May 5, 2025
by Earl Thomas #5121
Commodore & Fleet 62 Captain

'May the fourth' was a good day to sail. Temps in the low 60’s to 71 degrees. Winds from the east, the normal direction, at 2 mph to 7 mph gusting to 8-9. We had a huge turnout (larger than expected). We got lucky with Sunday’s conditions since the prior Saturday had winds 10-15 gusting to 20 mph. That was a foiler's paradise but not good for us mere mortals in tiny boats.


The cast of characters on Sunday included Harold and Maria and family, and Simon Booth and (son) Dan in the Lido 14 class. With Roy and Russ in the Sunfish class. And Tony and Steve in the El Toro class. Followed up with new members Keith, Yossi (Joseph) and Martin in the Capri class. Dick was in his foam, ElToro powered, prototype original sailboat and Adrian in his Hobie Island. And as mentioned before Su Li crewed on a Capri. I think she made the difference in that boat's better finishes. It was good that each class had another boat to compete against and compare their performances. 

We completed a record 6 races today, using courses 1, 2, 3 and 4. Everyone said, “Sure one more”, when asked if they wanted to continue.  Most all the starts were good with most skippers timing it well and just a couple of OCS’s. But if you are not OCS some of the times you aren’t really racing.
We had a busy apres-sail party and discussion. Including exaggerated triumphs, minimized mistakes, lots of questions and snacks to relish. Those Hawaiian BBQ chips were a hit. And donuts mmmm. Thanks to Roy and Steve for the treats and snacks today. Steve, donuts are always appropriate, “The force is strong with this one.” And Vern showed up after the races to check in. It was great to see him again. It’s been a long time since we have seen him. He is looking lean and svelte. Welcome back Vern.

Our next races are on Sunday May 18th. So repair the damage to your boat and ego, double check your schedule and get ready for more close quarter racing with some new competitors. We hope to see more of our regular sailors next time.