"Wind Dancer" Goes Three for Three

"Shuibumi" nipping "Sail Fevre" at Race 2 finish

A crew of two fighting heavy air

Gil Chesbro and Scott Watkins joined Pat Dolan on "Wind Dancer" Sunday, sailing to three first place finishes in the three races.

The wind was blowing in the 10-12 range as race one started, and kept increasing its intensity as the day wore on. By race three, the sailors were hicking full out with a completely depowered sail plan - and still having some occasional difficulty.

It was a little dicey flying the chute, but that didn't stop the crews - although most sailed conservatively to avoid getting wet.

Michael-Salomon Jost couldn't resist a quick drink of water though - missing the hiking strap on a tack and going overboard. He kept ahold of the jib sheet however and other crew members grabbed his life jacket and pulled him back aboard. Not fully refreshed, MSJ jumped in again when he arrived back at the dock.

Mike Moody teamed with Jim Fletcher and Tim Potter for the day's racing, posting second place finishes in all three races. Larry Koster, MSJ and Gary Marx sailed solidly, getting to the first windward mark at the head of the pack several times - and converted their efforts into two third place finishes and a fourth.

Jonathan Ahlbrand, with Bell and Gangler with him on "Bananas" posted a 4-5-3 day while John LeFevre and Leif Alton went 5-4-5. In both cases, crew weight played a major role as they struggled to keep their boats from heeling too much upwind.

Instead of racing next Sunday (Mother's Day), Lightning sailors will compete Thursday with the first racing beginning at 6:30 pm.

With only three race days completed in 2007 for the Lightnings, complete results and standings aren't yet posted. However, look for them soon through a link on the "Racing" page of the LSC web site at www.lansingsailing.org.

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