Awards Banquet Friday

Friday (Nov 18) is the Lansing Sailing Club Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet. There is no secret about who will be getting awards for fleet racing - but who will take home the Corinthian, Wet Bottom, Rookie of the Year and Crew of the Year Awards? Who will go away with the infamous Flying Wedge Award? Who will be Junior Sailor of the Year? Who will receive the Ron Wilson Award?

For those of you that made reservations, don't forget that the cash bar begins at 6:30. Dinner is at 7, Dessert about 7:45 and the annual meeting and awards being at 8:00.

If you still want to attend, but haven't made reservations, you can contact Lisa Winters and see if there are some last minute arrangements to be made. Call her at 517-974-7349 (or send her an email at lisa.winters@att.net).

The event will be held at the Eagle Eye Golf Course Clubhouse on Chandler Road in East Lansing (Chandler is the extension of Abbott Road north of Lake Lansing Road).

Members who cannot be at the annual meeting are entitled to send their proxy. A proxy form and instructions are on the LSC web site. Any member having difficulty accessing the proxy form should contact Vice-Commodre Pat Dolan.

"Wind Dancer" Does Well at Bluenose

Terry Kleiman holds on tight as the wind blew at this year's Bluenose

This year's Bluenose Regatta in Nashville was an unqualified success. Great wind, a crowded starting line, the usual special Harbor Island Yacht Club hospitality and a terrific clinic run by Greg Fisher of North Sails.

Pat Dolan, Terry Kleiman and Susanna Tellschow took "Wind Dancer" south to participate. They were joined by some other Michigan crews. Charlie Hess and Sean Fidler from Pontiac, George Sipel from Devils Lake and John Heagy from North Cape also made the trip.

Setting aside the race where "Wind Dancer" was among the leaders at the windward mark, but lost the spin halyard up the mast - and the race where she was fouled at the start - finishes of 16, 14, 9 and a 3 in the final race resulted in an overall thirteenth.

Other Michigan boats did well too. Sean Fidler finished second, Charlie Hess tenth, George Sipel eleventh and John Heagy nineteenth.

There is more about this regatta at the LSC web site (www.lansingsailing.org), including a picture story.

Volvo Ocean Race Underway - Trouble Right Away for Three Boats

The Black Pearl just after the Vigo start

The Volvo Ocean Race got underway from Vigo, Spain last Saturday. The boats are headed for Cape Town. However, the fleet encountered heavy weather the first night out and it began to claim victims.

Pirates of the Caribbean crew noticed leakage and found it to be a serious structural issue. They made port in Cascais and have connected with their shore crew, engineers and the builder. If repairs can be quickly made, they can rejoin Leg 1. If not, they will ship the boat to Cape Town for Leg 2.

Movistar had structural problems as well with a fractured keel ram shelf, the support that carries the fixed end of one of the massive hydraulic rams that actuate the swinging keel. They are also in port working on repairs.

Brunel Sunergy also have their problems; skipper Grant Wharington reported, “We had a tough night. Firstly a steering problem, not solved yet but we think the toe-in angle of the rudders needs to be adjusted. It was ok until about high 20s of boat speed the leeward rudder cavitates, pretty sure we have fixed this one, but we won’t know until we speed up again. All was going fine until about 2300. Our wind speed went from low 30s to 50 plus in a squall; we had R1, staysail and full main up, doing mid 20s. We broke the gooseneck, also broke jib halyard, so have been sailing under staysail only since."

Meanwhile, the other four boats are setting a record pace toward Cape Town. One of the boats set a new 24 hour record, sailing just over 500 miles.

• 2006 Listings will begin in March.

• The complete Calendar of Events is on the LSC Web Site. Click on "Calendar"
• Tuesdays: Junior Racing/Sailing and Lightning Practice Day (Next Season starts mid June 2006).
• Wednesdays: Lasers and Sunfish Race (Next Season starts late May 2006)
• Sundays: Lightnings Race (Next Season late April 2006

• Volvo Round the World Ocean Race. Seven boats in a round the world race ending in mid June 2006.