Full fleet for Menantic Yacht Club
Menantic Yacht Club (MYC) sailors encountered strong, shifty winds this past Sunday for their eighth series of Sunfish races.
Even with strong winds predicted, 16 sailors turned out on Sunday. There were a number of flips and some banging, but overall it was a pretty spectacular day on the water. The annual Up the West Neck Creek (WNC) Race was also held on Sunday.
Joe Sullivan was afraid he might not be able to right his boat in the strong wind and stayed home calling it a “double bummer” because he would also miss sailing in the WNC Race. I assume a few other sailors chose safety over excitement as well. Mary Vetri was out there, but left early. Good going, Mary, it’s always smart to respect your limits on the water.
Welcome newcomer, Jake Siewert. We hope you enjoyed yourself and will join us again.
The sailing was tough on Sunday, with the wind coming in 18-knot puffs, and shifting as much as 30 degrees. The usual suspects, Peter Beardsley, Lee Montes and Erik Langendal kept swapping first place finishes, with Lee and Peter each taking two firsts, and Eric taking one. Erik flipped during one race while in second place on the windward leg, righted his boat and amazingly lost almost no time. Peter placed first overall, beating Lee by 1 point, with Paul a close third. Erik took sixth place overall, despite taking a DNF in the last race.
Other sailors performed well, too. The real standout on the day was Denise Fenchel, who placed fifth overall, one of her best showings ever. According to Peter, Will Lehr also had one of his best races ever. The fifth race saw a photo finish between Denise and Will, with Denise just edging out Will, who took sixth place in that race. Will’s overall score reflects the fact that he missed the first two races, for which he had a very good excuse — he was helping a friend complete a science project for school, a generous act for which Will certainly deserves extra credit.
Although Chris Lane didn’t make it out this week, his brother Jack finally sailed with the fleet. Between one of the races, Jack sailed up to the Race Committee and suggested to Charlie, “let’s have some longer races, I want to tire out the older guys and beat them.”
Peter Beardsley happened to overhear the conversation, so after he and Lee Montes beat Jack in the following race, Peter sailed up to Jack and deadpanned, “We’re not only old, but fat, too.” Of course, they are neither fat nor old, or I would be ancient. Jack ran Race Committee a few weeks back, and considering Sunday was his first day actually sailing, he did well, placing fourth overall.
Charlie Modica ran Race Committee on Sunday, along with Betsy Colby and Marian Thomsen. They only ran five normal races so that they could also run the annual Up the WNC Race and finish at a reasonable hour. I’m told that John Modica was giving his brother Charlie grief all day about moving marks, and I can only imagine Charlie’s reaction to this brotherly “help.” Thanks all for a superb job!
Remember sailors, come up alongside the committee boat prior to racing and give them your sail number and full name. Don’t forget your life preserver and face mask, and be sure to maintain proper distancing and follow the MYC’s COVID-19 protocols on the water and on land.
Billy Sulahian could not captain the chase boat on Sunday so John Modica took over his duties along with Susie Masse. I’m not sure if working the chase boat gave them more of a workout than sailing would have, since they were kept fairly busy because a number of sailors flipped, including Erik Langendal, who flipped three times. Thanks, guys.
Next week is the last series of races for the season. It will be an exciting day because the top six or seven places will be determined. There is no clear front runner this year. By my calculations, and I have been known to make a mistake, only 26 total races are needed to qualify for the season if six races are run next Sunday. Of the top contenders, Lee Montes needs to sail four of the remaining races to qualify. However, the brotherly rivalry between John and Charlie Modica will also be decided. John leads Charlie by only .1651th of a point. Tune in, or, should I say put on your reading glasses, to discover the outcome to the season next week.
We are a very congenial club, open to all, with no dues, no fees and no clubhouse. The sailing is great, the camaraderie is superb, and we just have tremendous fun. Normally, all sailors, novice to expert, are welcome, but, due to COVID-19, for the time being the club is only allowing experienced Sunfishers who are physically capable of righting their own boats so as to avoid unnecessary contact with the chase boat crew.
Contact Peter Beardsley if you want to reserve a loaner boat for the Sunday races, on a first-to-reserve basis at 917-696-8229, or email [email protected]. Unfortunately, this season reservations are available for experienced Sunfishers only.
See you on the water.
Results
Name pts place
Peter Beardsley 11 1
Lee Montes 12 2
Paul Zinger 16 3
Jack Lane 21 4
Denise Fenchel 32 5
Eric Langendal 32 6
Rachel Beardsley 38 7
Susanne Hulme 38 8
Jake Siewert 44 9
Linda Gibbs 46 10
Ellen Leonforte 57 11
Jonathan Brush 63 12
Tom McMahon 63 13
Will Lehr 65 14
Kyle Hvidsten 75 15
Cooper Manning 76 16
Mary Vetri 83 17
