Star NAs
Friday - Miami, FL

It was a rather long day today. The wind was light and was very shifty, therefore we were postponed. Then an attempt or two at a start, then an actual race….only to be abandoned.



When we actually got underway, it was only blowing 5-6 knots. There were spots of wind where we’d actually have to lean out, but for the most part, it was on the cockpit floor upwind and sitting on the bow downwind.



The good news is that we had a great race. We were 3rd around every mark and ended the race in 3rd. We battled the Brazilians (Scheidt/Prada) for most of the last beat. They jumped us by tacking at the bottom mark. We got them back right at the finish (actually nosing them out). The last beat I was over the side and Mark sat in, which sounds weird, but is quite fast.


The 3rd & getting a throwout moved us up to 8th. We are only 6 points out of 5th. There were a number of boats OCS and many are requesting redress, so who knows. Also, most of the general recalls were under “z” flag, yet there were not 20% penalties. So all results are subject to change. It looked like there was going to be a long night in the room.



One race tomorrow….


SD

Star NAs
Thursday - Miami, FL

Today was pretty interesting. The wind was 15ish for 90% of the day. We struggled a little because we are a bit lighter than max (quite a bit) so we were in “higher” mode where the bigger teams could foot and send it. It made a difference in the choppy stuff.



Our first race was in the 30s. Not very good, but we were as good as the teens and as bad as the 40s. Not hard to fall, but extremely hard to climb.



The 2nd race we were in the 20s at the top and ended the run in the top 5. Not sure why, but everyone gybed and we were nearly fetching the bottom marks with a bear away rounding. Worked for us and for NZL (Pepper), who went from the 20s to 2nd.


About ½ way up the last beat a big growling cloud worked its way from south to north. It was big and black. With it was a thunderstorm and squall. I’ll bet the winds were in the upper 20s at the top mark. We gybed. I didn’t ruin the mast with the backstays! And whoa man!!! We had a major ride!! The wind got up to 30 and we were ripping down the bay. It was super fun! We couldn’t see 100 feet ahead, so we did the inverse compass number/navigation and the RC boat was right there. We lost a few on the previous beat and watched George Szabo shred the fleet downwind (he’s the only one we lost). George went from 18th to 8th (maybe?!). Pretty impressive to watch him sail the boat in that stuff. They sailed through Horton’s leeward side (ours too!). We did all we could to keep the boat on a plane, but lost some of the pressure as the storm passed. Lots of lightning and lots of very loud thunder!!!


Tomorrow calls for less wind.

Star NAs - Wednesday
Miami

If every day could be this nice…..80s, 12-16 knots, sunshine. Biscayne Bay is the best on days like this.

The racing is extremely difficult. There are so many gold stars on sails and I think I heard that 23 countries are represented. Both Coral Reef and US Sailing Center are PACKED with boats (85 total, I think). Talk about a race to the hoist….there were boats being hauled for about 2 hours.

Mark and I had a decent day. We sailed a solid 1st race and finished ~10th. The 2nd race we rounded the top in the top 5, bottom in 2nd and then got caught on the left when the right came in…lost a few. On the run we suspect that we might have had some weeds because we had been fast all day downwind and we were a touch off the pace…..lanes are very tight as well. Finished the 2nd race ~10th as well.

Star NAs - Tuesday
Miami - Coral Reef Yacht Club

Today was measurement and practice day. The conditions for sailing improved through the afternoon. By 1:PM, we hit the water for some practice.

We had a nice sail in 5-7 knots and worked out some kinks (on my end!). We're looking forward to tomorrow. Racing starts at 11:AM and there are two on the schedule.

We are Bow #39 and USA-8239. Most of the coverage can be found at www.starclass.org.

SD

Finn Pre-Trials : Friday Racing Postponed due to no wind.....check out the Committee boat from the Newport Harbor YC. Very nice, but as with all the competitors, waiting for wind!!!!

















USA-11 (The Speed Instrument)












Racing started on Saturday. The wind peaked at about 6 knots, but averaged in the 3 range. It was tough day for everyone involved. The US Olympic Committee wanted to pick a light-air venue to replicate the China site....I think they got what they asked for!!!

We had great conditions today for our final day of training before the Pre-Trials event starts.....the day started with a decent measurement process. It was brief, painless, etc. Geoff and I decided that after a few errands, we'd check the conditions by going to the beach side of the peninsula and there we found near white-cap conditions. Having "seen this movie before" we were expecting the wind to be near nothing by the time our tow got to the sailing area, but what we found was a nice 8-10 knot breeze. We checked one last sail/tune combination and we were satisfied that we explored all variables and had a very solid understanding of the equipment and set-up.

Tomorrow marks the start of the Pre-Trials. Seven races scheduled over 3 days. Given the wind conditions, it'll be surprising if all races are sailed (on schedule).

Finn Pre-Trials Training (Day 2 - Wednesday)

On thing I've noticed about this place is that the wind is all over the place and rarely blows hard. Yesterday we had a whapping 7 knots. Today we had "Santa Anna" winds for 1/2 the day. We got very excited to hit the water and by the time we got out to the Ocean, it dropped down to 6 knots and then down to 3.8 knots before we pulled the plug. Tomorrow is measurement day, the racing starts on Friday.

Finn Pre Trials Training

Finn Pre-Trials Training

Geoff Ewenson

2006 Snowball Regatta - Buckeye Lake, Ohio

October 7-8, 2006

This Much Fun Should Be Illegal, Karl Felger

The weekend of October 7-8, 2006 will forever hold a special place in our hearts and minds… well at least the parts we can remember. Buckeye Lake Yacht Club is a quant little yacht club with big history and bright future. They owe a large part of that to one man, George Fisher. Many of us know George as that old guy that still goes out and kicks our butts. Even more of us know George as a great teacher, friend and ambassador to the sport of sailing. This past weekend at Buckeye Lake we all gathered to celebrate his birthday, and life.
Over 45 boats in various classes sailed out of BLYC Saturday to clear skies and decent breeze. The battle in the lightning class would be heated from the start. Skipper D, Krazy Karl (a dubious due no doubt) along with the lovely Ryanne Gallagher got off to a good start but the birthday boy himself was doing the best to show us that he hadn’t lost his touch. With 40 degrees shifts and large differences in pressure, gains and losses were magnified. Leading at the top mark was the highly talented and no so bad to look at Team Probst. Following close behind was Skipper D and Team with the fleet hot on their heels. This would be a precursor to the rest of the regatta as the co-leaders at the cocktail party, Skipper D and Super Dave (Starck), would not win any of the three races that day but remained models of consistency.
The evening’s festivities were highlighted by many fun, dangerous and rum-induced antics. First, there was Ryanne locking the keys in the van, followed by Skipper D succeeding to climb and fall off of a fence in one swoop. Many applause go out to the World Famous ( I mean notorious) Trailer Trash Band for supplying the music for the evening. Hopefully by their next appearance they will be able to perform “Rocky Top,” a crowd favorite. More rum was had, and more debauchery was made. There was dancing, rum, Skipper D carrying around grown men like they were toys, and… .more rum.
We awoke Sunday morning prepped and ready for another great day of racing. Some of us were even still wearing our sailing clothes from the day before. Unfortunately Mother Nature didn’t agree, as the breeze was almost nonexistent. After a delay, races were finally cancelled for the day and trophies were awarded. Fending off Super Dave late into the night and even after being besieged by Super Dave’s singing talents, Skipper D held on to win the Lightning Class in stunning fashion… leading at the cocktail party.
Awards were, uh… awarded, and much applause was received. Finally we all took a moment to give thanks to George Fisher. The Man, the Myth, the Legend. For pretty soon he’ll probably be kicking our butts on the race course once again.

Results (Lightning)
1. Skip Dieball (powered by Quantum)

2. Super Dave Starck

3. Rob Ruhlman

2006 Kentucky Bluegrass Regatta, Louisville, KY.

I got back from Louisville last night where I sailed in the famous Bluegrass Highlander Regatta this past weekend. My friends from Louisville, Erin and Ed Spengeman, started talking to me about this event during the Highlander Nationals in July. I was placed on their email list and would get a weekly reminder about when the dates were and directions how to get there. I had sailed there once before and had a great time. There is usually a theme involved, and this year it was the Jimmy Buffett Bluegrass Regatta…make sure that you bring your grass skirt and Hawaiian shirt!! At one point I was told Jimmy was scheduled to attend, it was later confirmed that he could not make it. I am not sure if this was to help me decide to go or not, but screw Jimmy, I am going anyway!!

My girlfriend Jacqueline and I got a late start out of Toledo on Friday and arrived at the LSC around 1:30AM!! A bit later than I wanted to arrive, but there were quite a few Highlander sailors still up playing some sort of Bean Bag Toss game, right next to the keg. We joined some familiar faces and caught up on some old times. The Bauer brothers (John and Steve) were still going strong, as were Jason Hubbard, Barret Rhoades, Eric Milliman, Justin Busbey and a guy named Rob. There were a few others that I did not recognize…but noticed a face I have not seen in a few years. It was Jess Gerry, who came in from SoCal to race with Ed and Erin!! It was cool to see him again and I think the clock was edging towards 3am when we retired to our tents!!

With a later start, you have plenty of time to get breakfast and get your boat together. My team, Steve Bauer and Liz Bauer ;-), were up and ready and had the boat ½ together before I got to it! The breeze started out light in the morning, but filled in nicely for a 1pm start. When launching the boat, you need to hang on. The current was moving, between 3-4 knots!! We sailed out for a few practice tacks and gybes since we had not been in a boat together. It was amazing how slow you went upwind and how fast you went downwind. The breeze was out of the N-NE with a few right shifts to be taken advantage of. Louisville has tall hills (floodplain) and current relief was tough to come by since there was not a lot of breeze along the shore. And…your crew needs to keep an eye towards the Indiana side of the river as this is the channel where barge traffic frequently passed by!!!!!

The first two races were tricky as the breeze and current kept the right side of the course mostly favored. Many lead changes came and went, but Jason Hubbard and John Bauer were the race winners. The third race was a bit challenging as we managed to get around the windward mark just ahead of Jason. After a quick gybe inside of him, we pulled away for a nice lead. Holding the rum line, I wanted to make sure that we can take any breeze down that we could and stay below the mark. Well, the wind shut down ½ way down the leg when I called for a gybe to get back across the river and BELOW the mark. The chute collapsed and we were charging downwind, sideways, towards the leeward mark. I called for chute down and jib up so that we could try to go upwind and still cross the river and get BELOW the mark. That did not work either as we zoomed right by the leeward mark, on the wrong side. Jason, seeing the struggles we had, tried the same thing, only to just miss the leeward mark also, on the wrong side.

Kevin Hughes, Joe Collins, John Bauer and Charlie Brehob and Adam Probst managed to come in with some breeze and barely make it around while Jason and I traded tacks, ducked each other to unwind ourselves and get around the leeward mark the correct way. Neal Deaves and Norris Bourdow had no clue what we were doing as we tried to stay out of their way as they rounded. Finally, we managed to get a bit more breeze and make around with Jason right behind us. We played the left side as there was more breeze. Somehow, and I am not sure how, we battled back to 5th and felt fortunate as it could have been a lot worse.

We got the boats out of the water and packed them up for the night. As Steve and I walked up the stairs to the club, we talked about the different ways we could have handled the situation…but settled on there was not much we could have done; it is time for a cocktail!! Getting to the top of the stairs was the remedy that we needed as we were greeted to Jimmy Buffet music, an open bar and countless munchies. Right after we got off the water!!!

The dinner was great, along with a live solo guitarist and we traded war stories with other boats that had similar struggles that we did. Erin Spengeman organized an awesome Buffett Jeopardy. It was great to end the day with sailing friends and a relaxing atmosphere.
Sunday awoke to no breeze and the current still ripping. The RC made the correct choice and called the racing for the day. We tore the boats apart and had a very nice trophy ceremony. Winning the tie breaker, congrats go to Joe Collins for mastering the conditions. We were 2nd with John Bauer coming in a point behind us. 4th was Neal Deaves and Adam Probst 5th.
Many thanks go to the RC team and all of the volunteers of LSC for making the ’06 Bluegrass very memorable. But I need to thank Erin and Ed for inviting and reminding me that I needed to come. They did an amazing job of organizing and making sure everyone had a good time. I plan on being back next year, ready to challenge the mighty Ohio again!!

Ernie Dieball

St. Petes '06

Hoosier Regatta 2006

2006 Hoosier Lightning Regatta

This past weekend four members of the Quantum Loft in Toledo had the pleasure of attending the 2006 Hoosier Regatta at Lake Wawasee. The Slickster (Nick Turner), Skipper D (Skip Dieball), Big Ern (Ernie Dieball) and myself, Krazy Karl Felger descended upon Syracuse, Indiana with one goal in mind… to share some good times and racing with our wonderful friends and family. Upon arriving on Friday night we were greeted to cold drinks and warm smiles. This carried over onto Saturday morning as the competitors were scurrying around removing covers and stepping masts.

Saturday consisted of 3 races held in almost every wind range possible with quite volatile directions. On any given beat you could go from being up 30 degrees with all sailors hiking hard to being down 15 with two on the low side. This only added to the competitive nature of the racing and kept the fleet on its toes. Skipper D, with crew Krazy Karl Felger and Mike Rush managed to pull off three bullets in these trying yet exciting conditions, with Bill Faude and crew right on their heels.

At the dock we were greeted to hot-buttered rum, which got us properly lubricated for an eventful evening. After a delicious and filling dinner we decided to head to the local watering hole to enjoy some fine spirits and college football. Team Quantum Sails Toledo highly recommends the Frog Tavern, just three minutes from the yacht club. It features live cover bands, cheap drinks, plenty of TV’s to enjoy the college football season and Swedish exchange students (though, I had to check their ID’s to make sure). After plenty of shenanigans we departed the Frog Tavern for a stout night cap at the Wawasee Yacht Club, thanks to George Sipel and team.

Waking up Sunday morning to light and variable winds only aided the fact that some of us were still seeing double. Skipper D and Krazy Karl managed to find their long lost crew and after many lead changes, sail changes and tense moments were able to hold off Team Faude for the victory. Special thanks go out to Jeff Schmahl for putting together such a wonderful event. We encourage everyone to attend next year’s Hoosier Regatta.

I agree with Bill Faude in that it’s “The finest fall Lightning regatta in which you’ll ever be lucky to sail.” It truly is…

Results:
1. Team Dieball (powered by Quantum)
2. Team Faude (powered by Quantum)
3. Team Sipel (partial Quantum inventory)
4. Team Probst
5. Team McCree

Interlake Ad Fall 2006

Thistle Ad Fall 2006