It really turned out to be a fine day for racing --  steady 12 to 15 knot wind gave us the opportunity to practice honing the skills we need to handle these boats when the air is filled with horsepower.  We were also very happy to find that there was not a drop of rain during the series.  While we missed sailing with the other boats, we still had a ball.

The next day of racing for the series is tentatively set for Saturday, January  5, 2008 where I hope to see the entire fleet on the water (we missed you guys!)

-Given Harrison

Captain, Fleet 21