Old Stories, 2001-2002

Goosebump, January 7, 2001
Full Moon Is First!

After a few months off, Full Moon returned to sailboat racing Sunday for the first race of the Goosebump series on Lake Union. Crew Chris "Hot Chocolate" Beza, Kari "NO Raisins!" Einset, Anneka "Spectacles" O'Connell, Art "Weather Rail" Teller, and skipper John "Motorboat" Mengedoht braved the raging wind (zero knots) and stormy seas (not a ripple) but found the competition seriously lacking, leading the "race" from start to finish.

This wasn't at all hard to do considering the first race will actually be held NEXT Sunday! Racing calendars in local boating magazines had left the date of the first race in doubt and Cap'n John wasn't taking any chances on missing a race. Likewise, the loyal Full Moon crew wasn't about to miss a beautiful sunny afternoon on the water, racing or not. So score one for the race committee and we'll be really ready next Sunday!

Goosebump, January 14, 2001
Lake Union Speed Demons

In the first sailboat race of the Goosebump series on Lake Union, Full Moon crew Lisa "Spinnaker" Berenson, Anneka "Telltales" O'Connell, Randy "Clockwise" Olsen, Barry "The Juror" Shuman, and skipper John "Rusty" Mengedoht enjoyed the panorama of many boats ahead at the start. Starting nearly last is not normally a recipe for success but, tacking away from the fleet into undisturbed wind, Full Moon managed to pass at least six boats before the first buoy to move into sixth place. Having demonstrated some measure of skill upwind, the spinnaker then went up with a major twist, allowing the leaders to relax somewhat. Let's just call the first lap a "practice lap."

Still, Full Moon is not slow and with old rival Shogun ahead it was time for knuckling down. Halfway through the second lap, Shogun was within range and several 40 footers were wallowing in our wake. The second spinnaker hoist was perfection, Shogun was toast, and behold, Full Moon was in third place, rapidly closing on Audacious (captained by Suzanne Lusnia's husband Mackenzie Skene). Turning upwind, much larger Audacious managed to widen the gap and they finished second to perennial speedster Scat. Full Moon retained third, easily holding off Shogun (fourth) and Shoot The Moon (fifth).

Goosebump, January 21, 2001
Wizards In The Mist

The second sailboat race of the Goosebump series featured continuous drizzle and extremely light wind. Full Moon crew Chris "Saturated Shoes" Beza, Paul "Soggy Buns" Myers, Anneka "Fog Vision" O'Connell, Art "Rock The Boat" Teller, and skipper John "Sponge Gloves" Mengedoht managed a nearly perfect start, leading the race for most of the first leg. However, always-speedy Scat gained bit by bit and rounded the first buoy ahead to take the lead. Meanwhile another speedster, Goose N' Duck, was creeping up from behind.

Rounding the second buoy, Full Moon was still second but the wind soon dropped even more, leaving the water like black glass. Somehow still ghosting down the lake, Goose N' Duck continued to pursue Full Moon while the entire rest of the fleet was stuck, unmoving, at the second buoy. Goose N' Duck eventually oozed by, halfway to the final buoy, though Full Moon did close the gap somewhat toward the finish to take a very respectable third. Some forty minutes later, the rest of the fleet finally made it to the finish with old rivals Shogun taking fifth.

Goosebump, January 28, 2001
Doldrum Decisions

The start of the third sailboat race of the Goosebump series began with extremely light wind (again!). Full Moon crew Pam "Hot Cider" Hunt, Vivian "Wind Repellent" Ledesma, Randy "Raspberry Frango" Olsen, Barry "Chest Hair" Shuman, and skipper John "Tight Squeeze" Mengedoht were well positioned for the start with clear air and right of way. Unfortunately, several boats on the opposite tack ignored the right of way issues, forcing Full Moon to tack to avoid collision. This left Full Moon in dead air to leeward of nearly the entire fleet.

Full Moon clawed past five or six boats before the first buoy but then the wind began to fill in from behind, bringing the last place boats up into the middle of the fleet. The resulting buoy rounding was more than a little crowded but Full Moon squeezed inside the 40 foot Shoot The Moon and was off to pursue the leaders. At the second buoy, Full Moon had picked of a few more boats and managed to pass even more on the long upwind leg to the third buoy. After a perfect spinnaker set and short downwind run, Full Moon rounded the fourth buoy and headed for the finish line to place sixth, holding off the 45 foot Zephyr (seventh) and Shoot The Moon (eighth). Old rivals Shogun finished ninth. Given the fluky wind and disadvantaged start, this was a terrific comeback, celebrated with a round of hot beverages before returning to the dock.

Goosebump, February 4, 2001
Wind, And Plenty of It

Be careful what you wish for. After three races with very light wind, the fourth sailboat race of the Goosebump series began with a solid 25 knots. Anneka "Hurricane" O'Connell and John "Typhoon" Mengedoht had their hands full with no other crew aboard Full Moon and, struggling with hoisting the sails, were nearly last at the start. At least Full Moon MADE the start - arch-rivals on Ignitor came out, checked out the wind, and went right back to the dock!

The larger boats had the advantage in such strong winds but, once going, Full Moon managed to pass a few all the same. After two quick laps of Lake Union, Full Moon placed tenth out of fifteen boats. Old rivals Shogun were the only boat to dare try a spinnaker, finishing sixth for their trouble.

Goosebump, February 11, 2001
A Perfect Day

The sky was blue, the sun was warm, the wind was a beautiful 15 knots and Full Moon was perfectly positioned at the start of the fifth Goosebump sailboat race, pinning most of the fleet to leeward. Full Moon crew Paul "Soggy Sock" Myers, Anneka "Grinder" O'Connell, Randy "Rail Rider" Olsen, Karl "Boom Stopper" Schmidt, and skipper John "Speeeed" Mengedoht proceeded to operate like a well-oiled machine which, considering the crew is different for every race, is pretty amazing!

The only downside to 15 knot breezes when your boat is 25 feet long is that 45 foot boats are simply faster. By the first buoy, the big boys were already past. So, too, was the hot custom 25 footer, Scat, though not by much. As the race progressed through two laps, Scat tried in vain to catch the three big boats while pulling a bit farther ahead of Full Moon. Full Moon, in turn, left all the other boats farther and farther behind. The positions remained the same to the finish, with Scat in fourth and Full Moon an excellent fifth.

Goosebump, February 18, 2001
Last Dance

The sixth and final sailboat race of the Goosebump series served up a little welcome sunshine, along with light winds. Full Moon crew Cynthia "Chocolate Fudge" Faw, Ed "Maple Nut" Sweetnam, Ian "Mini Me" Mengedoht, and skipper John "Mojo" Mengedoht were third across the starting line and kept that position for much of the first leg until passed by a 45-footer and a blazingly fast Synergy 1000. For the first lap, Full Moon remained solidly in fifth while the Synergy took over the lead.

Lurking behind Full Moon and slowly gaining on the second lap was old rival Shogun with arch-rival Ignitor next in line. Full Moon held off Shogun until the downwind leg (a Shogun strength) when Shogun slipped by into fifth. Full Moon closed the gap toward the finish but had to settle for sixth place. Ignitor fell farther back and finished seventh, minutes behind Full Moon.

Duck Dodge, May 15, 2001
Silver Lining

Braving "Spring Storm 2001" for the first Duck Dodge sailboat race of the season on Lake Union, Full Moon crew Anneka "Mainsail Shower" O'Connell, Randy "Fingers" Olsen, Paul "Sponge" Myers, Art "Rusty" Teller, and skipper John "Wet Head" Mengedoht were rewarded with a steady downpour and surprisingly light winds. After a well-timed start, Full Moon was in third place for the first upwind leg and gaining rapidly on arch-rival Ignitor. By the second buoy Full Moon overlapped Ignitor's transom and on the downwind run Full Moon pulled ahead under spinnaker while closing the gap on Scat in first place. Scat held position on the final upwind leg to finish first in the short one-lap race while Ignitor fell farther and farther behind to take a distant third. The Silver Duck award to Full Moon for second place more than made up for the wet weather, especially when combined with victory over Ignitor.

Duck Dodge, May 22, 2001
Bronze Me, Baby!

The second sailboat race of the Duck Dodge series offered up May weather at its very best – sunny skies with a nice, steady breeze out of the north. Full Moon crew Chris "Handi-Wipes" Beza, Vivian "Obnoxious Shoes" Ledesma, Debra "Tasty Treats" Ricard, Barry "Bowrider" Shuman, and skipper John "Speed" Mengedoht gambled on a port tack start (which means you must yield to boats coming on the opposite tack) and lost the gamble, starting mid-fleet.

Unfazed, Full Moon set off upwind, picking off at least three boats to pull into seventh place while dodging a tug and barge near the windward mark. Blasting off downwind under spinnaker, Full Moon went a little farther off the Westlake shore, found stronger wind, and blew by three more boats including old rival Shogun. Unlike all the other boats, Shogun kept their spinnaker up for the next leg, using it to good advantage to pull back ahead but Full Moon squeaked inside at the buoy for the final leg to windward and the finish.

Again finding better wind toward the middle of the lake, while avoiding the crowd on the Eastlake shore, Full Moon passed one last boat, taking third place by a wide margin for the Bronze Duck. Shogun fell back to place ninth. Arch-rival Ignitor failed to show up, no doubt embarrassed by their loss to Full Moon last week. Perennial speedster Scat again took the Gold Duck with the equally quick Olson 25 Dreams in second.

Anthony’s, June 1, Duck Dodge, June 5, 2001
Full Moon Double Header

Forgoing the third Duck Dodge race last week, Full Moon crew Paul "Light Beer" Meyers, Randy "Pasta" Olsen, Debra "Dark Beer" Ricard, Barry "Bag Boy" Shuman, and skipper John "GPS" Mengedoht headed out on Lake Washington for the first sailboat race of the Anthony's Homeport Summer Series. With wind rising to well over 20 knots (some boats registered over 30), Full Moon had a good start off Kirkland and held her own with the big boats bashing through the chop to Hunt's Point. Rounding the buoy, few boats hoisted spinnakers and Cap'n John decided not to risk the 1978 vintage chute on Full Moon. This proved a wise choice as boats with spinnakers had a lot of trouble in the strong wind and Full Moon was able to rocket along with just a small jib and full mainsail.

At the downwind buoy off Sand Point, Full Moon was still in sight of the leaders and arch-rival Ignitor was well behind. Heading back to Kirkland and the finish, Ignitor was in hot pursuit but to no avail, finishing 55 seconds behind. With handicaps applied (Anthony's uses the PHRF system), Full Moon finished a solid fourth, followed by Ignitor in fifth and Audacious (skippered by Suzanne Lusnia's husband) in seventh.

Returning to Lake Union for the fourth Duck Dodge, Full Moon crew Vivian "Vino Fino" Ledesma, Anneka "Hot Lips" O'Connell, Karl "Dry" Schmidt, Art "Krackel" Teller, and skipper John "Sugar" Mengedoht were well positioned for the start when the race committee sounded the horn a full minute early. This gave a huge advantage to boats closer to the starting line. Fortunately, Full Moon found better wind and no traffic toward the Westlake side and passed five or six boats by the first buoy to round in third place!

Heading up the lake under spinnaker, Full Moon passed Scat for second and by the end of the lap had passed Dreams for first. Unfortunately, Dreams retook the lead upwind. Back under spinnaker, Scat caught up to Full Moon at the downwind buoy and all three boats were in close contention at the final buoy. Dreams held on up the last leg for the win while Scat faded and Full Moon easily took the Silver Duck for the second time in three races. Arch-rival Ignitor had to settle for fourth place with old rival Shogun just behind in fifth.

Duck Dodge, June 12, 2001
The Equalizer

When Full Moon races in the Duck Dodge, she is pitted against several boats that, in theory at least, are much faster. For the fifth sailboat race of the series, Full Moon had a partial equalizer – a spinnaker some 45% larger than standard. Crew Lisa "Red Line" Berenson, Amy "Chips Ahoy" Henderson, Barry "Size Matters" Shuman, Art "Big Pole" Teller, and skipper John "Low Side" Mengedoht had a perfect start in light wind and led the fleet until the wind filled in from behind. Rounding the second buoy, up went the Equalizer and Full Moon regained the lead, though perennial rocket ships Scat and Dreams were close behind.

For the better part of four legs, Full Moon held on to the lead. However, toward the end of the last downwind run the wind died and the race was up for grabs. Wind arrived first for Scat and then Dreams leaving Full Moon third for the Bronze Duck at the finish line. Arch-rival Ignitor placed sixth and old rival Shogun gave up in the light wind. It was a thrilling race for all hands, the Equalizer proved its worth, and Full Moon has two seconds and two thirds in four races - our best record ever!

Duck Dodge, June 19, 2001
Pajama Party

The sixth Duck Dodge sailboat race was Pajama Night and Full Moon crew Brenda "Rookie" Barnes, Chris "Pasties" Beza, Anneka "Old Habits" O'Connell, Barry "Wet Jammies" Shuman, and skipper John "Nightshirt" Mengedoht came well dressed for a sleepover. Full Moon had an excellent start in decent wind but a few boats closer to the Westlake end of the line had an edge for the first leg. The first lap saw the fleet slowly spreading out but few position changes.

On the second lap, Full Moon gained substantially under the Big Spinnaker, closing rapidly on supposedly faster Scat and Dreams while traditional rivals faded. On the final leg, it appeared Full Moon might be in contention for a Bronze Duck but two even faster boats had already finished and Full Moon was sixth, just behind Scat. Arch-rival Ignitor finished over five minutes later in eleventh with old rival Shogun in thirteenth out of about twenty boats. The weather was perfect, the Coronas were ice cold, and the finish was thrilling. We couldn’t ask for more!

Anthony’s, June 29, Duck Dodge, July 3, 2001
Friday Fun And The Black Duck

Full Moon crew Paul "Pedal Power" Myers, Anneka "Kit Kat" O'Connell, Randy "Both Ways" Olsen, Art "Higher Pole" Teller, Grace "Giggles" Teller, and skipper John "Bumper Boats" Mengedoht skipped the Duck Dodge last week to do another Anthony's sailboat race on Friday. After a good start off Kirkland, Full Moon did well to windward, keeping up with many larger boats. Rounding the Sand Point buoy, the spinnaker went up beautifully, glowing brightly in the evening sun.

After lowering the spinnaker and clearing the buoy at Hunt's Point it was back to Kirkland for an uneventful finish. Up in the bar at Anthony's (following a suitable delay while the racers had a round or two) the results were posted: Full Moon finished fifth out of eleven boats, squeaking by Audacious (skippered by Suzanne Lusnia’s husband) on corrected time. Arch-rival Ignitor, no doubt dreading another defeat, failed to show up for the race.

Returning to Lake Union for the Stars and Stripes Duck Dodge on July 3, Full Moon crew Carolyn "Got It Wet" Jones, Mike "Hard Lemonade" Jones, Art "Three Times!" Teller, Grace "Near Miss" Teller, and skipper John "Downwind Demon" Mengedoht were well prepared for the theme with appropriate clothing and boat decorations. This earned the coveted Black Duck award, our first of the year.

After a well-timed start at, unfortunately, the disadvantaged end of the starting line, Full Moon was in the upper third of the fleet for the first leg. Using the Equalizer (Full Moon's giant new spinnaker) for the first downwind leg, Full Moon blew by old rival Shogun and arch-rival Ignitor. For the next several legs, Full Moon continued to pull away from Ignitor and others, passing another boat or two as well. At the end of two and half laps, the race ended under spinnaker with Full Moon fifth just behind Dreams and a well-sailed Ranger 26. Ignitor finished eighth and Shogun was too far back to tell.

Anthony’s, July 27, Duck Dodge July 31, 2001
Full Moon Returns

After a few weeks off, Full Moon crew Amy "Outa Practice" Henderson, Barry "Wet Pole" Shuman, Paul "Moon" Myers, Anneka "Rollin' a Fatty" O'Connell, and skipper John "High Side" Mengedoht headed out to Lake Washington for Anthony's Race No. 8. After a good start in a tightly packed fleet, Full Moon tacked away into clear wind and cruised to the first buoy at Hunt's Point. Downwind under spinnaker, Full Moon was able to catch some waves, surfing to over 7 knots and gaining a bit on the "faster" boats. After a clean spinnaker drop at Sand Point, it was back to Kirkland on a close reach in building winds for the finish. With handicaps applied, Full Moon finished a very respectable fourth with Audacious sixth and arch-rival Ignitor a no-show.

Back to Lake Union for the Prom Night Duck Dodge, it was time for crew cross-dressing with Christy "Flasher" Bates, Amy "Shrimping" Henderson, Barry "Prom Queen" Shuman, Amy "Black Tie" Pearson, and skipper John "Barbara Bush" Mengedoht. Full Moon was late to the starting line and struggled in light wind surrounded by other boats. Once in clear air it was a different story but by then the damage was done and the lead boats were out of reach. Two laps later, Full Moon finished 12th out of 25 boats with old rival Shogun in 6th and arch-rival Ignitor 8th. A great time was had by all and the "girls" received numerous wolf whistles.

Duck Dodge August 7, 2001
Tropicana

The twelfth sailboat race of the Duck Dodge series was Tropical Night and, as is usual, one of the race marks was a floating "island" dispensing cold beer to thirsty racers. Full Moon crew Pam "Pina Colada" Hunt, Anneka "Speed Knot" O'Connell, Randy "Death Roll" Olsen, and skipper John "Use 'em All" Mengedoht were well equipped with grass skirts and plastic leis. After a solid start in 15-knot winds, Full Moon sailed well to the first buoy and, forgoing a spinnaker, lost very little ground downwind, even with a change of jibs on this leg. Back upwind, Full Moon had a boat blocking the beer supply at the “island” but managed to pass perennial speedster Scat shortly thereafter. With winds dropping back to 10 knots, up went the Equalizer (very large spinnaker) for the second downwind run. This proved a poor choice as the wind rapidly built back up, leaving Full Moon seriously overpowered. The ensuing struggle to lower the spinnaker cost a few places, including allowing Scat to sneak by. Upwind to the island again, Full Moon handily scored several beers and, speeding to the finish, managed to outsail Scat to the line for seventh place. Arch-rival Ignitor could do no better than twelfth and old rival Shogun sixteenth out of over twenty boats. It was a gorgeous evening on the lake, refreshing to have good wind, and the pina coladas were very tasty!

Anthony’s, August 17, Duck Dodge August 21, 2001
Shogun Scores!

Skipping the Duck Dodge last week, Full Moon crew Chris “Ice Man” Beza, Anneka “Ben & Jerry’s” O’Connell, Grace “Ocean Motion” Teller, Art “Wild Hair” Teller, and skipper John “Mega-Phone” Mengedoht headed to Kirkland for Anthony’s Race #11. Full Moon had a decent start and sailed well to Hunt’s Point in light winds out of the southwest. After rounding the buoy, nearly all boats hoisted spinnakers but the wind was slowly shifting northward and Full Moon’s ancient spinnaker was ill suited to the wind angle. After a slow mile watching other boats pull ahead, the spinnaker came down. Shortly thereafter the wind swung around to the north and Full Moon picked up speed. Unfortunately, the wind shift came too late for Full Moon as the race committee had moved the finish line to the Sand Point buoy and there was not enough time for a comeback. Full Moon finished seventh with Audacious eighth and Ignitor once again a no-show.

Full Moon returned to Lake Union for the Toga Night Duck Dodge but a constant shower discouraged all but a few from wearing soggy bed sheets. Full Moon crew Carolyn "Wet" Jones, Mike "Zipper" Jones, Randy "Goretex" Olsen, David "Sponge" Zeitlin, and skipper John "Mainsail Shower" Mengedoht hit the starting line with excellent position to windward and led the fleet until speedy Scat slipped inside at the first buoy. After hoisting the spinnaker and then gybing around the second buoy, old rivals Shogun snuck up from behind and, with excellent spinnaker work, oozed ahead. After a clean spinnaker drop at the final buoy, Full Moon gained rapidly on Shogun while holding off a theoretically faster J24. Unfortunately, Shogun had too much of a lead, finishing second behind Scat while Full Moon easily dispatched the J24 for the Bronze Duck.

Duck Dodge August 28, 2001
Moon Dance

The 15th Duck Dodge sailboat race began with a nice breeze and Full Moon crew Debra "Halyards" Ricard, Amy "Got It Wet" Stokes, Art "Congested Cow" Teller, and skipper John "In vs. Out" Mengedoht had a better than average start at the favored end of the line. Unfortunately, the race committee set a long 2 1/2 lap course and, naturally, the nice breeze soon faded. Worse, while Full Moon passed a boat or two on many legs (there were nine legs, three with spinnaker), old rival Shogun always seemed to find better wind.

Heading up the final long upwind leg, night having fully descended, Shogun remained just out of reach while Full Moon slowly pulled away from three supposedly faster boats. Lights appeared to port revealing Goose N' Duck and Scat heading for the finish but it was impossible to tell how many boats might remain ahead. Rounding the final buoy, up went the Equalizer in the moonlight for the downwind run to the finish. Ghosting along with nary a ripple on the water, a horn sounded from the committee boat – Shogun had taken third place, defeating Full Moon for only the third time all summer. Finally, nearly three hours after the start, Full Moon crossed the line in fourth. Many boats, including arch-rival Ignitor, failed to finish at all.

Duck Dodge September 4, 2001
Martini Night!

The final Duck Dodge sailboat race is always Martini Night aboard Full Moon and crew Amy "Buoy Dancer" Henderson, Pam "Stirred, Not Shaken" Hunt, Randy "Cosmopolitan" Olsen, Barry "Head Banger" Shuman, and skipper John "Inches" Mengedoht were well prepared for a floating party. The Race Committee opted for flag signals rather than the usual air horn, leaving most of the sailors confused and unsure of the starting time. Nevertheless, after some very close quarters maneuvering, Full Moon managed a good start on the left end of the line.

Unfortunately, the right side paid huge dividends for the first leg and Full Moon fell well behind the leaders. Hoisting the Equalizer for the downwind run, however, Full Moon was soon back in the hunt, passing old rivals Shogun among others. Turning back upwind, Full Moon stayed right, which was again the place to be. Unfortunately, nearing the upwind buoy on a collision course, arch-rival Ignitor refused to yield right of way. The resulting crash tack to avoid collision allowed Shogun to slip by. Back under spinnaker, Full Moon closed the gap to Shogun but couldn't quite get by, finishing mere feet behind in eighth place.

Duck Dodge Rum Run October 27, 2001
Adventure in Endurance

The Duck Dodge Committee offers the Rum Run sailboat race out on the Sound the last Saturday before Halloween. Full Moon crew Paul “Strapless” Myers, Anneka “The Mummy” O’Connell, and skipper John “GPS” Mengedoht made the voyage, in a steady rain, out through the locks to Shilshole to pick up Art “Auto-Inflate” Teller and Barry “Body Floss” Shuman. With light wind out of the north and an opposing current, the race got a very slow start off Shilshole, heading for Spring Beach (north of Carkeek Park). As the boats oozed forward a bored crewmember on a large boat broke out a saxophone and played two solos only to be matched by a trumpet player on another boat. We didn’t know we were supposed to bring instruments!

Pacesetter Scat stayed close to shore but Full Moon found slightly better wind farther out and pulled into the lead, at one point nearly passing the lead boats from the first start. As predicted, the wind slowly clocked around to the south and spinnakers began popping up in the drizzle. Rounding the buoy, Scat had regained the lead but Full Moon was substantially ahead of rivals Ignitor and Shogun as the fleet headed southwest across the Sound toward the finish line in Port Madison.

As fate would have it, Full Moon sailed into a “hole” in the wind in the middle of the Sound which Ignitor missed, sailing well north of the direct course to the finish. The doldrums erased any advantage Full Moon had gained and brought many boats into close proximity. After over 4 ½ hours of patient attention to wind and sails, Full Moon crossed the finish line in fifth, less than a minute after Ignitor crossed in third. Shogun was eighth a few minutes later. Disappointment with fifth place, after holding second for most of the race, was offset by a gift from the Race Committee. Apparently, when Full Moon placed second in a previous Rum Run, the Committee had run out of Silver Duck awards and they had been saving one for us ever since!

Goosebump January 20, 2002
Winter Fun for Full Moon

Full Moon returned to sailboat racing action Sunday for the second of six Goosebump races on Lake Union. With winds gusting to over 25 knots, Full Moon crew Anneka “Systems Engineer” O’Connell, Randy “Reefer” Olsen, Paul “Muscles” Myers, Barry “Halyard” Shuman, Ian “Gatorade” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Round-Up” Mengedoht paused to put a necessary reef in the mainsail just before the start, crossing the line next to last. By the first buoy, however, Full Moon had advanced to fifth place, there to remain for the better part of two laps, hanging on in the howling wind.

On the next to last leg, Full Moon dropped briefly to sixth behind arch-rival Ignitor. Approaching the final buoy, Scat, Lulu, and Ignitor were side by side with Full Moon right on their transoms, and Full Moon managed to squeak inside them all to round the buoy. Blasting upwind to the finish line, Scat held onto third but the battle was on with Ignitor, Full Moon being ahead but Ignitor in better position to windward to cross the line. Approaching the line, Full Moon had just enough room to tack in front of Ignitor to beat them by five seconds – a great victory given that the conditions favored the longer and heavier boat.

Goosebump January 27, 2002
Snow Job

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
The crew is so delightful,
The Committee Boat didn’t show,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The Race Committee failed to show up for the third Goosebump race but the crew of Shoot The Moon suggested a course and starting time which all boats agreed to. Full Moon crew Anneka “Chute Stuffer” O’Connell, Paul “Grab It” Myers, Art “Sheets” Teller, and skipper John “Three Hands” Mengedoht had a good start but picked the wrong side of the lake for the first leg, falling to fourth place. Flying back downwind with the giant Equalizer, Full Moon gained rapidly on all but 40 foot Shoot The Moon.

Heading upwind again, Full Moon soon picked off arch-rival Ignitor and American Promise in light snow and hail. By this time, the wind had become much stronger and Full Moon flew the standard spinnaker for the second downwind run. American Promise managed to catch up at the last buoy but Full Moon turned on the speed to the finish to hold onto second place. Ignitor finished fourth, several minutes later.

Goosebump Febuary 17, 2002
Goosebump Finale

After a few weeks off, Full Moon returned to action for the final sailboat race of the Goosebump Series on Lake Union. Crew Elisa “Rookie” Pittner, Anneka “Spinnaker” O’Connell, Paul “Grinder” Myers, and skipper John “Too Easy” Mengedoht had a good start in the middle of the line and rounded the first buoy fourth, right on the stern of a San Juan 24. Full Moon quickly passed the San Juan, leaving only giant Shoot The Moon and speedy Scat to contend with.

At the second buoy, Full Moon jibed and quickly set The Equalizer, our huge spinnaker. Pulling steadily away from the rest of the fleet, Full Moon reeled in Shoot The Moon which, inexplicably, was flying only one sail. By the third buoy, Full Moon was dancing on Shoot The Moon’s transom but could not pass the forty-footer. The final leg to the finish saw no change with Full Moon crossing the line less than a minute behind Shoot The Moon to take third. Over five minutes later, the rest of the fleet began to cross the line with old rival Shogun stealing fifth from arch-rival Ignitor in the last fifty yards.

Duck Dodge May 14, 2002
Full Moon Returns

Full Moon returned to sailboat racing action Tuesday for the first Duck Dodge on Lake Union. Crew Anneka “Winch Wench” O’Connell, Art “Line Dancer” Teller, Paul “Curly Fries” Myers, and skipper John “Port Tack” Mengedoht had a good start in blustery conditions, then battled successfully with bigger boats on the first upwind leg. As the fleet spread out around the course Full Moon lost ground to a few faster boats while pulling away from everyone else.

Rounding the buoy for the second spinnaker run, Full Moon hoisted The Equalizer and began to reel in a speedy J24 and the Olson 25 Dreams. At the end of the run, Full Moon had just passed Dreams and held the inside position at the buoy. Heading back upwind, Full Moon held off Dreams but couldn’t quite catch the J24, finishing fifth out of about 20 boats. Old rival Shogun placed seventh and arch-rival Ignitor was a no-show.

Duck Dodge May 21, 2002
Red Shoes For Speed

The second sailboat race of the Duck Dodge series began with a drizzle and light to nonexistent wind. Full Moon crew Shannon “Red Shoes” Knepper, Barry “Power Pole” Shuman, and skipper John “The Professor” Mengedoht had a relatively pathetic tenth place start but quickly found the groove and began to pick off the competition. By the first buoy, Full Moon had played the scraps of wind to climb to fifth and by the second buoy was solidly third and contending for the lead.

At the end of the downwind leg, Full Moon was dead even with the second place boat but was forced to round the buoy on the outside. This proved decisive and Full Moon had to settle for third place and the Bronze Duck. Arch-rival Ignitor placed fifth several minutes later and old rival Shogun failed to finish.

Duck Dodge May 28, 2002
Silver Lining

The third sailboat race of the Duck Dodge series began with the forecast drizzle and moderate winds. Full Moon crew Anneka “The Apprentice” O’Connell, Lisa “Rookie” Crane, Jay “Biker” Tarner, Barry “Giant Pole” Shuman, Ian “Yoda” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Loaded” Mengedoht enjoyed an excellent start and were not far behind the theoretically much-faster CF 27 Dangerous When Wet at the first buoy. Turning downwind after the second buoy, Full Moon hoisted The Equalizer and closed the gap but could not quite catch up.

Sailing upwind onto the second lap, Dangerous When Wet pulled out ahead as expected but once again Full Moon made up the difference under spinnaker. Heading toward the downwind buoy, the wind dropped, allowing arch-rival Ignitor to close up within 50 yards. However, Full Moon had also nearly caught Dangerous When Wet. Rounding the buoy and heading for the finish, Dangerous When Wet was able to pull ahead again to take first but Full Moon easily held off Ignitor to take the Silver Duck. Old rival Shogun finished sixth, several long minutes later.

Anthony’s Race June 7, 2002
John And The Giant Jib

Full Moon headed for the big lake last Friday for the first Anthony’s Homeport race. Crew Anneka “Whip It” O’Connell, Debra “I’ll Pull Anything” Ricard, Paul “Crack” Myers, Art “Hung Jury” Teller, and skipper John “Michael Jackson” Mengedoht had an excellent start off Kirkland but opted to follow the east shore rather than stay with the fleet toward the middle of the lake. This proved unwise, allowing most boats to pull substantially ahead.

Rounding the Hunt’s Point buoy, the spinnakers went up and Full Moon began to gain but the wind began to shift to the north and a wind angle not normally appropriate for spinnakers. With the new wind direction promising a downwind run to the finish, most boats, including Full Moon, opted to try and fly their spinnakers like giant jibs until rounding the buoy. Unfortunately, after rounding, the wind then shifted back south and the spinnakers were finally retired. Ultimately, the distance lost on the first leg could not be overcome and Full Moon hit the finish line seventh with arch-rival Ignitor a minute ahead in fifth.


Duck Dodge June 11, 2002
Stuck In The Middle

Returning to Lake Union for the Pirate Night Duck Dodge, Full Moon crew Anneka “Chains” O’Connell, Chris “Wet Spot” Beza, Art “Shoot ‘Em Off” Teller, Ian “Short Squirt” Mengedoht, and John “Bandana” Mengedoht had a very poor start, near the back of the fleet. While able to make substantial gains upwind and especially downwind under spinnaker, the lead boats remained out of reach and Full Moon had to settle for ninth out of twenty-two boats.
However, arch-rival Ignitor was even farther behind in tenth and old rival Shogun brought up the rear in twenty-second so all was not lost. In addition, Chris Beza had just passed the architectural licensing exam and had brought some excellent champagne to celebrate. Congratulations, Chris!

Anthony’s Race June 21, 2002
Chopped!

Full Moon headed for Lake Washington again for the 3rd sailboat race of the Anthony’s series. Crew Amy “The Boom” Pearson, Randy “Not Up Enough” Olson, Pam “Nine Knots” Hunt, and skipper John “What Rating?” Mengedoht had a good start off Kirkland on a warm, sunny evening that, unfortunately, brought out scads of speeding power boats, stirring the lake to very steep, closely spaced waves. Full Moon, being light weight and wide in the beam, slows significantly pounding through the chop and was soon trailing the fleet.

The downwind leg brought no relief as the waves rocked the boat heavily fore and aft, alternately filling and dumping wind from the spinnaker, though Full Moon did gain a little. In the end, Full Moon simply could not overcome the conditions and finished dead last, though all aboard enjoyed the beautiful evening on the water.

Duck Dodge June 24, 2002
Start Two and One Half

Returning to Lake Union for the Duck Dodge, Full Moon crew Anneka “Limbo” O’Connell, Shannon “Cleat Me” Knepper, Doug “Mega Shoe” Schoemaker, James “Mini Shoe” Schoemaker, Randy “Brady Bunch” Olson, and skipper John “Casual Start” Mengedoht, along with crews of many other boats, suffered from confusion in the starting signals and crossed the line fully three minutes late (or was that two minutes early?). Even for Full Moon, this was a serious handicap but all was not yet lost.

Upwind and down through two laps, Full Moon passed after boat and, on the second downwind leg, old rival Shogun fell behind, though arch-rival Ignitor remained out of reach (both rivals having started right on time). At the finish, Full Moon was tenth out of over twenty boats with Ignitor ahead in seventh and Shogun twelfth.

Duck Dodge July 2, 2002
Stars and Stripes

With flags and pennants flying, Full Moon crew Carolyn “Mad Dog” Jones, Mike “Hard Lemonade” Jones, Gina “Mom” Gerber, Steve “Holdin’ On” Klem, Art “Giggles” Teller, Grace “Green Line” Teller, and skipper John “Flag Face” Mengedoht had a good start in a huge fleet of boats for the Stars and Stripes Duck Dodge. With two and one-half laps of a large rectangular course, it was a long race and the crew got a workout with three spinnaker hoists and drops.

While handily beating rivals Ignitor and Shogun, the fleet included many boats that are just plain faster than Full Moon and, with no formal handicap system, eighth place was the best that could be achieved. Shogun finished tenth and Ignitor appeared to be nearly last.

Anthony’s Race July 19, 2002
Fun In The Sun

After taking a week off, Full Moon returned to Lake Washington last Friday for Anthony’s Race Six. Crew Chris “Shutterbug” Beza, Kari “Bowline” Einset, Art “Rodeo” Teller, Vivian “Stinky Shoes” Ledesma, Pete “Not Up Yet” Simatovich, and skipper John “Pole Up, Pole Down” Mengedoht had a good start in light wind. The upwind leg to Sand Point in a strengthening breeze was uneventful until nearing the buoy when a 40-footer passed to windward, stealing Full Moon’s wind and forcing two extra short tacks.

Once under spinnaker, Full Moon took off, moving into third place and battling a hot Melges 24 near the downwind buoy at Hunt’s Point. On the close-reach romp to the finish line Full Moon held steady in third, our highest finish ever in the Anthony’s series. Rivals Shogun and Ignitor were no-shows.

Duck Dodge July 23, 2002
Graduation Day

Ian “Mini-Me” Mengedoht and friends Sean “Muscles” and Charlotte “Chatterbox” Dennis (ages 7 and 8) recently completed two weeks of sailing lessons and, as a graduation treat, crewed with parents Dean “Shoulder Bolder” and Kathy “Drink Holder” Dennis and skipper John “Patience” Mengedoht in this week’s Duck Dodge. After a good start on the crowded lake, Full Moon did the first lap without spinnaker, allowing a few boats past, while rivals Ignitor and Shogun tried to catch up.

On the second lap, the spinnaker was deployed, though not without difficulties, and Ignitor slipped by. At the downwind buoy Ignitor led by 30 yards but the Full Moon crew played the wind shifts to perfection to the finish line, beating Ignitor by a full minute to take tenth. Shogun remained far behind and out of contention.

Anthony’s Race July 26, 2002
Ignitor Trounced!

Full Moon crew Anneka “She Can Handle It” O’Connell, Sean “Rookie” O’Connell, Paul “Beermeister” Myers, and skipper John “Mr. Squeeze” Mengedoht had an excellent start for the Anthony’s Race No. 7, sneaking between the starting buoy and a 35 footer named Aolius. On the first upwind leg to Hunt’s Point, Full Moon, Aolius and Thatuna, a Thunderbird, slowly pulled far ahead of arch-rival Ignitor and the rest of the fleet. The margin remained the same if not greater downwind under spinnaker to Sand Point.

Turning back south on a close reach to the finish off Kirkland, Full Moon battled Aolius, finishing 10 seconds ahead but losing out on handicap to place third. Ignitor managed to finish fourth but was over 12 minutes behind Full Moon!

Duck Dodge July 30, 2002
Jammie Time

Back on Lake Union, Full Moon crew Anneka “Big Rig” O’Connell, Art “Wet Down Below” Teller, Pam “Can You Hear Me Now?” Hamlin, Steve “Shrimper” Petherick, and skipper John “Woodie” Mengedoht had their jammies on, despite the iffy weather, for the Pajama Night Duck Dodge. Full Moon had a very good start and was soon mixing it up with an usually wide variety of boats upwind, the bigger boats having an advantage in the relatively strong breeze.

Sailing around the course, the wind proved fickle, changing direction frequently in wild swings and occasionally dropping to nearly zero. Nevertheless, Full Moon continued to do well with excellent crew work, staying ahead of arch-rival Ignitor and old rival Shogun. Ignitor gained a bit on the second lap to make things interesting but could not catch up. Full Moon finished well ahead in fifth with Ignitor seventh and Shogun eighth.

Anthony’s Race August 16, 2002
Chopped Again

After taking a week off, Full Moon returned to action for Anthony’s Race No. 10. With a decent start in light winds, crew Vivian “Easy Roundings” Ledesma, Pete “Spiderman” Simatovich, Art “Dirty Sheets” Teller, Grace “Sleepyhead” Teller, and skipper John “Black Sheets” Mengedoht soon fell behind the leaders in the dreaded Lake Washington chop.

Rounding the first buoy at Sand Point, Full Moon was fifth and, with the wind slowing fading, remained in fifth on the run down to Hunt’s Point and back to the finish line off Kirkland. Arch-rival Ignitor finished well ahead in fourth.

Duck Dodge August 20, 2002
Prom Night Drifter

Full Moon crew Anneka “Side Slits” O’Connell, Shannon “Sequins In Seattle” Knepper, Randy “Burn Baby Burn” Olsen, Pam “Funseeker” Hunt, and skipper John “Yuk, Yuk” Mengedoht were well-dressed under the mirror ball for the Prom Night Duck Dodge. With light to non-existent wind, the starting line was a mass of drifting boats and Full Moon did well to avoid a pile-up at the Committee Boat.

Arch-rival Ignitor found some wind early and pulled ahead to the first buoy but Full Moon slowly reeled them in down the length of the lake to move just ahead at the second buoy. Unfortunately, Ignitor was able to sneak back just inside at the third buoy and regain the lead.

The finish line was a repeat of the start with perhaps twenty boats drifting slowly across the line. Full Moon managed a respectable fifth with Ignitor about 40 feet ahead to take fourth.

Anthony’s Race August 30, 2002
Motor Madness

Full Moon crew Anneka “Rubber Band” O’Connell, Paul “Poser” Myers, Doug “Six Wraps” Schoemaker, Jeffrey “Ben & Jerry’s” Schoemaker, and skipper John “Low Side” Mengedoht voyaged to Kirkland for the final Anthony’s sailboat race of the summer. Full Moon had a decent start in light winds but lost ground to many boats upwind to Hunt’s Point. Rounding the buoy, the wind shifted to the northwest, making the next long leg to Sand Point a tight reach – conditions which allowed Full Moon to gain back a bit.

At Sand Point, the spinnakers went up and Full Moon slowly reeled in and passed arch-rival Ignitor as the wind began to fade out in the dusk. Eventually, the wind died altogether leaving 30 boats adrift about 300 yards from the finish line. Apparently tiring of the wait in the dark and hoping to be first to the bar, Ignitor fired up their engine and began to motor toward the shore. As fate would have it, however, the wind filled in at last and Ignitor killed the motor to head for the finish line – ahead of Full Moon! In the end, Full Moon was fifth while Ignitor should have fessed up and widthdrawn, but didn't!

Duck Dodge September 3, 2002
Last Call

The last race of summer is always Martini Night aboard Full Moon and crew Amy “Gloveless” Pearson, Shannon “Big Olive” Knepper, Art “bARTender” Teller, and skipper John “Now, Please” Mengedoht happily maintained this fine tradition. After a good start in decent wind, Full Moon performed well, losing ground only to a few faster boats and handily dispatching a theoretically faster J24.

Rounding the first buoy, the spinnaker went up and Full Moon took off, easily distancing the bulk of the fleet, though not gaining quite enough on the leaders. At the end of the short one-lap race, Full Moon placed a well-earned fifth. Arch-rival Ignitor and old rival Shogun were no-shows.