Update for Tuesday 9/16/8

Wednesday Night Series III, Race 6, 9/3/8

Well Can you believe that this is the FINAL Wednesday Night race of the year? I know I'm having a hard time getting my little head around that fact. Overall it has been a fine season, with a few races won, a number of beers drunk, and no one falling off the boat. Well, our boat at any rate. The plan this week is for a 6:15 PM start for B-Fleet, followed by the A-Fleet at 6:21 PM, so please be down at the docks ready to go at 5:30 PM. There is a little get-together over at the Courageous Sailing Center after the race, with beers and burgers and people from many of the other boats. So hopefully some of you can come over with me and "represent" for Team Superstition.

 The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Karen Stelle
Jib Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Mike Hodgens
Squirrel - Becca Reger
Bow - Karen Kirby

See y'all at 5:30 PM...

Chowder Cup this Saturday 9/20 in Boston Harbor

Two races scheduled, with a rendezvous time at Hospital Shoal of 11AM. So the plan is for everyone to meet at Lewis Wharf around 9:30 AM, so we can be off the dock at 9:45 AM heading out to the harbor islands. The racing usually takes place in the area of Rainsford Island, the RC will lead us to the area they will be using that day.

The race is sponsored by the Wessagussett Yacht Club of North Weymouth. They are down on the south shore, not too far from the Hungham Yacht Club. The plan after the race is to head back to the dock at Lewis Wharf, I would expect us back there by 4 PM at the very latest. Then, anyone who wants to attend the awards ceremony at WYC is welcome to drive on down.

This race is a Mass Bay qualifier, but more importantly is a good chance to go out and sail in the area where we will be racing for the Boston Harbor Island Regatta the next weekend.

The roster for the day is...

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Becca Reger
Jib Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Tim O'Dea
Mast - Kevin Wiant
Squirrel - Rachel French
Bow - Karen Kirby

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Manchester Fall Series this Sunday 9/21 at the Manchester Yacht Club

Two races scheduled, with the first warning gun at 11 AM at Gale's Ledge. The plan is to be off the dock at Lewis Wharf at 6:30 AM, and on the dock at Manchester Yacht Club by 10 AM at the latest to pick up the crew. So, everyone be ready to go. We will head out towards the starting area, do a little tuning, and go out and win some races!

We should be done with racing and back tot he dock by mid-afternoon. There is usually a nice get-together at the MYC and then the awards are done around 5 PM. As long as we DON'T get protested again this week, the boat will probably head back to Boston around 4 PM.

The roster for the day is...

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Karen Stelle
Jib Trimmer - David Velez
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast/Squirrel - Becca Reger
Bow - Karen Kirby

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Update for Tuesday 9/3/8

Wednesday Night Series III, Race 4, 9/3/8

It was a drifter last week, with the A Fleet boats BARELY being able to finish one lap before time expired (at one point we were going backwards) and the B Fleet having their race completely abandoned. The team hung in there however, and managed to pull a third place finish out. Sadly, the forecast looks very similar for this week, so let's make sure we let it all hang out on the first lap, as it is likely they will shorten.

 The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Becca Reger
Jib Trimmer - Mark Miller
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Mike Hodgens
Squirrel - Meredith Bosely
Bow - Karen Kirby

See y'all at 5:30 PM...

Jubilee Regatta this Saturday 9/6 in Beverly, EARLY first start!!!

At least two races scheduled, with a VERY EARLY 10:00 AM start for the first race. The boat will leave Boston at 5:30 AM, and should be at the Jubilee at 9:00 AM. Be ready and on the dock, as it is likely I will do a touch and go to pick up all crew members.

There is always a great party afterwards with free food and drink. This is a BIG RACE as it is a qualifier for Mass Bay, Salem and Marblehead Championships, so as someone once said "Go big or go home!!!"

The roster for the day is...

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Becca Reger (tentative)
Jib Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Tim O'Dea
Squirrel - Meredith Bosely
Bow - Maureen Boyle

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Update for Tuesday 8/26/8

Middle of the pack for Superstition at the PHRF-NE Championships

Last weekend Team Superstition competed in the PHRF-NE Championships in Marblehead. This year, the Boston Yacht Club was the host club for the event, and Superstition  was on Line 1 in Class 3. Our class had some very tight racing, with five boats winning at least one of the seven races. The winner of Class 3 was Gambler, who was also the overall winner of the regatta. That awards was based upon the winner of the class that had the closest racing.

The conditions were almost identical each day: the breeze started out light (5-6 knots), and as it built during the day (10-14 knots) it shifted from SW to SE, until it locked in at around 150 degrees. The breeze was over 12 knots for all of the last race on Saturday, which gave us a chance to use the #3 and see how that sail effected our performance versus boats still flying a #1 (the short answer is there was not much difference, we pointed a little higher and went a little slower).

On Friday and Saturday the racing started promptly at 10 AM, even though there was barely enough breeze to get the boat moving. Each day there were three races, windward/leeward, twice around, with legs ranging from a low of 1.2 nautical miles to a long of 2.2 nautical miles. On Sunday there was just one race, as the SIs specified no more than seven races for the weekend, and we had already gotten six in. A number of the races had either a course change as the wind shifted, or were shortened as the breeze came down a bit. With clear skies and warm but not hot temperatures, you could not have asked for a nicer weeked.

For the seven races, Superstition had a third, a fourth, a seventh (our throw-out for the regatta) and four sixth place finishes. This gave us a seventh place overall in our 13 boat fleet, which is about as middle-of-the-pack as you can get. Our boat speed was good, but we just were not pointing all that well. In addition, with the exception of a fantastic start with Steve on the helm Sunday, our starts ranged from pair to poor. In a fleet that is as similar in speeds as our was, that can really have a big impact, especially with the wind going left in a persistent shift every day. If you have to bail out and end up over the the right, well, it is going to be a long race.

For complete results, check out the PHRF-NE website.

Wednesday Night Series III, Race 3, 8/27/8

Well, we got three laps in last Wednesday night, with Steve driving us to an impressive first place finish. A couple of key moments in that race were the start (we started on port at the pin which was WAY upwind and port tacked the entire fleet) and also our ability to hold our port tack by the pier in East Boston, while Scherherazade and Vanish could not quite make it past the peer and had to tack. Mike did an excellent job of filling in for Jim on spinnaker. The forecast looks good for this week, so let's go win another race! The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre Culver
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Tim O'Dea
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Maureen Boyle

See y'all at 5:30 PM...

JFK Regatta this Saturday 8/30 outside of Boston Harbor

Sadly, this is one of those events with no after-regatta party, as the awards are incorporated into the Mass Bay awards dinner in November. But that doesn't mean we can't have a cold beverage or two at the sail loft when it is all over!

Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Becca Reger
Jib Trimmer - Mark Miller
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Brian Sullivan
Squirrel - Maureen Boyle
Bow - Karen Kirby

As always, plenty of beer and water on the boat, bring a lunch and snacks though.

Update for Sunday 8/17/8

First B Fleet boat to finish in Hitchcock nets Superstition 91.2 points

Team Superstition competed in the Hitchcock Regatta on Saturday, August 16th. For races in Hingham Bay, the Mass Bay A and B Fleets are combined, and scored together for the event but separately in terms of the Mass Bay Championship. So while Superstition was in the nine-boat A Fleet, we would really be racing against the six other B Fleet boats for the 91.2 points for Mass Bay. Click HERE for all the details!

Wednesday Night Series III, Race 2, 8/20/8

Another Wednesday, another race. Let's see if we can't finish the race before the breeze shuts off, like last week.

The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Chris Zibailo
Jib Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Pit - Kyrre Culver
Spin Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Mast - Meredith Bosely
Squirrel - Rachel French
Bow - Karen Kirby

See y'all at 5:30 PM...

PHRF New England Championship Friday 8/22 through Sunday 8/24

Yes, it is finally time for the big local regatta: The New Englands are here! This year the Boston Yacht Club is the primary host club. The boat will be going up on Thursday afternoon, and will be moored somewhere in the harbor. As soon as I know which of the three clubs we will be meeting at on Friday morning I will let everyone know. The first race each day is scheduled for 10 AM, so let's make sure everyone is at the dock ready to go at 8:30 AM each day.

The crew for this race is:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre Culver
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Dave Franzel (Friday) and Karen Stelle (Sat, Sun)
Squirrel - Karen Stelle (Friday) and Dina Kacendas (Sat, Sun)
Bow - Karen Kirby

As always, plenty of beer and water on the boat, bring a lunch and snacks though. More details to follow on Thursday evening after the skippers meeting.

Update for Monday 8/11/8

First Place Overall for Superstition at the Flip Flop!!!

It was a big day for Team Superstition at the Flip Flop Regatta on Saturday. Not only did we win our division (we were moved up to A Fleet this year) but we were the first of any of the spinnaker boats in either A, B or C Fleet to finish, giving us the overall win for the regatta!

The conditions were absolutely perfect for Superstition, with just about six to eight knots of true out of the South Southeast, with the wind backing. This allowed us to use our PHRF Reacher spinnaker most of the race, and being able to hold that kite on some hot angles when other boats in our fleet could not made all the difference. An excellent race was also sailed by Shout who was second in A Fleet, as well as our friends over on Heatwave who were third.

Not only did the win get us another beautiful Chelsea clock, but the overall win for spinnaker fleet means matching Atlantis jackets for all the crew on the boat that day. A fine job done by Kathryn, Kyrre, Karen Stelle, Big Jim, Dina, Karen Kirby, Mike and Meredith, who was sailing her first race with the team.

Wednesday Night Series III, Race 1, 8/13/8

Time for the Fall Series for our Wednesday night races, with the first of the final six races kicking off tonight. The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Rachel French
Jib Trimmer - Mark Miller
Pit - Mike Hodgens
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Karen Kirby
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Kevin Wiant

We have a few new people coming out with is. so let's all be down at the dock at about 5:15 PM, ready to leave the dock at 5:30 PM for some practice. It does make perfect after all...

Hitchcock Regatta on Saturday, 8/16/8

Our next race is out off of Boston Light, the Hitchcock Regatta sponsored by the Hingham Yacht Club. This is a Mass Bay qualifier, so points towards the season championship are on the line. As it is a local race, we will be leaving from Lewis Wharf to motor out to the starting area by Allerton Bell. It takes about an hour and a half to get out there, so be at the dock in the morning, ready to push off at 10 AM promptly!

The crew for this race is:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Jib Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Pit - Karen Stelle
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Karen Kirby
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Kevin Wiant

Not sure yet what the "color of the day" is, but I will send out an email on Friday to all. Pretty good chance it is either a red, black or white shirt though! There is a nice cookout/get-together/awards ceremony at the Hingham Yacht Club after the race, depending on conditions we will either head down there after the race, enjoy the party and then sail back to Boston, or we may sail back to the dock and then drive to Hingham for the festivities. If we sail down to Hingham, it is likely we will not be back to the dock until sometime around 7 PM, so please plan accordingly.

Update for Friday 8/8/8

Second Place for Superstition in the CYC Wednesday Night Summer Series

Well, the sixth race of the Constitution Yacht Club's Summer Series was held on Wednesday night, and with a second place finish in that race Team Superstition locked up a second place overall for the series. Not too bad, when you consider that we were only able to race four out of the six races, being away for a couple of weeks in Newport and Buzzards Bay.

Scherherazade was first place overall with 371.3 points after throw-outs, followed by Superstition with 305 points, then Shout with 288.8. Nice job everyone! Now, it's on to the Fall Series and of course the overall title, with Scherherazade currently in the lead over Superstition by 22.4 points. Tine to win some races!!!

Series II - six races - July 2 through August 6 2008

Flip Flop Regatta on Saturday, 8/9/8

OK, back to the local PHRF/Pursuit racing, now that our one-design trek to Newport and Marion is over. This weekend is the Flip Flip Regatta, which is not only a fabulous pursuit race starting outside of Boston Harbor and finishing in the inner harbor right by Courageous Sailing Center, but it is also a good cause, as it is a fund raiser for The Ally Foundation. Plus, it has the best tent party of the year, starting on Friday night before the racing begins, and ending with a bang on Saturday night.

As of today, the forecast is looking pretty good. It is supposed to be mostly sunny and in the 80's onshore, with winds out of the West at 5-10 knots. They are supposed to back to the Southwest and increase with gusts up to 20 knots later in the day.

The crew for this race is:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre Culver
Pit - Karen Stelle
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Meredith Bosely
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Karen Kirby
Navigator/Cocktails - Mike Hodgens

The color of the day is white!!! Wear you white Team Superstition logo shirt and any sort of khaki or grey shorts. And don't worry, if you don't have one of these new shirts that Jim made up for us, I have extras on the boat.

See you all down at the dock by10:00 AM, we will push off right away and rig up on our hour and 15 minute motor out to the course. The first boat starts at noon, and I want to get out early to tune and to run the first leg or two of the course. As always, there will be plenty of beer and water on the boat, but bring a lunch.

The tent party runs both Friday and Saturday night from 6PM to 11PM, with an open bar and a live band. This year, tickets for the party can be purchased directly at the door. They are normally $100 for the two nights, but there is a discounted crew rate which I think is $75, so tell them you are on Superstition and you should be in good shape.

For all the details, check out http://flipflopregatta.com. See you all at the boat!!!

Two slots left to fill for weekend races

One last thing, I have all of the races for the rest of the year scheduled and the info up on the site. There are two races where I am a man/woman short however: the JFK race off Boston on 8/30, and the Hodder Ocean Race in Marblehead on 9/13. If anyone would like to do either of these races, let me know. If not, perhaps I can pull in a guest crew for the day.

Update for Tuesday 7/15/8

First Place for Superstition in the Corinthian 200 - Chapman Bowl

Team Superstition sailed an outstanding race last weekend, winning first place in the B Fleet for the Corinthian 200 Chapman Bowl overnight race.

The race started at 7:10 PM at The Graves outside of Boston Harbor. The course was 76.5 miles, with the first leg a beat SSE 12.5 miles to the Scituate Approach mark. Then, we hardened up to a close reach, and it was SE 25.4 miles to P-Town. A gybe set at that mark put us on a beam reach to the next Mark, Newcombs Ledge in Marblehead which was to the NNE 38.8 miles away. As we slid across the bay in the early morning at between 4-5 knots (with no breeze whatsoever, only apparent wind created with the asym) we could see by the distance to the boats behind us it was out race to win. With the breeze dying, the race was shortened at Newcombs, and Superstition was first across the line in her class at 12:02:40. The next closest boat was Goldeneye, who finished about 38 minutes later. Even with the 20 seconds a mile we owed her, we were still far enough ahead to take first by almost 13 minutes.

A great job by the crew: Kathryn for battling her illness and soldiering on, Karen Stelle for filling just about every position on the boat at some time, Jim for flying that spinnaker for what seemed like half the race and Maureen who was awarded Sailor of the Day for her excellent work on the bow. And finally, a special thanks to Tim who split driving duties with me, helping to keep Superstition going fast.

All in all, a very satisfying victory!

Wednesday Night Series II, Race 3

This will be our last Wednesday night race for a few weeks, as we will be headed to Newport and Buzzards Bay, and won't be returning to Boston until August 4. The forecast is calling for a warm evening, a sunny sky and light breeze. Let's keep our fingers crossed there is enough to hold a race.

The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Jib Trimmer - Nick Austin
Pit - Tim O'Dea
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Kathryn Carlson
Squirrel -  Dina Kacendas
Bow - Karen Kirby

See you all down at the dock at about 5:15 PM, ready to leave the dock at 5:30 PM for some light air tuning. Perhaps we will get a chance to use that light #1 and see if Dr. Nick can't get the boat tuned for that sail.

42nd Annual Crocker Race Saturday, 7/19/8

The course is a triangular windward-leeward course of 20-30 miles using Gales Ledge buoy, Eastern Point whistle and Newcombs Ledge whistle as marks of the course. After the race there is a party at Manchester Yacht Club. Info will be posted on this race after June 1 at http://www.sscrockerrace.com.

Update for Tuesday 7/8/8

Third Place for Superstition at the Eastern Yacht Club's Annual Regatta

Team Superstition caught a little bad luck (as well as some object lurking below the surface of the water) and ended up losing a huge lead and finishing third in the Eastern Yacht Club's Annual Regatta. Leading by 56 seconds at the top mark, 2:20 at the wing mark and a whopping 3:10 at the leeward mark, the boat came to a virtual stop as we had some flotsam dragging off the keel about halfway up the final leg.

As the boat speed finally settled in at around 2 knots and we bumped our way across the ocean floor, we had no choice but to stop the boat, back the sails, and back the boat down to clear what ever was slowing us down. The good news is it worked, and we quickly came back up to speed and were third across the line. The bad news is that both Goldeneye and Plieone were able to pass us, as we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The best news is that our third place finish locked up first place overall for the Marblehead Series I. Nice job!!!

Wednesday Night Series II, Race 2

Another Wednesday, another race. The forecast is calling for a fair amount of breeze out of the SSW, and we are all crossing our fingers, hoping another tanker doesn't come through in the middle of the race and cause an abandonment..

The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Chris Zibailo
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre Culver 
Pit - Tim O'Dea
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Kathryn Carlson
Squirrel -  Maureen Boyle
Bow - Mike Hodgens

See you all down at the dock at about 5:30 PM...I am hoping with the decent amount of breeze that we can use our jib and get a little tuning done with that sail in preparation for the J109 North American's, later this month in Newport.

Corinthian/Chapman 200 Overnight starting Friday, 7/11/8

Update for Sunday 6/29/8

The sixth and final race of the Constitution Yacht Club's Spring Series came right down to the wire Wednesday night. In a tight race that went back and forth, Superstition finished a mere 3 minutes and 49 seconds behind The Cone of Silence. Unfortunately, on the 5.08 mile course The Cone owed us only 3 minutes and 48.6 seconds, so we ended up finishing in second place for the night, 4/10ths of a second behind the Cone. Ouch!!! That makes the 4.4 seconds we finished behind them in Race four seem like an eternity...

Fortunately, Superstition was able to hang in and hold on to their first place overall finish for the Spring Series. The results are as follows:

Series I - six races - May 21 through June 25 2008

Constitution Cup cancelled on Saturday, 6/28/8

Team Superstition was looking forward to a "local race" on Saturday, but it was not to be. The Cottage Park Yacht Club's race committee boat experienced technical difficulties on the way out to the course, and returned to shore, abandoning all racing for the day.

But, we made the best of the situation, running our own impromptu race with the B- and C-Fleet boats around a couple of government marks. Even though we caught a little flack from one of the participants (who shall remain nameless) for "violating the string rule", it was just a bit of fun to get some sailing in for the day. After that, we spent some time tuning up out jib with the other J/109, Heatwave, in preparation for the J/109 North American's in Newport next month. When that was done, it was time to launch the chute, crack open the beers, and sail all the way back to Boston.

Wednesday Night Series II, Race 1

And here we go again. No sooner is the first series in the book, then it is time to start it all up again for Series II. As we will only be doing the first, second, third and sixth races in the series, it is vital for some strong showings over the next few weeks to stay in the running.

The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Steve Spangler
Jib Trimmer - Nick Austin
Pit - Kyrre Culver
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Mike Hodgens
Squirrel - Kathryn Carlson
Bow - Karen Kirby

See you all down at the dock at about 5:30 PM...

Annual Regatta at the Eastern Yacht Club on Friday, 7/4/8

Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Brie Tupper
Jib Trimmer - Nick Austin
Pit - Karen Stelle
Spin Trimmer - Tim O'Dea
Mast/Squirrel - Maureen Boyle
Bow - Karen Kirby

This is a triple-qualifier, for Mass Bay, Marblehead and Salem Bay!

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Update for Sunday 6/22/8

A most excellent day of racing Saturday at the Patton Bowl, as Team Superstition took a bullet in each of the two races, for a convincing victory over a field of tough competitors. The team was able to recover from an over early in the first race and passed the other seven boats in the B fleet for a win in the first race, and then led wire-to-wire in the second race. Vigilante, a J105 was second for the day in Class B, and Redwing, a new J100 was third overall. Even after the bad first start, the team stayed focused on boat speed and sailing the shifts, and did a tremendous job of "shifting gears" as the wind varied from 6 to 12 knots.

The Sailor of the Day award went to Kathryn Carlson, for an outstanding job on mast. These two first place finished helped to send us into first place overall for the Salem Sound Grand Slam (with two of the six events now in the books) and helped us to extend out lead in the Marblehead Cut Throat Shoals Series.

The Manchester Yacht Club put on a real nice event after the race, with excellent food and plenty of drink. Above is a team picture of the crew, it must have been the RED SHIRTS that made us sail so well, right? A really great day to be on the water!

The plan is for two races, with a rendezvous at Mark M at the entrance to Boston Harbor at 10:30 AM and the first Warning Signal made at 11 AM. So be at the Lewis Wharf dock by 9:00 AM, ready to leave the dock. We should be back to the dock no later than 4 PM.

Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Brie Tupper
Jib Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Pit - Nick Austin
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Steve Spangler
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Mike Hodgens

There is no event planned after the race, as the awards for this race are given out at the Mass Bay awards dinner in November. This is a Mass Bay Qualifier, so big points on the line. See you Saturday!!!

Wednesday Night Series I, Race 6 (and maybe a makeup for 5)

Our final Wednesday Race of the first series is this week, 6/25/8. Please, everyone who is racing be down at the dock by 5:15 PM if you can to help rig the boat, but certainly be on the boat by 5:30 PM.

There is a chance they will run a second race, to make up for last weeks abandoned race. The crew for this evening is:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Jib Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Brian Sullivan
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Karen Kirby

In addition, there will be a cookout at the Constitution Yacht Club after the race, as a wrap-up for the Series I racing.  Hoping all who are sailing that night can make it over for a bit, I know it's not The Sail Loft, but it should be fun.

Update for Friday 6/20/8

Two races are scheduled. Steve, Chris and Karen will bring the boat up to Salem on Friday, and motor over to the Manchester Yacht Club in the morning. First gun is at 11 AM, so be at Manchester ready to leave at 9:30 AM. There is always a nice get together at the club after the race, with awards happening around 4:30 PM.

Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Brie Tupper
Jib Trimmer - Nick Austin
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Kathryn Carlson
Squirrel - Brian Sullivan
Bow - Karen Kirby

This is a RED SHIRT day, so make sure you wear your finest so we can look somewhat teamlike. For those of you who are meeting us at the club, you can find the directions by clicking here. See you Saturday!!!

Wednesday Night Race 5, Series I abandoned on 6/18/8

The race on Wednesday Night was abandoned about two minutes after Superstition crossed the finish line for a close victory over Vanish. An LNG tanker was scheduled to be coming out of Chelsea, and the police boat showed up and forced the race committee boat to pull up their anchor and leave the course.

What kinda sucked is that the tanker didn't actually come out for at least another half hour, but what can you do. Defeat, snatched from the jaws of victory...

So, there is a chance they will try to run two races next Wednesday night to make up for this. Stand by for details. In addition, there will be a cookout at the Constitution Yacht Club after the race, as a wrap-up for the Series I racing.  Hoping all who are sailing that night can make it over for a bit, I know it's not The Sail Loft, but it should be fun.

Update for Friday 6/13/8

The race will be held in the outer harbor, in the general anchorage area west of Deer Island. The first warning gun is scheduled for 11:30 AM, so be at the dock by 9:30 AM to rig up the boat. The last race should finish no later than 3:00 PM.

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Jib Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Nick Austin
Mast - Brian Sullivan
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Karen Kirby

There will be an after race BBQ at the Constitution Marina from 4-7 PM with food (burgers, dogs, chicken) and drink (beer, wine and soft drinks).

Hospice Regatta on Sunday, 6/15/8

There will be one race, it starts an hour later than usual, at noon, so be at the Corinthian by 10:00 AM, ready to leave the dock at 10:30 AM. There is a BBQ at the Corinthian after the races (from 4-6 PM), tickets can be purchased at the event, and awards are given out at about 5 PM. Steve and Chris will be bringing the boat up to Marblehead in the morning (leaving the dock in Boston by 7 AM) so anyone who wants to sail up with us (and back) is welcome. Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Brie Tupper
Jib Trimmer - Nick Austin
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Kathryn Carlson
Squirrel - Kyrre Culver
Bow - David Velez

This event is both a Mass Bay qualifier as well as a Marblehead series event. The winners of each spinnaker division have their names thrown into a hat at the end of the race (usually five boats) and the winner of that drawing goes to Annapolis next year to compete against all the winners of all the other 14 or so Hospice Regattas around the country.

Update for Tuesday 6/10/8

Second place at the Summerset Regatta

Team Superstition had a bit of an off day on Sunday at the Summerset Regatta, which was hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club. The conditions were very light, so we broke out the light #1 for the first time this year. There was NO BREEZE before the start, so we did not have much of an opportunity to tune that sail up. So, our first leg of our first race found us VERY slow. The good news is that by the time the second upwind leg started, we figured out the problem (we needed three more inches of halyard tension) and started to put some distance between us and the fleet. The bad news is that it was not enough, and even though we had line honors, Goldeneye was only a minute and a half behind us, so Superstition came in second on corrected.

In the second race, a 30 degree shift to the left gave a 50 boat length advantage the two boats that went left (Goldeneye and Heatwave) while the two boats that went right (Superstition and Chariad), well, they didn't make out so well. A third in this race gave us five points for the day, and a second place finish overall. Well, as Billy Bob Thornton said in Bad Santa, "They can't all be winners, can they?"

But, it was a beautiful day on the water, probably 20 degrees cooler than on land. And, at the end of the day there was music on the stereo and ice cold Corona's ready for the drinking, so I can't complain too much. A very nice job was done by Mike Hodgens on the spinnaker and Karen Stelle on mast, but at the end of the day the Sailor of the Day award went to David Velez, for his excellent effort on the bow. Good job David!

Wednesday Night Series I, Race 4

Our fourth Wednesday Race is this week, 6/4/8. Please, everyone who is racing be down at the dock by 5:15 PM if you can to help rig the boat, but certainly be on the boat by 5:30 PM.

This will be Steve's first race driving, so we would really like to get some practice before the race starts at 6:30 PM so we can get him "in the groove".

I know that Nick cannot sail this night due to school, and he is looking for a replacement. In the meantime, the reconfigured, tentative roster looks like this:

Driver - Steve Spangler
Main Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre Culver
Pit - Chris Zibailo
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast/Squirrel - Kathryn Carlson
Bow - Karen Kirby

The forecast is for 80 degrees and 10 knots of breeze from the NNW, so it should be a perfect night on the harbor. Anyone for three bullets in a row???

The race will be held in the outer harbor, in the general anchorage area west of Deer Island. The first warning gun is scheduled for 11:30 AM, so be at the dock by 9:30 AM to rig up the boat. The last race should finish no later than 3:00 PM.

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Brie Tupper
Jib Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Nick Austin
Mast - Brian Sullivan
Squirrel - Dina Kacendas
Bow - Karen Kirby

There will be an after race BBQ at the Constitution Marina providing food and drink. Fee for the BBQ is $20 in advance and $25 at the door.  Included in the fee is food (burgers/dogs/chicken). Beer, wine and soft drinks are donated by club.

Update for Thursday 6/5/8

Another first place finish on Wednesday Night for Superstition

Team Superstition had another excellent Wednesday Night race in Boston Harbor last night, as we were the third boat across the finish line, and ended up in first place after all the math was done. A last minute change in crew (Jim had a SWAT call, so Mike move from main to spinnaker, Brian moved from mast to main, and Maureen got double duty as mast and squirrel) didn't phase the team at all, as we went out, nailed the start and sailed the boat very fast all night long (thanks to the excellent 100% attention of Kyrre to the Genoa trim), in what was usually 5-6 knots of true. We were able to use our reacher spinnaker almost like a Code 0, which allowed us to stay close to Shout and Scheherazade who were in front of us, and keep The Cone of Silence and Agora far enough behind us for the win. No problems with the sail handling, as Steve and Karen kept the crew work on the hoists and douses perfect. Check out the standings on the Wednesday Results page.

The third weekend regatta of the year is the Summerset Regatta, hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club. Be at the Corinthian in Marblehead by 9:00 AM, we will leave the mooring at 9:30 AM. Usually a good after-race get together at the Corinthian.

Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Tim O'Dea
Jib Trimmer - Brian Sullivan
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Mast - Karen Stelle
Squirrel - Maureen Boyle
Bow - David Velez

Q M1 S

This is a qualifier for the Mass Bay Sailing Association Championship, as well as the Salem Sound Grand Slam and the Marblehead PHRF Cut Throat Shoals Series, so there is much on the line. It is likely there will be at least two races.

The delivery plan for now is to sail the boat up to Marblehead on Saturday, leaving the dock around 3 PM. We will be returning to Boston after the race on Sunday, hoping to be back home by 8 PM at the latest. So far we have Tim and Karen signed up to accompany Steve and Chris on the sail back, anyone else who wants to come along for the ride is more than welcome.

Update for Tuesday 6/3/8

Second place for Team Superstition at the Lambert Ocean Race

Team Superstition had a pretty good day of racing on Sunday at the Lambert Ocean Race, sponsored by the Eastern Yacht Club. We were first across the finish line, and second after time allowances to Sirocco, a J33 skippered by Ward Blodgett, who sailed a great race. The race was a long windward leeward, with three mile legs and a course that had us going twice around for a total of 12 miles. We had a great first and second leg, really struggled on the third leg, and if it wasn't for a crazy 100 degree shift to the North on the final leg would have finished minutes ahead of our closest competitor. But the crazy shift at the end hurt us more than it helped, and Sirocco was able to beat us on corrected by 40 seconds.

Wednesday Night Series I, Race 3

Our third Wednesday Race is this week, 6/4/8. Please, everyone who is racing be down at the dock by 5:15 PM if you can to help rig the boat, but certainly be on the boat by 5:30 PM so we can get some practice before the race starts at 6:30 PM. The roster for this race is...

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre Culver
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast - Brian Sullivan
Squirrel - Maureen Boyle
Bow - Karen Kirby

Showers are in the forecast, along with a Southeasterly breeze, so bring your foulies!

The third weekend regatta of the year is the Summerset Regatta, hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club. Be at the Corinthian in Marblehead by 9:00 AM, we will leave the mooring at 9:30 AM. Usually a good after-race get together at the Corinthian.

Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Tim O'Dea
Jib Trimmer - Brian Sullivan
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Mast - Karen Stelle
Squirrel - Maureen Boyle
Bow - David Velez

Q M1 S

This is a qualifier for the Mass Bay Sailing Association Championship, as well as the Salem Sound Grand Slam and the Marblehead PHRF Cut Throat Shoals Series, so there is much on the line. It is likely there will be at least two races.

The delivery plan for now is to sail the boat up to Marblehead on Saturday, leaving the dock around 3 PM. We will be returning to Boston after the race on Sunday, hoping to be back home by 8 PM at the latest. As always, anyone who wants to come along for the ride is more than welcome.

Update for Friday 5/30/8

First place for Team Superstition on Wednesday Night, Series I Race 2

Team Superstition pulled out a victory on Wednesday night, 5/28/8. With winds out of the Northwest, we had a new starting area, down by Green 13. A nice shift to the left about 2 minutes before the start allowed us to start on port, running down the line above the fleet on starboard, and port tack the fleet at the gun. This sent us towards the East Boston side which had more consistent breeze, and put us in position to win the night. Great crew work all around kept us moving fast across the course, and when the math was done, even though the bigger boats finished ahead of us, we had a bullet for the night.

Check out the standings and descriptions of the races on the  Wednesday Results page.

The second weekend regatta of the season in the Lambert Ocean Race. Please be at the Eastern Yacht Club by 9:00 AM, we will leave the mooring at 9:30 AM. Steve and Chris will be bringing the boat up on Sunday morning, leaving the dock at 6:30 AM, and returning to Boston after the race on Sunday.

Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Brie Tupper
Jib Trimmer - Nick Austin
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Jim "Chief" Murphy
Mast - Karen Stelle
Squirrel - Maureen Boyle
Bow - Kevin Wiant

This race is a Marblehead Cut Throat Shoals qualifier. One race is planned with the first warning at 11:00 AM. For more info on the race, click HERE.

As always, water and ice cold Corona's will be provisioned on the boat. Bring anything else you may want to drink, and bring a lunch as this may be a long race.

Chowder and beer will be served by The Eastern Yacht Club after the race and before the trophy presentation. The crews of all the yachts are invited to join in the festivities.

Update for Sunday 5/25/8

First place for Team Superstition at the Memorial Day Regatta

Team Superstition  participated in it's first weekend regatta of 2008, as the Boston Yacht Club's kicked off the season with the Memorial Day Regatta, two races held off of Marblehead on Saturday, May 24. B Class had five boats turn out for the regatta, and with a second place finish in the first race and a bullet (first place, in the racing vernacular) in the second race Superstition narrowly beat out Joe Fallon's Beneteau 36.7 Sojourn for top honors for the day.

For a complete write-up on the days event, check out the Weekend Results page.

Wednesday Night Series I, Race 2

Our second Wednesday Race is this week, 5/28/8. Please, everyone who is racing be down at the dock by 5:15 PM if you can to help rig the boat, but certainly be on the boat by 5:30 PM so we can get some practice before the race starts at 6:30 PM. The roster for this race is...

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Mike Hodgens
Jib Trimmer - Kathryn Carlson
Pit - Nick Austin
Spin Trimmer - Jim Murphy
Mast/Squirrel - Kyrre Culver
Bow - Karen Kirby

Perhaps we will have a race that doesn't have a couple of 90 degree wind shifts, but if we do we will be ready for it.

There is a slight chance (99.999%)  we will head over to The Sail Loft after the race.

The second weekend regatta of the season in the Lambert Ocean Race. Please be at the Eastern Yacht Club by 9:00 AM, we will leave the mooring at 9:30 AM. I will be bringing the boat up on Saturday afternoon, and returning to Boston after the race on Sunday. Anyone who wants to help me get the boat back to Boston??? Here is the roster for the race:

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Brie Tupper
Jib Trimmer - Nick Austin
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Jim "Chief" Murphy
Mast - Karen Stelle
Squirrel - Maureen Boyle
Bow - Kevin Wiant

This race is a Marblehead Cut Throat Shoals qualifier. One race is planned with the first warning at 11:00 AM. For more info on the race, click HERE.

As always, water and ice cold Corona's will be provisioned on the boat. Bring anything else you may want to drink, and bring a lunch as this may be a long race.

Chowder and beer will be served by The Eastern Yacht Club after the race and before the trophy presentation. The crews of all the yachts are invited to join in the festivities.

Update for Friday 5/23/8

First Wednesday race in the book

Team Superstition participated in it's first race of 2008, as the Constitution Yacht Club's Wednesday Night Series kicked off in Boston Harbor on May 21. It was a wild, wacky night, with a squall line, some rain, two radical wind shifts and a few last minute additions to the crew. We ended up as the fourth boat crossing the finish line, and while the results have not been posted yet it is likely we were fourth for the night.

The course was Course 1, two times around. That put our start/finish off the Boston Sailing Center, with our "upwind" leg sending us to G 13, and our "downwind" leg sending us up the the drop mark off the Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown. The wind was coming from the WSW, so it was more like a close reach on starboard to the first mark. We set up to do a gybe set at the windward mark, for our beam reach on port to the leeward mark.

We got a pretty decent start right next to the committee boat, as I employed a dingy-start technique I had seen Dave Franzel use while crewing for him on his Soling the night before. We closed out Vanish (a J46) and Cone of Silence (which is The Cone, a R/P 30) at the committee boat, and with 20 seconds to the start started to accelerate and trim to close hauled. The gun went off and we were racing. Scheherazade (Farr 395) and Shout (Farr 40) had nice, timed Vanderbilt starts closer down to the pin and they sprang out to the lead.

About three minutes into the "beat", the wind shut down, and then clocked behind us by about 90 degrees. So here we were on the upwind leg with the wind coming over the starboard quarter of the stern. So we decided to pop the chute. But we had set up for a gybe set so it was all ready to launch from a port tack, and we were on starboard. No problem, said Greg, the wind is light enough we can hoist and push it around the forestay at the same time, which is exactly what we did. We worked our way downwind towards the upwind mark, and did a nice leeward douse at G13. Then, it was close hauled all the way down the run, with big 20-30 degree righties and very patchy wind. We were able to fend off Vanish who had closed to less than half a boat-length behind us by sailing very high, and forcing them to tack in the wrong direction. We got a lull right as we got to the East Boston Pier and were forced to tack to starboard, then back to port to fetch the mark.

We did a nice bear-away set at the leeward mark, and used the kite all the way up the course to the windward mark, picking up a lot of distance on Scheherazade, who had some kite issues. Another good douse, then back to close hauled for the final "downwind" leg. It was here while we were reeling in the boats ahead of us that the breeze finally shut off, and our speed dropped from 6 knots to 2 knots. We were able to continue ghosting along, and a new breeze filled in at the final turning mark. We hoisted the spinnaker only to find it was now almost a tight reach to the finish. No worries, I have always wanted to fly the spinnaker upwind, so down on the tack line and in on the spin and we used it like a big Genoa, just barely being able to shoot up around the pin for the finish.

A good time was had by all. Karen Stelle got thrown into it right away by being put on main trim, and she did a job that Brie would have been proud of. Greg seemed to have fun in the back of the boat trimming the jib, and Steve ran things from the pit, doing a great job of calling the erratic breeze. Jim muscled that spinnaker and made it his own and Karen did a great job up on the pointy end of the boat, keeping everything under control. We even got a newbie out with us, as were were two crew down so one of the guys I work with (Mark Burke) can out and did double-duty as mastman and squirrel. He had a big grin on his face the whole next day.

Now, on to the weekend races...

First weekend race on the way

Meet at the dock at the BYC at 9:00 AM. We leave the mooring at 9:30 AM, warning signal for the first race is at 11:00 AM. Here is the Notice of Race, and here are directions if you need them.

I will be sailing up to Marblehead first thing Saturday morning (leaving the dock at 6 AM), and plan on sailing back Saturday evening after the race, or perhaps Sunday. Anyone who would like to join me is more than welcome.

The roster for the race...

Driver - Chris Zibailo
Main Trimmer - Mike Hodgins
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre Culver
Pit - Steve Spangler
Spin Trimmer - Greg Flederman
Mast - Karen Stelle
Squirrel - Dina Kacandes
Bow - Karen Kirby

There will be beer and water on the boat, bring your own lunch and any other snacks or beverages you might like. Let's go racing!!!!!

Update for Tuesday 5/20/8

Season begins this week with first two races

Team Superstition held it's final practice on Monday night and is now ready for the games to begin. While Chris was hoping for some light breeze for practice so he could work on his starting technique and the team could work on some Genoa trim, the 20-30 knots of puffy, shifty breeze turned it into a heavy-weather practice. Better to get that under our belts before the racing starts.

At any rate, our first Wednesday Race is this week, 5/21/8. Please, everyone who is racing be down at the dock by 5:15 PM if you can to help rig the boat, but certainly be on the boat by 5:30 PM so we can get some starting practice for Chris before the race starts at 6:30 PM. The roster for this race is a little light as we had a couple of last minute cancellations, (so if anyone else wants to come out, let me know) but here it is:

Driver - Chris
Main Trimmer - Karen S.
Jib Trimmer - Greg
Pit - Steve
Spin Trimmer - Jim
Mast - TBA
Squirrel - TBA
Bow - Karen

Meet at the dock at the BYC at 9:00 AM. We leave the mooring at 9:30 AM, warning signal for the first race is at 11:00 AM. Here is the Notice of Race, and here are directions if you need them.

I will be sailing up to Marblehead on Friday afternoon, and plan on sailing back Saturday evening after the race, or perhaps Sunday. Anyone who would like to join me is more than welcome.

Here is the roster for the race, again we are one person short due to a last minute cancellation, so if anyone wants to come out...

Driver - Chris
Main Trimmer - Mike
Jib Trimmer - Kyrre
Pit - Steve
Spin Trimmer - Greg
Mast - TBA
Squirrel - Dina
Bow - Karen

Let's go racing!!!!!

Update for Thursday 5/15/8

Team Superstition completes first two practices!

Team Superstition held it's first two practices of the year on Monday and Wednesday this week. After doing some work to get the boat ready on Saturday Steve, Nick, Tim, Kyrre and Chris took the boat out for an hour or so for a shakedown spin around Boston Harbor. All systems were functioning well, and the boat was slippery fast through the water with her new, fresh bottom paint.

The first full team practice was Monday and when I say full I mean full. We had eight on board, with Chris, Nick, Tim, Brian, Karen, Greg, Kyrre and David out for a ride. It had been blowing like crazy all day (Greg had seen gusts to 38 when he was out at Deer Island earlier in the day) but by the time we hit the water around six o'clock it was down to a nice 12-15 with the occasional gust in the high teens. We did a few quick laps up and down, working on sail trim and basic spinnaker handling. We did some cross-training of the crew (David on bow, Greg on spin, Tim on main) and even managed to do a little drive-by of the new Puma Volvo Open 70 boat. Man, I need some red sails with a cat on them!!!

Our second practice on Wednesday had Chris, Steve, Brie, Jim, Karen, Greg, Kathryn, and David out for some more intense sail handling. We set up a short W/L course and did a number of laps, coordinating tacking times and working on upwind sail trim. We then practiced about every spinnaker move we will need this year: bear-away sets, gybe sets, takedowns (windward, leeward and Mexican, but no Samurai Douse) and a new gybing technique for Jim. Steve got some quality time in the pit and Kathryn concentrated on perfecting her jib trimming skills.

There were a number of other CYC boats out on the water (Bill Zimmerman's Dei Gratia and Bill Jacobson's Vanish were knocking the rust off after a long winter as well) and after putting away the boat (and enjoying a few Coronas) we headed over to The Sail Loft to drink beer, tell lies and celebrate Jim's birthday (it was Tuesday, he swears he is now 39).

Next practice is Saturday, then one more on Monday before our first race on Wednesday night, 5/24.

Practice #3 - Saturday 5/17/8 1:00 PM - Chris, Steve, Jim, Brian, Kevin, Karen S. and Mike

Practice #4 - Monday 5/19/8 5:30 PM - Chris, Tim, Greg, Jim, Karen S., Kyrre and Kathryn

See you out on the race course soon!!!

Update for Sunday 5/11/8

Boat is back home at Lewis Wharf!

Brought her home from Quincy on Friday night, and Steve, Nick, Tim, Kyrre and Chris sp