Congratulations to Jack and Marti Detweiler on Skimmer for winning the season-long high point competition. Congratulations also to Amanda and Kevin McNeil on Caroline and Jason Goscha on Halcyon for finishing second and third, respectively. Skimmer and Magic, helmed by Jonah Seiger, won the Ever-ready Battery award for having started every one of the 16 races held this year.

Full year scores for all of the seven boats that raced are:

The overall winner for the year was determined by the CBYRA-sanctioned high point scoring system. In each race in a regatta, boats received points equal to the number of boats she beats, plus one point for starting and one point for finishing. The total points earned were converted to a decimal fraction.

Hospice Cup Regatta - September 19, 2015

Jon Sauer aboard Skimmer reports:

The Hospice Cup Regatta, a great fundraising event for a worthy cause, had 81 boats competing over three different race venues. Despite the light and variable southerly breezes that day, the race committees from the Eastport and Annapolis Yacht Clubs adapted quickly to the changing conditions to get all the races in.

Three Alerions were joined by 23 other one design and PHRF racers in a three race, windward/leeward format. The races were close with multiple position changes throughout the afternoon. Halcyon took first place in the second race by a few feet over Skimmer. Skimmer had first place finishes in the first and third races for first place overall.

Despite a predicted ebbing current, the flood was still coming in with the southerly winds as the first race got underway. The pre-race wind check was 235 degrees but shortly thereafter a left shift came in and the first mark was set at 215 degrees. On board Skimmer, we started at the boat end of the line and searched for relief from the current towards the middle and right of the rhumb line at the bottom of the beat. We worked left at the top. The wind went left and the downwind leg was almost all on a starboard jibe.

The first mark of the second race was set at 170 degrees, a full 45 degree shift from the first race. The tide had slacked considerably making this race a search for pressure. We sailed into a hole on the right and were passed by both Halcyon and Magic. We ducked sterns heading left, having seen a left shift at the top of the course in the J/105 fleet that started ahead of us. This materialized and brought Skimmer to the top mark first. Halcyon was only two boat lengths behind and reeled us in, passing us at the finish to capture first place.

Race three went off at 185 degrees with the ebb starting. We tacked a half dozen times up the middle of the course to stay in the wind pressure which proved to be the winning strategy. Halcyon and Magic duked it out downwind with Magic just ahead at the finish.

A good time was had by all with close racing and crossings close enough to have friendly exchanges.

Complete results are as follows:

SpinSheet magazine has a few pictures of Alerions in the regatta on their website here, starting at slide 76. Not pictured is Halcyon with her new paint job. Here's one that Jon Sauer took:

AYC SERC Fall Regatta - September 12, 2015

Jack Detweiler reports:

The SERC regatta was super fun with races sailed under overcast skies with winds out of the southeast generally around 14 to18 knots.  The seasons are changing though so there were a few lulls interspersed with some puffs in the high teens or low 20's. The pre-start rain moderated by race time and mainly held off until we were off the race course and had our boats put away for the day.

The AYC Race Committee did a great job setting the course with a 1/2 mile weather mark at 150 degrees. There were oscillating shifts of 5 to 10 degrees, but the mean was right on and we got in three windward/leeward races of four legs each.

The racing was exciting with the short courses and a stiff breeze. The fleet was quite competitive with tight starts and close racing from start to finish. With nineteen other boats also racing on the same course, the race committee kept everything moving with little time between races, so that the day was non-stop action. Caroline sailed a superb series with two firsts and a second. They sailed fast and high upwind and even recovered from two over-early starts to take a first and a second in those races.

Awards were presented at the Annapolis Yacht Club after the event.

Complete results are as follows:

Boatyard Bar & Grill CRAB Regatta - August 22, 2015

Jack Detweiler reports:

Saturday greeted us on the Chesapeake Bay with a cloudless sky and 8 to 12 knot breezes out of the north for the BB&G Regatta to Benefit CRAB. This is a pursuit style race with several one design fleets scored both as one design fleets and against all other participants; first to finish is the overall winner. Four handicap-modified Freedom 20's started the day at noon, followed by the rest of the racers in reverse order of their PHRF handicaps. Rating at 174, our 6 Alerion 28's started with 2 other similarly rated boats at 12:13:46.

The first leg of the course was a reach from the R “2” buoy at the mouth of the Severn River across the Bay to the G “87”. The reaching start created a very confusing situation with all starters wildly maneuvering for a good position on port tack. Blue Moon and Juice managed to get off the line in the best shape and rounded first and second at the first mark followed by Skimmer. On the long downwind run to the green-red can southeast of Thomas Point Light, Skimmer closed the gap and rounded that mark in second place behind Blue Moon.

The last leg was a long starboard beat close inshore toward Bay Ridge to minimize the effect of the outgoing current.  Blue Moon’s slight lead over Skimmer led to a tacking duel as the two drew closer to the shore. Skimmer, going even closer to shore than Blue Moon thought was advisable, managed to capture the lead and finished the race at the R “2” in first. The rest of the fleet was not far behind with positions changing back and forth frequently among all the Alerions. Blue Moon and Juice were followed closely by Magic, Caroline and Halcyon.

Awards were presented by Eastport Yacht Club at the after-race party to the first three finishers in our fleet. We all had a great time there discussing the race and just enjoying one another’s company. Many thanks to Dick Franyo for organizing this amazing fund-raising regatta and for racing with our fleet. We would really enjoy seeing Juice(with its reinstalled Hoyt Boom) on the starting line more often. Also, thanks to all the fleet members that contributed to CRAB through the Alerion Express 28 fund-raising team.

Complete results are as follows:

SpinSheet magazine has a few pictures of the regatta on their website here.

AYC Summer One Design Regatta - July 25, 2015

Jon Sauer reports:

The Summer One Design Regatta was sailed in 8 to 12 knots of southerly wind, a typical Annapolis sea breeze.  The flooding tide favored the shallower right side of the course.  The right side current relief was not so simple, as there was additional chop with boat traffic heading to and from Annapolis. The flood and some left shifts made the starboard jibe favored downwind.

Caroline, driven by Kevin McNeil, sailed great all day long, managing the chop on the right with great boatspeed and went on to win all three races.  Skimmer, with Jon Sauer and Roger Kagan onboard, sailed to three second place finishes.  Halcyon took the family guy award with Jason Gosha, Stacey Anderson, Jenn Gode, Findlay Gosha (8), Beylen Gode (8) and Libby Gode (6) onboard.  It is great to see the kids getting sailing experiences at such a young age.  Magic driven by Jonah Seiger traded finishing spots with Halcyon and is showing marked improvements.

Skimmer found the jib halyard tension really key to upwind boatspeed in the chop.  It was a delicate balance with a slightly eased halyard, round entry and footing for power in the chop.  More halyard tension helped later in the day with more breeze, in the flat spots and on the starboard tack portion of the beats.

Annapolis Yacht Club hosted the awards party after the racing.  It was a really beautiful day to be on the water and it was great to catch up with everyone off the water.

Complete results are as follows:

Leukemia Cup Regatta - May 30, 2015

Jack Detweiler reports:

It was a great racing day on Saturday with steady winds in the 13 to 19 knot range out of the south. The EYC Race Committee set up the starting line just south of G-1 and did a great job. They got in three windward/leeward races, four times around with a one mile weather mark at 180 degrees. The racing was challenging with steady winds and waves that continued to build as the day went on. There were not a lot of wind shifts, so it was mainly keeping the boat moving in the waves and avoiding the boat handling mistakes that can occur in heavier air. The downwind legs were really fast as the Hoyt Jib Boom excels in the conditions that we had on Saturday.

Skimmer won all three of the races and was first overall. Escape and Halcyon tied for second on points but Escape received the award for second place overall based on tie-breaking rules. Thanks also to Blue Moon, Caroline, and Magic for competing and for all those that donated to the off-the-water-race for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Maryland.

For some great action shots of a wide range of boats racing in the heavier air, see SpinSheet’s photos of the event here.  Plenty of bottom paint was showing on the windward legs. The AE 28 photos start at frame 176, here, and there are more after the mast hugger.

Complete results are as follows:

AYC SERC Spring Regatta - May 9, 2015

Jack Detweiler reports:

Five AE28’s sailed out to compete in the inaugural regatta of the one-design season. The air was light but the AYC Race Committee got in three windward/leeward races. Amanda and Kevin McNeil on Caroline put in a sparkling performance, leading all three races from start to finish to take first overall. Jason Goscha and Stacey Anderson with Findlay’s help on Halcyon finished  second overall.  Jonah Seiger  with his new crew member Annie sailed Magic to an overall third.. Awards were presented at the AYC Club House afterward and we all had a good time discussing the day's events and catching up with one another after the long winter.

Stacey and Jason show off their prized prize - Jonah Seiger collects his

Complete race results are as follows: