Over Early!

Full Moon is just a bit early across the line. The Hobie was from another start.

Since scoring three “ducks” in third start in four tries, Full Moon advanced to second start for the Derby Night Duck Dodge. With very light wind out of the northwest, Full Moon was positioned close to the starting line but left no room to maneuver vs. other boats and was forced across the line early. (It didn’t help that two dinghies were still checking in with the Race Committee on the starting line side!) With virtually no hope of a top three finish, Full Moon elected to just continue sailing rather than spend ages trying to re-round the Committee Boat for a clean start. (It’s the Duck Dodge! We race for fun!)

Full Moon briefly, if illegally, in the lead!

Crew Michael “Gallery” Medina, Troy “Non-man-splaning” Charlesworth, Kaylee “Snacks” Charlesworth, Daniel “Trainee” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Low Pole” Mengedoht were thus near the front of the fleet initially until slowly being passed by bigger and faster boats before reaching the Freeway buoy. Full Moon played the shifts on the upwind leg to the Aurora buoy, holding our own, while dodging the many paddle boards, kayaks, and drifting power boats.

Something you don't often see, Full Moon (far right) ahead of a J70.

After rounding, the mighty Equalizer was soon hoisted for the long reach south. The Equalizer allowed Full Moon to take back a few places. Then, as often happens, the wind began to fade and shift approaching the AGC buoy. Full Moon dropped the Equalizer in favor of flexibility with the jib, switching from upwind one moment to directly downwind the next.

Troy still can't believe she married him...

After rounding the AGC buoy, it was on to the final upwind leg. Full Moon had to tack a few times but managed to hold off any boats from behind (including rival Necessary Evil) and even got past the speedy Moore 24 Amorillo. In the end, though it didn’t count, Full Moon finished about 10^th, all of us thoroughly enjoying the warm sunny evening.

Convergence Zone

The wind was unexpectedly out of the East/Northeast prior to the start of the Space Night Duck Dodge, then dropped to nothing, then filled in nicely from the North-Northwest. Full Moon crew Randy “That’s a Horn” Olsen, Daniel “Pole Control” Mengedoht, Poorva “On Time” Joshi, Lilian “It’s Over?” Ha, and skipper John “Sixth” Mengedoht managed a good start near the favored Committee Boat end of the line but still had a lot of traffic to contend with. A couple of tacks were needed to reach the Freeway buoy.

Full Moon chases Slingshot, just rounding the AGC buoy.

Heading west past Gasworks, it almost looked like it could be a straight shot (no tacks) but the wind inevitably faded a bit and shifted, requiring a couple of tacks to round the Aurora buoy. Once around, the Equalizer was soon launched to good effect, Full Moon passing several boats and gaining on Slingshot (J30) before dropping the spinnaker to round the AGC buoy.

Post-race selfie: Randy, Poorva, Daniel, Lilian, and John left to right.

The final leg saw no changes, though relative giant Solara (40’) and Mouse (J30) were gaining from behind. It can be difficult to discern which boats are in which start at this point and skipper John figured Full Moon to be about sixth. Much to our surprise, Slingshot received a horn at the line and so did Full Moon for third place!

Equalized!

The wind was light out of the northwest for the Goth Night Duck Dodge and the starting line angle made a starboard tack approach impossible. Full Moon crew Michael “What’s The Score” Medina, Marcelle “In My Pocket” Van Houten, Daniel “Tippy Toes” Mengedoht, Poorva “Runner” Joshi, and skipper John “Channeling Randy” Mengedoht were very nearly over early but managed a good start and briefly led the fleet. Tailwind (Capri 25) had more speed crossing the line and was able to roll by to windward to take the lead.

Full Moon leads third start, at least for a while.

Wildfire (Mirage 24) and Necessary Evil (Catalina 30) converged just in front at the Freeway buoy while Mouse (J30) and Slingshot (J30) closed from behind. Full Moon tacked to avoid sitting in disturbed wind from the boats right in front, gambling that the wind would be somewhat consistent across the north end of the lake. Wildfire fell back but the J30s pulled ahead, Full Moon rounding the Aurora buoy in fifth place.

Full Moon closes in on Tailwind, left, Mouse, center, and Slingshot right. The blue boat was from second start.

The Equalizer was soon launched and, following many years of advice from Original Crew Randy Olsen, Full Moon headed more toward the middle of the lake while the leaders battled it out closer to the Westlake shore. The combination of the mighty oversized spinnaker and course was magic as Full Moon reeled in and passed all the boats save Necessary Evil before rounding the AGC buoy.

Full Moon on approach to the AGC buoy.

With a smooth spinnaker takedown, Full Moon was off on a straight shot to the finish line, getting the horn for second place and the Silver Duck! Mouse was third, followed by Tailwind and Slingshot.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset, post race.

From Zero to Holdin' On!

Lake Union was nearly glassy smooth prior to second start.

Full Moon crew Randy “NA” Olsen, Ian “Ballast” Mengedoht, Rebecca “Safety First” Herivel, Daniel “Pole Control” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Target Aquired” Mengedoht arrived to literally zero wind speed prior to the Sleepover Duck Dodge. Miraculously, the wind filled in from the southwest as the second start got underway. Full Moon approached the start line on port tack, which required a late tack to cross the line in about ninth place. Heading down the lake, Full Moon was well back from the leaders but managed to move up to fifth rounding the AGC buoy.

Due to traffic, Full Moon delayed a jibe but then turned behind the J30 Slingshot and launched the Equalizer to move into fourth. It was then a speedy straight shot up the lake, Full Moon gaining some more but not enough to catch the leaders as the wind provided all boats with good speed.

Full Moon rips along with the Equalizer just prior to dropping the jib.

The take-down went smoothly before the Freeway buoy and Full Moon romped on another straight shot to the Aurora buoy. The final leg went well, though Slingshot managed to get past, their size helping a lot in a good breeze. In the end, Full Moon was fifth, an excellent finish given the mediocre start!

Gold?

Full Moon is the fourth boat from the left - great start!

The wind was out of the southwest for the first Duck Dodge of 2026. The goal for Full Moon was to start at or near the buoy end, which worked out pretty well with Full Moon first or close to first across the line.

Full Moon is squeezed between late-tacking Solara and a J22 at the AGC buoy.

Crew Randy “Untwisted” Olsen, Michael “Mariners” Medina, Chad “Beer Meister” Harnish, Daniel “Twisted” Mengedoht and skipper John “Patience” Mengedoht then sailed a solid first leg, nearly laying the AGC buoy. A late tack required ducking speedy Scamp (Harbor 20) then tacking back just inside a J22 from SYC. Unfortunately, relative giant Solara (40’) came in on port before tacking right in front of Full Moon, creating a tight squeeze with the J22. Collision was averted, Full Moon rounding the buoy in third place.

Full Moon buzzes the Committee Boat while gaining on Scamp.

It took a while to launch the mighty Equalizer (we haven’t done this since September), but it paid off as always, allowing Full Moon to eventually get by Scamp while Solara faded back without a spinnaker up. The Freeway buoy was farther north than normal but Full Moon rounded in first place, just behind the last of the second start boats.

Crew post-race with gold duck!

Unfortunately, that boat was then directly in front of Full Moon for the westward leg, making it difficult to get by or to sail fast in the “dirty air.” This allowed boats behind to gain a bit, Necessary Evil (Catalina 30) nearly catching Full Moon at the Aurora buoy as the wind went light. Necessary Evil did get past on the final leg, though Full Moon returned the favor a bit later. Meanwhile, Scamp was still in the mix, sailing a bit closer to the middle of the lake where the wind was slightly better, and giant Solara was charging up from behind (sometimes size does matter!). At the finish, Solara got a horn followed in quick succession by a horn for Full Moon and another for Scamp. And then another for Necessary Evil.

Cap'n John stretches to install one more duck on the mast.

Full Moon dropped the jib and swung around to collect our duck sticker from the Race Committee, expecting silver. Much to our surprise, it was gold! We then encountered Solara, who let us know they, too, received a gold duck for third start. As it turns out, Solara was scored as being in fourth start. There is no way to unravel that so we'll just roll with it!

Drifting in the Dark

Full Moon is fourth across the starting line, though to leeward of a lot of boats.

Full Moon crew Ian “Beer Meister” Mengedoht, Rebecca “Mom Texts” Herivel, Daniel “Double Deluxe” Mengedoht, Kaylee “Snacks” Charlesworth, Troy “Coach” Charlesworth, and skipper John “Patience” Mengedoht opted for a relatively conservative starboard tack approach to the start for the final Duck Dodge (“Martini Night” aboard Full Moon) and this paid off somewhat in avoiding a cluster of boats on port tack at the Committee Boat. With decent wind, the fleet spread out, tacking back and forth. A final tack nailed the layline to the Freeway buoy, Full Moon pulling ahead of 22’ Anakena and overlapped on the inside of a 29’ Dragon.

Full Moon then continued north to Gasworks before tacking west nearly to the Westlake shore, then tacked north on another perfect layline to the Aurora buoy. This enabled Full Moon to round just (barely) ahead of Necessary Evil (Catalina 30) with Slingshot (J30) just behind. Unfortunately, both 30 footers came in ready to launch their spinnakers while Full Moon still needed to get the pole up, having just tacked at the buoy. This allowed both 30-footers to pull ahead and to windward.

Full Moon trails Necessary Evil and Slinghot to the AGC buoy.

Thus began a long battle south, Full Moon not quite able to punch through the wind shadow of both boats while Necessarily Evil could similarly not escape Slingshot. The good news is that all three were slowly reeling in Makima (26’ T-bird). Approaching the AGC buoy in fading wind, a Beneteau 423 from second start entered the mix. Makima made it around safely in front. A (very) late spinnaker drop on Full Moon allowed rounding inside the big Beneteau, but the ensuing cleanup also allowed them back out in front. Full Moon tacked away but by this time the wind had dropped to nearly nothing.

The final leg was agonizingly slow. Makima eventually crossed the line first, followed by Necessary Evil many minutes later. This left Full Moon and Slingshot to battle for third until Brushfiire (Mirage 24’) snuck past toward the Eastlake shore. Full Moon ultimately prevailed over Slingshot to take fourth, both boats barely moving.

Lots of boats never made it to the AGC buoy before abandoning the race.

This was Full Moon’s 30^th year of dodging ducks going back to 1995. (There were no races in 2020 due to COVID.) We sailed in seventeen out of eighteen races, skipping just one when the boat was hauled out for bottom paint. Amazingly, we also only had rain for one race in May. Keeping with tradition, twenty different people rotated through the crew, including four “newbies.” We managed to score one gold duck, two silvers, and five bronze ducks. Our average finish was 4.5 and our mean finish was 4^th place. Not bad for a 47-year-old boat!

New Moons

After replacing the vinyl letters for the name and the registration numbers, I finally got around to replacing the crumbling moons. I bought the vinyl online and cut it myself - not bad for an amateur.

Oops, We Did It Again!

Full Moon is over the line just a bit early...

After two poor starts recently (and one incredible comeback), Full Moon crew Anne “Birthday Girl” Gustavson, Ben “Coach” Spicer, Poorva “Muscles” Joshi, Daniel “Renaissance Man” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Comeback King” Mengedoht went for a relatively aggressive port tack start for the LED Night Duck Dodge. Unfortunately, traffic and the need to avoid starboard tack boats led to Full Moon being over the line early. WAY early!

Full Moon leads the red J24 (no name) to the AGC buoy.

Quickly whipping around the Committee Boat to restart, Full Moon was still in a lot of traffic but, multiple tacks later, finally got out into the middle of the lake and better wind. By the Freeway buoy, Full Moon had somehow crawled back to about sixth, though it was difficult to tell at that point. After rounding, Full Moon tacked north toward Gasworks to escape the wind shadows of a white T-bird (Makima?) and Great Expectations (SJ 24) and in hopes of catching Amorillo (Moore 24). This didn’t pay off in the short term, but Full Moon went nearly to the Westlake shore on the next tack, which set things up for a perfect approach to the Aurora buoy. This brought Full Moon up to Amorillo, just ahead of the T-bird, and a fair way ahead of Great Expectations.

Daniel reaches for the Silver Duck.

The Equalizer was quickly launched for the beam reach south and Full Moon soon pulled away from the others and then powered past a red J24. With a clean drop, Full Moon rounded the AGC buoy to head for the finish line. Unfortunately, the wind then went extremely light, making for a painfully slow final leg. Full Moon kept slowly moving, though, and eventually crossed the line in growing darkness, in second place for the Silver Duck!

A 505 dinghy responds well to the LED Night theme.

Mission Improbable

Full Moon is at the far right middle of this photo taken right after the start.

Full Moon crew Michael “Jack Nicklaus” Medina, Marcelle “Dry Drop” Van Houten, Kristen “Deck Ornament” Rue, Daniel “Topo Chico” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Late Again” Mengedoht suffered a poor start for the Medieval Knight Duck Dodge, crossing the line in 19^th place a full 1 ½ minutes after the horn and at the disadvantaged end of the line. The silver lining to this dark cloud was having relatively clear air, enabling Full Moon to pass a good number of boats before rounding the AGC buoy.

Heading for the Freeway buoy, Full Moon will pass all but one of these boats!

The Equalizer was quickly hoisted for the long beam reach north and Full Moon began picking off more boats in the relatively light breeze and then passing a cluster of boats approaching the Freeway buoy. With a clean drop of the spinnaker, Full Moon rounded the buoy and was on to the final leg south.

Full Moon about to round the Freeway buoy, chasing the J22.

Next up was a J-22 from SYC, usually difficult to pass upwind, but Full Moon got past to leeward and pulled away. On this final leg, there was a large gap ahead and a ton of boats behind. Could it be? Approaching the Committee Boat, we heard one horn then another, and, finally, one more horn for Full Moon for the Bronze Duck! An amazing comeback!

Cap'n John reveals the bronze duck on one of the few bare spots left on the mast (without a ladder).

New Hatch Seals!

The vintage 1978 forward hatch seals on Full Moon haven't been fully watertight for years and I finally got around to replacing them. They are taller than the originals but fairly squishy so I think they'll be fine. Besides, they were inexpensive so it won't be a big deal to swap them out. Now to chase down the leak at the mast!

Rock The Boat, Baby!

Band Night featured a smoky sun, lots of heat, and minimal wind.

Full Moon crew Randy “Go Behind” Olsen, Ian “Starboard” Mengedoht, Daniel “Port” Mengedoht, Rebecca “Day Camp” Herivel, and skipper John “Whatever” Mengedoht were stuck in a windless mess for the start of the Band Night Duck Dodge on the second hottest day of the year. With numerous “tacks” to avoid other boats, it was over 10 minutes before Full Moon oozed across the line. Deciding that a top three finish was not remotely possible, Daniel employed serious “kinetics” (rocking the boat) to propel Full Moon forward and out of the drifting pack. (This would, of course, be cheating in serious racing.)

Since we were out there anyway, it was decided to proceed at least to the Freeway buoy. This took a long time but then the wind filled in enough to keep going to the Aurora buoy, and then to hoist the Equalizer for the long leg south. This worked well until the wind died again on approach to the AGC buoy. Full Moon barely kept moving, just enough to reach the buoy.

The final leg, however, looked dismal. There is typically a 9 PM cut-off for racing, though, and kinetics were put into play once more in hopes of "finishing" before then. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to us, the Race Committee had decided to call the race at 8:30 and no boats from third start were scored.

Fortunately, we had ample supplies of assorted cold beverages aboard to help beat the heat!

Tropical Fun

Full Moon crew Michael “Mariners” Medina, Daniel “Cup Control” Mengedoht, Troy “Rat Poop” Charlesworth, Poorva “Observer” Joshi, and skipper John “Calm” Mengedoht had a mediocre start for the Tropical Night Duck Dodge, all boats easily crossing the line on starboard tack. A few boats were passed on the first leg to the AGC buoy, though Full Moon lost some ground due to Thundorca apparently motor-sailing with no jib blocking our path!

Full Moon in eighth place just after the start.

The second leg was a straight shot downwind to the floating “island” dispensing beer, Full Moon opting not to hoist the spinnaker until safely past. With multiple Solo cups aboard, the Equalizer was hoisted to good effect, though gusty wind shifts near the Freeway buoy required a slightly early take-down.

Full Moon was able to hold a relatively southward (windward) course past Gasworks and this paid off by not requiring any tacks to make the Aurora buoy and allowing Full Moon to pass Sommerfugl (29’ Dragon) and Necessary Evil (Catalina 30’).

Cap'n John having fun!

The final leg featured lulls and gusts, Full Moon working hard to hold off a J-22 and Necessary Evil. In the end Full Moon was fourth behind Makima (26’ Thunderbird), an excellent result in a large fleet.

Photo Finish

Full Moon (behind SYC 6) has just tacked for the start.

Full Moon crew Randy “1995” Olsen, Daniel “No Bungie” Mengedoht, Mike “Long Hair” Tracy, and skipper John “No Cigar” Mengedoht went for a conservative starboard tack start for the Toga Night Duck Dodge, tacking to cross the line sixth. Choosing when to tack on the way to the Freeway buoy was more about dodging paddleboards and drifting power boats than strategy but Full Moon maintained relative position.

Cap'n John trims the spinnaker, steering with his knees!

Full Moon opted for a northerly track past Gasworks, following Necessary Evil (Catalina 30). Two tacks later, Full Moon rounded the Aurora buoy and launched the mighty Equalizer. On the long beam reach to the AGC buoy, Full Moon gained on the leaders and slowly worked past Necessary Evil and a 29’ Dragon.

Full Moon (right) works past Necessary Evil and the Dragon.

Rounding just inside Necessary Evil, it was a straight shot to the finish line with the Dragon slowly converging from windward, having rounded the buoy on a tighter line. In the end, the Dragon scored third just inches ahead of Full Moon, making for a very exciting finish!

It was a gorgeous warm evening, capped with a great sunset.

Fresh Bottom Paint!

Full Moon skipped the Duck Dodge this week in order to finally get some fresh bottom paint. It is embarrassing to say how long it had been since it was last painted. On the lake, you don't really need it if you clean the bottom regularly but it's still not good if you've worn through the paint in places! Unfortunately, the new paint won't make us any faster - roller jobs are just too rough - but it looks much better plus it is ready for upcoming adventures on the Sound.

Full Moon returns to the water, looking pretty good apart from the worn out blue moon. Not bad for a 47-year-old boat!

Two Laps of Fun

Full Moon (far left) avoids carnage at the Committee Boat.

Full Moon crew Randy “Halyards” Olsen, Daniel “Packer” Mengedoht, Eileen “Port” McHugh, Michael “Starboard” Ward and skipper John “Busy” Mengedoht enjoyed a solid start on starboard tack for the Pink Boat Duck Dodge, avoiding the pile-up at the Committee Boat. With decent wind, however, it wasn’t long before much bigger boats caught up, though the Capri 25 Tailwind was holding their own, eventually taking first place.

Daniel retrieves the bag after helping launch the Equalizer.

With a Paddleboard Rave happening off Gasworks, the first buoy was the Aurora buoy, Full Moon rounding with speedy Iskra (S2 7.9) and just behind Makima (Thunderbird). With the Equalizer deployed, Full Moon passed Makima and then traffic slowed Iskra, allowing Full Moon to round the AGC buoy ahead. Unfortunately, skipper John briefly forgot about the Chandlers Cove buoy before correcting course. It appeared that some boats forgot about the requirement to cross the finish line on the first lap, though it didn’t matter all that much.

Full Moon gets the inside line at the AGC buoy on the first lap.

The second lap was similar to the first, Full Moon losing ground to some boats upwind only to pass or gain on boats downwind. In the end, Full Moon was about tenth on a beautiful warm evening.

Full Moon (left) on approach to the AGC buoy on the second lap.

Full Moon will miss the Summerween Duck Dodge next week, getting a long-overdue haul-out for fresh bottom paint. We’ll return to third start for Toga Night, having completed our second start penance for doing a little too well earlier in the season.

Post-race, several boats drifted among the hundreds of paddle-boards.