Relay Racers in the 2008 Olympics

Don't Miss August 4 Olympic Sailing Games

Next Tuesday evening (August 4) is the LSC Olympic Sailing Games - an evening of fun for everyone - adults and junior sailors. It is a great event with both on-water and on-shore activiites - so everyone can join in.

Anyone that shows up will be put on a team and each team will compete for great prizes and glory in spontaneous sailing events. No preparation or practice is necessary - just come and have fun.

A highlight of last year's events was the cannonball run - testing the prowess of skippers and crews to loft "cannonballs" (water balloons) at targets. This year's events will remain secret up until next Tuesdays event - but it will be entertaining and exciting time.

Click here to check out some pictures from the 2008 event.

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Moonlight Sail Friday, August 7

A full moon is looming shortly and will be celebrated with a Moonlight Sail next week Friday, August 7. Bring a dessert to share at 8 as well as your favorite beverage.

At nine, head to the boats. There are usually plenty of spots on sailboats - and those that want to use the Committee Boat for a ride under power are welcome to take chairs from the Clubhouse to add seating.

Carlson in Control

Yet Another Terrific Wednesday

There were 25 boats on the water participating in racing Wednesday (July 29). Good breeze from beginning to end. Afterward, the sailors ganged up on the Quizmaster, besting him 12 to 6 to move back into the lead in our 2009 Race Rules Contest.

On the Laser side, Doug Carlson was in control all evening. Combining great starts with a flawless first leg in every race, Doug established early leads that he largely held onto and went to dinner with four bullets on the scoresheet. Mike Moody put three second place finishes and a fourth on the board. Olav Messerschmidt was 3-4-3-3. George Siegle was 7-3-4-2, perhaps slighly distracted in the first race from having given daughter Erin a short ride on his Laser before racing started.

The next three best sailors on the evening were closely contested too. Tom Hutton was 5-5-7-7, Blaine Severin 4-11-5-6 and Scott Watkins 9-6-6-5.

Over in the Sunfish fleet, nine boats competed in the final race - a high for the year. Newcomer John Shiflett broke through with a second. Nice going for only his second evening of racing. Two other newcomers, Damien Sheppard and Christa Betts also sailed more consistently and are making good progress. Christa Betts had a fourth in race three.

At the top of the Sunfish leaderboard was John Fishbeck with two firsts, Dave Vietti with two firsts a second and a third, Maribeth Fletcher with two second place finishs and Dennis Dudley with three thirds.

Results are posted. From the home page at www.lansingsailing.org, click on "Racing" - then click on the fleet Icon.

The First Gust Hits

Big Gusts Make For Interesting Sunday

Some big gusts made for exciting racing last Sunday. Lightning sailors started in a comfortable 10-12 breeze, but midway through the first downwind leg with spinnakers flying, a huge gust came out of nowhere. Caught in the picture to the right, "Moody's Booty" was first to get hit, and the crew worked feverishly to keep the boat under control. "Wind Dancer" saw what was happening, got the spinnaker behind the main and was quickly up on a plane while "Flying Pigasus" and "Shibumi" began rounding up. Everyone got their boats under control, except "Wind Dancer" who rounded up and didn't get her spinnaker under control until well past the mark while everyone else went by.

The wind went immediately to the 15-18 range and kept building throught the afternoon as the boats finished the last race in above twenty conditions.

Mike Moody, sailing with John Kolstoe and John LeFevre had the best day of all the boats, finishing first twice and then second in the final race. Christa Betts and Gil Chesbro were aboard "Wind Dancer" and kept improving through the day, going from third to second to first.

Blaine Severin, Julie Pierce and Tom Teits had a 2-3-4 day while Larry Koster, Gary Marx and Sue McIntiosh sailed "Shubumi" to fourth place finishes in the first two races and a third in the final contest of the day.

Standings and race results are posted on the website by our infamous "Scoring Guy". From the home page at www.lansingsailing.org, click on "Racing" - then click on the fleet Icon.

Shibumi Upwind in a Blow

Pigasus Crew Gets Spin Going

Wind Dancer Spinnaker Set

LeFevre Tames Booty Spinnaker

Changing Room and Other Clubhouse Changes

Members will notice some additional changes around the Clubhouse. The Changing Rooms are once again becoming devoted to their original purpose. Trash containers are tied to locations on the deck perimeter and a container is designated solely for returnable cans and bottles. We ask all members to help keep our changing rooms clear of miscellaneous items and to use the Returnable and Trash Containers properly.

Returnable Cans and Bottles
A container has been tied to the deck railing on the road side of the clubhouse to be used exclusively for refundable cans and bottles.

Lost and Found
Lost and Found items are located in a new cabinet in the women's changing room. This cabinet also houses Junior Sailing Equipment.

Extra Life Jackets
Life Jackets have been moved from the women's changing room to the storage shed where boat keys and gas is kept. We will soon have bars with coat hangers to keep them organized.

Pick a Job to Do

As all Lansing Sailing Club members know, the Club thrives because of the willingness of our members to take on jobs that need to be done. Here is a list of some tasks that need attention right now. To volunteer contact Rear Commodore Jim Fletcher (email: janef@tir.com, phone: 517-655-2174) or Commodore Pat Dolan (email: commodore@lansingsailing.org, phone: 517-214-6568). They will arrange for you to get complete details on what needs to be done.

Life Preserver Storage - build storage bars and obtain hangers to store Lansing Sailing Club pfds in the keys/gas shed. See Commodore for details.

Repair Lift - the cable on our lift for "Oh m" needs to be replaced with a longer cable and restrung on the drum.

Install Lift - once the cable on our lift for "Oh m" is replaced, the lift needs to be put in place in the well of the North Dock.

Club Boat Organization - With the new racks in place, Club Boats need to be reorganized, including putting clear markings on the boats and rack location.

Jobs Underway

Cement Work Estimate - estimates are needed for launch ramp repair, seawall reconstruction and construction of a pad for the Racing Equipment Shed. - Bob Miller

Jobs Done Recently - Thank You

Picnic Tables Painted - Put a coat of paint on the six picnic tables at the Club. - Thanks Larry Koster

Oversee Electical Box Overhaul - Breakers were tripping and we needed to determine what needs to be done to resolve this, obtain cost estimates and oversee getting the work done once Board of Directors approval is obtained for expenditures. - Thanks Chuck Amboy

Sunfish Racks Built - Storage for twelve Sunfish has been created in new racks. In the lower portion, dollys can easily be used to get the boats to and from the launch area. Boats stored on the upper part of the rack must be lifted, and requires two people to get the boat on and off the rack. - Thanks Jim Fletcher and Pat Dolan

Club Boat Sail/Blade Storage - LSC has several new (to us) Club Boats. Additional storage for blades and sails has been created in the Laser/Sunfish Sail Shed. - Thanks Jim Fletcher and Pat Dolan

Fix Water Leak -Thanks Chuck Amboy.