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November 12, 2006 - A Foggy Opening Day
A heavy fog hung over the river. The wind NE 8 - 10. The weatherman predicted
rain starting at 1pm. The temperature an unseasonable 59. A perfect day for
frostbiting. Five prams were being rigged for the first day of racing while
three others sat idle for various reasons. Rob Zilai's newly sharpened and
painted "Entropy" was crewless. Jim Aridas' bi-color boat was both skipperless
and crewless. Quintin Danish's crippled orange boat, sitting askew on a Laser
dolly, looked pitifully lonely and forlorn. Still at home were Tim Smith's
pram in the final stages of restoration, and James McCumsey's newly acquired
boat undergoing major repairs. Rick Brown was believed to have taken his
kids to Pennsylvania for a shopping spree at Cabela's. John Harkrader was
trying to borrow the Bessemers' boat, and Wayne Patterson was feeling the
pressure to sail or sell his pram after a long absence. But the five prams
that were rigged were eagerly following the committee to the starting area
for the first race of the 2006 - 2007 Winter Series. (Bill Scheyer unilaterally
changed the name from "Frostbite Series".) During the first two races the
fog continued to thicken to the point that the shorelines were not visible.
Then the rain started ever so gently and the fog lifted. After three races
Thomson and Cook said "enough" and retired. The committee ran two more wet
races for the diehards before calling it quits. John Deitz / Tom Davis won
the day with a consistent 2,2,1,2,3 performance, followed closely by Mike
Meseroll / Rod Rupp. Back on land everyone gathered in the warm, dry clubhouse
for a tasty taco treat prepared by Sandi and her various volunteers. Jack
Woods, the PRO on the water, was assisted by Bill Scheyer, Mike and Marge
Heinrich and Art Roberts. Don Loughran, Charlie Boehm, Rob Zilai and Janet
Davis patrolled and set marks. Thanks to all for making it happen and getting
the new season off to a good start.
Submitted by Dave K.
November 28, 2006 - A Sunny Day
The temperature
was once again in the high 50s, but instead of the opening day fog, we had
a clear sky and bright sun, and instead of five boats, there were ten. The
newcomers were John Harkrader / Janet Davis (sailing the Bessemer's "Ghost"),
Quintin Danish / John Franks, Jim Aridas / Jen Durrua, Tim Smith / Eddie
Flynn (sailing Rob Z's "Entropy") and Mike Heinrich, Jr. The race committee
gave us six races in the light NW wind. The conditions were delightful and
the close finishes kept the RC on its toes. Afterwards, Sandi's crew served
up lasagna and chicken parmigiana. The RC was Jack Woods, Art Roberts and
Mike Cunningham. Don Loughran, Bill Scheyer, Rob Zilai and Jim Cashman patrolled.
Thanks to all the volunteers for their help.
Submitted by Dave K.
See photos courtesy of P/C Win Miller.
December 10, 2006 - An Exciting Year-end
It was a heavy air day with sustained winds topping out around 15 knots. Conditions suited Janet Davis and John Harkrader just fine as they racked up 3 firsts in the 5 races. Rob Zilai and Dick Carton, making their season debut in newly restyled and spider-free Entrope, collected one first and three second place finishes. Also sailing well were Dave and Cheryl Cook with one first and one third, Mike Heinrich, Jr. with two seconds and one third, and Jim Aridas and crew with three thirds. Tim Smith, wanting to reassure newcomer Ed Flynn that he needn't be worried about the gusty conditions and whitecaps forming up river, decided to conduct a man overboard drill. Ed, having now seen Tim in the river twice in two consecutive series dates, decided to join in the fun. The ever-vigilant patrol quickly plucked Tim and Ed from the water, recovered all errant gear, and had MR 99 drip-drying on its trailer before Tim returned from the less than 1 mile round trip home to procure dry clothes. Thanks to Commodore Carl Nordell, Bill Scheyer, Nancy Wagner, Art Roberts, Jack Woods, Mike Cunningham, and all other patrol and committee members for their continued efforts that makes this series possible. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a happy New Year! See you in 2007.
Submitted by Tim Smith.
January 7, 2007 - A New Beginning
It was a warm day. I have to admit I'm a little hazy on the details owing from the tardiness of this submission, so I'll resort to first-person narrative and the score sheet. Mike Messeroll and Rod Rupp had a great day with 4 first place finishes. Harkrader / Davis and Zilai / Carton split the remaining races with 2 firsts apiece. Nobody fell in, and sailors were treated to a hearty meal of soup, salad and bread by Jane Carton, who ran the kitchen and was ably assisted by Deb Zilai, Melanie Flynn and Sue Kuykendall.
Submitted by Tim Smith.
January 21, 2007 - Return of "Frostbiting"
Luckily the "roaring 20's" scenario (20 degree temperatures with 20 knots of wind) predicted by Nancy Wagner didn't quite pan out. However, it was the first below-freezing outing of this year's series. That may explain why the first race, in which three boats were granted a 9th place finish in excange for abandoning the race and putting patrol and committee out of their misery, took so long. As the sailors warmed up (and the incoming tide eased up), the racing became more even. John Harkrader and Janet Davis were unfazed, grabbing three first place finishes on the day and jumping into first place overall for the series. The Ziliai / Carton syndicate continued gaining momentum after a slow start to the season with two first place finishes on the day, delineating the trailing edge of the tight grouping of four boats averaging <= 3 points per race vying for the series lead.
Submitted by Tim Smith.
See photos courtesy of P/C Win Miller.
January 28, 2007 - A Challenging Day
Light air, shifty winds, and a seemingly relentless incoming tide challenged the nine crews who came out to compete in the five races offered up by committee Jack Woods, Mike Cunningham, and Nancy Wager. Despite the difficult conditions, six of nine boats managed a top-3 finish at some point during the day. And, perhaps more tellingly, six of nine boats also managed a bottom-3 finish at some point during the day. "It was a tough out there," offered scarred veteran John Harkrader. "You know that feeling when you tack and you think, 'Oh, I'm still not making it?' We were there in the third race," commented skipper Janet Davis. Despite spending a minor amount of time engaged in a tacking dual with MR 99, Davis and Harkrader still managed to register a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on the day and to hold on to their overall series lead. Also sailing well on the day were Mike Meseroll and Rod Rupp with two 2nds and one 3rd, John Deitz and Tom Davis with a 2nd and two 3rds, and Rob Zilai and Dick Carton with four 1sts. With the series officially beyond the halfway mark and winter apparently setting in, things should be interesting going forward. Twelve boats out next date? C'mon guys and gals...
Submitted by Tim Smith.
February 11, 2007 - Six for Six
After a long shot of frigid weather, the Manasquan was frozen from the Island West, and we saw a few chunks spilling by as the six boats raced. Temperature was not too bad...about 34 air and water, with winds varying from five to twelve from the? This was the challenge; as the day progressed, the wind teased with the idea of going left, and if you happened to be at the port end of the line at the right moment in the phase, you could get off to a nice start. At the start of the first two races, a port start worked, but not for the third race...when everybody decided to be there. Matt Goetting, who was sub-skippering for
John Dietz, managed to get good starts, and has excellent boat speed, which netted the team four bullets for the six races. Janet Davis and John Harkrader were frustrated by the shifts, as were Rob Zilai and Dick Carton. The two would-be fleet leaders did manage to post a first place each for the other two races. Just prior to the start of the last race, the wind shifted 40 degrees left, making for a crowded pin-end start, with a single beat to weather...pretty much just a drag race. Only the Goetting-Dietz crew was called back, but it appeared as though two or three were over at the start...it was just too crowded to see the line from the committee boat, and a general recall would have delayed the start to the point where there might not have been enough water in the river to have a race. Mike Heinrich Junior was in the mix all day long, as were Dave Cook and Dennis Smith. Quintin Danish and his crew were also out with us, and sailed well considering their lack of practice. Back on land, Jane Carton had prepared a delicious Cajun meal, and we all managed to smile through the ordeal of the race. Hey, it beats working on a Sunday! Many thanks to Jack Woods, Mike Heinrich Senior, Don Loughran, Tom Davis, and Mike Cunningham, for running and patrolling the races. Next date is Feb. 25th @ 1300hrs.
Submitted by Rob Zilai.
February 25, 2007 - A Great Day for Pramming (or Water Skiing)
Ten Manasquan River Pram crews once again came down to enjoy a mid-afternoon, mid-winter series of what PRO Bill Scheyer hoped would be eight more races to add to the Frostbite series this year. The wind had other ideas however, and we were lucky to get five races in, with the river looking like a mirror much of the time. Shifty, light, approximately Sou'East breezes ranged from 3 to maybe 8 knots at the very most, and a strong current provided the usual thrills. Jack Woods stepped (jumped) off the committee duties for the day to crew for Rob Z on MRP37, replacing the vacationing Dick Carton...Thank you Jack, for helping our campaign. We had a nice 1,3,1,1,4 series for the day, giving Entrope' a modest lead in the 10 to 11 boat fleet this year, with Janet Davis and John Harkrader close behind. Dave Kuykendall and Sharon Borgatti had a very good day, posting a 2,1,8,3,1 series for the day. Ned Thomson and Clare Forlenza finished 3,4,3,6,3 for the day, and were moving their boat very well. The rest of the ten boats were always close, but lady luck put them in the wrong place at the right time and vice versa. Boat speed was crucial, and many of us frequently found the holes in the course, some of which could keep you prisoner for minutes at a time. We found the starts to be tempting and hair-raising...the port end was favored a few times, but you really had to stick to the pin and be right on the timer, or you'd have to dip the whole fleet, because tacking over to starboard in the light air was not an option. Thanks to everybody for the committee, Patrol, and Apres' activities. Next Race date is, I think, March 11. See you all there. We have no photos this year!!
Submitted by Rob Zilai.
March 11 , 2007 - Large Fleet Assembles to Watch Zilai-Meseroll Duel
It was another heavy-air day on the Manasquan river as nine prams in total were out for what turned into dual between Mike Meseroll / Rod Rupp and Rob Zilai / Dick Carton. Zilai edged out Meseroll on the day, finishing with a total of 15 points to Meseroll's 19. Mike and Rod took three firsts, two seconds, and a third, a fourth and a fifth and moved from fourth to second place in the overall series scoring. Rob and Dick took four firsts, three seconds, and a fifth to maintain an iron grip on the series lead. Also sailing well on the day were Dave and Cheryl Cook, who grabed the other first, plus a second and a third. After garnering a third in race three, Tim Smith and Ed Flynn thought they might improve their chances of recording more low finshies if they were able to increase the number of races by shortening the course. So they dragged the windward mark about 50 feet downwind. Ned Thompson and Clare Forlenza, perhaps running low on "bounce," or perhaps not, embraced this novel strategy and proceeded to further shorten the course by another 50 feet or so. However, not to be outwitted, the committee responded by mixing up the courses and throwing in triangles, starboard roundings, and even some gates here and there. For Ned and Clare the strategy panned out as they grabbed a second in the eigth race. Tim and Ed had to settle for tactical success but strategic failure. Overall it was a good although tiring day of racing. The first "spring" date for the winter series is coming up on Sunday, March 25. Hope to see you all there!
Submitted by Tim Smith.
See photos courtesy of P/C Win Miller.
March 25 , 2007 - Outlook Hazy, Ask Again Later
Owing to the tardiness of this report, the details of this penultimate outing are a bit hazy. Best I can come up with is to remark that this has been the only season of the last four where there have been zero dates cancelled. Those of you who were out there for the day, check out these photos, courtesy of P/C Win Miller, to refresh your memories. Those of you who were not there, you can see what you missed.
Submitted by Tim Smith.
April 22 , 2007 - Few Surprises in Season Finale
Eight boats turned out for the season finale after a long four week layoff. They were rewarded with tantalizingly near-balmy temperatures. Most participants opted for multiple layers which turned out to be about right. Eventual series winners Rob Zilai and Dick Carton extended their lead with 4 bullets on the day. Series runners-up John Harkrader and Janet Davis acted the part with 2 firsts on the day. Rounding out the daily top finishes were John Dietz and Tom Davis as well as Mike Meseroll and Rod Rupp with one apiece. Ted Finkenhauer joined Jim Aridas for the day in MRP 3. According to the official score sheets, Jim and Ted were involved in no fewer than four protest and/or fouling incidents. Perhaps because penalty turns were rendered in an
expeditious
manner, perhaps because of the warm glow in the aftermath of the free flowing grog and accompanying turkey dinner with all the fixings, perhaps because as it turns out there actually is no rule on the books limiting the number of legs in a race to the number of fingers on one's hand, or perhaps because the results were as good as etched in stone already, the protests were all dropped.
Thanks to all participants, committee members, patrol and support personnel for a great series, and, um, see you at the awards ceremony in the fall.
Submitted by Tim Smith.
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