Full Moon Dog II

The wind was a bit light during the prestart...

Full Moon crew Randy “Cornbread” Olsen, Michael “Chili” Medina, Rolf “Ice Boat” Van Houten, and John “Kraken” Mengedoht jumped ship again for the Rum Run, sailing aboard the Shilshole-based Ranger 26 Moon Dog rather than take Full Moon through the locks. Moon Dog has trashed sails, apart from the rarely used spinnaker, and a less than slippery bottom so we knew we would be uncompetitive but that was completely okay!

Moon Dog is on the right, flying the One Good Sail.

After a somewhat leisurely downwind start in light air, the One Good Sail was hoisted and Moon Dog actually passed a couple of boats while holding steady with some others. This didn’t last, though, and things got much worse when the spinnaker take-down took a little too long, leaving Moon Dog farther south of the West Point buoy than desirable and creating a few white-knuckle moments for Michael at the helm. By the time Moon Dog was pointed back north, we were either dead last or close to it.

Moon Dog battled Cricket for a while until the bigger boat pulled ahead for good.

Upwind, Moon Dog is especially slow and, even though the wind was building, it seemed to take forever to reach the Meadow Point buoy, the flooding current not helping with that. Once around, it was time for a lively close reach across the Sound, the wind rising into the 20 knot range. This was too much for the genoa and, given the challenges of swapping sails on the roller-furler, we elected just to roll up some of the sail to make it smaller. This made things manageable but it was still a wild ride!

Moon Dog is near the right end of the raft-up.

By the time Moon Dog arrived at the finish, the Committee Boat had pulled up anchor to join the raft-up in Port Madison. Moon Dog quickly dropped (or rolled) sails and headed for the raft-up as well, enjoying some respite from the wind and the warmth of the sun. After a late lunch and some HBRs, it was time to head back. The wind was, if anything, even stronger and the genoa was more than sufficient all by itself to propel Moon Dog to hull speed and beyond for a nice romp back to Shilshole.

Two cruise ships came through on the return trip to Shilshole.

Fabulous Finale

Judy and Dave enjoying the sunshine.

The crew voted to just race for a single lap for the final Duck Dodge (Martini Night aboard Full Moon) and, since finishing wouldn’t matter, we opted to go in first start, though we didn’t inform the Race Committee! Crew Randy “Mike’s Mike’s” Olsen, Michael “Beer Beer” Medina, Marcelle “Boom Boom” Van Houten, Dave “Pour Pour” Pulsifer, Judy “Clink Clink” Tiffany, Amy “Click Click” Stokes, and skipper John “Olive Olive” Mengedoht zoomed across the starting line with the Big Boys, though with little hope of keeping up the pace for long.

Marcelle also likes that sun!

However, it was very nice sailing in a less crowded portion of the lake and Full Moon hung in there at the back of the fleet for the first upwind leg to the Freeway buoy and past Gasworks to the Aurora buoy. The Equalizer went up quickly and provided excellent speed on the broad reach to the AGC buoy, helping keep Full Moon ahead of the fastest second-start boats.

Michael and Dave enjoy the "second lap."

After a clean drop of the spinnaker, the “final” leg upwind went well, though a speedy Etchells managed to zip past. Just for fun, we tooted our own air horn as we crossed the line for the first lap, celebrating our early “finish.”

John and Randy also enjoy the "second lap."

After dropping the jib and preparing the usual Martini Night libations, Full Moon mostly continued sailing the racecourse, though with a careful eye to avoid getting in the way of anybody still racing. The wind began to fade, especially near the AGC buoy, and it was fun to observe the mashup of barely moving boats without having to be somewhere in the middle of it.

The city looks gorgeous in the setting sun.

All in all, it was another great summer of racing with mostly sunny evenings and mostly decent wind. Full Moon did skip four races due to skipper conflicts so maybe we just missed any sub-par weather! Not that it matters much but Full Moon’s average finish was tenth, not bad considering the competition.

The Beer Grab

Island Boys preparing to serve hundreds of thirsty racers.

The plan was to attempt a port tack start somewhere between the pin and middle of the start line but traffic slowed things way down and Full Moon ended up with a relatively poor start for the Tropical Night Duck Dodge. Worse, our old rival Ignitor was ahead and, even loaded up with lots of people, perfectly positioned to provide “dirty” air for much of the first leg. Full Moon crew Michael “Grab ‘Em From The Top” Medina, Marcelle “Rose” Van Houten, Chad “Dry Drop” Harnish, Daniel “Basher” Mengedoht, Troy “Ouch!” Charlesworth, and skipper John “To The Beach” Mengedoht persevered, of course, passing Ignitor to leeward before rounding the Freeway buoy, and were able to lay the Aurora buoy with just one tack near Gasworks.

Full Moon (just right of the Space Needle) will be ahead of all these boats before reaching the AGC buoy.

With the pole up and ready to go, the Equalizer zipped right up and proved its worth as Full Moon picked off several boats on the long reach to the AGC buoy. A conservative drop made for a tidy rounding and Full Moon zoomed off toward the infamous Tropical Night “island,” snagging multiple cups of beer while passing at nearly five knots!

Michael, Chad, and Marcelle demonstrate their beer-grabbing technique.

Completing the first lap upwind, the fleet had spread out quite a bit, Full Moon enjoying relatively clear air to the Freeway buoy. The second lap was then very similar to the first, though the “island” was predictably out of beer the second time around (not that we didn’t have our own supply). In the end, Full Moon finished about eighth, which was awesome given the start. Meanwhile, it was yet another gorgeous evening on the lake, the nearly full moon putting on a nice show rising up over Capitol Hill.

Full Moon in post-race mode, enjoying the sunset.

Convergence Zone

Daniel and Randy enjoy the pre-start sunshine.

The wind was decent out of the northwest and the skies clear for the start of the Toga Night Duck Dodge. Full Moon crew Randy “Ice Ice Baby” Olsen, Katie “Early Riser” Freels, Adam “Liferaft Wipeout” Michalak, Daniel “1969” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Invisible Toga” Mengedoht went with a conservative starboard tack start but were prevented from tacking in a timely way by boats immediately behind and also on starboard.

Full Moon leads Scat to the start line (at the right) but was a bit too far to leeward to tack in front of Necessary Evil or Amarillo.

The first leg was a close reach to the Freeway buoy followed by an upwind course to Gasworks before tacking. A few boats were then able to just lay the Aurora buoy, though most boats needed a couple of tacks, including Full Moon.

Katie likes this upwind stuff!

The Equalizer went up smoothly after rounding and Full Moon gained on a few boats. The wind then went very light on approach to the AGC buoy. Full Moon dropped the Equalizer a bit too early in hopes that the genoa would be better than collapsing and filling the spinnaker.

Chasing Amarillo after the first rounding of the AGC buoy (once the wind filled in).

The yellow Moore 24 Amarillo squeezed just inside Full Moon at the buoy (we could have shut them out but it’s not worth it) and then began the struggle to keep moving and find more wind. Eventually enough wind filled in from the north, providing a tight reach to the Freeway buoy and a couple of tacks to reach the Aurora buoy.

The final leg to the finish. Hard to believe we kept moving!

Once again, the Equalizer was launched and Full Moon took off. Sure enough, though, the wind was very light again approaching the AGC buoy and Full Moon started lapping some of the third start fleet! Momentum was enough to get around the buoy and then the challenge was both to “find” the wind and pick our way through boats going very slowly in opposite directions. Eventually some wind filled in from the SE (odd direction) before returning to the NW. Though well out of contention for a top three finish, Full Moon managed to beat not only Amarillo but also the T-bird Barbaree (mostly through luck being in the right place at the right time).

Another gorgeous evening on Lake Union.

Jungle Boogie

Ignitor earned the Black Duck for best theme participation.

The wind was nearly nonexistent before the start of the Welcome to the Jungle Duck Dodge but it miraculously started filling in just as the first start boats began their runs to the line. Full Moon crew Randy “Pole Position” Olsen, Chris “The Boot” Grange, Spencer “Pink Cookies” Grange, Tina “Basil Mint” Hein, Daniel “Tarantino” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Grey Poupon” Mengedoht managed a good start near the Committee Boat, though being farther west might have reduced the number of tacks needed to reach the Freeway buoy.

Nice to see another Santana 525 (Flying Burrito), though it races in third start.

After an easy rounding, it was a tight reach past Gasworks in a straight shot to the Aurora buoy. With the pole already up, it was then time to deploy the Equalizer, which went up smoothly. Unfortunately, a gybe set would have been a much better choice (though it would have meant moving the jib across later before hoisting it). Once gybed and pointed the right direction, the Equalizer performed its usual magic, Full Moon passing some boats and leaving others behind. Gybing back coincided with a wind shift for a nice broad reach to the AGC buoy where Full Moon rounded just outside of speedy Selchie (Thunderbird) and just ahead of a white T-bird, though well behind race leader Scat. Decent tactics and “strategery” (and a little luck) enabled Full Moon to be ahead of both ‘birds on the final leg to the finish (it was a one-lap race), a rare victory over Selchie.

Santa's Helpers

Full Moon heading for the line (4th from left).

Full Moon crew Chuck “Bubbles” Weldy, Dave “Vitamin R” Pulsifer, Judy “Gay Bar” Tiffany, Daniel “Trapped” Mengedoht and skipper John “Rudolf” Mengedoht were a little late to the starting line for the Christmas in July Duck Dodge, struggling in very light air. Once moving, the wind remained light all the way to the AGC buoy and got worse as boats attempted sailing downwind after rounding. Complicating matters greatly, the wind began to shift and fill from the north, bringing the entire third start fleet at an opposing angle and with right of way (starboard tack). The few boats with spinnakers up were now in a pickle and maneuvering for everyone was challenging, though we didn’t hear any actual collisions.

Daniel contemplates all the boats behind us.

Farther north, the wind picked up even more and Full Moon was soon flying along at hull speed to the Freeway buoy. Full Moon opted to head for Gasworks rather than tack immediately but the breeze dropped closer to shore and this didn’t pay off. A couple of tacks were needed to round the Aurora buoy and then it was time to try out our former “cabin boy” on the foredeck. It took awhile to get everything ready for hoisting but the Equalizer went up and was soon pulling hard on a beam reach all the way to the AGC buoy.

There were lots of close passes in opposite directions, many worse than this!

The drop went fine and Full Moon returned upwind for a straight shot to the Freeway buoy. Staying a bit farther from Gasworks than on the first lap proved wise. For the final leg, with nobody near enough to pass or pass us, we took it easy on the foredeck crew and used the genoa, which actually pulled quite well. In the end, it was another great evening on the lake and a good time was had by all.

It's always a good time on Full Moon!

Wind!

The Pajama Night Duck Dodge turned out sunny and (reasonably) windy as well – perfect sailing conditions. Full moon crew Randy “Pole Position” Olsen, Michael “Paraglider” Medina, Katelynn “Observer” Holte, Daniel “Tough Pack” Mengedoht, and skipper John “John Darling” Mengedoht didn’t quite catch the starting flag sequence (a committee boat without a horn???) but still managed a decent start by following some of the more competent boats.

Full Moon heels on a tight reach to the Freeway buoy.

A few boats attempted a spinnaker on the first leg to the AGC buoy but the wind was mostly ahead of abeam and Full Moon did just fine with a genoa. Oddly enough, the long northbound leg to the Freeway buoy was a nearly close-hauled course so the spinnaker stayed in the bag. Up to this point, Full Moon was playing catch-up to occasional-rivals Ignitor (Martin 29T) and Necessary Evil (Catalina 30), both of which had an advantage in the relatively strong wind. However, Full Moon did better on the short leg from the Freeway buoy to the Aurora buoy and rounded ahead of them both. Some pole issues delayed hoisting the Equalizer for the long southbound leg and Ignitor got around to leeward but Necessary Evil couldn’t quite catch up. Dropping the Equalizer on a beam reach in strong breeze is a challenge so it was brought down a bit early to allow for it, which proved wise!

Almost to the finish line. Full Moon very nearly caught Ignitor (black boat).

Returning northbound, Necessary Evil found more speed (sometimes size does matter…) and Full Moon rounded the Freeway buoy disappointingly far behind both Necessary Evil and Ignitor. This time, Ignitor tacked immediately while Necessary Evil and Full Moon headed for Gasworks, which had worked out well on the first lap. Alas, the breeze was much lighter closer to shore and Ignitor remained comfortably ahead. Not so, Necessary Evil, as Full Moon outpointed and/or out-tacked them to round the Aurora buoy with a nice lead. On the final downwind leg to the finish, Full Moon gained substantially on Ignitor under spinnaker but not quite enough to get past before crossing the line. In the end, it was a blast duking it out with our rivals and a very fun evening on the lake.

Once is Enough

Full Moon in the prestart, just to the right of the lass on the pulpit.

With a forecast of drizzle and light wind, Full Moon crew Michael “Arrrgghhh!” Medina, Chad “Lake Barnacles” Harnish, Tina “Marlinspike” Hein, and skipper John “Graybearde” Mengedoht elected to change things up a bit for the Pirate Night Duck Dodge and join the third start, though racing without a spinnaker to make things more than equitable. After a decent start, Full Moon played the wind shifts and boat traffic, rounding the AGC buoy near the front of the pack (eventual third place finisher Where’s The Beef squeezing inside with no rights, pushing a J22 and Full Moon outside and behind to avoid collision…ahem!).

Without flying the Equalizer, it then took a while to find a good downwind groove in the very light wind, sailing high enough to keep the genoa working and low enough to make progress downwind. The wind filled in a bit approaching the Freeway buoy and Full Moon found some speed but not enough to catch the boats flying spinnakers.

Two tacks were necessary to round the Aurora buoy and then it was onto a beam reach to the finish line, third start racing for just one lap. Though the drizzle had stopped at that point, the crew enjoyed having an early night, Full Moon back at the dock and tidied up well before 9 o’clock.

Early Retirement

Deception disguised as a limousine for Prom Night.

Full Moon crew Randy “It’s Wet” Olsen, Dave “Wounded Knee” Pulsifer, Judy “It's The Green Line” Tiffany, Adam “Liveaboard” Michalak, Daniel “Hard Pull” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Twisted” Mengedoht enjoyed a rare near-perfect start for the Prom Night Duck Dodge, though hampered a bit by surrounding traffic. The middle of the lake provided better wind so Full Moon delayed tacking to the west toward the AGC buoy. Unfortunately, even a delayed tack led to troubles in the light air near the buoy and a couple of extra tacks were necessary to clear the buoy.

Once around, Mighty Isis (aka The Equalizer) was hoisted but with greater difficulty than normal. Worse, it would go no higher than the forestay instead of to the masthead, leaving the foot to dip into the lake during lulls and obscuring vision forward. It was clear the halyard was fouled but there was no simple fix so Full Moon persevered toward the Freeway buoy, still making good speed.

The jib was then raised a bit early in anticipation that the spinnaker might balk at coming down smoothly and, sure enough, it was jammed. Fortunately, it was possible to collapse the foot but a tack in the wrong direction was necessary to free the halyard and bring down the nylon cloud. Worse, it proved necessary to drop the jib in order to clear the fouled halyard. At this point, the back half of the third start fleet was cruising by and it was decided to just complete the first lap for style points and then retire to enjoy some “coldies.”

Double Trouble

The June Gloom, aka Junuary, finally put in an appearance for the Mardi Gras Duck Dodge. Crew Michael “Sixty-four” Medina, Debra “Winch Wench” Ricard, Sophie “The Graduate” Ricard, Tina “Kabob” Hein, Ian “Euphonium” Mengedoht, Daniel “Zero Days” Mengedoht, and skipper John “The Crown” Mengedoht set up for an excellent start but tacking across the line went awry as the topping lift fouled the jib sheets. This was quickly remedied, only to reoccur on the next tack! Once fully sorted, Full Moon made good speed to the Freeway buoy followed by a straight reach to the Aurora buoy.

Full Moon doesn't always get too far into the themes but we usually do something!

After a jibe at the buoy, the Equalizer was quickly launched for a relatively fast run to the AGC buoy. Full Moon was passed by 34’ Tonic but was able to get by the Catalina 30, Necessary Evil, setting up a battle that would last for most of the race. The approach to the buoy grew complicated with the Moore 24 Amarillo coming right back through the fleet on starboard tack (with right of way). Once around, Full Moon delayed tacking a bit, both to avoid a similar conflict and to keep out of the disturbed air of all the spinnakers coming the other way.

It's good to have both sons aboard!

Full Moon stayed toward the west on the long leg northward, which paid off with better wind than the eastern side of the lake. Necessary Evil made up some ground on this leg but Full Moon stayed in front around the Freeway and Aurora buoys. Returning downwind, Full Moon was stuck to leeward of a white T-bird and unable to make any significant gains. Meanwhile, Necessary Evil slowly gained from behind, nearly catching Full Moon at the AGC buoy. The final leg proved decisive, though, as Necessary Evil split tacks to try and gain an advantage that never appeared, Full Moon finishing well ahead in about tenth place.

Lost Decade

Full Moon chases Scat and Runaway just before tacking to cross the start line.

Full Moon crew Randy “Bow Rider” Olsen, Amy “Clockwise” Stokes, Doug “Backup” Schoemaker, Jeffrey “Buried Alive” Schoemaker, Daniel “Count to 12” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Buoy Finder” Mengedoht managed an excellent start for the Pick a Decade Duck Dodge, followed by a straight shot upwind to the Freeway buoy. Only two tacks were needed to reach the Aurora buoy where the Equalizer was quickly hoisted. Romping downwind, Full Moon passed a few boats and even managed to get by speedy Scat and a Seascape 27 before a late but clean drop at the AGC buoy.

The Schoemaker boys like this stuff!

Scat returned the favor on the long upwind leg, along with a red Olson 30, the Seascape 27, and the Norlin 34 Runaway (all fast boats), but Full Moon was still in the top 10 boats rounding the Freeway buoy for the second lap. The leg to the Aurora buoy looked to be a repeat of the first lap but there proved to be a lot of slow-moving third start boats gathering at the buoy and Full Moon had to take a wide line to get around them all. Not so for the yellow Moore 24 Amarillo coming in on port tack (!), which shot into a narrow gap between big boats and then tacked right at the buoy.

Daniel pulls the halyards, grinds the sheet winches, and repacks the chute. What a guy!

This time, Scat was too far ahead to catch downwind (they had rounded the Aurora buoy before the converging mass of slow boats arrived) but Full Moon did pass the Olson 30, which was not flying a spinnaker. Unfortunately, something went wrong during the spinnaker take-down, resulting in the pole fouling the jib sheets for the final leg. The Olson 30 was then able to get past as we approached the finish line. Still, Full Moon hung in there with many theoretically faster boats plus it was a perfect sailing evening with solid breeze, sunny and fairly warm!

Randy enjoys the peace and quiet on the bow. Until it's time to drop that chute!

Rainbow Wigs!

Full Moon runs past the Committee Boat in the prestart.

Full Moon took a week off so the Cap’n and Cabin Man could go to the Snarky Puppy concert. Alas, the Cap’n got sick and couldn’t make the show, though he couldn’t have sailed, either… Regardless, Full Moon crew Marcelle “Cleat Sitter” van Houten, Michael “Tiny Bubbles” Medina, Alex “Dry Drop” Almerico, Clay “Low Rider” Anderson, Daniel “Perfect Pack” Mengedoht, and skipper John “The Impaler” Mengedoht returned to racing for the Crazy Wig Duck Dodge. A good start near the middle of the line paid off fairly well with relatively clear air for the close reaching first leg, though the breeze seemed a bit stronger toward the west.

Full Moon was doing a decent job holding off the yellow Ranger until the spinnaker pole snagged a yellow buoy!

Converging traffic on approach to the AGC buoy made for a congested rounding but Full Moon was on the inside for once, passing a few boats in the process before heading upwind towards the Freeway buoy. This proved to be a straight shot with no tacks, Full Moon then continuing toward Gasworks before tacking toward the Aurora buoy. A couple more tacks were needed to round and then the mighty Isis was launched to great effect for the reach/run to the AGC, Full Moon hitting nearly six knots.

Heading for the finish. It looks pretty calm but we hit over six knots on this final leg!

After a clean drop and rounding, it was back upwind again. Unfortunately, the “turbo” spinnaker pole projecting from the starboard bow was positioned perfectly to skewer the top metal hoops on one of the yellow buoys marking the “speed zone” in the middle of the lake. This led to a sudden full stop and 180 degree turn before the pole could be disengaged. Thankfully, there was no damage to the boat, pole, or buoy! With a quick recovery, it was on to the Freeway buoy and Aurora buoy where Full Moon took a very wide line to avoid a very slow moving Catalina 270. Mighty Isis was again deployed for the final leg, allowing Full Moon to slide past 40’ Stella Blue to finish roughly tenth. It was great to have both sun and wind, though the temperature still doesn’t feel like summer.

Far, Far Away

Full Moon on approach to the starting line, two boats to the right of Kitiwake's stern.

Full Moon skipped Duck Dodge No. 2 (skipper was out of town) but returned for Star Wars Night. Crew Randy “Jibe Ho!” Olsen, Chuck “The Count” Weldy, Tina “Skewers” Hein, Ian “Jawa” Mengedoht, Daniel “Yoda” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Obi Wan” Mengedoht enjoyed a pretty decent start in clear (but very light) air. Finding or staying in pockets of better breeze would be the mode all evening but Full Moon did pretty well on the first leg to the Freeway buoy.

Full Moon leads Tuesday to the AGC buoy on the second lap.

With an unusual easterly wind, spinnakers were flown to advantage on the leg to the Aurora buoy, which, thankfully, was not moving around this week. The long leg to the AGC buoy was mostly a reach but not deep enough for a symmetrical spinnaker. Then it was back upwind to start the second lap. Rinse and repeat…

Full Moon (left) finishes in the waning light.

With two laps and light air, the race took quite a while but Full Moon did fairly well given six people and two full coolers aboard. Old rival Ignitor was never a threat and we even managed to stay ahead of one J24!

A classic light air evening on the lake.

Gettin' the Bugs Out

Full Moon lookin' good.

Full Moon returned to racing with the first Duck Dodge of the year. Crew Randy “Back in the Saddle” Olsen, Michael “Rusty” Medina, Dave “Shorts” Pulsifer, Judy “Skirt” Tiffany, Ian “Beermeister” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Lee Bow Effect” Mengedoht enjoyed a gorgeous evening on Lake Union, though the wind was relatively light for much of the race.

3rd Start fleet in a typical Duck Dodge scene.

Full Moon managed a decent start near the Committee Boat but would have done better flying a spinnaker for the first leg as the beam reach turned into more of a run. A tidy rounding of the AGC buoy led to a long close-hauled leg and lots of interaction with the J22 Freedom and the relative giant 40’ Stella Blue. Our old rival Ignitor somehow made it past on this leg, though we’d fix that on the second lap.

 

Lots of boats were out. That may be Full Moon on approach to the AGC buoy under spinnaker.

After rounding the Freeway buoy, the search was on for the Aurora buoy, which proved to be a moving target, a number of boats snagging the buoy mooring line and dragging it toward the south. Full Moon also fell prey to this trouble as the mooring line was mostly floating near the surface, making it impossible to get around without taking a very wide approach. Perhaps a heavier line or a shorter scope would be helpful in the future?

 

Ignitor finishing behind as the sun sets.

Once clear of the snag, the Equalizer was hoisted to good effect and Full Moon began to gain on boats ahead. Traffic approaching the AGC buoy led to a late drop and, unfortunately, the pole snagged in the jib sheets as Full Moon returned upwind. This was soon cleared up and the game was on to choose the best places to tack in the decreasing wind. Full Moon did pretty well with this, though the final approach to the Freeway buoy brought us very close to one marina.

 

It was full dark coming back to the marina.

Crossing the lake to the west, it was evident that the Aurora buoy had been dragged even farther south and close to the Westlake shore. Full Moon headed for it and then bailed as we got close as yet another boat fouled the mooring line, leaving it questionable whether there would be room to get around. The Equalizer was hoisted, initially with a classic “Mae West,” and Full Moon headed slowly for the finish line in the fading light. In the end, we had a lot of fun in the sun and it was great to be back doing the Duck Dodge again!