Wind Builds, Sunday Racing was Exciting

Converging on Mark - "Wind Dancer" on Starboard	Inside "Bananas" Cockpit
"Booty" Crew Coming to Layline	Capsize with Spin Flying - Masthead in the muck

By the time racing was due to start, the Sunday morning rain had disappeared and a nice breeze was developing.

Race 1 for the Lightning sailors began in 10-12 with the usual 20-30 degree shifts. A right hander worked its way through the starting area as the clock wound down to zero and the committee boat drew the predictable crowd.

Ahlbrand, Moody and Dolan traded off sharing first place on the way to the first windward mark with Moody getting there first. On the downwind, "Wind Dancer" gybed away to the right side of the course, found more wind and led the boats into the leeward mark. They covered and held on to win.

Race 2 found the same competitiveness through three legs with lots of lead changes. On the final downwind however, Moody went straight down the course while Dolan and his "Wind Dancer" team again looked for more wind on the right. "Wind Dancer" found the wind but struggled with their gybe back toward the finish. Despite being on a plane during most of the last two hundred yards, Moody won by less than a boat length.

By the time Race 3 started, the wind strength had built to 15 with lots of micro bursts and gusts in the 20s. Dolan timed his start perfectly and converted great speed into a quick lead that the team continued to build throughout the six leg race. Meanwhile, Moody and Ahlbrand were in a tough fight for second. Part way down the last leg, with spinnaker flying in 20 mph wind, "Moody's Booty" had difficulty and the chute pulled the boat over. With the mast stuck in the muck on the lakebed, it took quite a while for the crew to get the boat upright and the water out. The Safety Boat crew did a nice job of pulling the bow into position for the wind and wave action to help pull the masthead out of the muck. The boat came upright once, but a spinnaker wrapped around the backstay near the top of the mast pulled the boat over again. The Committee Boat joined in the action to grab the mast as it came clear of the water and untangled the spinnaker. From there on it was easy. Back on dry land, Mike got the mast down and rinsed it out. With a new windex, the mast will be ready to go back up and "Moody's Booty" will be ready for action on the next race day.

Results through May 23 are now available for Lasers, Sunfish and Lightnings on the Lansing Sailing Club web site at www.lansingsailing.org. Go to the racing page and click on the fleet symbol for the results desired. Sunday's race results will be added soon.

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