Home	Islander 36 Nationals Regatta Golden Gate Yacht Club October 3, 2009

(If you like, you can skip down through the prose and go straight to the pictures below!)

This is the way a regatta should be. A beautiful venue with front row seats. Seven beautiful Islanders on the line. Lots of great skippers and crews -- with eight more boats represented by folks on shore.

Golden Gate yacht Club, right on the shore of San Francisco Bay, has sight lines right out the Golden Gate, north to Sausalito, tiburon, and Angel Island, and west to Berkeley and the hills beyond. Their big glass windows in the dining room protect you from the wind, and the Race Deck, on the west end, is sheltered too. A perfect place from which to run a race.

Mother Nature was trying her best to huff and puff and blow us away - the forecast was certainly something to be concerned about. It read like this on Friday: west winds 5-15, increasing to 15 - 25, with local gusts to 35. By Saturday morning, they kicked it up a notch: west 20 - 30 with gusts to 35, increasing in the evening to 25 - 35 with gusts to 45. So how did Saturday start?

Light winds and a flat Bay greeted the boats as they arrived. 8 knots were blowing at GGYC for the first start at 1205. The first course was a 5.7 mile windward leeward with the windward mark the "Blackaller" buoy near the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, the first leeward mark was the starting mark right off the club, back to Blackaller, and then down to #6 off Fort Mason and back to the finish. Made for great viewing from the race deck, and particularly exciting on the first leeward rounding when a bit of contact took place -- it's recorded on a film clip below.

But it was blowing up into the teens by the time the first race ended about 1320, and race 2 started at 1345. This time the course was shifted a bit east to stay away from the strongest winds coming in the Gate. A short beat to the St. Francis starting mark made for lots of action at the weather mark, then a long run east to Blossom Rock, and a beat back past Alcatraz to the finish. by then a good ebb tide was helping push everyone toward the finish around 1445.

Then it was all boats back to shore to swap stories about the race, the crews and the skippers. You can see the fun in the pictures below. GGYC laid out a simple but good spread of burgers and chili with all the fixings, and the bar continued to provide beverages as needed.

Then Vice Commodore Michele Williams, who has sailed aboard Windwalker since Pacific Highh was not sailing, handed out the embroidered T-Shirts. 1st Place went to Captain Hooke, Tom & David Newton -- also our Season's Champions. One point back was Windwalker, Rich Shoenhair, with Cassiopeia, Kit Weigman, in third.

Special thanks to the great Golden Gate RAce Committee team of Gary & Pat Salvo (Ophira), Dennis & Judy Bush (Natural High), Mont McMillen (GGYC Race Director), Leslie Iacopi, Emmanul Uren, and Madeleine Bajurin. Thanks for a great job gang!

Also kudos to Erik Simonson who dashed about in a RIB snapping some great shots on the water. You can probably get some fine prints if you want them from his http://www.h2oshots.com or email h2oshots@gmail.com.

Also in attendance cheering the fleet on were Corky & Anna Stewart (Brigid), Ron & Karen Damsen (Woodbine), Lou & Diane Zevanov (Diana), Art Fowler (Zenith), Robert Aston (Pegasus), Rob & Ruby Blenderman (White Horses), and Rick & Sandy Van Mell (Vanishing Animal). If you double count Michele Williams (Pacific High) and John Melton (Freedom Won) - sailing on Mischief, you come up with 18 Islanders represented! What a great way to wrap up the racing season.

So enjoy the results and pictures below. then think long and hard about coming out to race with the fleet in 2010 for our 36th season. It's all about the fun. We've got folks who will mentor you to get you started if you like. But come and join the fun.

Boat	Owners	1st Race Place	2nd Race Place	Total Score	Regatta Place
Captain Hooke	Tom & David Newton	1	2	3	1
Windwalker	Rich Shoenhair	3	1	4	2
Cassiopeia	Kit Wiegman	2	4	6	3
Tenacious	Kris Youngberg	4	3	7	4
Mischief	Charles & Kathryn Munn Hodgkins	5	5	10	5
Luna Sea	Dan Knox	6	6	12	6
Orion	Bay Area Disabled Sailors	7	7	14	7

Pictures by Erik Simonson, Ron Damsen & Rick Van Mell. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

arrives ...	with battle flag	Welcome committee	Hi Michele	Hi Leslie
Tenacious tucked in	Luna Sea arrives ...	fenders out ...	tied up ...	& looking good.
Stroke!	Clean lines	Light air	Lucky Dan	Hi Gary
Safety first	Smiling faces	Windwalker arrives	Crew talk	Mischief arrives ...
redy to race ...	Hi Kathryn.	Just like this	Captain Hooke arrives	Race Committee list
Lou & Diane	Getting started	Note the fly-by ...	artist!	Not much wind
Crossing traffic ...	boink!	Loafing ...	concentrating	Trail run
They get ...	nice air.	Go guys	Hooked!	Mischief makers
Orion	Traffic	Beautiful day	Nice sails.	Lining up ...
getting serious ...	last run.	Spectator Boat?

1st Race Start

Tacking astern	Heading out	Who blinks?	Hooke ...	ducks.
Just for us!	Orion splits	Tower power	Hooke crosses	The RC wants ...
fire power ...	Go Pat!	Waiting for the fleet	Coming back	Bridge spectators
Cassiopeia	with Windwalker	Windwalker	Mischief	Luna Sea
with Mischief	Captain Hooke	In line	Rolling	In line 2
Bridge bracket	Let's roll	Here we come!	Mischief	Looking close
Leeward mark approach

1st Race Leeward Mark Rounding

We saw it!	Tenacious does 360 ...	almost done.	Too much heel	Big bucket
Good sailing	Going to weather	Rail meat	Windwalker	Cassiopeia
Tenacious	Mischief	Luna Sea	Again	Breeze now
Leeward mark approach	Coming home ...	1st - Captain Hooke ...	well done.	Coming up ...
2nd - Cassiopeia	3rd - Windwalker	4th - Tenacious	5th - Mischief	6th - Luna Sea
7th - Orion	Relax	Chill	Ready for another?	More breeze
All there

2nd Race Start

Upwind ...	with a breeze	Weather mark ...	Hooke's ready ...	to round.
Crowded	Parade	Close	Sorting it out	Good sport
Long run	Piping up	Windwalker leads ...	Hooke	W tacks to cover ...
H tacks to starboard ...	very close ...	forced to duck??!	last inches ...	1st - Windwalker 2nd - Hooke
Still fighting ...	Cassiopeia crossing ...	Mischief	Tack for the line ...	3rd - Tenacious
4th - Cassiopeia	5th - Mischief	Here comes ...	6th - Luna Sea	7th - Orion
Flying high	Rafting up ...	Miller time ...	the gang.	Fenders ready ...
Hooke too ...	"Over there"	Luna Sea ...	looking for space	Relaxed
Rafted	Refreshed	Relieved!	Amazed.	Fun flags
RC relaxed	All hands for ...	food & drink.	Rob & Ruby	Orion crew
You don't say	Good eats	Dan agrees	I want some	Salty dogs
Happy time	Kris has ...	Tenacious crew ...	with great shirt.	Oh oh ...
looks like it's ...	Rick's birthday.	Michele says it's ...	prize time.	3rd - Cassiopeia
2nd - Windwalker	1st - Captail Hooke	The wind is ...	picking up ...	Sierra Point at 7 pm 36 gusting 43!
A beautiful day ...	thanks Golden Gate YC!

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