Smaller Boats (Mostly) Rule!

Full Moon returned to second start for the Disney Characters Duck Dodge. Crew Randy “One Beer” Olson, Dave “Big Pull” Pulsifer, Judy “Popcorn” Tiffany, and skipper John “Slow Ride” Mengedoht struggled to reach the starting line in very light breeze, and then had to dodge some third start boats inexplicably on the course side of the line. The result was that the leaders were already around the Freeway buoy while Full Moon still had half a leg to go but the somewhat good news was that speedy Scat was still within sight, less than 100 yards ahead.

Chasing Chi Chi and the Ranger 33 on the second lap.

The breeze began to fill in approaching the Freeway buoy, which favored the boats ahead, but Full Moon accelerated nicely, rounding the buoy with good speed, heading nearly to the Gasworks seawall and then passing a few boats on the ensuing two tacks to the Aurora buoy. The spinnaker pole was preset on the wrong side, delaying the hoist of the Equalizer, but once it was up, Full Moon was able to engage the J24 JEstalt and even gain a bit on Scat as they battled the J22 Chi Chi.

The final leg. Other contenders are out of sight to the right.

The Equalizer came down smoothly just in time to round the AGC buoy and then it was back upwind for the second lap. Full Moon continued to hang in there with JEstalt and Chi Chi but a faded yellow Ranger 33 (Seoladh?) snuck up the east side of the lake to ease in front. The favor was returned on the leg from the Freeway buoy to the Aurora buoy and then the Equalizer put matters to rest vs. the Ranger.

Cake or Death (San Juan 24) with a new (?) spinnaker.

Unfortunately, the wind began to fade approaching the AGC buoy and it began to look like it might turn into a parking lot with a cluster of slower third start boats. Full Moon was just able to keep the Equalizer flying, though, and then head a bit east for clearer air after rounding. A tack back to the west brought slightly stronger breeze but then it faded again. In the end, the J24 Rajun Cajun was first, followed by the M34 trimaran and Scat. Full Moon managed to stay ahead of both Chi Chi and JEstalt and was either fourth or fifth depending on whether the Moore 24 Amorillo was in second start or third.

Back to the Future

Last year, Full Moon switched from second start to third start in hopes of racing against boats that are more comparable in performance instead of against the many boats in second start that arguably should be in the first start. (My opinion but one that is widely shared!) This was a reasonable choice given there were quite a few other third start boats such as J22s, Thunderbirds, Capri 25s, etc., not to mention 40 footers such as Stella Blue (Nordic 40) and Thundorca (Tartan 41) that rate the same or much faster than Full Moon.

However, for whatever reason, apart from one T-bird and the 40-footers, Full Moon has not had the same level of competition in third start this year. The ducks are on the mast and not coming off but I don’t want to create the same problem for third start that others are creating in second start – so Full Moon will return to second start.

We’re back to the old status quo – a lightly populated first start and a huge second start fleet. The Race Committee could fix this, of course, either by knowledgeably directing boats to the various starts as in days of old or by suggesting some parameters such as PHRF-NW break points. The Committee does not appear concerned about this issue, though, so I'm not holding my breath. We race for the fun of it, not the ducks, but it would nice not to face off against boats that rate more than 100 seconds per mile faster!

Still Ducky!

Full Moon managed an adequate start with clear air for the Zombies Duck Dodge but not near enough the heavily advantaged “pin” end where Slippery When Wet (Santana 20) was perfectly positioned. Crew Michael “Pink Cans” Medina, Marcelle “Green Cans” Van Houten, Doug “Nikon” Schoemaker, Tina “Zombie Shoes” Hein, and skipper John “Silver Cans” Mengedoht gained on several boats on the first leg but a tack to westward was followed immediately by a big header, allowing the leaders to stay comfortably ahead. Another tack right at the “beach” led to a very tight line and a snug rounding of the AGC buoy.

Marcelle, Skippy, Tina, and Doug enjoy the sunny evening.

The Equalizer was soon launched and proved very helpful against any boats not flying a spinnaker. However, the wind was not quite strong enough to allow Full Moon to overtake Slippery When Wet before the Freeway buoy. The Equalizer came down smoothly, though, and the chase was on toward the Aurora buoy.

Aurora buoy moving hazard...

Unfortunately, the Aurora buoy became a moving target, having been snagged by a J22 from second start. In the confusion, Full Moon had to tack to avoid other boats and then luff hard to avoid hitting the J22, nearly coming to a halt. Meanwhile, Slippery When Wet as well as a bigger cruising boat, Solara, were able to clear the traffic on the outside before Full Moon could get back up to speed.

Fortunately, we just got the sticker, not the entire arm!

Full Moon gained some distance on the final leg but not nearly enough to catch Slippery When Wet or Solara. Fortunately, all the other boats in the vicinity proved to be in second start, allowing Full Moon to finish third for the bronze duck.

This is just June, right?

No Superheros

Full Moon didn't sail in the Superheroes Duck Dodge as Cap'n John had a conflict. Congratulations to third start winners Mustache Ride, Anakena, and Verity! Full Moon will return next week for the Zombies Duck Dodge.

One Tack, One Gybe, One Duck!

Rainbow Crew!

Full Moon crew Michael “Fred and Ginger” Medina, Marcelle “Blue Can” Van Houten, Tina “Incognito” Hein, Daniel “10 More Feet” Mengedoht, and skipper John “3:16” Mengedoht sported some awesome rainbow colors for the Crazy Wig Duck Dodge (thanks, Michael!). A solid NW wind favored a port tack start, though Full Moon had to duck at least one starboard tack boat to make it to the line.

Daniel photo-bombs Michael and Marcelle.

The first leg was a straight shot on a tight reach to the Freeway buoy, many boats converging for a close-quarters rounding. Full Moon then headed nearly to Gasworks before tacking. Some jib sheet trouble left the genoa flogging for a bit but Full Moon still was able to (just barely) lay the Aurora buoy.

Reeling in Slippery When Wet. Queue the "Jaws" music, Daniel!

Once around, the Equalizer was quickly hoisted to great advantage on the long beam reach south, the boat speed climbing to an indicated 7.23 knots at one point. (Yee-hah!!!) While eventual winner Stella Blue (Nordic 40) took advantage of her long waterline to stay ahead, Full Moon was able to reel in speedy Slippery When Wet (Santana 20) and a white T-bird to gybe round the AGC buoy in second place.

Another sticker for the mast...

Full Moon was able to hold position on the blustery final leg to claim the Silver Duck with Wandering Angus (boat type?) not too far behind taking third place.

Size Matters!

We got some catchin' up to do!

The Cops and Robbers Duck Dodge featured sunny skies and a nice breeze out of the SSW. Full Moon crew Michael “PFD” Medina, Adam “IPA” Michalak, Jackie “Pilsner” Hensy, Steve “20 hours” Pfeiffer, Daniel “Cabin Man” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Comeback” Mengedoht were a bit early to the starting line and ended up and ducking behind a cluster slower traffic for a relatively poor start. Once in clear air, however, Full Moon began pulling ahead of nearby boats.

The Equalizer, old but powerful!

A well timed tack brought Full Moon back across the lake without having to duck anyone. One more tack was enough to lay the AGC buoy, having passed enough boats to move into fifth place.

Michael waxes poetic from the lifeline while Daniel scopes the competition.

The Equalizer was soon launched to good advantage, slowly pulling Full Moon ahead of 40-foot Stella Blue (sailing without a spinnaker) and within striking distance of the San Juan 24 Cake or Death and the Santana 20 Slippery When Wet. Bearing down a bit opened up enough gap to break through the wind shadow of the other boats and Full Moon surged into second place to round the Freeway buoy. Slippery When Wet delayed dropping their spinnaker to the last second, though, to bring them around right on Full Moon’s stern.

The Competition!

Full Moon found sufficient speed close reaching to the Aurora buoy to get past an Olson 30 (!) and into the lead while pulling ahead of Slippery When Wet. Unfortunately, Stella Blue then came roaring up from behind. Stella Blue was forced to take a very wide rounding outside of Full Moon but still had a lot of speed.

Michael grabs the duck for second place.

On the final leg, Stella Blue got past with ease to take the Gold Duck. Full Moon happily snagged the Silver with Slippery When Wet finishing a few minutes later for the Bronze.

Adam enjoys a post-race beverage.

Coming by later, the skipper of Slippery When Wet expressed some displeasure at seeing Full Moon in third start. He didn’t seem keen on listening to any response but my stance has not changed: Until such time that the Race Committee takes steps to equalize the starts, pushing the fastest second start boats into first start, Full Moon will likely stay in third start where we have some hope of being competitive. For what it is worth, Full Moon rates the same or slower than a number of boats in third start including Blue Jeans (C&C 27), J22s and Capri 25s. Thundorca (Tartan 41) rates 117 and logically should be a first start boat but that’s old news. Stella Blue is also seriously fast, even without a spinnaker.

A sunny evening with many more to come!

This One's for Daniel!

Dave hands off the usual "Committee Appreciation" gift in the pre-start. Hi, Jennie!

Prestart rain and a cantankerous outboard didn’t bode well for the first Duck Dodge of 2018 but Full Moon crew Randy “Big Gybe” Olsen, Michael “Duck Whisperer” Medina, Dave “Shorts” Pulsifer, Judy “Cabin Girl” Tiffany, and skipper John “Lagunitas” Mengedoht nailed the start on port tack at the “pin” end of the exceptionally wide start line and slowly pulled away from sistership Flying Burrito. Staying a bit high of the layline kept Full Moon out of bad air from spinnakers heading the opposite direction and nearly a straight shot to the AGC buoy. A brief dive to leeward was followed by a quick tack to join starboard tackers from second start going around the mark and then it was time to hoist the Equalizer.

Though the wind had a few lulls, the second leg was mostly a perfect beam reach northbound and the Equalizer allowed Full Moon to pass quite a few more second start boats, including old rival Ignitor. The wind angle was then perfect to keep the nylon monster up with a gybe at the Freeway buoy, providing another opportunity to pass second start boats.

The skies were gray and the wind a bit inconsistent but it was great to be racing.

The take-down was held to the last second, which may not have been wise on the first race of the season, but it went well enough. Then it was time to engage a white T-bird from second start, which was sailing fast but pointing about 10 degrees lower than Full Moon. Once past the T-bird, the wind began to slowly clock farther east but not quite enough to lay the finish line. With two quick tacks, Full Moon was across to take the Gold having lead the entire race!

We dedicate the Gold Duck to crew regular Daniel who is in NYC with the Roosevelt HS Jazz Band to compete in the Essentially Ellington competition. Best of luck to Daniel and the band!

I Did It My Way

The rest of the rotating crew were all either busy or fighting the crud so skipper John "Captain Solo" Mengedoht ventured out alone on Full Moon for the first Goosebump race of 2018. With extremely light air and abundant sunshine, this wasn't such a bad thing, though tacking the genoa was not without challenges.

Full Moon is somewhere lost in the background at the start.

Full Moon got a little momentum going for the start, cruising behind a bunch of stalled boats before turning to cross the line more than a bit late. With the wind behind and no way to launch a spinnaker,  Full Moon still kept moving along, though with speeds under 1 knot. Some traffic caught up before the AGC buoy and Full Moon was on the outside of the pinwheel but soon was slowly pulling away. Then a tack went badly wrong and, though now on starboard, Full Moon tacked back rather than worry about impending bumper cars with two boats closing slowly on port.

It was a painful first leg.

Fortunately, the wind started to slowly fill in from the north and Full Moon was fairly well positioned to make use of it. Speed came up to three knots and then four and Full Moon was able to lay the Freeway buoy just behind the 505 dinghy Itchy Butt and ahead of the Ranger 22 Anakena.

The genoa now began flapping a bit at the leech and could have used a bit more halyard tension with the building wind but there was no way to tension anything at all without abandoning the tiller. Full Moon tacked near Gasworks and then again to clear the Aurora buoy, once more right on Itchy Butt's tiny transom.

The final leg appeared to be a nice beam reach but then the wind began to clock around and fade. After finally making it around a boat out for a cruise, Full Moon gybed only to have to harden up to close-hauled as the wind continued its fickle ways. Meanwhile, Itchy Butt was also struggling to keep moving and, as fate would have it, Full Moon pulled just ahead to cross the line within just a few feet of the Committee Boat. Amazingly, this was good for third place! Little Santana cousin (20 foot) Slippery When Wet took first, courtesy of a great start and outstanding first leg, and always speedy Selchie was second, though not all that far ahead. Fun times in the sunshine!

Smoke on the Water

Full Moon needed to be washed down prior to the race to get rid of the accumulations of ash.

All the forest fires made for a very smoky final Duck Dodge and, unfortunately, there wasn’t much wind, either. Full Moon crew Randy “Salty Nuts” Olsen, Michael “Spicy Nuts” Medina, Erin “Gin” Osberg, Dave “Extremely Dry” Pulsifer, Kim “Tomato” Franz, Daniel “The Bartender” Mengedoht, and skipper John “The Cackler” Mengedoht celebrated the season in our usual Martini Night style and even managed to get a great start, tacking onto port just before the horn.

Smoky air and next to no wind make for slow going.

The extremely light northwest wind then waxed and waned, setting up a nice match with our old rival Shogun. The wind then filled in a bit toward the west side of the lake, giving a nice boost to the boats in the right place at the right time. Full Moon made it to the Freeway buoy and then enjoyed some breeze to extend nearly to the Gasworks shore. Things looked good after tacking for a straight shot on the layline to the Aurora buoy but then the breeze died.

The city lights burn through the haze. Boats were still racing well after dark.

It came back in fits and starts and Full Moon rounded the Aurora buoy. The wind was so light that it didn’t look sufficient to fill the Mighty Isis spinnaker so Full Moon drifted slowly south, heeled with crew weight to fool the sails into a useful shape. As the smoky haze changed to smoky darkness, it became apparent that finishing would take a very long time and the iron sail was fired up. Many boats persevered to the end but the Full Moon crew was content to kick back and enjoy more cold beverages.

It has been an interesting season trying out third start. Full Moon managed to score eight top-three finishes, an average finish of fourth and a mean finish of third, but certainly wasn’t dominant, placing first only once. J22s and Capri 25s are certainly fair competition and bigger boats (including 40’ Thundorca) have an advantage if the wind is up. All in all, third start seems a much better fit than second start with boats rating down into the 90s in PHRF.

Twenty-six different people rotated through the crew (with six more scheduled who didn’t make it), continuing a long tradition of giving people an opportunity to try sailing and racing. Best of all, we had a lot of fun out there and a terrific summer. Next up: The Rum Run!

It's a Trap!

The Race Committee thinks pink.

The rule is abundantly clear: a sailing vessel that is to windward shall keep out of the way of a vessel to leeward. However, it is also true that your options are very limited if another skipper won’t sail by the rules. And so it was that Full Moon was pinned on the leeward side of a red Harbor 20, prevented from sailing close-hauled or tacking across the starting line for the Pink Boat Regatta Duck Dodge.

 

Deception with their usual minimal decor.

Crew Randy “Fruit Salad” Olsen, Dave “Summer Ale” Pulsifer, Daniel “Blue Box” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Four-fifty” Mengedoht made the best of the circumstances, eventually clawing ahead of the Harbor 20 and gaining a bit on the leaders on the puffy windward leg to the AGC buoy. After a brief delay, the Equalizer was hoisted to good advantage heading north, Full Moon passing several boats. Unfortunately, passing giant (40’) Thundorca on their leeward side greatly slowed forward progress (passing to windward was not an option given the need to dodge drifting power boats).

Full Moon charging from behind to pass Thundorca.

 The Equalizer came down cleanly and the chase was on for the leg to the Aurora buoy, though big blue Crystal was threatening from behind. Crystal finally got past after tacking at the buoy, though they had to work hard for it. In the end, Full Moon was seventh, not at all bad given the start. Meanwhile, it was another gorgeous evening and the wind never shut down, providing wonderful sailing conditions. Full Moon also made a donation to the cause, of course, and happily added a new hot pink duck sticker to the mast.

Cluster Toot

Full Moon is dead center, still moving toward the AGC buoy and leading third start.

A port tack start near the middle of the line would have been ideal for the Skipper’s Choice Night Duck Dodge but Full Moon crew Michael “Big Toot” Medina, Marcelle “Lady Toot” Van Houten, Daniel “Little Toot” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Megatoot” Mengedoht ended up pinned by another starboard tacker cruising the line, delaying the desired tack. It took a while to get to a zone of relatively clear air but Full Moon was into the top ten boats rounding the Freeway buoy.

Slippery When Wet, left, eventual winner, Full Moon with red "S", and Freedom, eventual 3rd place boat, mid-cluster.

Heavy traffic suggested a tack soon after the buoy and this paid off extremely well, Full Moon nearly capturing the lead before rounding the Aurora buoy. A quick hoist of the Equalizer brought added speed, though the wind was often ahead of the beam and it was necessary to keep the pole low to stretch out the “luff” of the giant spinnaker. Full Moon kept going, though, passing into a solid lead.

Another view of the cluster.

A couple of hundred yards shy of the AGC buoy, the wind began shutting down, leading to a truly massive parking lot of bumper boats, Full Moon fending off on all four sides at once! Once around the buoy, Full Moon was still locked into position by surrounding boats as the wind began to sporadically fill back in. In the end, boats that had been behind lucked out by being in the best place as the wind came back and Full Moon finished about seventh in the dimming light.

Pajamarama

Tristan likes this sailing stuff!

Full Moon crew Dave “Balance Beam” Pulsifer, Judy “Sun Worshipper” Tiffany, Adam “Cookie” Michalak, Jackie “Cider” Hensy, Tristan “Rookie”, Daniel “Flannel” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Near Miss” Mengedoht enjoyed an excellent start for the Pajama Night Duck Dodge, though a crash tack was required to avoid t-boning Mustache Ride, Full Moon having been on starboard tack and the “stand-on” vessel. Other than getting rolled by an Islander Bahama 30 to windward, Full Moon romped in a straight shot upwind to the Freeway buoy, rounded in a bit of traffic, and then tacked into clear air for a nice upwind lane toward the Aurora buoy.

Judy wants the sun to come back.

Unfortunately, the Aurora buoy proved to be a moving target as it had been snagged by a Seascape 27 from the second start, dragging the buoy south and toward the Westlake shore. Two good tacks brought Full Moon into a small pack of boats squeezing around the buoy once it was set free. After a short delay, the mighty Equalizer was hoisted to good advantage, Full Moon briefly catching both the Seascape and Black Out (Santana 30/30) on the long reach/run to the AGC buoy.

Adam would prefer a cookie.

The spinnaker came down cleanly and Full Moon rounded the AGC buoy just inside Slingshot (J30) from second start. Unfortunately, the spinnaker pole had snagged the jib sheets and the jib was hung up for a bit after jibing at the buoy. The “fix” somehow trapped the other sheet with the topping lift on the next tack but Full Moon didn’t lose much speed and crossed the line to take the silver duck for second place. First place went to Loofah, a speedy J22.

Father and son discuss philosophy from the stern.

Lake Union Gyre

On approach to the Aurora buoy. Eventual winner Tatonka is the yellow boat in the background.

Full Moon crew Michael “Sticky Cards” Medina, Chuck “Tacky Whacky” Weldy, Doug “Walking Man” Schoemaker, Troy “Red Lobster” Charlesworth, Daniel “Weapons Officer” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Fend Off” Mengedoht enjoyed an excellent port tack start for the Tropical Night Duck Dodge and started catching second-start boats before even reaching the Freeway buoy. After a tight inside rounding in lots of traffic, Full Moon waited to tack for a while and then enjoyed nice clear air most of the way to the Aurora buoy. A quick hoist of the Equalizer at the buoy led to a fast beam reach south, Full Moon appearing to be in the lead.

Going nowhere fast...

Unfortunately, the wind completely died near the AGC buoy, Full Moon coasting to a stop among a vast cluster of boats going nowhere. The usual tactics of sculling, rocking, and even pulling by swimmers ensued. Full Moon eventually made it to the floating “island” for free beer (thanks, Fremont Brewing!), at which time the wind began to fill back in. Two tacks later, Full Moon crossed the line to take the Bronze duck, Tatonka and Thundorca having somehow managed to get through or around the AGC buoy area unnoticed.

The wind returns! First start winner Freja is close to windward.

Hazy Daze

With wildfires burning in British Columbia, conditions were a bit hazy for the Toga Night Duck Dodge. The wind, meanwhile, was highly variable and challenging to predict. Full Moon crew Randy “Two Jibes” Olsen, Adam “Cookie” Michalak, Chad “Temperature Sensor” Harnish, Mary “Penalty Weight” Harnish, Marcus “Onboard Medic” Engley, Daniel “Eclectic Mix” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Yellow Buoy” Mengedoht joined a large group of boats attempting a port tack start at the advantaged “pin” end of the line. Boats closer to the middle of the line were able to enjoy more clear air and poke out ahead.

The start near the "pin" end was a bit congested!

Full Moon eventually emerged from the pack only to encounter the wind shadow of a much larger boat directly ahead. Prevented from tacking by another boat to windward, Full Moon had to sail a lower course to break free. For all that, Full Moon remained ahead of 40’ Thundorca and a Beneteau 423 to round the Freeway buoy.

Spinnakers were hard to keep full in the light air downwind.

With ongoing traffic, Full Moon then took a high line to maintain clear air on the straight shot to the Aurora buoy. This worked fairly well until the wind faded out approaching the buoy. Once around, the Equalizer was launched and then soon jibed in hopes of stronger wind near the middle of the lake. This did help a bit but the wind remained mostly light until jibing back toward the AGC buoy where Full Moon was lapped by the big first start boat Absolutely.

The smoke in the air made for an especially colorful sunset.

The final leg was fairly straightforward apart from splitting the narrow distance between two drifting speedboats. In the end, Full Moon placed fifth, a commendable result given the difficult start and all the people on board.

Bronze Holiday

Full Moon crew Michael “Too Short” Medina, Marcelle “That’s Okay” Van Houten, Adam “Skinny Santa” Michalak, Jackie “Texas” Hensy, Daniel “Tunes” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Sorry, Marcelle” Mengedoht hit the start line right on time for the Christmas in July Duck Dodge. A few other boats were either over early or very late for second start… Regardless, Full Moon did well on the first leg until reaching the disturbed air off a much larger boat in front. This allowed a few boats, including the always well-sailed Tuesday, to get or remain ahead at the Freeway buoy.

Tuesday is always fast, despite those patches!

On the second leg, Full Moon struggled a bit to find clear air, though that didn’t prevent the passing of a few stragglers from second start! The Equalizer was launched immediately after rounding the Aurora buoy. A jibe toward the middle of the lake might have been advisable but other traffic made that a difficult option so Full Moon stuck with sailing a deep angle. The wind then varied back and forth between nearly dead downwind and a beam reach on the long leg south. Small gains were made on Tuesday but a cluster of slower boats in the way on approach to the AGC buoy made any hope of a pass impossible.

Cruising past the Committee Boat to collect another duck.

Jibing at the buoy brought another tangle of the pole and the jib sheets, the culprit apparently being a topping lift issue. The good news is that this didn’t cost any positions, the bad news was that Tuesday pulled farther ahead. After two tacks, Full Moon received the horn for third place, Tuesday scoring second and a boat called Baby Girl taking the gold. Meanwhile, it was yet another glorious sunny evening on the lake. This has been a great summer and we still have six more races to enjoy!

Is there room on the mast? The boom is full...