Hi Dar

Just finished the practice race. We started last, the wind died to 5 knots and we were starting against the tide.

George and myself are looking for back seats and wool for ticklers for the shrouds.

There are about 95 boats registered for the event. 

The practice race was a triangle, windward-leeward and a final windward to a shorten course. We finished in the last 15 to 20 boats. Total time on the water was – left the dock at 1:30, start at 3, finish about 4:30 in at the dock about 5:15. We put the boat away and it is now 6:30.

Room is nice and about 2 miles away up a very narrow road.  The entrance to the club is about a ¼ mile long and is a one-way road with the club kids playing traffic cop with radios.

I received this note Tuesday morning, Aug.14th, from Mike from Ireland. I pasted Mike's word file into this e-mail just in case you can't open it. Someone else I sent it to couldn't open it.

Hi, Dar:

There are about 96 boats in the regatta. Yesterday the wind was about 10-12 gusting to 15 maybe the odd one to 20 knots. The seas were about 2 feet, but with a very irregular pattern and we took water on much of the time while going to windward. Bailers were open most of the day. About 5 boats were towed back in.  The race course is about 3 miles from the club.  About 30 minutes on the run and about 1 hour to buck back in at the end of the day. We were 57th and 61st. 

Today the winds are up, about 1/3 of the fleet has stayed ashore. Greetings from Valesbeck (Denmark).  They say the wind is force 4 to 5 gusting 6.  That is a low of 15 knots gusting to 25 plus.

I am in the race hut typing this and they are talking about making the course just windward – leewards to keep the boats out of the worst of the weather.  Boats are retiring before the start to sail back in.

George is very well and happy with the boat and his health.  The room is great.  Food is expensive but they give you plenty. :>)

The hotel is about 4 miles down the coast, we are getting rides from the Irish racers and cruisers.

We plan to go out for the second race if the wind lets up.

 Mike

Mike's report about race # 2 yesterday, Tuesday, Aug.14th.  They are all safe and sound....

Darlene

Hi Dar No 2

 The wind tied to 14 to 16 knots so we went out. BIG MISTAKE. We made the start line about 1:30 when they said the 2nd start was to go.  The start was actually at 2:10.

We started and were in the top 1/3 of the fleet as we passed the windward mark and headed in.  The wind shortly there after reached force 7 or 30 knots.  With the board ½ up and the jib not in but entirely on the rag we sailed in on the main. It took about 1-1/2 hours but we made it safe but very wet. The salt water really stings the eyes and I was sailing with my eyes closed or watering for much of the time.

We and the boat are safe!  We were with 4 other boats that sailed in with us.  A lot of boats were coming in for the rest of the race.  It is now 5PM and the rescue boat have just announced that they have found all the boats and everyone is now being towed in.

As for the results Mike and Ian have 2 first and 2 second and are thus tied. Martin Collen Jr. has a 5, 4, 3. I don’t know how he did in the second race today.

Poul from Denmark has a 20th,~30th and a DNS from this morning as his main sheet block tore out of the boat during a jibe on the way out to the 1st race today.  He went out for the second race.

All is well and wet,

Love,

Michael 

Hi Dar,

SHADES OF OTTAWA, Blanchard, Codd 1st boat to not make the windward mark as the wind dies and the tide goes out.

After surviving yesterday, the wind this morning was barely 8 or 9 knots.  It went up and down a couple of times before disappearing for the day.  We completed the triangle and were on the second windward when the wind started to die.  The boat in front of us was the last boat to make the windward mark. The wind and the tide were going in the same direction and we tried several times to make the mark before ending up about ½ mile from the mark. After waiting an hour and one half, we retired. Apparently, one more boat did eventually finish in the time limit. 4 hours to do 5-1 KM legs! We were ahead of about 30+ boats at the time we retired. Our best race yet!

Everything we own has been hanging in the hotel room trying to dry.  But because of all the rain nothing is drying.  The sun has come out in the last ½ hour and hopefully we can dry some clothes for George.

We will go out to dinner with Martin senior and Liz.

Mike Mac was 4th and Ian Porter was OCS.  Mike is now one race ahead and Ian has his drop.

At the WIC meeting it was agreed that Tony would try to get the UK to try and get rid of the limit on the MK III.  We all did not see a big problem.  The problem with the transom flaps and drain tubes will be a bigger problem, but there appears to be a solution in the works, (Would you believe 4 bailers?) Details later.  The class has agreed on a new secretary, if they agree, otherwise Ralph will be the WIC Secretary.  He is a great guy and helped us everyday this week.  Finally we have agreed that the entire matter of sail measurement will be revisited in the next year or so with the hopes of using the ISAF rules for the W class.

That’s all for today.

Mike.

Hi Al,

Mike called tonight.

Today there was 1 race held.  Mike & George came in 47th.  Mike said today was rainy, with black clouds with the odd thunderstorm and they experienced major windshifts, etc.

They have only seen the sun a couple of times during the whole week, when it was out it was for a very short time.  The high for each day seems to be about 20 degrees Celsius.  So they have had just about every kind of wind and weather except for warmth and sun.

Their weather forecasters are predicting that Friday, the last race day, will be blowing again.  If the wind is up to strong, Mike and George are going to stay ashore, relax and pack away the boat and stuff.  They have the awards dinner Friday night.  They are going to stay with a fellow Irish sailor Friday night, he lives closer to Belfast Airport.  He will drive them to the airport on the Saturday morning. 

It is Sunday morning and we arrived yesterday about 3PM. Much to our surprise, Brian McCleary (from Ottawa) was on the same flight back from Ireland.

Race six was all about who could predict where the wind would come from next.  The racing was delayed until about 1.  It was a typical Ontario summer’s day with small thunderstorms rolling down the lake.  The first crossed the lake to the south and the race started with a beat to the south.  The 2 reaches were nice with 7 to 10 knot breezes.  During the next buck, the wind was starting to be affected by a storm to the North and the wind died away completely while the fleet was on the run.  Then the wind filled from the north at about 12 knots.  George and Mike were well out to the right when the wind started to die again but held on to the lay line to gain several boats and the last of the wind died on the right side.  The wind returned from the west and the fleet continued up the beat on a very close spinnaker reach.  As we reached the windward mark the wind returned to the north and George and I gybed for the middle of the course.  As the wind stabilized, we gybed to starboard and took over 10 boats as we reached into the gybe mark where the race committee had shortened the course.  We finished 47th and Martin Paul was the winner, followed by Ian.  Mike had to recover from a collision with a port tack boat at the start line, which left him well down the fleet.

The seventh race was abandoned, as the wind did not come in until after they fired the 3 guns and the fleet was half way home.  This left Ian and Mike in a tie for first place and Martin Collen in third. We finished the regatta in 65th having completed only 3 of the 6 races.

The prize giving was at 3 and the dinner started at 7:30.  George entertained the crowd with his speech and some square dance calling as the night went on.  Poul (from Denmark) was also planning to play his Wayfarer songs, but it was late and we had a 1-1/2 hour drive to the home of Dr. Allen Bell (George and Mike’s unofficial buddy for the week).  A wonderful home near the Belfast airport.  Ralph Roberts also came with us to Allen’s home for the night. We each got our own bedroom and Allen’s wife Heather served a great breakfast of toast, tea and coffee in the morning.

Ralph has been a wonderful help for George and myself.  He is a cruiser and as for all who will meet him in the future, all I can say is that he appears to be following in the steps of George in promoting the Wayfarer as the boat to both cruise and race. THANKS, RALPH!

Hope to see everyone soon,

Michael (& George) W CAN80

Thanks, Mike! It was great to get the news so fresh and in such a lively manner. Looking forward to hearing all the details this weekend at the Wind Bag!! Everything (incl. complete results) now posted. I see they also didn't follow the WIC guidelines re: ties!! See you Tuesday??

Uncle Al (W3854)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Darlene & Michael Codd 
To: Al Schonborn 
Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 8:08 PM
Subject: Re: The Irish Wayfarer Tales come to an end....
 

Al

They did follow the WIC guidelines.  The computer doing the results could not.  Mike and Ian are/were tied for first place and awarded equal prizes.

Michael