Frostbite NewsWelcome to 2012 Spring Frostbite SeriesThe year 2012 marks our club’s 79th year of racing on the Connecticut River in Essex. While sailing might seem far away, our season will begin on Sunday March 4th. Currently football games are occupying our time, but your zealous board members have already started to plan for a great year. If you check out our website, you can see the countdown clock posted by our webmaster Mark Fortin. We are also planning on raising revenue by selling space to advertisers on the website. Our webmaster is working on setting up way to register on line, until then please mail your registration to our secretary, Jen Hull, using the P.O. box posted on the site or as always you can register in person. If you know you are going to race, please register as soon as possible. A few announcements this year: Our PRO duties will be filled by Tom Carse, Frank Murphy and Stan Horan. Tom led the way making the fall series fantastic. Both Stan and Frank have served as PRO’s and have contributed to great racing for our club. We will continue with our yearly membership program. Skippers registering for a series will receive a membership card and FBYC bumper sticker. Crewmembers and FBYC volunteers can become associate members for a fee of $20 dollars, and also receive a membership card and a FBYC bumper sticker. The spring series will begin on March 4th and run every Sunday with one exception. On Easter weekend, we will race on Saturday April 7th. Racing starts at 1:00pm, with no races started after 3:30pm. Daily awards, and tasty hot soup will follow in the Essex Yacht Club. Racing Fee’s: The board has voted to raise the racing fees by $10 dollars a person. This means that a laser racer will pay $10 dollars more, a two person boat will pay $20 dollars more and the Etchells $30 dollars more. Our racing fees have been the same for a number of years, but our costs have not. We are on a tight budget. End of the Season awards party: We will continue to combine our seasonal awards and annual meeting. Save the date (May 6). The main brace will be spliced. More details to follow. By-Laws: Three of our board members are preparing a set of by-laws; we look forward to having them ready for your review in the spring. Work party: In preparation for the start of the Spring Series a work day is scheduled for March 3 at 12:00 noon. We need to launch all of the crash boats, and make sure all of our equipment is ready to go. If you have the time, please join us for a couple of hours, and also spread the word about our season to potential new sailors now. We currently expect to have five classes participating; Etchells, Ideal 18s, JY 15s, and Lasers. We are planning on the Valley Regional Sailing Team to sail again in 420s. We also have invited East Lyme high school to also compete. We are open to and would love to see other classes participate. It appears that the single person Sea dog class will join us for a couple of Sundays in the spring. Our objective is to start any fleet with 4 or more boats. Volunteers – Since 1933 FBYC has been hosting a frostbite series. We could not do this without the commitment and generosity of our Volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, we encourage you to do so. We appreciate the contribution of all skill levels. Please contact Bill Foster, our volunteer Coordinator. Bill@mitchel.net Haven’t sailed with us before? Frostbite is open to any sailor who is age 15 or older. (Younger with parental permission) Sign up for a whole season or kick the tires with a single day of racing. Please send me an e-mail, and we will connect you with a fellow class participant you can speak with about our fun, challenging racing on the river. Don’t have a boat- occasionally we have opportunities for sailors who are looking to crew or find a boat. Let us know and we will try to find you a boat. The year 2012 marks our 79th year, and the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Essex is a beautiful town with a rich nautical history. The officers and members of FBYC are grateful for the support from Essex Yacht Club, Essex Corinthian Yacht Club, Brewers, Pettipaug Yacht Club and the Connecticut River Museum. We would like to also express our thanks for the support from the community of Essex, and promise that if the British try to attack the town now or in 2014 we will be there to stop them, at least if it is a Sunday and we are not off the racecourse or at the club or the Black Seal. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please feel free to contact me via E-mail. Have fun and Sail safe Mark Kondracky, Commodore Mrk399@aol.com Post Season Party/Holiday Party Don’t forget the end of season party on December 10th at 7:00pm at the Corinthian Yacht Club. Bring a little something to contribute to the food table. This will be the annual meeting with the election of our new Board of Governors and annual report. Click Here for more details. 2011-Fall Comments from Commadore Baker Well another season of Frostbite sailing has come to an end, and what a season we had. Standing on the dock last Sunday a great sailor, a gentleman and a generous competitor came up to me and said, why can’t we just keep the season going, why do we have to end today? I told Carter Gowrie that if the Board knew that we would be sailing in December with air temps in the 50s and laser sailors in t-shirts and shorts, we would have, without doubt, extended the season. Carter’s comments embody the spirits of each and every one of us. And not just the sailors, the volunteers and the entire Essex Community feel the same way. As I said in a recent thank you letter to Jerry Roberts, Executive Director, Connecticut River Museum, “Essex is a beautiful town with a rich nautical history, a history which the River Museum memorializes and FBYC has contributed to for more than 80 years.” The days are getting shorter and it’s time to put our toys away for the winter. But before we turn to eggnog and mistletoe, I hope you will all join me in giving thanks to all of the volunteers for their more than generous contributions to the season. It is their love of the sport and our Members that draws them down to the Connecticut River each Sunday. Although so many contributed so much, I need to recognize three people who, through their efforts and commitment to Frostbite, made it possible to get started on time in the spring and allow us to race in the fall. Please join me in thanking John Swett and Marcus Garofalo from Essex Yacht Club for helping us get out of the ice in the spring and representing FYC and our needs when working with the dredging company this fall. We need to also thank to Jerry Roberts, Executive Director, The Connecticut River Museum. Without the River Museum allowing Fair and Square and the crash boats to birth at their facility, we would have been in a big jam. Well another season has come to an end as has my term as Commodore. It will be hard to say goodbye. Fortunately, we have a very high functioning Board and a motivated cadre of volunteers that well carry on as stewards of the great and rich sailing heritage we call Frostbite Yacht Club. 2011-Fall-Week 8 Comments from PRO Tom Carse It is difficult to call it Frostbiting when we have had such nice weather. There were people wearing shorts and Doug McDonald jumped into the water a couple of times to cool off! All in all it was another good day of racing. The breeze died a little and was very unsettled after the first flight of races but it eventually held steady and at a good velocity for us to be able to get some nice ones in. We also had a large tree get caught on the anchor rode but it was kind enough to float off so that Bucket Boy had an easier time getting the anchor up. I have to be honest that I did not see that much racing. It was that kind of day on ‘Fair and Square’. Trying to keep the fleets from getting back up, which they did, and trying to keep up with the shifts. I do know that Bill Robinson and crew had a great day winning the Etchells class! Careful, Toby might take that mast back! There were a lot of over-earlies once the tide changed but everyone made it back, which was slow and painful! And remember, I have a totally different view from the top. It makes it easier to decide who is over and who is clear! It was nice having the 420’s back out this week. They have really caught on and seem to understand the procedure now so good job! The Ideal class saw a beating happen!!! Great job Rob and Eddie. 4 points to 10 for second place. There is still a boat that does not have a name listed in the results. Does that mean they have not paid? We will have to look into this! Good close racing as usual and next week will be fun to watch how this class ends up. 8 JY’s out there! Excellent to see! Scott, who seems to only show when it is nice, showed everyone he has not forgotten how to sail these things. The real reason Scott is not always there is because he is racing with his young daughter. And after getting a 1-2-1-1 for scores I would think she is pretty good and has caught on! Great to see. The Lasers also had a runaway winner with Kevin Gillman having a consistent day. Hotch went in for the last race probably because he couldn’t take the shame of the schooling Kevin was giving him. Since Murph was not there on Sunday we didn’t have to call Karl over, which was nice. Although I am sure he was over on the General Recall as most of you were. I was almost able to get away with not having to call the General but I just could not see the pin to ID the last few. The real winner from the Weekend was Bucket Boy, Dave Lindner. He decorated ‘Fair and Square’ for the holiday parade with a big American Flag on the side. Unfortunately it was on the side that would be away from the judges. After some fancy driving and many odd looks from the crash boaters out there to help us, we were able to back the RC boat by the judges, at about ½ a knot. It got us a ton of cheers from the crowd that was there but only got Honorable Mention for an award! There were some really well done decorations on some of the boats. Hopefully next year we can do better! Next week is the last one so make it count! There are a lot of positions open for the overall trophies so it should be fun. We are not sure if we will stay out after 2:30 or not but expect us to. We will see how the day is going. Have a nice week and see you all on Sunday! Mother Nature has been very nice to Frostbiting as far as temperature. Wind direction has been tricky though, especially for the Etchells. With 2 weeks left lets hope for warm and balmy weather and a nice southerly breeze direction. The Etchells only had 4 boats this Sunday. Chucky has packed up his ball and gone south to the Pineapple Cup in Miami. Good luck Chuck! That meant that the others were all thinking they can sneak in to first. With a broken rig last week Bill and the guys were able to borrow a rig and make it back out this week. That is what it is all about. It came down to a tie breaker for first with Bruce edging out Toby with more first places. Good sailing and a lot of mixing it up. The Lasers once again had the biggest fleet with 16 boats out there. With the puffs moving in they had some fun rides on the reaching legs and had a lot position changes. We did have a General Recall in one race but after that you all behaved yourselves and only a couple of individual recalls after that. Just ask Carl. It definitely looks like age and treachery are winning out in the puffy conditions over youth and skill. Hotch had to leave early to watch the NASCAR race but still was able to win the rivalry against Kevin on a tie breaker. Prescott continued his winning way for the JY’s although the others seem to be sneaking up on him slowly. After a little swimming boat 1979 was able to stay out there for the day. That’s what we like to see. The Ideals continue to be very fun to watch. Carter kicked it into high gear on Sunday almost scoring a picket fence! The girls seemed to have an off day and got an OCS in the first race. This will be an exciting class to watch the next 2 weeks as the battle for first overall. Great job all crash boaters. We had a lot of shifts and moving marks to follow the breeze to the right, then back left a little. Also having 2 different tides didn’t help. We got it done and had a good day. Remember, next week is the Christmas Parade so we will try to get everyone out before they close main street. Have a great Thanksgiving and see you all on Sunday! 2011-Fall-Week 6 Comments from Crashboat Bob Wow. What a day on the water! We had it all, 10 to 15 knots of wind gusting to 20, 60 degree air temperature and some of the best Fall racing in North America, thanks in no small part to a cadre of talented and dedicated volunteers lead by Tom Carse, PRO. Gotta give big Kudos to the crash boaters today. It was a war of attrition, and as boats either dropped out or were sent in, you folks did a great job. The carnage was as severe as I’ve seen it. But even with the carnage, the fleets hung tough, sailing as many as 7 races. Competitors and RC volunteers certainly earned their soup today. Speaking of carnage, notable was Bill Robinson, an up an coming “Etchells” owner, who broke his mast at the deck rounding the leeward mark in the second race of the day. Fortunately, his experienced and expert crew of Jimmy Garofalo and our own Commodore, Scott Baker, were able to secure the mast before it came down. The 420 fleet, made up of Valley Regional High School Sailing Team, impressed us all. Today you guys and gals rocked. You are the future of the sport, and we are so happy to have you with us. They challenged the conditions with good cheer and a positive attitude, not only staying out for the whole day, but maintaining control of their boats with no 420s going over. You are the future of the sport, and we are so happy to have you with us. I think this fleet of young sailors has shown their salt and proved to the rest of the club that they are capable of managing challenging conditions. Hats off to the 420 fleet. I would be remiss if I did not recognize two parents of the Valley Sailor who have worked hard to motivate and keep the team properly geared up and on time, David Fasulo and Susan Daniels. The Laser turnout was very impressive, as was the Laser turn-over with over 20 boats on the line and as many as 4 capsized at the same time. The starts were crowded and amazing to watch, and everyone seemed to be having a great time planing through the puffs. The JY’s had some spectacular sailing as well, and Rich Peale certainly chose a perfect day to have his folks come down from Maine to watch. Charlotte Posey dragged her husband Dennis over the finish line handily winning the Ideal 18 Fleet. The Ideal Fleet is growing in size and in competition. As an example of how popular the fleet has gotten, John Parunak, the club's Treasurer, tossed his Laser under the car port to sail with Frank Flores on an Ideal 18. Etchells? What can we say, except the usual suspects are getting it done. Congrats Chuck, and on behalf of the RC – you are welcome. Check the pictures of mayhem from today and previous weeks. If anyone sees a picture they like, I’ll be more than happy to clean it up a bit and send you a high-res version via e-mail. 2011-Fall-Week 5 Comments from PRO Tom Carse Well, based on the forecast for yesterday we got lucky! With a northwesterly forecasted to be fighting a southwesterly and a prediction of 3 at the most I will take the not-so-great direction, or rather directions. It was one of those days that we can see 3 different breezes from the top of Fair and Square so what may look like a bad course, un-square starting line from the water actually makes sense to us. At least that is what we tell ourselves from high up on our perch! From a Race Committee point of view it was very tricky. Big shifts that didn't make a lot of sense thrown in with puffs and then lulls that made it almost too light to race against the current. Throw in a couple of clueless powerboats going up and down the river and it is a typical Frostbite day! Oh yeah, and the barge coming down river. In the past we have had barges going through all the time so we were all ready and practiced at this. Now, not so much! That being said, great job everyone! Well, almost everyone. A couple of boats, and you know who you are, tried to play chicken and got a few extra horn blasts from the tug but were able to stay out of the way. Great job crash boaters for making sure that boats gave him room and got the pin out of the water (Liz). Two things here: 1. He can't stop when he is going down river! You will lose. 2: It is in our best interest to stay out of his way even if racing. In the past we would abandon ALL races in progress if a barge came through. If we all stay out of his way then we can keep the racing in progress going and be ready for more a lot quicker. Good job to all for making that happen. Now on to the racing. It is hard for me to really report a lot about this since I am not on the course but I will try to give some input. 420's. What can I say. Welcome back to Frostbiting. You guys are having some teething pains as far as the Sailing Instructions but towards the end of the day seemed to be catching on. Lots of coaching out there which helps a lot so thank you all for that and helping to corral the youngsters. Just remember, our SI's are on this web page and are available from the Race Committee before and after racing. We would be more than happy to hand out copies and answer questions. Once on the water though, not so much. We have a lot going on and for you to come over to us between races can interfere with other classes. Remember, those Etchells have very strong and pointy bows! Anyway, good job and see you all next week. The Etchells class saw a lot of place changing. Someday we will have a good breeze direction for you guys so it is not fetchy so thanks for hanging in and dealing. Top 2 boats were pretty close in scoring and I didn't hear any yelling between them! Although I wasn't at the pin end for the start the Toby tried to dip with the other 5 boats there waiting for that maneuver. Nice comeback in that race. They were followed by Bruce 'Port end port tack start' Avery who would have been up there more if it were not for the 6th place finish. It was great to see all 6 registered boats out there today. Keep it going. After an off week for the Ideal 18 class, the girls had a good one. Although Dennis shows that he can still throw down when needed. This class is shaping up for a dog fight for the overall results! Usually the most competitive on the starting line and most tightly bunched. Fun to watch! Happy Birthday (yesterday) Mark Kondracky! I was shocked to see that your fellow competitors in the JY class did not just let you win but then it guess it would not really be racing. Jeff Brooks owned the day in the class and Rich 'So there I was…' Peale finished the day in good form with a bullet. It was good to see the day start with 7 seven boats and maybe a little resurgence by the JY fleet. And now for my problem children for the day, the lasers! You guys did have the most over-earlies but all came back. The saying goes that if you are not over early once in a while you are not trying hard enough! But it really is a pain in the &*% calling your sail numbers. Unless it is Doug McDonald who has a big old 4 on his sail! And Carl, every time you were near the line your good friend Murph would remind us that it was you so you could not get away with anything yesterday! Good day all around though. We had a few more boats show up and register, which is all good but we have 26 registered and only 14 out yesterday. I have to apologize for that general recall. The wind didn't come back to the left and so you all wanted the pin. Once we got that sorted out it was game on! And Bob, who is a contributing writer in the latest Sailing World, kept charging along. Although he did have a 4 and 5 at the end so maybe he was getting a little tired! Have a good week all and next week we hope to have Crashboat Bob write this so it will be very entertaining!!! Frostbiters in the News 2011-Fall-Week 2 Comments from PRO
Tom Carse 2011 Fall Series Info Posted Welcome to the 2011 FBYC Fall Series Leukemia Cup Regatta Kick Off Reception
with Gary Jobson! Spring Week 3 Results Posted Spring Week 2 Results Posted Spring Week 1 Results Posted Racing Schedule for March 6, 2011 Laser Fleet wins 1st Annual Ski Trip Planetarium's Navigation & Weather
Courses Welcome to the Spring 2011 Frostbite
Series Winter Ski Trip - Feb 13th Fall 2010 Wrap Up Welcome to the Fall 2010 Frostbite
Series As the warm, sometimes unnaturally hot, days
of summer wane into autumn, our thoughts begin to shift toward the
two Fs, Football and Frostbite sailing. For those of you who sailed
in the spring, you will recall we had one of our very best seasons
ever; good weather, great turn out, lots of competitive and collegial
racing and the best soup in Southern Connecticut. Autumn on the
Connecticut River -- there is no finer time to be on the water.
Fresh cool breezes and the picturesque foliage make this part of
New England a very special place indeed. I hope you will join your
fellow “Frostbiters” in another session of fine and
competitive sailing...More.
|
2012 Spring Series2011 Fall Series
|
Results |
Media |
Overall Results | ||
| Kattack Race Tracking | ||||
| Kattack Race Tracking | ||||
| Sailing with 1341 | ||||
Week 5 - 04/03 |
Racing Cancelled |
|||
(Saturday) |
||||
2010 Fall Series
Results |
Media |
Overall Results | ||
2010 Spring Series
Results |
Class |
Overall Results | |||||
Week 1 - 03/07 |
|||||||
Week 2 - 03/14 |
|||||||
Week 3 - 03/21 |
|||||||
Week 4 - 03/28 |
|||||||
Week 5 - 04/04 |
|||||||
Week 6 - 04/11 |
|||||||
Week 7 - 04/18 |
|||||||
Week 8 - 04/25 |
|||||||
Week 9 - 05/02 |
Vintage Media
Pictures |
||||