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Vol. 6, No. 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.O. Box 92554 Anchorage, Alaska 99509 . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 30,  2001 

Tim and Tom Gould Win the 2001 Governor's Cup

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

It was a less than ideal weekend for racing with brief periods of light wind, plenty of rain and a small fleet.  But we did manage to hold three fairly close races.

Tim Gould and his brother Tom took top honors by winning each of the races by sailing the club's yellow Skipjack 517 skillfully at the start and around the course.  I managed to cut the corrected time margin to a minute in the last race when the wind freshened a little.  

Elections for 2001

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

The fall work party tucked the site in for another winter's nap.

Elections were held with the following results:

Steve Anastos - Commodore

Rick Gilmore - First Vice Commodore

Alan Adrian - Second Vice Commodore

Birgitt Robar - Treasurer

Jody Willing - Secretary

Curtis Dunkin - Past Commodore

Congratulations to new and re-elected club officers. Let's show them support and work together to make the club a better place.

The Sheet

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Vol. 6, No. 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.O. Box 92554 Anchorage, Alaska 99509 . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 7,  2001 

Tim and Tom Gould Win the 2001 Governor's Cup

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

It was a less than ideal weekend for racing with brief periods of light wind, plenty of rain and a small fleet.  But we did manage to hold three fairly close races.

Tim Gould and his brother Tom took top honors by winning each of the races by sailing the club's yellow Skipjack 517 skillfully at the start and around the course.  I managed to cut the corrected time margin to a minute in the last race when the wind freshened a little.  

The last race was held in the rain on Sunday, but since it offered the best wind we had seen all weekend, we didn't really care.  The fleet photo here shows the lack of wind early Monday afternoon.  We waited as long as we could and finally called it a day around 2:00 pm.  Of course when I pulled the cat out of the water at 3:00 pm the wind immediately picked up and the sun broke out of the clouds... Oh well, there's always next season.

Congratulations Tim and Tom Gould!  

Now, we need you to hold a racing clinic, chair the race committee and help the novice sailors with their racing skills.  It's the best way to build a viable racing program.  See excerpts from Mary Well's Revival chapter of Catamaran Racing for the 90's in the archived issues of The Sheet online.  Go to this issue of The Sheet's online version and use these links to quickly jump to the articles.

Revival Part 1

Revival Part 2

Revival Part 3

Revival Part 4

Revival Part 5

Fall Work Party Coming Soon

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

There's a nip in the air and a hint of termination dust on the Chugach Mountains.  Yikes!  Mean ol' Mr. Winter is coming soon to a sailing club near you.  It's time once again to tuck the club site in for its long winter nap.

Saturday September 15, 2001 is the Fall Work Party.  From 10:00am to 4:00pm we'll toil, visit, meet, eat, etc.

Current Agenda:

See you at the lake!

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Vol. 6, No.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.O. Box 92554 Anchorage, Alaska 99509 . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 29, 2001 

Race Series Update and the 2001 Governor's Cup

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

Here's the latest 2001 Race Series results, along with some fleet photos of 12 meters racing on Big Lake (yea right) and the club fleet racing on Big Lake.  There were some corrected time errors in the previously published Race 1 results, so disregard the original and refer to this one.  

Also, the Portsmouth D-PN numbers have been updated to match the latest published 2001 tables.  These are living records that are adjusted annually based on race times and results submitted to the committee.  Note that the Laser has proven to be slightly faster than previous, the Skipjack slightly slower and the Hobie 16 slightly faster. 

Well, July 2001 proved to be the wettest on record since 1958, but whatever, this is Alaska.  True Alaskan's race in the rain if need be.  The proper gear will ensure reasonable comfort.  I prefer a wet suit when things get nasty.  Many Big Lake water skiers use dry suits, but sailors sailing drier boats than catamarans can get by with some layered clothing for warmth and a water proof outer shell.  And don't forget those extremities.

The next race day is scheduled for August 11, 2001.  After that it will depend on who's available and who wants to race on August 18th or the 25th.

Our annual Governor's Cup race series will take place over the Labor Day weekend, September 1st  - 3rd .  Historically, Big Lake winds are prime this time of year (although the last two years certainly bucked the historical trend) so it's great for racing.  The format includes nine races total, three races each day - Sat., Sun and Mon.  The overall winner takes home the storied trophy and gets their name engraved alongside the past winners.

During lulls in the wind an end of season potluck is in order and we'll set the date for the  fall work party/general membership meeting and elections for club officer's for the 2002 season.  See you at the lake.

Sailing Class August 4th and 5th

By Dave Johnson

Saturday and Sunday, August 4 & 5 a class will be held from 12 to 6 pm.  The water at the lake is warm this time of year so no one will need a wet suit.  Yes, some boats do get knocked down, but once one knows how to react it really is not a problem. If we are both good and lucky, no one will go unintended into the drink.  Topics:

• Where the gear is stored.
• Hardware, its uses and adjustments.
• How a boat gets energy from the wind.
• How to trim a sail, both in light and heavy air 
• Right of Way rules.
• How to upright a boat. Everyone will knock down a boat and then upright it.
• How to depart and return from the dock.
• How to launch a boat using the winch.
• How to rig up a boat.
• Lots of "on the water" practice.
• The goal is allow all new club members to acquire the skills to come to the lake, launch a boat and enjoy sailing.
• This is a basic beginners class, and will be a lot of fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• We will launch all three skipjacks, the laser and my buck, so all will have time to sail.
• Sunday we will also take out the RL "Winsome". --------------------- Lets hope for sun.

Alaska Sailing Club Message Board

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

The Alaska Sailing Club announces a new message board for members.  Click this link -  Message Board - http://members.boardhost.com/aksailclub/  to visit it or use one of the header/footer links from any web site page.  I count ten current members without email addresses.  Come on, let's get online and use the technology.  If everyone is online we can eliminate the cost and time involved with paper mail outs and you'll receive the newsletter instantly and in full color.

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Vol. 6, No.4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.O. Box 92554 Anchorage, Alaska 99509 . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 9, 2001 

Welcome New Members

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

The June 23rd Alaska Sailing Club Open House was a resounding success.  Thirty two guests signed our guest log, twenty five membership applications were handed out and seven new member families joined on the spot.  Two more joined later the next week.  There are still others interested that are trickling in due being on vacation or unavailable during the open house.

Participating members were working so hard at the event that we failed to take any photos of the crowd, but we estimate over eighty people showed up.  I took eight for rides on the Hobie and others caught rides on the Skips and the Weissler's Kitty Hawk.

Please welcome new members:    James and Carolyn Gordon, Geoffrey and Catherine Wright, T. L. Stanbro, Walter McFarlane, Thomas Plawman and Andrea Cordano, Kelly and Jennifer Nicolello, Chris and Karen Remick, Elayne Hunter, Gary and Sara Stoops and David and Heather Burgess.  

Please do all you can to help them out around the site and make them feel at home.

Sailing instruction and boat checkout  has been taking place on an ad hoc basis while we firm up some formal classes.  Thanks to Rick Gillmore, Ray De Ley, Dave Johnson and Mark Weissler.

2001 Race Series Update

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

Race 1 was held June 30th.  New members, Walt, Tom and T.L. joined in for their first taste of exciting racing action.  Well, except for the light variable breeze that completely died during the race it could have been exciting.  The final results are posted below.

The corrected times are calculated using the Portsmouth handicap system.  This allows boats of different classes to compete in the same race.  Note that while the Hobie 16 finished 20 minutes ahead of the Gold Laser, the corrected time difference was only 3 minutes.  Also, note that the Buccaneer, with a lower D-PN than a Laser, (it should have finished before the Laser) finished 13.3 minutes behind the Gold Laser but the corrected time was over 40 minutes after the Gold Laser!

Race 2 is scheduled for Saturday July 14th, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm (depending on winds).  

Racing - A Short Essay 

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor (Reprinted from the Nov. 15, 1998 issue of The Sheet)

My sailboat racing resume consists of six races held at our club site on Big Lake. I can’t really count watching some America’s Cup races on TV. Why race? At our level racing is certainly not money, prestige, or endorsement income opportunities.

While winning is fun to strive for, it's not that important to me. For me it’s just fun and educational. Just participating in some friendly competition and having one more excuse to get some time on the boat rate high on my fun meter. As for educational, I only know a few of the rules, so every race is an education in the rules of racing. We’re pretty flexible in the rule department. You won’t find post race protest hearings, disqualifications and screaming matches. You will find some cold beer and friendly discussions on any race issues. Usually it’s "Hey! The wind is up, let’s go again.".

Racing is an education in sailing as a whole and I don’t just mean race tactics or strategy. Helmsmanship, sail trim, wind direction and strength analysis are just some of the skills sharpened while racing. Any mistakes or deviation from "the groove" translate to being way behind "a boat doing it right".

To sum it up: Racing makes you a better sailor. So, come out and join in for the 1999 2001 racing season.

Club Site Progress - Docks Turn The Corner and The RL Sails Again

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

Although this photo doesn't show it (it's just a nice sunset); the docks have turned the corner on the way to a full "C" harbor.  On July 1, 2001 Robert Pratt, Kelly and Drew Nicolello, Rick Gillmore, Roberta Avila and myself constructed the first "C" dock section.  There are still materials on site for another section (may need 5 ea. studs and 10 ea. joist hangers).  Constructing 4 more sections (5 total per section - A, B & C) will bring us back to a full 300 feet of docks and connect to the mooring where Ed Kornfield's boat is currently moored.

The RL is under sail again.  Thanks to Rick Gillmore for donating the use of his jib on the RL.  The mainsail is a bit stretched out, but it will suffice until a new set can be ordered.  And yes, we will be locking up the sails at the end of the season.

Clean up is a continuing task; dog owners police the poop, haul your own garbage - and take a bag from the clubhouse if you have room, if you use an item - lawn chair, life jacket, etc. - return it to its proper place, smokers - butts in fire pits or garbage please, etc.

The Sheet is always looking for stories.  If you'd like to submit one, or a letter to the editor for opinions, send a soft copy to the club's email address.  Or if you don't have online access, hard copy is acceptable.  Review the archived issues of The Sheet online and look for excerpts from Mary Well's Revival Chapter from Catamaran Racing for the 90's.  Her paragraphs on club newsletters might give you some ideas.  

I reinstalled the winch cable on the upper pulley 7/8/01.  Please keep the extra weights on the hook end (it could really use more) to ensure proper spooling and preclude the cable coming off the pulley.  The roller clutch/brake disk assembly needs replacement.  This causes the winch to unwind when loads over 500 lbs. are lifted.  So, before 7/20/01, when the roller clutch/brake disk assembly will be replaced, please use the hand crank after the initial lift of heavier objects if you note the unwinding  - or use the hand crank for the whole lift, it builds character!  CAUTION - Don't let go of the hand crank with a load on the winch or it will definitely bite you.

Constant use of the motor in this scenario will only destroy it  - then we'll be hand cranking all the time. 

Also, when using the hand crank (Remove crank handle first) or anytime, you can lower the load by gently moving the clutch lever SLOWLY from the ENGAGED position to the FREEWHEEL position.  CAUTION - Heavy loads will come down fast, so practice on an object on land first, e.g. cement trash can, engine block, etc.  

See you at the lake July 21.  Our family will be busy moving to a new location in Anchorage in the interim.

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Vol. 6, No.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.O. Box 92554 Anchorage, Alaska 99509 . . . . . . . . . . . . . June 9, 2001 

Spring Work Party Makes An L

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

A glorious morning broke over Big Lake on Saturday June 2^nd  with a clear blue sky.  The weather was perfect for working and getting a great tan at the same time.

The lumber delivery arrived at 8:00am from SBS.  Claiming to know the exact location of the Alaska Sailing Club, the dispatcher had sent the driver to Sail 'n Fun on Friday, so he had to reload it by hand Saturday morning, then deliver it to us.  I gave him a hand unloading the truck and he seemed in a cheerful mood despite the extra labor of doing a job twice.  Uhm... must be the weather, because it doesn't get much better than this in South central Alaska.

Out came the power tools as participants Dave Johnson, myself, Robert Pratt, Roberta Avila, Dan Crowell, Michelle Johnson, Ben and Birgitt Robar and Katy Yates swung into action.  A dock was assembled while another fairly young dock had storm damage repaired. The top photo on page two shows first new section being framed.

Anchorage Daily News reporter Natalie and photographer Evan (hard at work by the RL in the lower photo on page2) paid a visit in the afternoon, so work progress slowed a bit as sea tales were told, club history recounted, photos were taken and we provided some short rides - if only some more wind could have filled in.  Look for the upcoming article in the Outdoors section of The Anchorage Daily News.

Later in the afternoon, Jody Willing joined us.  Her and Roberta Avila whipped up some excellent chow that provided the construction crew with a much needed second wind.  We then completed assembly of the second section and gave both a coating of transparent stain for weather protection instead of 'barn red' paint.  We should get a longer life out of this new stain.

Work continued until 9:00pm.  While we hoisted complete sections into the water, Capt Dan C. skillfully piloted them into position and hinge bolts were installed.  It sure felt good to connect the our old anchor chain where B and C docks used to be connected.  Now we have an A and B again with a partial C on the horizon.

Special thanks to Dan and Katy, who put in a full ten hour day and they're not even members!  Of course, we're trying to convince them to join up.

Special thanks is also due to Dave Johnson who graciously advanced the club the $1,000 necessary to purchase the material required for the third and forth new sections.

Plus we really need two more, so we're soliciting extra donations from other members for dock sections 5 and 6.  $100 - $200 donations would go a long way toward a section's materials ($500 per dock section).

There's lumber and hardware for two more dock sections on site.  If you missed the spring work party, plan on working to assemble these dock sections.  If you lack the tools and skills to assemble a dock section, there are plenty of other chores:

• Clean the club house

• Rake leaves onto a tarp and deposit in the pile behind the big boat trailer parking area

• Mow or weed whack around the club house / BBQ / swing set area

• Sweep out the outhouses, add 5 gallons of water and some lime

• Attach fire hose chafe protection to the new dock sections (use roofing nails)

• Sand and paint the picnic tables that need it

• Gather firewood or bring out a load with you

• Clean and organize the shed

As a member it is your obligation to participate.  If you see something that needs done - DO IT!

When you put in a full day's work and sweat building docks you tend to become a protective parent of your creation.  So, it's a good time to restate a club rule here:

No unattended, overnight moorage on the docks - BIG BOAT OWNERS READ AND HEED.

Big boats put too much stress on this floating dock system.  If you own a big boat, set a mooring you're comfortable with and maintain your own mooring tackle.  Mat Su Valley storms can produce some strong winds and 3 to 4 ft waves on Big Lake, so rig it like you're on the sea coast.  The other option is just pull your boat each weekend at the ramp, leave the mast up and park it at the top of the hill across from the outhouses.  CAUTION - High Voltage power lines cross our driveway by the swing set and no boat at the club will clear them with the mast up.

And More trouble In Paradise

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

A microwave in the clubhouse I can live without (heck, there's always Jiffy-Pop the magic treat...) but sails for the RL - give me a break!  That's right folks, despite a thorough search of the facility, no one can locate the sails for the RL.  Now I hope some enterprising member took them home for a bath or hid them so well that they could never be stolen, but failing that, we're facing the unpleasant prospect of purchasing new/used sails that can run $1,000 just for the main alone.

Armed guards, locked gate, massive padlocks, trained attack dogs, aerial surveillance, web cam... what's it going to take?

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Vol. 6, No.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.O. Box 92554 Anchorage, Alaska 99509 . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 23, 2001 

The Alaska Sailing Club Is Springing into Another Summer Season - Work Party June 2, 2001

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

The last of the winter's ice left our cove 5/15/01 and it's time to dust off the boats, dig out the camping gear and get ready to SAIL.  

The spring work party is scheduled for Saturday June 2^nd from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  The main project is constructing 4 new dock sections.  Dave Johnson is heading up this project by ordering materials (2 sections worth on his own), soliciting donations from building suppliers and providing a huge dose of enthusiasm.  I'll manufacture and deliver the corner hinge fittings.  Don't worry if carpentry is not your thing; there's plenty of other jobs to accomplish like raking leaves, general cleanup, boat launching, boat cleaning, painting, etc.  Of course we realize that not everyone can attend on a certain date - just put in a good day's work when you can be at the lake.  If you see something that needs doing - Just Do It.

To help our dwindling roster, Dave Johnson has also arranged for a Daily News reporter and photographer to visit us the same day.  It turns out they were heading to Seward to write a sailing story but eagerly agreed to cover us at Big Lake instead.  If you have club history, tales or other items of interest, be sure to bring them along.  With its long history, the Governor's Cup Trophy would make a good photo and story.  We should receive plenty of interest and membership applications when the article is published.

There'll be the usual potluck to feed the hungry workers so bring along a dish.  See you all at the lake.

Trouble In Paradise?

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

I made a brief stop at the club site on Sunday 5/20/01.  I sent Taylor down to the club house to pop some microwave popcorn.  Sorry, no microwave.  I didn't have time to look around much, but unless someone locked it up in one of our sheds, there must be a pretty desperate person out there to take a kitchen appliance worth about $50.  So, do any members have an old microwave in the garage they're not using?

Jody Willing has suggested it may be time to offer a free summer campsite in exchange for 24/7 security.  This would be similar to the state camp grounds that utilize retire couples for the same purpose.  A small add in the paper should do it.  What do you think?

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Vol. 6, No.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.O. Box 92554 Anchorage, Alaska 99509 . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 15, 2001 

Alaska Sailing Club - 2001

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

2001 will be a challenge for the Alaska Sailing Club.  The photo at right shows the club site in June - before The Less than Perfect Storm.  

The docks were a key attribute of the club and we need to strive to at least build an "L" for 2001. Four new 20 foot sections are on the agenda for the spring work party.

Other key issues involve our neighbor's access and borough pressure to make some major changes at the club site - more on this in the next issue of The Sheet.

Chapter 18 - by Mary Wells

Continued from Vol. 5, No. 2 2000 issue of The Sheet, here is the next excerpt of Revival. Check out previous installments on our web site under The Sheet 1999 and 2000 archived issues. Excellent reading and food for thought for sailing clubs and racing fleets. For our purpose consider catamarans and small sail boats synonymous.

Reprinted By Permission from Catamaran Racing for the 90's - by Rick White and Mary Wells

Copyright © 1992 by Rick White - Published by RAM Press

Available from - Ram Press Bookstore (Affiliated with Amazon.com, this is a well stocked nautical bookstore site) http://www.catsailor.com/ram_press.html

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BUILD UP THE RACING - cont.

• If you don't have fleets divided by ability level, you many attract more racers by having a "fun racer" class.  A lot of people are intimidated by the aggressiveness of the "serious" racers and would enjoy racing if they could do it for "fun", without feeling like everyone is out for blood.  This kind of class might get more of the women and children off the beach and onto the water, too - and that's the whole key: getting people on the water.  You might be surprised - the "fun" class might get bigger than the "serious" class.

• Have free clinics for your fleet on a REGULAR basis.  These can be put on by members or you can get an expert to come in once in a while, if possible.  Each clinic should be fairly short (like an hour or two at the most) and devoted to a specific topic such as:

Boat turning, sail shape, boat handling, tactics, rules, safety, heavy air sailing, light air sailing, downwind sailing, capsize and righting, crewing, mark roundings and stars.

The idea is to make the clinics an ongoing series that will keep people interested and keep them learning, without taking too much out of their day when they want to be out sailing.  Most of these clinics would be of equal value and interest to the non-racer as to the racer.

• Have a "drill" day.  Instead of serious races, have seminar-type drills to practice boat handling, starts and mark roundings.  We are soon publishing a booklet with drills you can do alone or as a fleet to improve sailing skills.

SEMINARS

To go a step further, professionally run seminars are a great way to revive your fleet or club's enthusiasm  as wll as improving skills. 

Find out about seminars that are available to people learning how to sail or for race training and let your members know about them through your newsletter.

The Ontario Sailing Center in Canada has a series of five-day seminars every year, featuring a different type of boat each week.  They have one week dedicated to catamarans.

In this country the only permanently established race-training program I know of for catamarans is Rick White's Sailing Seminars, based on the Ontario program.  He recently branched out into monohulls beginning in the spring of 1991, with seminars for Sunfish and Lasers.

Rick White's seminars are held in the Florida Keys in the spring and fall, but the seminars are on the road the rest of the year, and they will go just about anywhere, so if you would like him to bring a seminar to your area, just give us a call.

What is really important to stress is that the hard-core racers, if they don't want to have fewer and fewer people to race against, have got to stop being so concerned about being number one and start thinking about the other guy a little more.

We have to be willing to give a little bit of our time to getting more people involved and keeping everyone happy, instead of just thinking about ourselves and our own goals and trophies.  You can't win a trophy unless there is a race.  And you can't have a race without other boats and people.

It doesn't mean much to be number one in your local pond if you're the only one.

End of this installment.  Future topics in the REVIVAL chapter: SEMINARS, TO GET NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN SAILING, WHEN YOU TAKE SOMEONE FOR A FIRST RIDE, A HOME OF YOUR OWN, THE BORING BUT IMPORTANT BASICS.

Fall 2000 Work Party and Board Elections for 2001

By Paul Willing - Sheet Editor

The fall work party tucked the site in for another winter's nap.

Elections were held with the following results:

Steve Anastos - Commodore

Rick Gilmore - First Vice Commodore

Alan Adrian - Second Vice Commodore

Birgitt Robar - Treasurer

Jody Willing - Secretary

Curtis Dunkin - Past Commodore

Congratulations to new and re-elected club officers. Let's show them support and work together to make the club a better place.

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