Category Archives: 9. Archive

Race and Club Burn

This Saturday, May 28, we will attempt another round of racing. Barring any un-forseen disaster or undesirable weather prognostications, we will attempt to hold a skippers meeting at 12:00 noon on Saturday and a start time of around 1:00 p.m. After the race we will hold our usual “Happy Hour(s)” and will prepare the grill for those who wish to participate in the “Club Burn”. For those not familiar with the “Club Burn”, we will furnish a hot grill for those of you who wish to bring the entree of your choice and char it to it’s culinary perfection on the above mentioned grill for a communal dining experience, al fresco. We do try to keep this affair a civilized experience and participants are urged to marinate themselves in an appropriate manner and do please remember, angry drunks will be incarcerated and used as mooring buoys, or perhaps as floating marks for Sunday’s race. Sunday, the skippers meeting will be at 1:00 p.m. with the start set for around 2:00 pm. In the mean time, please make a few liquid sacrifices to the “wind gods” and hopefully, we will have wind. Gimp

Easter Egg Hunt

This coming Saturday, OSYC will hold it’s second annual Easter Egg Hunt. But this is no normal egg hunt. The “Eggs” are colored balloons and they will be hidden in plain sight floating out on the lake. The hunters will use sail boats to chase down and retrieve as many as possible. Prizes will be given to both kids and adults for all sorts of achievements – most balloons, different colors, specially marked balloons, etc, and etc. Yes, the kids had a ton of fun last year, but also note the adult prizes, so bring your boat and your fishing nets for a different twist on sailing. If you want to know more, here is the report and photos from last year: report: http://www.osyc.net/SPIP/article.php3?id_article=235 pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/jharrell26/2010OSYCEasterEggHunt# The hunts starts at 1pm this Saturday, April 23rd. Be there!

Bahamas 2011, final report

Well we are back home If you recall from the last post we were in West End in the Bahamas waiting for the wives to fly in and we were waiting for Celebration to rejoin us. Celebration was waiting for a weather window to sail from Great Sale to West End. They actually had to wait for two days at Great Sale. They were finally able to make it to West End on April 2. They arrived at almost the same time as the wives did. The wives took a 30 minute taxi ride from Freeport to West End as the weather was still not good enough to sail up to Freeport to meet them. We stayed at West End for four days, went for walks on the beach, snorkel, went to the straw bar, rode bikes, ate lobster, went to the straw bar, took the little sailboat out for ride, saw a water spout, went to the straw bar. I think you get the drift we just hung out and relaxed; it was great seeing the wives. A couple of nights we had a get together on the dock with all of the other boats. On Thursday we sailed or I should say motored up to Lucaya, which took about six hours. Lucaya is much more populated than any other Island we have visited on this trip. They had a lot of tourist stuff, stores, good restaurants and a casino. It was a nice change of pace, but I like the smaller Islands and towns better, where you can interact with the people more. The wives flew out on Saturday and we began our 54 hour sail home. Leaving the wives was hard, but we knew we would see them on Monday. We also had to leave Celebration behind as well as their crew of George and Freida; this too was hard because they had been so much of our everyday life for the last 6 weeks. They are staying in the Bahamas for another month and half, their kids are flying in May, staying a week and then they will be sailing home. We had an uneventful passage home; we had to motor and motor sail the whole way because of the lack of wind. The seas were calm. I do not know why but for some reason we saw more sharks than on any other trip we have been on. They seem to follow the boat; their fin would cross the wake of our boat then disappear. It really reminded me of buzzards. When I was farming I hated to see buzzards flying in a circle over head, I figured they knew something I didn’t. Apparently they did, I am not farming anymore. We saw dolphins as well. The first time I was on watch. Our watch schedule was two hours on and four off. Anyway it was at about 9:30 PM and I heard the dolphins coming up for air, they were no more than two feet from the side of the boat, I tried to touch them but was unable. I turned the flash light on and shined it in the water and just watched them swim. The next morning while I was on watch at about 11:00 AM two dolphins jumped out of the water about 3 feet at the same time, they are really something to watch. On the second day out we caught a Mahi Mahi at about 5 PM and had him for supper at 7 PM. We had new potatoes, salad and Mahi, not too bad for being in the middle of the Atlantic. If you were to ask me what was the most memorable things were on this trip, I would stay the beauty of the water, the views from the Islands, the first footprints on a sandy beach and last but not lease the people you meet along the way. We met people from all over the world; you very seldom get the last names, just their first names and the name of their boat. Then you have the Bahamian people which are great. Their favorite saying is “No Problem Mon”. They are just great to be around, they always speak when you pass them on the road, the kids are well mannered, I do not think I ever heard them swear and they will always help you. One quick example. A fellow cruiser was at a checkout line and the power went out. He could no longer pay with a credit card it had to be cash until the power was restored. He only had $20 dollars and his bill was $70. He told the cashier he would have to put some items back, then the Bahamian behind him said “No Problem Mon” and lent him the $50 dollars, drove him back to his boat, they had a beer and the Bahamian got his $50 dollars back. Jack has always said then when he gets too old to move and has to eat mash bananas he wants to think about the things he has done and not think about the things he has not done. With that in mind several years from now, if you should see a couple of old geezers sitting in the corner somewhere with a bowl of mash bananas and couple of stains on the front of our shirts sleeping with a smile on our face, we are just reliving the dream and thinking on our past adventures. Well that is about it for this year’s trip, we are all ready talking about next year’s adventure. You might want to keep up with the crew of Celebration as they continue their adventure on their blog; http://freidaandgeorge.blogspot.com/ The Crew of SV Martini We were living the Dream for 43 days and over a thousand miles.

Sinclair Open Regatta and Seminar

This weekend is the Annual Sinclair Open Regatta. The “Open” designation means the event is “open” to anyone what wants to come out and play with us, push a boat around in a triangular fashion, drink and tell lies, stuff yer face with grilled goodies and such, dance nekkid on tabletops….well, maybe not…(er, uh, depends on what you look like and definitely not until the kids are asleep!) and you don’t even have to be a member! Now you know you can’t pass up such a potential debacle as this, I mean, c’mon… think of the plethora of “tall tales to tell your grand kids” potential here. And all it’s gonna cost you is (as our explicit and precise esteemed Commodore tells me) “…a very small minimal contribution to cover the cost of, oh maybe hamburger meat, hot dogs, I dunno, whatever I decide to grill and whatever sides I decide to fix for the food on Saturday. Oh, I don’t know…three to five dollars a head, max, maybe kids for a buck or two. I’ll figure it out when I buy supplies.” Well, we may not excel at “details”, but we’re pretty damn good at “fun”! The itinerary for the event will be as follows: {{Friday, April 8;}} 6:30 pm – A symposium and round-table discussion on Boat/Race Preparation and Sequence. Our “Resident Race Guru”, Carl Saylor, has enlisted the internationally famous racer and sail-maker Joe Waters to give a talk and answer questions on preparing your boat, setting it up, racing tips, etc.This is a great chance to learn from the “Masters” so unless you already know everything there is to know about sailing and/or racing, ya oughta make this one! They will also be observing the racers on Saturday and Sunday and will be available after the races to discuss their observations and impart info and advice. This opportunity alone makes the “Open” a “must attend” even if you only use your sailboat as ‘yard art’! {{Saturday, April 9:}} 12:00 noon; Skippers Meeting 1:00 pm; Start Racing We will attempt to start the races at this time. We always try to make allowances if someone has problems so this start time isn’t chipped in stone. Depending on wind conditions, we will try to get in as many races as possible and be off the water by 4:30 – 5:00. After the race, Joe Waters and Carl Saylor will be available to discuss their observations with you and answer questions, give advice if solicited, etc.. 7:00 pm; Chow Down – (Please note; Chow Time always depends on the “marinated” condition of the chef!!! And Then; – Consumption of large amounts of adult beverages, telling of tall tales, if you are proficient on a portable musical instrument, bring it out and we’ll have some entertainment! {{Sunday, April 10:}} 1:00 pm; Skippers Meeting – We start an hour later to accommodate those who wish to attend to spiritual affairs…and those who are recovering from a previous state of extreme inebriation. 2:00 pm; Start Racing 4:30 – 5:00 pm until whenever; Happy Hour and more discussions with Carl and Joe Bring a friend and tell yer neighbors ’cause we wanna see a good turnout for this one. There will be crew spots available but we’d like to get as many boats on the water as possible and…..pray for wind! Gimp

OSYC Spring Membership Meeting

Mark your calendar, the Spring meeting and dinner is Saturday, March 26th. There will be races starting at 1:00, Happy Hour starting around 4:00, and dinner around 6:30, with the meeting to follow. The meeting should be short. Come and enjoy the sailing, grounds, and good fellowship. Appetizer and desserts would be greatly appreciated. Jay is setting up a link for RSVP. Please respond so I know how much food to cook. Menu: -Grilled Chicken -Smashed Potatoes -Seasoned Green Beans Hope to see you there Ken

Racing this weekend!, March 26-27, 2011

It’s that time again! Let’s go racing! OK folks, you do know that this time of year is as good as it gets, wind-wise, until fall? Well don’t-cha? So dang-it-all git yer lazy butts out here and play with us! The climactic prognostications appear favorable as of today. You’ll even have a better chance of winning, as some of our fiercest competitors are off playing in the big water. In the interest of informational precision and simplicity, I will reiterate our “racing format”. To wit; On any given day we will run either ’round the buoy races or “pursuit” races as determined at the Skippers Meeting. ‘Round the buoy races will be a triangular course of one or two laps. The starting sequence will be the standard five minute countdown using horn blasts and flags from the committee boat. The sequence is as follows. Approx. 1 minute before the sequence begins a “get ready” signal will be sounded. This will be four quick blasts of the air horn. At five minutes before the start, we do a long blast from the air horn along with a red flag going up on the committee boat. At four minutes to start, we do a long blast of the air horn and the “prep” flag goes up. The “prep” flag is a blue flag with a white square in the middle. At one minute to start, we do a long horn blast and the “prep” flag comes down. The start is a long horn blast and the red flag comes down and we be racin’! Then you sail around the buoys as fast as you can and back across the starting line. Simple ain’t it? The “Pursuit” races are a staggered start race with the start times determined by your boats PHRF handicap. You sign up at the skippers meeting and get your “start” time. This time will represent how many minutes/seconds from the starting horn you must wait to go across the start line. We sail a set course that consists of sailing from a start line at the club to different landmarks on the lake and back to the club.We have a map of the course so it is real easy. When you finish all you have to do is write down on the sign up sheet who finished in front of you and who finished behind you. It is run on the honor system and allows racing without a committee boat or a race committee. The starting sequence is; about a minute before the start a “get ready” signal of four short blasts of the horn will be sounded by someone designated at the skippers meeting. One long horn blast will signal you to start your countdown to your start time. when your start time is up you cross the start line and race as fast as you can around the course and try to catch and pass the slower boats that started ahead of you while staying ahead of the faster boats that start after you. Simple ain’t it? I hope this clears up any confusion. I am trying to simplify our racing program so that everyone can come racing and know exactly what is going on. This is a work in progress so please come out and participate and help us grow our racing program. If you have any questions or suggestions please know that we will endeavor to clear up any confusion and take under advisement any constructive criticism. I may be an egotistical arrogant sob, but after many years of steady effort, Charlie has finally impressed upon me the fact that I don’t actually know it all and that it behooves me to shut up and listen every now and then and sometimes, not often, but once in a great while, on alternating blue moons I have been, dare I say it….wrong. Gimp

OSYC Racing Synopsis; March-12-2011

We decided on a Pursuit Race instead of Round the Buoy’ so we could get a couple more boats on the water. The race was conducted under some of the most erratic, shifty, gusty, (oh hell, you get the point) conditions I’ve seen, but we had a great time. Lots of “rounding up” and “rail in the water” interspersed with slack sails, 90 degree shifts, etc. Wind speeds were a continual 0 to 18 mph. I think we even experienced some negative numbers on the wind speed, proving it is possible to sail in a vacuum…sorta. Tom Poth wasn’t racing but can attest to the bi-polar, schizophrenic wind conditions. I would like to extend this reminder to the team of Wilson and Lewis, we did say TWO laps at the Skippers Meeting! This turned out to be a really important piece of information to have as they were way ahead at the end of the first lap. It turned out well in the end as we helped them drown their sorrows with prodigious applications of wine and scotch after the race. Sunday was a wash as the winds didn’t come in til late. Some of us did have a really nice afternoon sail. I’m thinking of having a “make-up” race next weekend if conditions permit, so tune in later. Gimp Results of 3-12-11 Pursuit Race 1 – Ken and Jeniffer Griffin / Impulse 21 2 – Bob Horan / Morgan 24 3 – Mike & Charlie Dortch / Macgregor 26 4 – Jack Mahaney – Thistle DNF D. Wilson & Bill Lewis / Hunter 25 DNF Kirby Wincey / Cat. 22

Notice of Races for Mar. 12, 13

Once again it’s time for the ‘Intrepid Mariners of OSYC’ to jostle and maneuver to the starting line for another round of chaotic mayhem on the ‘Lake o’ the Schizophrenic Breezes’. (AKA; Lake Sinclair) The meteorological prognostications appear extremely favorable at this juncture, however, I have been lied to before. So, keep making those liquid 86 proof sacrifices to the wind gods and hope for the best. Again, Saturday will be ‘around the buoy’ races with the Skippers Meeting at 12:00 noon and racing to start at 1:00, barring un-forseen difficulties. Sunday will be a ‘Pursuit Race’ with Skippers Meeting at 1:00 pm and racing to commence at 2:00 pm. If you are interested in joining us but feel a little intimidated or just have some questions, please join us and we will do everything in our power to help facilitate your racing experience…except let you win! Seriously, we have a large pool of combined knowledge and all are willing to share. If you don’t feel like racing your boat, come out and crew, your bound to learn something important! Gimp

Race Results 2-20-11 or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The wind refused to co-operate on Saturday so we did not race. Towards evening the wind came up and some of us went out to play. Of course, anytime more than one sailboat is on the same stretch of water, they are racing. The winners and losers of these impromptu competitions are ensconced firmly and arbitrarily in the minds of the individual contestants. However, it did get back to me that Jimmy was overheard muttering something about getting a bigger fore-sail (smirk)! The ‘Feast of the Inebriated’ was a semi-sensational success. I heard Ken got some healthy excercise…and that’s all I have to say about that! Sunday found me crawling blearily into the cockpit of the Thera-P to be smacked in the face with a nice precocious little breeze with a hint of attitude. We managed to get in two Pursuit Races in semi-decent winds, the last of which contained a hard fought angst ridden down-wind duel for last place between the Wilsons and the Kennifers. Ya shoulda been there! On a personal note, it was good to see Carl (aka; ‘if you ain’t sailing on the edge, yer usin’ to much boat!) and Laurie Saylor out this weekend and I’ll do what I can to schedule some racing to fit in with their hectic schedule. If you didn’t come out…well you just don’t know what you’re missing…and it’s your own damn fault! You are gonna have to come out just to keep abreast of all the inside jokes and innuendos! Gimp Results of Pursuit Race Sunday, Feb. 2011 RACE 1 -Carl & Laurie Saylor / SR 21————– 1 -Greg Phillips / Catalina 25 WK TR——— 2 -Kennifer Griffin / Impulse 21 ————– 3 -Ron Bloodworth / Sunfish —————– 4 -D & Lauren Wilson, et al/ MacG 26D—— 5 RACE 2 -Greg Phillips / Catalina 25 WK TR——— 1 -Carl & Laurie Saylor / SR 21————– 2 -Kennifer Griffin / Impulse 21 ————– 3 -D & Lauren Wilson, et al/ MacG 26D——4 -Ron Bloodworth / Sunfish ————— DNS

February 19-20 Races

FEBRUARY 19 – 20 RACES We’re gonna do it again! Racing this weekend! If you haven’t participated in our racing program you are missing a wonderfully, fabulous, heart-pounding, tremendously exciting, life-fulfilling, nearly orgasmic experience. OK, maybe not quite that good…but it is more fun than you might think. Not to mention making you a much better sailor. If you don’t want to race your boat, come out anyway and crew for someone. We always have room for anyone that wants to go out. If you have any questions, our crew of experts will be eager to answer any query you might wish to pose and with the vast amount of combined experience available, someone will have the answer…or we’ll fake it. The Saturday Frostbite Series starts at 1:00 pm, with the skippers meeting at 12:00. Some of us are going to hang out and grill the dead animal of our choice after the race. We will be firing up the grill for anyone wanting to join us. Just bring what you want to cook and we’ll leave you room on the grill. Sunday’s Pursuit Race will start at 2:00 pm with the Skippers Meeting at 1:00 pm. Please come and join us. I’d really love to see a big crowd this weekend…it would make me look good, instead of incompetent! So please…PLEASE come out and play with us. Gimp