Moonlight Sail/Cruise Friday - Join in

Volunteer wanted for Sunday - WMMQ's Debra Hart to Race

We are looking for a volunteer or two to help out this Sunday. With WMMQ Radio's Debra Hart joining the racing there may be some spectators. An extra person or two to assist with Race Committee and with taking spectators on the water will be helpful. Contact Vice-Commodore Pat Dolan. Hart will be sailing with Mike Moody on "Moody's Boot.

Sixteen Sailors - Six Races - Five Different Winners

Wayne Loescher

Lake Lansing was glassy all day - but just before racing was scheduled to start, wind began to fill in. Bob Miller took the lead and rigged his boat. Others were skeptical - but they followed suit and found a solid breeze for each fleet to sail two races and just enough to finish a third.

Jim Fletcher won two Sunfish contests and Dave Vietti won the third race. Mike Moody, Olav Messerschmidt and Doug Carlson each won a Laser race.

Laser sailors were joined by John Melcher for the first time this year - and John finished fourth in the final race to show he still has the touch. Elias Strangas, a new member this year, hopped on the Safety Boat to help move marks. Come back and join in the sailing Elias - there are still three Wednesday's of racing.

Dennis Dudley

Dave Vietti started with a third place finish in the Sunfish Fleet, then improved to second and in the final race took top honors. Jim Fletcher added a third to his two bullets while Gil Chesbro scored a second and a third. Maribeth Fletcher had a second place finish to round out the top three Sunfish finishers for the evening.

On the Laser side of things, despite having eleven boats on the water, the top three spots were all gathered in by Moody (2-1-1), Carlson (2-3-1) and Messerschmidt (3-1-3). Finishes in the middle of the fleet were more widely shared. Bob Miller, John Melcher, Pat Dolan, Susanna Tellschow, Joel Shapiro and Coleman Baar all shared one or more fourths, fifths or sixths.

Complete results and current standings can be found by clicking on the Laser or Sunfish emblem on the racing page of the LSC web site at www.lansingsailing.org.

Junior Sailors Halfway Through August Racing Series

Cody Eggenberger relaxes after a race

Junior Sailors at LSC have been racing since the beginning of August in a format where they are handicapped (similar to Golf) so that each of the sailors has a good opportunity to finish high in the fleet if they sail well. Sailors with a higher rating start after sailors who have a lower rating. There are up to four groups of starters - each starting one minute apart.

Last Tuesday, in a seven boat field, Cody Eggenberger and Doug Crawford shared top honors with eleven points. Cody got his with two first place finishes, a fourth and a fifth. Doug garnered his eleven with a second and three thirds.

Three sailors were close behind. Grant Messerschmidt had thirteen points resulting from two seconds a third and a sixth. Faith Krogulecki's two firsts and two sixths added to fourteen. Meanwhile, Cara Scovill registered sixteen by finishing the day with a second after posting two fours and a six.

Chris Miller participated for the first time and kept improving with each race, starting with a seven and ending with a four with two fifths in between. Greg Scovill must have drawn a boat that collected weeds and he will be looking to show his form of two weeks ago when he returns next week.

Complete results and current handicaps can be found by clicking "Junior Sailing" on the racing page of the LSC web site at www.lansingsailing.org.

Race Rules: Be Careful Coming Down on a Boat to Leeward

Last night's Race Quiz brought by Doug Carlson to the group at Spagnola's featured a windward boat sailing down on a leeward boat as they headed for an offwind mark. By doing this, the windward sailor took the leeward boat's wind, and windward was soon clear ahead coming to the two length zone at the mark. Leeward protested the windward boat.

Sailors at Spagnoula's were heavily in favor of dismissing leeward's protest - by a margin of 15 to 2. However, in this case, the minority had the correct answer.

Rule 17.2 states: "Except on a beat to windward, while a boat is less than two of her hull lengths from a leeward boat or a boat clear astern steering a course to leeward of her, she shall not sail below her proper course unless she gybes."

Windward's proper course is to sail the course to finish in the shortest time in the absense of the other boat. If windward were bearing away to stay in a gust, her action would be defensible because that is what she would do to finish in the shortest time. However, this was not the case in this situation and windward cannot sail down on leeward.

This quiz comes from a Dave Perry Book: 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes, available from your favorite bookstore.

• Aug 21 (Sun): Dave MacKenzie and Matt Allswede
• Aug 28 (Sun): George Zimmermann, Elias Strangas

• The complete Calendar of Events is on the LSC Web Site. Click on "Calendar"
• Tuesdays: Junior Racing/Sailing and Lightning Practice Day.
• Wednesdays: Lasers and Sunfish Race
• Sundays: Lightnings Race

• Swedish Match Tour. Professional Match Racing at venues throughout the world.
• America's Cup Racing. Acts 6 and 7 will be held in Sweden beginning in late August.