Team St Francis YC Wins Marblehead NOOD!

Team StFYC wins the Sonar Class and the overall title of the 2010 Marblehead NOOD Regatta! Russ Silvestri, Holt Condon, John Collins and Julie Papanek secured the regatta after winning the last race, enabling them to brealk a 3-way tie for first. Ethan Dolye, Jen Doyle, Peter Scott and Chris Smith finished with a strong 13th overall, which would have been much higher in the standings without an OCS.

Hopes were high in the morning, when winds were clocked up to 20 knots. However, the extreme heat of the day caused the sea breeze to fight a near by pressure system, which caused the wind to die by the time the first gun was scheduled to go off.

After waiting 2 hours in 90 degrees heat, the race committee sent off the Sonars right before the time limit elapsed. Russ and Ethan left the line with strong starts. Russ played center right during the first beat and rounded in first. The wind from a northwesterly front continued to build during the race, providing the team with excellent practice changing gears, keeping momentum on the Sonar, and calling shifts. During the last upwind beat, the wind went 30 degrees right and picked up to 12-15 knots. Russ' team rounded the last mark a few boat lengths ahead of the next competitor, quickly set and gybed onto a reach. Thanks to the excellent kite trimming by Holt Condon, the team extended its lead and secured the gun on a blast reach finish. Be sure to read the Sailing World article for which Russ was interviewed (see below).

The team's success was due to a larger group effort. We want to thank:

- The encouragement and support from everyone back at the St Francis Yacht Club!

- The Boston and Eastern Yacht Clubs for their warm hospitality

- All the families in Marblehead who housed 8 salty sailors at the end of each day

- Ed Adams for the excellent weather forecast and trimming tips (good luck in the Chicago Mac, Ed!)

- Mike Kalin for constant information on the water and for driving quickly to Logan so everyone could make their flights

We look forward to learning more about the Sonars and honing our skills before the NYYC Invitational Regatta US Qualifiers in September.

http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/marblehead/silvestri-makes-it-a-cross-country-win

Day #2 - Do you know the muffin man?

The team's success on day 2 can only be attributed to Celeste, the muffin man. If you ever are fortunate enough to come to Marblehead, be sure to visit The Muffin Shop on Washington Street. John recommends the chocolate chip muffin and Russ recommends the tripple berry.

The weather conditions thus far have not been aligned with the forecast or local knowledge. Haze and converging pressure systems decreased the chance of a normal sea breeze. This left the conditions very light early in the day (3-6 knots), which peaked around 8-10 in the afternoon.

Despite these non-San Francician conditions, the team performed well. In the first race, both StFYC boats had solid front row starts near the pin and tacked early to the right, which paid all day. After rounding the weather mark in the top third, both boats worked their way through the fleet on the subsequent legs. Russ finished in second and Ethan finished in 7th.

The second and third races were almost carbon copies of the first race, with starts at or near the committee boat followed by a quick tack onto port, as the pressure and shifts went left all day. Team Russ managed a 2-3-1 for the day and is tied for third with a clump of boats. The top 5 boats are within a few points of eachother. Team Ethan is in the top half, as they got caught up in a stack in the last start and was scored OCS.

Day three is starting off sunny and hot with a windy off-shore flow, which should make the last couple of races very exciting today. A final report will follow after the day's racing takes place.

Marblehead NOOD - Practice Day

Hello from the beautiful New England town of Marblehead! Tree-lined winding cobblestone roads and houses with white door frames and shutters welcomed the team on late on Wednesday evening.

We learned our first important piece of local knowledge quickly upon arrival -- pay attention to the details of street names. At midnight, Russ walked into 8 Mechanic Street and met Ruth, an elderly woman in her nightgown who kindly informed Russ that he had walked into the incorrect home and that his intended destination, 8 Mechanic Court, was half a block down the street. Russ wins the award for most civilized home invasion of the trip (thus far).

On Thursday, the team rigged the two Sonars from Kings Point and had a 3 hour practice in 15-20 knots. Under the guidance of Ed Adams, we improved our boat handling and understanding of the proper mast rake. Unfortunately, this might have been the best conditions of our trip since rain and light air are forecasted for the weekend.

Friday, the first day of the NOOD, included only 2 races. Significant wind shifts, light air and rain made it difficult for the race committee as well as the participants. Team #752, composed Russ Silvestri, John Collins, Holt Condon and Julie Papanek, had two excellent starts but struggled to maintain its lead. Race #1, Russ' team won the start was significantly hindered by ratnest seaweed, which was on the rudder for the entire race. Team #753, composed of Ethan Doyle, Chris Smith, Peter Scott, and Joy Doyle, had a good start and also had a frustrating first beat after missing a large left shift. In race #2 both boats changed their rigging and improved their respective positions from race #1. Unquestionably, both boats have room for improvement and expect better finishes on Saturday and Sunday.

We look forward to reporting more this weekend...

Boston YC

Julie, Chris and Ed discuss how to launch the boats.

Team meeting post practice

Breeze at the Eastern YC