July

In this issue:

1. Simpson Regatta last weekend - the recap
2. Marin Regatta is this weekend. - NOR and SIs are attached - and a chart (not for navigation purposes!)
3. Alamitos Bay needs to know if you are going to the NAs
4. San Diego Fleet now requires VHF radios
5. Meet the Fleet: Henry & Doug on 1169
6. Letters, we get letters

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1. Simpson Regatta Recap

The Simpson Regatta, named after a member of the St Francis Yacht Club, who as we learned at the prizegiving was longtime ocean navigator with
connections to the Moseley family of our fleet, was a real dogfight between Moseley/ 1091 and Vessella/ 1168 with only one point separating the two boats after Saturday, and the same margin at the final. Erickson-Neff/ 667 came third with a great performance on Sunday.

Our only cityfront regatta of the year was windy, but really not that
windy, with steady breezes of up to 20 knots, but the fleet didn't really seem dialed into the strong breeze and adverse current. Boathandling was all over the place and several broaches were noted by this correspondent. There were more round ups than the movie "City Slickers", and 667 rounded down so violently that they are thinking of changing the sail number to 665. Our fleet was not alone, as some J/24 and Melges Crew were also heard moaning on Sunday morning of soreness and miscellaneous nautical carnage. No expensive boat parts were broken that I know of, but there were frayed nerves and frayed lines in abundance.

The frayed nerves were due to the very changeable conditions. The wind was quite south and the ridge east of Fort Point sent turbulent flow onto the course, more pronounced near the top of the course, where the variable conditions made changing gears important. Brief (30 sec) shifts of 15 degrees were common, and velocity shifts were just about everywhere. The current seemed very unsettled too, as large patches of brown water could be found all over the course. This combination led to some very challenging conditions and some real ripe passing lanes. At the top mark the righties would come in fast and furious, and boats could make a boatlength gain in about 30 seconds on boats just a few boatlengths to the left, who would be surprised to see what happened. But it was hard to get in phase at times.

The race committee work was decent, but the course started out pretty
skewed on Saturday and stayed that way all day. The start line was biased with the boat favored, but most started toward the pin and went directly to the beach. With the wind trending south, it was very easy to overstand the weather mark. Gybe sets were the order of the day, so that even though our fleet was doing the first starboard roundings we have done in years, at least our kite on 1168 stayed in the right (port) side bag. It took some boats a while to figure this out and on Saturday we made huge gains setting the pole to leeward on the way to the offset buoy, and cutting the corner with a gybe at the offset and a quick hoist.

The downwind legs were short, even shorter on Saturday. Because of the
flood tide, the boats were rocketing down the run, and gaining speed as the breeze built and got more consistent near the bottom half of the course. This meant that just as soon as the boat was in proper downwind trim and pumped out, it was time to put the outhaul on and get ready to go upwind again. And you had to do this fast because the boats were making about 8 knots over the bottom. That bottom mark got bigger in a hurry, and a lot of boats gave away huge distances at this rounding. It was the best passing lane on the bay.

Sunday the committee was more on the ball and set slightly longer courses, just East and West of StFYC for maximum viewing from the Grill Room. The conditions were similar except that in the first race you could stay out from the beach and live in the last of the ebb, unlike the previous day. The course was not as skewed, so bear away sets were more popular, and we started dousing to leeward on port gybe, the earlier the better. And it was never too early. During every one of our gybes, I had a moment where I thought, "ooh, did we blow this one" but actually they all went pretty well overall. Suffice it to say that boat handling was at a premium all weekend.

Jeff Moseley and his crew on 1091 threw their best at us on 1168 all
weekend, from a fierce tacking duel on Saturday (about a dozen tacks each and the two boats actually extended on the rest of the fleet) to Sunday's first race when they went after us pre-start and another tacking duel ensued. In the last race on Saturday they were over early, went back to the line and then clawed their way back to second place, in a great demonstration of sailing. It was fun to watch and on 1168 we never took our eyes off them.

The regatta ended with Vessella/1168 maintaining Saturday's one point lead over Moseley/ 1091 to win the Simpson trophy, a beautiful perpetual masterpiece that hangs in the Domino Room at StFYC.

Season standings are posted at http://www.sfetchells.org/results.html

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2. Marin Regatta next weekend.

The Marin Regatta is this weekend, August 3/4. The NOR/Invitation and the SIs are atttached to this email, and posted at http://www.sfetchells.org/index.html

Also, I made a quick map to show the newer boats the way to the racing
area. For family members coming to the MYC, directions can be found on
their website, http://www.marinyachtclub.com/ .

The link to the directions is here
http://www.marinyachtclub.com/Directions.htm

or if you like Yahoo Maps
http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=24+Summit+Ave&city=San+Rafael&state=CA&slt=37.973400&sln=-122.497700&name=&zip=94901-2411&country=us&BFCat=&BFClient=&mag=10&desc=&cs=9&newmag=8&poititle=&poi=

On the way back to the club on Saturday afternoon, FOLLOW a boat that knows where they are going, or get a tow. Take the Great Circle route. Just because you won the last race doesn't mean you can cut the corner and cross low water. You won't miss out: You'll run aground anyway on the final approach to the club, so just relax and take it when it comes. Be ready to tack.

This regatta is always great. It features warm weather, lighter breeze and slightly longer courses than we're used to. It also normally features one of the more beautiful committee boats of the year. This year, we get Scott Baxter's lovely Grand Banks 32, Scotch Mist. Scott is a member of both StFYC and the Marin YC.

Plan to have your family or friends meet you at Marin YC for dinner. Bring pretty girls, the rumor is that Bill Barton will race this regatta.

Entry fee $40.00 per boat, Buffet dinner (featuring fresh Pacific Salmon from MYC Fishing Tournament that day) and Barbequed Tri-tip etc. $20.00.

Please do NOT wait to "pay at the door" for this one.

Send checks for your entry fee and dinner to:

Scott Gordon
Morrow Service
80 Tanforan Ave #2
So San Francisco, CA 94080

Start saving your best jokes now for the traditional open mike fiasco!

If you have not registered, do so now by sending a check.

If you need crew, visit www.sfetchells.org For Simpson, three boats got
crew off the list. It works! Crew list is here:
http://www.sfetchells.org/crew_list2.htm

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3. Alamitos Bay needs to know if you are going to the NAs

Contact the following emails to let them know if you plan to attend the
North Americans.... that is if you want space in the yard for your boat.

kellis@getty.edu Kevin is liaison for the ABYC board
Chris6932@aol.com Chris is Etchells Fleet Captain for ABYC fleet.

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4. San Diego Fleet now requires VHF radios

Dear Fleet 13 Members,
The Race Committee has deemed it necessary that all Etchells carry handheld VHF Radio's on board during races. They will be used only for emergency purposes but they will be required starting in the August Regatta (Aug 17th and 18th). I am looking into putting together a bulk purchase on behalf of the fleet for any of you that do not have one already. Please let me know if you would like to be included, if the pricing is acceptable, in this volume purchase.

Mike Held (held9@aol.com)
Fleet 13 (San Diego) Captain
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5. Meet the Fleet: Henry and Doug on 1169

It's a rare double-feature here on Meet the Fleet: Somehow I got two
partners to answer the quiz at the same time. The answers are very telling: these guys agree on (almost) everything! Thanks to Henry and Doug Fischer of 1169 "Celebration" for answering our little quiz.

Henry Fischer and Doug Morss have been key members of Fleet 12 for a while now. Not only are they the reigning Fleet Champions, they have both been active members of the Board of Directors, and have owned two boats, both of which are still in the fleet as they did the right thing by selling their old fast boat, 529, to newcomer to the Fleet Derek van der Vorst at the same time as they bought their new boat.

Henry and Doug have often done the San Diego winter circuit, and excel in all kinds of breeze. Together with long-time crew "Big" Mike Ruff, they make a very tough team. Last year as they won the fleet championship, each of the team missed several races, due to childbirth, etc. But they added a "fourth man" in Jeff Hager, and still were consistently the fastest boat on the course.

Here's the write-up from Latitude 38 - The 2001 Champions Issue:

Henry Fischer and Doug Morss, with long-time crew Mike Ruff won the
Etchells Fleet going away this year, with help from Jeff Hager.
Henry and Doug have been campaigning an Etchells with Mike for 5 years,
doing both the San Francisco (summer) and San Diego (winter) seasons. They have improved every year and won the season for the first time this year.
Jeff Hager was able to fill in all summer, playing a key role because
everyone on the boat missed at least one regatta. "If I didn't have a baby this year, I would have made every regatta!," said Doug.
Henry and "Big" Mike also suffered from unforeseen circumstances, but the boat didn't seem to slow no matter which team was on board. "Etchells is the perfect boat for San Francisco Bay," said Henry. "It's a great fleet!"

Now on to the questions, Henry and Doug, "Meet the Fleet!"

1. How long have you been sailing? How/ where did you learn?

DOUG: I've been sailing since I was a babe. My parents were into sailing and my father built a 23-foot Hershoff which he packed the family of 6 into on most weekends. Eventually we moved up to a Columbia 28 and then Islander 36. Most of my sailing during my formative years was done the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario. I also did the laser circuit around NY State - at about 110lbs I was fast in light air and toast in the heavy.
HENRY: I started sailing in front of our house on in Jamestown, Rhode
Island at age three or four in a Dyer 'Dhow' Dinghy and it has been a
constant thing since. My sister and I would go out in the cove while my dad yelled at us from the beach which way to turn the tiller. That progressed into sailing a few miles down the shore to our local yacht club where we sailed Blue Jay's in their sailing program and went on to do a lot of fleet racing and interclub match racing which was a lot of fun and a great learning experience.

2. When did you first hear about Etchells?
DOUG: Hong Kong 1987
HENRY: I remember it clearly, in 1982 I was delivering an IOR boat back
from a race on Long Island sound and ran into a guy I knew sailing a new Etchells, my first impression was that it as a hell of a good looking boat and probably a lot more fun than a Soling.

2a. First sail an Etchells?
DOUG: Hong Kong 1987
HENRY: 1989

3. How long have you sailed this boat?
DOUG: Bought my first Etchells in 1989 in HK. 1169 is the 4th boat I've
owned - this is our second season on it.
HENRY: When I moved to SF in 1988 I called Bob Billingham, one of the only guys in the area I had a prior connection with, to find out what fleets were worth pursuing on the bay. He got me in touch with a few Etchells owners and Vito Bialla was the first one to call back, I sailed with Vito through the 1990 SFO Worlds and when he was not around I got to drive a few races. After the SFO Worlds I hooked up with Ken Munro and his dad on 529, later that year I bought half of the boat from Bruce and started driving for real.

3a. What is the meaning (besides the obvious) of "Celebration"
DOUG: As we all know it's bad luck to change the name of a boat. The
Munro's named 529 and it just carried over to 1169.
HENRY: That was the name that Bruce Munro christened 529 after his wife's then favorite song - it works for us so why tempt fate by changing it.

4. Do you do any other sailing besides Etchells?
DOUG: Not currently. Too busy with the family
HENRY: Not recently. I do a lot of windsurfing though.

5. Tell us about your family situation. What do they do while you're sailing?
DOUG: Wife - Ching, 3-year-old boy Ben and a 10-month-old girl Casey. Park, zoo, naps, and birthday parties - the usual kid activities.
HENRY: No kids so that is not a big issue. My girlfriend is happy to see me head out the door for a few days so she can play with her friends.

6. Tell us about your crew. How long have you sailed with them.
DOUG: Henry Fischer, Mike Ruff - we've sailed together for 5 or 6 years.
Henry and I switch off on driving and middle, Mike does the bow and keeps the peace.
HENRY: Doug Morss and I co-own 1169 and we have been partners since Doug bought out Ken Munro about six years ago. You can pin Doug down and ask about his sailing and Etchells experience in an upcoming 'meet the fleet' blurb but I will tell you that he has been a fantastic partner. We butt heads on a few items, most notably how much headstay sag he wants and how much backstay I want, and I keep thinking the solution is to move the damn control somewhere he can't get his hands on it! Other than that I have a lot of respect for both his driving and his tactical abilities. He is fun to sail with and that is more than half the reason we are out there.
Mike Ruff came to us through Ken Munro and he has been a invaluable part of the team for longer than I can remember. He has always been there when we need him and he is the buffer that allows Doug and I to work so well together, calm and level headed he helps us pick our way through the tight bits. Some of you may not know that over a year ago Mike had a very serious operation to deal with what turned out to be a cancer growing on his brain stem. Not to be too melodramatic I have to report that when the doctors asked Mike to give them a few reasons life was worth fighting for racing an Etchells with us was right up there after his wife and two daughters. Now that is getting your priorities in the proper order! I am happy to report that Mike made a rapid recovery last summer and I am lucky to be able to keep sailing with my friend.

7. Tell us about your best race. Where was it/ what happened?
DOUG: Tough one - there have a lot of good races in Etchells and other
boats. One that sticks out for me is the 1999 PCC's in Long Beach, 1st day 3rd race. Poor starts on the first two races but we were able to claw our way back to top 5 in both. Wind picked up for the 3rd race, a pretty good start, went the right way, good boat speed and squeezed around the top mark first - great set, big wave, puff and we extended on the fleet by about 5 boat lengths. We went on to win the race by over 10 boat lengths and eventually the regatta.
HENRY: Hard to say, but my favorite is probably a race down in San Diego where we were forced over early and after re-starting fought out way back to the top few boats of a really tough fleet.

8. Tell us about your worst crash. Who did you hit/ get hit by?
DOUG: No big really big crashes to date. Biggest hole was in transom for 529 clipped by Madro sailing 1091 a few years ago.
HENRY: I have never had a really bad collision with another boat, but I did paste a rock about two weeks after Steve Ensenzberger finished re-shaping the keel of 529. We hit so hard I thought the rig was going over the bow and the fist-sized hole in the front of our new keel was just sickening.

9. What is your favorite curse word?
DOUG: Very little cursing on the boat.
HENRY: $%#&@*

10. Finish this sentence "The other boats in this fleet sail ________ too much."
DOUG: fast
HENRY: Too many boats in this fleet sail with their heads in the boat too much. There is a lot more to be gained watching the wind, the current and your competition that trying to eke out a little more speed by getting the trim just right.

11. Anything else you want to tell the other Crew?
DOUG:
HENRY:

Henry & Doug, thanks again, and to all the other Etchells sailors out
there, if you get a Meet the Fleet questionnaire, answer it!