Flights of Spring Regatta 2010

We had a good time racing over at Jericho this past weekend, with 9 races done over the two days.

Andy Hunt and his crew ran an excellent regatta and made quick adjustments to the course for the changeable winds.

Most of Saturday we hiked, with the breeze peaking at 16 kts mid day. As far as the race teams participation , numbers were down with alot of the team either away or studying for exams.

Alex Hienzman. Kyle Martin and Thomas Rhoel came out and sailed well , with Kyle getting third overall. royal Van member Jason Rhodes put on a bit of a clinic and won the event comfortably.

The prize giving was fantastic , with a number of sponsors giving out sweet swag! Thanks to Rooster and SEA for the great gear.

A good tune up regatta for the upcoming Kitten Cup next weekend, where we traditionally get as many as 25 of the team out.

Mids West March 2010

We had a little smaller group than in past years that headed to California for the Mids West laser regatta.

Kyle Martin, Alex Kroitzch and Alex Shepard drove down with me in the truck and Alex Heinzman flew in from training camp in Mexico a day later. Alex's dad Mattias was there as well with a trailer.

We began training on the Monday prior to the regatta. The breeze in Richmond doesn't turn on till into the afternoon, so we had some decent light air training in the mornings with plenty of heavy air training in the afternoons. All in all a productive training camp fpor the group and good strrides were made in preparation for a windy event. Gabe Frame flew in the Thursday night and got an early start the next morning getting his boat ready for the racing.

Of course the regatta began with less wind than was first predicted and we had a generally light air day with some unusual course shapes that put a premium on experience. The group worked hard all day and learned some valuable lessons.

The second day was a good one with the breeze filling in from the sea breeze direction and all the group sailed well and enjoyed the conditions.

This years regatta seemed consist of Master aged sailors (many that were very good in their day, ie. 2 were silver medalist at Olympics) and youth sailors. This was excellent for all involved because they fitness of youth against the experience of age was tested throughout the event.

The final day started very light but the race committee hung in their and got the races off in nice breeze and everyone sailed in happy. Our group definitely reached their goals and it turned out to be be quite a nice event at a small club on San Fransisco bay.

Thanks to Lillah and Tony Martin who were a big help at the event.

Our next events are closer to home with the spring regattas - Flights of Spring at Jericho, Kitten Cup at Royal Van and Spring Dingys in Victoria, all on consecutive weekends ending on May 2nd.

Thanks for the support Royal Van

Al